Chapter 6 The Skinner

Leaving the law enforcers to handle the scene, Wu Wanqing led the group downstairs.

"The Skinner is a demonic entity that can transform at will into any human it has hunted and consumed. If it consumes a brain, it can even acquire the target's memories and daily habits."

Wu Wanqing took the lead. Although his right leg was prosthetic, Zhou Yan, observing from behind, could hardly notice any awkwardness in his movement.

By Earth's technological standards, manufacturing a prosthetic limb with this level of convenience would likely be extremely difficult.

Therefore, Zhou Yan guessed that this mechanical leg was most likely some sort of divine machine creation.

"Unless it voluntarily reverts to its true form or is killed, ordinary people will find it very hard to spot its flaws. Even if medical blood tests and DNA checks are performed, it will show no difference from the original body."

Luo Xuan asked the question she cared about most: "I've heard of this kind of monster too, but I'm more curious about their combat strength."

"Heh." Wu Wanqing took a deep drag on his cigarette. "The weak ones are about on par with ordinary Miao-rank experts, but if it devours a Grandmaster's flesh, it will correspondingly possess a Grandmaster's physical strength and martial arts. If it gets to eat a True-Realm powerhouse, it might even gain the strength of a True-Realm powerhouse... Who knows, maybe some Frenzy-Realm powerhouse in the empire is actually transformed from a Skinner, hahahaha!"

Frenzy-Realm? Is this a realm above the True Realm?

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow.

Beside him, Luo Xuan questioned: "There are fewer than a hundred Frenzy-Realm powerhouses in the entire empire. Every single one of them is unimaginably powerful and possesses an exclusive divine machine. How could it—"

"Haha." Wu Wanqing gave a hearty laugh. "Just a joke, Expert Luo need not take it seriously."

His expression turned calm: "Modern human martial arts and informational technology are changing with each passing day, so it is indeed unlikely for a Skinner to reach the absolute pinnacle. However, in past hidden records, Skinners have caused immense chaos. There have even been instances where city lords or feudal princes were replaced, and in some extreme examples, terrifying legends emerged of a large number of Skinners gathering and completely replacing all humans in an entire village."

Amidst the casual chatter, following the compass's guidance, the four of them arrived beneath the school's perimeter wall.

"It seems that beast has already left the school," Wu Wanqing spat out, turning to Lu Ming, "Lu Ming, go drive my car to the outside of this wall."

With that, he bent his knees slightly and leaped directly over the wall, which was over three meters high.

Lu Ming obediently turned and ran back toward the parking area in the school playground.

"You can get across, right?" Luo Xuan looked back at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan smiled slightly and took the lead, gracefully leaping over the wall.

Luo Xuan stood in place, her expression inscrutable.

She always felt that after revealing her background to Zhou Yan, this guy seemed to have changed somewhat, losing much of the reserved stiffness he usually showed around her.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Luo Xuan leaped over the wall as well.

***

An hour and a half later, in the suburban outskirts.

A rather rugged Jeep turned right from the main road into a narrow path, passed a boundary stone reading "Shouhe Village," and slowly pulled over to the side.

"The road isn't wide enough, we can't drive any further."

Wu Wanqing got out of the car first, then looked back at Luo Xuan and Zhou Yan, who were following closely behind.

Lu Ming reversed the car to park it further back in a wider spot.

Taking advantage of the wait for Lu Ming, Wu Wanqing smiled and asked, "Expert Luo, haven't bought a car yet?"

"Yeah, I just arrived in Yicheng and haven't had the time," Luo Xuan replied softly.

"Buy one soon, it makes commuting and patrolling much more convenient." As he spoke, Wu Wanqing pulled out his cigarette case, extracted a cigarette, and muttered while lighting it: "Besides, in the Demon Extermination Division, you never know when you'll die. Enjoy it while you can."

Zhou Yan smiled. "Expert Wu, you're a bit too pessimistic."

