The Arrest

Zhang Yuanqing casually asked, "Bro, is your operation tonight?" Chen Yuanjun gave an "Mm." Since it involved confidential matters, he didn't share much with his cousin. After finishing breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing instructed the Ghost Bride to stay close and protect his cousin, while he headed into the bathroom to wash up. Once Chen Yuanjun left, he walked out of the bathroom and called out, "Grandma, I'm going on a date with Guan Ya tonight, so I probably won't be back for dinner." From the kitchen, his grandmother shouted back, "Are you coming back to sleep, then?" "Of course I'm coming back to sleep. Where else would I sleep?" "Useless!" Grandma snapped. "..." Zhang Yuanqing returned to his bedroom and leaned back in his ergonomic chair. He pulled out his phone and opened the official forum. Right beneath the red, pinned announcements for the Extraordinaire and Saint killing trials, he spotted a post with a clickbait title: *#SHOCKING: Money Prince, Whose Technique Borders on the Dao, Had His Signature Skill Cracked by Yuanshi Tianzun!#* It had been posted an hour ago. Because it involved both Fu Qingyang and Yuanshi Tianzun, coupled with such an eye-catching headline, its popularity had exploded. It already boasted over two thousand views and nine hundred and ninety-nine plus comments. *Those bastards really let my words go in one ear and out the other.* Zhang Yuanqing clicked on the post, which contained a video. When he tapped the video, a payment prompt popped up: *#Pay 100 yuan to watch this video#* *A hundred bucks? Why don't you just rob people? What a rip-off! Over two thousand views—that's two hundred thousand yuan, and that's just an hour's earnings. I want a cut of that too...* Zhang Yuanqing silently paid the hundred yuan. Once the page refreshed, the video content and the comments underneath appeared. He quickly watched through the video, grinding his teeth in frustration. White Dragon, Qingteng, and the rest were absolute scoundrels. They had only edited out the useless banter, completely preserving the sparring match and the entire beating he had taken. At the very end of the video was an extra bonus: a photo of Yuanshi Tianzun being carried away black and blue, his face swollen like a pig. "I don't understand it, but I'm utterly shaken. Yuanshi Tianzun was clearly being beaten without any ability to fight back. Why was he suddenly able to parry Fu Qingyang's sword moves after closing his eyes and bursting his own eardrums?" "Holy crap! I thought it was clickbait, but it's actually real! That hundred bucks wasn't wasted at all. Can someone tell me how Yuanshi Tianzun did it?" "I remember Fire Prince couldn't break Money Prince's sword techniques back then, and evil classes at the same realm are terrified of Money Prince's blade too. Yet Yuanshi Tianzun blocked it! This proves that Yuanshi Tianzun is a peerless genius on the exact same tier as Money Prince." "I bet the video was edited. Can someone explain how Yuanshi Tianzun did that? I'm dying to know, absolutely dying to know..." Zhang Yuanqing scrolled through the comments below, spotting many familiar Spirit Realm IDs, among which were plenty of Saints. He even saw comments from Taiyi Sect's Yin Ji and Jiang Jingwei's older brother, Jiang Ju. Yin Ji: *"Yuanshi Tianzun likely blocked his main body's senses, turned his physical body into a puppet, and observed Fu Qingyang's attack trajectory from the perspective of a spirit servant. It's a very clever trick, but it is limited to sparring contexts and of little practical help in actual combat. Even so, Yuanshi Tianzun is truly a rare genius. He has only been a Night Wanderer for a mere two or three months, yet his understanding of his profession surpasses that of most veteran Night Wanderers. Elder Sun was genuinely muddleheaded for failing to recruit him into Taiyi Sect.* *"Furthermore, do not circulate this video outside. If evil organizations see it, it might give them inspiration on how to counter Fu Qingyang's slashes."* Jiang Ju: *"Hmph, petty tricks. I knew long ago that Fu Qingyang's slashes can only target a single entity. Turning one's physical body into a puppet, however, does show some ingenuity and provides decent inspiration. On another note, that guy surnamed Fu really has no class. Unable to beat a subordinate at the same realm, he actually had the nerve to deploy Dominator-tier power. Yuanshi Tianzun, dump that classless superior of yours as soon as possible and come roll with me instead."