Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 504: Chapter 437: How Do You Have So Many Friends

Leaving the encirclement, Yang Xiao opened his phone to find, as he expected, that his calls were almost blowing up his phone. He had just returned a call to the office when Beibei’s call came through. After understanding the situation, he immediately hid nearby, waiting for Beibei and her group to arrive.

In the meantime, he used the Soul-Capturing Mirror to sneak back into the villa to retrieve his backpack from the Mirror World and changed into his own clothes.

Soon after, Beibei and Da Xiong arrived. Yang Xiao spotted them and deliberately took a detour, approaching from a different direction to look as though he had just arrived.

"Captain, where did you go?" Xi Menxiu asked in pursuit.

"You don’t look very well," Beibei remarked, eyeing Yang Xiao’s somewhat pale face suddenly.

Yang Xiao didn’t panic at all because he had already thought of an excuse. With an ill expression, he said, "Don’t mention it. That Human Dog Ghost appeared again. It took a lot of effort to deal with it."

As they were talking, a young woman in black uniform approached. After being introduced by Beibei, Yang Xiao realized she was the deputy captain under Qu Muzhi. She led Yang Xiao and the others to a courtyard not far from the old warehouse where he and another had hidden before.

Once inside, Yang Xiao saw Qu Muzhi again. The blood on the other’s face had been wiped away by now, but it was still obvious that he was injured.

"So this is Captain Qu, I’ve heard so much about you." Yang Xiao greeted him politely.

Qu Muzhi looked at Yang Xiao, sizing him up from head to toe. For an instant, Yang Xiao suspected that the boy recognized him, but soon after, Qu Muzhi nodded as well, "I’ve also heard of Captain Yang’s great reputation. Why did you arrive so late?"

"Captain Qu might not be aware, but I was previously assigned to deal with a supernatural incident at South City Scientists’ Garden, which was also caused by the Resentment Sect," Yang Xiao explained. "But when I retrieved the Resentful Eye and was planning to bring it back to the office, I ran into some trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Qu Muzhi, seemingly in passing.

"Something inside the Resentful Eye showed signs of awakening again, but luckily, I carried special equipment with me," said Yang Xiao, relieved.

After a seemingly casual conversation, they finally got to the main topic. Qu Muzhi brought Yang Xiao to a table with a large map spread on it, marked by regions and numbers. "Captain Yang, I hope you can lead a search in this area," Qu Muzhi pointed out.

Yang Xiao realized the area Qu Muzhi wanted him to search was near the warehouse where he had hidden earlier. He had to admit the young man’s judgment was quite accurate.

"I can do that," Yang Xiao raised his head. "Captain Qu, I came in a hurry, so please fill me in on the details."

"This person is not weak, possessing the strength of a Venerable Level Heretic Cultivator or above, claiming to be a high member of the Resentment Sect named Ming Emperor Ye Xiao. However, I have checked with the office, and we’ve never heard of this name in our current intelligence," explained Qu Muzhi.

"The name sounds very strong. Could it be a hidden assassin cultivated secretly by the Resentment Sect?" Yang Xiao pretended to be cautious.

"I don’t know, but I ask that Captain Yang be careful. This person’s methods are strange, and he held back when fighting me. If he really starts to exert his strength, I’m afraid..." Qu Muzhi intentionally trailed off.

"I’m afraid of what?"

"I’m afraid his strength is not inferior to mine or Captain Yang’s," Qu Muzhi suddenly said.

"He has such strength?" Yang Xiao took a deep breath. He too was an expert at playing dumb; Qu Muzhi’s acting skills were far from those of the Ghost Envoys in the Nightmare World, but this also made him realize how terrifying Qu Muzhi’s instincts were. He clearly already had suspicions about Yang Xiao.

Just when Yang Xiao was about to lead people away, Qu Muzhi suddenly rushed forward a few steps and caught up with Yang Xiao, striking him on the left shoulder without warning.

The move appeared normal but contained a hint of force. Qu Muzhi had severely injured Yang Xiao’s left shoulder before, and this blow made him nearly jump in pain. However, he bore it and when he turned around, his face showed only confusion, "Captain Qu, is there something else?"

"Captain Yang, there is one thing I overlooked and forgot to tell you. That person has two magic artifacts, one is a stick, a short stick, made of a material that is neither gold nor wood, quite unique, which can harm people’s spirits with its attacks. The other, I didn’t see clearly, it looks like a pocket watch. I guess it probably can mark time. By using some medium, he can complete instant movements at marked times."

Yang Xiao was shocked by this revelation and expressed thanks for Qu Muzhi’s reminder. As Yang Xiao and his group left the courtyard, Qu Muzhi, who stayed behind, grew increasingly pensive, "Ming Emperor Ye Xiao... Ye Xiao... Yang Xiao..."

"Captain, what are you saying?" the woman in black asked curiously.

"Contact Chief Huang immediately," Qu Muzhi urged. "Don’t use our Patrol Defense Office’s public line. Call the chief’s private number, ask him to get Captain Yang’s information from the Provincial Office as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the black-clad deputy captain paused, then seemed to realize something, her expression turning to shock, "Captain, do you suspect the person who fought with you before is... him?"

