vncnus Page 228
Page 228
The cause of this behavior is unclear, but based on the monsters that Dou Tang has observed so far, it is mostly due to the combination of their hunting instincts and bloodthirsty nature.
As for picky eating, it's easier to understand. Bears are the most obvious example of this in the animal kingdom. Black bears often only eat the belly and head of the fish they catch, and discard the rest.
During salmon breeding season, black bears have no shortage of food, so fish brains and fish eggs, which are the highest in calories and nutrients, become their first choice.
For many cannibalistic monsters, everyone in the city is like an inexhaustible supply of salmon, while they are like black bears hunting to their hearts' content.
As a carnivorous monster, it's quite remarkable that the old wolf could control its desires.
Thinking of this, Dou Tang recalled the monsters of Mengnan Village. It seemed that those monsters had never been troubled by instinct from the beginning, and even after becoming human, they were incredibly adapted to human life. Even A Tian, who was once a polar bear, fell in love with eating fried chicken, a human food.
Perhaps, the behaviors of killing and being picky about food vary from demon to demon.
At this moment, Dou Tang followed Lao Lang and took a taxi to Lao Lang's stronghold.
Looking out the window, Old Wolf sighed and said, "No matter how many times you see it, even if you live in it, you'll still feel that the city is a truly magical place."
Dou Tang, who was chatting with Huai Yin and telling her to eat well, looked up and replied, "Why do you say that?"
Old Wolf waved his hand slightly: "A forest forged of steel, where countless lives thrive. Food and shelter are readily available. That's the magic of the city, isn't it?"
"There are countless people maintaining it behind the scenes. The electricity is transported from power plants, the trees on the streets are specially managed, and water and food are transported from afar through pipelines and transportation."
"It's like the wind bringing seeds, the seeds turning into grass through the earth, the grass being eaten by animals, and those animals becoming food for other animals."
Things..."
The old wolf seemed somewhat moved by his own actions, clapping his hands slightly and closing his eyes, saying, "Ah, how touching! Humans have actually created a completely new ecosystem in the steel jungle on their own. It's truly impressive."
"Humans who grow crops, humans who transport food, humans who prepare food, and then sell it to those who maintain the normal functioning of the city..."
"Human beings themselves have become the wind carrying seeds of grass, the rain nourishing the earth, and the prey that they produce, haven't they?"
Old Wolf looked out the window at the scenery, rested his chin on his hand, laughed, and said, "That's why I like cities, and of course, people."
Dou Tang seemed to be deep in thought.
"But why are you suddenly saying all this?" Dou Tang tilted his head.
Old Wolf turned his head and chuckled, "Don't you think this is a great opportunity to establish my identity and image?"
Dou Tang looked puzzled.
Just as Lao Lang was about to continue explaining, Dou Tang suddenly said, "No, no, no, you should save those words for when your life is hanging by a thread, shouldn't you?"
"At the final moment of his life, the eccentric who betrayed his original evil stance, in the guise of a knight, spoke of his views on the world, then marveled at the beauty of the scenery before him, and finally ended in a magnificent tragedy. Isn't that how it should be?"
Old Wolf seemed surprised that Dou Tang not only caught his sarcasm but even retaliated in kind. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly said indignantly, "What a joke! Don't assume I'm going to die! You bastard!"
Dou Tang shrugged, looking completely innocent.
After the two got out of the taxi, Dou Tang paid the fare casually and then raised an eyebrow at the building in front of him.
Then, he suddenly moved a little further away from the old wolf.
"Ah, a love hotel, I never imagined you would let your partner hide in a place like this." Standing under the sign flashing pink lights, Dou Tang clicked his tongue in amazement.
Old Wolf silently clenched his fist.
If I weren't outmatched... I would fucking kill you!
He replied with a forced smile, "The more mixed the environment, the safer it is. Living in such a place is actually much safer than living in a detached house."
The two walked in, ignoring the strange look from the receptionist, and passed through a corridor with pink beaded curtains to a room in the middle of the first floor.
As soon as Lao Lang took out his room card and opened the door, Dou Tang heard hurried footsteps inside. Before he could react, a petite girl rushed into Lao Lang's arms.
"Where did you go? Do you know how worried I was! You jerk, next time you're not coming home at night, at least tell me first!"
Dou Tang looked closely.
There, a girl in a JK uniform was tightly hugging Lao Lang, sobbing and wiping away her tears in his arms. Lao Lang himself smiled apologetically and reached out to stroke the girl's hair.
