Worse Off Than a Dog

A reinforced metal vault door, located right beneath the Law Enforcement Team's building—security here was exceptionally tight. Liu Long was in no hurry to enter. He waited until Yun Yao arrived, her hair slightly disheveled, before unlocking the door. Li Hao nodded to Yun Yao. Not knowing quite how to address her, he simply offered a friendly smile without saying a word. This doctor was vital to the entire squad. She looked kind and gentle to Li Hao, but he still kept Liu Yan's warning in mind. It was not that he placed blind faith in Liu Yan, but her wariness had felt genuine. For someone to make Liu Yan that cautious, this doctor was clearly not someone to cross. "Not bad!" Just as Li Hao was eagerly waiting to go inside, Yun Yao looked straight at him and gave that brief praise. Li Hao froze. *Is she talking to me?* Liu Long also looked at Yun Yao in surprise. *What's not bad?* Yun Yao was a woman of few words in the squad, yet her position was crucial. Still, what she had just said seemed rather out of nowhere. "It's nothing," Yun Yao said with a faint smile. "Looking at Li Hao, it seems he trained quite well after going home." With that single sentence, she brushed the topic aside. Li Hao, however, felt a pang of unease. *Trained quite well?* He had indeed done well, absorbing a substantial amount of mysterious energy. But he had checked—the energy outside his skin had completely dispersed. A bit remained inside his body, of course, but that was unavoidable; no one could absorb and digest every scrap of it all at once. Could she have seen through him? He could not help but wonder! Word was that her primary role in the squad was extracting mysterious energy. Ordinary people could not see mysterious energy at all, so how did Yun Yao extract it? While he was still turning it over in his mind, Liu Long had already swung the heavy vault door open. ... A vault constructed entirely of metal! There was not even a ventilation shaft left open. The floor was metal as well. Walking on it, one could feel the sheer weight of the plating beneath their boots—it was certainly not thin. The Demon Hunting Squad had spared no expense, taking its security with absolute seriousness. The vault was not large, and not messy in the slightest. There were not many partitions, just three small partitioned rooms, each fitted with its own door. The mysterious energy was kept in the third room. Liu Long offered no explanation for what was in the first two rooms, nor did he open them for Li Hao to see. He walked straight to the third room's door. This time, it was not Liu Long who opened it, but Yun Yao. Yun Yao produced a key. Faint starlight seemed to shimmer across its surface. Li Hao's heart gave a slight jolt. *This... a supernatural item?* This key was actually a supernatural item! Even though the starlight was faint, starlight meant mysterious energy, which meant it had to be a supernatural item, right? The Demon Hunting Squad truly attached enormous importance to mysterious energy! *Click.* A soft snap sounded as the key turned. The starlight rippled slightly. Liu Long could not see it, but Li Hao caught the subtle fluctuation of starlight with absolute clarity. Only as the starlight rippled did the door unlock. Liu Long remarked with cold pride, "The vault housing our mysterious energy cost the Demon Hunting Squad a fortune to build! Even if a supernatural managed to break in, without the key, they shouldn't dream of opening it easily!" Li Hao nodded in admiration. "Impressive!" As for how impressive it truly was... that was just polite praise. If a supernatural were strong enough to fight their way in here, would having a key even matter? Against common thieves, the vault was fine; against anything worse, it was mostly symbolic. The iron door swung open, revealing a large glass enclosure. It was an intricate glass apparatus that took up well over half the room. Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. *Starlight!* The moment he laid eyes on the enclosure, he saw starlight—and it was noticeably different from the starlight energy he had seen before. The starlight energy he had previously observed came from the jade sword. That had been pure starlight, shimmering with a soft glow and carrying a deep, quiet chill. Yet the starlight energy before him seemed to carry something else mixed within. The glass enclosure appeared to be divided into several compartments. In one, the starlight seemed to burn like flames. In another, lightning crackled within the starlight energy. In yet another, the starlight energy was mingled with a dark, murky mist. The final small section was fairly similar to what Li Hao usually saw: pure starlight without any other elements mixed in, though it felt somewhat scattered and loose. While Li Hao observed it, Liu Long was watching too, a trace of fascination in his eyes. It was as if, at this moment, he could actually see it! Sure enough, an instant later, Li Hao heard Liu Long sigh softly. "This is mysterious energy. Can you see it?" Li Hao's heart leaped! *Can you see it?