You Xuehan, codename Dumpling, is a polymath—what they call a Literature Cultivator in Puluo State.
Normally, when dealing with these relatively primitive Strange Monsters, Dumpling wouldn’t get involved. This was because these creatures don’t understand human speech and have no recognition of human culture, so most of a polymath’s techniques are ineffective against them.
But this was an emergency. Apart from Chuuni and Light Bulb, she was the fastest to arrive.
Before this Domestic Silkworm, two techniques were most suitable.
One was the literary attack, known in Puluo State as Word Worth a Thousand Gold.
This "Domestic Silkworm" didn’t understand characters, but that didn’t affect the effectiveness of Word Worth a Thousand Gold. This technique uses the power of words and the cultivator’s strength to inflict heavy damage on the enemy.
For example, writing the character "shatter" on this Domestic Silkworm, if one’s cultivation level were high enough, could cause it to shatter on the spot.
This was the best option for Literature Cultivators to deal with primitive Strange Monsters. So why didn’t Dumpling use it?
Word Worth a Thousand Gold is a Sixth Layer Technique, and Dumpling only has Fourth Layer Cultivation.
This Fourth Layer Cultivation was acquired through the technological advancements of the Outside Provinces, using medicine and training. Dumpling had very limited actual combat experience.
The second was materialized words, or as Puluo State calls it, the Searching Ink Technique.
This was a Fourth Level Literature Cultivator Technique, and Dumpling could use it.
This technique also utilized the power of words and the cultivator’s strength, turning words into physical entities to fight enemies.
But this technique was not a good choice under the current circumstances.
The materialized words turned into hundreds of warriors, indiscriminately attacking everyone present.
The Domestic Silkworm, being tough-skinned, could withstand it. However, Light Bulb wasn’t so resilient. A materialized "knife" character turned into a Short Knife and flew towards him. Thanks to his slippery body, he managed to evade for a moment.
When a "fire" character turned into a ball of flames and flew towards him, Light Bulb panicked. He immediately abandoned his plan to rescue Qin Minghui and fled outside the Technique’s range.
He escaped, but what would happen to Qin Minghui?
Qin Minghui wasn’t the worst off; the two children were. They didn’t even know the most basic defensive maneuvers.
Dumpling found an escape route between the lines of characters and fled through the words.
She had also considered that others might be caught in the crossfire, so she hadn’t used her full strength. Now she faced a dilemma.
Should she save Qin Minghui first, or the two children?
While she hesitated, Qin Minghui seized the opportunity as the Domestic Silkworm was busy fending off the word attack. He escaped and threw himself over the children, shielding them with his body.
He still hadn’t escaped the Technique’s range of control.
Several lines of text surrounded Qin Minghui and began to attack, leaving him covered in wounds.
Seeing this, Dumpling quickly dispelled the Technique.
But she hadn’t anticipated that this, too, was a blunder.
Because she had held back earlier, the Domestic Silkworm wasn’t severely injured. Now that the Technique was dispelled, the enraged creature charged at Qin Minghui again.
At this critical moment, Dumpling couldn’t think of a countermeasure.
Just then, Big Head rushed into the factory and knocked the Domestic Silkworm over with a single punch.
As the Domestic Silkworm wriggled and struggled on the ground, trying to get up, Big Head stepped forward and kicked again, breaking its fangs.
While it was powerless to resist, Big Head took a syringe from his waist, pierced the Domestic Silkworm’s skin, and injected the drug.
After struggling for a moment, the Domestic Silkworm lay motionless on the ground.
Dumpling quickly called for an ambulance, and Qin Minghui and the two children were taken to the hospital.
Qin Minghui had suffered many injuries, but fortunately, none were life-threatening. After his wounds were treated and he was put on a pain pump, he quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Big Head and Light Bulb returned to the office to write their reports, while Dumpling stayed at the hospital to care for Qin Minghui.
Chen Changrui came to the hospital. Upon learning that Qin Minghui’s condition was stable, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
According to the benefits provided by the office, Qin Minghui was in a private room. With no one else in the room, Chen Changrui spoke a few words with Dumpling.
"Dumpling, Chuuni and Light Bulb are rookies, so I won’t comment on them. But you, how many years have you been with the office?"
Dumpling lowered her head. "Ten years."
"If I remember correctly, you became a Dark Energy User when you were eight years old."
Dumpling nodded.
"I recall your dad even found you a master in the office to teach you polymath training techniques. You have great talent, reaching the Fourth Layer at your age."
Dumpling bit her lip and remained silent.
Chen Changrui glanced at Qin Minghui. "Chuuni and Light Bulb are novices, so I won’t comment on them. But you’ve been with the office for ten years and possess Fourth Layer strength. Is this how the mission turned out?"
Dumpling’s face turned bright red.
Chen Changrui sighed. "This isn’t your fault; it’s mine. I haven’t given you all enough real experience.
"It’s not just you; others in our team are in the same situation. During the last mission, Glasses and Candy also performed terribly.
"When we face slightly more challenging missions, the only ones capable of tough combat are Big Head and a few other veterans. If one day these veterans can no longer fight, I don’t know what our Public Security Team will be able to do."
As he spoke, Qin Minghui awoke.
"I’ll go get some hot water." Overwhelmed with shame, Dumpling couldn’t bear to stay any longer and found an excuse to leave the room.
Looking at Qin Minghui, Chen Changrui said, "Xiao Qin, well done. You didn’t disappoint me. I’ll recommend you for a commendation at the office tomorrow."
Qin Minghui shook his head. "Captain, I heard what you just said. I didn’t perform well on this mission."
Chen Changrui chuckled. "You did very well."
"Poor performance is poor performance, no matter who it is. Reflecting on the entire process, we all made many mistakes."
"Don’t dwell on it. You’re a rookie. For your first time against Strange Monsters, you did quite well."
"What’s the name of that Strange Monster?"
Chen Changrui thought for a moment. "Its name... If we go by our classification system, it should be called a primitive-form Lepidoptera-type mutated creature."