In the end, Tu Xiao'an was just too naive, too green. He hadn't stopped to consider that with so many Spirit Monsters and Awakened Creatures in the world, it would be easy for one of them to kill a person.

So why was the Human World still so harmonious? Why did modern people firmly believe in atheism, dismissing tales of ghosts, monsters, and Snake Gods?

It was all because of the enforcers.

These things couldn't be brought out into the open. While ordinary police maintained local public order, these enforcers handled everything else.

The Demon Management Bureau existed to eliminate such destabilizing factors in society.

This prevented chaos and disaster from erupting in the Human World.

In a metropolis like this, every Rank One Creature, Rank Two Spirit Monster, and Rank Three Creature was registered on file with the Demon Management Bureau. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

If you behaved and acted like a law-abiding citizen, they might turn a blind eye.

But if you lost your mind and went on a rampage, they certainly wouldn't be so courteous.

Tu Xiao'an was one of these unregistered individuals. The moment he stepped into Wencheng, his powerful Snake Race aura was detected by the Demon Management Bureau's special instruments.

How could the Demon Management Bureau ignore a hidden time bomb like him?

Tu Xiao'an was a little surprised that they had investigated him so thoroughly, but after the initial shock, he calmed down.

His biggest secret, the Devouring System, hadn't been discovered. 'As for everything else, so what if they know?'

'Besides, everything I've done has been for the greater good, to protect the peace.'

"So you arrested me just for crossing a border, not because I committed a crime or killed someone?"

Tu Xiao'an looked calmly at the little girl before him.

"To put it simply, we've invited you for a cup of tea to help you get acquainted with our Demon Management Bureau."

That was why, as soon as Tu Xiao'an had been brought in, he was thrown into a corner of the small hall.

It was to show him that Spirit Monsters who commit crimes in the Human World are treated the same as ordinary criminals. They would be arrested, sentenced, imprisoned, and even executed.

Moreover, if a captured Spirit Monster were to die, its corpse would be considered a Heavenly and Earthly Treasure.

So, by all means, welcome to the Human World to commit crimes.

"This is your idea of inviting me for tea?" Tu Xiao'an said, his face cold as he raised his hands, the Demon Locking Shackles in plain sight.

The little girl hopped off her chair and sat casually on the edge of the desk, closing the distance between them. She smiled and said softly, "You're a Snake Spirit. You're dangerous, and you've grown strong too quickly—unbelievably so. For safety's sake, we thought it best to fit you with a pair of bracelets."

'Heh. "Bracelets." What a nice way to put it.'

Tu Xiao'an also knew that these "bracelets" on his wrists were extremely valuable.

Ordinary Awakened Creatures weren't even qualified to wear them. He was supposed to feel honored, to have bragging rights.

"Do you really think these bracelets can hold me?"

Tu Xiao'an lifted his chin slightly, his brow furrowed as if with a layer of unmeltable frost.

The little girl suddenly giggled. "Or else what? You came here willingly?"

"That's right. I came willingly."

The girl's eyes were smiling. "Are you pulling my leg?"

Not a single Spirit Monster in the world would willingly come to the Demon Management Bureau, just as an ordinary person wouldn't want to walk into a police station.

Besides, it was obvious Tu Xiao'an had been trapped and captured. With the Demon Locking Shackles on his wrists, no matter how terrifying he was, he had to be as meek as a lamb.

CRACK...

The little girl, who had still been smiling, was suddenly stunned. What was she seeing? The Demon Locking Shackles on the Snake Spirit's hands had cracked open and fallen to the floor in two pieces.

The Demon Locking Shackles were incredibly precious, custom-made from Extraterrestrial Meteorite. They could suppress and bind any creature below Rank Three.

They were harder and more indestructible than any metal in the world.

And now, they had been split in two.

Hmph.

Tu Xiao'an snorted. Although he couldn't use his attribute ability or Consciousness Power, he still had his system.

For a mere pair of handcuffs, Tu Xiao'an had just spent three million Faith Points.

All to have the system destroy these Demon Locking Shackles.

'That was three damn Transformation Potions gone, just like that.'

'Without the system, I really would have been at their mercy today.'

'Freeze!'

Tu Xiao'an's Consciousness Power erupted, instantly enveloping the little girl.

The little girl's expression changed in a flash, but her eyes glinted with a power as deep as the sea.

BANG...

Tu Xiao'an's Consciousness Power suddenly shattered.

'This little girl is strong. Anyone who can shatter my Consciousness Power is no pushover.'

"Flame Snake..."

The instant his Consciousness Power dissipated, Tu Xiao'an waved his hand. A thick Flame Snake erupted from it, flying through the air to coil around the little girl.

The massive Flame Snake, radiating scorching heat, circled around her. If she took a single step, she would be burned by the searing Flame.

"No Spirit Monster has ever dared to act so insolently within the Demon Management Bureau."

The little girl completely ignored the Flame Snake coiling around her, and her eyes turned cold and sharp.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and a pale blue, chilling aura emanated from her. The very air seemed to freeze, afraid to move. The searing Flame Snake suddenly turned into chunks of blue ice that scattered across the floor and instantly evaporated.

Hm?

'Elemental Ability.'

'I've finally met a human Elemental Master.'

It all happened in an instant. A look of surprise flashed in Tu Xiao'an's eyes before he threw a punch at the little girl. The fist was wreathed in boiling Flame, a monstrous act akin to snuffing out one of the nation's future blossoms.

The little girl leaped lightly into the air, graceful as a water sprite. She met his fist with an open palm, her small hand as cold as frost in the dead of winter.

BOOM...

The entire office shook violently.

In the small hall outside, several officers glanced at the office with complicated expressions, but none of them rushed in. They simply went back to what they were doing.

TSSS...

Inside the office, a grayish-white vapor rose and spread, suffused with red light and a blue glow. White mist billowed and swirled, and within a few short breaths, the room was shrouded in a disorienting haze.

The white mist was like fine gauze, swirling in threads and wisps like smoke and dust. The scene was as beautiful as a painting, as if they had been transported to an ethereal Immortal Realm.

This was the strange phenomenon created by the collision of the Flame and Ice Elements.

"What a Snake Spirit. You're even stronger than I imagined. You truly are dangerous. I can't let you run free."

The white mist was so thick that their vision became blurry. Unless someone opened the office door, it wouldn't dissipate anytime soon.

Through the haze, the little girl's figure was faintly visible. Then, magically, she began to grow taller right where she stood. Shrouded by the swirling mist, the stunning figure of a beautiful woman gradually took form.

She had a graceful, slender, and exquisitely curved figure. Her face was obscured by the mist, making her look like a Fairy born of the vapor itself—full of mystery and allure.

Tu Xiao'an waved away the mist in front of his face, his eyes instantly drawn to the stunning woman he had never seen before. He was completely captivated, unable to look away.

'The little girl... transformed into a beautiful woman?'