Investigation

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

"I don't like trimming my mustache; it's a hassle, but it's a price one must pay for elegance." Li Dongze smiled, scrutinized him, and said:

"It seems you passed the Taiyi Sect's screening."

The Squad Leader knew the purpose of the Taiyi Sect's visit all along, yet he didn't give me a hint beforehand. You're going to lose me if you keep this up. Zhang Yuanqing said casually:

"Does the Squad Leader also know of the Devil Lord?"

"Among official organizations, evil organizations, folk organizations, and wild rogue cultivators, the number of high-level Spirit Realm Walker who have died at the hands of the Devil Lord exceeds the fingers on two hands. With such a notorious reputation, I naturally know of him," Li Dongze said while focusing on his grooming.

"However, such a big shot is far too removed from us. An elephant might step on an ant, but it would never do so intentionally."

The Devil Lord is no saint. How could Brother Bing be associated with a guy like that? Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity to say:

"Squad Leader, could you please help me inquire with the folks in Jiangnan Province? I want to know the progress of the Lei Yibing case. Also, please help me check Lei Yibing's movements and social interactions during his university years—the more detailed, the better."

Previously, because he was still a novice lacking ability and experience, Zhang Yuanqing had harbored the fantasy that Brother Bing's disappearance was a "long-term mission."

But now that he knew the truth about the Devil Lord's Role Card, he had to redefine Brother Bing's disappearance.

Why did Brother Bing disappear? Is he dead or alive? Was there a reason he gifted the Devil Lord's Role Card to him?

The truth behind this was shrouded in layers of mist. It concerned Brother Bing and it concerned himself; even with his current low strength, he had to attempt to explore and investigate.

Brother Bing had only sent him the Role Card without revealing any information. The reason was understandable—sometimes, it wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but that others couldn't pry his mouth open.

Today's questioning was a prime example.

If Brother Bing wouldn't speak, it was mostly out of consideration for him, but he would certainly leave behind clues to guide him step by step toward exploring and uncovering the truth. Therefore, Zhang Yuanqing needed as much information about Brother Bing as possible.

Li Dongze nodded thoughtfully: "Fine, I will call my colleagues there to ask, but it will take time."

In his view, it was only natural for Yuanshi to be concerned about his childhood friend's safety, but Li Dongze felt that as a Spirit Realm Walker, having been inside the Spirit Realm for a full week, he was likely dead.

After finishing the topic of Brother Bing, Zhang Yuanqing finally cut to the main point, his expression serious:

"Squad Leader, I have something to report."

Seeing his subordinate acting so solemn, Li Dongze put down the razor, closed his vanity mirror, straightened his back slightly, and said:

"What is it?"

Zhang Yuanqing immediately informed Li Dongze in detail about the haunting at the hospital where his aunt worked and how he had inadvertently brought the Infant Spirit home. However, he concealed and modified the information regarding the Spirit Servant.

He described the Infant Spirit as a dull spirit body that had been refined but had not yet ascended to the level of a Spirit Servant.

While saying this, Zhang Yuanqing steadied his emotions, ensuring his expression and tone remained flawless to avoid being detected by the Scout.

Finally, he concluded: "I suspect a Spirit Realm Walker is conducting experiments on refining Spirit Servants in the hospital. It is very likely a Night Wanderer. But I don't know if they are a rogue or an official one."

Li Dongze's expression grew worse as he listened. He couldn't help but grip his cane tightly and said angrily:

"Oh, heavens, this is a guy who deserves to go to hell. I swear I will make him pay the price for his actions."

The concepts of Spirit Devour and enslaving a spirit body were different. Spirit bodies would always dissipate—it was inevitable—and Spirit Devour simply accelerated this phenomenon.

Refining a spirit body into a Spirit Servant was inhumane, especially when it was an Infant Spirit.

The prohibition against using the spirit bodies of ordinary people to refine Spirit Servants was also based on humanitarianism. To put it bluntly: if your family or friends were special spirit bodies, how would you feel if they were refined into Spirit Servants after death?

I thought you were going to say, "I really want to kick his ass with my boots." Zhang Yuanqing complained internally about the Squad Leader's verbal habits.

"Squad Leader, I have already sent that child to the afterlife and read the target's identity from its memories. I would like to apply to carry out the mission alone to get some practice," Zhang Yuanqing proposed.

As soon as he finished, he knew Li Dongze would never agree.

Li Dongze shook his head as expected:

"Your idea is good, but in the process of accumulating experience, it is inevitable to step into traps. Among Spirit Realm Walkers, a single mistake can mean death. How about this: let Guan Ya accompany you. Her physical skills and marksmanship are better than mine."

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

He had to take the lead in the Infant Spirit case to cover up the existence of Little Doubi. But as Li Dongze said, one must be cautious with Spirit Realm Walker incidents; the price of negligence was often death, and Ou Xiangrong was a prime example.

Therefore, he needed an experienced helper.

When he proposed wanting to train, there was a high probability Li Dongze would give up on going himself and compromise by letting Guan Ya accompany him.

