With the nearby supernatural threats cleared, Yue Shi turned his gaze back to the ruins of the milk tea shop.
The strange musical melody still echoed in the surroundings. Yue Shi commanded his ravens to fly into the underground Hive to search, but they were unable to locate the source of the sound.
“Is it all over?” Bai Wanyang’s voice sounded from behind him. He stood up, pressing a hand to his chest as he approached with slightly unsteady steps. His gaze swept over Bai Qingyu’s limbs, which were clearly different from a normal human’s, and paused for a moment.
“Almost,” Yue Shi replied, a hint of surprise flickering in his heart. Bai Wanyang had been seriously injured earlier, yet he was now walking normally, albeit with a weak aura. This recovery power was truly extraordinary.
Bai Wanyang twitched the corner of his mouth, teasing with a smile, “The Bureau only sent us to investigate the Queen Bee’s specific location. Here we are, having wiped out the entire Hive. Does this count as exceeding our quota?”
Yue Shi didn't take the bait, his expression remaining serious. “Did you hear the music?”
Bai Wanyang nodded. “Yeah, is it the music they played in the milk tea shop earlier? I can't believe the player didn't break after such a fierce fight. The quality is really...” He stopped abruptly, realizing something was wrong. “Is there something wrong with the music?!”
“I can't find the source. It’s as if it’s playing out of thin air,” Yue Shi confirmed. “Do you feel any abnormalities in your body after hearing it?”
Bai Wanyang closed his eyes to focus for a moment, then shook his head. “No, it feels like an ordinary melody. No ill effects.”
“Should we start an investigation into this strange music?” Bai Wanyang asked, then immediately reminded him, “This is already outside the scope of our current mission.”
“There’s no need to complicate things unnecessarily,” Yue Shi said decisively. “We aren't in peak condition right now. We’ll just record this and report it truthfully to the Bureau.”
“Agreed. I’m exhausted,” Bai Wanyang said, his voice laced with fatigue.
Yue Shi glanced at the Bee Women scattered everywhere and the massive remains of the Queen Bee. These corpses, which he had drained of their source, had to be cleaned up. He looked at Bai Wanyang.
“There are too many supernatural corpses here to take with us. Leaving them might cause unnecessary trouble. Why don't we destroy them on the spot?”
“Leave it to me.” Bai Wanyang followed the instruction without a second thought. He raised his hand, and a sphere of high-speed rotating blue energy instantly condensed in his palm, which he fired accurately at the corpses of the Queen Bee, the Bee Women, and Bai Qingyu.
A series of violent explosions rang out, and the remains were reduced to flying debris amidst the piercing blue light.
The rain was tapering off, and a thick mist saturated the air, blurring their vision.
Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang turned to walk out of the ruins, only to see a dense crowd of people standing at the perimeter. They seemed to have gathered there long ago, waiting in silence.
“Residents of Peace Alley? Are they here for trouble?” Bai Wanyang’s gaze was unfriendly, and he deliberately raised his voice as he spoke.
The crowd instantly grew restless, like a startled flock of birds, taking a large step back in unison. Clear terror surfaced on many of their faces.
Among the crowd, a thin old man stood out. He wore a loose administrative jacket that made his frame look even more frail. Years had carved deep furrows into his face, and he wore a smile, carrying the characteristic kind and gentle look of the elderly.
A sturdy middle-aged man stood slightly behind the old man, holding an umbrella for him.
Meeting the questioning gazes of Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang, the old man’s smile deepened, and he reached out to applaud the two of them.
Under his lead, the rest of the people around them also began to clap.
This scene left Bai Wanyang full of questions. He instinctively turned his head, asking Yue Shi with his eyes.
“That old man might be the leader of Peace Alley,” Yue Shi said.
As the strange musical melody in the ruins gradually faded, the old man walked toward Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang. “Are you two young friends from the city?”
Yue Shi noticed that several people remained close to the old man at all times. Their waistlines were bulging; they seemed to be hiding firearms, though they hadn't drawn them.
“You’re right, elder. We are indeed from the city,” Bai Wanyang answered, then asked, “May I ask who you are?”
“My surname is Zeng, and my given name is a single character, ‘San.’ I am the master of Peace Alley.”
Without waiting for Yue Shi or Bai Wanyang to respond, Zeng San continued, “On behalf of all of Peace Alley, I thank you both for your assistance.”
“Thanking us for what?” Bai Wanyang was puzzled, but a suspicion was forming in his mind. Could it be...
“You helped Peace Alley remove a time bomb.” Zeng San looked at the ruins behind them.
As expected.
A bit of youthful high spirits appeared on Bai Wanyang’s face, and he acted with feigned modesty. “You mean Sweetness Milk Tea? You must have known for a long time that there was something wrong with that shop, right?”
“Correct,” Zeng San said. “Drinking the milk tea from that shop twists one’s cognition and causes the body to mutate.”
“You never tried to drive them away?” Yue Shi asked.
Zeng San looked helpless. “Don't joke, you two. We are just ordinary people. At most, we could only quietly warn the local residents not to drink the milk tea. If someone wouldn't listen, we didn't dare stop them for fear of provoking the supernatural creatures. It was already a good enough result that those creatures didn't run amok or go on a killing spree here.”
Bai Wanyang nodded in agreement; ordinary people truly had no way to deal with the supernatural.
Yue Shi, however, didn't quite believe it. If the leader of Peace Alley were really just an elderly old man, he would have been eaten alive long ago. He had reason to suspect that Zeng San was also a transcendent.
“You two have done us a great favor. As a token of our gratitude, why don't you stay for a meal?” Zeng San’s smile was kind.
Bai Wanyang was about to refuse, but Yue Shi beat him to it, accepting directly. “Alright.”
Zeng San’s expression stiffened for a split second before he masked it.
Bai Wanyang looked at Yue Shi in confusion and whispered, “Aren't we going back to rest early?”
“There’s still a Zhu Qunqing to deal with,” Yue Shi whispered back.
!!!
He had actually forgotten about that piece of trash!
A shadow of gloom flashed across Bai Wanyang’s face. Wait, was his memory really that bad?
Zeng San turned to give a few instructions to the people behind him. Soon, a brand-new sports car drove up and stopped in front of the group.
Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang got into the car and sat in the back. The streets of Peace Alley were not smooth, and though the driver drove carefully, it was still a bit bumpy.
“I still don't know how to address you two,” Zeng San asked with a smile from the front passenger seat.
“My surname is Bai, Bai Wanyang. This is Yue Shi.”
“So it is Mr. Yue and Mr. Bai.”
Yue Shi suddenly spoke up, “Do you know someone named Zhu Qunqing?”
To Yue Shi’s surprise, Raven's Secret Whispers seemed to have failed on Zeng San.
Zeng San appeared normal as he thought for a few seconds, then shook his head. “I don't know him.”
“Maybe he didn't use his real name.” Yue Shi gave a brief description of Zhu Qunqing’s appearance. “He often wears sunglasses, has red pupils, thick eyebrows, and somewhat thick lips...”
Zeng San still shook his head. “Never seen him. However, I can have someone ask around to see if any outsiders like that have been in Peace Alley recently.”
Rate on N.U.
