It seems that there is a mountain called Bull Head Mountain all over the country, and it is rumored to resemble a bull's head.
But no matter how hard Li Rui tried, he couldn't see how this mountain looked like a bull's head. He didn't have the mood to look either, because when he arrived at the post, he only saw watermelon rinds scattered all over the ground and half-eaten watermelon left unattended.
"Jinxi."
He squatted down and glanced at the cigarette butt extinguished on the watermelon rind, knowing this was the brand Wang Huai smoked, so the person who was here earlier was most likely the one he was looking for.
Li Rui looked up towards the woods. It was already late, and faint mist floated in the air.
The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger, so without turning back, he resolutely rushed in.
Right now, his mind was fully occupied with confirming the safety of the policeman who had always looked after him. The value of the overlapped dropped items had long been forgotten.
Of course, he loved money, but there are many things in the world more important than money.
...
Bull Head Mountain is a large mountain. On the other side, Liu Shanshan was personally leading the team members walking in the mountains. This side was steep and not the usual path villagers took up the mountain. But now, all these secret realm agents were here because a mystical overlap had occurred.
"Team Leader, the thing Brother Hong killed earlier has been identified. A level 10 demon spirit, rooting spirit, possessing an old pine tree."
Liu Shanshan nodded: "The difficulty of this overlap is not high. Everyone, keep your spirits up, move quickly, try to finish the battle within two hours."
"Yes!"
The small team had to oversee a large area of the mountain, but there was no choice. Secret realm agents were scarce; this was the norm.
Fortunately, according to Superpower Division regulations, only agents above level 10 could execute mystical overlap elimination tasks. Considering failed attempts, these people had cleared more than ten dungeons at least and were not unfamiliar with various situations.
After a careful search, several more rooting spirits possessing vegetation were cleared.
"Seeker, has the cooldown ended? Check again."
"Yes!"
The seeker is a profession skilled in using secret techniques to find traces of mystical realm fluctuations, usually confirming enemy traces at the start and end of battles.
He clapped his hands in front of his chest, and pure white light spread from his palms. Several rays of light, like serpentine spirits, reached out, finally circling the clearing before vanishing into thin air.
"Team Leader, nothing's left!"
The seeker said with some delight, "We can wrap up."
"Alright, everyone double-check for any missed materials." Liu Shanshan relaxed.
Facing the mystical overlap, agents were more cautious than in the secret realm because dying in the secret realm didn't necessarily affect reality, but dying in reality meant true death, and extraordinary power couldn't revive the dead.
Therefore, every time a task like this arose, the leading team leader was the most tense because secret realm agents were scarce, and every subordinate was precious. Any damage hurt.
After a search, they found some unbound materials.
"Team Leader, there's an epic-level tree demon essence!"
The newly arrived level 10 member exclaimed with joy, "We've struck it rich!"
The seeker replied in frustration: "Just materials between levels 5-10, worth at most tens of thousands."
"That's still a lot." It was the newcomer's first mission. His reaction was normal because agents below level 10 couldn't participate in mystical overlaps, and could only enviously watch others earn bonuses.
Liu Shanshan watched her team members bantering, smiling and shaking her head.
Just as they were packing up to wrap up, suddenly a SWAT officer on patrol rushed in from the outskirts: "Officer, contact has been lost with threat level 17. Please advise!"
The confidentiality level at Superpower Division was very high. He didn't know what background this beautiful woman had, but knew the orders to deploy them came with the same high level of clearance.
Liu Shanshan was surprised by the report: "Lost communication? Weren't regular officers on patrol there?"
"Yes."
Liu Shanshan felt it shouldn't be due to negligence.
At this point, the level 10 newcomer said: "Team Leader, I remember the report mentioned something called breakpoint mystical overlap, it..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shanshan's expression immediately changed.
Breakpoint mystical overlap refers to abnormal occurrences in two or more non-adjacent areas within a region, a very rare event often unconsciously overlooked by veterans but more likely noticed by newcomers.
"Everyone, reinforce region seventeen."
Liu Shanshan's command sent all secret realm agents sprinting away, then addressed the SWAT officer, "Immediately seal the range between region seventeen and Huang Village Group 5."
She stared at the SWAT officer, decisively saying, "If a potential threat appears, you may fire."
.....
Wang Huai and Li Lu chased the child's figure into the deep forest but quickly lost its trail.
At this moment, faint white mist rose in the forest, the sky darkened, and the trees on the mountain seemed eerily twisted.
Wang Huai halted, realizing something was amiss. How could a group of seven or eight-year-old kids possibly disappear while being pursued by him, an old cop? Strange.
In contrast, Li Lu, who wasn't usually involved in cases or inside information, was just an accountant at the village committee, feeling rather nervous and scared by now.
"Officer Wang, did you see clearly just now?"
.....
Wang Huai didn't respond, beginning to doubt himself. Indeed, they were keeping watch in a visually open area, and since it was unlikely anyone bypassed their sight to climb the mountain, just two people were stationed.
In such a place, it's unlikely that a few older children would venture inside.
"Let's retreat for now."
His heart pounded a bit. If it were just a regular day, he wouldn't have any concerns. But this incident was peculiar, the higher-ups were being evasive, and as an experienced cop, he knew better.
Don't ask, don't talk, just act like you don't know anything.
But now that he was deeply involved, he had to consider whether to withdraw first.
It wasn't that he wouldn't consider protecting the children, but he now seriously doubted what he had seen earlier.
Li Lu, hearing they could leave, felt relieved, but as he turned around, he was stunned.
"Damn it, Officer Wang, the mist!"
Wang Huai's expression was serious, he also noticed that during just a few words, the mist in the forest had thickened to a point where visibility was only three to five meters. Being in the mountains, finding their way out would be challenging.
At this moment, children's laughter emerged again from within the mist.
"Hahaha, Uncle, come play hide-and-seek."
"You hide, we'll find."
"You must hide well."
"We'll start counting, then come find you."
"Nine, eight, seven, six..."
"If we find you, we'll hang you."
"Five, four, three, two, one!"
This mission wasn't equipped with guns because handguns posed limited threats to secret realm creatures, and Wang Huai's task location wasn't in a dangerous area, at least as planned.
Now, he could only take out a baton, shielding Li Lu as they retreated.
However, suddenly, the voice that came from ahead was now behind them, almost whispering closely to their ears.
"Found you."
"Goodbye."