Immediate Execution
Zhang Xueji returned home. Absorbed in his thoughts, he forgot to change his shoes and didn’t notice the wet umbrella dripping water onto the delicate wooden floor.
He leaned the umbrella carelessly against the edge of the table, shrugged off his shoulder bag and tossed it onto the sofa, then started punching the sofa cushion with an unknown boxing style.
After a wild flurry of punches, he collapsed onto the sofa, oblivious to the fact that his pants and hair were wet enough to drip. In his mind, he kept replaying the way Xie Qiaoqiao had just looked up at him and spoken.
Cute.
So cute, so cute, so cute!
Zhang Xueji couldn’t lie still anymore.
With a sudden kick, he jumped up, wanting to send Xie Qiaoqiao a message. After typing it out, he remembered that Xie Qiaoqiao’s phone was broken and she wouldn’t receive it.
Annoyed, he punched the squashed cushion again and lay back on the sofa.
The result of not drying his hair in time and rolling around on the sofa was this—when Zhang Xueji woke up the next day, he had a fever.
He forced himself to message his advisor to ask for leave, went to the living room to find some fever medicine and took it, then staggered like a ghost back to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed.
The fever medicine worked quickly. As soon as Zhang Xueji closed his eyes, he started feeling drowsy. He was about to drift off when he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t messaged Xie Qiaoqiao today.
So he groped for his phone nearby, rapidly tapped out a message, sent it, and then fell into a deep sleep.
Xie Qiaoqiao’s old phone had been broken when it fell from her pocket during the surveillance of Ruan Shiting, so it could be reimbursed from the department’s funds.
Thus, at noon the next day, Hua Lingyue brought her a new phone and shared the latest intel with her.
Although it had already been confirmed that “Ruan Shiting” had been possessed by someone else long ago, it wasn’t up to Xie Qiaoqiao or Hua Lingyue to decide if the entity inside her was one that needed to be eliminated.
First, two things had to be determined.
One: Was Ruan Shiting’s death a voluntary act, or did “it” lure her into it in order to take over her body?
Two: After taking over Ruan Shiting’s body, did “it” use its special abilities and the convenience of a human identity to commit illegal acts?
If so, depending on the severity of the crimes, the department would decide whether to send Qi Chen, the gentle approach, to seal “it,” or dispatch Xie Qiaoqiao, the radical approach, to immediately execute “it.”
The severity of the punishment was judged by the upper levels of the Special Folklore Research Department—directly killing a ghost like Xie Qiaoqiao did last time technically counted as breaking protocol.
Fortunately, the ghost in question had a criminal record, and when Hua Lingyue submitted her report, she simply switched the order of events, so Xie Qiaoqiao wasn’t held accountable for disciplinary violations.
“As for the first charge, the incident happened so long ago that we couldn’t find enough information, so it can’t be confirmed.”
Hua Lingyue took out a tablet and opened a folder, showing the PPT inside to Xie Qiaoqiao: “But for the second one, we already have evidence. ‘It’ repeatedly used the convenience of a doctor’s position to fake the death of patients and then transferred the ones in a state of false death. So far, we’ve confirmed five victims.”
“Last night, we opened the graves of those five patients who died under her care, and confirmed that the coffins contained only pieces of wood under an illusion spell, not actual corpses.”
Her explanation was a bit convoluted, leaving Xie Qiaoqiao looking blank—even if others couldn’t tell, Hua Lingyue, who knew her too well, could spot it at once.
She coughed, then put it in simpler terms: “‘It’ is most likely keeping ordinary people imprisoned. We haven’t found out where the missing humans have been taken, so the higher-ups decided that tonight, we’ll capture ‘it.’”
Now Xie Qiaoqiao understood, nodding as she swapped the SIM card from her old phone into the new one. After powering up, she began downloading her usual apps one by one.
From the sound of it, the higher-ups wanted “it” alive.
If it had to be alive, it wasn’t her job.
She and Qi Chen had always divided the labor clearly: Qi Chen for capturing alive, Xie Qiaoqiao for executions.
But this time, Hua Lingyue added, “Even though we want to capture alive, you still have to come tonight.”
Xie Qiaoqiao looked up, her expression blank as always.
Hua Lingyue explained, “We had a meeting about it this morning. It’s nearly impossible for one demon to manage all this alone—‘it’ probably has accomplices.”
“To be safe, not just you, but two execution members from the neighboring group will also be coming.”
Xie Qiaoqiao’s gaze dropped back to her phone as she calmly answered, “Mm.”
She noticed Zhang Xueji had messaged her, saying he wasn’t feeling well and would be resting at home today, with his location attached.
Sending his location had become Zhang Xueji’s habit since the Clinical Ghost Incident. He sent it so often that Xie Qiaoqiao had gotten used to it too.
To her, messages like these were no different from spam, and usually, she wouldn’t even reply.
