Chapter 46

The boy looked up at her. "I'm a little hungry. Can you let me finish eating first?"

The red-haired woman burst out laughing. "Sure, eat first."

The boy lowered his head and continued eating his noodles.

The red-haired woman rested her chin on her hand and watched him, her gaze curious yet teasing.

After a while, the second bowl of ramen arrived.

The red-haired woman slowly picked up her chopsticks, lifted a mouthful of noodles, blew on them, and put them into her mouth. "Mmm! Not bad!"

After finishing his own bowl, the boy wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair to look at her. "You came to see me just to eat noodles?"

The red-haired woman looked up, her eyes shimmering. "Xiao Xi asked me to pass on a message—she wants to thank you and invite you to stay in the Rain Country for a few days."

The boy shook his head. "Not going. It rains too much there. Clothes never dry."

The red-haired woman laughed so hard her shoulders shook. "Then you need somewhere to stay, don't you?"

The boy thought for a moment and pointed outside. "There's a small wooden cabin on the mountain over there. I'm planning to live there for a while."

"On the mountain?" The red-haired woman raised her brows. "How boring. Why not come with me to Flower City in the Land of Fire? It's lively there, and there are lots of pretty girls too."

The boy looked at her and said solemnly, "There's nothing going on between us. Don't even think about ** me."

The red-haired woman froze for a second, then doubled over laughing. "You really are..." She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "How did that mouth of yours grow like this?"

The boy shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth."

The red-haired woman set down her chopsticks, rose to her feet, and picked up her bundle. "Fine, nothing going on means nothing going on. But I'm coming with you to see what exactly you plan to do."

The boy frowned. "Why are you following **?"

"Xiao Xi told me to keep an eye on you." The red-haired woman blinked. "She said you're a good person and was afraid you'd go down the wrong path."

The corner of the boy's mouth twitched. "What wrong path could I possibly go down?"

The red-haired woman leaned closer and lowered her voice. "You have so much Tailed Beast chakra in your body. What if one day you can't suppress it? Wouldn't that be a disaster?"

The boy fell silent for several seconds, then sighed. "Do whatever you want. Just don't get in my way."

The red-haired woman smiled in satisfaction. "Don't worry. I'm not that kind of troublesome woman."

She sat back down, picked up her chopsticks, and leisurely ate another mouthful of noodles.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.

The boy leaned by the window and watched the distant mountain shadows, an indescribable emotion in his eyes.

The red-haired woman glanced at him, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

This boy really was interesting.

"Three years minimum, ** maximum."

Lin Bei stared at the scrolling comments on the screen, the corner of his mouth twitching.

This crowd really knew how to make memes.

The chat flooded with comments. "Streamer, you're done. I took a screenshot."

"I'm saving that line. I'll report you later."

"I suggest the streamer runs now. There's still time."

Lin Bei coughed and dragged the topic back. "All right, all right, quit messing around. Let's keep looking at the clues."

He opened the mission details.

It read—Target location: abandoned hospital west of the city.

The chat exploded again. "Haunted house dungeon?"

"I've heard of that place. No one dares go there at night."

"Streamer, you really aren't afraid of dying, are you?"

Lin Bei smiled. "What's there to fear? I've got you guys with me."

He packed up his things and headed out.

The night was dark as ink.

The streetlights glowed dimly, stretching his shadow long behind him.

Lin Bei rode a shared bike toward the western side of the city.

There was barely anyone on the road.

The wind blew past, bone-chillingly cold.

After riding for around twenty minutes, he arrived.

The abandoned hospital's gate was covered in rust.

Vines crawled across the walls, and most of the windows were shattered.

The building was pitch-black, like a monster with its mouth open.

Lin Bei locked up his bike and took out his phone to shine its light around. "I'm here. This is the place."

The chat immediately livened up. "**, this place looks seriously creepy."

"Streamer, be careful. Don't let the ghosts catch you."

"I suggest the streamer burns some incense before going in."

Lin Bei ignored them and pushed open the iron gate.

The hinges let out a piercing creak.

He walked in, sweeping his phone's light over the corridor.

Yellowed posters clung to the walls, while the floor was covered in shattered glass.

The air reeked of mildew. "This place has been abandoned for years," Lin Bei muttered.

Someone in the chat replied, "No one's come here for at least ten years."

He followed the corridor deeper inside.

At the corner, a dark shadow suddenly darted out.

Lin Bei jumped back a step. "Meow—"

A stray cat ran past his feet. "Damn, that scared me to death." He patted his chest.

The chat went wild with laughter. "The streamer's this timid?"

"Weren't you bragging just now?"

"I recorded that. I'll post it online later."

Lin Bei rolled his eyes. "Anyone would jump at something like that, okay?"

He continued onward.

At the stairwell, a sign hung crookedly.

It read—Morgue.

Lin Bei narrowed his eyes. "This is where the clue points."

The chat began spamming the screen. "Streamer, are you really going down there?"

"That place is bad luck."

"I suggest the streamer picks another mission."

Without hesitation, Lin Bei headed downstairs.

The steps were steep, and the light did not reach the bottom.

