Quickly, Taozi and I arrived at the Yuejin Building. Xia Huren and his five Super Soldiers had just finished their shift change; the six of them went out for the first patrol round, leaving Taozi and me to monitor the situation from the control room. Since any supernatural occurrences usually happened after midnight, we decided to conserve our energy and wait for the right moment to act.

As expected, Xia Huren’s patrol yielded nothing unusual. Even the elevator whose lighting had been problematic was functioning normally after being serviced during the day.

It was now exactly midnight. The next patrol was scheduled for 1:00 AM. After exchanging a word with Xia Huren, Taozi and I quietly set off to inspect the building.

Exiting the control room led us into the machine room. We walked the main corridor within, sensing nothing amiss. Next, we descended to the B2 and BI level parking garages. After 11 PM, few cars were ever parked here. During the day, the mall attracted plenty of vehicles, but after the Yuejin Construction Company closed and the mall doors shut at 10 PM, this area became desolate. Only an emergency light flickered every so often, casting a chilling, eerie glow.

“Boss, this place feels really off. Let’s just get this over with.”

I looked at Taozi, who was perched on my shoulder. “You’re scared of ghosts?”

Taozi clearly shuddered. “Of course, I am, Boss! Who isn't? Don't forget I’m just a cat. What do you think I am, some kind of celestial guardian?”

Although I had officially ascended to the B-Rank Superhuman Evolution List and my power had reached the Zenith state—I could face a thousand men with bayonets without batting an eye—being in this unpredictable, strange building, having witnessed mysterious events firsthand, to say I wasn't afraid would be a lie.

Still, I mustered my courage and finished checking the garage. The two levels held fewer than forty cars; it would be impossible to hide a person here. Moreover, I had used my high-intensity flashlight to illuminate inside every single vehicle.

Standing before the three elevators in the ground-floor lobby, I inwardly debated: should I take the reliable Elevator No. 1 or No. 3, or brave the frequently malfunctioning No. 2? I knew Taozi could sense my thoughts, but male pride forced me to choose No. 2. Besides, my goal was to uncover the truth, and as the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I stepped into No. 2.

There was a security camera in the elevator lobby. Xia Huren was watching from the control room. I smiled and gave him a little wave before pressing the button for the 13th floor. During the ascent, the elevator behaved perfectly. The buttons for floors 2–12, which had been deactivated, were grayed out without backlighting, making them easy to distinguish.

Upon reaching the 13th floor, Taozi and I exited and began checking floor by floor. This building was certainly constructed simply: south-facing, north-backed, stretching east to west. Standing at the east end, I could see all the way to the west. Hiding someone here would be genuinely difficult, unless they were concealed inside the rooms lining the corridor. Judging by the room numbers, there were more than fifty on each side, over a hundred in total—how could we search them all? Furthermore, even if we wanted to search, we’d need keys.

I focused my attention on the men’s restroom on the 16th floor. Everything, of course, had returned to normal. The copious amounts of excrement had been cleaned up. What could Xiao Cao have seen while relieving himself that scared him to death? What kind of entity would spread feces all over a restroom? Humans wouldn't do something like that, right? And why did 'Wang Yongle' come up here last night with a powerful flashlight, searching for something? Was there something genuinely peculiar about this restroom?

I activated my X-ray vision, examining every stall one by one. Within the range of my ability, all I saw was wastewater, identical to any normal restroom. The only difference was the overwhelming stench here.

Between the 17th and 18th floors in the East Fire Exit stairwell was where Da Gan Liu Guangrong met his end. A careful inspection revealed nothing out of the ordinary; the window glass on the stairs was intact. Da Gan Liu mentioned before he died that he discovered something—what was it? Could it be the photograph clutched in his hand? A photograph scaring someone to death? I'd never heard of that.

Alas, there were too many strange occurrences and too few clues. Even with the photograph, we couldn't locate the elderly man pictured in it, and the background streetscape was unrecognizable due to several city renovations.

Our only remaining avenue of investigation was to check the 17th floor. The 17th floor housed the entertainment and conference center, and its main door was usually locked. I had searched the control room, but there were no keys for the 17th floor, nor had Security Chief Kong Yifei mentioned any requirement to patrol that level.

Opening the retractable anti-theft gate in the 17th-floor corridor was a major problem. I went back to the elevator and rode up to the 17th floor to check again; the anti-theft gate outside the elevator lobby was also locked. Forcing entry might cause trouble with Red Dragon Security, as we were currently guarding their company premises. If their security door was damaged, that would be problematic.

“Lao Qian, Lao Qian,” Xia Huren suddenly called out to me.

“Respond if you hear me.”

“What’s up, Tiger? Is there anything going on down there?” Xia Huren’s voice sounded slightly urgent.

I quickly replied, “Nothing here, what’s happening on your end?”

Xia Huren sighed in relief. “All the surveillance screens suddenly went to static. He Jun and Jiang Shan are trying to figure out why. I’ll meet up with the other three comrades to relieve you shortly.”

“No need. You lead everyone else on a patrol sweep. Contact us immediately if anything happens. Taozi and I are together; we won't have any accidents.”

