Chapter 31: Concealment

Chapter 31: Concealment

At the entrance of the underground parking garage, figures gathered. Li Dongze, leaning on a staff with a gun in his other hand, rushed into the garage and quickly scanned the scene with sharp eyes.

His eyes first fell on Xu Yingying, who was unconscious but still alive. Then he noticed the not-so-obvious bloodstains on the ground and several private cars with signs of damage. As a scout, it was not difficult for Li Dongze to deduce that a brief and dangerous battle had taken place here. The fact that Xu Yingying was still alive indicated that the situation hadn't reached its worst.

The other Spirit Realm practitioners also scanned the scene with vigilance and speed. Soon, they saw a figure emerging from the shadows not far away.

In an instant, all of them instinctively pointed their guns at him.

"Don't shoot, it's me..." Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly raised both hands and observed the Spirit Realm practitioners beyond Li Dongze and Guan Ya.

There was a burly man wearing a fitness suit, looking like a gym coach, standing at least 1.9 meters tall with bulging muscles and a powerful aura. He wore red half-finger gloves on his hands.

Next was an elegant lady in an ink painting qipao, with a classical hairdo, graceful figure, and though she seemed older, her face was well-maintained, fair, and without wrinkles.

There was a middle-aged man wearing a miner's hat and dressed in a dark brown construction uniform, his skin tanned and weathered.

Then there was a young woman dressed in a white racing suit with a melon seed face, fair and beautiful, and her thick eyebrows gave her a heroic aura. She carried a black long knife in her hand.

The other two gunmen had no particularly distinct features in terms of appearance or temperament.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing walk out of the shadows, Li Dongze and Guan Ya visibly relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off their shoulders.

After the meeting, they received a call from Wang Tai, who informed them that Yuanshi had discovered Ou Xiangrong at Songhai University, attempting to harm Xu Yingying. Li Dongze and Guan Ya were shocked and immediately summoned several team leaders who hadn't dispersed yet, rushing to Songhai University.

Li Dongze's face was tense all the way, feeling heavy-hearted. He feared that Yuanshi would act impulsively without considering the consequences. When newcomers became Spirit Realm practitioners, they often became inflated with their newfound power. Coupled with their limited experience and lack of understanding, they tended to be reckless.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing unharmed now, both Li Dongze and Guan Ya breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's the Night Roamer?" asked the impatient muscular man, glancing at Li Dongze for confirmation before surveying the underground parking garage. His rough voice sounded as he spoke, "Kid, where's Ou Xiangrong? Which way did he escape?"

In his view, a Level 3 Bewitching Fiend wasn't something a Level 1 Night Roamer could handle. After a brief confrontation, Ou Xiangrong feared that official Spirit Realm practitioners would arrive and fled in a hurry. If not much time had passed since Ou Xiangrong escaped, they might be able to track him down with the scout's tracking ability.

Li Dongze, Guan Ya, and a few other team leaders all stared at Zhang Yuanqing, awaiting his answer.

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

Didn't escape? The people present were taken aback, and they raised their guns again, looking around in surprise and alertness.

Then this rookie, pointing to the shadows behind him, said, "I took him out."

"What did he say?" The hot-tempered muscular man almost thought his hearing had gone wrong and was about to explode in anger, speaking with a muffled voice:

"Don't joke with me. This is not the occasion for your humor," said the muscular man with a frown. Li Dongze and the others were also taken aback and then looked at Zhang Yuanqing with a cautious expression.

"Why are you so fierce? Can't we talk nicely? You're not from the Crimson Fire Gang, are you?" Zhang Yuanqing patiently explained, trying to ease the tension.

"I didn't lie. His body is at the back of the car. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself," Zhang Yuanqing said.

The muscular man looked in the direction Zhang Yuanqing pointed, but the shadows formed by the protruding pillars and car bodies obstructed his view of the corner.

He was about to go over and check, but the middle-aged man wearing a miner's hat stepped forward and said, "Wait, I'll go check."

