Chapter 82: Kidnapping
Xie Lingxi settled onto the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows and took the phone from her assistant. "Last night? Does it have something to do with the Xiahou family?"
The female assistant shook her head. "It's about Yuanshi Tianzun."
Xie Lingxi's eyes lit up with even greater interest. "What happened? Tell me!"
"I heard from one of the official Walkers that the Kangyang District squad ran into an ambush while hunting down a Psychic Assembly fugitive. Apparently they faced four Level 3 Evil-class Walkers, which put the squad in serious danger. In the end, it was your friend Yuanshi Tianzun who single handedly wiped out all the Psychic Assembly Hex Masters."
Xie Lingxi's mouth fell open, her delicate face frozen in shock. "He killed four Level 3 Hex Masters!? Really?"
Was Bro Yuanshi really that powerful?
The assistant shook her head. "I can't confirm whether it's true or not. Apparently the Kangyang District Centurion gave orders that no details about last night should be leaked."
She had gotten the information from a female Walker she was friendly with. It wasn't exactly classified, and the story had already spread through certain circles of female Walkers. As for whether the details were exaggerated, the assistant had no way to verify. The rank-and-file Walkers might not even know the full picture, and since it wasn't critical intelligence that needed digging into, she hadn't pursued it further. She simply wanted the young miss to stay informed about the Five Elements Alliance and the movements of her friend.
Xie Lingxi's thoughts raced. There's no way he's actually that strong! No, wait. He cleared an S-rank Spirit Realm with the highest score. He could absolutely have obtained some kind of powerful consumable or item from that, and items are part of one's strength too. Bro Yuanshi has incredible potential. I definitely need to introduce him to Dad when I get the chance.
A sweet smile bloomed across her face. "Heh. Compared to him, Xiahou Tianyuan is nothing but a petty rat. You can leave now. I'm going to call Bro Yuanshi and comfort him, especially since he was bullied by Xiahou Tianyuan."
The assistant stared at her in disbelief. "I don't think Xiahou Tianyuan is capable of bullying him."
Xie Lingxi rolled her eyes. "What do you know!"
***
At eight thirty in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the office with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
Li Dongze stood waiting, his shoulder swollen and wrapped in thick layers of gauze. He leaned on a cane with one hand as he watched Zhang Yuanqing come up the stairs.
"You come to the office every single day. Don't you have school?" he couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Yuanqing replied with perfect righteousness, "How could I let something like academics get in the way of dedicating myself to the organization? But since you brought it up, Squad Leader, I've actually been meaning to ask this. A person's energy is limited, so I don't really want to study anymore. Does the Five Elements Alliance have any way for me to skip classes and still get my diploma?"
Guan Ya, who was sitting at her desk and eating a simple breakfast, spoke up without missing a beat. "Sure. Then everyone will know that Yuanshi Tianzun is a student at Songhai University."
Li Dongze patted his subordinate on the shoulder and offered an approving nod. "Your dedication to the organization is admirable, but don't neglect your studies. After all, you're not a Fire Sage. Heh, those guys can clear dungeons even after giving up on their brains."
Squad Leader, there you go trashing Fire Sages again! Still, Zhang Yuanqing played along. "Alright. You make a good point, Squad Leader. Scouts really are the best class."
Immediately, Li Dongze felt extremely pleased, and he patted his trusted subordinate's shoulder again. "I'll have a case of cola ready for you. Whenever you want one, just grab it from my office. Now then, down to business."
His gaze swept across Guan Ya and Wang Tai as he made his announcement. "I need to take some time off to recover from my injuries. While I'm gone, someone will be filling in for me. Guan Ya, Yuanshi, I need you both to cooperate fully with the acting Squad Leader and continue the hunt for Black Wuchang. They'll report in the day after tomorrow."
Zhang Yuanqing blinked in surprise. What? The Squad Leader is leaving?
Then it clicked. Li Dongze's shoulder had been pierced clean through by Spider Woman, and he hadn't received any Life Essence treatment. Scouts had no healing abilities, nor did they possess a Nocturnal Specter's natural regeneration. An injury like that genuinely required a long period of rest.
"Squad Leader, who's the new Squad Leader?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Acting! It's Acting Squad Leader!" Li Dongze stressed. "You'll find out when you meet them. I hope you all get along."
With that, he hobbled away on his cane and disappeared down the stairs.
The moment Li Dongze was gone, Zhang Yuanqing dragged a chair over and sat down beside Guan Ya. He studied her refined, sculpted profile and asked in a conspiratorial whisper, "This new Squad Leader, is it one of those teammates who never show up?"
The expensive perfume she wore was rich and fragrant without being overpowering.
Guan Ya smiled and gave an acknowledging murmur. "Last night's battle left a lot of people bedridden, which has caused a manpower shortage. So Fu Qingyang decided to recall those two honorary members of Squad Two."
"The Squad Leader doesn't seem to like them very much," Zhang Yuanqing said, finally broaching the topic that had been nagging at him.
"If you were leading a group of subordinates who never listened, who you couldn't beat in a fight, and who you couldn't even scold, you wouldn't like them either."
"Is the Squad Leader really that weak?"
Guan Ya shot him a sideways look, and the corners of her glossy lips curled upward. "What gave you the impression he was strong? The Squad Leader's combat power has always been second-to-last on Squad Two. Wang Tai is dead last. In a physical fight, even I can crush the Squad Leader, let alone those two. Then you joined, and he is still second to last."
Zhang Yuanqing found himself at a loss for words, feeling a pang of sympathy for Li Dongze.
