Soon, the twenty-seven surviving Spirit Walkers of the Nanming Branch assembled swiftly downstairs at the Public Security Bureau. Excitement and fervor were written across every face, their eyes ablaze with fierce morale.
Before gathering downstairs, Deacon Poison Chaser had explained the purpose of this muster in the most succinct terms possible: Daoist Ancestor Sanqing had been commissioned by headquarters to inspect the Nanming Branch and lead an operation to wipe out underworld evil.
At first, though surprised, the branch's Spirit Walkers had not felt particularly enthusiastic. Inspections by senior deacons took place every year. If an inspector took the trouble to slay a few Witch Doctors from the Spirit Society, they were already considered a remarkably capable leader.
More often than not, they simply led a team to sweep up a few small-fry gangs composed of ordinary people, held the fort for a short period to bring fleeting peace to Nanming's public security, and caused drugs in nightclubs to vanish for ten days to a half-month.
Afterward, things went right back to how they were.
Such was life in the border region. Geography dictated the state of public security. Forget deacons and Dominators—even the state itself could not change it.
Yet a single sentence from Deacon Poison Chaser had completely changed the official members' perspective. He had said, "Get ready to make sacrifices."
Those words were like a shot of adrenaline, instilling boundless fighting spirit and surging energy in everyone.
Grabbing their firearms as quickly as possible, they all dashed out of the office area, completing the muster in just fifty seconds.
As the coordinator behind the scenes, Boundless Sea of Learning stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching black business vans drive out of the Public Security Bureau. He spoke in rapid-fire succession:
"Notify the Yuhu County Public Security Bureau to stand by. Notify the Yuhu County People's Hospital to stand by. Instruct the Yuhu County Traffic Police Brigade to disable road surveillance around the Fang Sand Quarry and seal off all nearby roads..."
While transmitting the orders, his female assistant voiced her concern:
"Is the sand quarry really a stronghold? We're not familiar with the layout or the roads over there at all, and we have no targeted tactical arrangements or deployments. Rushing in blindly is very..."
She drew a deep breath and ventured boldly, "Very unwise. Captain, we should offer a warning. Besides, with your professional insight and experience, you could formulate a fairly sound tactical plan before they reach the quarry..."
Before she could finish, Boundless Sea of Learning cut her off:
"It is very unwise. But do you think Deacon Daoist Ancestor Sanqing is a novice? We might not know him well, but someone who became a senior deacon certainly isn't an idiot. If that's not enough, is Deacon Poison Chaser a novice? When he was fighting on the front lines, you hadn't even joined the agency yet.
"Do you think they wouldn't foresee the problems you can think of? Since they dare to do this, they naturally have their reasons and confidence. All we have to do is wait for the report of victory."
The female assistant fell silent, her worry transforming into anticipation.
A convoy of six weathered business vans sped through the city streets. The infrastructure of a border city was incomparable to Songhai.
Two lanes, traffic markings severely worn down, dusty and unkempt. Fortunately, traffic conditions were good, free of the congestion found in metropolises.
Zhang Yuanqing sat in the lead vehicle, looking down at his phone.
Inside the Return of the Dead guild chat group.
The sixty-minute rest period was not up yet, but lively chatter was already underway.
Because they had entered a B-rank instance, everyone's gains were average, nothing worth bragging about. But two events in the real world came as a shock to the guild members who had just emerged from the dungeon.
[Sun Miaomiao: Heavens, the Demon Lord's successor has appeared! He even abducted Lingjun's cousin, Miao Teng'er. And Heaven's Punishment's diplomatic delegation to China has arrived too. After spending a few days in a dungeon, so much has happened outside!]
[Tianxia Guihuo: The Demon Lord's successor appeared? It's barely been a year since the Demon Lord fell. His successor couldn't possibly abduct Miao Teng'er.]
[Xiahou Aotian: Since you've asked with such sincere devotion, I shall graciously enlighten you. The Demon Lord's successor likely defected to the Dark Night Rose or the Taiyi Sect, and abducting Miao Teng'er was for the sake of the Demon Lord's legacy.]
[Zhao Chenghuang: How do you know all this?]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: I told him.]
Zhang Yuanqing provided a concise summary of what had occurred.
[Zhao Chenghuang: If that's the case, we're in trouble. If the Demon Lord's successor really defected to the Dark Night Rose, and Ling Tuo obtains the Demon Lord's legacy, he might very well surpass our Sect Master.]
[Sun Miaomiao: Elaborate!]
[Zhao Chenghuang: My great-grandfather said that the Demon Lord carried something that even the Sect Master took very seriously.]
Ling Tuo specialized in the Lunar path. Since he was a demigod, he must have already obtained some Fragments of the Taiyin Origin. If Ling Tuo gathered the complete Lunar Origin, given the rule that the Moon counters the Stars, Ling Tuo would become the strongest Night Walker in the world... Zhang Yuanqing sighed softly for no apparent reason, feeling a heavy weight pressing upon his shoulders.
After chatting for a few moments, the group members turned the topic to the visiting delegation from Heaven's Punishment.