* *Was I found out?* *Liu Long knows I can see it...* He quickly forced himself to stay calm. No, that could not be right. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Liu Long, and sure enough, Liu Long sighed again in wonder. "Yun Yao truly is capable. Under normal circumstances, mysterious energy is invisible! Yet Yun Yao can capture it, and through special methods, bind it within the ice crystal chamber, even bringing out its original form so ordinary eyes can see it!" Surprised, Li Hao looked toward Yun Yao. So everyone could see the starlight energy right now, and it was entirely this woman's doing? What kind of method was that? Liu Long had mentioned before that normal people could not see it, and that even supernaturals could not truly lay eyes on it. Yun Yao remained composed. Seeing Li Hao look her way, she offered a gentle smile and spoke softly: "Brother Liu overpraises me. It's just a small trick! Mysterious energy is still a form of energy. Even if energy cannot be seen, it inherently exists! Making it visible to the naked eye is actually simple: you merely need to dye it!" *Dye it!* Li Hao understood the concept, but he had no idea how one could dye energy so people could see it. Noticing his curiosity, Yun Yao gave a quiet chuckle. "The dyeing method isn't too difficult; many techniques can manage it. What is truly hard is keeping the mysterious energy from leaking and dissipating! And for that, credit goes to the ice crystal chamber... or strictly speaking, to Professor Yuan Shuo!" Li Hao blinked, then quickly made the connection. "My teacher... discovered the ice crystals?" "Yes!" Yun Yao seemed to hold a touch of admiration for Yuan Shuo. Anyone who dabbled in scientific research likely knew his name, especially where supernaturals were concerned. "Ice crystals were discovered by your teacher years ago in an ancient ruin. At first, no one paid them any attention. Later, Professor Yuan developed their greatest use: insulating against energy leakage!" Yun Yao said with deep feeling, "If not for the discovery of ice crystals, supernatural development might have lagged behind by many years! It was precisely because of ice crystals that the Night Watchers gained a way to store mysterious energy, channel it into bodies, and allow many people to qualify as supernaturals!" Liu Long nodded as well. "Indeed. The discovery of ice crystals was immensely useful! More than ten years ago, before ice crystals existed, the Night Watchers had already been founded. But aside from Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters, they could only induct a tiny handful of people each year. They relied on the Night Watchers themselves to pass on mysterious energy and guide newcomers through their metamorphosis! That approach was not only dangerous, but it also came at an enormous cost... It was only after ice crystals appeared that the Night Watchers began to expand rapidly!" Li Hao could not help but feel a swell of pride! His teacher was truly formidable! So the entire field of supernatural development owed a massive debt to his teacher. Soon, another thought struck Li Hao, and he asked, "Then why... why hasn't my teacher become a supernatural?" "First, his martial arts cultivation is too strong. Second..." Liu Long wore a faint, knowing smile. "Your teacher is no pushover. Not only does he understand far too much about supernaturals, but he also hoards and hides a great deal of knowledge. There are even ancient ruins he has never fully excavated or disclosed! Everyone suspects your teacher must still hold the locations of several ancient civilization sites! So if your teacher really became a supernatural... where would that leave the Night Watchers?" Liu Long paused, then added, "More importantly, with your teacher's strength, once he truly transformed into a supernatural and reaped the benefits from several ancient ruins, he might very well become one of the most powerful beings among the Night Watchers..." Li Hao fell into deep thought, murmuring, "Wary of him?" "Yes, wary!" Liu Long nodded, then quickly continued, "Still, I suspect your teacher might soon become a supernatural after all!" "Why do you say that?" Li Hao asked, but the answer soon dawned on him, and he lowered his voice. "Boss, do you mean the Night Watchers have grown significantly stronger, so even if my teacher becomes a supernatural now, they believe they can control him and have no need to fear him?" "Exactly!" Liu Long nodded. *Sharp kid! One word and he gets it!