...

The search continued for a long time, until the sky was fully lit, and more than half of Rongcheng’s 14 deputy captains had arrived. Nearly a hundred people searched in a dragnet fashion, yet even so, they allowed the two Evil Cultivators to escape, causing loss of face for the Patrol Defense Office from top to bottom.

Yang Xiao and his team also ceased their search at noon, and Beibei and the others, clamoring for a good sleep, dismissed themselves. The task of reporting back to the office naturally fell on Yang Xiao, as he was the captain and it was his responsibility.

However, upon his return, he was directly taken to the director’s office by Huang Qiang. As soon as the door closed, Nalan Shuo got straight to the point, "Was it you who helped them escape?"

"Uh..." Yang Xiao paused for a moment, then decided to come clean, "Director, this person is my friend, she once saved my life, and she left the Yu Yuan Sect a long time ago. This whole incident was the Yu Yuan Sect’s people framing her."

Having his suspicion confirmed, Nalan Shuo felt a headache coming on, pressing his forehead repeatedly with his hand, "No, why do you have so many friends?"

"It’s probably because I have good character," Yang Xiao muttered quietly.

"The United Federation, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Yang Family from Yun Qi City, those friends are one thing, but now an Evil Cultivator? Just how many friends do I not know about?"

"That’s all, just those, and Director, you are my most honored friend!" Yang Xiao, hearing that the director meant him no hardship, immediately professed his loyalty.

Nalan Shuo sighed and pushed a piece of paper on the table towards Yang Xiao, who adeptly received it with both hands. But upon reading the words, he felt a chill down his spine; it was a document from the Provincial Office, stating that Chief Huang Guochao from the City Center Official Residence had requested his information just 2 hours ago.

Yang Xiao immediately understood; this must have been incited by Qu Muzhi. This guy had tried to probe him multiple times without any slip-ups, and he was insistent on not letting go, which indicated he must have noticed something.

He had been wondering how the director became suspicious of him so quickly after the incident; now it all made sense.

"Qu Muzhi has started to suspect you. This document was personally sent to the Provincial Office by Huang Guochao. According to confidentiality protocols, I wasn’t supposed to know about this document. Luckily, I have friends too." Nalan Shuo crossed his arms, resting them on the desk, "This document didn’t go through the secure line; do you understand what that means?"

"He didn’t want you to find out," Yang Xiao caught on immediately.

"Good that you understand," Nalan Shuo took a deep breath and warned, "You’d better behave yourself during this period and save me some worry."

"I apologize for causing you trouble," Yang Xiao bowed.

"Stay in the office this afternoon and don’t go anywhere. Later on, go see Coach Lu, he has some questions for you." After saying that, Nalan Shuo gestured for Yang Xiao to leave.

Back in his office, Yang Xiao went over all the recent incidents in his mind, ensuring there weren’t any loose ends. Except for Director Nalan, only Wu Zhengwu and Wu Zhe knew about this, and he trusted both of them. Even if they were exposed, at least they would be considered accomplices. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Strictly speaking, the three of them were now tied together; they were truly allies in both offense and defense, and these two wouldn’t betray him.

Besides, there was Fu Qingzhu, his staunch and faithful companion who almost brought people to search for him when he couldn’t be reached.

As for being set up this time, the more Yang Xiao thought about it, the angrier he became. This was Yu Yuan Sect’s trap for him and Tong Han, aiming to use the Patrol Defense Office to eliminate them, killing two birds with one stone.

This matter wasn’t over. He was determined to settle the score with Yu Yuan Sect. He had already received a message from Wu Zhe that Tong Han had been sent out of the city before dawn. Using the phone number Wu Zhe gave him, he contacted Tong Han, who told him that as soon as she was safe, she immediately informed Mo Daidai about Yu Yuan Sect breaking their promise.

Mo Daidai, after hearing it, didn’t say much but assured that she would make things right. A promise was a promise, and no one was allowed to break it.

Yang Xiao also inquired whether Mo Daidai might be behind this incident, but Tong Han firmly denied it, with simple logic: If Mo Daidai had wanted to harm them, he would have acted during the time they were unconscious after emerging from the Mirror World.

Yang Xiao told her to rest easy. He had already arranged for Fu Qingzhu to send a reliable person to the outskirts of the city, and as soon as the situation settled, they would take her to another place to live.

"You need to be careful, too. The Resentment Sect killing me is a sham; they are really looking to eliminate you using this opportunity," Tong Han saw through the ruse, "I am just an expendable pawn to them, but you are different, you have something they’ve always wanted."

"Don’t worry, I’ll be careful," Yang Xiao assured her.

Yang Xiao was so tired in the afternoon that he took a nap in the office. When he woke up, dusk was approaching, and it was time for dinner. As usual, the food was good; Yang Xiao devoured six soy sauce chicken legs back to back, then continued to stay in his office.

At 9 o’clock, his phone vibrated once.