Lin Li hit the brakes, bringing his bike to a full stop by the roadside.
He hadn't been mistaken—a new mission notification had popped up.
And his original task hadn't been replaced, which meant the system could handle multiple missions simultaneously, rather than completing them one by one.
But... this mission...
"If Blood Crows of Demon Heaven are mosquitoes, then this Hehuan demon lair must be…" Lin Li could feel his expression shifting, likely channeling the intensity of a flaming fist.
Pushing his bike back to where he'd received the notification, he found himself next to a massage parlor. It had grand decor, though the style was somewhat outdated— "Qingjue Wellness Center."
It was the only place that made sense. Could this be the infamous "Red Romance"?
Disguised as wellness on the outside, perhaps it was hiding a whole ahem operation inside?
Lin Li marked the location mentally.
After a moment of thought, he remounted his bike and headed home.
There was no need to rush this so-called "chicken farm"; it wasn't something he could deal with on a whim. If the Demon Suppression Bureau was anything like the police, he'd need to consider his words and evidence carefully, maybe even wait for the weekend to act.
Anyway, there was no time limit on the mission, so heading home to hunt mosquitoes was his top priority.
As usual, the house was empty.
Lin Li had lost his father in an accident when he was young, taking a year off school as a result, which explained why he was only a first-year high school student at seventeen. His mother was a busy but well-paid professional, often traveling for work and rarely at home.
Technically, boarding school would've suited him better, but since Lin Li preferred to commute and lived nearby, his mother had let him do as he wished.
Opening the windows to let mosquitoes in wouldn't be the wisest move, and swatting eight mosquitoes individually would be exhausting.
When he'd locked up his bike downstairs, a few small insects had already been buzzing around his head, but he could tell they were harmless midges or gnats, not the Blood Crows he was after.
So, without even taking off his shoes, Lin Li grabbed an electric mosquito swatter and arm sleeves, heading to the community park.
Or rather, he armed himself with his "Special Artifact for the Destruction of Blood Crows."
With this weapon in hand, the Blood Crows were doomed!
Lin Li approached the bushes, swung his swatter in a wide arc, and with every zap and crackle, he left a trail of sparks.
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (3/10).]
Sure enough, no other insects were being counted. The sounds of his strikes made it clear he'd hit more than one.
Lin Li continued, swinging the electric swatter, slicing, thrusting, sweeping…
At this rate, why shouldn't he consider himself a cultivator, brandishing his weapon against these tiny demon crows?
"Mom, what's that big brother doing?" asked a child, being carried by his mother, as they passed Lin Li.
The embarrassed cultivator dared not look back.
"Honey, mosquitoes are pesky, aren't they? That big brother is helping us get rid of them."
"Wow, that's so cool!"
Thank you, kind stranger! One day, once I reach immortality, I'll let you and Bai Bufan ascend too!
As the sound of footsteps faded, Lin Li, grateful, kept swinging his trusty swatter.
Though he couldn't shake the feeling that those footsteps had sped up as they walked away.
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (9/10).]
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (10/10).]
[Mission 1 Complete.]
[You have gained: Physique Improvement—Spiritual Absorption Rate +100%; System Currency x50.]
[A natural talent! In less than an hour, you've slain ten Blood Crows! The villagers marvel at your speed and have named you their hero!
Strike while the iron is hot—go on a rampage and shake the Blood Crow tribe to its core!]
[Time-Limited Mission Triggered!]
[Mission 1: Within twelve hours, kill one hundred Blood Crows of Demon Heaven that frequently attack villagers in your area.]
[Reward: Title—Blood Crow Slayer (when equipped, Blood Crows will fear you, and only the strongest of their kind will dare approach); Physique Improvement—Spiritual Absorption Rate +100%; System Currency x50.]
Who'd have thought he'd unlock a follow-up mission with such nice rewards? On top of the original, there was now a new title.
But... would a normal cultivation system even offer game-like titles? Wouldn't it be better to just directly grant "Blood Crow Nemesis" as a physique type?
Whatever. With his system, this sort of thing was to be expected.
After grumbling a bit, Lin Li resumed swinging his electric artifact.
It was easy enough work, and he even felt like he was playing badminton.
But soon he noticed something was off.
After all that swatting, his mission progress was still stuck at zero. There was no way he'd missed every mosquito in that flurry of zaps.
What was going on?
Frowning, Lin Li carefully compared the descriptions of the two versions of Mission 1 and noticed the difference—this one included the word "personally."
"..."
Lin Li swallowed, then clapped his hands, crushing a mosquito by his ear.
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (1/100).]
"..."
Seriously, what kind of dumb system is this?
The mission said "personally," so it really had to be done personally, huh?
System, it's a good thing you aren't sentient, or I'd be happy to express my thoughts on your family lineage in four languages.
Sighing, Lin Li set the electric swatter aside on a bench.
Since the system, the ultimate authority, had spoken, he had no choice but to comply.
A bit annoying, sure, but at least it wasn't a difficult mission, just a time-consuming one.
Too bad it was summer, and here he was, all alone in the bushes, swatting left and right.
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (2/100).]
...
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (46/100).]
"Mommy, what's the big brother doing now? Why isn't he using the mosquito swatter?"
The familiar voice was back—it sounded like the mother and child had circled back around.
This time, the mother hesitated for a moment before answering her child's question.
Lin Li, who was clapping mosquitoes with gusto, grimaced but didn't look back.
Finally, the mother spoke:
"Honey, remember what Mommy told you? There are some people in this world who aren't as fortunate as you. Some are born missing certain things—sometimes a part of their body, sometimes a part of their mind.
But remember, honey, we shouldn't look down on people for their differences. We should be kind to them."
"Oh, so that big brother has an intellectual…"
"Shh!"
The sound of retreating footsteps turned into an almost immediate sprint.
With the cheerful determination of someone now considered intellectually challenged, Lin Li wore a smile of complete serenity, his hands continuing to clap in relentless applause.
I hate you, kind stranger! When I become an immortal, you and Bai Bufan can ascend too… in the literal sense!
...
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (99/100).]
[Blood Crow of Demon Heaven killed (100/100).]
[Mission 1 Complete.]
[You have gained: Title—Blood Crow Slayer (automatically equipped); Physique Improvement—Spiritual Absorption Rate +100%; System Currency x50.]