"An ancient tomb? A squad lost in the dense fog?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced toward the living room and lowered his voice. "The tomb in Jinhui City where they dug up that bronze sculpture?"
"You know about it?" Fu Qingyang asked in return.
"I saw the news last night," Zhang Yuanqing explained briefly. "And I already checked this morning's reports. Is the dense fog created by a Mist Lord? Are evil classes trying to seize the bronze sculpture?"
As he spoke, he opened his wardrobe and directed Blood Rose to climb out the bedroom window, use the outdoor air-conditioning unit as a foothold, and slip into the corridor window outside.
His maternal grandparents were both at home, so he couldn't let Blood Rose walk brazenly out the front door.
"No. According to current intelligence, the source of the fog is the bronze sculpture itself."
Fu Qingyang's reply took Zhang Yuanqing aback. His steps toward the door halted. "The source is the bronze sculpture?!"
Fu Qingyang's explanation came through the speaker:
"There is something abnormal about the bronze sculpture the archaeological team excavated from the tomb. On the day it arrived at the museum, both the archaeological team and the museum staff lost contact.
"When constables arrived at the scene, they found the museum completely engulfed in dense fog. They sent three officers inside to search for the missing personnel, but those three lost contact as well.
"The officers outside transmitted a report back to the Security Bureau. Three minutes later, they also went silent, swallowed by the fog spilling out of the museum.
"That night, a stationed Deacon in Jinhui City led a squad into the fog to investigate, only to lose contact soon after. By this morning, the mist had expanded far beyond the museum, blanketing an area over a dozen li around it.
"Ordinary people trapped in the fog for too long suffer drastic shifts in temperament, attacking anyone on sight. Those who have just entered wander blindly like headless flies, unable to find their way out, and if they remain there too long, their temperaments warp as well.
"The official realmwalkers stationed in Jinhui City reported the incident to the Hang City branch. Hang City immediately assembled personnel to head to Jinhui City, but as of now, the situation has not been effectively brought under control or resolved. Hang City just called the Songhai Branch, requesting our patrol team's assistance in the investigation."
Fu Qingyang's cadence was clear and articulate, sounding just like a news broadcaster.
*Dense fog, a bronze sculpture... it's likely a Mist Lord-tier item. Strange. The bronze sculpture was excavated from an ancient tomb, meaning its owner must have died ages ago. Why wasn't the item reclaimed by the Spirit Realm? No, to be precise, why wasn't the tomb swallowed by the Spirit Realm?*
Puzzled, Zhang Yuanqing hissed through his teeth. "If the fog is left to spread, won't it engulf all of Jinhui City? Also, Boss, how could an ancient tomb related to spirit realmwalkers exist in the real world?"
The old crone's Lady Sandao Temple had once existed in the real world too, but it had later been "devoured" by the Spirit Realm to become an instance.
"That is what you need to investigate. Yuanshi, go to Jinhui City on behalf of the Songhai Branch patrol team. Contact me anytime if you encounter problems," Fu Qingyang said.
*Wouldn't it be easier if you just went yourself? I was supposed to go shopping with my aunt today...* Despite his internal grumbling, Zhang Yuanqing answered, "Understood!"
After all, if an Elder had to step in for every single incident, what would be the point of keeping so many Deacons and Captains?
The fact that Hang City's Elders hadn't mobilized indicated that the incident had not yet reached the Dominator level.
Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone. A moment later, he received a location pin from Fu Qingyang accompanied by a message:
"Rally point for all teams in this operation."
He opened the map. The address was a hotel in Jinhui City, a little over thirty kilometers from the museum.
Putting his phone away, Zhang Yuanqing knocked on his aunt's door.
"Aiya, I'm not ready yet!" came her soft, delicate voice from inside the bedroom.
"I can't go shopping anymore..."
The moment Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking, the bedroom door swung open. Wearing light makeup, his aunt stood in the doorway with an icy expression, glaring at him coldly. "Give me a reason I can't refuse."
Without a word, Zhang Yuanqing pulled her back into the room. Pouting, his aunt shook off his hand.
"I just received an urgent mission from China's Dragon Group headquarters," Zhang Yuanqing said with an utterly solemn expression. "I have to head to Jinhui City. Evil villains are wreaking havoc there, and Songhai's crowning guardian treasure—me—is needed to handle it."
He knew his aunt was fascinated by spirit realmwalkers and constantly pried into details. Zhang Yuanqing had made a habit of casually brushing her off with tall tales: one day claiming he had taken down Doctor Octopus the year before, the next saying his five-million-yuan performance bonus had been earned defeating a lunatic on a flying glider.
Jiang Yu'er had taken these stories with a grain of salt, sensing an uncanny feeling of déjà vu about these villains, yet unable to place where she had heard of them before.
