At the entrance to the underground parking garage, figures stirred with movement. Leaning on his cane with one hand and gripping a handgun with the other, Li Dongze dashed inside, his sharp gaze swiftly scanning the scene.
He first caught sight of the unconscious Xu Yingying, followed by faint bloodstains on the ground and several damaged private cars. As a Scout, it was not difficult for Li Dongze to deduce that a brief yet perilous clash had taken place here.
The fact that Xu Yingying was still alive indicated that things had not reached the worst possible outcome.
The other Spirit Realm walkers swept their eyes over the area with equal vigilance and speed. Soon, they spotted a figure stepping out from the shadows near the rear of a vehicle not far away.
Instantly, everyone instinctively shifted their gun barrels to aim straight at him.
"Don't shoot, it's me!"
Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly raised both hands high while sizing up the Spirit Realm walkers who had accompanied Guan Ya and Li Dongze.
A burly man clad in an athletic set looked like a gym trainer, standing at least one meter ninety tall with bulging muscles packed with power, wearing red fingerless gloves on his hands.
A beautiful, mature woman in an ink-wash qipao wore her hair in a classical bun, boasting a graceful, shapely figure. Though clearly no longer young, her face was maintained impeccably fair and delicate, without a single visible wrinkle.
A middle-aged man wearing a miner's hardhat and a dark brown construction jumpsuit had dark skin and a face weathered by the elements.
A young woman in a white racing suit had an oval face, fair skin, and stunning features. Her bold, sweeping brows gave her a spirited, heroic aura, and she carried a long black blade in her hand.
The remaining two armed personnel were unremarkable in appearance and bearing.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing emerge from the shadows, the tense expressions on Li Dongze and Guan Ya visibly loosened, as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
After their meeting concluded, they had received a phone call from Wang Tai informing them that Yuanshi had spotted Ou Xiangrong at Songhai University, and that the fugitive had abducted Xu Yingying with foul intentions.
Li Dongze and Guan Ya had been alarmed, immediately rounding up the captains who had not yet dispersed and rushing over to Songhai University in haste.
All the way here, Li Dongze had kept a grim expression, his heart heavy with worry that Yuanshi might act rashly on an impulse without thinking of the consequences.
When rookies first became Spirit Realm walkers and tasted transcendent power, they often let it get to their heads. Coupled with their shallow experience and ignorance of true danger, it was all too easy for them to act reckless.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing safe and sound now, both breathed a sigh of relief.
"He's that Night Wanderer?"
The impatient Da Jiba first asked Li Dongze. Upon receiving confirmation, he surveyed the underground parking garage and barked in a gruff voice, "Kid, where's Ou Xiangrong? Which way did he run?"
In his view, a Level 3 Bewitching Demon was not something a Level 1 Night Wanderer could handle. After a brief skirmish, Ou Xiangrong must have panicked about official Spirit Realm walkers arriving and fled in a rush.
If Ou Xiangrong hadn't escaped too long ago, pursuing him right now with a Scout's tracking abilities might just allow them to catch up.
Li Dongze, Guan Ya, and the captain-level figures all fixed their eyes on Zhang Yuanqing, waiting for his response.
"He didn't run," Zhang Yuanqing said.
Didn't run? Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, raising their gun barrels and looking around in bewilderment and alarm.
Then they heard this freshly recruited rookie point toward the shadows behind him. "I took him out."
What did he just say? The Fire Master, Da Jiba, nearly dug at his ear, wondering if his hearing had failed him. Then his fiery temper flared, and he roared in a muffled, irritated growl, "Don't kid with me! This isn't the time or place for you to show off your humor!"
Li Dongze and the others were also startled. Their brows furrowed, and a touch of wariness entered their gazes toward Zhang Yuanqing.
*Why are you so fierce? Can't you speak properly? You wouldn't happen to be from the Scarlet Fire Gang, would you?* Zhang Yuanqing explained patiently, "I'm not lying. His corpse is right behind that car. If you don't believe me, go take a look yourself."
