Chapter 32: Qian Family Village (2)

"Old Sun, do you think those monsters emerging now could bring our child back?" Lying on the bed, Mrs. Sun stared at the ceiling, her face sorrowful under the moonlight, her eyes filled with grief. Yet, in this moment, a trace of hope shimmered within them.

"...No, they can't. The official reports say that once a person becomes a monster, they're completely devoid of consciousness. They're just killing machines, and we're nothing more than their favorite food," Sun Ming replied to his wife after a long silence.

He, too, had considered using the power of these creatures to save their son. But even if he succeeded, what returned would no longer be his child, but a monster.

Neither of them noticed the translucent humanoid figure, about three feet tall, hovering right above their heads. Its arms, each over a meter long, were tightly coiled around their foreheads, squeezing relentlessly. Yet, the couple felt nothing as tendrils of dark mist swirled around their bodies.

A sinister grin spread across the specter's face; the negative emotions born of their grief were a feast it relished. When the dark mist finally drove them to lose control of their emotions, the resulting outburst would be the most delectable nourishment imaginable.

"Woo... My poor child! Your life was so bitter..." As the dark mist lingered, Mrs. Sun was overwhelmed by sorrow and curled up on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Hearing her cries, Sun Ming's expression grew even darker, the rims of his eyes reddening. He pulled out his phone and dialed an old friend's number.

[If I can't touch you in the agency, then go die among the monsters.]

As Sun Ming raised his phone, the specter's hands, still entwined around his forehead, were suddenly sucked into the phone at lightning speed. Having only just transformed into a ghost, Sun Lang lacked the strange powers to resist the electromagnetic pull of the device. Trapped inside the phone, he could still feed off the surrounding negative energy.

After his call, Sun Ming had already asked his old friend to assign Wu Zui a mission from which there was no return, making sure he would die in the process.

[Wu Zui, Xiao Keai—you can both go to the grave with my son!]

That was his only thought. He hadn't told his friend to send Xiao Keai as well; he knew his friend wouldn't agree to that. If someone deliberately orchestrated the death of Xiao Anguo's daughter, everyone knew the consequences. But judging by the way Xiao Keai clung to Wu Zui, he was certain she'd follow him regardless.

As for Xiao Anguo's revenge? What of it! Sun Ming, gripped by rage and the ghost's influence, couldn't care less. All he wanted was to see those two wretches buried with his child.

As Sun Ming's emotions surged, black mist streamed from his head into the phone at his side, and Sun Lang's power slowly grew.

Dawn the next day.

The weather was gloomy, the sun completely hidden behind heavy clouds, as if warning that the day would be anything but peaceful.

Wu Zui woke with a yawn in the guest room, dressed, and made his way to the dining room. Xiao Keai was already there, having bought breakfast and begun eating.

"Good morning, Master! Try the fresh soy milk and pan-fried buns," she said, pushing the food toward Wu Zui.

They began their breakfast. True to her nature as a foodie, Xiao Keai had found a place with much tastier fare than Wu Zui's usual spot.

Ping—

Wu Zui's phone chimed. It was a mission from the Monster Response Center.

Mission location: Qianjia Village, Binhai City

Expected monster type: Ghost Spirit

Ghost Spirit name: Unknown

Estimated threat: Three stars

Mission summary: Last night, a family in Qianjia Village—three adults and three children—were all found dead. The household had held a funeral in their courtyard the previous day, following the death of their daughter-in-law. According to the informant, all six died of asphyxiation, likely caused by the daughter-in-law manifesting as a Ghost Spirit.

Wu Zui frowned deeply. There was something off about this mission.

He had only just awakened his abilities, and while they were unique, the Monster Response Center couldn't possibly know that—nor would Xiao Anguo tell them. As for the incident at Binhai No. 1 High, they didn't know the specifics, and had no idea that when Wu Zui handled it, the anomaly was already a three-star threat.

So why assign a three-star Ghost Spirit mission to him? Who made this decision? Why send him, of all people, against a newly emerged three-star monster?

Meanwhile, Xiao Keai stared at her phone, waiting for her own assignment.

[Why isn't it ringing yet?] She gave her phone a vigorous shake, wondering if it was broken.

