C35 A Flash of Inspiration

Zhang Ze boasted a keen sensitivity score of 15, making the feat he was about to perform a breeze. With ease, he flipped over the balcony and slipped into his neighbor's house.

By now, it was just past seven in the evening, the sun had set, and darkness enveloped the room. A faint scent of tobacco lingered in the air. Zhang Ze, exercising caution, pulled out his phone and flicked on the flashlight to survey the room.

"Good thing I didn't just barge in!"

To his surprise, Zhang Ze spotted a scattering of white powder on the floor by the balcony door. Had he not been vigilant, he would have stepped right into it! This simple yet clever trap was clearly set by his neighbor to detect any unwelcome visitors during his absence.

And it wasn't just the balcony door; a similar dusting lay behind every door in the house.

"An ordinary person wouldn't bother with such traps. Could he actually be the fugitive?" Zhang Ze mused, stepping gingerly over the white ash as his suspicions intensified.

A quick search of the room revealed that the middle-aged man traveled light, possessing only a large suitcase tucked away in a corner of the living room. Zhang Ze approached the luggage with care and opened it to find a certificate inside—it was a Devil Domain Expert certification!

"Huang Hanfei, congratulations on achieving the Rank 1 Devil Domain Expert status. This certificate is awarded in recognition."

Illuminated by his phone's glow, Zhang Ze read the name and examined the photo on the certificate. The face and the name matched perfectly with the wanted criminal information provided by his class teacher, Liu Wei. There was no doubt in his mind now; Huang Hanfei was the wanted man.

"Huang Hanfei must have undergone plastic surgery to alter his looks!" Zhang Ze realized, feeling as though he had unraveled the enigma.

"Huang Hanfei has disguised himself as an unassuming middle-aged man, renting the place right next to mine. What nefarious deeds could he be plotting?" Zhang Ze inhaled sharply, "I need to inform Mr. Liu Wei at once!"

As Zhang Ze was about to access his class directory, the sound of a man's humming drifted in from outside the front door.

Zhang Ze recognized the melody instantly. Earlier that day, at the deserted construction site, the very same tune had been hummed by the murderer who took Tieh Gaang's life!

A wave of terror washed over Zhang Ze, accompanied by a foreboding sense that something was terribly wrong.

"Could the killer from today and this fugitive be one and the same? My luck couldn't be worse!"

The unmistakable sound of a key turning in a lock jolted him to action.

Zhang Ze sprang to his feet, scanned his surroundings, and without hesitation, dove under the bed in the bedroom.

It was far from an ideal hiding spot, but under the pressing circumstances, Zhang Ze was hard-pressed to find a better alternative.

"Please, let Huang Hanfei not find me here," he silently pleaded.

The man on the hunt was a Rank 1 Devil Domain Expert, the very one Zhang Ze had witnessed slaying Tieh Gaang. His strength was formidable.

Lacking the confidence to confront him, Zhang Ze knew the wisest course of action was to avoid an encounter at all costs. If Huang Hanfei discovered him, the outcome would be too dreadful to contemplate.

Fear wasn't an issue for Zhang Ze, but his sister was in the next room! Huang Hanfei would surely harm her, and Zhang Ze was determined to prevent that at all costs.

"If I'm found out, I'll have no choice but to fight for my life!" he resolved, while simultaneously texting Mr. Liu Wei to warn him that the criminal was hiding right next door.

To his dismay, his phone showed no signal—a common occurrence these days. The Devil Cave Monsters' tyrannical behavior had forced humanity into an ever-shrinking living space.

Mobile phones depended on signal towers, yet in all of Tianfeng City, only a handful remained operational, the rest overtaken by the Fallen District.

Then the door creaked open, footsteps advancing. From his vantage point under the bed, Zhang Ze caught sight of black leather shoes pausing at the threshold. The figure then moved slowly towards the balcony and halted again, leaving Zhang Ze clueless about his intentions.

"Have I been spotted? Surely not," he fretted. But in the next breath, Huang Hanfei's voice shattered the silence.

"Stop hiding. I know you're in here!"

Hearing Huang Hanfei's voice sent Zhang Ze's heart racing.

"I've been spotted by him! No doubt, he's a true Devil Domain Expert," Zhang Ze's forehead beaded with cold sweat, acutely aware of the vast gulf between his abilities and those of a Devil Domain Expert. In a real battle, Zhang Ze would be the clear loser.

"What's my next move? Do I charge out and confront him head-on?" Zhang Ze's mind raced with possibilities.

Huang Hanfei, the middle-aged man, seemed in no rush to seek out Zhang Ze. He casually stood at the center of the room, lighting a cigarette, and began humming a country tune, the picture of ease.

It was his custom to hum a tune when he was about to take a life.

Approaching the wooden bed where Zhang Ze lay hidden, Huang Hanfei eventually halted at its edge.

"Come on out, or I'll have to drag you out," Huang Hanfei called out icily.

Zhang Ze inhaled deeply, his tension momentarily pierced by the sound of his phone ringing. He glanced at the screen and a slight smile played on his lips.

"It's eight o'clock."

The alarm was Zhang Ze's own doing, a reminder that it was time to enter the Devil Domain.

As Huang Hanfei stood by the bed, expecting Zhang Ze to emerge, a sudden burst of white light emanated from beneath it.

Huang Hanfei paused, then irritably checked his watch, cursing, "The Devil Domain opens at eight. He must've slipped inside. Clever trick!"

But Huang Hanfei's annoyance faded quickly. Zhang Ze might have fled to the Devil Domain, but upon exiting, he would reappear right here. Huang Hanfei simply had to wait.

"I'll be here when you get back," Huang Hanfei said with a cold laugh.

"Welcome to the Devil Domain. Which level would you like to visit?"

"The first level."

"The second level."

"The third level."

"The fourth level."

Zhang Ze realized, "Huang Hanfei knows my hiding spot. He'll surely be waiting by the bed for my return, and I can't linger in the Devil Domain indefinitely. In twelve hours, I'll be expelled due to sheer exhaustion."

"I must significantly increase my strength within these twelve hours. I need to at least be able to hold my own against a Rank 1 Devil Domain Expert, or I'll stand no chance against Huang Hanfei."

As the realization dawned on Zhang Ze, he knew exactly which level he needed to visit.

"The fourth level!"

The world around Zhang Ze shifted. He found himself back on the altar of the fourth level. Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that the Devil Domain Bureau was still enforcing a blockade, preventing adventurers from venturing out.

"Has the Death Domain not vanished yet?" Zhang Ze furrowed his brow. If he was confined to the altar, how would he grow stronger through battling monsters?

Nearby, two adventurers also seemed to be biding their time, waiting for the Death Domain to clear so they could head out and engage in combat with the beasts. Zhang Ze inadvertently caught snippets of their conversation.