Dou Tang calmly pulled out his phone, his face expressionless, and said, "I'm going to arrest you right now, you idiot who kidnapped a minor—beep—"
Old Wolf shrank back in fright, quickly reached out and pressed Dou Tang's hand down, swallowed hard and said, "Please don't, Edogawa-kun, please believe me, I can explain all of this."
"Bringing a JK to a love hotel? You should explain to the police. I'll be in the courtroom. I want to see your despairing face after the verdict..." Dou Tang stared blankly at Lao Lang.
Old Wolf was in a real bind.
This guy used to be so aloof and serious. How come he's become so... so unreliable after I joked with him?
"Please don't..."
The girl in the uniform hid in the old wolf's arms, glancing at Dou Tang with some fear.
Dou Tang chuckled and, seeing that Lao Lang was completely terrified, put away his phone.
When Dou Tang is happy, he likes to joke around with people, saying whatever comes to mind.
But it always seems to scare people? Oh well, whatever.
Chapter 43 Location Exposed
Looking at the two people embracing each other, Dou Tang roughly understood why Old Wolf wasn't as manic as the other half-demon. If he had to say, perhaps Mikazuki was in a similar situation.
They are close to humans, feel human emotions, and yearn for life as humans, thus abandoning the parts that belong to the beasts.
The old wolf held the girl close, his eyes reddening. After a long while, he calmed down, put his arm around the girl's shoulder, and pushed her away slightly, saying, "Alright, hurry up and pack your things. We need to get out of here quickly."
"Leave? Where do you think you're going, Old Wolf?"
Suddenly, a light voice came from the other end of the corridor.
Dou Tang was startled and turned his head. His surprise was simple: how could he have failed to sense an enemy approaching? Could it be that the approaching enemy wasn't...?
It really wasn't a monster!
At the other end of the corridor were several humans, their eyes bloodshot. The woman in the lead had a long knife at her waist and was staring intently at the old wolf.
The old wolf scoffed, shielding the girl behind him, and whispered, "They're the half-demons' partners..."
Dou Tang glanced at them briefly and saw eight people, three women and five men, completely blocking the corridor.
"How did they find this place?" Dou Tang whispered.
Old Wolf gritted his teeth and said, "The surrounding area is all their territory. Just by guessing the neighborhoods I've been frequenting recently, it's easy to deduce my activity range."
"I am afraid……
Those half-demons had long intended to have someone keep an eye on me.
Dou Tang sneered, "Looks like you're not as popular as you claim."
At this moment, the woman in the corridor continued, "Hey! Old Wolf, where did our partner go? Why is that area blocked off now?!"
Dou Tang turned his head and glanced at the old wolf, as if wanting to ask for his opinion.
But judging from the current situation, even if we say that the half-demons are alright, I doubt these people would believe us.
Old Wolf took a deep breath and whispered, "They're currently in a state of being stimulated by demonic energy, making them very aggressive. Are you confident you can take care of them in this place?"
Dou Tang raised an eyebrow and said, "It's possible, but I'm afraid I can't kill them."
"But if we don't kill you, your collusion with other forces will be exposed, and in the eyes of other half-demons, you'll become a traitor, right?"
"It doesn't matter anymore." Old Wolf released the girl he was holding and charged forward, roaring, "There's no turning back now! Attack!"
Dou Tang laughed heartily, bent down, and suddenly leaped out, transforming into a black shadow.
At this moment, the group that was slowly approaching from the other end of the corridor realized something was wrong, and the woman in the lead roared, "Old Wolf, you really are a traitor!"
She suddenly drew her longsword!
Dou Tang waved his hand, and black mist surged from his palm, transforming into a giant snake formed from black mist that instantly engulfed the entire corridor and completely enveloped the eight people in just a few seconds.
A few panicked cries rang out, but were immediately cut off.
The old wolf rushed into the black mist, only to feel a blur before his eyes. The black mist, formed from resentment, veiled his vision, making it impossible for him to see anything clearly.
This made him break out in a cold sweat.
Evil spirits can use resentment to create barriers. Those with stronger obsessions can suppress those with weaker obsessions. In other words, if one's strength is not strong enough, even a monster may fall into a resentment barrier that is like a maze.
Now, this is exactly the situation Old Wolf is facing, which fills him with utter horror.
Old Wolf could understand the power alone, but why would someone who seemed so normal have such a vast and boundless resentment?
For a moment, the old wolf was at a loss, stopping in the black mist and listening intently.
There was not a sound in the black mist, which is one of the characteristics of the resentment barrier. Unless the owner of the resentment barrier gives permission, sound can hardly be transmitted within the barrier.