She was about to exit the chat, when she suddenly remembered what Zhang Xueji said in the elevator yesterday.
If she didn’t reply to him, he’d get really anxious.
Even though he could heal from fatal wounds by himself, looked like he was almost one meter ninety, and could pop open a glass soda bottle with one hand—in the end, he was still just a fragile ordinary person, and it was normal for him to get scared.
Thinking this, Xie Qiaoqiao typed a reply to Zhang Xueji.
[Got it.]
She stared at the line she sent for a long time, then typed again and sent: [Rest well, eat more, and if you want a late-night snack, tell me. I’ll bring you some after my part-time job.]
Night was falling, the sun sinking in the west, the crescent moon hung high—the clouds were thick tonight.
After dinner, Hua Lingyue took Xie Qiaoqiao and Qi Chen to meet the people from Second Group; their team was also led by a supervisor with two execution members, but their members all looked a lot more mature than Xie Qiaoqiao’s group.
Hua Lingyue sent the PPT to everyone and carefully repeated the plan outlined on it.
“Soon, Qi Chen will set up a talisman array around the apartment building to separate the demon from ordinary people. Then the staff will go door to door, using a census as an excuse to evacuate residents. At the same time, the two execution members from Second Group will act as census workers and go to ‘Ruan Shiting’s’ apartment to distract her.”
“When all ordinary people are out of the building, Qi Chen will activate the talisman array. We’ll try to capture alive first. If something unexpected happens, we’ll adjust as needed—Qiaoqiao, you’ll be on standby at the dessert shop by the gate.”
When Hua Lingyue finished, she glanced at Xie Qiaoqiao’s wrist: “Don’t forget to wear your bracelet, don’t let the demon sense your aura.”
Xie Qiaoqiao pulled her wrist out from under her arm and shook it in front of Hua Lingyue; the red string with square-holed copper coins dangled along with it.
At nine o’clock, staff in official uniforms entered the residential complex to “check the census.” Hua Lingyue and Qi Chen brought talisman paper and a vermilion brush, mixing in with the others as they headed to ‘Ruan Shiting’s’ building to set up the array.
Xie Qiaoqiao ordered a cup of taro bubble taro ice, with added sugar and taro balls. She ate it with a small spoon while checking her phone—there was no reply from Zhang Xueji.
That was unusual, as Zhang Xueji usually replied instantly.
The dessert shop faced the complex’s main gate, and Xie Qiaoqiao had deliberately chosen a seat by the glass wall so she could watch what was going on.
Soon, residents being evacuated were led out by staff, most of them looking confused and having no idea what was happening.
At 9:25, all unrelated personnel had been evacuated from the complex.
After finishing her dessert, Xie Qiaoqiao wiped the table with a napkin, then took out the English novel she hadn’t finished last time, placing it neatly on the table to keep reading.
Although her translation side job had been canceled again and again and again, that was a person’s fault, not the book’s.
Xie Qiaoqiao still really liked this book—the last time she saw such a tangled and complex love story was when she watched Thunderstorm at the theater.
At 9:30, a red firework shot up over the complex beyond the glass wall.
That was the signal that the mission had changed, and it was time for Xie Qiaoqiao to act.
She closed her book, took a raincoat from her backpack, unfolded it, and put it on.
Second Group’s execution member was punched and sent flying, crashing into the talisman array like a bird hitting a car window, then sliding down and spitting blood.
Qi Chen rolled on the spot to dodge; several deep fist marks appeared where he’d just been standing.
He’d already taken several hits, the taste of iron thick in his breath. He took a deep breath, the left side of his face numb with pain, and he could vaguely feel his teeth on that side becoming loose.
And the one surrounded in the middle by three execution members—was clearly no longer human.
“She” had four extra arms growing out of her back, with bone spurs and muscle connecting the arms, making it look as though a bird’s wings had mutated into human limbs.
She was several dozen meters from Qi Chen, but the huge mutated fist appeared behind his head in an instant; as the fist came down, the talisman array blocked it for a split second, and Qi Chen seized the gap to retreat far away, raising his hand to form a seal.
Talisman paper flew from his sleeves, circling around him.
Forward!
But “Ruan Shiting” remained in place. Her dark red pupils turned to look at Qi Chen’s position, and the next second, her fist instantly appeared before Qi Chen.
The new talisman array didn’t even have time to form before it was interrupted. Qi Chen hastily triggered it, firelight scorching the fist’s skin, but the powerful bones still punched through the array and hit Qi Chen’s face.
He was sent flying and crashed to the ground, his head buzzing.
Crack.
A faint cracking sound.
“Ruan Shiting’s” head turned sharply behind her, just in time to see someone smashing through the Confinement Array that Qi Chen had set up. The array, which could hold even her for a while, was shattered by the newcomer as if out for a stroll.
