Investigation

Li Dongze sat behind his luxurious desk, holding a sharp razor as he trimmed his mustache.

"I don't like trimming my mustache because it's such a hassle, but it's the price one has to pay for elegance." Li Dongze smiled, looked him over, and said:

"Looks like you passed Taiyi Sect's screening."

Squad Leader really did know why Taiyi Sect was looking for me. And he didn't even give me a heads-up. Keep this up and you'll lose me. Zhang Yuanqing said casually:

"Squad Leader, do you know about the Demon Lord, too?"

"Among the high-level Spirit Realm Walkers in the official organizations, evil organizations, civilian organizations, and independent practitioners, more than ten have died at the Demon Lord's hands. His infamy is well known, so of course I've heard of him." Li Dongze focused on trimming his mustache as he spoke:

"But someone that important is far beyond our reach. An elephant might step on an ant, but it wouldn't go out of its way to crush one."

The Demon Lord doesn't sound like a good person. How did Brother Bing get mixed up with someone like him? Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity to say:

"Squad Leader, sorry for the trouble, but could you ask our colleagues in Jiangnan Province about the progress of Lei Yibing's case? Also, could you look into Lei Yibing's movements and social connections during college? The more details, the better."

Before, because he was still a rookie with little ability or experience, Zhang Yuanqing had clung to the hope that Brother Bing's disappearance was a "long-term mission."

But now that he knew the truth about the Demon Lord Role Card, he had no choice but to reconsider what Brother Bing's disappearance meant.

Why had Brother Bing disappeared? Was he alive or dead? Why had he given Zhang Yuanqing the Demon Lord Role Card?

The truth behind all this was shrouded in layer upon layer of fog. It concerned Brother Bing and himself. Even though his abilities were still weak, he had to try to investigate and uncover the truth.

Brother Bing had sent him the Role Card, but hadn't revealed anything else. Zhang Yuanqing could understand why. Sometimes, it wasn't a matter of not wanting to speak; it was that others couldn't pry the words out of him.

Today's questioning was a case in point.

Brother Bing had probably kept quiet for his sake, but he must have left clues to guide him, step by step, toward exploring and uncovering the truth. So Zhang Yuanqing needed to gather as much information about Brother Bing as he could.

Li Dongze nodded thoughtfully. "All right. I'll call and ask our colleagues over there, but it'll take time."

In his view, Yuanshi's concern for his childhood friend was only natural. But Li Dongze felt that a Spirit Realm Walker who had been inside the Spirit Realm for a whole week was probably dead.

After discussing Brother Bing, Zhang Yuanqing finally got to the point, his expression turning serious:

"Squad Leader, I have something to report."

Seeing his subordinate so solemn, Li Dongze set down his razor, closed his compact mirror, and straightened his back slightly.

"What is it?"

Zhang Yuanqing immediately gave Li Dongze a detailed account of the haunting at the hospital where his aunt worked, and how he had accidentally brought the Infant Spirit home. But he concealed and altered the part about the Spirit Servant.

He described the Infant Spirit as a dull spirit that had been refined but had not advanced into a Spirit Servant.

As he spoke, Zhang Yuanqing kept his emotions in check, making sure his expression and tone gave nothing away, so the Scout wouldn't notice.

He concluded, "I suspect a Spirit Realm Walker was experimenting with refining Spirit Servants at the hospital. It was probably a Night Wanderer, but I don't know whether they're a wild practitioner or part of the official organization."

Li Dongze's expression darkened as he listened. He couldn't help tightening his grip on his cane as he said angrily:

"Oh, my God. That bastard belongs in hell. I'll make him pay for what he's done, I swear."

Devouring a spirit and enslaving one were two different things. Spirits always faded away eventually; it was unavoidable. Devouring merely hastened that process.

But refining spirits into Spirit Servants and making them do your bidding was inhumane, especially when the spirit belonged to an Infant Spirit.

The ban on refining ordinary people's spirits into Spirit Servants was also rooted in humanitarian concerns. To put it bluntly, how would you feel if your family member or friend was a special spirit, and someone refined them into a Spirit Servant after they died?

I thought you'd say, "I really want to kick his ass with my boot." Zhang Yuanqing mocked Squad Leader's catchphrase in his mind.

"Squad Leader, I've already laid that child's spirit to rest. I also read the target's identity from its memories. I'd like to request permission to handle the mission on my own and get some experience," Zhang Yuanqing said.

As soon as he finished, he knew Li Dongze wouldn't agree.

Sure enough, Li Dongze shook his head:

"It's good that you want to get some experience, but you're bound to hit snags along the way, and among Spirit Realm Walkers, one mistake can mean death. How about this: Guan Ya can go with you. She's better than me at hand-to-hand combat and shooting."

"Understood, Squad Leader." Zhang Yuanqing was secretly pleased.

He had to take the lead on the Infant Spirit case so he could keep Little Doubi's existence under wraps. But as Li Dongze had said, Spirit Realm Walker cases required caution. A moment's carelessness could mean death, and Ou Xiangrong was a case in point.