“Alright, everyone stay in touch if anything comes up.”

I asked Taozi on my shoulder, “What do you think happened?”

Taozi replied, “All monitoring equipment failing simultaneously in the middle of the night—that is definitely not normal. As for why, I have no idea.”

Damn it, that was as good as saying nothing. I had to figure out a way to get to the 17th floor, even if everything inside turned out to be normal, I needed to see it for myself.

I was staring at the retractable security gate, trying to think of a solution, when the light on Elevator No. 1 suddenly illuminated. Someone was coming up? I checked the destination indicator—the 18th floor. Could it be Xia Huren and the others coming up for patrol?

I decided to go up first and wait for them.

I entered Elevator No. 2 and rode ahead to the 18th floor. Seeing that Elevator No. 1 was only on the 6th floor, I started to wander around. The key was to check the restrooms; they had no monitoring equipment and were prone to issues, though admittedly, monitoring equipment was useless now anyway.

The restrooms on the 18th floor were much classier than those on the 16th, and they didn't have that heavy odor. The women's room even had air freshener. It seemed this was where the executives took care of business; naturally, they couldn't compare to the regular employees.

Click, clack, click—the distinct sound of leather-soled shoes, specifically women’s heels! In this silent, desolate building late at night, where all the doors had been checked and locked, there were only seven men, one cat, and one unknown figure—who knew if it was Wang Yongle or Wang Bule—and now, the sound of women’s heels. Who wouldn't be scared?

Taozi and I huddled together, stunned for a moment before remembering to go out and investigate. Peeking out from the women’s restroom, the corridor was utterly empty! The people who came up in Elevator No. 1 weren't Xia Huren’s team; it was this person in women's heels—no, perhaps it wasn't human. Could it be a cross-dresser?

Taozi grumbled at me, “It’s all your fault for taking so long to come out. She must have hidden in these rooms already. Now we have to check them one by one with X-ray vision.”

“You’re blaming me? Who was it clinging to my neck so tightly just now that I couldn't breathe?”

“Boss, let’s not fight amongst ourselves. Let’s search quickly. What if she’s a fox spirit?”

All these hundred-plus offices had sealed anti-theft doors and no windows on the walls. There was no way to search them without X-ray vision, unless one wanted to knock on every door and ask if there was a fox spirit or a female ghost inside.

When I looked at a room in the south-facing section midway down the corridor, I indeed discovered a female demon!

Good heavens, what was this thing? Her hair was incredibly long, draped loosely over her shoulders. She had a pair of huge, vacant, reddish eyes. Her slender, long waist supported a pair of gigantic breasts—even Yi Xiaorou would bow down in defeat. She swayed her hips as she paced around the room, occasionally shedding thick tears from her red eyes.

Could this be the legendary XXX Demoness?

“What the heck, Boss? When did the legends mention an XXX Demoness?” Taozi asked me.

“What does a kid like you know? If I say she’s an XXX Demoness, then she is an XXX Demoness. Look at my wife—which of her breasts is bigger than that? A person growing breasts like that has absolutely become a spirit.” (Of course, I had to exclude Xiao Yudi; she was an XXX robot whose entire body could transform into breasts, which was incomparable.)

“You have no vision, Boss. You can find Z-cups online.”

“Are those naturally grown? They’re inflated!”

Taozi and I debated outside the door whether the creature inside was a demoness or a woman for a while. Finally, we both concluded she was human. Firstly, she had flesh and blood. My precise X-ray scan confirmed that her figure was exquisite, the only flaw being that her breasts were too large—a full size larger than Yi Xiaorou’s, maybe a 36G cup. These massive breasts lacked the elasticity of Yi Xiaorou’s, resulting in some sagging.

Fortunately, this woman’s bra offered better support than Yi Xiaorou’s. Under the protection of an expensive, specialized bra, her huge breasts stood proudly, making one yearn to dive into that milky ocean—no, milky sea—take a breath, and then have them press against your face and back, held tight in your embrace, allowing you to XXX them freely.

Better stop thinking about that; my little brother is getting uncomfortably hard. If I keep thinking this way, I might just break down the wall and assault her.

The second characteristic confirming she was human was that she cried tears, not blood, which ghosts supposedly shed. Although women bleed the first time, that was a completely different scenario.

“What do you think we should do?” I asked Taozi.

“You’re the Boss, how should I know? Why don’t you go in and XXX her? I’ll stand guard. You already have so many women at home; you wouldn’t mind one more.”

“Forget it. Although I’m lustful, I wouldn’t XXX a common citizen. Let’s figure out who she is first. Coming here in the middle of the night, she’s likely an employee here. Maybe she has keys to the parking garage and the main entrance.”

Taozi said, “It’s a shame she’s so far away, otherwise I could sense her brainwaves. You handle this one; I’m going ghost hunting.”

After some thought, I said to Taozi, “I’m leaving too. She even has office keys—that clearly means she’s an employee here. Let’s not barge in and cause trouble. Besides, look how little clothing she’s wearing; she clearly wants to sleep. If we rush in now, the Yuejin Construction Company might give me a plaque tomorrow inscribed with ‘Shameless’ on the front and ‘Lewd’ on the back.”