* Supernaturals had appeared too late, only twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, Yuan Shuo had already been a top-tier martial master. Had he been the first to cross over, backed by his martial prowess and his mastery of ancient civilization research, he might have become the foremost figure in the supernatural domain. That would have been terrifying! At times, precautions had to be taken. Yuan Shuo did not belong to the authorities, nor was he an evil cultist, but he was certainly no saint either. Practicing martial arts to the Hundred-Breaker stage meant a life of violent competition; killing and wounding were virtually inevitable along that path. Under such circumstances, whether for the growth of the Night Watchers or to keep Yuan Shuo in check, the Night Watchers had dared not allow him an early success. By now, however, things were likely changing. Powerful figures had emerged among the Night Watchers who could suppress Yuan Shuo. Having fallen twenty years behind, even if he became a Starlight Master now, there was little reason to fear him. Li Hao pondered for a moment, then asked, "There's one more thing I don't understand. Did my teacher just accept his fate and work for the Night Watchers so obediently?" Liu Long glanced at him with a laugh. "You must understand that the Night Watchers represent the authorities! No matter how strong an individual is, their power is limited! Besides, the Night Watchers don't just take; they give in return—such as protecting your teacher." "Protection?" "Of course!" Liu Long gave a meaningful smile. "Li Hao, a Hundred-Breaker martial master—do you really think he has no enemies? That they're all dead? Let's put it this way: the reason Yuan Shuo is so obedient, and rarely leaves the Ancient Academy, comes down to that very point. Having Night Watchers protect him whenever he steps outside is partly for this reason too. His immense contributions to the supernatural field are one side of it; the other is that he offended far too many people in his day. Staying at the Ancient Academy is, in truth, taking refuge." *Taking refuge!* Li Hao had never considered that! It was surprising, yet completely reasonable. His teacher... likely did have deadly enemies. No wonder he had accepted his lot and continued working for the Night Watchers. Otherwise, given his teacher's temperament, if the Night Watchers kept withholding his chance to become a supernatural, he would have cut ties long ago rather than continue working for them. Li Hao asked no further questions about that. Instead, he looked around and asked, "Boss, is the mysterious energy here only a portion of our squad's reserves? Is the bulk kept elsewhere?" "..." Liu Long looked at him, then smiled resignedly. "You don't understand! Don't be fooled by how little space it takes up; this is actually an enormous amount! There are a full twelve cubic meters of mysterious energy here. A unit is one cubic meter! Mysterious energy has a constant density when dispersed; it only compresses once it enters a human body or certain special items. Twelve units is our squad's entire stockpile! Besides, ice crystals are exceedingly hard to come by. Assembling this many ice crystal chambers cost us a fortune. This is our squad's only mysterious energy vault!" *All of it?* Li Hao was slightly taken aback. He looked again. It was indeed a lot; twelve cubic meters sounded about right. Still... did the Demon Hunting Squad really have only this much in reserve? He inspected it more closely, feeling an odd sense of discrepancy. The mysterious energy he had absorbed from the jade sword, and the excess that radiated out... seemed like quite a lot as well. Could the quality be different? Was the energy here of much higher quality? "Boss, then how much... will I get?" "You're a newcomer and need self-defense capability, so this time I overruled the others and decided to grant you two units of non-elemental mysterious energy! Non-elemental mysterious energy carries no special elemental attributes. It is easier to absorb and much safer!" "However, there is a downside. Non-elemental mysterious energy tends to build physical constitution—martial master strength, in other words—making it harder to unlock a supernatural lock and step into the supernatural realm!" He briefly laid out the pros and cons, then continued, "On the other hand, if you take elemental mysterious energy and it doesn't match your affinity, the danger increases drastically. We aren't supernaturals, so saving you would be difficult. You can make your own choice between elemental and non-elemental. Either way, it's two units!" Seeing that Li Hao did not look particularly thrilled, Liu Long suddenly chuckled. "Li Hao, what's your monthly salary right now?" Li Hao blinked. *Salary?