Covering It Up

The entrance to the underground parking garage was bustling with people.

With one hand on his cane and the other gripping his gun, Li Dongze rushed into the underground parking garage, his sharp eyes quickly scanning the scene.

The first thing he saw was Xu Yingying, unconscious and unresponsive. Then he noticed the faint traces of blood on the ground and several private cars with damaged bodies. As a Scout, it wasn't hard for Li Dongze to tell that a brief but dangerous battle had taken place here.

And the fact that Xu Yingying was still alive meant the situation hadn't reached its worst.

The other Spirit Realm Walkers scanned the scene just as quickly and warily. Then they saw a figure emerge from the shadows near the rear of a car.

In an instant, everyone instinctively swung their guns toward him.

"Don't shoot, it's me!"

Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly raised both hands, while sizing up the Spirit Realm Walkers besides Guan Ya and Li Dongze.

The Fitness Enthusiast wore a gym outfit and looked like a fitness instructor. He was at least 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles that gave him a powerful appearance. He wore red fingerless gloves.

The Qipao Lady wore an elegant cheongsam patterned with ink-wash paintings and had her hair pinned up in a classic updo. Her figure was graceful and curvaceous. She looked quite mature, but her face was fair and delicate, without a wrinkle in sight.

The middle-aged man in a miner's helmet wore dark brown work clothes. His skin was tanned, and his face was weather-beaten.

The Racing Suit Girl was young, with a heart-shaped face, fair skin, and striking beauty. Her dark, arched eyebrows gave her a bold, heroic look. She held a black longsword in her hand.

The other two people carrying guns had no particularly distinctive features or presence.

When Zhang Yuanqing stepped out of the shadows, Li Dongze and Guan Ya visibly relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

After the meeting, they'd received a call from Wang Tai saying that Yuanshi had spotted Ou Xiangrong at Songhai University, where he'd taken Xu Yingying hostage and tried to assault her.

Li Dongze and Guan Ya had been shocked. They immediately called the team leaders who hadn't left yet and hurried to Songhai University.

Li Dongze had kept a grim expression the whole way, his heart heavy with worry that Yuanshi would act rashly and attack without thinking.

New Spirit Realm Walkers often became overconfident after first experiencing their extraordinary powers. Combined with their lack of experience and inability to judge their own limits, it was easy for them to get carried away.

Now that they saw Zhang Yuanqing was safe and sound, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"So he's the Night Wanderer?"

The impatient Big Muscle Tyrant first asked Li Dongze. After receiving confirmation, he looked around the underground parking garage and asked in a rough voice:

"Kid, where's Ou Xiangrong? Which way did he run?"

In his view, a Level 3 Bewitching Demon wasn't someone a Level 1 Night Wanderer could handle. After a brief exchange, Ou Xiangrong must have fled in a hurry, afraid the official Spirit Realm Walkers would arrive.

If Ou Xiangrong hadn't gotten away too long ago, they might still be able to catch him by following his trail with a Scout's tracking abilities.

Li Dongze, Guan Ya, and the other team leaders all fixed their eyes on Zhang Yuanqing, waiting for his answer.

"He didn't run!" Zhang Yuanqing said.

Didn't run? Everyone's hearts tightened. They raised their guns and looked around, startled and wary.

Then the rookie who'd just joined the profession pointed toward the shadows behind him and said, "I took him out."

What did he say? Big Muscle Tyrant, a Fire Master, nearly stuck his fingers in his ears, wondering if he'd heard wrong. His temper flared, and he bellowed:

"Don't joke with me. This isn't the time to show off your sense of humor."

Li Dongze and the others were also taken aback. Then they frowned, regarding Zhang Yuanqing with more caution.

Why are you so fierce? Can't you just talk normally? Are you with the Red Fire Gang or something? Zhang Yuanqing patiently explained:

"I'm not lying. His body is by the rear of the car. Go look for yourself if you don't believe me."

Big Muscle Tyrant glanced in that direction. A pillar jutting out from the wall and the car formed overlapping shadows, so he couldn't see the corner from where he stood.

He was about to go check.

"Wait," said the middle-aged man in the miner's helmet, stepping forward. He glanced at Zhang Yuanqing, then said to the burly man, "I'll go."

Seeing his colleague's grave expression, Big Muscle Tyrant seemed to remember something. He warily glanced at Zhang Yuanqing, then nodded.

Zhang Yuanqing noticed the strange looks on Li Dongze and Guan Ya's faces, while the others watched him with undisguised wariness.

The middle-aged man in the miner's helmet approached the rear of the car with slow, steady steps. Then he stared blankly at something, his eyes widening as he stood there like a clay statue.

"Boss Tang?"

Seeing the bewildered astonishment on his companion's face, Big Muscle Tyrant's heart tightened. The muscles in his upper body swelled abruptly, ready to spring into action at any moment.

Green Vine, White Dragon, and the other team leaders immediately grew wary.

Tang Guoqiang's reaction looked exactly like someone under the Bewitching Demon's influence.

But soon, they saw Tang Guoqiang "come back to himself." He bent down, dragged a corpse out, and pulled it into the spotlight, where everyone could see it.

