ing gift for me joining the organization."
"Hahahaha! You're quick to learn! You're getting the hang of it, kid!"
Yue Qinshan didn't hold back. He patted Jiang Huai on the shoulder before putting the card away.
Jiang Huai didn't want to continue the topic, so he smiled and asked Yue Qinshan, "Teacher Yue, where are we headed now?"
Jiang Huai followed behind Yue Qinshan, expecting him to at least have a car, but to his surprise, he was led to a bus station.
"Just follow me. I won't sell you out."
Yue Qinshan waved his hand impatiently.
"Let me say this upfront, kid. Even though you don't have any beastly aura after returning to your human form, if you show even the slightest bit of beastly power on Demon Hunter territory, I can't guarantee your safety."
While waiting for the bus, Yue Qinshan had his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth, looking casual as he spoke to Jiang Huai.
"I'll be careful."
Though Jiang Huai hadn't fully mastered controlling that mysterious power yet, at least he had learned to avoid transforming into that skeletal form by accident.
Back at Yue Qinshan's house earlier, he practiced repeatedly and gradually gained control over the transformation techniques.
The feeling of doing so was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
Furthermore, from Yue Qinshan's observations, Jiang Huai seemed to leak little to no beastly aura when only partially revealing that incredible power. It would be hard for most Awakened ones not specialized in detecting such things to notice.
Only when fully transforming into a skeletal giant would Jiang Huai fully take on a beast's form.
Soon, the bus took them to the old district. By now, Jiang Huai still had a glimmer of hope.
After all, the old district looked run-down, but perhaps there was more to it.
However, when Yue Qinshan led him to a shabby two-story building, Jiang Huai froze.
The outer walls of the small building were severely peeling, and the paint on the windows had faded, giving off an ancient, worn-down feel.
"We're here, our headquarters," Yue Qinshan gave Jiang Huai a wink.
Upon hearing Yue Qinshan's words, Jiang Huai completely gave up hope.
High-tech secret bases only exist in movies.
Reality was this weathered old building.
As if he could tell what Jiang Huai was thinking, Yue Qinshan laughed a couple of times. "What do you think we are? Secret agents?"
Yue Qinshan smiled, "Our Night Demon Patrol doesn't have that many resources. And besides, the more inconspicuous a place is, the safer it is."
Jiang Huai had expected there to be some sort of code or password to enter, but instead, Yue Qinshan casually pulled out an old copper key from his pocket and simply unlocked the weathered iron door.
Thankfully, when the door opened, there was no musty or dusty smell as he'd imagined. Instead, a pleasant floral fragrance filled the air.
The dim yellow lights illuminated the not-so-spacious lobby on the first floor.
"Old Du! I brought him here! Come down quickly!"
Yue Qinshan walked to the stairs and called up to the second floor.
Jiang Huai had intended to ask who this "Old Du" was, but since he was about to meet him anyway, he decided not to inquire further.
After a few minutes, Jiang Huai saw a man in his thirties walking down from the second floor.
Jiang Huai immediately stood up and looked at him.
Yue Qinshan quickly approached the man with a broad smile and pointed at Jiang Huai. "Old Du, this is the kid I told you about, the Awakened one who wants to join our organization, um..."
Yue Qinshan looked at Jiang Huai and then asked, "What was your name again?"
"Jiang Huai."
Jiang Huai quickly introduced himself and extended his hand to the man.
The man was slender and had a cool demeanor.
His gaze was sharp, exuding an unspoken authority that made one involuntarily feel a sense of awe.
He didn't shake Jiang Huai's hand. Instead, his expression remained stern.
"I'm Du Qinghong, vice president of the Night Demon Patrol."
At that moment, Yue Qinshan leaned in close to Du Qinghong and whispered, "He just donated 500,000 to our organization."
"Nice to meet you!"
Du Qinghong immediately extended both hands to shake Jiang Huai's hand.
His expression instantly became more lively.
Jiang Huai's lips twitched, but he had successfully joined.
The man was direct, his tone calm yet carrying a subtle authority, not allowing for any contradiction. "I've already heard about your situation from Wan Yin's report. Old Yue mentioned it to me too. I just want to confirm a few things."
Du Qinghong looked at Jiang Huai and asked, "Are you an Awakened one with regenerative abilities?"
Jiang Huai nodded and tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. "Yes, after I was attacked by an infected person and had my heart ripped out, my body began to regenerate."
While speaking, Jiang Huai observed Du Qinghong.
He was dressed in a traditional black long robe, wearing glasses that gave him a scholarly air. However, his face always carried a cold, solemn expression, making it hard to read his true thoughts.
"Good. Since Old Yue is vouching for you, I'm reassured. I'll submit your information to the association."
Du Qinghong paused for a moment, then added, "The organization is responsible for discovering new Awakened ones, but we can't force anyone to join. You can take your time to understand the world of Awakened ones before deciding."