Once she was done poking fun at their Squad Leader, Guan Ya's expression turned serious. "I need to give you a heads up about these two. One of them is a Fire Sage. He absolutely despises evil, is impulsive and hot-tempered, and can't tolerate even a speck of dirt. You need to stop ogling my butt, or you're going to get punched."
"Sis Guan Ya, don't slander me like that! When have I ever ogled at your butt?"
"Are you saying you haven't?"
"I've clearly been staring at your chest."
Guan Ya rolled her eyes at him and continued, "The other one is a Water Ghost with a strange temper, and hard to get along with. The Squad Leader's been so angry and frustrated with this person that he's coughed out blood on multiple occasions—figuratively speaking, of course. But he's genuinely upright and respects people who are honest. Most importantly, both of them have impressive backgrounds. Building a good relationship with them will benefit you."
Zhang Yuanqing leaned in attentively.
"The Fire Sage is at Level 3, and is the son of a high-ranking member of the Crimson Fire Gang. The other doesn't have as impressive a background, but he's a Level 4 Walker at the Saint tier," Guan Ya rattled off from memory. As she spoke, she pulled open a drawer, took out a small notepad, turned away to confirm its contents, and nodded to herself. "I wasn't wrong. That's about right."
Zhang Yuanqing stole a quick glance and caught a blurry glimpse of what was written there. "Yuanshi Tianzun. Scorpio male. Zodiac traits: scheming, holds grudges, strong sex... Note: extremely high probability of being seduced by women from other organizations..."
He ground his teeth. This wretched woman...
Just then, the phone in his pocket buzzed.
Zhang Yuanqing pulled it out and checked the screen. Xie Lingxi?
He quietly slipped into the bathroom.
***
The outskirts of Songhai.
Wang Qian walked briskly along the potholed sidewalk with both hands jammed into his pockets, a baseball cap pulled low, and a mask covering his face.
The infrastructure in the suburbs was in dire shape compared to the city center. The roads were uneven, sunken in left and right, and the sidewalks were riddled with cracks and broken paving stones. On top of that, real estate developers had bought up most of the land out here, since there was nothing left to demolish in the city proper. Construction sites were everywhere, making the area feel even more chaotic.
But for Wang Qian, the more chaotic a place was, the easier it was to hide.
He followed the long sidewalk, cut through a construction site, and arrived outside a squat, dilapidated bungalow. He rapped on the door in a distinctive rhythm and whispered, "It's me. Wang Qian."
The door swung open and a round, heavyset middle-aged man in a tattered overcoat poked his head out. He had a wild explosion of unkempt hair and a protruding beer belly. After glancing left and right, he pulled Wang Qian inside.
The room was filthy. Beer cans, dirty clothes, and takeout containers were scattered everywhere.
Besides the heavyset man, two other people occupied the space. One was a young woman in jeans and a black tube top, a cigarette dangling from her lips as she sat in front of the television playing video games. The other was a pale-faced young man wearing over-ear headphones, lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, lost in his music.
The heavyset man scratched his unwashed mop of hair and asked in a low, serious voice, "What are you doing here? It's a critical time. You shouldn't be wandering around—What's wrong?"
He suddenly noticed something was off. Wang Qian's eyes were webbed with red veins, his face ashen, and a murderous fury hung heavy between his brows.
"Boss," Wang Qian said through clenched teeth, "My sister's been kidnapped."
The young woman playing games set down her controller, and the young man on the sofa opened his eyes.
A Chinese Odyssey—the heavyset man he had addressed as "Boss—frowned. "How do you know?"
Wang Qian took a deep breath and forced himself to steady his emotions. "I wanted to check in with my family today, so I deliberately went to a neighboring district to make the call. It was my mom who told me my sister had been kidnapped. It has to be the Xiahou family. Why else would anyone go after her out of nowhere?"
A Chinese Odyssey erupted in anger. "Making calls like that will get you tracked and traced!"
"But if I hadn't called home, I wouldn't have known that something happened to her!" Wang Qian yelled back, his eyes burning red.
The young woman slammed her controller down. "Fuck! The Xiahou family has no respect for the rules. I'm done holding back. Have the Palace Master rally everyone. If it comes down to it, we'll drag them to hell with us."
The young man wearing headphones let out a cold laugh. "That's stupid. Why should we go down with them? If they're bold enough to go after Wang Qian's family, then our families are in danger too. Let's just cut ties with our families entirely. From now on, we hunt the Xiahou clan specifically. Kill them all, until their bloodline is wiped from the earth. Let's see who's afraid of who."
A Chinese Odyssey glared at him. "Heaven and Earth, this mutual-extinction strategy of yours is insane, and way too extreme."
"Killing to end killing, war to end war. That's always been Slaughter Cessation Palace's creed," the young man shot back.
A Chinese Odyssey had no retort. He could only sigh. "The Palace Master has her own plans. She told us to hide, so we hide. Don't ruin things for her. It hasn't come to that yet. Let me think of something."
The room fell silent. After what felt like a long moment, A Chinese Odyssey's eyes brightened. "We shouldn't be the ones making a move. The Xiahou family kidnapped an ordinary person. That's breaking the rules, which means this is a matter for the official organizations."
The young woman swore again. "Who among them is going to help Wang Qian? The Five Elements Alliance obviously favors the Xiahou family—No, half of them practically belong to the Xiahou faction. Going to the officials would be less useful than asking a dog for help."
A Chinese Odyssey turned to Wang Qian. "Don't you know Yuanshi Tianzun from Kangyang District's Squad Two? Try reaching out to him."