Taozi chuckled. “Boss, you’re becoming increasingly self-aware. I admire that. Let’s go. Whether she’s a big-breasted girl, a small-breasted girl, or an average-breasted girl, as long as she’s not a ghost, we’ll leave her alone tonight.”

Laughing with Taozi dispelled all my recent fear. I was just preparing to take one last look at the XXX Demoness before heading to the 17th floor to figure out how to pick the lock, but that last look made it impossible for me to look away.

She was undressing! Although I had already scanned her entire body with my X-ray vision, the active view was certainly different from the passive one. Watching her flesh sway in rhythm with her movements was more stimulating than watching Hua Qingqing massage Yi Xiaorou’s breasts.

Although the room’s soundproofing was excellent, I could slightly concentrate my energy and hear her muttering to herself, “Hmph! You all covet my body. Sooner or later, I’ll cut them off, and then what will you like about me! That Wu guy, don't abuse your power; you will get what’s coming to you sooner or later!”

It seemed she had encountered something upsetting, perhaps provoked by some man. This woman had presence; perhaps she was the CEO here, as ordinary people rarely possessed such an overbearing aura.

The woman did not take off all her clothes; she was wearing only a thong and that expensive, special bra. Suddenly, she struggled to pull a bundle from under the bed and said to it, “Good boy, I love you the most. Men are all unreliable; only you are best to me.”

Good heavens, she was holding a large python! Of course, it was much smaller than the one I ate, and smaller than those in my Serpent Army. But the snake still looked as thick as an arm, over three or four meters long—a giant among ordinary snakes.

The Demoness brought the snake to the bed, then lay down beside it. The snake surprisingly and eagerly coiled around her body, and she seemed to be enjoying it, closing her eyes with a look of relaxed contentment.

Did my aunt’s lineage bestow a penchant for promiscuity upon snakes? I watched as the snake wrapped a loop around the woman’s chest, squeezing a pair of already massive breasts until they resembled a cow’s udders! Yet, she didn’t seem to feel any pain; instead, she patted the python contentedly.

“My good baby, let your sister sleep. If you keep messing around, I won’t pay attention to you.”

Taozi suddenly asked me, “Boss, do you want to turn into that snake?”

I replied with envy, “Yes, don’t you? If I knew being a snake meant such happiness every night, I would have turned into one back in the small town.”

Taozi observed, “Now I understand that men are never satisfied. No matter how many girlfriends they have at home, it won’t stop them from seeking other flowers. A wife is always someone else’s better.”

While Taozi and I were exchanging philosophical thoughts, the snake started playing an even more brazen trick. It flicked its tongue and began licking the woman’s breast. Because the bra wasn't full-cup, a large expanse of snow-white nipple was exposed at the top. The curved snake started licking from that spot and eventually tried to wriggle inside the bra!

Taozi asked me again, “Do you want to turn into that snake?”

I involuntarily answered, “Of course, I do. If I were that snake, I’d completely undo her bra, then tightly constrict her chest to make her breasts stick out even bigger than they are now, and then lick and bite hard to see if she gets excited.”

Taozi gave me a thumbs-up. “Boss, you’re incredibly lewd! Come on, follow my brainwaves. I’ll link you two up so you can experience what it’s like to be a rogue snake.”

“Damn it, do you think this is urban cultivation? Can I merge my soul with a snake’s?”

“Why not? I can’t guarantee it for other species, but since a snake served as the conduit between you and the energy stone, you have a very strong capacity to accept a snake’s thoughts. Relax your mind, follow the brain signals I’m sending you, relax, slowly…”

My God, I suddenly felt my body stretching, elongating, and thinning several times over. Then, immense fullness pressed against my skin. I looked down—how had my body truly turned into a snake?

Heh heh, since it’s like this, I shouldn't waste Taozi’s good intentions. Even if I didn't possess it, that creature was already playing with that alluring body. Now, it was just transferring the sensation to me—it was a win-win, satisfying both of us without wasting any resources.

“Lao Qian, Lao Qian, what are you doing? Don’t scare us!”

Ah, my sensations snapped back to my human body. I turned around to see Xia Huren standing there with three Super Soldiers. Taozi was giggling beside him, occasionally glancing at the puddle of drool on the floor.

It was over. My disgrace had been witnessed by all of them. Standing there drooling stupidly at the wall must have made them utterly confused. My reputation as the leader of the Super Soldier squad was ruined.

I swallowed the saliva that hadn’t quite dripped out and managed, “I’m fine; just thinking. What’s the situation below?”

Xia Huren shook his head. “The monitoring is still abnormal. We’ve already done one sweep and found nothing unusual.”

I said, “Everyone needs to work harder tonight. Increase patrols, and we can all rest a bit more once the monitoring system is back online.”

“Big Brother, we aren’t tired. In fact, you look exhausted. Why don’t you go down to the control room and rest a bit?” the three Super Soldiers said to me.

I wasn't tired; I was over-excited. I insisted on going with them on patrol, but the soldiers were too enthusiastic and practically forced me back to the underground control room. I had originally planned to observe her a little longer, but oh well, there’ll be another chance in the future.