Chapter 307: Chapter 266: The Grey Shadow
The fish didn’t die, but it might as well have if it had the choice, Yang Xiao thought it would definitely have chosen suicide.
Next, Yang Xiao dealt a dark hand to the remaining fish and the two pigeons until he had completely mastered the use of the Ghost Duster.
It seemed that no matter which Resentful Eye was used, the cost appeared to be supported by one’s own mental strength, and every time he swung the horsetail whisk, Yang Xiao felt a sharp pain in his mind.
He decided to buy some brain-nourishing health supplements to eat after he got back.
Fortunately, Yang Xiao was just probing and exploring; it seemed that as long as he didn’t use the Resentful Eye ability to directly attack people or ghosts, the consumption remained within a controllable range. He knew from experience that the last time he used the Green Lantern and Ming Paper Money against the Little Holy Spirit White-Robed Mother, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
Returning to the real world, Yang Xiao packed up his backpack and knocked on Xi Menxiu’s room door. He found an excuse to take a nap in her bed, and with Xi Menxiu and Zhuge Zhijie watching over him during the daytime, he felt relatively at ease.
He slept until the evening, and it was still Xi Menxiu who woke him up, "Captain, wake up, there’s a message!"
"Secretary Meng has been found," Xi Menxiu hurriedly said.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao instantly woke up, "Found her, where is she?" There definitely had to be something they could dig up from Secretary Meng.
"Dead," Xi Menxiu sighed and lowered her voice, "The body was found in a small hotel on the west side of the city, carbon monoxide suicide, doors and windows were sealed with tape, and after examination, there were no traces of anyone else at the scene. There was also a suicide note found near the body."
Yang Xiao frowned, "What did the suicide note say?"
"She said she chose this path because of the great pressure from investment failures and didn’t want to burden her family. She advised others not to follow her example," Xi Menxiu said disdainfully, "But upon verification, she only lost a couple hundred thousand in the stock market, and she owns three residential properties in Qingfeng City alone."
Zhuge Zhijie moved the computer screen towards Yang Xiao and also spoke up, "The investigation report sent here says that in Secretary Meng’s home, as well as her office, they found secret documents that she shouldn’t have had access to at her level of clearance—dozens of them, one of which is about you, Captain."
"She had been investigating you in private and just after receiving the news that our Lin’an Patrol Bureau would cooperate in the investigation, she knew why you came here. From the current clues, it seems it was she who leaked our information," Zhuge Zhijie explained.
"Nonsense!" Yang Xiao almost laughed in anger, "How could a little secretary from a county-level Patrol Defense Bureau have such capabilities? She’s just a scapegoat."
It was obviously the case, including Secretary Meng’s death, which Yang Xiao wasn’t surprised by at all. If he managed to return alive, he was bound to push for a thorough investigation by the Patrol Defense Office, and Secretary Meng, who was implicated, would be the first to be addressed. She either had to flee out of fear of the crime or was silenced.
Secretary Meng must have had a superior. With just her alone, she wouldn’t have been able to manage this affair. And to avoid the exposure from further investigation, her superiors pushed her to the front as the scapegoat.
Although Yang Xiao was confident in his analysis, after all, this was someone else’s territory, and what he said didn’t count, "Does Director Nalan know about this?"
Xi Menxiu nodded, "Yes."
"What does the Director think?"
"He told us to stay put for now. Don’t startle them; wait until we get back. Everything will be discussed once we’re safely home," Xi Menxiu relayed.
Yang Xiao took a deep breath and nodded, "Let’s follow Director Nalan’s instructions. We’ll sort everything out after we return."
Being calculated against in this way was not something Yang Xiao could easily swallow, especially since the Yu Yuan Sect would likely know by now that it was he who took the Resentful Eye. Their grudge was well established.
Seeing that Yang Xiao’s expression was not good, Xi Menxiu advised, "Captain, don’t worry too much, Director Nalan has already found some clues, and they’re currently deploying resources."
"Clues?" Yang Xiao was somewhat surprised.
"Yes," Xi Menxiu said, feigning mystery, "Captain, you forgot why Director Nalan didn’t let Beibei and Da Xiong accompany us when we came out."
"Director Nalan has other tasks for them. There’s news that evil cultivators have recently infiltrated Rongcheng," Yang Xiao immediately realized. The so-called evil cultivators could very well be from the Yu Yuan Sect.
Xi Menxiu nodded with a wry smile, "Captain, you’re not very lucky. If it’s really them, and based on the current intelligence, they are very likely targeting you."
"However, it’s fortunate that you didn’t get the Resentful Eye, so there’s no need for the Yu Yuan Sect to take us head-on, after all, our Patrol Defense Bureau isn’t one to be trifled with."
"How much longer until reinforcements arrive?" Yang Xiao looked out of the window. Even though the curtains were drawn, he could faintly see that it was getting dark outside.
"We ran into a little accident on the road, and it’ll be a few hours later than the agreed time," Zhuge Zhijie checked the time on the computer and calculated, "They should arrive around midnight."
"Did they encounter an attack?" Yang Xiao felt increasingly uneasy.
"No, there was a series of traffic accidents on a road. It’s heavily jammed, so they need to take a detour," Zhuge Zhijie answered.
Maybe it was because he had seen too many conspiracy theories, but Yang Xiao suspected that the traffic accidents were orchestrated by the evil cultivators, aiming to delay time.
"Is there any news from the Qingfeng Patrol Office?" Yang Xiao asked, "Did they say anything about arranging more security for us?"
"They did, but I declined. It’s better not to stir up trouble at this critical moment," Xi Menxiu said with a more serious look on his face.
"Good job. But remember to wake me up next time something like this happens," Xi Menxiu was quick-witted, but Yang Xiao preferred to make his own decisions.
Hearing this, both Xi Menxiu and Zhuge Zhijie looked at Yang Xiao with a strange expression. In the end, it was Zhuge Zhijie who spoke up, expressing doubt, "Captain, we did call you, but you woke up angry and didn’t even give us a good look. You just turned around and went back to sleep."
Yang Xiao was startled, "When did that happen? I don’t remember it at all?"
Zhuge Zhijie thought about the time and recalled, "It was around... probably a little after 3 p.m., more than an hour ago."
He wasn’t lying to them; Yang Xiao truly had no recollection. He only remembered waking up just now, so he cautiously asked, "Did anything seem off after I woke up?"
Xi Menxiu chuckled and said, "Not really, Captain, don’t take it to heart. You were just groggy with sleep, and it’s fine to be a bit grumpy. We’re brothers; there’s no hard feelings."
But Zhuge Zhijie scratched his head and recalled, "Besides being a bit moody, your complexion also looked pretty bad, ashen and all. Xi Menxiu even whispered that you must be overworked and having kidney issues."
Hearing this, Xi Menxiu angrily said, "Zhuge cad! You’re the one spreading rumors; it was you who said the Captain was having kidney problems!"
Yang Xiao paid no mind to their bickering, as a strong sense of panic overwhelmed him. In a daze, he recalled the grey silhouette he had inadvertently seen in the copper mirror that bore a resemblance to his own figure.
Could it be... there’s something else in the Mirror World.
