The Aftermath of the Petrel

Dark Night Rose, the Southern Sect... A chilling glint flickered across Zhang Yuanqing's eyes as killing intent and hatred slowly churned in his chest. Dark Night Rose, the Southern Sect, and Elder Cai were the true culprits behind the destruction of Wuhen Hotel. Lately, Zhang Yuanqing would occasionally find himself thinking of that timid, obedient little fatty who had possessed such a fierce will to survive. That guy and Kou Beiyue had been the hotel's "Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix." Regrettably, only the Crouching Dragon remained; the Fledgling Phoenix had returned to the Spirit Realm. He also thought of "Wanderer in the Mortal World," who had loathed human society with every fiber of his being yet spent half his life fighting the drug trade, along with his brother, Drug Chaser. Every time he recalled their deaths, an ache of bitter injustice tightened in his chest. If he ever became the Lord of the Sun, the very first debts he would settle would be with the Southern Sect and Dark Night Rose. Seeing Jumang lost in thought, Winnie cut straight to the point. "How did you track down Beast Haas last time? Could you help us do it again this time?" That was her real motive for summoning Jumang to her office. Zhang Yuanqing gathered his thoughts, looking at the cold, exquisite minister with brown hair falling over her shoulders. "First, ambushing Night Wanderers is never wise—you should know that better than anyone. Second, unless you can get hold of the target's DNA, locating them is impossible." Disappointment crossed Winnie's face. "Then our only choice is the Eye of the Sky. I've already reached a consensus with Executive Sean and Minister Channing. If there's no other way, we'll consider activating it. "For that, we need one of their Spirit Realm IDs. Just one will suffice." The Eye of the Sky could directly track targets using a Spirit Realm ID. Wasting an activation of the Eye of the Sky on Saints? What were the three big shots of Heaven's Punishment thinking? Feigning curiosity, Zhang Yuanqing asked about the cost of using it. Once Winnie finished explaining, he seized the opening to ask, "Blindness for five days... Who will bear that price?" "Me!" "Can another method replace your vision?" Winnie shook her head. "The blindness is rule-based. I will lose all perception of the outside world, and no item or skill can compensate for it." "What if the evil faction seizes the opportunity to hunt you down?" Zhang Yuanqing voiced his concern. "That isn't something you need to worry about." Winnie clearly had no intention of elaborating. *Sounds like she has precautions in place, but can't disclose them.* Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Understood." Winnie continued, "Can you handle getting their Spirit Realm IDs?" She meant having Jumang ask the Five Elements Alliance for help. *I'll just have to pry it out of Demon Eye.* Zhang Yuanqing said, "No problem. By tomorrow at the latest, I'll give you the Spirit Realm ID of someone in their reinforcement team." Winnie nodded with satisfaction. "You may get back to work." Zhang Yuanqing hesitated a second before probing, "Minister Winnie, do you know Zhai Cai? He's a Dominator-stage Knight." It was time to make contact with Zhai Cai. That fellow likely knew the whereabouts of the Holy See's treasure map. In fact, his lineage might even be guarding it—otherwise, why go to such lengths to keep the inheritance alive? "He's at my house," Winnie answered with surprising frankness. "To be exact, at my grandfather's house." "Your grandfather's?" Zhang Yuanqing thought, *How did your grandfather get dragged into this?* He had originally suspected Winnie and Zhai Cai might be lovers, or at least romantically involved. Later, though, Yuan Ting had gossiped that Winnie held deep feelings for the Demon Lord. Even though the Demon Lord was a heartless scoundrel and had already returned to the Spirit Realm, she remained single. So Zhang Yuanqing had assumed they were friends or business partners with mutual interests. He never anticipated that Zhai Cai's connection wasn't to Winnie, but to her grandfather. "That Knight is a business partner of my grandfather, and they seem to be fairly close on a personal level." Winnie offered a brief explanation, furrowing her brows as she spoke, apparently disliking the sole-inheritance Knight. "He's an irritating talker. I don't know much about him." Zhang Yuanqing said, "Minister Winnie, after we intercept the evil classes from the Second District, I'd like to pay your grandfather a visit." Winnie looked slightly startled. After staring at him for a few seconds, she replied, "Very well." *** Dia Airport, New York County. Dressed in a tailored skirt suit and a white blouse, Fu Xue walked through the arrivals level with two assistants, made her way to the underground garage, and stepped into an executive van. As the black van drove away from the airport, Fu Xue pulled out her phone and dialed her business partner and close friend. "Chen Shu, I've arrived in New York County. Want to meet up?" "New York County is a living hell right now. Are you looking to get killed?" Chen Shu scoffed mercilessly. "Instead of staying put in China