Mission Processing Center

At the mission counter, the staff member stretched out a hand.

“Hand over the Black Old Lady, and I’ll add your contribution points.”

“She’s dead.”

“What?! D-dead?!”

“Yeah, I beat her to death.”

Lu Ding’s tone was indifferent.

The staff member gave him a once-over. “Didn’t expect you to be that strong. An intern investigator managing to kill the Black Old Lady? Never heard of you before. What’s your name?”

“Lu Ding.”

“Lu Ding!?”

The staff member immediately checked the credentials again, this time carefully.

Sure enough, the name “Lu Ding” was printed clearly.

Lately, Lu Ding’s name had spread like wildfire through the base—anyone who had been paying attention knew of him.

The staffer sighed. “No wonder. Lu Bro, you’re just nine missions away from becoming a full investigator. Keep it up.”

Then, with a serious tone, he added, “Actually, Lu Bro, you might want to tone it down a bit. If you can leave the creatures alive, each one counts as a mission. Capturing them would’ve brought you down to eight remaining missions instead of nine.”

“Way more efficient, don’t you think?”

Lu Ding nodded absentmindedly. “Sure, sure. I’ll be gentler next time.”

“That’s the spirit.”

With rapid keystrokes, the staffer processed the mission handover.

“Your contribution points and payment have been added to your account. Check your balance. Come back anytime, Lu Bro!”

Lu Ding put away his ID, thinking to himself—

The service here is surprisingly enthusiastic.

Beside him, Yan Feifan leaned in. “Lu Bro, that lady at the counter just smiled at me. She never smiled at me before. Damn, she’s cute. I must be benefiting from your reputation.”

Lu Ding chuckled. “Don’t kid yourself. Didn’t the milk tea shop girl smile at you earlier? You weren’t this excited then.”

“That’s different, Lu Bro.”

Then, Yan Feifan suddenly asked, “Lu Bro, are you really heading to Baiyao Ancient Town?”

“Yeah. I’m going soon. I’ve been marked—I need to deal with it. Otherwise, I’ll be losing sleep, always worrying someone will ambush me in my sleep.”

Being on someone’s hit list wasn’t exactly a bad feeling—

But being on an enemy’s hit list? That was a different story.

Even though he was safe inside the base for now, he couldn’t stay there forever.

At some point, he’d have to go out on missions.

And if someone decided to stab him in the back when he wasn’t expecting it?

No chance in hell.

Yan Feifan suggested, “Lu Bro, let me come with you. I’ll be an extra set of hands. Besides, I’ve already researched Baiyao Ancient Town. I studied satellite maps too—I’ve memorized them.”

It sounded reasonable—but Lu Ding worried about him getting into danger.

Besides, this was his problem, not Yan Feifan’s.

Yan Feifan reassured him, “Don’t worry about me, Lu Bro. I’m great at running. I might not be useful in a fight, but I’m amazing at escaping.”

Lu Ding thought about it and finally nodded. “Alright, we’ll go together.”

Mainly because—

He didn’t have a car.

Baiyao Ancient Town was far, and getting there alone would be inconvenient.

Besides, Yan Feifan had a point.

He might not be good at fighting, but he could phase through walls and the ground—

Which made escaping a breeze.

With that, the two set off for Baiyao Ancient Town.

—

On the Road

Inside the car, Yan Feifan read out information about Baiyao Ancient Town to pass the time.

“Baiyao Ancient Town is famous for Baiyao porcelain. Hundreds, even thousands of years ago, during the feudal dynasties, Baiyao porcelain was considered tribute ware—it couldn’t be freely produced.”

“I’ve seen pictures of Baiyao porcelain before. It’s absolutely stunning. The ceramics look as thin as paper, and their Baiyao Guanyin statues are so detailed that you can even see individual strands of hair.”

“In modern times, Baiyao Ancient Town has developed tourism alongside its porcelain industry. The town’s rich cultural heritage and well-preserved ancient architecture attract a lot of visitors.”

“I always wanted to visit Baiyao Ancient Town, but I never had the time. Can’t believe I’m finally going—under these circumstances.”

Yan Feifan kept talking, and Lu Ding simply listened.

He didn’t mind.

He just wasn’t the type to talk much.

At least this way, he was getting some cultural knowledge out of it.

—

Baiyao Ancient Town

Under the moonlight, a team of 749 formal investigators, each with two stars on their shoulders, silently infiltrated Baiyao Ancient Town.

—

Inside an Inn

A burly, shirtless man suddenly sat up, his eyes snapping open.

“Since you’re here, come on out.”

On the bed, the woman in black gauze pulled a robe over her shoulders.

BOOM!

The inn’s doors blasted open.

Two figures stepped inside.

The first wielded dual blades—a long blade in front and a short blade behind.

The second swung a meteor hammer, the hidden sparks within it glimmering faintly in the dark.

“Ma Qi, Dan Lingying—come with us.”

The woman, Ling Gu, stood up and stepped behind Ma Qi.

“Execution Blade Wen Yuquan. Windfire Hammer Yin Feng. Two of 749’s lackeys. How did you sniff us out?”

Yin Feng smirked. “We didn’t have to sniff—you reek. Your foul stench is all over this place.”

Ling Gu’s face darkened.

Wen Yuquan cut in, “Enough stalling. Your fellow Tianli Cult members are already being taken care of by our teammates. Tonight, it’s just the four of us. A clean two-on-two.”

Ma Qi cracked his knuckles. “Perfect. Last time was too rushed. I want to see just how deadly your dual blades really are.”

He activated his Qi, and a faint golden glow spread across his muscular body.

With a powerful palm strike, he lunged at Wen Yuquan.

Blade met palm.

A gust of wind sent the inn’s thin curtains flying.

Both men took half a step back—seemingly evenly matched.

But then—

Drip.

Blood dripped onto the floor, filling the room with a metallic scent.

A cut had opened on Ma Qi’s palm.

Wen Yuquan sneered. “So much for ‘Iron Body’ and ‘Pagoda Arhat’—you’re nothing special.”

—

Meanwhile – At a Nearby Street

A jeep sped through the night.

Lu Ding sat in the passenger seat.

His nose twitched.

That scent…

It was the same one he had detected on the ghost at the Ji residence.

His sharp eyes locked onto the fleeing woman in the distance.

His gaze turned ruthless—

Killing intent surged.

His voice was low, but excited.

“Ram her.”

Yan Feifan, without hesitation, asked one question:

“Lu Bro, which one?”

“The woman. Floor the gas pedal.”

“Got it, Lu Bro! Watch this! I bought this jeep for its durability and power!”

Yan Feifan slammed his foot down.

The engine roared.

The jeep hurtled forward—

Straight toward Ling Gu.