Chapter 6: The House of the Blood Demon

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Xia Shou sat in the Control Bureau’s transport vehicle, his body swaying left and right with the bumps on the road. One had to admit, the driver’s skills were exceptional; his backside felt as if it were being jolted into two halves. With half an hour left before reaching their destination, he decided to use this time to ponder his current predicament.

At present, he had only three cards to play.

The first was Alice, who could seize another’s vision.

The second was the skill [Seeking Death] he gained after devouring the wax figure.

The last was the special blood vial given by Shangguan Yan, which could enhance his anomaly level.

Though he still possessed Dorian Gray’s pocket watch, he neither painted self-portraits nor had the time to do so, rendering the watch useless for this mission.

“The situation isn’t too bad; at least [Seeking Death] gives us one chance to learn from a mistake,” Xia Shou said to Alice.

Once [Seeking Death] is activated, they must proceed one hundred meters along the most perilous path, but the one-hour death rollback was the best way to gather intelligence.

Opening the dossier Shangguan Yan had given him, the first page bore the title: “Investigation Report: The House of the Blood Demon.”

The second page contained a photograph taken in the heart of a desolate forest.

In the photo stood a crooked country villa, adorned with dark green tiles and granite walls, one side overrun by red ivy.

The pitch-black front door was ajar halfway, revealing a vestibule turned upside down—the ceiling had become the floor, the floor the ceiling. The shoe cabinet floated overhead, while the chandelier hung suspended beneath, hovering mid-air.

Xia Shou stared intently at the photo, gradually merging the door in the picture with the scenes from his dream.

That door!

He had seen it at sea!

...

...

In the wilderness, a villa rose amid the barren forest clearing, encircled by a hundred meters of yellow caution tape. Dozens of fully armed soldiers guarded beyond the perimeter.

Inside the cordoned area, several mysterious figures dressed in identical uniforms surrounded the villa, measuring something with strange devices.

Zhang Zhengde crouched and slipped past the caution line, approaching the on-site commander.

“How long has Zhou Hongjie been inside?” he asked.

“Two hours. Edward’s life lamp is still burning,” the commander replied, his brow furrowed with worry.

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Zhang Zhengde inhaled sharply and looked up at the infamous sinister villa.

Ten years ago, this bizarre-looking house had inexplicably appeared in the suburban forests of Jiangbo City. Its appearance was a perfect match to the “House of the Blood Demon” described in The Dorian Gray Notes.

Given the frequent blood demon incidents in reality, the Control Bureau dispatched S-rank investigator Edward, but three days later, Edward vanished along with the villa.

Following Edward’s disappearance, the blood demon phenomena in reality ceased as well, effectively resolving a long-standing and ominous threat.

Though Edward was missing, his life lamp at the Control Bureau had continued burning ever since.

For ten years, the Bureau had waited for the House of the Blood Demon to reappear.

Until today—the sinister house had finally manifested once more.

To handle this special event, the Control Bureau sent Level Two harvester Zhou Hongjie and five other Level One harvesters into the House of the Blood Demon.

So far, no feedback had come from them, and according to protocol, they should be considered lost.

“Even Zhou Hongjie couldn’t complete the mission?” Zhang Zhengde asked anxiously.

At some point, a masked man appeared behind Zhang Zhengde and spoke up.

“Edward is a top-tier investigator; everyone wants to rescue him.

But the blood demon incidents were resolved ten years ago. This villa is now just a mysterious building—like a mirage—that suddenly appears... It poses no obvious threat to the ordinary world.

Continuing to send people in may indeed save Edward, but it’s more likely to be a death sentence.

You understand the value of six harvesters. You’ve already lost this gamble; continuing will only deepen your losses.”

Zhang Zhengde said nothing, taking the anomaly reader from a nearby technician. The meter’s reading jumped to 1257.

This indicator was akin to nuclear radiation in the world of anomalies; strange activities and extraordinary deaths would raise it.

A reading above 1000 suggested two possibilities:

Either the house harbored extremely terrifying anomalies,

Or the number of extraordinary personnel who died inside far exceeded normal levels.

Either way, it indicated that the House of the Blood Demon was exceedingly dangerous.

Zhang Zhengde stared at the house solemnly for a long moment before saying, “Try once more.”

“No need. Continuing the rescue will only increase meaningless sacrifices and destabilize the House of the Blood Demon further. It’s better to give up,” the masked man said.

Zhang Zhengde glanced at him, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

“That’s not my decision. The Minister has already contacted a Level Three harvester. The man will arrive soon.”

The masked man looked at him sharply.

“A Level Three harvester? The boss personally contacted him?”

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Harvesters are honorary titles awarded to extraordinaries by the Control Bureau through extremely rigorous evaluations.

Advancement through harvester levels is incredibly strict, primarily based on the frequency and difficulty of solo anomaly resolutions.

Each Level One harvester is an expert capable of handling anomalies that conventional military forces cannot resolve.

Their abilities are mysterious, their strength overwhelming, often completing missions unscathed.

Thanks to their existence, the Control Bureau saves vast resources and compensation funds annually; each Level One harvester saves nearly five million in fiscal expenditure per year, truly the Bureau’s cash cow.

Level Two harvesters are several times stronger than Level Ones, only called upon when three Level Ones cannot handle an anomaly.

They form the backbone maintaining the world’s “normalcy,” their value beyond measure.

As for Level Three harvesters... they require terrifying battle records and joint recommendations from two Level Twos.

In this profession, no one recommends another for promotion without absolute trust in their strength.

Thus, a Level Three harvester’s power is overwhelmingly greater than that of a Level Two.

“Sending a Level Three harvester without multi-department approval means invoking the 'Special Authority.' Failure to resolve the incident would result in serious reprimand. What was the boss thinking?” the masked man exclaimed.

Zhang Zhengde shook his head.

“I don’t know either. The boss seems desperate to save Edward.”

“That can’t be! Although Edward’s life lamp still burns, it only means his body is still alive!

In a house where six harvesters couldn’t survive, what kind of investigator could live for ten years? What are the chances he’s even still human?”

Faced with the interrogation, Zhang Zhengde’s expression turned as hard as iron; he maintained silence.

Seeing this, the masked man realized his question had touched on classified information.

“Fine, then tell me who this Level Three harvester is. That much you can say, right?”

“The Minister didn’t specify, only said it’s a man possessing a spirit,” Zhang Zhengde sighed.

Just then, brakes screeched behind them as a transport vehicle stopped outside the perimeter.

The door opened, and Xia Shou jumped down from the vehicle.