* Even the Night Wanderers of Taiyi Sect had been drawn in; that alone showed how viral the video had gone. Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly tapped on Yin Ji's profile picture to inspect her personal information, only to find she had left nothing behind. He was intensely curious about the Demon Lord's beloved. He wanted to know what kind of woman could make the wild, unrestrained Demon Lord willingly give up an entire forest. Zhang Yuanqing scrolled further down, only to see the discussion shift from analyzing the fight to mocking him. They laughed at how brutally Yuanshi Tianzun had been thrashed, chiming in with remarks like "Lord Tianzun is so pitiful" and "My heart aches for Lord Tianzun." Most were revelling in his misfortune. To the vast majority, the second half of the video was vastly more entertaining than the first. Especially for a top-tier genius like Yuanshi Tianzun—once he grew stronger in the future, these photos would be an indelible dark history. "My image is ruined..." Zhang Yuanqing ruffled his hair with a long sigh. *** Kangyang District Security Bureau, two-story glass building. At ten in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing stepped into the Team Two office area. He saw Guan Ya busy at the printer, which was steadily spitting out neat stacks of forms. She was back in her combination of a skirt suit and a white blouse. Viewed from behind, the pencil skirt snugly hugged her plump peach, rising to an abruptly tapered waist. The hem of the blouse was tucked neatly into the skirt, her full hip line and slender waist outlining an exquisite figure that would leave any man parched. "What are you busy with?" Zhang Yuanqing leaned over to take a look. "Aren't we about to transfer to the patrol team? That leaves Team Two with only Wang Tai and the Decurion. Since I have some free time this morning, I'm helping the Decurion organize the candidate list for new team member interviews." Although Guan Ya was already a Saint, she retained her old habits and acted as Li Dongze's assistant. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "This time, make sure to pick a few reliable teammates for the Decurion." Guan Ya opened her mouth to argue, but after recalling the personal quirks of Team Two's members, she found herself utterly speechless. "Guan Ya, do you know anything about the missing persons cases the bureau has been investigating lately?" "Missing persons cases?" Guan Ya pondered for a few seconds. Unable to recall anything relevant, she replied helplessly, "I haven't paid attention to active cases for a week. I have to head to Fujia Bay in a bit to process our transfer paperwork anyway, so Team Two's affairs aren't our concern anymore. Why do you ask?" From preparing for the killing trial until now, they hadn't handled bureau duties for roughly a week. "My cousin has been busy with a missing persons case recently, and it's very likely tied to spirit realm walkers. I checked his physiognomy, and he's going to suffer a bloody calamity soon," Zhang Yuanqing explained. "Do you need my help?" Guan Ya's expression turned grave. "It's a minor matter; I can handle it myself." Zhang Yuanqing was just about to go see Li Dongze when Guan Ya spoke up again: "Right, you haven't gone to Fu Qingyang to claim your rewards for clearing the killing trial yet. Also, do you have any thoughts regarding team recruitment?" Zhang Yuanqing had already given the matter plenty of thought, so he answered without hesitation: "There's no rush on the rewards. As for recruiting, first of all, we need a complete variety of classes; the team can't have any obvious weaknesses. Second, the members shouldn't all hail from the same faction. I don't want to recruit exclusively from the Five Elements Alliance; I'd like to pull in some rogue cultivators or members of spirit realm clans, but I don't have any good candidates at the moment." Guan Ya considered this. "You don't know many rogue cultivators, having only entered multiplayer spirit realms twice. Hmm, Li Chunfeng from Yin-Yang Town is pretty good; you could try inviting him to join the Five Elements Alliance. Oh, and aren't you quite close with Halting Slaughter Palace? You could give them a slot. Though members with a civilian organization background can't officially join the Five Elements Alliance, they can serve as off-the-books affiliates. "As for the spirit realm clans, don't you know that green tea eldest young miss of the Xie family? You could give her a shot. As for within the Five Elements Alliance, do as you see fit." *Li Chunfeng is a grown man. Wouldn't giving him a slot be a bit of a waste?