Chapter 1

The first to notice the anomalies were the great families of the Otherworlders on the Greek Peninsula. They discovered, one after another, that the hunters who were carrying out their missions around the world had disappeared. Subsequently, investigators reported finding Demon Hunter strongholds that had been emptied. In the days that followed, the sanctuaries in Northern Europe and the Americas also reported the same news: the Demon Hunters were gone.

In Europe, Asia, the Americas, and even in the remote Arctic Circle and the most secretive Antarctic hunting grounds, the Demon Hunters seemed to have withdrawn from their positions simultaneously, as if acting on a single order. Due to their disadvantaged position in terms of information resources, the Otherworlder families were unable to determine the Demon Hunters' movements. By the time they reacted, the hunters had vanished, and they could only deduce from the remaining clues that they had transferred on a large scale in an orderly manner. So far, only a small werewolf family in South America has reported encountering a Demon Hunter team in a hurry to move. But these hunters were in a rush, and although they had clearly picked up the scent of werewolves, no conflict broke out between the two sides.

Various reports about the "disappearance of hunters" appeared on the desks of Otherworlder family heads around the world within a few days. Whether it was a traditional family living in seclusion or a sanctuary huddling together for warmth, they all received this information one after another. The great families sent out their most elite investigators to confirm the truth of the news, and all of these daredevils returned safely after venturing into areas controlled by the Demon Hunters. They only found some residual magical traces, as well as vacant strongholds left after personnel transfers. Subsequently, those families who maintained contact with each other began to exchange information, and the news spread among the sanctuaries, eventually reaching the whole world.

The Demon Hunters had disappeared.

By the time Hesperiana called, the Athens Sanctuary had completed its search of the entire Greek Peninsula. The Otherworlders took actions of a density unseen in thousands of years—they wouldn't have dared to do this when the Demon Hunters were running around—and the result of the search was also "the hunters have disappeared." Several Otherworlder families in the Asian region were also taking action, although their progress was behind that of the European and American regions, but it seemed that the results were no different.

Vivian told Hao Ren in detail the news she had heard from Hesperiana, with a hint of unease in her voice: "I feel like something's not right."

"Of course something's not right," Hao Ren threw a Go piece onto the table. "They can't just leave the planet, can they? And you said a family in South America witnessed a Demon Hunter team that was moving?"

"Yeah, Hesperiana said it was a werewolf family, with some connection to the earlier Holfinnley family, so they could talk to the Athens Sanctuary," Vivian nodded slightly. "They ran into a group of Demon Hunters who were evacuating."

"That means the Demon Hunters didn't disappear out of thin air, but went somewhere," Hao Ren stroked his chin. "No more information?"

Vivian shook her head: "No. The Otherworlders are at a disadvantage against the Demon Hunters, especially in terms of intelligence. Because the Demon Hunters have divided and blockaded the whole world, the Otherworlder families are basically in a rather closed state. It's okay to keep in touch with each other, but it's impossible to gather intelligence in areas guarded by the Demon Hunters. Everyone only got the news after the Demon Hunters suddenly disappeared, and the news is still greatly delayed. By the way, Hesperiana also asked about the Demon Hunter movements on our side."

Hao Ren thought for a while: "The Demon Hunters on our side haven't been doing anything. One's watching TV with his sister, and the other's selling food outside..."

Vivian glared at him: "Not those two! I mean Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi!"

Hao Ren suddenly came to his senses after Vivian reminded him, and he slapped his thigh: "I'll go find them!"

"Wait, I'll go with you," Vivian said, putting on the coat she had just taken off. "It's better to have someone to look after you on the road."

"No need, it's just a trip to the city, it won't take much effort," Hao Ren stopped Vivian, and pointed to the circle of hungry people leaning every which way in the living room. "You should cook at home, look at this house full of people waiting to be fed."

Vivian turned her head and took a look. The first thing she saw was Lily, who was lying on the sofa watching TV while stuffing potato chips into her mouth. Noticing Vivian's gaze, the husky girl even wagged her tail: "Hurry up and cook, I'm hungry! What are you two whispering about?"

