Only Human Here 20

One advantage of embarking on a mission with Yang Ling and Yan Shan Yue is that Wei Huan can simply observe from the sidelines. As a human in the company of Flame Ignition Academy's first and second-ranked students, he's essentially powerless. That snake demon, who had been under their control for less than five days, was effortlessly subdued by Yang Ling and Yan Shan Yue and sealed inside Nine-Tails' Yasakani-no-Magatama. 

"Your Lianhuo attack is quite formidable," Yan Shan Yue remarked casually as she fastened the palm-sized mirror around her waist. However, upon hearing this, Yang Ling's face abruptly turned crimson, and she stammered, 

"I-I wasn't…"

"She nearly incinerated that snake just now! Unleashing over fifty Lianhuo simultaneously, were you planning to bring back barbecued snake for Old Xing?" Wei Huan had barely spoken a few words when a fiery lotus, the size of a face, hurtled towards him, landing squarely on his face. He clapped his hands in response, "A barbecued snake would be delightful! It's quite a delicacy; once you've tasted it, you won't forget…"

Yang Ling snorted and extinguished the fire with a flick. Wei Huan patted his chest and looked at Yang Ling, who still bore a blush. Yan Shan Yue offered a faint smile as she approached and patted Yang Ling's head.

With that simple gesture, Yang Ling turned an even deeper shade of crimson, including her neck.

Wei Huan, who had a penchant for defying death, couldn't resist moving to Yang Ling's other side and whispering, "I suspect you're in the midst of a public romance."

"But I have no evidence…"

Just as Yang Ling was about to take action, Wei Huan skillfully evaded and chuckled, "Heading back to school?"

Yang Ling crossed her arms. "I've got a dress on hold; I need to pick it up." She immediately latched onto Yan Shan Yue's arm and adopted a completely different tone, speaking with a hint of coquettishness, "Sister Shan Yue, accompany me~"

Yan Shan Yue smiled faintly and consented. Wei Huan, realizing he had no room for argument, could only follow the two girls, stating, "I feel like I'm your best gay friend, shopping, chatting, and playing together."

"Don't flatter yourself," Yang Ling retorted, turning to face him.

Wei Huan, who hadn't entirely given up hope of obtaining a Reverse Soul Fruit from Yan Shan Yue, half-jokingly added, "Sister Yan, just in case some new and deadly threat emerges later, and I meet my end on the spot, could you, the epitome of beauty and kindness, use a Reverse Soul Fruit to save me?"

Before Nine-Tails could respond, Yang Ling, her sister's protector, spoke first, "I suspect you're playing the fool! Spit it out! Did you conspire with some demon to dupe my Sister Shan Yue into giving you a Reverse Soul Fruit?"

Wei Huan's lips twitched, "Miss, playing the fool doesn't work quite like that…"

Just as Yang Ling was about to deliver a retort, a profoundly ominous aura surged forth, accompanied by an overpowering stench of blood. Almost simultaneously, all three of them sensed this presence and turned their heads in unison. In the distance, at a street corner, a burly demon emerged, swaying a long, brown, spotted tail in the air. His muscular face bore a murderous expression, and he was advancing in their direction. The regular demons in the vicinity promptly scattered and sought refuge, fearing entanglement.

Wasn't this the same tiger demon they had encountered at Shanhai's gates the other day?

Wei Huan was taken aback. His words and actions had been alarmingly accurate, with the negative aspects always coming true, while the positive ones remained elusive. Suppressing the urge to give himself a resounding head slap, he instinctively extended his arm to shield the two girls.

Yan Shan Yue cast a fleeting glance at the tiger demon and surmised that it was connected to Wei Huan. "Were you serious earlier?"

"I genuinely desire a Reverse Soul Fruit, but the playing-the-fool part was just a jest." Wei Huan replied rapidly. He retrieved the submachine gun slung behind him and promptly shouldered it. However, within seconds, a dozen or so imposing figures materialized behind the tiger demon. They weren't all of the same kind, but each exuded a malevolent aura. Their eyes held a fierce glint, and they were charging towards the trio. The tiger demon at the forefront bellowed, 

"You again! Ruining my fun!"

Could it be that this snake demon had aligned with this tiger demon? With little time to contemplate, Wei Huan immediately opened fire on these menacing beings. Several wolf-like demons at the front had already fallen, their blood staining the ground. This gun was a special weapon Xing Yan had procured for him from the Mountain and Sea Research Group. The bullets were coated with a substance that inflicted significant damage and bleeding in most demons, rendering it a highly effective self-defense and offensive weapon, particularly for someone like him lacking demon power.

"Yang Ling, set up a fire formation!"