The four fists lashed out like eggbeater blades at the uninvited guest; if hit, a human would obviously become mush.
But all four fists struck only air!
“Ruan Shiting” grew uneasy, her eyes rolling over every inch of her body, crimson pupils sweeping rapidly in every direction—when suddenly, a cool breeze brushed past, and a Peachwood Sword sliced through her demonized body as easily as a hot knife through butter.
“She” seemed to hear a sizzling sound from within her own body, and at the very last moment, her eyes finally caught sight of her opponent!
The other’s raincoat hood and tightly zipped front nearly covered her whole face. The blood that sprayed from “Ruan Shiting’s” body all landed on the raincoat.
Thanks to the waterproof coat, the blood slid smoothly down the surface.
Everything happened in an instant, but time seemed to stretch out. “Ruan Shiting” clearly saw her own fists appear around the other, but before they could strike, the Peachwood Sword sliced them in half!
The sword that cut through the fists stabbed into the ground, the raincoat-clad figure holding it with one hand, the other palm pressed against the floor—a surge of spiritual power spread outward from her palm, grabbing the Tree Demon that was trying to flee underground.
She yanked the Tree Demon up as if pulling up a radish, but her spiritual power was so overwhelming that the Tree Demon was snapped apart like a collapsing block building.
Xie Qiaoqiao stood up and let go, the Tree Demon’s pieces scattering all over.
She unzipped the raincoat and took off the hood. The weather was too hot, and her expressionless face was slightly flushed from the heat.
She looked down at her mud-stained palm, then glanced at Qi Chen lying on the ground.
The buzzing in Qi Chen’s ears faded as he climbed up and wiped his split lip with the back of his hand—it stung more after wiping, so he sucked in a breath, but his mind felt clearer.
“No survivors?”
Xie Qiaoqiao took off the red string from her wrist and replied, “One got away before I came in.”
Qi Chen: “……Any chance of catching them?”
Xie Qiaoqiao held the red string and looked at him as if he was an idiot—Qi Chen immediately understood her meaning and shut his mouth.
If there had been even the slightest chance of catching up, Xie Qiaoqiao would have gone after them. Only because she was certain it was impossible did she not bother.
Second Group’s two execution members—one unconscious, one seriously injured—the moment the array was fully dispelled, the group leader rushed to drag them onto the ambulance for treatment.
The stench lingered.
Professionals came to clean up the site, and Hua Lingyue posted a colleague to watch the demon’s corpse, then took Qi Chen to treat his wounds.
Xie Qiaoqiao crouched by the corpse, studying its strange body.
She’d killed plenty of demons and could easily tell the difference between a demon and a human body. But this was odd—the twisted corpse before her didn’t have a single hint of demonic scent.
Though it had been sliced into pieces by the Peachwood Sword and the blood stank horribly, to Xie Qiaoqiao’s nose, it smelled fragrant.
It was the unique scent of a human body, similar to fried chicken.
“Ruan Shiting’s” head was still intact, her face frozen in terror. It seemed like she’d tried to shout something before dying, but Xie Qiaoqiao’s sword was too fast and gave her no chance.
Hua Lingyue came over and explained, “Qi Chen and the two from Second Group had just knocked on Ruan Shiting’s door when they were overwhelmed by her counterattack.”
“It’s not just Ruan Shiting who’s been possessed; her parents are no longer purely human either, and their strength far surpasses ordinary demons.”
Although they hadn’t gotten any clues at that point, it was too dangerous to wait any longer—lives were at risk, so Hua Lingyue fired the signal firework without hesitation.
Now, the only place to start was investigating the social network of these three demons in their human identities. There might be more people who had been swapped…
Hua Lingyue said, “…………Is there anything strange about this corpse?”
Xie Qiaoqiao looked up—crouched on the ground, hugging her knees, she looked like a small bundle.
“I want to take this corpse back to observe it for a few days, to confirm something. Once I’m done, I’ll return it to you.”
Hua Lingyue looked at the corpse, scattered everywhere, and was baffled, but still agreed: “Okay, but this corpse is a bit big, it won’t fit in your backpack, right?”
Xie Qiaoqiao nodded, “It won’t fit, so could you please find me a suitable bag?”
Hua Lingyue went outside and came back not only with a big enough cardboard box for Xie Qiaoqiao, but also a cart.
Xie Qiaoqiao gathered up “Ruan Shiting’s” corpse, put it in the box, and carefully took photos of its condition with her phone before sealing it up.
After the photos, Xie Qiaoqiao saw she had unread WeChat messages; opening them, she found they were from Zhang Xueji, sent exactly when she’d been killing the demon, so she hadn’t noticed the notification.
[Location]
[I’m at school, checking lab data and printing the draft of my thesis.]
[I’ve rested well and eaten properly too~ ^-^]
[I’d like some Yangzhi Nectar—kind and pretty neighbor, could you bring me some after your shift?]