Da Jiba glanced over. The pillar jutting out from the wall and the car's body cast overlapping shadows; from where he stood, he couldn't see what lay in the corner. He moved to check it out right away.
"Hold on," the middle-aged man in the miner's hat stepped forward, glanced at Zhang Yuanqing, and said to the hulking brute, "I'll go."
Seeing his colleague's solemn expression, Da Jiba seemed to remember something. He cast a wary glance at Zhang Yuanqing and nodded.
Zhang Yuanqing noticed that Li Dongze and Guan Ya wore rather peculiar expressions, while the looks from the others held undisguised guardedness.
At that moment, the middle-aged man in the miner's hat approached the back of the vehicle with slow, steady strides. Then, he stared blankly at a certain spot, his eyes widening like a clay statue.
"Boss Tang?"
Seeing his companion's flabbergasted, dazed expression, Da Jiba's heart tightened, his upper body muscles suddenly swelling as he prepared to strike at any second.
Captains Qingteng and Bailong instantly went on high alert.
Tang Guoqiang looked exactly as if he had fallen under bewitchment.
Yet very quickly, they saw Tang Guoqiang "recover." He bent down and dragged a corpse out into the light, bringing it right into everyone's view.
The corpse was clad in loose camouflage pants, a black tank top, and a black jacket. His face was a mangled mess of blood and flesh, his eye sockets hollow, but the contours of his facial features could still faintly be recognized. It was indeed Ou Xiangrong.
The underground parking garage fell dead silent. Everyone stared blankly at Ou Xiangrong's corpse.
Li Dongze's expression shifted gradually from sternness to sheer bewilderment, and he mumbled under his breath, "Oh, my god... my god..."
Guan Ya looked at the corpse, then at Zhang Yuanqing, thoughtfully seeming to realize something.
The beautiful woman in the ink-wash qipao walked briskly over in her high heels. She stopped beside the body, inspected it closely, and pursed her lips. "It really is Ou Xiangrong."
With that, she looked up at Zhang Yuanqing with a conflicted gaze.
Da Jiba's eyes went wide as saucers, and he blurted out, "How did you do that?"
The captains' gazes all converged on Zhang Yuanqing, studying him over and over. Ou Xiangrong had actually been finished off by a Level 1 rookie—even if the man had been heavily wounded and far from his peak.
Now Team Two had scored a massive accomplishment! What kind of dumb luck did Li Dongze have to recruit such an extraordinary subordinate?
*How did I do it? Isn't having a pair of shoes enough?* Zhang Yuanqing didn't answer; instead, he looked at his superior.
Li Dongze stepped forward at once and cleared his throat. "Yuanshi, excellent job. You've achieved a tremendous merit! Just now, when you couldn't reach us, we were in the conference room getting torn to shreds by higher-ups."
This effectively shifted their attention, and easy smiles broke out on the captains' faces as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
Zhang Yuanqing shot him a sideways glance. "Then why did you guys point your guns at me just now?"
"A Bewitching Demon at the Transcendent stage can briefly influence a person's mind. Given enough time to bewitch repeatedly and deepen the influence, they can achieve complete control over a target. Compared to believing you killed Ou Xiangrong, we felt it was much more likely you had been bewitched." The young woman in the white racing suit walked over, blade in hand. She appraised Zhang Yuanqing from head to toe, nodding in satisfaction. "Turns out we were wrong. Allow me to introduce myself: Bailong, Level 3 Water Ghost."
This female captain possessed an indescribable crisp boldness. One couldn't find a trace of feminine reserve or coyness in her; every glance brimmed with swagger, as if everyone around her were just little punk brothers.
"Yuanshi Tianzun," Zhang Yuanqing replied.
The captains stared for a moment. "Nice name..."
Nice indeed—the kind that made anyone who heard it want to punch him.