"Disciple, can you access the Monster Response Center's main server?" Wu Zui decided to check who'd assigned him this mission. If it was just due to a shortage of capable agents at the provincial level, fine. But if someone was targeting him, he'd need to be cautious.

His prime suspect was Sun Ming—after all, the director had just lost his child and had been driven half mad on the phone. Retaliation would be understandable, but Wu Zui wasn't about to let it go.

[A madman like that could do anything.]

"It's... challenging. I can look up records, but altering data is risky," Xiao Keai replied after considering.

The main server was certainly in Yanjing, swarming with experts. Even as a top-tier hacker, Xiao Keai wasn't sure she could breach their defenses undetected.

"No need to change anything, I just want to see who assigned the mission to me. I suspect Sun Ming's trying to set me up."

Wu Zui shook his head. Tampering with missions was both tasteless and unnecessary. He'd long wanted to see what a three-star Ghost Spirit was capable of—after the last vengeful spirit escaped, he hadn't encountered another. He was curious what new abilities a three-star might possess.

"That makes it easier. Give me a moment." Xiao Keai pulled her laptop from her backpack and began typing. Lines of code, unintelligible to Wu Zui, scrolled rapidly across the screen.

Time passed.

"Done, Master!" With a final keystroke, the program ran. The black screen shifted to reveal the Monster Response Center's backend database.

Qianjia Village, Binhai City, Three-Star Ghost Spirit Mission.

Assigned agent: Wu Zui

Mission dispatcher: Yan Heng

"Is this Yan Heng close to Sun Ming?" Wu Zui asked, pointing at the dispatcher's name.

"I'll check!" Xiao Keai closed the database and started searching the internal agency network.

"Master, they were classmates at the academy. Sun Ming is now with the provincial bureau, Yan Heng was transferred to the Monster Response Center," she noted.

"So it really is aimed at me..." Wu Zui began, but Xiao Keai interrupted, brimming with enthusiasm, "Master, I want to go to Qianjia Village too—let's go together!"

Wu Zui glanced at the mist above her head... unchanged.

"Fine! But don't stray too far from me. Sun Ming was furious yesterday, so this Ghost Spirit mission is clearly his revenge. It won't be easy—we need to stay alert."

Seeing the mist above Xiao Keai's head remained stable, Wu Zui agreed.

"OK!" she replied, flashing an "OK" sign and happily gathering her things.

[Three stars? I'll bring all my portable magnetic field generators. If things go south, we run! I'm brilliant!]

Ping—

Ping—

Both their phones chimed at once: their assigned vehicles had arrived at the agency's entrance, ready for pickup.

"Master, my car's here! What about yours?" Xiao Keai called as she packed.

"Mine too. Let's go pick them up," Wu Zui replied, glancing at the terrain map of Qianjia Village on his phone.

Soon, they headed downstairs, ready to drive straight to the village. At the agency entrance, two black SUVs—unmarked and brandless—waited for them.

The chassis was high, but the vehicles were cramped, with room for only two passengers and perhaps one more in the trunk.

A man stepped down from the delivery truck and said, "You must be Xiao Keai and Wu Zui. These are your assigned vehicles, complete with manuals. The body panels are made from a blend of lodestone, gold, and other metals—while inside, you'll be shielded from supernatural interference while driving! If there are no questions, please sign to confirm receipt."

"That's incredible!" Xiao Keai exclaimed. With gold and lodestone both at record prices, just the materials for one of these vehicles were worth as much as a 200-square-meter apartment in downtown Binhai.

After signing, the man drove off in his truck.

"Let's go, Master! Ride with me—I want to see how she handles!" Xiao Keai said, running her hands over the car with excitement.

"Alright, but drive carefully!" Wu Zui reminded her, knowing her penchant for speeding.

"Got it!"

If Lin Feng had heard Wu Zui's admonition, he'd have protested—How can you say that, when you get more traffic tickets in a month than anyone? Don't you know your own record?

Once Wu Zui parked his own car in the agency garage, they set off for Qianjia Village.

Soon, an unmarked black SUV was speeding down the highway. After leaving the main road for a dirt track, they soon saw the village entrance in the distance.

The houses flanking the dirt road were old wooden bungalows, steeped in history. Further in stood concrete structures, but the small three-story villas common in other villages were nowhere to be seen.

"Wait—don't go in yet," Wu Zui suddenly said.

Screech—