Hearing this, his aunt asked suspiciously, "China's Dragon Group? Didn't you say before that it was the Superhuman Task Force?"
Zhang Yuanqing blinked, thinking, *Did I say task force before?*
"...The Superpower Task Force is subordinate to the Dragon Group," he insisted, hastily making up a hierarchy between the two. "If you don't believe me, check the news. It's already on television."
Hearing that, his aunt scampered out into the living room and indeed saw her elderly father watching the news coverage about Jinhui City.
"All right, then. Shopping can wait anytime." The sweet, gullible aunt bought it immediately, reminding him, "Be careful out there! Are you coming back tonight? If not, remember to call me."
"Got it!"
Zhang Yuanqing waved and hurried out the door.
***
Jinhui City, Lihao Hotel, 28th-floor conference room.
The Deacon in charge of this operation went by the moniker "Natsuki's Love," an aloof, glamorous, and sharp woman in her early thirties.
Dressed in military boots, combat trousers, and an army-green tank top, this Swordsman stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing quietly at the distant dense fog. Beneath the blazing sun, the grayish-white mist hung stagnant, swirling among the skyscrapers.
Every major street leading into the affected zone was blocked off with barricades by traffic police—egress only, no entry.
The situation had been temporarily stabilized, but it remained critical. The fog was expanding at a slow yet relentless pace. In two days at most, it would envelope all of Jinhui City.
By then, the number of innocent casualties would be beyond imagination.
Of course, before reaching that point, they would inevitably elevate the event classification to Dominator-tier and request intervention from Hang City Branch Elders. However, doing so would make the Hang City Saints look utterly incompetent.
Natsuki's Love turned around to face the Deacons and Captains gathered around the conference table, speaking in a measured voice: "The squad led by Deacon Yun Meng has also lost contact. Everyone, I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Just ten minutes ago, a squad led by a Deacon had ventured into the mist to investigate and subsequently gone silent.
Seated around the conference table were sixteen official realmwalkers, among whom were three Deacons and thirteen Captains.
The three Deacons were Saint of Fire, a Fire Master; Yu, a Wood Demon; and Houde Zaiwu, an Earth Monster. Together with Natsuki's Love herself and Yun Meng, who was currently lost in the fog, every Saint the Hang City branch could muster had been deployed.
The other Saints had not participated due to other assignments, vacations, or similar reasons. Besides, from a practical standpoint, if six Saints couldn't resolve the matter, adding a few more wouldn't make a difference—they would have to call in an Elder.
As the other two Saints frowned, Saint of Fire declared bluntly, "My suggestion is that we each take a squad and charge into the mist. If a god blocks our path, kill the god; if a Buddha stands in our way, kill the Buddha."
This Saint stood fully 1.9 meters tall with a buzz cut and a black tank top stretched tight over bulging muscles, his biceps as thick as a slender woman's waist.
A classic Fire Master answer. None of the other Saints in the room bothered to respond to him.
The Captains stared at their noses, their noses pointing to their hearts, keeping completely quiet.
After a few seconds of silence, Deacon Yu, clad in a pleated dress, spoke in an ethereal voice: "A Bewitching Demon's mist disorients anyone trapped inside. Yun Meng is a level 4 Saint, and since even she succumbed, the source of the fog must be at least level 5.
"We need an item that can help us navigate within the mist."
A Bewitching Demon's fog possessed powerful disorienting magic, something conventional tools like compasses could never overcome.
Deacon Houde Zaiwu shook his head. "For that, we would need a Starlord's help. But Starlords are far too rare and mostly stationed in the Capital City. The branches only have Night Walkers."
Discerning directions was a basic ability for Starlords who commanded Stargazing.
Saint of Fire grumbled displeasedly, "Why waste breath on all this talk? We'll just have to bite the bullet and go in anyway! The longer people are trapped in the fog, the more prone they are to losing their minds. Citizens going mad is one thing, but if that squad of spirit realmwalkers from last night goes crazy, who knows how many innocent people will be slaughtered?
"Right now, people in the fog are being injured and killed every single second. The longer we stall, the worse it gets. Who will take responsibility for that?"
Deacon Yu scoffed lightly. "And going in will solve it? If all of us get trapped inside, won't that make things even worse?"
Saint of Fire countered, "If we all get trapped inside, the Elders will have to intervene, and then the problem will be solved."
Deacon Yu snapped back, "Then why not just report directly to the branch and ask the Elders to step in right now?"
"That would only prove our incompetence!" Natsuki's Love waved a hand to cut off their bickering.
After pondering for a few moments, she seemed to recall something, turned to her assistant, and asked, "Has the person from the Songhai Branch arrived yet? Call and check."
At her words, the assistant promptly dialed the Songhai Branch's hotline. Ten-odd seconds later, she hung up and said, "They said they're only responsible for relaying messages and don't know the specifics regarding the patrol team. We can only wait."