* As a subordinate personally groomed by the Money Prince, Zhang Yuanqing deeply envied how his superior kept so many long-legged bunny girls around his estate. He, too, envisioned traveling with ten stunning female teammates of diverse charm flanking him. He didn't necessarily want anything inappropriate to happen with them; he just thought it would look incredibly cool. Still, Li Chunfeng had Lian Sanyue backing him, so he was worth considering. Unfortunately, Order and Evil were like fire and water. Xiao Yuan and Kou Beiyue could never be brought onto the team; that was a matter of principle. If he pulled an evil-class walker into his squad, not even Elder Dog could shield him. Sorting through the interview forms, Guan Ya said casually, "I asked Fu Qingyang. If we can't recruit more than five members for the time being, our two squads can temporarily merge." Zhang Yuanqing froze, followed by a surge of pure delight. Guan Ya meant that, as team captains, they could temporarily lead a single combined squad. Guan Ya kept her head down, leafing through the sheets with an air of complete composure, as if she hadn't dropped a subtle hint at all. Zhang Yuanqing reached around from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his abdomen flush against her round hips. He chuckled, "That works great. That works wonderfully!" Guan Ya sneered playfully, "You little boy who hasn't even been weaned!" *Which is why I need to find a girlfriend with big baby bottles...* Zhang Yuanqing held her close, enjoying the affectionate embrace for a brief moment before turning toward Li Dongze's office to inquire about the missing persons case. Ordinary investigators couldn't possibly pin down a spirit realm walker, which meant the Decurion was definitely involved in the investigation. Only a Scout skilled in tracking could lock onto a suspect's location using surveillance feeds and high-tech equipment. "I'm the one following up on this case. At present, we've confirmed the perpetrator is a Bewitching Demon, though his level remains unknown. Since you and Guan Ya were preparing for the killing trial and needed rest after clearing it, I was just fretting over being short-handed," Li Dongze said with relief. "With you helping, success is guaranteed." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned slightly odd. *Looked at this way, under the normal course of events, because Guan Ya and I left the team, Team Two lacked sufficient personnel. Thus, during this arrest, investigators would have died—including my cousin...* *And because I noticed the bloody calamity on his face and stepped in promptly, he'll be spared that fate?* *How miraculous. It's almost like altering the original timeline. No, that's not quite right either—since the future hasn't happened yet, it doesn't count as altering it...* Zhang Yuanqing faintly grasped the profound mystery of the Starlord class. It was a profession capable of selecting the most advantageous path for oneself out of countless potential future permutations. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out a chair and sat down. "Tell me about the case, Decurion. Why do you think the culprit is abducting young women? Are they making money off them like Tongque Tower did? Without the backing of influential dignitaries, that kind of business can't scale up or last, and it docks a massive amount of merit points. The risk-to-reward ratio is far too poor." Li Dongze lit a cigarette and said gravely, "Young, beautiful women are a scarce resource in this society. To certain wealthy and powerful individuals, their sole value is to serve as playthings. Over a dozen similar disappearances, and every victim is a young woman... The nature of the case is actually quite obvious. I don't want to see another Tongque Tower incident either, but facts are facts. We can only hope the victims are at least still alive." Zhang Yuanqing's expression grew solemn. Exhaling a puff of blue smoke, Li Dongze added, "Family members of the victims have been lingering around the station for days, refusing to leave. The investigators are under immense pressure." With that, he opened his laptop, pulled up a file, and turned the screen toward Zhang Yuanqing. "The list of missing persons is all here." Zhang Yuanqing gripped the mouse and scrolled through the pages, skimming the files. All of them were women under the age of thirty-five. Some were local Songhai residents, while others held non-local household registrations. Some were single, others married. They all shared a single trait: beauty. The single ones were bad enough, but the married ones had families behind them... Zhang Yuanqing could almost envision households shattered one after another by these abductions. Right then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw the caller ID: *Mad Love Great Sage*. A senior executive of Halting Slaughter Palace. *What does he want with me?