Vivian's mouth twitched, and she nodded to Hao Ren: "...Okay, go and come back quickly."

Hao Ren turned around and patted Dou Dou, who was still holding a Go piece on the table next to her: "Good girl, Dou Dou, I'm going out for a while, I'll be back soon."

Just as he was about to go out, "Gun" suddenly ran down from upstairs with a patter, the silly cat yelling: "Big cat, what are you doing? Going to buy me dried fish?"

"All you know is eating," Hao Ren glared at the cat demon. "I'm going out to do something."

"Then I'll go with you!" Without saying anything else, the silly cat jumped over, with the stubbornness and persistence unique to cats on her face. "Eat something delicious!"

Hao Ren thought for a while. Anyway, this cat is useless at home, and it would take a lot of effort to persuade her to stay, so he didn't say anything. He just told the cat girl to change into her going-out clothes, and then the two of them rushed out the door and went straight to the city.

If he was right, Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi, these two "regional Demon Hunters in charge," should still be working in that shopping mall before. At least a month ago, when he went to the city, he had seen the two of them there.

After Hao Ren went out, Dou Dou was still holding the Go piece in a daze for a long time, then she patted her tail: "Daddy's chess skills are really terrible! I still have to let him win!"

On the other side, Hao Ren, who had already gone out, certainly didn't know what his precious fish daughter was talking about. He drove his own car, the Beidou Star, straight to the city, and hurriedly arrived at the shopping mall where Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi worked as ordinary people. He still remembered the store where Zhao Xi sold mobile phones, but he couldn't see the expressionless female hunter behind the counter.

"Are you looking for Zhao Xi?" Another clerk at the mobile phone counter was a little surprised when she heard Hao Ren's intention. The young girl with many freckles on her nose couldn't help but take a few more glances at Hao Ren, probably not expecting that Zhao Xi, who was usually silent and had no friends, would have acquaintances. "She hasn't been here for several days. She asked the leader for a long vacation."

"Asked for a long vacation? When did that happen?" Hao Ren's heart skipped a beat. The news of the "Demon Hunter's disappearance" seemed to be confirmed. "Did she say when she'll be back? Where did she go?"

"About a week ago, I don't know where she went," the freckled girl said, looking Hao Ren up and down with suspicious eyes, her tone a little more alert. "Who are you to her? What do you want her for?"

Hao Ren noticed that the other party had become wary of this stranger who suddenly ran over to ask questions, so he smiled: "I'm her friend. I've come here to find her several times before, but you weren't here the previous times—this girl next to you has seen me."

"Oh, I've seen you, you've come here several times," another clerk recognized Hao Ren. "But we really don't know where Zhao Xi went. She usually doesn't talk to people much, and she hasn't said anything about her family."

"Hmm..." Hao Ren stroked his chin. "Then do you know a manager named Liu Sheng on this floor?"

"Manager Liu? He hasn't been here for several days either. It's said that something happened to his family, and he also asked for a long vacation," the freckled girl said. "He took a leave of absence around the same time as Zhao Xi."

Hearing this, Hao Ren already knew what was going on in his mind. He nodded slightly: "Okay, I understand. Thanks a lot."

After leaving the place where Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi worked, Hao Ren took a slight breath, and was already certain of one thing: at least in this city, the Demon Hunters in charge of guarding the area had left.

But it wasn't a "disappearance out of thin air."

"The two of them left after asking for leave, which means they didn't leave in a hurry, and they also made plans to come back. Everything was planned, it sounds more like they left calmly after receiving an order from their superiors," Hao Ren analyzed. "But I don't know if the Demon Hunters in other places are the same."

"Gun" stretched a big stretch after listening to Hao Ren's analysis: "So where are the good things to eat?"

Hao Ren was stunned, looked at his side, and then realized that the only one who could listen to his analysis was this cat, so he slapped his face: "...What the hell was I thinking bringing you out."

"Because this cat is so cute and adorable. So where are the good things to eat?"

Hao Ren: "..."