My strength depends on your imagination

The blue and white patrol car howled past on the wide street, its siren blaring.

Other vehicles quickly made way, pulling over to the roadside as the patrol car approached.

Drivers craned their necks to look in the direction of the departing vehicle. Some took photos of its rear to share on social media, others anxiously called their friends and family, while some began scrolling through local news.

Meanwhile, life continued peacefully near the patrol car's destination, with people completely unaware.

"Viewers in the live stream, it seems there are police sirens ahead. Let's go check it out," said Zhou Hai, a burly man with a thunderous voice.

He held up his phone, sweeping the camera around to capture the surroundings before focusing on himself.

The area was a residential complex, with people coming and going, and cars parked in the narrow passageways, making the already cramped space even more congested.

Zhou Hai interacted with his live stream audience while privately hoping it wasn't too powerful a monster. As a low-tier ability user, even observing from nearby could pose a life-threatening risk.

The live stream viewers, in contrast, hoped for an exciting monster encounter. For them, the more chaotic, the better.

Comments began flooding the screen:

[Wow, since it's not a fusion domain, and patrol cars are dispatched, it's probably at least a C-tier]

[Not necessarily, patrol cars respond to any incident in the city]

[The chances of a low-tier monster infiltrating the city undetected are slim. It's at least C-tier]

[Haven't you heard about the monster-keeping scandal in the neighboring city?]

[Just checked the news... how could people do such a thing?]

[Let's bet. I'm putting money on C-tier]

Zhou Hai carefully navigated through crowds of elderly shoppers, then quickened his pace.

"Guess the monster's tier, everyone. If many guess correctly, I'll hold a 188 yuan lottery!" he announced.

His ability was speed - not particularly powerful for combat, but perfect for a live streamer. He could rush in to film the battle and quickly escape if needed.

The comments became even more animated:

[I bet E-tier. If I win, I'll do my homework]

[You just don't want to do homework]

[Betting S-tier. If I win, I'll meet the King of Hell (jk)]

Zhou Hai chuckled at the S-tier comment, knowing that an S-tier monster would wipe out everyone in the city.

As the stream's popularity peaked, he activated his ability and raced toward the patrol car's location.

He soon arrived at his destination, routinely using his phone to film the surrounding environment.

Similar to where he started, it was just after work hours. Residents of the neighborhood were walking back, looking dispirited and exhausted. They rubbed their shoulders wearily, walking like wandering ghosts.

Some workers carried meat and vegetables, apparently returning from the noisy market nearby.

A day's work had numbed their nerves; they saw the patrol vehicles parked in the community and momentarily couldn't react.

Only after instinctively stopping did they realize something was wrong, quickly calling home.

Zhou Hai recorded everything with his phone, then handed his ability certificate to the security personnel blocking the entrance, successfully entering the community.

The live stream comments became even more active, with viewers flooding the screen during the host's journey.

[Residential area, don't tell me we've got monster breeders in our city?]

[Mouth of sin? Isn't monsters eating humans common sense? The residential area is basically a monster's rice bowl.]

[Why are you comparing yourself to food?!]

[I'm seriously gonna laugh my head off]

Entering the community, Zhou Hai raised his alertness. Although he was just one level away from C-rank, the difference between low and mid-tier was significant.

Ability users and monsters were ranked SABCDE, with every two levels forming a tier. DE was low-tier, with subsequent tiers increasing. Mid-tier and high-tier followed.

Untrained E-tier ability users were no different from ordinary people. Even at the same E-tier, monsters could easily defeat ability users through physical strength.

Moreover, the C-tier was just a guess - it could potentially be an even higher-level monster.

"For the sake of me, the host, risking my life to broadcast for you brothers, let's get some free gifts. Let's see what tier this monster really is," he announced.

It was "Hai" not "Lang", his online username. But the netizens were rebellious, insisting on calling him "Lang Ge" despite his protests. Eventually, Zhou Hai surrendered.

Well, money talks...

Zhou Hai slowly advanced deeper into the residential area, his camera moving forward, momentarily ending the viewers' playful comments.

The narrow, dark residential building created an oppressive atmosphere. His footsteps on the cement ground made crisp clicking sounds.

[Oh no, I'm getting a bit nervous]

[You're already nervous? I'm not scared. I've seen A-tier monsters before.]

[Have you really seen A-tier monsters, or just through the screen?]

[Haha, seen through but not called out]

In an area not yet captured by his camera, Zhou Hai's attention focused on the gathered crowd wearing uniform outfits.

These were the city's protective umbrella - the patrol squad.

Zhou Hai quickened his pace towards the patrol squad, still cracking jokes.

"Hey, there's the patrol squad ahead. The monster must be nearby. Um... this... the host is mainly satisfying everyone's curiosity, definitely not for the safety of the patrol officer uncle."

[Understood]

[Getting scared]

[What do you mean scared? He's just being cautious]

[Who's watching the big guy? Give me cute girls]

Zhou Hai noticed the comments and searched the crowd, pointing his camera at a patrol squad member.

Among the squad, a young female officer with a ponytail, clear and resolute eyes, and impressive stature was commanding the scene. She was speaking into a walkie-talkie, though the distance made her words indiscernible.

Her exquisite, beautiful face didn't diminish her 1.8-meter presence. No one at the scene would dare question her capabilities.

Noticing someone approaching to film, she swept a sharp glance, confirming no threat before continuing to direct the scene.

[Wow... sister, I'm interested]

[Sister is great, younger sister... no, younger brother is also fine]

[Damn, I just entered the live stream and was tripped by my own pants]

[Stop looking at the beauty, host look up!]

Seeing this comment, he hurriedly looked up, his hand automatically adjusting the camera.

A giant spider crouched in the shadows, six single eyes quietly observing the people below. Its two largest eyes were different from ordinary spiders - closed and eerily similar to human eyes.

Its eight legs were vastly different from a normal spider's, with each leg's shape almost identical to a human hand.