Chapter Fifty-Three: Fleeing the Scene-Monster Gourmet(Coo1 appears to be a typographical error or not standard text. Please provide the correct text you would like translated.)

The transformation of the white flames made Li Can’s eyes shine with excitement.

Beyond the increase in the area covered by the flames and the continued improvement of his physical abilities, the most remarkable change was the sudden appearance of a tiny flame. This little flame, scarcely the size of a finger joint, would vanish if it moved more than five meters from his body, unable to be controlled at such a distance.

But that was of little consequence.

What mattered was that the tiny flame offered Li Can a new means of attack. He no longer needed to be close to his opponent to pose a threat, as he had before.

“It’s a pity. Had this little flame appeared earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to blast the monster’s head apart, wasting both the dark core of my evolving blade and some excellent ingredients for soup.”

A distant commotion drew his attention. Li Can dared not linger. He dragged the tentacled creature to the van, and, before the terrified faces of Zhou Chang and Li Hua, shoved the monster unceremoniously into the vehicle.

He then closed the door, walked around to the passenger side, and calmly looked at Li Hua, his meaning clear without words.

Li Hua was so frightened he barely managed to clench his seat, quickly vacating the passenger spot and obediently squeezing in alongside the tentacled monster, lips pale, not daring to move lest the creature suddenly spring to life.

Bang—

“Drive,” Li Can ordered.

“Oh—okay,” Zhou Chang muttered, shifting gears and speeding the van toward the main gate.

Thud—

Along the way, monsters leapt out to block them, but without exception, Li Can dispatched them from afar with his tiny flame—quick, precise, and utterly decisive.

He exuded an aura of invincibility, as if no god or Buddha could stand in his way.

Yet Li Can felt no pride.

He sensed that these monsters emerging along the roadside were weak, likely no stronger than the small creature he’d fought earlier.

He regretted the van couldn’t carry more monsters. Otherwise, he would have gladly risked collecting more as he fought his way through.

But the number of monsters was indeed increasing, nearly overturning the van with their attacks.

Fortunately, Zhou Chang’s driving skills were impressive. Even single-handed, he kept the vehicle steady after each impact.

Roar—

Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the side.

Li Can looked closely and, in the distant gloom, glimpsed a creature even larger and taller than the octopus monster, charging furiously toward them.

Each step it took made the ground tremble slightly—a testament to its terrifying strength.

The next moment, as if realizing it couldn’t catch up to the van, the monster in the darkness raised a massive object and hurled it forcefully.

“Watch out!” Li Can cried, preparing for collision.

Zhou Chang had already noticed the looming shadow overhead, even without Li Can’s warning.

But the van was already at maximum speed, unable to accelerate further.

Seeing there was no way to evade, Zhou Chang stomped on the brakes, the van’s front dipping as the tires smoked against the pavement.

At the same time, the flying object narrowly missed the van’s hood and smashed into a roadside tree with a resounding thud, snapping the trunk clean in half.

It was a stone bench, two meters long and weighing at least a hundred pounds!

This monster was ruthless!

Li Can was glad he hadn’t stopped to collect the other monster corpses; otherwise, he would have faced this terrifying creature, with no certainty of victory.

After escaping disaster, Zhou Chang shifted gears and accelerated, aiming the van at the gap in the iron gate, crashing straight through.

Luckily, the security guards had never expected such chaos tonight, and had not locked the gate—one collision opened it.

The van sped down the mountain road, disappearing behind the castle’s rear gate, leaving nothing but a series of furious roars echoing through the night.

Half an hour later, the van stopped near an unfinished building in the remote flower district.

Li Can got out, dragged the tentacled monster from the back, and, after ruthlessly removing the dashcam, waved Zhou Chang and Li Hua off.

Throughout, he exchanged few words with them, and Zhou Chang, understanding the situation, asked only where to go and nothing more.

Watching the van recede into the distance, Li Can sighed. For these two ordinary people, tonight would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Whatever choices they made after tonight—whether to call the police or leave Canglan City—would have nothing to do with him.

He rested briefly, then ran to a nearby general store and bought a roll of colored tarp. Once he’d wrapped the tentacled monster securely, he contacted a small truck and headed for Cherry Blossom District.

The truck driver initially wanted to ask about the contents wrapped in the tarp, but after receiving a payment triple the normal fare, wisely held his tongue.

...

At one o’clock in the morning, at the castle’s rear gate.

There stood dozens of figures clad in black robes, their faces obscured, with a figure in golden robes at the forefront, particularly conspicuous.

“The count is finished,” said one of the black-robed figures.

“Report,” replied the golden-robed figure calmly, inspecting traces of paint left on the iron gate.

“Seventeen juveniles and one mature specimen at the early transformation stage are dead,” came the low reply.

“How many people were in the van?” The golden-robed figure opened his palm, which split to reveal a long tongue.

The tongue’s surface was dotted with tiny pores, opening and closing as if tasting the lingering scents in the air.

“Three people—two in the front, one crouched in the back,” the black-robed figure shifted slightly. “If only I’d been a bit closer, I could have crushed them all.”

“It’s not your fault. No one expected a divine agent to be among the delivery crew,” the golden-robed figure shook his head. “Mobilize all our connections in society. We must find these three.”

“Yes,” the black-robed figure paused, “Should we notify the elders?”

“No need,” the golden-robed figure shook his head. “It’s only some dead juveniles—no reason to disturb those masters. They have more important matters to attend to.”

“Understood.” With a wave, the black-robed figure signaled the others, who quietly withdrew from the area as if they had never been there.

After a long while, the golden-robed figure closed his palm and murmured, “After finally killing a divine right hand, another divine agent appears. Who knows how much longer the secret of this place can remain hidden…”

At his words, his body twisted, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a blood-red creature with bone wings, flapping away into the depths of Luo Qi Mountain.

...

When Li Can returned to the old street, it was nearly three in the morning. The restaurant had been thoroughly cleaned by Su Rui.

On the counter lay two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of white liquor, along with a note.

Li Can picked it up and saw it was from Boss Ma and his companions.

“A shame—I neither smoke nor drink. I’ll have to ask Su Rui to deal with them. She’ll probably be delighted.”

He had no time to imagine Su Rui’s greedy expression before a dull thud and the roar of an engine sounded outside the restaurant.

He quickly pulled up the rolling door and saw a small car speeding away from the street entrance.

“Could it have hit someone?”

Li Can hurried outside.

(To be continued...)