The corpse wore loose camouflage pants, a black tank top, and a black jacket. Its face was a bloody mess, and its eye sockets were empty, but its features could still be vaguely recognized. It was indeed Ou Xiangrong.

The underground parking garage fell silent. Everyone stared blankly at Ou Xiangrong's corpse.

Li Dongze's solemn expression gradually turned to astonishment. He murmured to himself:

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God."

Guan Ya looked at the corpse, then at Zhang Yuanqing. As though she'd realized something, she fell into thought.

The Qipao Lady strode over in her high heels. She stopped by the corpse, examined it closely, then pressed her lips together and said:

"It really is Ou Xiangrong."

After speaking, she looked up at Zhang Yuanqing with a complicated expression.

Big Muscle Tyrant's eyes widened. He blurted out, "How did you do it?"

All the team leaders focused on Zhang Yuanqing, studying him over and over. A Level 1 youngster had actually taken out Ou Xiangrong, even if Ou Xiangrong had been severely wounded and wasn't at his peak.

The Second Team had just made a huge contribution. What kind of luck did Li Dongze have? He'd recruited such an outstanding subordinate.

How did he do it? It was as easy as putting on a shoe. Zhang Yuanqing didn't answer. Instead, he looked to his superior.

Li Dongze immediately stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Yuanshi, well done. You've made a huge contribution. Just now, while we couldn't get in touch with you, we were in the meeting room getting chewed out by our superiors."

His words neatly shifted everyone's attention. The team leaders all smiled with relief, as if a burden had been lifted.

Zhang Yuanqing shot him a sidelong look. "Then why were you pointing guns at me just now?"

"A Transcendence Realm Bewitching Demon can briefly influence people's minds. If given enough time to repeatedly bewitch someone and deepen the effect, they can control their target. Compared to believing you killed Ou Xiangrong, we thought it more likely that you'd been bewitched." The Racing Suit Girl walked over, carrying her sword. She looked Zhang Yuanqing up and down, then nodded in approval.

"We were all wrong. Let me introduce myself. I'm White Dragon, a Level 3 Water Ghost."

The team leader had an indescribable air of swagger. There was none of the reserve or coyness one might expect from a woman. She carried herself with confidence, as if everyone else were a little brother.

"Yuanshi Tianzun," Zhang Yuanqing said.

The team leaders paused. "That's a good name."

It really was. Just hearing it made people want to punch him.

White Dragon smiled. "I'll just call you Yuanshi. Good thing, too. I always thought guys your age would choose strange names."

"Like what?" Zhang Yuanqing asked with a smile and a shrug.

White Dragon was taken aback. She hadn't expected the kid to be so familiar with her that he'd even ask her a question. Shouldn't a normal person respond to a superior's teasing with a few humble words or an awkward expression?

"For example, Big Muscle Tyrant." Guan Ya walked over with a beaming smile, picking up where White Dragon left off.

Big Muscle Tyrant: "...I chose that name to mean 'muscles that dominate.'"

"That's what I meant," Guan Ya replied with an innocent look.

Big Muscle Tyrant was speechless.

As they spoke, several more official Spirit Realm Walkers hurried over, carrying a stretcher and body bags.

They'd just received a call saying the culprit had been killed, so they'd rushed over to collect the body. They also carried Xu Yingying out and sent her to the hospital for treatment.

Li Dongze wasted no more time. "Yuanshi, come with us for a moment and take a look at Ou Xiangrong's memories."

"No, he can't come," Tang Guoqiang said, shaking his head.

"Ou Xiangrong was contaminated by an evil force. We don't know if his spirit was contaminated as well. Besides, Bewitching Demons are bloodthirsty and cruel, and their spirits are saturated with negative energy. He wouldn't be able to withstand it. Yuan Ting will be back in Songhai this afternoon. Leave it to him."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately recalled the experience of devouring a spirit at the hospital and felt a pang of wariness. But then he thought that if other Night Wanderers saw how he'd killed Ou Xiangrong...

He wouldn't be able to keep the Red Dancing Shoes hidden. Of course, revealing them didn't necessarily mean others would covet them, but it was still better to keep a low profile.

"That won't be a problem. I'll find a way to help him get through it." Li Dongze waved a hand, his tone firm.

"Ou Xiangrong's memories are important. The sooner we perform Spirit Inquiry, the better. We can't tell how much of his memory a contaminated spirit might still retain."

Tang Guoqiang thought it over, then nodded slightly.

He still didn't agree with Li Dongze's approach, but the Second Team had killed the man, so they had the authority to decide what to do with him.

Just then, the Qipao Lady stepped forward and asked with concern:

"Are you hurt? Do you need treatment?"

Her tone was gentle and her manner warm, as if Zhang Yuanqing were one of her trusted confidants.

Li Dongze smiled and introduced her.

"This is Green Vine, the Hundred Flowers Society's team leader. She specializes in healing. Within the Five Elements Alliance, Wood Demons are also known as healing mages. Tell her if you have any injuries."

Healing mage? Zhang Yuanqing thought, Are your healing mages the proper kind? Do they force people to seize the future?

