Chapter 136: Man or Beast

As a dual-degree PhD, Wang Xiaomeng possessed a deep understanding of paleontology. Although the girls had been rescued, the wounds on their arms provided her with significant information. She rose, walked over to Lin Qiu, and tugged at his sleeve.

Lin Qiu, currently furrowing his brow in distress, felt someone pulling on him. Seeing it was Wang Xiaomeng, he looked her up and down and snapped, "Don't touch me with hands dressed in women's clothing! The expression you're wearing right now makes it look like you're about to confess your love to me. You're scaring me!"

Wang Xiaomeng’s hand froze at his words. Her expression turned volatile, and she exploded in anger, "Can you be serious for once? I’m trying to discuss something important!"

Lin Qiu smirked, glanced at the girls, and chuckled, "Did you figure out what kind of exotic beast this is?"

Wang Xiaomeng was taken aback. She realized that beneath his perpetually flippant demeanor, Lin Qiu’s mind was sharper and more meticulous than anyone else's. It was no wonder the higher-ups valued him so much.

She nodded, walked over to one of the unconscious girls, lifted her scarred arm, and explained to Lin Qiu, "The teeth marks are three-tenths of an inch wide and less than half an inch deep, yet they managed to drain the girls' vital energy without taking a single drop of blood. If this were merely a common exotic ape or some ancient demon vine, it would be impossible to achieve such a result."

Lin Qiu was still puzzled. Meanwhile, members of the Xu family had begun clearing the scene, and Xu Changqiu had found his younger sister, rushing out of the cave with her in his arms.

Heize walked over and stood beside Lin Qiu. Hearing what Wang Xiaomeng had said, he muttered thoughtfully, "So, it's not a common exotic beast, nor is it the demon vine that all current evidence points to?"

Wang Xiaomeng stepped away from the girl and looked at the two men from the Exotic Beast Management Bureau with a grave expression. "Don't forget, since this operation began, I have suspected that there is more to this than just an exotic beast. It is highly likely that there is a human involved."

"A human?"
"A human?"

Lin Qiu and Heize were stunned. They couldn't understand why Wang Xiaomeng had reached this conclusion. No matter how they analyzed the evidence before them, it pointed only to an exotic beast. After all, the ancient demon vine had been discovered, and the girls had been rescued from it. As for how they were brought here, it was clearly the work of the controlled apes. According to records, the ancient demon vine possessed the ability to manipulate human minds.

Seeing their skepticism, Wang Xiaomeng didn't push the matter, as her theory was difficult to prove. However, she told them, "Besides people like us, this world is filled with various types of spiritual cultivators. Among them is a rather peculiar group—the human demonic cultivators!"

Lin Qiu knew of the demon race, but he had only a slight, superficial understanding of human demonic cultivators. "Does this have anything to do with the demon race?" he asked.

Wang Xiaomeng rolled her eyes, retorting with disdain, "Just because the word 'demonic' is in the name doesn't mean it's the demon race's fault."

Lin Qiu felt awkward; he had jumped to conclusions.

Wang Xiaomeng continued, "It has nothing to do with the demon race. The path of cultivation is vast, but most humans follow Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism. Only those who deviate from the orthodox path and seek to ascend to greatness overnight delve into methods that steal the life force of living beings to accelerate their cultivation. Most of these people practice evil, demonic arts. They are more terrifying and bloodthirsty than actual demons, which is why the term 'human demonic cultivator' fits them better."

Hearing this, Lin Qiu largely understood, but he looked toward the depths of the cave, puzzled. "Then this ancient demon vine is just a tool for them?"

Heize, standing nearby, wore a look of concern. "If that’s the case, we can’t even imagine how powerful the person behind this is. To think they could control an ancient demon vine by themselves?"

Heize’s words jolted Lin Qiu. If it were truly a human—a demonic cultivator—then they were no longer just dealing with an exotic beast. They might be facing an enemy just like them, or perhaps even far more powerful.

With the danger ahead unknown, Lin Qiu, as the team leader, stopped overthinking. He looked at Heize and Wang Xiaomeng and said, "I’ll go ahead. You two head back to bring reinforcements and report your findings; the director will know what to do. I have to infiltrate the depths and figure out exactly what this thing is!"

As he spoke, he saw the ape from earlier waiting for him at the entrance ahead.

"I object!" Wang Xiaomeng rejected his plan immediately. "It’s too dangerous. You’re throwing your life away! If we go, we go together!"

Heize also looked at Lin Qiu and nodded. "Yes, we go together."

Lin Qiu brushed the dust off his sleeves and looked at the two concerned teammates. He said calmly, "Heize, you’re heavily injured, and Xiaomeng doesn't have much combat capability. I, however, am unscathed. Do you think it’s better for me to go in alone and scout ahead, waiting for you, or for me to take you both into the depths and risk everything?"

His words silenced both Wang Xiaomeng and Heize. Although Wang Xiaomeng was displeased, she had to admit that Lin Qiu’s logic held up. Still, she remained deeply worried.

After thinking it over, she stared into Lin Qiu’s clean, refined face and said sternly, "You must promise not to go to the very bottom, and you must stay within range of our communication signal!"

"Naturally. I have no intention of dying young," Lin Qiu replied with a casual smile.

Seeing this, Heize had nothing more to say; he was indeed too injured to be of much help. After a brief discussion, Lin Qiu moved out first. Wang Xiaomeng and Heize retreated quickly, leaving the cave entrance to be guarded by the Xu family as they established a communication base.

Once his teammates were gone, Lin Qiu’s expression turned somber. Watching their retreating backs, he whispered to himself, "I’m not just going in to scout. I have to find out what’s down there myself. I’ve always felt this place is a trap; if I don't, we might all be wiped out."

Lin Qiu intended to venture deep into the danger alone, with no intention of waiting for Wang Xiaomeng and the others. Throughout the journey, he had sensed that this place was a trap designed to lure people in. If he didn't uncover the truth first—be it an exotic beast or a human—he knew that any well-prepared trap would have plenty of ways to deal with a sudden influx of intruders.