Chapter 191: False Alarm

“Don’t be nervous, I don’t sense any magic at all.”

“Weirdos are always good at hiding. Sensing alone isn’t enough; let me do a scan.”

Su Mu spoke as she scanned for any high-threat magic units nearby. 

With her abilities, no monster—except in special cases like Lu Shan—should be able to hide from her.

[Executing scan… Detected a high magic response unit!]

As expected, that guy must be—

[Ally: Ye Wanqing, bust size…]

‘Damn it, I want information on Justice, what is this nonsense?’

No matter how Su Mu shouted, the Handheld Console offered no further response. 

It looked like that was all it had.

‘Impossible. Absolutely impossible. That guy really is sly—he’s even managed to trick my scan… Maybe he’s using something other than magic.’

Thinking this, Su Mu suddenly had an epiphany.

Of course. 

Lu Shan now is just a frail girl; there’s no way she could resist the strength of an adult man. 

If that scary-looking guy came straight to the door, he’d be more than able to kidnap Lu Shan—or worse, indulge some of his “twisted tastes.”

“He might not be using magic at all. Let’s search the place carefully. Let’s go together.”

“Mm.”

Completely trusting Su Mu’s judgment, Ye Wanqing immediately increased her magic output, hoping to sense abnormalities by the change in temperature. 

However, she still found nothing. 

If she pushed the temperature any further, she’d risk harming ordinary people nearby. 

Helpless, Ye Wanqing could only maintain this low output as she took the lead.

After that, the girls linked arms, huddling together like children playing “Eagle Catches the Chicks,” hiding behind their “mother hen,” and inching their way into the darkness.

The silence in the room was completely at odds with the earlier atmosphere. 

As the lights had just gone out, none of their eyes had adjusted to the darkness yet. 

Luckily, Lu Shan’s Father had stepped outside to smoke, keeping him away from the danger.

After all, Su Mu knew exactly what that guy was capable of—a monster who could calmly take apart human limbs, press them one by one to a hot iron plate until the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. 

He surely wouldn’t spare any ordinary person; his greatest joy was hearing the screams of others.

The Living Room was wide open, with nowhere suitable to hide. 

Remembering the burning sound from before, Su Mu instinctively set the kitchen as their destination. 

She had a feeling the crisis was there.

She tugged on Ye Wanqing’s sleeve, guiding her toward the kitchen, and Ye Wanqing immediately caught on.

‘Has she already sensed where the threat is? I haven’t sensed anything at all. As expected, her abilities are sharper than mine. Since that’s the case…’

Thinking this, Ye Wanqing expanded her magic toward the kitchen. 

In the few seconds before they pushed open the door, scalding magic heat swept through the space. 

Even a monster with an inhuman body would have a hard time bearing it.

But the result was beyond Ye Wanqing’s expectations. 

The opponent seemed to withstand the torture, not making a single sound. 

This only solidified Ye Wanqing’s suspicions, ‘Whatever has Su Mu so alert is definitely no ordinary foe. Should we open the door and check? Then…’

Suddenly, with no warning, there was a loud sound of the front door opening from the entryway. 

The harsh noise of the old security door scraping against the uneven floor instantly caught everyone’s attention.

At a time like this? 

Whether it’s Justice or Lu Shan’s Father, it can’t be good.

“Ahem, why is the light off? Hey, is there a blackout?”

That deep voice—there was no mistaking it, it was Lu Shan’s Father. 

But it couldn’t be ruled out that it was the enemy in disguise.

Su Mu remained extremely cautious, running another scan. 

Of course, nothing valuable turned up—it really was Lu Shan’s Father. 

To avoid invading his privacy, Su Mu quickly cut off the information. 

But honestly, she’d have much rather seen something on Justice.

Things were getting complicated.

“Why are you all gathered here? Wait, it’s so hot—is there something wrong with the kitchen? Don’t panic, step back, I’ll handle it.”

Lu Shan’s Father stepped forward, seeing how the girls were like startled little animals. 

He realized they’d been badly frightened by this sudden chaos.

Now was the time for a mature adult to step in and fix things.

But his reckless approach made Su Mu anxious. 

Getting an ordinary person involved in an unknown situation was troublesome—especially since, to him, they looked like the inexperienced ones. 

Gaining his trust with just a few words would be quite difficult.

‘Damn it, if only I had a way to control people.’

While she hesitated, Lu Shan’s Father took a quick stride and put his hand on the kitchen door handle. 

The next instant, the scorching heat made him recoil in surprise.

‘So hot—what on earth happened there?’

Countless possibilities flashed through Lu Shan’s Father’s mind, ‘Fire, gas leak… Every one of them spelled serious trouble.’ 

The handle was burning, but there was no time to hesitate—he had to open the door!

“Don’t!”

On the other side, Ye Wanqing quickly tried to stop him. 

She could guess what misunderstanding he’d gotten, and needed to clarify—fast.

Well, maybe not clarify. 

After all, the problem really was on their end. 

She’d been reckless, turning the kitchen into this mess.

But the most important thing now was to keep him from running into the potential threat inside.

There was no time to think. 

Ye Wanqing grabbed Lu Shan’s Father by the wrist. 

Her slender frame burst forth with unexpected strength, making him stumble and look back at her in shock.

“Uncle, don’t rush in yet. Inside, inside… uh, there’s something bad in there.”

“What is it? The temperature’s so high—I’m worried something happened.”

“Not really, I don’t feel it’s that hot. But something weird snuck in, some wild animal or something. We’re just afraid it’ll run out.”

As she spoke, Ye Wanqing had already withdrawn her magic and cooled the kitchen down in an instant. 

When Lu Shan’s Father touched the door again, the temperature had returned to normal.

“That’s strange. It was burning hot a second ago… Anyway, you said there’s something in there? Something big? We’re on the seventh floor—no large animals could get up here. Must be a stray cat or dog. Let me handle it…”

In just a few words, seeing that Lu Shan’s Father was about to open the door again, Su Mu grew more anxious than ever.

‘I really have to control him.’

And in that very instant, a barely detectable thread formed, connecting her and Lu Shan’s Father.