Chapter 12: a Crisis Unfolds

Inside the staggered city towers, Li An’s face beneath the mask was filled with confusion.

Why is the Demon Clan looking for me?

It makes sense if they want to ambush me on the frontlines, but to expose their hidden agent in Skywater City just for me—does it really seem worth it?

Cultivating an agent within the human world required a significant investment from the Demon Clan.

To use such an asset on someone like him seemed excessive.

Just for me?

I’m not some invincible warrior who can single-handedly destroy armies.

I’m just a frontline soldier, someone who doubles as a peacekeeper in the city.

Sure, I’ve killed a lot of demons over the years, but still this doesn’t add up.

The thought puzzled him as he raced across the rooftops.

Suddenly, ahead of him, Li An spotted the demon agent.

It was a lean man, his bare upper body covered with dense Demon Clan runes.

These runes caused the veins in his body to bulge and pulsate, enhancing his speed, strength, and reflexes. The man seemed consumed by madness, grinning wickedly, his mouth dripping with blood.

“Hahaha! Come, come! Catch me if you can, weak humans! Come and catch me!!”

At that moment, the demon agent caught sight of Li An.

Their eyes met.

The demon agent smirked and gestured provocatively.

Li An narrowed his eyes and followed closely.

All around, source energy fighter jets, armed helicopters, and squads of cultivators converged on the demon agent’s location.

The situation was clear: a demon agent was wreaking havoc in the city, killing many people.

Someone had to take responsibility, and that someone was the city’s governor.

In his manor, Governor Chen Shuishan paced back and forth, frantically making phone calls to anyone who could help.

Whoever captures that agent is my savior!

Inside the bank, three people had already been declared dead after unsuccessful rescue attempts.

If more casualties occurred, the governor couldn’t imagine the consequences he would face.

At this moment, Zhu, the district leader of the 67th War Zone at the Seventh Long Wall, had arrived at the scene in an armed helicopter.

Standing on a high vantage point, Zhu surveyed the situation with a grim expression. Speaking into his communicator, he barked, “What is the governor doing?!”

“Why is the entire city’s military force concentrated in the northern district?”

“This is likely a diversionary tactic!”

The message quickly reached the governor.

But Chen Shuishan paid it no heed. Instead, he anxiously asked his staff, “Have they caught him yet?!”

“Did they catch that demon agent?”

One of his guards responded reluctantly, “The agent is holding a hostage and moving at high speed.”

“Our snipers already missed once, and now no one dares act rashly.”

Chen Shuishan roared, “Who’s responsible for missing the shot?!”

The guard stammered, “Our peacekeepers aren’t highly ranked, and their talents are limited.”

“The demon agent bears fourth-grade demonic runes.”

“It’s not that we missed—it’s that his reaction speed was too fast!”

“If we had reported this to the military sooner and let professionals handle it, surely”

The guard trailed off, too afraid to continue.

As expected, the governor flew into a rage.

The reason he hadn’t reported to the military was simple: he didn’t want the incident to escalate.

Those cold, unfeeling military officers would undoubtedly report the presence of a demon agent in the city to higher authorities!

If that happened, the governor would face immense scrutiny anyway.

These guards just don’t understand!

“Get out!”

Chen Shuishan slapped the guard, then knelt before the statue of a human deity, praying fervently for deliverance from this disaster.

Meanwhile, outside the northern city gates—

The demon agent held a hostage, his blood-red mouth curling into a sinister grin. “Where’s Ghost Mask? Tell him to come out!”

Without hesitation, Ghost Mask descended.

Behind him, every soldier and peacekeeper at the scene let out a sigh of relief.

As long as Ghost Mask was here, the situation was half-resolved.

Unlike rogue vigilantes, Ghost Mask was a soldier.

Most of the people present had fought alongside him and knew just how reliable he was.

Some couldn’t understand why he always wore a mask—what was so important about hiding his face? But after years of familiarity, even if they didn’t get it, they had come to accept it.

Ghost Mask’s voice, rough and clearly modified, broke the tension.

“Fourth-grade demonic runes.”

“Quite an investment.”

“Using something so costly against someone like me—is it really worth it?”

Ghost Mask stood before the demon agent, raising his empty hands in a gesture of compliance, though his posture remained casual as he paced slightly.

The demon agent sneered. “If you were just Ghost Mask, it wouldn’t be worth it to use fourth-grade runes on you.”

Suddenly, the demon agent’s expression froze.

The next second, his head tilted unnaturally, and he dropped dead.

As everyone prepared to rush forward—

The demon agent’s demonic runes flared to life once more, and his eyes snapped open.

Gone was the madness, replaced by a chilling rationality, though the bloodthirsty aura remained.

“How pitifully stupid, thinking I’d actually honor any promise to benefit a human pawn.”

Ghost Mask smirked. “Ah, the puppet is dead, and now the real master takes over?”

“So, it’s you looking for me?”

The new voice responded calmly, “Yes. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Dorsay, a genius of the Demon Clan.”

“You’re welcome to attack me. I don’t mind.”

“But I assure you, before this body falls, I’ll take at least one human life.”

Dorsay glanced at the terrified pregnant woman in his grasp, then chuckled mockingly.

“Oh, carrying a child, are we?”

“Two lives for the price of one. How delightful.”

Laughing wildly, he turned his attention back to Ghost Mask. “Want to save her?”

“What do you want?” Ghost Mask’s voice lost its casual tone, now carrying a solemn edge.

“First thing,” Dorsay said eagerly, “is simple.”

“Take off your mask.”

Beneath the mask, Li An’s pupils shrank.

Why was this his demand?

Dorsay continued coldly, “Let me explain why we’ve invested so much in targeting you.”

“You are a prodigious talent of the human race.”

“Recently, my clan introduced an interesting initiative—the Human Prodigy Kill Order.”

“Based on talent levels, we prioritize targets accordingly.”

“I had my sorcerer calculate”