The muscular man, seeing his colleague's serious expression, seemed to recall something and looked at Zhang Yuanqing with caution before nodding.

Zhang Yuanqing noticed that Li Dongze and Guan Ya's expressions were a bit strange, and the gazes of the others were filled with undisguised vigilance.

At this moment, the middle-aged man with the miner's hat approached the back of the car with slow but steady steps. He stared at a certain spot with wide eyes, like he was made of clay.

"Boss Tang?" The muscular man looked at his companion with a startled and bewildered expression, his muscles suddenly bulging as if ready to take action. The team leaders from the Qingteng White Dragon squad immediately became alert.

Tang Guoqiang's appearance was reminiscent of someone under the influence of bewitchment. But quickly, they saw Tang Guoqiang "recover." He bent down and dragged a body out, pulling it into the spotlight and into their line of sight.

The body was wearing loose camouflage pants, a black vest, and a black coat. The face was mangled, the eye sockets hollow, but the facial features were still recognizable—it was indeed Ou Xiangrong.

The underground parking garage fell silent, and everyone stared blankly at Ou Xiangrong's body.

Li Dongze's expression changed from serious to astonished as he muttered to himself, "Oh, my God, oh, my God..."

Guan Ya looked at the body, then at Zhang Yuanqing, and seemed to have figured something out, contemplating it deeply.

The elegant woman in the ink-painting qipao walked briskly in high heels and stopped by the body. After carefully examining it, she pursed her lips and said, "Indeed, it's Ou Xiangrong." She then glanced at Zhang Yuanqing with a somewhat complicated expression.

The muscular man's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "How did you do it?" The other team leaders also focused their gaze on Zhang Yuanqing, scrutinizing him. They couldn't believe that Ou Xiangrong was killed by a level 1 newcomer, even though the latter was injured and not at his peak.

The Second Squad had made a significant achievement this time. Li Dongze must have had incredible luck to recruit such a talented subordinate.

"How did you do it?" They asked again, but Zhang Yuanqing didn't answer. Instead, he looked at his superior.

Li Dongze stepped forward immediately and cleared his throat, "Yuanshi, well done. You've made great achievements. Just a moment ago, when we couldn't reach you, we were being scolded by our superiors in the meeting room."

His words effectively shifted the attention. The team leaders showed relieved smiles, as if they had finally let go of a heavy burden.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Li Dongze and asked, "Then why were you pointing your guns at me just now?"

The young woman in the white racing suit walked over with her knife in hand. She appraised Zhang Yuanqing and nodded in satisfaction, "We were all wrong. Let me introduce myself. I'm Bailong, a level 3 Water Spirit."

This female team leader exuded a sense of unruliness, with no trace of the usual delicacy and coyness of a woman. Her demeanor was imposing, as if she saw everyone else as her subordinates.

"Yuanshi Tianzun," Zhang Yuanqing introduced himself.

The team leaders were momentarily taken aback. "A great name..." they commented.

Indeed, it was a great name. Just hearing it made one want to punch him.

Bailong laughed, "Let's call you Yuanshi then. Not bad, I always thought boys your age would choose some strange and eccentric names."

"Like what?" Zhang Yuanqing smiled and shrugged.

Bailong was stunned. She hadn't expected this kid to be so casual and even retort to her. Normally, in the face of superiors' teasing, a normal person would be humble or appear reserved.

"Like Big Muscle Bully," Guan Ya walked over, picking up where Bailong left off.

Big Muscle Bully blinked and explained, "My name implies: A muscular bully."

"That's what I meant," Guan Ya said innocently.

The scene was filled with laughter, and even Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but chuckle.

Big Muscle Bully was left speechless. Just then, several official Spirit Realm practitioners hurriedly arrived, carrying stretchers and body bags. They had received a call saying that the perpetrator had been killed and rushed over to handle the bodies. They carefully carried out Ou Xiangrong's body and also took Xu Yingying on the stretcher to send her to the hospital for treatment.

