39: Chapter 39: Obtain the title: Shadow Hunter

In the empty corridor, there was a soft thud.

The Shadow Devourer's head fell to the ground and rolled half a circle.

Then, under the gaze of Tang Ningfei and the others, its twisted body, like dissipating black mist, quickly melted into the air, leaving no trace behind.

Almost at the same time, a translucent notification box appeared before the three of them:

[Successfully evaded the Shadow Devourer's pursuit three times, obtained title: The Trickster]

Dead. All three of them were stunned for a moment.

The Shadow Devourer, which had hunted them for two whole nights, had died just like that, and it was even slain by Gu Changming.

When they received the notification, Gu Changming also received a notification box.

Only his was somewhat different from Tang Ningfei's and the others; the title he received was: [Shadow Hunter]

Gu Changming didn't look at the notification; his gaze fell downward to where the Shadow Devourer had dissipated—there lay a thumbnail-sized, opaque black crystal.

He crouched down and picked up the crystal. It was cold to the touch and hard in texture.

At this moment, Tang Ningfei, Zhou Tunan, and Lu Shiyao stepped out from behind the corner where they had been hiding, their faces a mix of lingering shock and fear.

It was just hard to tell how much of that lingering fear was for the Shadow Devourer and how much was for Gu Changming.

Their lips parted slightly, but for a moment, they didn't know what to say.

Gu Changming looked up, his calm gaze sweeping over the three of them, finally landing on Lu Shiyao at the back.

"Did you record it?" Gu Changming asked, his tone as casual as usual.

Lu Shiyao jolted and hurriedly held up her phone. "It's... it's all recorded, from the beginning to... to the end."

"Mhm." Gu Changming nodded, casually putting the black crystal into his pocket. "Then hand this in; they shouldn't have any more problems."

The corridor fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of their slightly rapid breathing.

Gu Changming took another look at them, shoved his hands into his pockets, turned, and left.

Tang Ningfei and the others instinctively followed, walking out of the corridor and onto the road inside the residential compound.

However, Gu Changming didn't stop, heading straight toward the compound's main gate without the slightest hesitation.

Zhou Tunan opened his mouth, and Lu Shiyao turned to look at Tang Ningfei with an inquiring gaze, but in the end, no one spoke up to stop him.

They just stood there, watching Gu Changming walk out of the gate, turn the corner, and completely disappear from their sight.

"He... just left like that?" Lu Shiyao withdrew her gaze and looked at the two beside her in a daze.

Tang Ningfei looked in the direction where Gu Changming had disappeared and nodded gently.

She didn't seem surprised by Gu Changming's departure.

No, she felt she should have been surprised, but subconsciously, she wasn't.

It was as if he had come specifically to demonstrate something to them, and once it was over, he naturally had to leave.

A moment later, everyone snapped out of it.

Zhou Tunan spoke, drawing the attention of the other two back.

"Next, as long as we submit this video, it should prove our deduction."

Although the lighting was insufficient and the footage was a bit dark, the video could still prove their hypothesis: under the intense light of a lighter's flare, the Shadow Devourer's body clearly fell into a freeze.

"Right, business first." Tang Ningfei composed herself and turned to Lu Shiyao. "Shiyao, send me the video, and I'll upload it."

...

In the city center, inside a heavily guarded silver-gray building.

On a massive screen covering an entire wall inside, various incidents of contact with Shadow Devourers reported from across the country scrolled in real-time.

The heavy blast door slid open silently. Inside, researchers in white coats hurried about, their faces devoid of any sign of casual conversation.

They had to hurry and find more rules for human survival while the Shadow Devourers' activity was lower during the day.

The second floor, the floor responsible for meetings.

Shen Jianping stood in the hallway, his back pressed against the cold wall.

He kept looking at the closed conference room door, his fingers unconsciously pinching the thin sheet of data in his hand, its edges already somewhat wrinkled.

Time passed slowly.

Finally, the door lock clicked softly, and the door was pulled open from the inside. Over a dozen people filed out, the first being a middle-aged man in his forties who looked quite prestigious.