Because everyone knew that as a Night Wanderer with rule-based items at his disposal, Zhang Yuanqing had a high margin for error, and ordinary dangers wouldn't stump him.

In Zhang Yuanqing's view, Guan Ya was much "easier to fool" than Li Dongze.

"Should I go find Guan Ya now?"

Li Dongze gave an "mm" and suddenly mocked: "You sing quite well, but don't do it again next time."

"."

Kangyang District, Pingtai Hospital.

As a Grade-A tertiary hospital, Pingtai's signature was its obstetrics and gynecology department. With several authoritative experts in the field, it ranked in the top five among all such hospitals in the country.

The black business car drove into the hospital, and the door slid open automatically. Guan Ya scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing's dull face and asked with concern: "Have you been seeing double when looking at your phone or computer lately?"

"Why do you ask?" Zhang Yuanqing, who was busy thinking about how to ferret out his target, pulled back his thoughts.

Guan Ya curled her exquisite lips and blinked her watery, charming eyes: "Your expression tells me you haven't been showing any restraint lately."

Zhang Yuanqing was long accustomed to her style of speech and ignored it, saying:

"The Squad Leader told me to assist you. In a situation like this, what do we usually do first?"

Guan Ya put away her smile and said with a serious expression:

"First, lock onto the target, then investigate their real-world identity. You've seen what he looks like, so locking onto the target shouldn't be difficult. Then, make contact. If the opponent isn't strong, control them directly; otherwise, notify the Squad Leader for a forceful arrest.

"However, we don't know if there are accomplices in the hospital or the scale of the Spirit Servant refinement, so it's best to hold our position for now and conduct a thorough reconnaissance of Pingtai Hospital.

"We can start with the rumors of hauntings: when they began, determine the general timeframe, and see if there are other haunting rumors besides the Infant Spirit.

"Check the records for abortions and miscarriages during that period—specifically male infants with significant gestational age. There won't be many in that group, so identifying the Infant Spirit shouldn't be hard.

"An infant's mental power is exceptionally weak; once they die, it dissipates very quickly. Therefore, anyone who had contact with those pregnant women during that time is a subject for our screening.

"If the target you saw during your spirit inquiry is among these people, we execute the arrest. If not, it means there are accomplices."

Such clear logic. Is this what a Scout is like? Zhang Yuanqing listened, stunned, and said: "My aunt is in the hospital, so it's not convenient for me to go to the Obstetrics and Gynecology department. How about we split up? I'll investigate the spirit-related matters, and you can go scout the OB-GYN department."

The two got out of the car, put on masks and baseball caps, and parted ways outside the outpatient building.

Entering the building, she took the elevator to the fourth floor. Guan Ya's gaze swept over the women, some with slightly rounded bellies and others heavily pregnant, when her eyes suddenly lit up.

Walking toward her was a female doctor in a white coat with a fair, delicate, oval face, large bright eyes, a straight nose, and wavy hair draped over her back.

She had a piece of candy in her mouth, making her cheeks bulge slightly, which made her look even sweeter and more adorable.

Guan Ya was confident in her own beauty, but seeing this bare-faced doctor, she still felt a sense of admiration.

She quickly walked up, blocked the doctor's path, and smiled: "Doctor, I'm planning to prepare for pregnancy recently. I was wondering what I should pay attention to."

On the other side, Zhang Yuanqing arrived in a quiet corridor and summoned Little Doubi.

"Aba, aba."

The round, adorable infant with sparse baby hair crawled on the floor, its dark, round eyes looking at Zhang Yuanqing with pure innocence.

Zhang Yuanqing conveyed thoughts like "free movement" and "go play" to it.

He intended to use Little Doubi to lure the snake out of its hole. A precious Spirit Servant had gone missing, so the person behind it would surely search for it. When they discovered the Infant Spirit had reappeared in the hospital, they would definitely be drawn in.

Taking a step back, even if the plan to lure the snake out failed, Little Doubi could still lead him to the person behind the scenes; it would have an impression of the guy who refined it, perhaps even a natural affinity.

Receiving Zhang Yuanqing's permission, Little Doubi happily paddled its limbs and crawled along the corridor.

Zhang Yuanqing followed it all the way to the fourth floor, pushed open the corridor door, entered the waiting hall, and trailed it all the way to the Obstetrics and Gynecology department.

Is that guy really in the OB-GYN department?

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was thinking this, he heard a silvery, bell-like laugh: "Really? You like that brand of skincare products too? I go abroad often; I'll bring some back for you next time."

That was Guan Ya's voice.

Following the sound, he saw that woman chatting and laughing away with a female doctor, gossiping incessantly.

The female doctor in the white coat was his aunt.

Damn it! Zhang Yuanqing lowered the brim of his hat, trying his best to keep his gaze downward to avoid looking at his aunt and risking eye contact.

Although he was wearing a mask and a hat, given how familiar his aunt was with him and how well they knew each other, she would recognize him just by looking at his eyes.

At that moment, he saw Little Doubi happily crawling toward his aunt.