Wu Wanqing glanced at him. "Youngsters like you—I've seen quite a few in the Demon Extermination Division over the years. Not a single one lasted more than three years; half of them died, and the other half retired with disabilities."

"The casualty rate is that high?" Zhou Yan smiled faintly. "No wonder the salary is so high. Turns out it's blood money paid for our lives."

Seeing Zhou Yan's open-minded attitude, Wu Wanqing couldn't help praising him: "You little rascal, you certainly look at things lightly. You might actually achieve something big."

While they were talking, Lu Ming had already parked the car and trotted over.

Wu Wanqing bit down on his cigarette, looked down at the compass, and led the three of them along the path toward the village.

"Anyway, according to the compass direction, let's head into the village first."

Upon entering the village, perhaps because it was noon and the villagers were taking their midday nap, the entire village appeared rather quiet.

Following Wu Wanqing as they weaved through the village, Zhou Yan twitched his nose and glanced at Luo Xuan beside him.

The young woman also turned her head to look at him, her expression composed.

Both of them tacitly remained silent.

After advancing into the village for about seven or eight minutes, Wu Wanqing stopped in front of a building.

"We're in the vicinity. The compass positioning only indicates when we're within a twenty-meter radius of the target."

Wu Wanqing put away the compass, and Zhou Yan's sharp eyes noticed that the red needle inside the compass had turned green.

Zhou Yan looked at the white-walled and grey-tiled architecture before him and couldn't help a silent sigh. Although this village in the urban outskirts was called a village, the living standards of the villagers didn't look bad at all.

Could that Skinner be inside this small villa?

Wu Wanqing stepped forward and decisively raised his hand to knock on the door: "Hello! Is anyone home? Sorry to bother you, please open the door!"

His sudden action stunned Zhou Yan for a moment. He had assumed that as members of a specialized department, their actions would be a bit more covert—like scaling the wall and sneaking inside to investigate quietly.

"Coming! Stop knocking!" A voice answered from inside the house shortly after.

Before long, footsteps were heard approaching from behind the door.

Soon, the courtyard gate opened, revealing the tanned face of a middle-aged man.

Seeing that the people knocking were four individuals dressed in identical black uniforms, he was slightly startled, then forced a smile and asked, "Officers... is there something you need my cooperation with?"

A benevolent smile appeared on Wu Wanqing's face, but matched with his scar-covered visage and his unmasked mechanical eye, it didn't look kind in the slightest.

It startled the middle-aged villager into taking a step back.

"Don't be alarmed, we're from the Law Enforcement Department, just here to ask you about a few things," Wu Wanqing said with a smile. "It won't take up too much of your time."

"Alright then." The middle-aged villager hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let them into the courtyard.

"Officers, I've always been law-abiding and never done anything bad!" the villager said nervously while leading the way.

"Don't worry, we're just here for a routine inquiry," Wu Wanqing said casually as he followed behind. "Brother, how many people in your family?"

"That's good then. Whatever the officers want to ask, I'll definitely cooperate!" The villager seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then hurriedly answered Wu Wanqing's question: "There are five people in my family. Two children went to the city to work, so it's just me, my wife, and my mother living in the countryside."

Up ahead, Wu Wanqing chatted with the villager in a relaxed tone.

Behind them, on Zhou Yan's other side, Lu Ming furrowed his brow, feeling that something was amiss. He took a couple of steps forward, intending to warn Wu Wanqing.

However, he saw Wu Wanqing casually asking amid his laughter, "My friend, tell me, how many living people are left in this village?"

His words were like a bolt from the blue, startling Lu Ming so much that he shivered all over and instinctively reached for the demon-slaying sword at his waist.

The villager also abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned his head back, squeezing out a smile: "Officer, what do you mean by that?"

"Heh." Wu Wanqing twitched his nose. "The smell of blood in your house is too heavy—and it's not just your place."

"This entire village stinks too much."