Bailong smiled. "We'll just call you Yuanshi. It's not too bad; I've always felt guys your age tend to pick all sorts of bizarre handles."
"Like what?" Zhang Yuanqing shrugged with a smile.
Bailong blinked, not expecting this kid to act so familiar and even toss the question back at her. Normally, when teased by a superior, shouldn't a normal person offer modest words or act somewhat constrained?
"Like Da Jiba," Guan Ya said with a radiant smile as she walked over, picking up the conversation for Bailong.
Da Jiba said, "...The meaning of my name is: Overbearing Muscles."
"That's exactly what I meant," Guan Ya replied with an innocent face.
Da Jiba was struck dumb.
As they spoke, several more official Spirit Realm walkers hurried over, carrying stretchers and a body bag.
Having just received a call that the killer had been taken down, they rushed over to collect the body, while also carrying Xu Yingying out to be transported to a hospital for treatment.
Li Dongze wasted no more time and said, "Yuanshi, come back with us to look through Ou Xiangrong's memories."
"No, you can't have him do it," Tang Guoqiang shook his head. "Ou Xiangrong was tainted by evil power; we can't be sure whether his spirit body was contaminated as well. Furthermore, Bewitching Demons are bloodthirsty and brutal, full of intense negative energy in their spirit bodies. That's not something he can withstand. Yuan Ting will return to Songhai this afternoon; leave it to him."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately remembered his experience devouring the spirit body in the hospital and felt a wave of trepidation. But on second thought, if another Night Wanderer saw the process of him killing Ou Xiangrong, the red dancing shoes wouldn't remain a secret. Of course, exposure didn't necessarily mean it would incite theft or covetous greed, but keeping a low profile was always best.
"That's not an issue. I'll find a way to neutralize it for him," Li Dongze waved a hand, his attitude assertive. "Ou Xiangrong's memories are critical. The earlier we commune with the spirit, the better. We can't tell how much memory a contaminated spirit body can retain."
Tang Guoqiang thought it over and nodded slightly.
He still disagreed with Li Dongze's method, but Team Two had made the kill, giving them the right of disposal.
At that moment, the beautiful woman in the qipao stepped forward and asked with concern, "Are you hurt? Do you need healing?"
Her tone was gentle and warm, as if Zhang Yuanqing were her trusted confidant.
Li Dongze smiled and introduced, "This is Captain Qingteng of Baihui. She specializes in healing. Within the Five Elements Alliance, Wood Demons are also called Healers. Feel free to tell her about any injuries you have."
*Healer?* Zhang Yuanqing thought, *Is your kind of Healer legit, or will she force people to seize the future?*
Li Dongze went on to introduce the burly man and the miner's hat. "Da Jiba of the Scarlet Fire Gang, and Tang Guoqiang of Central Court. Both captains are experienced Spirit Realm walkers."
*He really is from the Scarlet Fire Gang...* Zhang Yuanqing immediately said, "Hello, Captains. Please take good care of me."
Da Jiba nodded in satisfaction. "Want to add each other as friends?"
"Good idea!" Qingteng and Bailong nodded in agreement.
Tang Guoqiang didn't say much, but he was the first to whip out his phone.
The corner of Li Dongze's mouth twitched.
Once Zhang Yuanqing had added the captains, Li Dongze said, "We'll escort the body back first. The rest of the team members will stay behind to help the peacekeepers clean up the scene. Yuanshi, ride back to the office in Guan Ya's car and write up a report."
Shortly after, official Spirit Realm walkers drove a business van and a blue sports car into the underground parking garage.
"Decurion, can I ride in your van?" Zhang Yuanqing had things he wanted to say to Li Dongze alone, such as asking him to delete the surveillance footage.
"No. You're too dirty right now, not elegant enough." Li Dongze shook his head in refusal, then turned to the captains. "Let's head back together."
Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth, hesitating, and in the end could only watch helplessly as Li Dongze and the captains drove off in the van.