The switchboard operators merely passed along communications; they were not cleared to speak directly to the Deacons or Elders of the patrol team.
"Even if we venture deep into the fog, we should wait until Songhai's patrol team arrives before moving out together," Deacon Yu said after taking a sip of tea, sounding curious. "I wonder who Songhai will send to support us."
As a tier-one megacity, Songhai boasted countless experts, and its patrol team was the elite of the elite, where even Captains were at least level 4 Saints.
Moreover, the Songhai Branch ranked among the top five branches, possessing abundant stores of items.
Deacons of Songhai's patrol team were not on the same level as Deacons elsewhere.
Natsuki's Love thought for a moment and said, "I know several patrol captains from Songhai. If even one of them comes, it would indeed be feasible to force our way into the fog."
Just then, the conference room doors swung open, and an Extraordinary realmwalker in a formal suit escorted a group inside.
The official realmwalkers at the conference table turned to look. Leading the group was a young man in his early twenties, handsome and sunny, though lacking a mature edge.
Behind him followed four remarkably beautiful women—a mature and gorgeous lady, youthful maidens, and a lively, spirited red-haired girl.
"Yuanshi Tianzun?!"
Natsuki's Love raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She hadn't expected the reinforcement sent by Songhai to be the Five Elements Alliance's hottest sensation.
*Did he join the patrol team after clearing the killing trial?*
Deacon Yu scrutinized the young man with curiosity.
A faint murmur broke out among the official realmwalkers around the conference table, some surprised, others excited—the special reception afforded to a celebrity figure, irrespective of strength or level.
Saint of Fire, however, scowled deeply.
As the head of the operation, Natsuki's Love stepped forward, extended her hand, and said, "I'm the person in charge of this operation, Natsuki's Love."
"Yuanshi Tianzun!" Zhang Yuanqing took her hand, smiling. "Natsuki's Love... I read that mystery novel in middle school. The heroine's deductive skills left quite an impression on me, and I used to dream of having a female assistant like her one day. Unfortunately, my assistant is a guy."
*Natsuki's Love* was an obscure mystery novel by an Island Nation authoress.
During middle school, Zhang Yuanqing had been obsessed with detective fiction and happened upon this little-known work. He had loved its spirited female protagonist, often lamenting how wonderful it would be if Brother Bing were a girl with deductive talents.
Whenever he said that, Brother Bing would punch him.
Natsuki's Love was momentarily taken aback. The smile on her face widened, and her tone softened. "It seems we share an interest. Please, have a seat. Let me brief you on the current situation..."
Although Yuanshi Tianzun was famous and hailed by many official realmwalkers as an idol—playfully nicknamed "Lord Tianzun"—in the eyes of Deacons, he was still merely a junior.
The Deacons might view him in a different light because of his fame, but there was certainly no reverence or worship.
No one revered someone weaker than themselves.
At the end of the day, Yuanshi Tianzun was just a newly ascended Saint genius whose experience bar couldn't have exceeded 5%.
When Natsuki's Love first saw that their reinforcement was Yuanshi Tianzun, she had felt a twinge of disappointment. But his little speech made her feel as though she had found a fellow book lover, warming her to him.
Finishing her briefing, Natsuki's Love concluded, "We plan to enter the mist together and deal with the bronze sculpture. We were just waiting for you."
Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "Deacon Natsuki, you mentioned earlier that a Deacon lost contact in the fog. That means you have no way to navigate, correct?"
Before Natsuki's Love could speak, Yu said helplessly, "Yes, which is why entering as a single group is our only option. We can't guarantee we'll find the museum, but at least we won't face extreme danger.
"From our observations, the mist disorients people and drives them mad over time, but there are no terrifying enemies inside. If we lose contact with the outside world, the team members remaining behind will report back to the branch and request an Elder's intervention."
The most effective counter to dense fog was a Rain Master's ability to summon wind and rain, but that was a Dominator's power.
*The mist covers a radius of over a dozen kilometers, so Asano Ryo's previous method won't work...* Zhang Yuanqing pondered quietly.
Saint of Fire cast a glance at him and remarked, "You're a level 4 Starlord and haven't learned Stargazing yet. I thought Songhai would send a level 5 or even level 6 Saint to help. Instead, they just gave us another level 4 combatant. That doesn't help at all."
*If you weren't a Fire Master, I'd have thought you were trying to provoke me...* Zhang Yuanqing said, "Since the Songhai Branch sent me, they naturally prepared for this. I have an item that can discern directions, so you don't need to worry about that."
The eyes of both Deacon Natsuki's Love and Deacon Yu lit up.
Saint of Fire blinked in surprise, then exclaimed joyfully, "That's great! No time to lose—let's move out right away!"
Chapter 320