and minding your mechanical contraptions company, why are you rushing into the mess in New York County?" "I'm here representing the company and the Five Elements Alliance to negotiate business with Heaven's Punishment," Fu Xue said brightly. "Out of faction alliance obligations, the Five Elements Alliance agreed to let us sell machinic weapons to Heaven's Punishment, on the condition that five percent of the proceeds go to the Alliance. If this deal goes through, we'll set up a factory in New York County to manufacture non-critical components, which will save a fortune in shipping and overhead." The Machinic Contraptions R&D Company had an agreement with the Five Elements Alliance stipulating that machinic weapons could only be sold to them. But times had changed; the faction war had begun. As one of the world's largest orderly organizations, the Five Elements Alliance was bound to assist the orderly faction of the First District. Relying solely on a dozen or so Saints wouldn't be enough, yet they had no wish to send Dominators to their deaths. Fu Xue was a shrewd businesswoman. Seizing the opportunity, she had whispered in her nephew's ear, proposing to expand their operations overseas. Fu Qingyang considered it a solid opportunity and called a meeting. The Nine Elders also found the plan appealing—selling machinic weapons was far better than sending Saints to die—so the proposal passed without a hitch. "So you called me just to show off?" Chen Shu asked flatly. "No, I'm offering you an investment opportunity. The company's profits are great, but after all, we've been around for less than three months. The initial costs haven't been recouped, our debts aren't cleared, and expanding the assembly line requires money everywhere. If this deal goes through, we'll need to build a production line in New York County, which means bringing in investors." Fu Xue's mind was churning with calculations. "I know the Benevolence Society is loaded and never short on cash. Chen Shu, interested in partnering up with me?" Chen Shu fell silent for a moment before replying, "Talk to me after you close the deal. I'll think about it." "Think about what?" Fu Xue said, dissatisfied. "Why would you need to think about a guaranteed moneymaker? Chen Shu, you've changed. You're not the decisive Reaper you used to be." "I can't be bothered arguing with you! I haven't even decided whether to go to New York County to see that person." With that, Chen Shu hung up. *** *"Great Demon Eye Heavenly King, Guardian of Justice and Righteousness, please tell me which Divine General the Soldier Master sect has dispatched to New York County."* In Dessen River Park, Zhang Yuanqing held his phone, texting Demon Eye Heavenly King. Demon Eye Heavenly King replied: *"Jealousy Divine General. Spirit Realm ID: Heaven Is Unjust."* *What an edgy ID...* The dossier on Jealousy Divine General immediately sprang to Zhang Yuanqing's mind. The Divine General's personality was defined by extreme jealousy. He envied anyone superior to him; anyone with a shining trait became a thorn in his side. What he loved most was mingling with miserable losers, drawing an immense sense of superiority from their failures. His killings followed no pattern whatsoever, because one could never guess what aspect of a victim had provoked his envy. His bloodlust was average, his lust for women was average, and his notoriety fell short of Lust Divine General or the volatile, bloodthirsty Wrath Divine General among the Eight Divine Generals. The only anecdote Zhang Yuanqing could recall regarding Jealousy Divine General was that he once grew intensely jealous because his neighbor's cat was of a more noble pedigree and looked cuter than his own. Driven by envy, he slaughtered the neighbor's entire household and stole the cat. As for his rank, as one of the Eight Divine Generals, he was undoubtedly a peak Saint-stage Mist Lord. Zhang Yuanqing replied: *"Thank you, Heavenly King! I'll make sure to wipe out these wicked practitioners who commit nothing but evil, carrying out justice on behalf of heaven. What rank is the member sent by Dark Night Rose to New York County? Is their true objective to assist the evil faction, or..."* He wanted to know whether Ling Tuo suspected he was still alive. Demon Eye Heavenly King: *"Ling Tuo is still in a dungeon. Ever since Yuanshi Tianzun died, he entered the Spirit Realm and has not returned to reality. This reinforcement operation was set in motion by Dark Night Rose's Grand Protector, who dispatched a Level 6 Stargazer."