Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 187: Fear
The truth came to light, and with the misunderstanding cleared up, Yang Xiao felt apologetic as he helped Fu Qingzhu to his feet, the man’s face bruised and swollen. "Fu, are you okay?"
"Hiss—" Fu Qingzhu clutched his arm, gasping with pain, "Don’t... don’t touch, it’s broken!"
"It’s really broken?" Beibei panicked and was about to step forward to check. She swore to heaven she had only used 90% of her strength—how was she to know Evil Cultivators were so weak.
As Beibei approached, Fu Qingzhu repeatedly backed away, fiercely waving his good arm, "Don’t come here! Stay away from me!"
Beibei: "...Alright, alright."
Seeing his subordinates either being carried away or knocked unconscious, Fu Qingzhu was actually the best off among them, whereas the other party had almost no injuries. Even Chairman Wu’s old face couldn’t stand it; he thumped his cane heavily on the ground, furious with their lack of fighting spirit, "Look at yourselves! They didn’t even go all out because of unclear intelligence. If you had truly faced a Great Heretic Cultivator today, I’m afraid I’d be collecting your corpses!"
"Chairman, Evil Cultivators don’t use stun guns either!" A man with his head wrapped like a zongzi pointed at Xi Menxiu and complained.
"Shut up, do you want to embarrass us even more?"
At that moment, a woman covered with a white cloth over most of her body was carried down by the medical staff who had arrived, and as she passed by the crowd, a burnt smell wafted through the air.
"Oh dear, Chairman Wu, let’s not stoop to the level of the junior members. It was just a misunderstanding that has been cleared up," Director Nalan reassured with a chuckle.
Police were maintaining order nearby, and since no guns were fired during the altercation, the bystanders passing by took it as a common fight.
After the situation was clarified, everyone dispersed, and Yang Xiao and Fu Qingzhu exchanged contact details. But just as Nalan Shuo was about to step outside the door, he halted, turned his head, and chuckled at Chairman Wu, "Next time something like this happens, give me a heads up in advance, Chairman Wu. After all, we are a higher authority. Look at this mess; it doesn’t look good on either of us."
On the way back, Yang Xiao and others shared a car with Beibei driving. Yang Xiao couldn’t help being curious, "Who is this Chairman Wu, and why are they interested in Evil Cultivators?"
"He is the Vice Chairman of the Rongcheng Apostles’ Union. The Apostles Union is a place where Apostles stick together for warmth. It contains various gangs both big and small, as well as some individuals. The Union is responsible for their overall management to prevent any disturbances," Beibei explained.
"They are a semi-official alliance, theoretically under the jurisdiction of the Patrol Defense Bureau, but over the years, as the Union has grown, their influence has increased. Take today’s incident, for instance; by rule, they should have notified us first."
Hearing this, Yang Xiao nodded in understanding, "No wonder the Director was unhappy."
Xi Menxiu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and two stun guns tucked at his waist, narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "That’s why I say, today we not only crushed their spirit but also stood up for the Director. Despite our heavy-handed approach, I guarantee that once we’re back, not only will the Director not reprimand us, but he’ll also reward us."
Beibei glanced at him sidelong, "Put out that cigarette, have some decency!"
"Hey, Huang Beibei, don’t push it too far. I’m just sucking on it to satisfy a craving. I didn’t even light it!" Xi Menxiu retorted coldly.
Yu Shu, head down, fiddled with a tablet on the passenger seat. Shortly, new information came through. He turned around, passed the tablet to Yang Xiao, which displayed Fu Qingzhu’s profile.
It wasn’t very detailed, indicating that Fu Qingzhu’s real identity was that of a butler in the United Federation, not in charge of combat but more of a behind-the-scenes player.
"No wonder his skills were so poor; he’s actually a strategist," pondered Beibei.
Xi Menxiu had an epiphany, "A strategist? Doesn’t that make him similar to me?"
Yu Shu lowered his head, took out his phone, and after a few taps, flipped it over to show Xi Menxiu the screen, which displayed a picture of a hand squeezing shut a dog’s mouth.
"Shut your dog mouth, hahaha!" Zhuge Zhijie and Xi Menxiu were always at odds, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that moment.
Xi Menxiu clutched his chest, feigning heartache, "Yu Shu, my heart toward you is true, and yet you treat me so. Brother’s heart is in pain!"
Indeed, just as Xi Menxiu had said, after returning to the Bureau, Nalan Shuo convened a meeting. He went through the motions of criticizing them for a bit, then praised that despite not meeting the set objective, he saw the entire team working with one heart, standing together against the enemy. Therefore, on behalf of the Patrol Defense Bureau, he awarded each team member 10,000 yuan, with Yang Xiao and Beibei receiving 20,000 each for their outstanding performance.
"Thank you for your cultivation, Director!" Yang Xiao stepped forward and saluted formally.
"Ah~~, don’t say that, you should thank the country, thank the organization," Nalan Shuo corrected, yet the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up.
"Understood! My loyalty to the country shines like the sun and the moon, and my life is committed to the state’s welfare. Why would I avoid fortune or misfortune..."