* Without betraying any emotion, Zhang Yuanqing stood up, stepped out of the Decurion's office, and answered the call. "Mad Love Great Sage?" "It's me!" A middle-aged man's voice came through the speaker, weighted with gravity. "Yuanshi Tianzun, the Palace Master asked me to call you with a request." *The lunatic wants something from me?* Zhang Yuanqing was somewhat surprised. "Go ahead." Mad Love Great Sage let out a sigh. "Here's the situation: a female member of Halting Slaughter Palace has gone missing. Her Spirit Realm ID is 'Lizhi.' I heard Songhai has had over a dozen missing persons cases lately, all involving young women. "The Palace Master hopes you can help locate Lizhi. Halting Slaughter Palace will reward you handsomely." *Even a spirit realm walker went missing...* Zhang Yuanqing's first reaction was surprise. If the perpetrator was abducting women for money, targeting spirit realm walkers made no sense—the cost-benefit balance was terrible. If she escaped, without the protection of powerful elites, the operation would be exposed immediately. His second reaction was: *How did the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter know I was looking into this case?* *Or is it just a coincidence that she reached out to commission me?* "Even the Palace Master can't find this Lizhi?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "We are a civilian organization after all; we don't have that many channels. Besides, Lizhi went missing three days ago, and the Palace Master only learned of it yesterday." Mad Love Great Sage's voice carried an edge of urgency. "The Palace Master is investigating as we speak, but it's certainly not as convenient as it is for you officials. Please, we're counting on you!" "Alright. If I get any news, I'll let you know." Zhang Yuanqing hung up. He had recently obtained a substantial amount of Life Essence from that lunatic at a steep discount; he owed her this favor. *** Ten o'clock at night. Six business vans were parked along the curb outside a residential compound named Sijiaochang Community. The neighborhood sat adjacent to Songhai Normal University; it was relatively new, with elevators installed in every building. Inside a black business van, Li Dongze said, "There are plenty of young, attractive girls around Normal University. It's prime ground for scouting targets. According to my tracking, the suspect is inside Sijiaochang Community, Building Six, Room 708. He has a scar across his forehead; don't mistake him for someone else. "Also, this guy is likely just a small fry; the big fish is behind him. Once you take down the enemy, remember to conduct a spirit questioning." *Decurion, I'm already a Saint, not a rookie anymore. You don't need to spell out every little detail...* Zhang Yuanqing complained inwardly. Just then, Chen Yuanjun's voice came over the walkie-talkie: "Captain Li, I've led my team into the compound. My guys have locked down both the front and back gates. Your people can make their move. If you need backup, call it in promptly." Li Dongze grabbed the walkie-talkie and replied, "Understood!" He then set it down and cut the channel. "Yuanshi, move." To ensure a swift takedown without causing a public disturbance, he was employing an astral projection strategy. Anyone below the Saint stage was guaranteed to perish. As for Saint-stage spirit realm walkers, they were the backbone of any organization; how could they possibly stoop to scouting out female prey? It didn't fit their status. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out a compact makeup mirror and examined his face. His physiognomy was normal, indicating that nothing unexpected would occur during the operation. He stowed the mirror, leaned back against the headrest, and shut his eyes. His spiritual body departed his physical flesh, drifted out of the business van, and shot swiftly toward the target's floor.