Duncan sighed as he watched Shirley approach him with a fierce look. He thought to himself that this trouble was indeed going to land on his shoulders. He wasn't really nervous, even though he knew he had almost no fighting experience, and the girl in front of him looked like a warrior who could handle anything. But he didn't feel panicked at all.
First, he had a pigeon that was good at delaying attacks. Ai Yi's abilities worked instantly within a certain range, faster than a gun. If Shirley really threw her dog at him, it would probably be defeated in mid-air by the pigeon and die before it even reached him.
Second, he controlled a spirit flame that was effective against all supernatural things. This flame could even control a lost ship, so he figured the shadowy hunting dog in front of him couldn't be harder to deal with than the monsters on that ship. Worst case, he could wrap it in flames, and then he would be in his element: "Girl, I see that your dog and I have a connection..."
Lastly, and most importantly, this body wasn't his true self.
What he was using now was just an avatar. Although it seemed alive from a biological standpoint, it was essentially just a corpse powered by ghostly energy. Duncan didn't need this body to be physically intact to move it, just like the avatar he had used before in the sewer that could still move even after losing its heart. He just needed this body to "exist" to keep using it.
He even suspected that if this current avatar were to be torn apart, he could still control it in pieces to get home...
The only thing he worried about was if Shirley's meteor dog broke all his bones, how he would explain to Nina why her uncle had such a strange body...
He stood there calmly, watching the girl in the black dress come closer. He noticed the black iron chain in her hand swinging in the air, while the eerie hunting dog walked slowly beside her, moving in an unpredictable manner.
Because of a previous battle, there was a lot of blood on the girl's arms and cheeks, which completely ruined her initially gentle and quiet appearance, making her look rather dangerous.
"You’re not afraid, which is strange," Shirley stopped a few meters in front of Duncan, frowning as she looked at the "Sun Cultist" before her. At the same time, her right hand slowly began to rise without a sound. "Are you giving up resistance?"
Duncan thought for a moment. "If I say I'm not with them, would you believe me?"
As he spoke, he subtly rubbed his fingers in his pocket, letting the ghostly spirit flame flow slowly between his clothes and skin, just in case the girl decided to use her dog to attack.
Shirley paused for a moment, and a look of disbelief slowly appeared on her blood-stained face. "You think I..."
Before she could finish, the shadowy hunting dog beside her suddenly spoke in a hoarse, deep voice, "I believe him."
"Ah... huh?" Shirley looked at her summoned creature in shock. "Did you just hit your head? This..."
"Wait a moment," the hunting dog shook its head, then walked over to the side under Duncan's blank stare, stretched its neck, and suddenly vomited.
A loud vomiting sound echoed in the blood-stained basement as the terrifying demon from the deep sea unleashed a torrent of black flames, ashes, and foul, acidic liquid. The concrete floor hissed as it corroded, quickly sinking in a spot.
Duncan watched this scene with a blank expression, thinking he might have found a weakness in Shirley's combat skills. Although she was strong and brutal, her fighting style was strange and hard to defend against, she clearly wasn't good at long battles.
The key was her method of fighting; humans could handle it, but dogs couldn't.
So the atmosphere became awkward for a couple of minutes. Once the hunting dog's vomiting finally calmed down, Duncan couldn't help but lean forward and ask, "Are you okay?"
The dog immediately lowered its head, its bony tail tucked tightly between its legs. "Thank you for your concern. I hope my rudeness hasn't offended your eyes. Do you have any commands? If not, we can leave..."
Duncan was still trying to figure out what was going on with the dog when Shirley exclaimed, "Are you really okay? Did I really hurt your head?! You usually don't talk so politely to humans; nobody stands in front of you for more than ten seconds without getting hurt..."
At this moment, Duncan began to realize something. He looked at the fearsome hunting dog and his expression grew serious.
From the snippets he had heard from the Sun Priest earlier, this "giant dog" was some kind of demon summoned from the deep sea. Regardless of what the so-called Annihilation Cult was about or what strange things existed in the deep sea, one thing was clear:
This "dog" was afraid of him. This demon from the deep sea... likely had a different "perspective" than ordinary humans.
"Do you know who I am?" Duncan asked calmly. "Do you recognize me?"
"I don't know, I don't know," the hunting dog didn't even lift its head. "I really don't know... but you must be an important person, there's no doubt about that..."
Duncan frowned and asked, "In your eyes, I don't look like a human, do I?"
The hunting dog hesitated, cautiously looking up at Duncan. It then hesitantly replied, "You... look like... or don't look like...?"
Duncan turned his gaze away and looked at Shirley.
The girl in the black dress was watching them with a puzzled expression. She had finally put away her initial hostility, replaced by shock and wariness.
She seemed a bit reckless, but clearly wasn't stupid. After her "pet dog" had shown such unusual reactions, even her reckless nature would calm down and start to sense something was off.
She quietly tightened the chain between herself and the hunting dog while subtly stepping back, carefully observing Duncan. "You said you aren't with them..."
"That's right," Duncan spread his hands. "You probably won't believe this, but I'm here to gather information too..."
"I believe you," Shirley replied decisively.
Now it was Duncan's turn to be surprised. He suddenly realized that his impression of this girl had been changing. At first, he thought she was a quiet and gentle child, but then she showed a violent side. Just when he thought she was reckless, she was now adapting to the situation faster than he expected...
What kind of family raised a child like this?
With these strange thoughts in mind, Duncan was also a bit taken aback by her straightforward attitude. He steadied himself and asked, "Why did you look at me twice during the gathering?"
"It was because the dog was paying attention to you," Shirley answered somewhat reluctantly but still cooperatively. "I just took a curious glance..."
"The dog? Is that what you call it?" Duncan frowned, glancing at the dark skeletal hunting dog. "I heard that priest mention the Annihilation Cult—it's a church that worships the deep sea? What do you have to do with this Annihilation Cult?"
"I have nothing to do with them!" Shirley immediately replied, emphasizing her words. "Their worship of the deep sea is their business. I know the dog for other reasons!"
Duncan's gaze fell on the chain between the girl and the hunting dog.
From the information he just received, the Annihilation Cult worshipped the deep sea, summoned demons from the deep sea, and normally used the demons' powers to cast spells in battle. This seemed to be the characteristics of the Annihilation Cult. The Sun Priest had made this judgment because of the hunting dog summoned by Shirley. Although he had misjudged and suffered a blow from the flying dog, Duncan believed that at least under "normal circumstances," this information should be reliable.
The only problem was this strange girl in front of him.
She seemed very resistant to being associated with cultists—even though she had a hunting dog from the deep sea.
"If you say it’s not a problem, then it’s not," Duncan shook his head and asked, "Why are you here? What are you investigating?"
Shirley pressed her lips together, seeming reluctant to answer. However, the tense signals coming from the hunting dog made her realize that this seemingly ordinary middle-aged man was probably extremely dangerous, and she should cooperate with him.
"I..."
Shirley opened her mouth, but just as she was about to speak, a loud explosion suddenly erupted in the basement, and a blazing fireball flew in from the side!
(End of Chapter)