He turned on his phone's flashlight and carefully made his way down one step at a time.

His footsteps echoed through the stairwell.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

When he reached the lowest level, a chilling air rushed toward him.

Several stretchers sat in the corridor.

Empty medicine bottles were piled in the corners.

At the far end stood an iron door.

It was unlocked.

Lin Bei pushed it open and walked inside.

It was a large room.

White sheets hung from the walls, and medical records lay scattered across the floor.

Right **, there was a coffin.

The coffin was made of wood.

Most of its paint had peeled away.

There were even fresh bloodstains on it.

Lin Bei stared at the coffin for several seconds.

The chat erupted. "**, is there really a dead person in there?"

"Streamer, run! Something's wrong here."

"I smell a conspiracy."

Lin Bei licked his lips. "We're already here. Let's take a look first."

He slowly approached the coffin.

Every step was careful.

The flashlight shone upon it.

By its light, he saw words on the coffin lid.

They had been written in blood. "Never open it."

Lin Bei frowned.

The chat began frantically spamming the screen. "That's a fucking warning!"

"Streamer, if you dare open it, I'll call you Dad."

"I suggest the streamer turns around and runs. Don't look back."

Lin Bei was silent for a while.

Then he reached out and pushed open the coffin lid.

The wood made a dull scraping sound.

Creak—

The coffin lid slowly slid open.

Inside lay a **.

The ** had already badly decomposed.

Its features were blurred beyond recognition.

But there was a clear stab wound in its chest.

Lin Bei swallowed. "This person was murdered."

The moment he finished speaking, footsteps sounded in the corridor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound drew closer and closer.

Lin Bei's heart tightened, and he quickly hid behind the door.

The footsteps stopped.

Someone stood in the doorway. "Come out. I know you're in there."

The voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against glass.

Lin Bei held his breath and did not move.

The person spoke again. "You're a detective, right? Here to investigate the case?"

Lin Bei thought for a moment, then stepped out from behind the door. "Who are you?"

The man wore a black trench coat and a mask.

Only his eyes were visible.

They were bloodshot and looked exhausted. "I used to be a security guard at this hospital," he said. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The chat immediately began speculating. "Something's wrong with this guy."

"I think he's the murderer."

"Streamer, don't believe him. He's playing you."

Lin Bei said nothing and waited for the man to continue.

The security guard sighed. "The person in that coffin is the girl who disappeared ten years ago."

He paused, then continued, "Several doctors in the hospital were the ones who killed her."

"They killed her, then hid the ** here."

Lin Bei narrowed his eyes. "How do you know so much?"

The security guard removed his mask.

A scar ran across his face, stretching from the corner of his eye all the way to the corner of his mouth. "Because I was involved back then too."

Black Zetsu crouched beneath the shadows of the trees, narrowing his eyes as he watched the distant activity.

He had hidden himself for centuries. What storms had he not seen? What cunning old foxes had he not crossed paths with? Those so-called genius powerhouses had all eventually become his pawns.

But this time, something was wrong.

Starting three days ago, several hidden agents he had secretly arranged had all lost contact. Not a single Shadow Clone Technique he sent out had returned, and there was not even anyone left to report back.

Even stranger, the forces that should have been advancing according to his plans had all stopped moving, as though someone had seized them by the throat.

Black Zetsu licked his lips and shrank back. "Something's wrong. I need to change locations."

The instant he finished speaking, a laugh suddenly fell from above. "And where do you think you're going?"

Black Zetsu suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking.

A dark figure stood on the branch above him, looking down with a faint, inscrutable smile.

Black Zetsu's mind raced, but his expression remained calm. "Friend, there must be some misunderstanding between us, right?"

"There's no misunderstanding." Ling Rui curled his lips atop the tree. "I've been looking for you for days. You hid yourself pretty well."

Black Zetsu's gaze darkened, and he abruptly leaped backward.

However, the instant his feet left the ground, the earth around him exploded with a boom. Six golden chains burst from underground, accurately coiling around his limbs and neck.

Black Zetsu struggled desperately, his entire body exploding into a mass of shadow as he tried to transform and flee.

But then a blinding white light erupted from the golden chains, forcibly reverting his shadow form to its original state. "What is this thing?!" Even Black Zetsu's voice had changed.

Ling Rui jumped down from the tree, brushed the dust from his hands, and slowly walked over to squat in front of him. "You old bastard, you've been plotting trouble for centuries, haven't you?"

Black Zetsu gritted his teeth, glaring fixedly at Ling Rui. "A brat like you thinks you're worthy of discussing schemes with me? How many years have I lived? How many days have you lived?"

Rather than getting angry, Ling Rui laughed. "What good is living that long? I uprooted all your arrangements in half a month."

Black Zetsu's pupils shook violently.

Ling Rui counted on his fingers at an unhurried pace. "That line in the Rain Ninja Village, I cleaned it up the day before yesterday. The contact point in Hidden Stone Village, I wiped it out yesterday. And those three hidden outposts around Konoha? I took them all this morning."

Black Zetsu's face changed completely.

Every single one had been a piece he had secretly cultivated for decades.