Yang Ling soared into the air, positioning her hands in front of her chest, conjuring a crimson lotus at her fingertips. With both hands, she crafted a formation in the air. Just as the horde of demons charged towards them, they found themselves ensnared within the Fire Lotus Formation. Yang Ling declared, 

"These assorted demons, I will exterminate every one of you."

Such a fiery temper. While Wei Huan reloaded his weapon, Yan Shan Yue moved to stand in front of him. "We can't kill them; that would be a violation of the rules."

Nine-Tails, positioned behind her, had grown significantly, shielding Wei Huan completely. She raised her hand, and icy-blue foxfires burst forth, transforming into chains upon contact with the malevolent creatures, immobilizing their limbs. These demons struggled vigorously, yet they couldn't escape the grasp of Yan Shan Yue's foxfires. Wei Huan noticed the iris of her hand, adorned with the Nine-Tails family crest—a nine-petaled purple-blue iris—radiating potent demon energy.

"Yang Ling, assist me in removing the Yasakani-no-Magatama from my waist." 

Yan Shan Yue extended her open palms, firmly restraining over a dozen malevolent demons with her foxfires. Wei Huan was presently teeming with frustration; in the past, he would have eliminated these hooligans outright. He aimed his weapon at them, keeping a vigilant eye on the demons in front, who might break free at any moment.

When it came to field missions, Wei Huan possessed considerably more experience than Yang Ling and Yan Shan Yue. Mountain and Sea's mission assignments generally weren't far apart, and at least one member in a group boasted the ability to fly or an equivalent skill, ensuring a swift response during emergencies. In the past, Wei Huan had often served as the primary savior. He went wherever he was needed.

Wei Huan touched the small magnetic chip behind his ear. They had all installed it earlier, as per the Mountain and Sea Research Group's instructions. It served as a communication trigger for the battle suits, facilitating the direct transmission of signals with a single touch.

He attempted to press it but received no response. He glanced at his teammates. "Is your communicator functioning?"

Yan Shan Yue replied, 

"Xing Lao Shi mentioned that the communicators hadn't been fully integrated during the distribution of the battle suits. They aren't required for the first mission."

All right. Wei Huan pondered, but you never knew what could happen, so it was better to be safe.

"Do any of you know signaling techniques?" This was a contingency plan.

Both Yang Ling and Yan Shan Yue remained silent, and Wei Huan immediately understood. They hadn't reached that part of their practical lessons yet. 

"First, confine these demons within the Yasakani-no-Magatama."

Just then, Wei Huan caught a whiff of a foul odor and peered downward. A black lizard was rapidly making its way toward Nine-Tails' feet.

Another one!

Why were there so many of these troublesome spirits?

"Shan Yue! Be cautious!" Wei Huan unsheathed the dagger at his waist and hurled it towards the lizard's neck, where scales were fewer. The wound emitted black smoke as the lizard writhed on the ground. Wei Huan was about to determine how to subdue it when Yang Ling launched a burst of Fire Lotus.

Not good.

"This creature isn't vulnerable to fire!"

Indeed, the lizard demon opened its maw and swallowed the Fire Lotus whole. Instantly, its body enlarged, reaching three meters in height, with scales shooting out like projectiles. While their battle suits had remained undamaged, their exposed skin suffered cuts from the sharp scales.

The tiger demon, who had been ensnared by the foxfire, now sneered, 

"I see even students from Mountain and Sea University aren't anything special! Today, I'm going to consume every last one of you alive!"

Yang Ling was about to retort when a gunshot resounded. A bullet pierced the tiger demon's forehead, causing it to crumple into a pool of blood. She turned in astonishment, only to find Wei Huan holding the firing CQB submachine gun, his expression grim, the gun smoke yet to disperse.

Yan Shan Yue's wrists brimmed with blue demon energy as she struggled to control the other demons. She unleashed an extended chain of blue foxfire to ensnare the colossal lizard. 

"How could you…kill…"

"It was too noisy," Wei Huan raised his head. "He's not dead, just severely injured. Be cautious." Then he aimed at the lizard, focusing on its lower jaw, where scales were sparser. The lizard let out a cry of pain, with more scales shattering. The other wolf demon trapped in the foxfire was writhing violently, its crimson eyes ablaze with fury. 

"You wretched human, why did you shoot our leader? You ignorant human! I'll d— you…"

Before it could complete its profanity, another gunshot rang out. Wei Huan directed the gun straight at the wolf demon, his hand exceptionally steady, and one shot was all it took.

"Anyone else have an issue?"

Yan Shan Yue and Yang Ling were both taken aback, never anticipating that a mere human could act so decisively. Witnessing this spectacle, the remaining demons grew still and dared not provoke further conflict.

Amidst the dispersing gun smoke, Wei Huan curved a faint smile, and the corners of his eyes lifted slightly.

"Obedient children don't get their heads blown off."