One of the bolder women reached out, and Yin Yang grasped her hand.
Feeling the warmth of his palm, she realized this was no dream.
Splat!
Behind him, the blade-wielding ghost decapitated the man, silencing his screams. The cellar fell quiet.
“Don't be afraid,” Yin Yang comforted them softly.
The blade-wielding ghost’s blade swept across, shattering the women's handcuffs with perfect precision, not nicking them once.
From the shadows, the lantern-carrying ghost’s massive hand emerged, holding four sets of men's clothing.
Yin Yang smiled. “These are my clothes. You'll have to make do for now.”
The four women hurriedly began to dress. Though terror still filled their eyes, a flicker of hope had been lit.
Yin Yang glanced at the blade-wielding ghost, who nodded and walked out of the cellar.
“Who's there?”
“Ah!!!”
“It's a transcendent!”
“Quick, notify the Protector!”
“Don't kill me, don't kill me!”
By the time Yin Yang led the four women out, the area outside the cellar had become a slaughterhouse.
Yin Yang looked around and asked, “Is it just the four of you?”
The women were dazed by the scene. After a few seconds, the boldest spoke. “There were two others, but they were chosen to accompany guests last night... they haven't come back.”
Yin Yang sensed the area and felt no other life.
He looked toward a corner where thirty-some vengeful spirits of women stood—all victims of torture. They glared at the corpses on the ground with pure malice. A few looked at the four survivors with resentment, their eyes asking why they got to live while the others died.
Yin Yang glanced at a totem on the wall. An old friend: the Shadow Lotus Church.
Logically, the more I use the Traveler's Badge, the greater the danger should become.
But there doesn't seem to be much danger this time?
Yin Yang narrowed his eyes. He knew things couldn't be that simple.
He spread his spirituality to every corner but still found no threat.
This only made him more uneasy.
Using a hint of divinity, he extended his perception outward and discovered they were inside a giant mountain cave. Once he sensed the situation outside, his mouth twitched.
He now knew where the danger was.
The Security Bureau had surrounded the place!
He instinctively reached for the Traveler's Badge but then realized that using it again would only increase the danger he faced. And with the frequency of use being so high, who knew if the difficulty would get a super multiplier?
Yin Yang narrowed his eyes and thought of a simpler way.
...
“Captain, after our investigation and stakeout, we've confirmed this is a Shadow Lotus Church stronghold!”
A young team member was excited; he was the one who had discovered this place.
The captain nodded. “Well done. You'll get the top credit for this!”
“Thank you, Captain!” The young member couldn't hide his excitement, wanting to rush in immediately.
The captain pressed his headset. “All teams, report status.”
“Team One is at the designated location, ready to move!”
“Team Two is at the designated location, setup complete.”
“Team Three ready!”
“Action!”
As they moved up the mountain, the captain became more serious. The further they went, the more solemn his expression became.
“Something's wrong!”
The young member got nervous. “What's wrong, Captain?”
“It's too smooth!” the captain said solemnly. “The Shadow Lotus Church people aren't idiots. How could there be no lookout at all?”
“Maybe they have surveillance?”
“If they had surveillance, they should have rushed out already. Staying in the cave is a dead end.”
The young member nodded, respecting the captain's experience. Now that he mentioned it, it really was strange.
“That's because I took them all out.”
“Who's there!”
The captain, already on edge, drew his gun. The other members did the same. The captain sniffed the air twice and aimed his gun into the cave.
A man in a white uniform walked out. Before getting close, he tossed an ID over.
“Ming Yang, Baleful Star from the Security Headquarters!”
“I'm investigating the Shadow Lotus Church and rescued some hostages while I was at it.”
The captain didn't lower his gun, but his deputy caught the ID and checked it. “It is a Headquarters ID,” he whispered.
The captain didn't lower his gun until a report came through the headset.
“Captain! We've entered through the secret passage. There are only four unconscious hostages. Everyone else is dead!”
The captain finally sighed in relief and had the ID returned to Yin Yang. “Mr. Ming Yang, I apologize for being over-tense. But we're all security officers; I'm sure you understand my situation.”
Yin Yang nodded. “I understand. This is your jurisdiction. Any intel to share?”
The captain shook his head. “We just found out this was a stronghold. Mr. Baleful Star, how did you find this place? Care to share?”
“Of course.”
Yin Yang looked back at the cave. “The Headquarters has been investigating a man in a mask and robe. Based on previous intel, the higher-ups thought he was from the True Knowledge Society.”
The young member nodded; he knew about the wanted poster. But Yin Yang's expression turned grave.
“However, our investigation shows his background is complex. He's linked not just to the True Knowledge Society, but also the Idealist Society and the Shadow Lotus Church!”
“I received word he might come to Mangliang City, so I followed him.”
“I didn't expect to only find a few small fry.”
The captain was still suspicious, but the logic held up.
“Thanks to you, we have zero casualties. But we filed a report before coming here. Now that you've intervened, the paperwork will be difficult.”
“We're all in the Security Bureau. Would you mind coming back with us to cooperate with the process?”
“I don't mind at all,” Yin Yang said with a smile, following them down the mountain.
The captain watched him closely, fearing he might run. Just as they reached the vehicles, a flaming arrow shot down from the mountain peak.
“Dammit! An ambush!”
Yin Yang looked furious and dispersed the flames with a single punch.
Rate on N.U.