* After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I'm a Third-Class Inspector. Before finishing probation, it was 1,000 star coins a month. After becoming regular staff, it's 2,000 star coins now, quite a bump. If I transfer into the Law Enforcement Team and get promoted to Second-Class Inspector, that'll be 4,000 star coins a month!" Four thousand star coins was by no means low. Li Hao was a bachelor and often bought groceries. A jin of top-grade rice cost only one star coin. Even during his probationary period at 1,000 star coins, he had lived reasonably well. A quick meal outside was only five star coins. Eating three meals a day ran about 450 star coins a month, more than enough to get by. If he earned 4,000 star coins after a promotion, he would have to start wondering whether making so much meant he should take a wife to help spend it. Liu Long's smile turned slightly peculiar. "So right now it's 2,000 star coins a month, correct?" "Yes!" "Do you know how much a single unit of mysterious energy sells for out there?" "It can be bought and sold?" Li Hao was stunned again. *This stuff can be traded?* "Not out in the open, but there are plenty of deals in the shadows!" Liu Long gave a cold sneer. "How many prominent figures and wealthy tycoons are just ordinary mortals? Supernaturals not only wield immense combat power, but they also live longer. Who doesn't want to become a supernatural? But on the official side, aside from formal induction by the Night Watchers, or being a Heaven-Blessed Divine Master, there are no regular channels. Naturally, a black market was born!" Li Hao began to understand and nodded slightly. "That makes sense. If I were wealthy and had no legitimate way to become a supernatural, I'd probably spend money to buy it too!" It was only human nature. Having mountains of wealth without being able to become a supernatural—what a regret that would be. "Then the black market price must be steep?" Mysterious energy was terribly difficult to obtain! Otherwise, everyone would be a supernatural. "Of course!" Liu Long said playfully, "Guess how much a single unit goes for on the black market?" "A hundred thousand?" Li Hao considered it, then felt that might be too low given how rare it was. After another moment of thought, he said, "Five hundred thousand!" That was the highest figure he could fathom! At his current salary, twenty-four thousand a year without eating or drinking, it would take more than twenty years—and once living expenses were factored in, it would take upwards of thirty years to afford a single unit. That was exorbitant enough! Inspectors were considered high earners. On average, most people in Silver City made under 1,000 star coins a month, meaning it would take fifty or sixty years to afford one unit. "A bold guess!" Liu Long laughed. "Still too low, though. The black market price is one million per unit!" Li Hao drew a sharp breath. *Truly expensive!* At one million, if he never got promoted, he might not be able to afford a single unit in his entire lifetime. "Aren't you excited?" Liu Long looked at him and grinned. "I'm handing you two million for free!" Yet Li Hao was not as thrilled as expected. He offered a slight smile. "Boss, in my mind, things belonging to the supernatural realm have already transcended mundane life. They have nothing to do with money. No matter how expensive it is, it feels the same to me!" "A fine mindset... unfortunately, you're overthinking it." This time, Liu Long laughed out loud. "You think supernaturals transcend mundane life? What a joke! Eating, drinking, and using the bathroom all require money! Buying and selling supernatural items requires money! As long as ordinary people make up the majority of this society, money is something no one can ever escape!" "If nothing else, without money, where would you live? Out in the wilderness? Without money, do you have any idea how much ice crystals cost? Without money, where would you buy the means to store mysterious energy? Without money, you'd have to walk everywhere on foot. Do you think supernaturals can just fly through the sky and tunnel through the earth?" The barrage of words left Li Hao utterly dazed. He had genuinely assumed that once a person became a supernatural, they would never have to worry about mundane wealth again. Yet listening to Liu Long, he suddenly realized that supernaturals were still human. And as humans, they had to survive! "Then..." Li Hao said in a mild daze, "Now that I've joined the Demon Hunting Squad, did my salary go up?" "..." Liu Long was struck speechless. *This kid is actually worrying about that right now?