His brows were tightly knit, and he walked quickly, heading straight toward the other end of the hallway.

Shen Jianping immediately straightened up and chased after him in a few steps.

"Director Chen!"

Chen Yitao didn't stop, only turning his head to glance at him.

Shen Jianping hurriedly handed over the documents in his hand. "Director, I think this... this really might be an unwritten rule. Could you take another look?"

He had read the entire description and the deduction process, finding it very reliable and possible, which was why he had come to try and push for it.

Chen Yitao glanced at the content, then stopped. His face was expressionless, but his brow furrowed even deeper.

"I've seen it," Chen Yitao said. "Intense light might cause the Shadow Devourer's movements to freeze... It's not just you. Someone mentioned it during the meeting just now as well."

Shen Jianping was taken aback, then followed up, "Since other researchers also agree, why don't we try it?"

Chen Yitao raised a hand to interrupt him, his tone grave. "Jianping, do you know how many reports come in from all over every day? Thousands! There's every kind of claim. Some say you won't be attacked if you turn your back to a Shadow Devourer, others say you can turn invisible in front of one by holding your breath... How are we supposed to handle that?"

"I know you want to say that Shadow Devourers' activity weakens during the day because of the light, but in the videos submitted from below, there are plenty of Shadow Devourers killing people in broad daylight. They just don't like bright light; it doesn't mean bright light can control them."

"A single instance doesn't constitute proof. Currently, there's only that one report she submitted about intense light being able to briefly hard-control a Shadow Devourer."

Shen Jianping opened his mouth but made no sound.

The information they had pushed out before was all verified through multiple reports and only after they had tested and confirmed its effectiveness.

Chen Yitao continued, "We have to repeatedly check every piece of intel, look for patterns, and confirm its effectiveness before we can consider the next step. What we push out goes to the entire country, to everyone. If the information is wrong, do you know how many people will die?"

Shen Jianping lowered his head, looking at the paper in his hand, his voice softening. "At least... we could let those with high points know first, giving them a chance to try it for themselves. If it succeeds, we can then push it out as well."

Chen Yitao looked at him silently for a few seconds, his gaze making Shen Jianping feel pressured.

"Look at what it says here," Chen Yitao pointed at the data. "'Intense light exposure can cause Shadow Devourers to freeze.' But the Assessment rules clearly state in black and white that 'weak light sources will attract Shadow Devourers.'"

He took a breath, his tone becoming even heavier. "If this deduction is wrong and we release it, and those with high points believe it—if they turn on a flashlight and end up drawing a Shadow Devourer right to their faces... who will take responsibility for that? Have you thought about it?"

Of course, these were just the words on the surface.

In reality, those with high points were rare assets for all of humanity. Whether humanity could complete this Assessment and advancement in the future would mostly depend on those top-tier individuals.

Asking them to risk their lives testing these rules was no different from killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Shen Jianping fell silent, unable to say another word.

Chen Yitao looked at Shen Jianping's closed mouth, and silence stretched between the two for several seconds.

"Director," Shen Jianping's voice wasn't loud, but it carried weight. "What if... what if it's true?"

Chen Yitao didn't answer immediately.

In fact, in his heart, he was also somewhat inclined toward this intel...

Shen Jianping caught the flicker of hesitation in his brow and immediately spoke up. "Let me try? No need for a large-scale notification, just a single controlled verification."

Chen Yitao's gaze fell on Shen Jianping's face. He watched him for a long time before finally taking a deep breath.

"Fine. I'll give you my authorization to mobilize the necessary resources from the institute, but only this once. You must also take responsibility for the consequences."

A light flashed in Shen Jianping's eyes. "Yes, understood!"

...

As a supplementary note, it's not that Shadow Devourers cannot move in sunlight; they only freeze at the moment they are suddenly exposed to light, an idea inspired by frogs.

At night, if you shine a flashlight on a frog, it stops moving, but during the day, frogs can move normally.

Because of this, the hidden rule wasn't discovered by humans so quickly, and some were even reluctant to believe it.