"Are you sure?"
Mammon slowly closed the laptop in front of him.
"Yes."
Mr. Dai's tone was grave.
"According to the city lord's secretary, the City Lord, the Li family, and the Dongfang family have assembled a team of ability users."
"They've already headed toward Xishan Ridge."
Those three forces—
Represented the core power of Yangcheng.
And their target was obvious.
The A-rank magic insect within Xishan Ridge.
To humanity—
Monsters were disasters.
But in this world—
If you didn't want to become prey…
Then you had to become the hunter.
An A-rank disaster was terrifying.
But if it could be hunted successfully—
Its entire body would be a treasure trove.
More importantly—
The appearance of an A-rank monster often meant something else.
A treasure.
This world—
Was evolving.
Yes.
Strange as it sounded—
According to the Human Alliance's research—
The world itself was undergoing continuous evolution.
The planet was expanding.
Land.
Oceans.
Everything.
Even the spiritual energy between heaven and earth—
Was growing denser.
Perhaps it was due to dimensional rifts.
No one knew for certain.
But one fact was undeniable—
The world…
Was changing.
And in places where spiritual energy gathered—
Or where environments became abnormal—
There was a chance for something extraordinary to be born.
A spiritual herb.
A relic.
A treasure.
Anything was possible.
And history had already proven this.
Every time the Human Alliance successfully hunted an A-rank monster—
They discovered rare treasures nearby.
Which meant—
The existence of such monsters…
Might be tied to those treasures.
"Prepare."
Mammon's crimson eyes flickered.
"We move tonight."
Even he couldn't suppress the ripple in his heart.
An A-rank disaster-level creature…
What kind of existence would it be?
It was currently midday.
Bright.
Blinding.
For demons—
That was death.
Mammon himself had decent resistance to sunlight.
With an umbrella and enough caution—
He could endure it.
Uncomfortably.
But safely.
However—
Mr. Dai.
Nakime.
The others—
Could not.
If exposed to sunlight—
They would be reduced to ashes.
This weakness—
Was fatal.
Mammon's gaze darkened slightly.
He had to solve it.
Otherwise—
If he ever left Yangcheng…
If he stepped into the wider world—
This flaw would become a deadly constraint.
Was he really going to remain—
A ruler of the night forever?
It sounded powerful.
Dominating.
But in truth—
Who would choose to rule the darkness like a sewer rat—
If they could stand under the sun…
And conquer the world openly?
Still—
There was no rush.
Xishan Ridge was vast.
Finding an A-rank creature—
Let alone killing it—
Would not be easy.
Arriving slightly later—
Wouldn't matter.
Time passed quickly.
By dusk—
Mr. Dai and the others arrived at Mammon's villa.
Two vehicles departed—
Leaving Yangcheng behind.
Xishan Ridge lay to the west of the city.
Though technically within Yangcheng's territory—
It was not part of the safe zone.
The reason was simple.
A dimensional rift existed there.
Even now—
The Human Alliance still didn't understand how these rifts appeared.
But one thing was certain—
They couldn't close them.
The rift within Xishan Ridge wasn't large.
But based on analysis—
It likely connected to…
The Abyssal Realm.
Because the creatures appearing there—
Included small demons and abyssal monsters.
"The magic insect likely migrated from another region."
Mr. Dai spoke while reading the data in his hand.
"Based on current information…"
"It resembles the creature that appeared in Longcheng a year ago."
"The Deadland Burst Insect."
"Wait—"
Chen Jun, who was driving, frowned.
"Wasn't that thing already killed?"
An A-rank disaster—
Was a true catastrophe for humanity.
Every appearance—
Came with devastating losses.
Longcheng—
The number one city of Great Xia.
A year ago—
When the Deadland Burst Insect appeared nearby—
The Human Alliance fought desperately.
A bloody war.
They paid a tremendous price—
To kill it.
It was said—
The battlefield had turned red.
Not from the monster—
But from the blood of humanity's strongest.
And because of that—
The event shocked the entire world.
Because—
That was the first time humanity had ever killed an A-rank disaster.
"What Mr. Dai means…"
Nakime's soft voice sounded from the back seat.
She played lightly with the golden bell in her hand.
"…is that this one may belong to the same species."
"Not the exact same individual."
"Exactly."
Mr. Dai glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
"Even after a year…"
"Even with humanity growing stronger…"
"The Deadland Burst Insect is still not something easy to deal with."
"It all depends on what methods Li Qiancheng and the others have prepared."
His tone was calm.
Analytical.
But deep down—
His thoughts were complicated.
Once—
Nakime had been beneath him.
Now—
She stood higher.
But that thought vanished quickly.
There was no value in clinging to the past.
Only the future mattered.
After all—
Nakime was Mammon's personal attendant.
And he—
Had his own role.
There was no conflict between them.