* Caught between amusement and exasperation, he still nodded. "It did. It went up the day you joined: ten thousand star coins a month!" Li Hao's heart gave a slight flutter. "Doesn't that mean it's even higher than a First-Class Inspector's salary?" A First-Class Inspector earned around eight or nine thousand; with bonuses, it could reach ten thousand. "Yes!" Liu Long nodded, choosing not to dwell on the matter. "I told you all this just to help you understand how precious mysterious energy is! Don't take it lightly. If you hadn't joined the Demon Hunting Squad, you might never have afforded two units in your entire life!" This time, Li Hao cracked a smile. Valuable was good. Of course, money did not matter right now. He was itching to absorb it. He wanted to see whether the mysterious energy here was identical to what came from his jade sword, and whether its effects were superior. "Boss, how do I absorb it?" He looked at Liu Long. Liu Long handed him a thin booklet. "This is the *Energy Channeling Method*. Everyone uses it, including the Night Watchers. It's the standard technique for channeling energy into the body, and even outside supernatural organizations use it!" *The Night Watchers' cultivation method?* Li Hao's interest surged immediately. He took it quickly and flipped it open... It was a very thin booklet! Li Hao possessed a sharp memory. He skimmed the first page, turned to the second, then the third... and that was it! Just three pages! Roughly a thousand characters in total. This was the *Energy Channeling Method* used across major organizations—the standard technique for supernaturals absorbing mysterious energy. Yet Li Hao's expression turned exceedingly strange. *Holy crap!* *How... how does this look so much like the breathing method from the Five Animals Art?* Not the *Five Animals Breathing Art* taught to him later, but the initial breathing technique he had practiced alongside the Ape Art. On that first day, Li Hao had used that very breathing technique when drinking the water, and its utilization rate of mysterious energy was actually quite poor. If the *Five Animals Breathing Art* could absorb and retain seventy percent of the mysterious energy, the basic breathing method he had started with retained thirty percent at most, letting the rest bleed away. And this *Energy Channeling Method*, in Li Hao's estimation, was at best on par with that initial breathing technique. While Li Hao was lost in thought, Liu Long added with grave seriousness, "This technique must never be leaked! Even though many organizations have obtained it, they only dare use it in secret. If the Night Watchers find out, punishment is severe! Of course, using it within the Inspectorate isn't an issue, but you are strictly forbidden from passing it to outsiders!" He spoke with great solemnity, and Li Hao... could only nod along. *I learned this stuff years ago. Sure, it's not completely identical, but it's practically the same thing.* *Now that I have the Five Animals Breathing Art, I wouldn't even bother learning this.* Still, his teacher had warned him not to share his art, and Li Hao had no intention of revealing the *Five Animals Breathing Art*. After committing the *Energy Channeling Method* to memory, he quickly said, "Boss, I've got it down. Can I begin?" Liu Long nodded and glanced at Yun Yao. Yun Yao spoke up: "Extend your right hand!" She opened a small aperture on the ice crystal chamber. No mysterious energy leaked out; the apparatus was specially engineered so the energy within could not escape, though it came with significant constraints. Li Hao reached out, and Yun Yao instructed, "Reach inside, then circulate the *Energy Channeling Method*. The mysterious energy will enter your body in rhythm with your technique. But remember: if your body's absorption efficiency is too low and energy leaks back out, it will quickly dissipate..." Li Hao already knew this. Puzzled, he asked, "Then why not let me step entirely inside the ice crystal chamber? That way, even if it leaks out, it could be reused." That was what Black Panther had done—it had recycled the mysterious energy leaking from Li Hao. Since it was so precious, recycling made total sense! Yun Yao chuckled. "First, an ice crystal enclosure that large would cost too much! Second, mysterious energy that leaks from a body has an even lower efficiency if reused, and the body's rejection of it becomes far stronger! The more times mysterious energy is reused, the greater the repulsion experienced by the next user! The mysterious energy in our vault is already second-hand, or even third-hand..." Because it had been stripped from others! In short, rather than attempting to salvage waste energy, it was better to let it disperse. The repulsion would be too violent; not only would the effect be poor, but it could also inflict severe internal harm. "I see..." Li Hao understood. He thought of Black Panther. That dog had not cared at all; its stomach seemed ready for anything. As for harm, there had been no sign of it; the dog was still sleek, shiny, and full of vigor. By now, his arm was inside the enclosure. Visible to the naked eye, a stream of mysterious energy surged into his palm. This was Li Hao's first time contacting mysterious energy that had not originated from the jade sword. He immediately circulated the *Energy Channeling Method*. The next instant, Li Hao's heart gave a violent twitch. *Fuck!