[Zhao Chenghuang: The leader of the delegation is named 'Demon Hunter,' a First-Class Executor from Heaven's Punishment's Department of Foreign Affairs. I just checked: he oversees Europe. I have no idea why he came here this time. He brought three subordinates: Osmond Harry, Hoover York, and Chazo Charles.]
[Brother Red Chicken: Enough, enough! Foreign names give me a headache just looking at them. Names from the Island Nation or the Peninsula suit my taste much better.]
Ignoring Brother Red Chicken's grumbling, Zhao Chenghuang continued:
[Except for Chazo Charles, who lacks detailed files, Osmond and Hoover are both figures at the peak of Level 6, comparable to the four young masters of our official factions. There's a good show to watch this time.]
[Sun Miaomiao: Yeah, yeah! Too bad Money Prince is already a Dominator; otherwise, we could've watched him slaughter Heaven's Punishment's elites.]
[Zhao Chenghuang: The most elite in Heaven's Punishment aren't the younger generation, but the older generation. Among those people, there are individuals on par with Money Prince, perhaps even stronger.]
[Sun Miaomiao: We have an older generation too. Let's get a good sleep today and wait for the exchange seminar. I heard Heaven's Punishment wants to hold an exchange conference. That Osmond wants to challenge Young Master Huo to wipe away his past disgrace.]
As the two noble scions of elders conversed, the others fell silent.
Because this concerned intelligence regarding the First District, the two grassroots Fire Mages and Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't chime in, while Xiahou Aotian and Guan Ya had no interest in Heaven's Punishment.
Yet at the mention of the exchange conference, their interest was instantly piqued.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing typed out a message:
[Yuanshi Tianzun: All right, time's up. Now for an important announcement: everyone get ready, we enter the next guild instance in ten minutes.]
[Sun Miaomiao: ???]
[Guan Ya: ???]
[Brother Red Chicken: ???]
[Xiao Yuan: ???]
The aloof, proud Zhao Chenghuang and the mature, steady Tianxia Guihuo didn't send question marks, but a string of question marks undoubtedly floated through their minds.
As a nobody in the background, Asano Ryo offered no opinion.
Still wanting to watch an exchange conference? Hah, as if I'd give you any chance to interact with Heaven's Punishment... Zhang Yuanqing pulled up the guild interface without hesitation and activated the guild instance.
The Spirit Realm's notification chime echoed in the ears of all members.
[Ding! Generating Spirit Realm instance, please wait...]
[Guild Spirit Realm instance generation complete.]
[Designation: 092 — Records of Strange Events in the Ghost Market of Lin'an.]
[Difficulty Level: A]
[Type: Multiplayer (Death category)]
[Main Quest: Uncover the anomalies of the Lin'an Ghost Market.]
[Note: Non-Spirit Realm items may not be brought inside.]
[Spirit Realm No. 367 Introduction: In the year 1127 AD, the Dinghai year, the third year of Baoqing, the Mongols conquered Western Xia, slaughtering everything across three hundred li. Innumerable refugees fled south. Recently, bizarre occurrences have multiplied in the black market of Lin'an. Some have seen spectral soldiers marching through the dead of night, children have been vanishing frequently, and headless corpses knock on doors at midnight... The constables of Lin'an have investigated to no avail, leaving the populace in panic.]
An A-rank dungeon after all. Judging by the introduction, it should be refugees and martial artists from Western Xia stirring up trouble... Zhang Yuanqing rubbed his chin. Ignoring the protests in the chat group, he immediately activated the instance, enrolling all Saint-realm members except Xiahou Aotian and himself into the roster.
Xiahou Aotian had been stuck tightening bolts at the factory lately; Zhang Yuanqing planned to personally guide him through an instance when time permitted, so he wasn't on the list this time.
[Sun Miaomiao: Yuanshi Tianzun, you bastard! I'm still wearing pajamas...]
[Brother Red Chicken: Are you an idiot? You're in pajamas and still have time to curse? Oh, you want to enter the dungeon in pajamas?]
Sun Miaomiao did not reply, likely rushing off to change.
Zhao Chenghuang, Tianxia Guihuo, and Xiao Yuan, though full of complaints, felt their resentment dissipate significantly upon seeing it was an A-rank instance.
High difficulty meant high rewards, which aligned with their needs.
Zhang Yuanqing waited in silence for sixty seconds. Hearing the Spirit Realm prompt confirming they had entered, he let out a sigh of relief.
Based on the introduction, an instance that required investigating and solving a case would not be resolved quickly.
Now, he could focus on dealing with the task at hand.
The manager of the sand quarry was named Li Zhengde, though he possessed no moral virtue whatsoever.
The parents who gave him that name had had no morals either. Born into poverty, he had survived by petty thievery since childhood. There were four siblings in the family, and their parents trained them into pickpockets specifically operating around tourist scenic spots to steal visitors' money.
Later, the government launched a crackdown, blacklisting and expelling them from the scenic areas. During their hardest times, his father had even considered cutting off both his legs, but his mother had shielded him fiercely.
