Leisurely Bookstore.
“My god, what happened? Where was that explosion?”
Lin Zhen stood at the shop entrance, standing on her tiptoes as she looked toward the East District.
“Meow~”
“Oh! Canned Food! Why are you here? Where’s your owner?”
Lin Zhen was drawn by the meow and noticed Canned Food crouching on the windowsill.
“Meow~”
“You little rascal. Your owner just got your fur groomed, and look at you—your paws are all wet. That money went to waste!”
Lin Zhen took out a handkerchief and patiently wiped Canned Food's paws.
“Xiao Zhen, what’s going on?”
The manager, Mr. Lin, walked out as well. He frowned as he looked toward the East District.
“That direction... isn’t that where the Qi family is?”
“Oh, you’re right!”
Lin Zhen only realized it then. She quickly took out her phone and found Qi Jiang's number in her contacts.
“I need to call Mr. Qi. Even if the explosion wasn't at the Qi family estate, it was very close by.”
“Yes, we should call and ask.”
Mr. Lin nodded. After all, the bookstore made a decent profit just from delivering the University Weekly to Mr. Qi every week.
Ring... ring... ring...
No one answered. The father and daughter looked at each other, and finally, Mr. Lin spoke up.
“Mr. Qi will be fine. It was just a loud noise. There’s no smoke or fire visible from here, so what could have happened?”
“Right, right.”
Lin Zhen nodded repeatedly, holding the clean Canned Food in her arms.
...
“Madman! Madman! Madman!”
“I have to leave. I can't stay in Wang City anymore!”
Zhou Kexin was running frantically toward the station.
Something had happened to the Qi family!
She could guess even with her eyes closed that it must have been that madman's doing!
Otherwise, why would he have made her an inside agent? Why would he have her dig up information on the Qi family?
She just never imagined that the madman would move so quickly.
“Miss, where are you going? Need a lift?”
A taxi stopped in front of Zhou Kexin, forcing her to halt.
As she stopped, she began to calm down.
No, no, I can't leave. That madman did something to my heart. If he finds out I'm running away, he'll definitely char my heart to a crisp!
But what if that madman is dead? Wouldn't I be free then?
Should I risk it?
Damn it! How could that madman possibly be a match for the Qi family? That’s the Qi family!
He might be being tortured by them right now. If I stay here, he’ll definitely give me up!
Even if he doesn't talk, I'm the only outsider who's been in and out of the Qi family lately. Qi Jiang isn't stupid; he’ll definitely suspect me.
“Hey, miss, are you coming or not?”
The taxi driver looked at her speechlessly, wondering if she was actually getting in or just practicing her facial expressions.
Zhou Kexin looked at him, her expression even more conflicted.
“I...”
Buzz... buzz...
Zhou Kexin's phone rang. Her heart tightened when she saw the caller's name.
...
The Qi family.
“Damn, those bastards played it way too hard. I don't know what those bombs were made of, but the power was insane. The hill was flattened. Forget about clues; there’s nothing left.”
“Yeah, not even a single corpse. What are we supposed to investigate?”
“It's been almost an hour, and the only thing we found was a coffin, and it belongs to Old Xia.”
“I heard that coffin was blown into the sky. Otherwise, even that wouldn't be left.”
“Alright, stop complaining. If someone hears you, you’re dead. Old Xia isn't someone to mess with.”
The security officer said proudly, “Are you kidding? Our bureau chief is right here!”
The others laughed upon hearing that.
Their bureau chief might have his flaws, but when it came to protecting his own, he was second to none.
At that moment, their protective bureau chief was standing with Xia Zhiqiu, listening to the Demigod analyze the brand.
“Bureau Chief Wang, it's been half an hour. Haven't you analyzed it yet?”
“What the hell do you know? I'm a Myriad-Slayer, not a damn Jinshi! It’s good enough that I can recognize this as a brand!”
The Demigod addressed as Bureau Chief Wang looked displeased.
“Then find someone to ask! Are you just going to keep guessing?”
“Hey, you brat with the surname Wang, have you gotten a bit big for your boots after being a bureau chief out here for two years? Who do you think you're getting cocky with? Say one more word and see if I don't slap the sense into you!”
“Hehe~”
Wang Dong immediately let out a sheepish laugh.
The Demigod in front of him was his old leader, the Security Bureau Chief of Mang City, Wang Gen!
The reason Wang Dong had been able to break through to Sequence 6 was partly due to his own effort and talent, but also largely due to Wang Gen's guidance.
Otherwise, breaking through to Sequence 6 at his age?
Heh, keep dreaming!
“I’m asking right now. Don't we have to wait for a reply?”
Wang Gen shook his phone. Just then, the other party replied with a voice message and an image.
He pressed play, and a voice spoke.
“I checked for you. That is indeed a Sacrifice incantation, but the origin can no longer be found. There are currently three ways to resolve it.”
“First, return to Central City and use a sealed object from the main bureau.”
“Second, find a transcendent of Sequence 3 or higher.”
“Third, find the person who applied the brand.”
Wang Dong and Xia Zhiqiu remained silent as Wang Gen enlarged the image.
It was a diagram of a sacrifice brand the other party had found in an ancient text. Sure enough, it was identical to the one on Xia Zhiqiu's forehead.
However, there was very little information recorded about the brand below it.
Seeing this, Wang Dong asked curiously, “If even they couldn't find much, how did you know it was a Sacrifice incantation, Bureau Chief? Have you seen it before?”
Wang Gen nodded with a grave expression.
“When?”
“A long, long time ago...”
...
Leisurely Bookstore.
A taxi came to a steady stop.
Zhou Kexin stepped out, her face pale.
She still couldn't figure it out. This madman had just returned from outside the city, so who was responsible for the Qi family incident?
Could it be as she had suspected before—that there was an organization behind him?
Yin Yang got out and paid the fare. He glanced at the dazed Zhou Kexin.
“You're free.”
“I... what?”
Zhou Kexin was stunned, failing to react for a moment.
Yin Yang beckoned with his hand, and a flicker of fire emerged from her chest.
Zhou Kexin let out a muffled groan and instantly felt a weight lift.
“You're free, just as I said before.”
“I... I can really leave?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“If you keep wasting my time, I'll change my mind.”
Upon hearing that, Zhou Kexin turned around and hopped back into the taxi. No one knew what she said to the driver, but the car sped off instantly!
Yin Yang walked into the bookstore.
Ding~
The doorbell rang. Lin Zhen said in surprise, “Xiao Yang? Haven't you finished your shift? Oh, right, you're here for Canned Food, aren't you?”
Yin Yang smiled and shook his head.
“Zhen-jie, I'm here to resign.”
Rate on N.U.