* Demon Eye had caught his drift. That meant there was no need to worry about Ling Tuo's schemes in the short term. Yuanshi Tianzun was officially dead, and neither Tongtian Jiaozhu nor Jumang had crossed paths with Dark Night Rose. Ling Tuo couldn't target someone out of thin air and suspect Yuanshi Tianzun had survived. However, if Zhang Yuanqing participated in the hunt against the Dark Night Rose Stargazer, someone of Ling Tuo's status could easily deduce his identity from the river of fate—no, not just easily, inevitably! The moment Ling Tuo emerged from the dungeon would be the moment Zhang Yuanqing was exposed. Fortunately, when a demigod entered a dungeon, they couldn't come out anytime soon. By the time Ling Tuo returned to reality, months or even a year might have passed. And if Zhang Yuanqing happened to be inside a dungeon when Ling Tuo exited, astrological divination wouldn't be able to reach him. The Spirit Realm shielded against divination, prophecy, and star-reading. Thinking rapidly, Zhang Yuanqing bragged about his exploits in the Free Confederation hunting down corrupt figures and criminals to maintain his rapport with Demon Eye Heavenly King. In passing, he inquired about Fear Heavenly King's recent movements and future plans. The evil faction in the First District was waiting for an opportunity. The evil factions were all one family; Fear Heavenly King, as a demigod combatant of the Soldier Master sect, couldn't possibly be in the dark. Regrettably, Fear Heavenly King—a wild spirit who loved nothing more than freedom—had not shared a single scrap of information with Demon Eye Heavenly King. He rarely even stayed with the Soldier Master sect. Finally, Zhang Yuanqing extended an invitation: *"Heavenly King, would you be interested in coming to New York County to eradicate evil?"* Even though Demon Eye Heavenly King was Level 7, his Eye of Deception could effectively weaken demigod-tier powerhouses. Much like Fu Qingyang, he was practically a walking cheat code. If he came to New York County, Zhang Yuanqing felt he could strut about unchecked. *"I have to enter the Spirit Realm soon. I'm close to reaching Level 8. Besides, I don't speak English. I never finished middle school,"* Demon Eye Heavenly King replied. Zhang Yuanqing replied with a hint of disappointment: *"You're a true man of character, Heavenly King. I don't think book learning is worth much either. A real man should follow his heart. The principles in books will never match the truths one grasps firsthand."* He indulged in his customary flattery. *"No! I loved going to school, but my family was ruined when I was in eighth grade,"* Demon Eye replied. *Well, that's awkward...* After chatting for a few more lines, Zhang Yuanqing tossed the phone into the broad Dessen River. *** At four in the afternoon. Guan Ya called him into her office, shut the frosted glass door, and wound up a music box borrowed from Sun Miaomiao, filling the room with a melodious tune. Music could mask the sound of their voices. "The file on the disappearance of the Petrel in 1900!" She opened her computer and clicked on a file. "It contains a detailed account of the incident and the list of missing personnel. This information was classified as top secret back then, but as time passed, its classification was downgraded repeatedly. I managed to get hold of it without spending much. It was classified as top secret primarily to prevent rumors of sea monsters from sparking public panic. Besides, the Holy See took the matter very seriously back then, and the government of the United Commonwealth of Ireland adopted their recommendation to seal the file permanently. Now, even if legends of sea monsters spread, no one would believe them, and the Holy See fell a hundred years ago." Zhang Yuanqing listened while scanning the file. The contents were broadly consistent with what he had witnessed in the dungeon. Shortly after salvaging the "meteorite," the Petrel lost contact with naval headquarters. The naval headquarters of the United Commonwealth of Ireland had dispatched a fleet to search along its route. Yet they found no trace of the Petrel. Without radar or satellites back then, the investigation eventually fizzled out. Naval headquarters categorized the Petrel as missing rather than sunk for two reasons. First, after the Petrel vanished, no further sea monsters appeared in the southern waters of the United Commonwealth of Ireland. Second, subsequent salvage fleets sent by both the Holy See and naval headquarters along the route turned up nothing. Based on these two points, naval headquarters deduced that once salvaged by the Petrel, the meteorite never returned to the seabed. Where it had actually gone, however, remained unknown. When Zhang Yuanqing finished reading the file, Guan Ya spoke up. "There's also an attachment detailing a follow-up to the incident, but it's rather bizarre." "Bizarre?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. Guan Ya explained, "In 1915, during the First World War, a soldier from the United Commonwealth of Ireland saw his father on the battlefield. But his father was supposed to have died in 1900; there was no way he could have appeared on that battlefield. "What's more, he realized his father looked identical to his old photographs, still appearing as young as he had been back then. After the war, he reported this to the Irish government. "Society was in total disarray at the time, and the government was consumed with postwar reconstruction. Nobody paid him any heed; they simply filed the report away, likely intending to look into it later when time permitted." As she spoke, Guan Ya closed the file and opened the attachment. Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept over the document, and his pupils constricted sharply. Guan Ya said softly, "That soldier was named John Simpson, and his father was Stephen Simpson. The Lieutenant Stephen you inhabited didn't die."