Sometimes, two people separated by a barrier cannot hear each other's voices, even if they are only separated by a paper door.
The old wolf swallowed hard and continued to listen attentively.
In the darkness, there seemed to be rustling sounds, like many people whispering.
Old Wolf felt a prickling sensation in his back. The voices seemed to be composed of a language he couldn't understand, with countless people whispering among them, their tones filled with sorrow and regret.
Immediately, Old Wolf began to feel as if someone was spying on him from the surrounding black mist, and scrutinizing gazes fell on him, like tangible steel needles that slightly pricked his skin.
Before the old wolf could react to how to fight back, suddenly, ripples formed by waves of mist unfolded before his eyes, and the mist slowly dissipated.
Then, Old Wolf stared at the corridor in front of him, slightly taken aback.
In the corridor, the people who were ready to fight were now slumped on the ground. Judging from their appearance, they seemed to have been knocked unconscious by a punch before they could even fully draw their weapons. Old Wolf even saw that the leader woman's long sword was half-drawn, with half of the blade swaying and the hilt hanging on the ground.
Dou Tang stood in the middle of the group, rubbed his fists, and looked at Old Wolf, saying, "Solve this. Hurry up and get what you need. We need to leave here immediately."
The girl behind him tugged at the old wolf's sleeve, and he realized what was happening. He quickly nodded and pulled the girl back into the house.
Dou Tang looked at the people who had fainted on the ground, and pried open the eyelids of one of them to take a look. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they looked ferocious and sickly.
Is this what happens when someone is severely corrupted by demonic energy... or is it because half-demons absorbed their energy, causing this condition?
Speaking of which, the erosion and absorption of energy by demonic energy... does have a bit of the connotation of "replenishing one's body with energy." It requires taking in something from the outside to maintain the body's balance, while also needing to release something else... Interesting.
I have a feeling that the Onmyoji is not simple.
Dou Tang scratched his chin and stood up again.
He hesitated for a moment, then released another cloud of black mist, setting up a simple barrier of resentment to obscure the view and deceive the hotel staff. However, the barrier would automatically disappear after the three left.
Whether it's evil spirits or fighting spirits, these resentment barriers originating from oneself cannot exist outside the body for too long. Even a being of the level of a mindless monk needs a vengeful spirit to release multiple resentment barriers in order to release them.
Therefore, generally speaking, the resentment barrier is the hunting ground of evil spirits. They live and hunt in it. In order to break the resentment barrier, besides the methods of exorcists, killing the evil spirits is the most direct way.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Old Wolf came out of the room carrying a hiking backpack. He was taken aback when he saw that the corridor was clean. He clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "I never thought you could even create a barrier. Are you really human? I didn't see any trace of talismans or spells."
Dou Tang shook his head: "Some small
"It's just a trick, nothing special. Alright, let's go."
Chapter 44: The plan to kill the half-demon was devised by Lord Wolf.
The three of them went out, and Dou Tang was led by Lao Lang to a small alley behind the Love Hotel. There was a small parking lot in the alley with a few cars parked there.
Old Wolf walked to one of the blue cars, opened the trunk with the key, put his backpack inside, and then said, "Get in, we'll take this car back."
Dou Tang asked curiously, "You actually have a car? Where did you get it?"
As Old Wolf got into the driver's seat, he said, "It was stolen."
The girl he was protecting skillfully got into the back seat, while Dou Tang sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and asked, "Have you learned to drive?"
Old Wolf picked at his teeth: "I've played racing games in arcades, the kind where you could play three times for 500 yen."
Dou Tang checked again to make sure the seatbelt was fastened properly, looking tense.
Although he is physically strong, he is not indestructible.
"Do you... usually ride motorcycles like Road Rash?" Dou Tang turned to look at Lao Lang and asked.
Old Wolf smiled contemptuously, shifted gears, released the clutch, and stepped on the gas. The car roared out of the parking space and into the alley.
"Ha, I play everything like Road Rash."
Dou Tang gripped the window handle tightly with nervousness.
It must be said that Lao Lang's driving skills are not bad, but he is a reckless brute.
A dozen minutes later, feeling like his brain was about to be shaken clean, Tou Tang returned to Kotaro's small warehouse.
After getting out of the car, Dou Tang shook his head vigorously and turned around to say, "Next time, cough, let Xue Qing drive, cough cough."
The girl slowly got out of the car, leaned against the outer wall of the warehouse, bent over and dry-heaved twice, and gave the old wolf a reproachful glare.