Chapter 403 - Track
Normal World 341, ancient world, Kunpeng County.
"Mn~ ah!" Huo Ling muttered as he inhaled, then exhaled the fresh and unpolluted air when they arrived in the Special World. "Nothing beats a pure environment! I love this world!" he said, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he looked around the area, watching the carriages pulled by the galloping horses briskly walking past them. "Although the cars are time- and energy-efficient, but the smoke they exhaust is unfriendly to the environment – humans- and nature-wise!" he spoke in a rightful tone when he remembered the Abnormal World 9999.
Although the fuel of the cars in the Abnormal World 9999 has been changed to be environment-friendly later, but it still can't be compared to a natural fresh and pure air of the ancient era before the technology was further developed.
Yi Bing placed a palm on his forehead, feeling an incoming headache. "Huo-gongz… young master Huo.1" He called in a polite but strained voice.
He looked at Huo Ling who was running around, looking at everything around them with great marvel.
Since they are in an ancient world, Huo Ling is wearing traditional clothes like Yi Bing.. They also wore wigs to match the long hair of the people of this era. There is also a tassel attached to their waistbands.
Yi Bing stared at Huo Ling and watched as the other turned to face him with a bright smile on his face. Suddenly, Huo Ling's appearance overlapped someone's figure in his mind. He immediately shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Please be… careful while running a… round…" he spoke in a low voice. His facial muscles are also twitching as he looked at Huo Ling laughing, looking so stupid.
"Hahahahaha. There also is a day like this for you." A voice spoke behind them.
Yi Bing and Huo Ling turned and saw two people whose faces looked similar to each other are walking towards them. If not for the difference of their physique, they would mistake them as twins.
"Shi Jiu." Yi Bing spoke, looking at the older man of the two who is grinning after he laughed at Yi Bing.
Shi Jiu, code 0019. From his code, he is one of the earliest grim reapers. He is the non-assignment grim reaper that noticed the disappearance of the souls in this world while using Anji Li whom Sha Jiu let him borrow for beta testing of its new function. Shi Jiu noticed the disappearance because he is clearly observing the souls. He is observing the souls because he is a Sweeper – a name for someone who works in the Collection Department. Of course, the 'collection' here isn't referring to money, but to the souls.
Supposedly, there shouldn't be any soul they were collecting in this world, since Normal World 341 has an internal reincarnation. But, as Shi Jiu was working his job, a soul slipped out of his net. He tracked the said soul, and that is why he came here. Because of it, he coincidentally noticed the anomaly in this world. Since he hasn't caught the escaped soul yet, he came here again, but now with them.
Compared to the carefree Shi Jiu, the one with him looks nervous and timid.
"Greetings, senior Yi. Senior Huo!" Jiu Ye spoke.
Jiu Ye, code 9910, a junior grim reaper. Yi Bing met him in the Pathway of the Clouds after he, along with his fellow junior grim reapers, sent the souls, who are their assignments, off to their next reincarnation. He remembered that he also met Jiu Ye back then in one of the worlds where he was accompanying Huo Ling before.
As to why Jiu Ye is here with them, it is because, surprisingly, he is Shi Jiu's younger brother. Yes – them brothers met in the afterlife. Jiu Ye's real name is Qian Jiu while Shi Jiu's real name is Qian Shi. Coincidentally, they both have 'jiu1' in their codes when they became grim reapers. Shi Jiu urged his younger brother to transfer to the Collections Department and dragged him here in this world to test Jiu Ye's skills, and to become a laborer for Yi Bing and Huo Ling in the process.
Yi Bing and Huo Ling don't know whether to feel happy or sad for Jiu Ye to meet his elder brother in the afterlife. But, it's not their business. A family affair, even in the afterlife, would still be a family affair, since only their family can resolve their attachment, if there is.
"While I was tracking down that soul with Anji Li, I noticed the suspicious movements in this place." Shi Jiu spoke, his face turning serious to start their business. "The soul I am tracking down suddenly changed its tracks and flew here. So…" he looked at Yi Bing, his gaze speaks volume.
Yi Bing froze. Then, he looked at Huo Ling and their gazes spoke. Either the soul noticed something in this place and it flew here, or it was forced to flew here. If it was the former, then, is there something special in this place? What is it? But, if it is the latter… there must definitely be something in here, and, it isn't special but strange. It might be related to the disappearance of the souls.
Seeing Yi Bing understood his meaning, Shi Jiu continued, ignoring his younger brother's baffled expression. Jiu Ye's mind can't keep up with their thoughts.
"When I arrived in this county, I suddenly lost track of it." Shi Jiu frowned. He looked at the miniature doll on Jiu Ye's hand that looked like Anji Li, except that the doll is wearing female ancient clothes like them. "Even Anji Li can't sense where the soul has gone to." He told them.
Anji Li's new function is to capture the soul while Shi Jiu stores it in another device for the grim reapers. Anji Li's soul tracker function has also been upgraded that, no matter how weak the soul it, it now has a better sensor for it and mark it down on its digital map. And, once it has already marked the soul on its map, the mark on the map wouldn't disappear as long as Anji Li could sense it. Anji Li, to say, works like a GPS for the souls.
But, Anji Li lost the soul Shi Jiu has been tracking down. For even a device from the future like Anji Li to be unable to sense a soul in this era, it could be said that there is something in this country that is terrifying.
"No matter how strong the dragon is, it still couldn't beat a local snake." Yi Bing said, referring to Anji Li as the dragon and that something unknown as the local snake.
Shi Jiu nodded in agreement. Not to mention this is a Special World, that something unknown must definitely be stronger than Anji Li, or that, because it's in this world, it became stronger than Anji Li, overpowering Anji Li's sensor tracker.
"Gege1~" a milky voice of a little girl spoke behind them.
They turned and saw she's standing beside Jiu Ye, tugging Jiu Ye's wide sleeves.
"Gege~ that doll is very beautiful. Can I have it?" the little girl spoke cutely. Her ponytails are waving as she hopped around Jiu Ye when she saw Jiu Ye was looking at her.
"Uhm…" Jiu Ye was more at a loss. He helplessly smiled at the little girl before he turned to them, asking for help.
"Gege~?" the little girl called and tilted her head when she didn't hear Jiu Ye answered.
"I'm sorry! Please excuse us!" a middle-aged woman spoke and picked up the little girl when she saw her bothering a group of young men. Not only do they look very handsome, but they also looked wealthy.
Who are they? She thought and warily looked at Yi Bing, Huo Ling, Shi Jiu and Jiu Ye. She doesn't recognize any of them.
Yi Bing, the leader of the group, turned. "It's fine." He spoke, making his voice sound softer when he saw the woman's wary look.
"Ne. I want that doll~" the little girl spoke and pointed the doll in Jiu Ye's hand.
Jiu Ye's expression turned conscious when everyone turned to him. He felt his hand holding the doll is burning when he also saw the passersby were looking at him with a strange look. His face burned in embarrassment.
"Little miss. You can't. It's not yours." The woman told the little girl. "I'm sorry she bothered you…" she told them and bowed.
Yi Bing looked at the little girl, then the mini Anji Li in Jiu Ye's hand. "It's alright." He said. Before any of them could react, he took the doll from Jiu Ye's hand. "She can have it." he said and gave the doll to the little girl.
The little girl's face brightened while the woman was surprised. "This…" the woman spoke, hesitating whether to return the doll to them or accept it.
Meanwhile, the little girl giggled as she played the mini Anji Li. "Gege~ thank you~!" she told them and grinned.
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