* Why did it feel... so miserable? Absorbing the jade sword's mysterious energy had felt wonderful, like warm currents coursing through him. Even when it left him feeling overstuffed, it was genuinely comfortable. Yet this absorption brought pure agony. The mysterious energy refused to obey, thrashing wild and uncontrolled through his arm, surging toward every corner of his body with immense, violent force! There was an unmistakable sense of rejection! *Is this the repulsion Yun Yao mentioned from multiple uses?* Li Hao realized the truth at once. Feeling both puzzled and bizarre, he thought: *So the mysterious energy in the jade sword was likely brand new, while this stuff is definitely second-hand or even third-hand!* *That's why it's so much harder to absorb and causes such violent conflict?* *Which means what Black Panther absorbed was also second-hand, and what I'm absorbing right now might not even match what the dog got!* *A human being worse off than a dog!* Li Hao thought bitterly to himself, not daring to let it show on his face. He pushed the technique hard, absorbing the mysterious energy. Inside the ice crystal chamber, mysterious energy continuously poured into his body. Veins bulged along Li Hao's arm, and specks of blood began seeping from his skin—capillaries bursting under the sheer force of the rejection. *Second-hand goods really are shoddy!* Li Hao cursed inwardly. At this moment, he suddenly felt the jade sword's energy was an absolute treasure! He had always assumed mysterious energy was naturally gentle. Only now did he understand just how miserable it could be. No wonder people said channeling energy into the body could kill; he had not understood before, but now he truly did! With such a violent impact, even someone of his considerable physical strength was left with ruptured blood vessels. An ordinary person struck by non-elemental mysterious energy could easily rupture and explode! *If this were third- or fourth-hand, wouldn't even I be battered to death?* Right then, Liu Long's voice sounded by his ear: "Not bad! The repulsion isn't too severe—very good! It seems your physical constitution is decent. You only bled a little; I half-expected to step in and save you..." *This counts as not too severe?* Li Hao instantly felt a wave of sympathy for others. Wouldn't anyone else absorbing mysterious energy for the first time nearly die on the spot? He forced himself to ignore the pain of the repulsion and kept absorbing. After a while, Liu Long's voice came again: "Alright, you can pull your arm out. Bandage it up and train hard over the next two days. The result was quite good; you retained at least thirty percent of the mysterious energy! Not bad at all!" Li Hao's expression, however, turned somewhat stiff. *Gone?* *It's all gone!* Two units of mysterious energy, completely vanished just like that! *What the hell!* He focused on his internal state. This was... about on par with the leftover broth Black Panther had left him on that first night, wasn't it? *Just this?* *Two million?* *I...* In that single breath, Li Hao was at a total loss for words, weighed down by immense disappointment. *Dammit!* It was far too little. It could not even compare to what he had absorbed the previous night—no, it was nowhere close! Yet Liu Long still wore a look of pained reluctance. Seeing Li Hao standing there dazed, he said proudly, "Now you've witnessed how powerful and precious mysterious energy is, haven't you? Work hard and don't let me down! If you do well this time and successfully eliminate our target, I'll reward you with another two units afterward!" "..." Li Hao managed a stiff smile. So after sweating blood and risking his life to take down the Red Shadow, his grand reward would be two measly units? *I really am worse off than a fucking dog!* How much mysterious energy had that bastard Black Panther gorged on already? At this moment, Li Hao finally understood why the Red Shadow had set its sights on the weapons of the Eight Great Families. If he were in its shoes, he would have targeted them too!