However, Jiang Huai shook his head.
With a smile, he said, "No need, Uncle Du. I've decided to join your organization, what's it called again, Night Demon... what?"
"Night Demon Patrol."
Du Qinghong corrected him. "Can I ask why? As you can see, the Night Demon Patrol is in a very bad situation right now. We owe a lot of debt and don't have many resources to train a new Awakened one."
After saying this, Du Qinghong felt a little uneasy and quickly added, "Of course, we all dream of having new members join, but for your future, I still need to say this upfront."
Jiang Huai sensed Du Qinghong's sincerity and nodded.
"Can you tell me why?"
Du Qinghong looked directly into Jiang Huai's eyes and asked.
"Because Lu Wanyin saved my life."
Jiang Huai smiled as he spoke.
The room fell silent.
Not even Yue Qinshan said a word.
After a long pause, Du Qinghong smiled.
"You're honest and straightforward." He then extended his hand again. "Welcome to the Night Demon Patrol."
At that moment, the door of the small building was suddenly pushed open. Jiang Huai turned to look and saw Lu Wanyin standing at the entrance, looking flustered.
Perhaps due to running here, her pretty face was slightly flushed, and her hair was a bit messy from the wind.
"Old Yue! Why didn't you wait for me!"
"Hahaha, look, look, Old Du, I told you this girl was in love and you didn't believe me. I just took her away for a while, and now she's chasing after me."
Hearing Yue Qinshan's words, Lu Wanyin's face turned even redder. She threw the cigarette in her hand at Yue Qinshan, who easily caught it.
"Heh heh, thanks."
"It's still the 24-hour supervision period. I can't leave him."
Lu Wanyin walked up to Yue Qinshan. When she saw Du Qinghong, she suppressed her anger but still said somewhat unhappily.
"Supervision my foot. This kid's already part of the Night Demon Patrol!"
While pulling out a cigarette, Yue Qinshan spoke to Lu Wanyin.
"Ahem." Du Qinghong cleared his throat twice, as if reminding Yue Qinshan that they were indoors. However, Yue Qinshan didn't care and lit the cigarette.
Du Qinghong sighed helplessly. At that moment, Jiang Huai finally understood why the room smelled of flowers.
It was to counteract the smell of Yue Qinshan's cigarette.
"Old Du, has Jiang Huai officially joined us?"
Lu Wanyin's eyes lit up as she looked at Du Qinghong.
"Yes, I'll submit his information to the association. There's nothing else today, you can take Jiang Huai out."
Lu Wanyin nodded without hesitation.
After the door closed, Du Qinghong sat down on the sofa and gestured for Yue Qinshan to sit beside him.
"Heh, that Vanguard-level commission you took yesterday, I've already reported it. The reward will be in your account soon."
Hearing Du Qinghong's words, Yue Qinshan quickly raised his hand and gave a salute, "Wow, efficiency, I like it!"
"Don't rush. I have something to ask you, Old Yue."
"What's up?"
"That Vanguard-level beast from last night, you didn't kill it, right?"
Yue Qinshan fell silent, and Du Qinghong's gaze sharpened.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy.
"The remains of the beast you brought back have multiple tearing wounds. Clearly, someone ripped its body open and took out the core before it died."
Du Qinghong slightly crossed his legs and looked at Yue Qinshan.
"I know your fighting style very well. That's definitely not your way. Also, even though the association didn't ask for the core to be submitted, can I assume that the core is with you?"
"Heh..." Yue Qinshan chuckled awkwardly.
"That kid is growing up, and needs money for a lot of things. You can just turn a blind eye, right?"
Yue Qinshan couldn't tell him the truth—that the core had already been absorbed by Jiang Huai.
Du Qinghong and Yue Qinshan stared at each other for a long time before Du Qinghong adjusted his glasses and sighed.
"Don't let it happen again."
"Hahahaha, Old Du, I knew you were a good guy!"
Yue Qinshan said and got up to leave.
"Wait, Old Yue."
As Yue Qinshan was heading upstairs, Du Qinghong called out to him again.
"The association detected a Abyss-level beast last night, although it appeared for a brief moment, we managed to catch its location. It was near the Vanguard-level beast you killed. I want to ask..."
Du Qinghong looked at Yue Qinshan's back and spoke slowly, word by word:
"Have you seen that Abyss-level beast?"
Yue Qinshan didn't turn around. After a long pause, he slightly tilted his head, wearing a carefree smile.
"Don't joke around. If an Abyss-level beast really appeared suddenly in the city without any warning, would the people from the Apocalypse Group be sitting around doing nothing?"
Silence. More silence.
Du Qinghong slowly rubbed his temples, looking a little tired.
"Let's just assume the Apocalypse Group made a mistake, Old Yue. Remember, if anything happens, you must tell me. You should trust me."
Yue Qinshan glanced at Du Qinghong, then smiled and nodded, before heading upstairs without looking back.