So he needed an experienced partner.

When he asked for a chance to prove himself, Li Dongze would most likely decide not to go himself and compromise by sending Guan Ya with him.

After all, everyone knew that as a Night Wanderer with a rule-based item at his disposal, Zhang Yuanqing had a high margin for error. Ordinary dangers wouldn't pose much of a threat to him.

In Zhang Yuanqing's eyes, Guan Ya was a lot "easier to fool" than Li Dongze.

"Then should I go find Guan Ya now?"

Li Dongze grunted in agreement, then suddenly teased him. "You sing pretty well. Don't do it again."

"."

Kangyang District, Pingtai Hospital.

As a top-tier, Grade-A hospital, Pingtai was best known for its obstetrics and gynecology department. Several leading experts in the field worked there, and it ranked among the top five obstetrics and gynecology hospitals in the country.

The black business sedan pulled into the hospital, and the door slid open automatically. Guan Ya studied Zhang Yuanqing's blank expression and asked with concern, "Have you been seeing double when you look at your phone or computer lately?"

"Why do you ask?" Zhang Yuanqing, who had been thinking about how to flush out the target, snapped out of it.

Guan Ya's delicate lips curved up. She blinked her alluring, limpid eyes. "Your expression tells me you haven't been holding back lately."

Zhang Yuanqing was already used to her way of talking. He ignored her and said:

"Squad Leader told me to assist you. What do we usually do first in a situation like this?"

Guan Ya stopped smiling and answered seriously:

"First, we identify the target, then investigate their real-world identity. You've seen what they look like, so identifying them shouldn't be hard. Then we approach them. If they aren't very strong, we take them into custody directly. If they are, we notify Squad Leader and capture them by force.

"But we don't know whether they have accomplices in the hospital or how extensive their Spirit Servant experiments are. So it's best to lie low for now and investigate Pingtai Hospital first.

"We can start with reports of hauntings: when they began, the approximate time frame, and whether there were any other reports besides the Infant Spirit.

"We should check the records of abortions and miscarriages around that time. There can't be many cases involving male fetuses that were already several months along, so identifying the Infant Spirit shouldn't be difficult.

"An infant's mental strength is extremely weak. If one dies, its spirit dissipates quickly, so anyone who came into contact with pregnant women during that time is a potential suspect.

"If the target you saw through Spirit Inquiry is among them, we arrest them. If not, that means they have an accomplice."

What a clear line of thought. So this was what being a Scout meant. Zhang Yuanqing listened in astonishment and said, "My aunt works at the hospital, so it wouldn't be convenient for me to go to the obstetrics and gynecology department. Why don't we split up? I'll look into the spirits, and you can investigate the department."

They got out of the car, put on masks and baseball caps, and split up outside the outpatient building.

After entering the building, they took the elevator to the fourth floor. Guan Ya's gaze swept over the women there, some with slight bumps and others heavily pregnant. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

A female doctor in a white coat approached. She had a round, oval face, smooth, fair skin, large bright eyes, and a straight nose. Her wavy hair fell down her back.

She had a piece of candy in her mouth, her cheeks slightly puffed, which made her look even sweeter and cuter.

Guan Ya was confident in her own looks, but even she couldn't help admiring this bare-faced doctor.

She hurried over and stepped in front of the woman, smiling. "Doctor, I'm thinking of trying to get pregnant. What should I keep in mind?"

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanqing went to a quiet stairwell and summoned Little Doubi.

"Ah-ba, ah-ba."

The round, adorable baby, with sparse downy hair, lay on the floor and gazed at Zhang Yuanqing with innocent, shining eyes.

Zhang Yuanqing sent it thoughts like "Go explore freely" and "Go play."

He planned to use Little Doubi to lure the culprit out. Whoever was behind this would surely search for such a precious Spirit Servant after losing it. When they found the Infant Spirit back at the hospital, they would be drawn to it.

Even if the plan failed, Little Doubi could still lead him to the person behind it. It would remember the one who had refined it and might even feel an instinctive affinity for them.

With Zhang Yuanqing's permission, Little Doubi happily started crawling along the stairwell.

Zhang Yuanqing followed it to the fourth floor, pushed open the stairwell door, entered the waiting area, and then tailed it all the way to the obstetrics and gynecology department.

The culprit really is in the obstetrics and gynecology department?

As Zhang Yuanqing was thinking this, he heard a bell-like laugh. "Really? You like that brand of skincare, too? I go abroad all the time. I can bring you some next time."

That was Guan Ya's voice.

He looked over and saw her chatting away with a female doctor.

The doctor in the white coat was his aunt.

Shit! Zhang Yuanqing lowered the brim of his cap and kept his gaze down, avoiding looking at his aunt and risking their eyes meeting.

He was wearing a mask and a hat, but his aunt knew him too well. Given how well they knew each other, she could recognize him just by his eyes.

Just then, he saw Little Doubi happily crawling toward his aunt.