Guan Ya's eyes gleamed as she cast a glance his way and smiled. "The Decurion took away all the meddlers. Come on, I'll take you to delete the surveillance footage."
Zhang Yuanqing kept his eyes strictly lowered, maintaining total composure.
The blue sports car sped down the wide boulevard. Wearing sunglasses and gripping the steering wheel, Guan Ya hummed a tune, evidently in a good mood.
She clicked her tongue. "You lucky brat. You've barely become a Spirit Realm walker, and you already got your hands on a rule-based item."
She felt pretty lucky herself; just when she was short on merits, an achievement had fallen right into her lap.
"Did you guys know all along?" Zhang Yuanqing wasn't embarrassed in the least, even flattering her, "Scouts truly are the most perfect profession."
As someone skilled at socializing, he was adept at adjusting his mindset.
"It was only a guess before. Remember, insight is a Scout's innate talent," Guan Ya said with a smile. "Catching my hint and hiding the rule-based item proves you're not entirely stupid."
Zhang Yuanqing probed right away: "The organization won't make me hand over the item, will it?"
"They won't force you. But if you hand it in voluntarily, the organization will gladly accept it and reward you with merit points and cash. However, human hearts are complex. If word gets out that a rookie like you holds a rule-based item, it will definitely tempt some people to take desperate gambles."
Guan Ya advised patiently, "The Decurion can keep it under wraps for you for a time, but not forever. You might want to consider finding yourself a backer—for instance, your superior's superior."
"That Centurion can cover for me?" Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: *How can you guarantee the superior's superior won't get greedy when seeing such a treasure?*
"That guy hails from a prominent clan, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, haughty and proud. I can't speak for other Deacons, but I can vouch for his character," Guan Ya chuckled. "Besides, the guy always boasts about winning people over by virtue, but in reality, he just loves splashing cash. He's loaded, so a single rule-based item won't shake his pride. Still, his standards are exceptionally high; he looks down on ordinary folks and favors only elite talent."
Zhang Yuanqing gave an "mm," neither agreeing nor disagreeing, letting the topic pass.
Guan Ya hummed twice. "You made quite a splash today. Once news of your feat spreads, people within the Five Elements Alliance will definitely try to poach you, both openly and behind the scenes. Watch out for the honeypot trap; there have been honey traps in the past. Those two female captains seemed quite interested in you."
Zhang Yuanqing declared with righteous indignation, "My loyalty to Team Two is unwavering! I will never fall for a honeypot trap."
*Unless I can't resist!* he added in his head.
"Except you're a Scorpio," Guan Ya pursed her lips.
*Huh? What does this have to do with being a Scorpio...* Zhang Yuanqing was completely baffled.
"Ever heard that horoscope saying? 'Even a dog won't date a Pisces man, but a Scorpio man will hump anything that moves.'"
"..."
Inside the black business van, Li Dongze was driving personally. Looking straight ahead with a broad smile across his face, he sighed, "Oh my, oh my! He went and finished everyone's job before anyone could blink. This subordinate of mine really doesn't know how to share. My apologies, everyone—didn't leave any merit for you to claim."
*What the hell are you so smug about...* The four captains' faces darkened.
"Once the bonus comes through, dinner is on me," Li Dongze said with a chuckle. "No need to be jealous, everyone. It's all pure coincidence. By coincidence, the kid cleared Sheling Tunnel, and by coincidence, he gunned down Ou Xiangrong. Nothing to write home about."
"The way you talk really makes people want to beat you up," Da Jiba rumbled.
"Be elegant; don't always be so short-tempered. Let me report to Centurion Fu first."
Under the captains' murderous glares, he pulled out his phone and dialed Centurion Fu's number.
In the Ou Xiangrong incident, Centurion Fu had shouldered considerable risk due to their blunder.
Now that Ou Xiangrong had been eliminated, as a subordinate, he needed to report up promptly.
This kid, Yuanshi, had truly done him proud!
Chapter 31