Still later, a group of people endowed with special powers took him in, teaching him how to use firearms, combat techniques, and counter-surveillance, before assigning him to smuggle drugs.
More than a decade slipped by. Li Zhengde had served the Spirit Society ever since. Relying on reckless ruthlessness and shameless bootlicking, he pampered the masters of the Spirit Society thoroughly, rising from a drug mule to become the boss of this sand quarry.
The sand quarry was merely a front; in reality, it served as a Spirit Society stronghold responsible for stashing drugs and human trafficking.
Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the quarry sat in an isolated location. The city's widespread surveillance network had no reach here. Even if something did go wrong, they could easily slip into the vast mountains.
The mountains were laced with poison-coated traps laid by the Spirit Society. If the people from the Public Security Bureau dared to enter, none would ever return.
At that moment, Li Zhengde waited outside a green shed. From within came the shrill, agonized wailing of a young woman and the rhythmic slamming of a double bed.
One of the Spirit Society's superpowered masters was taking his pleasure with a "newly arrived" girl.
Everyone abducted by the organization was housed in the green dorm sheds—one building for women, another for men. So far, they hadn't expanded their business to children.
Their business model primarily involved filming videos of electrocution and abuse to extort money from the victims' families, selling them to the Free Confederation or the Western Continent as slave laborers, or selling them to overseas bosses as playthings for their physical urges.
Naturally, before being sold off, the "goods" could be used over and over again.
Li Zhengde licked his lips, thinking that once the big boss had finished enjoying himself, he would take a turn tonight to have a taste as well.
Ever since the stronghold's leaders, Black Rat and Cockroach, had perished, drug and human trafficking operations at the sand quarry had been suspended. Sand excavation had ground to a halt as well, and everyone was forbidden from leaving while awaiting the arrival of new leadership.
Presently, only three superpowered beings remained at the quarry. One was a gambler, playing cards with the underlings in the warehouse. One craved women, amusing himself in the green dorm shed.
The last one favored men, similarly enjoying a male slave in another shed.
That master possessed a fine physique and good looks, but unfortunately carried sadistic tendencies; every male slave he favored met a miserable fate.
For instance, that master had strict endurance requirements: anyone lasting less than ten minutes was considered trash, hung up and tortured with whips and stun batons.
Anyone lasting less than twenty minutes had a golden lock-ring fastened onto him for three consecutive days.
Only lasting past half an hour counted as acceptable.
Li Zhengde was no longer young, his "gun barrel" growing increasingly soft. Since he truly could not satisfy that master, he naturally avoided seeking abuse.
Just then, the commotion inside ceased. The dorm door—its soundproofing passable—swung open, and a cold-eyed young man with a prominent nose and thin lips walked out.
Li Zhengde stole a glance inside. A pale white body appeared in his vision, only to vanish as the door clicked shut.
Withdrawing his gaze, Li Zhengde gave a fawning thumbs-up:
"Captain Gao is magnificent! If I had even a tenth of your prowess, I'd be content."
The thin-lipped young man surnamed Gao said flatly, "It's nothing. People of our kind have always had exceptional stamina."
Li Zhengde sighed with regret. "If only I could become someone like you."
Captain Gao scrutinized Li Zhengde and scoffed:
"You've had it too easy since you were young. Although you've done plenty of evil, you've lived quite comfortably. You have never known true despair, so you have never sought revenge against the world. That's why you can never become like us in this lifetime."
Li Zhengde hastily bowed, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, of course. You possess genuine talent, sir, while I'm nothing—just a stinking fish, a rotten shrimp."
Captain Gao gave an acknowledging grunt and said, "Keep a close watch these days. No one is permitted to leave. If anyone is caught sneaking out, execute them on the spot."
"Understood!" After responding, Li Zhengde asked uneasily, "Captain Gao, is this... a big deal this time?"
"That guy from the Public Security Bureau nicknamed Poison Chaser has always been a troublesome figure. The two masters failed because of their own lack of capability, but it's within understandable limits." Captain Gao suddenly sneered:
"This is the Spirit Society's territory. When have those official fellows not just put on a show? Would they dare wage full-scale war against us? It's not the end of the year yet; the big shots haven't reached their time for 'performance reviews.'
"Besides, this quarry has only been running for two years, and our operations have always been discreet. They won't trace it here. Hmm, gather a few men in a moment and patrol the mountains with me."
"Yes, sir!" Li Zhengde bowed respectfully.
Captain Gao glanced at him, then back toward the girl in the green shed, licking his lips. "That woman was quite juicy. I'll grant you a turn with her tonight."
Li Zhengde was overjoyed. "Thank you, Captain Gao! Thank you, Captain—"
Suddenly, he felt a great splash of warm liquid pour over the top of his head. Dazed, he looked up, only to see a blood-drenched hand protruding from the front of Captain Gao's chest, its fingers clutching a bright red heart.
Captain Gao's eyes bulged wide. In sheer disbelief, he looked down at his own chest.
Chapter 573