Chapter 160: Unusual Approach

Songlu—Charles had just read about this anomaly in a book. It was a predatory creature that could freely change its form and voice, and the only anomaly that never initiated any trials or assessments.

If you encountered Songlu, the best course of action was to ignore it. If you accidentally responded, your next best move was to kill it immediately—before Songlu could strike first.

Hearing Xavier's warning, not only did Charles stay put, but even Juno, who had already reached the door, withdrew her hand from the doorknob.

"That's impossible."

Though Juno pulled her hand back, clearly choosing to trust Xavier, she still protested.

"Songlu only operates in District One. How could it possibly come to District Two?"

Actually, Juno's statement was slightly inaccurate.

It should be that no anomalies operated in District Two at all, because this area was close to the Main Temple. The divine power of Azathoth and the other deities caused anomalies to keep their distance.

Yet now, Xavier was claiming that they—situated in District Two—were about to be attacked by an anomaly?

It was as absurd as saying a Russian arms dealer had opened shop in China—ridiculous and laughable.

However, the next second, the person outside called out her name.

"Hey! Juno, open up. This wind is crazy—I'm about to get blown away."

Juno's face went pale in an instant.

Charles raised an eyebrow slightly, now certain the person outside couldn't possibly be Logan.

Charles had met Juno by chance after splitting up with Logan, so there was no way Logan could know there was someone named Juno in this house.

"See? What did I tell you?" Xavier raised his eyebrow smugly, turning the page without looking up.

Juno's voice began to tremble. "What's going on? Anomalies are coming to District Two?"

Xavier's expression remained calm, his voice steady, clearly unconcerned about this turn of events. "The anomalies in the mental world have been surging lately. Occasionally, some manage to reach District Two through unusual channels."

Though encountering an anomaly in District Two made Juno somewhat nervous, at least it was Songlu—the kind that would leave you unharmed as long as you didn't engage with it.

No one inside the house responded.

A few minutes later, the howling wind outside suddenly stopped. At the same time, both the knocking and the shouting ceased.

Charles returned his attention to the book in front of him, though his thoughts became more active.

District Two, which had never had anomalies before, suddenly had one?

In any novel, this situation would be a harbinger of an impending catastrophe.

Charles tapped his chin lightly, flipping through the book before him—a bestiary of mental world anomalies.

Following his memory, he turned to exactly page fifteen.

Songlu was first mentioned on this page, described as timid by nature and, due to its unique hunting methods, existing at the bottom of the anomaly hierarchy.

An anomaly like that would actually venture to District Two?

If any anomaly might truly come to District Two, Charles would have expected Titan Giants.

These demigod-level anomalies would be the ones capable of—or rather, qualified to—approach District Two.

Yet now, what arrived wasn't a Titan Giant but an insignificant little Songlu. Could it have been forced to come to District Two?

"Mr. Black, I think something's fishy about this." The moment doubt formed in Charles's mind, he voiced it.

However, Xavier didn't think there was anything wrong.

"Oh, Charles, when you stay in one place long enough, you start getting curious about other places. It's perfectly normal."

Compared to the anomaly outside the door, Xavier clearly preferred the book in his hands.

When he said this, he didn't even bother looking up.

Seeing such a dismissive response, Charles frowned slightly. He lowered his head, unconsciously rubbing the book in his hands, lifting and releasing the pages.

"Mr. Jones, I think you're onto something."

Just as Charles was mentally ranking various anomalies, Juno suddenly spoke up beside him.

Charles glanced over. Juno's expression was serious, her voice considerably lower. "Think about it—if Songlu was just wandering around out of boredom, why would it specifically target us for hunting?"

District Two was sparsely populated.

Due to Songlu's predatory nature, it would actively seek out people to deceive, but such behavior was rare—unless it was seriously injured and desperately needed humans for sustenance.

Songlu had such a weak presence that almost no one would think of it proactively.

Generally speaking, Songlu only appeared in shallow water areas. It was the anomaly that new trial participants would face—a low-tier hunter with predatory instincts.

"I don't think it's just wandering." Charles shook his head, but if pressed to explain how Songlu got here or what it was doing, he couldn't say at all.

The moment he finished speaking, a knock suddenly sounded at the door again.

This time, it was still Logan's voice.

"Hey! Xavier!"

The voice carried a distinctly smoky quality, remarkably similar to Logan's actual voice.

Charles pricked up his ears, listening carefully.

Though the door was thick, gaps remained, allowing plenty of sound to leak through.

The person outside was pacing back and forth. There was the sound of glass jars clinking together.

The door was knocked on once more.

Charles looked over, holding his breath as he verified the voice.

"Hey! Xavier! Open up!"

The unceremonious shout—this really did seem like Logan.

Charles set down his book and stood, his hand on the doorknob, ready to press down.

Juno watched nervously.

Another gust of wind blew outside, strong—almost exactly like before—banging against the window frame.

A gunshot rang out.

"Overestimating yourself." Then a male voice spoke.

Charles immediately confirmed the speaker's identity and yanked open the door. "Mr. Wolf!"

On the street outside the door lay a small figure, gradually dissipating.

Standing at the doorway was a one-eyed man.

Hearing the door open, he turned around and saw Charles's delighted smile. He smiled too. "Oh, Charles, you're still here."

Logan entered the house. He first examined Charles, his gaze lingering briefly on the point of light beside him, then looked at Xavier, who remained steadily seated, and made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"What? Not going to welcome an old friend?"

He removed his hat, hanging it on the iron hook behind the door, then sauntered over. He lit a cigarette, thick smoke curling upward. As ash fell, it immediately drew Xavier's cold stare.

"Smoke outside."

Hearing this, Logan didn't get angry. He simply pressed the cigarette against the doorframe and crushed it out.

He glanced at Charles again. "Whose handiwork is this spell? Doesn't seem like your style."

"The Wang family's." Xavier didn't look up.