Before Yang Xiao could finish expressing his resolve, Nalan Shuo interrupted him with a gesture, "That’s enough, now take the money and vanish." freewebnovёl.ƈom
Back in the office, Beibei and the others ungratefully took their money and went out to splurge, leaving Yang Xiao, the beleaguered captain, on duty.
After a simple meal, Yang Xiao opened his computer. He still had things to do. Every team member who left the Nightmare World needed to write down their experiences in as much detail as possible, leave a record for headquarters, and provide references for those who might encounter similar nightmares in the future.
He had asked Fu Qingzhu before, and as expected, he had obtained that Resentful Eye this time.
In terms of contributions for this mission, he and Fu Qingzhu were neck and neck, but in the end, the Resentful Eye chose Fu Qingzhu as its master. Yang Xiao guessed this must be related to the experience in the ambulance at the beginning of the mission. If it weren’t for Fu Qingzhu’s help, his chances of survival would have been very slim.
As a qualified scriptwriter for murder mystery games, Yang Xiao had a natural talent for storytelling. Without impacting the overall plot, he tried to portray himself as a beacon of justice and righteousness, pushing all the underhanded scheming onto his deceased teammates, creating a situation where the dead couldn’t testify.
After work, Yang Xiao found a nice restaurant, enjoyed a good meal, and then strolled back to the apartment he rented.
After washing up, Yang Xiao slumped onto the bed. Even though only one day had passed in reality, he had spent a whole five days in the Nightmare World.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone suddenly rang. He stumbled out of bed, walked to the desk, and picked up the phone. It was Ms. Wen calling, the secretary to Director Nalan, who first inquired about Yang Xiao’s health and then cheerfully informed him that he would have a week off starting tomorrow, advising him to rest well.
She didn’t forget to mention that this was Director Nalan’s decision, and not just for Yang Xiao; Beibei and the others as well.
"Thank you, Director Nalan, thank you, Ms. Wen, but if we’re all on vacation, who will stand watch?" Yang Xiao valued his job highly—it was his life, to be honest.
"Don’t worry about that. You and Yu Shu take your time to rest. I will make sure Beibei and the others take turns on duty every day," said Ms. Wen with a pleasant and gentle voice, neither hurried nor slow, always carrying a sense of kindness.
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Ms. Wen."
"There’s one more thing, though you’re on vacation, you must not leave Rongcheng, and make sure your communication is open," Ms. Wen reminded.
"Okay, I understand!"
"Then, I won’t disturb you further, Captain Yang. Rest well, and have a pleasant holiday."
After hanging up the phone, Yang Xiao let out a long sigh of relief. Indeed, after being through so much, he hadn’t had a proper relaxation.
But recalling the incident in the café today, Yang Xiao’s slightly relaxed body tensed up again.
No, it wasn’t time to relax yet. Today, if it hadn’t been for Beibei and the others, if he and Fu Qingzhu had faced off alone, he probably wouldn’t have been able to compete.
What was most critical was that, in Beibei’s eyes, Fu Qingzhu was just an amateur.
Conspiring and scheming might suffice for now, but his physical strength was far too inferior; he had to enhance his power as soon as possible.
Not just in hand-to-hand combat, but firearms and special equipment training as well. As the team leader, he couldn’t afford to drag his team down.
Lost in thought, Yang Xiao’s gaze shifted to the desk. He opened his backpack and took out bundles of cash, but at that moment, Yang Xiao didn’t care much about it, not until he took out a neatly folded Drama Robe from the bottom.
The Drama Robe looked as it always did; its bright red color was piercing to the eye. On the lower right side, there was an embroidery of a very small, green lantern.
The lantern was delicately made, the very same one that the ghost child had been holding. Lifting one corner of the Drama Robe and flipping it to reveal the Nether Garment side, there was nothing behind the lantern design. The corresponding position was right where the piece of paper money had disappeared from the Nether Garment.
Everything was as before, which somewhat relieved Yang Xiao. Although the robe was extremely dangerous, it was undeniably useful, aiding him several times in turning danger into safety. It was his greatest reliance at the current stage.
However, he was well aware that there is no such thing as a free lunch. This item would probably bring him a disaster in the future.
Director Nalan had once commented that this thing was somewhat sinister.
Later, based on various phenomena, Yang Xiao speculated that it could be a relic left by a Great Heretic Cultivator. Director Nalan had also promised to help him find clues about the garment’s previous owner, but there had been no news so far.
While pondering, Yang Xiao’s fingers unconsciously stroked the Drama Robe. Suddenly, he shuddered violently; the Drama Robe, like a liquid, slipped from his fingertips to the ground.
Yang Xiao retreated quickly until his back was against the wall, staring at the Drama Robe on the floor with a frightened gaze. The Drama Robe remained motionless, but waves of shock rose in Yang Xiao’s heart. Just now... just now his fingers inadvertently touched the robe, but suddenly the texture felt wrong—it became icy and cold, increasingly smooth and delicate, as if... as if it were a woman’s skin!
Moreover, it was like the skin of a young woman who had been dead for a long time, whose corpse hadn’t decayed!
Gasping for air, a cold sweat dripped down Yang Xiao’s temples. He stared fixedly at the bright red Drama Robe, even hearing his own heartbeat intensify. Pain flickered through his mind as fragmented images began to piece together, until at last, they formed a vague image of a Big Red Blood Coffin.