Li Dongze then introduced the burly man and the man in the miner's helmet:

"This is Big Muscle Tyrant from the Red Fire Gang, and this is Tang Guoqiang from the Central Court. Both team leaders are experienced Spirit Realm Walkers."

So he really was from the Red Fire Gang. Zhang Yuanqing immediately said, "It's nice to meet you, team leaders. I hope you'll look after me."

Big Muscle Tyrant nodded in satisfaction.

"Want to add me as a friend?"

"Sure!" Green Vine and White Dragon nodded in agreement.

Tang Guoqiang wasn't much of a talker, but he was the first to pull out his phone.

Li Dongze's mouth twitched.

After Zhang Yuanqing added the team leaders as friends, Li Dongze said:

"We'll take the body back first. The other team members will stay behind and help the Public Security officers clean up the scene. Yuanshi, take Guan Ya's car back to the office and write up a report."

A little while later, the official Spirit Realm Walkers drove a business van and a blue sports car into the underground parking garage.

"Squad Leader, can I ride in your van?" Zhang Yuanqing wanted to talk to Li Dongze in private about, for example, getting him to delete the surveillance footage.

"No. You're too dirty right now. It wouldn't be very elegant." Li Dongze shook his head, then turned to the team leaders. "Let's head back together."

Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth, then stopped himself. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Li Dongze and the team leaders left in the van.

Guan Ya's eyes shifted as she glanced at him and smiled.

"The Squad Leader took all the people who'd get in the way. Come on, I'll take you to delete the surveillance footage."

Zhang Yuanqing lowered his gaze and said nothing.

The blue sports car sped along the wide street. Guan Ya wore sunglasses and gripped the steering wheel, humming a tune. She seemed to be in a good mood.

She clicked her tongue.

"You're really lucky, kid. You got your hands on a rule-based item as soon as you became a Spirit Realm Walker."

She thought she was pretty lucky herself. She'd just needed some merit, and now she'd earned some.

"Did you already know?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, not the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he flattered her. "Scouts really are the most perfect profession."

As someone good at socializing, he could adjust his attitude with ease.

"I only suspected it before. Remember, Insight is a Scout's talent." Guan Ya smiled. "The fact that you understood my hint and kept the rule-based item secret means you're not that stupid."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately probed discreetly:

"Won't the organization make me hand the item over?"

"They won't force you, but if you volunteer to hand it over, the organization will gladly accept it and reward you with merit and money. But people are complicated. You're just a rookie with a rule-based item in your hands. If word gets out, someone will definitely take a reckless risk."

Guan Ya patiently explained, "The Squad Leader can help you keep it secret for a while, but not forever. You could consider finding yourself a powerful backer, like your superior's superior."

"Would that Centurion protect me?" Zhang Yuanqing thought, How can you guarantee that your superior's superior won't get greedy when he sees a treasure?

"That guy comes from a wealthy family. He's been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he's proud and arrogant. I can't vouch for the other executives, but I can vouch for his character." Guan Ya smiled.

"Besides, he's always bragging about winning people over with virtue, but in reality, he likes throwing money around. He's loaded. One rule-based item isn't enough to shake his pride.

"But he has high standards. He looks down on ordinary people and likes elite talent."

Zhang Yuanqing gave a vague "Mm," neither agreeing nor refusing, and let the topic drop.

Guan Ya gave a couple of hmphs.

"You made a big splash today. Once word gets around, people within the Five Elements Alliance will definitely try to poach you, openly or behind your back. Watch out for honey traps. There have been cases of people using seduction before, and those two female team leaders seem pretty interested in you."

Zhang Yuanqing said righteously, "I'm absolutely loyal to the Second Team. I'll never fall for a honey trap."

Unless I can't help myself! he added silently.

"But you're a Scorpio," Guan Ya said with a pout.

Huh? What did that have to do with being a Scorpio? Zhang Yuanqing looked confused.

"Have you heard this saying about the zodiac signs? Pisces men aren't worth dating, and Scorpio men would sleep with a dog."

"..."

Inside the black business van, Li Dongze was driving. Keeping his eyes on the road, he smiled broadly and said:

"Oh, my, oh, my. I went and finished everyone's work without even realizing it. I wasn't being very considerate of my fellow team leaders, was I? Sorry, everyone. I didn't leave you any credit to claim."

What are you so pleased about? The four team leaders darkened their expressions.

"When the bonus comes through, I'll treat everyone to a meal," Li Dongze said with a smile. "Don't be jealous. It was all a coincidence. That kid happened to clear Sheling Tunnel, then happened to kill Ou Xiangrong. It's no big deal."

"You have a really punchable face when you talk like that," Big Muscle Tyrant said in a rumbling voice.

"Be elegant. Stop being so irritable all the time. I'll report to Centurion Fu first."

As the team leaders looked like they wanted to hit him, he pulled out his phone and called Centurion Fu.

During the Ou Xiangrong incident, Centurion Fu had faced considerable risk because of their mistake.

Now that Ou Xiangrong had been killed, Li Dongze needed to report the news to his superior right away.

That kid Yuanshi had really made him proud.