Li Dongze didn't waste any time and said, "Yuanshi, come with us to take a look at Ou Xiangrong's memories."

"No, we can't let him come." Tang Guoqiang shook his head, "Ou Xiangrong has been contaminated by evil forces, and we are not sure if his spiritual body is also affected. Besides, the bloodthirsty and brutal nature of the enchanting spirits, coupled with the strong spiritual energy in the memories, is something he cannot bear. Yuan Ting will return to Songhai this afternoon, and we can hand it over to him."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately remembered his encounter with the devouring spiritual body at the hospital, and he felt a sense of fear. However, he also thought about the possibility of other night wandering gods seeing the process of him killing Ou Xiangrong. If that happened, Red Dance Shoes would be exposed, and while that might not necessarily lead to disputes or coveting, it was still better to remain low-key.

"It's not a problem; I will find a way to help him resolve it," Li Dongze said firmly, displaying his determination. "Ou Xiangrong's memories are crucial, and the sooner we extract them from his spiritual body, the better. We cannot determine how much of his memories can be preserved if his spiritual body is contaminated."

Tang Guoqiang pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly. He still disagreed with Li Dongze's approach, but as the Second Squad was responsible for killing Ou Xiangrong, they had the right to handle the situation.

At this moment, the elegant woman in the qipao approached with a concerned expression and asked, "Did you get injured? Do you need treatment?"

Her tone was gentle, and she seemed eager to help Zhang Yuanqing as if he were her close confidant.

Li Dongze smiled and introduced her, "This is Qingteng, the captain of the Hundred Flowers Society. She's proficient in healing. Within the Five Elements Alliance, Wood Spirits are also known as recovery experts. If you have any injuries, just tell her."

Recovery expert? Zhang Yuanqing thought, "Are you Wood Spirits being serious about this recovery expert thing, or are you just trying to hold on to the future?"

Li Dongze continued introducing the muscular man and the man with the mining cap, saying, "This is Big Muscle Bully from the Crimson Fire Gang and Tang Guoqiang from the Middle Court. Both of them are experienced Spirit Realm practitioners."

"Indeed, it's the Crimson Fire Gang..." Zhang Yuanqing immediately responded, "Hello, both captains, please take care of me."

Big Muscle Bully nodded in satisfaction and said, "Do you want to become friends?"

"Sure, why not?" Qingteng and Bai Long agreed with a smile.

Tang Guoqiang, who didn't talk much, took out his phone and was the first to add Zhang Yuanqing as a friend.

Li Dongze's mouth twitched as he watched them, but once Zhang Yuanqing and the captains became friends, he said, "Let's send the bodies back first, and the rest of the team will stay here to assist the public security officers in cleaning up the scene. Yuan Ting, you can take the car with Guanya back to the office and write a report."

Shortly after, the official Spirit Realm practitioners drove a commercial vehicle and a blue sports car into the underground parking lot. Zhang Yuanqing wanted to talk privately with Li Dongze, like asking him to delete the surveillance footage.

Li Dongze refused, saying that Zhang Yuanqing was too dirty at the moment and not elegant enough to ride in his car. Instead, they all left together in the commercial vehicle.

As they drove on the spacious street, wearing sunglasses and humming a tune, Guanya seemed to be in a good mood. She said to Zhang Yuanqing, "You're lucky to have received a rule-type item as soon as you became a Spirit Realm practitioner."

Zhang Yuanqing replied without embarrassment, "You must have known about it beforehand. After all, scouts are the most perfect profession."

"Before, it was just speculation. Remember, insight is a scout's talent," Guanya smiled, "You could understand my hints, and hiding a rule-type item suggests that you're not dumb."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately hinted back, "Will the organization force me to hand over the item?"

Guanya answered, "They won't force you, but if you voluntarily hand it over, the organization will gladly accept it and reward you with merits and money. However, human hearts are complex. You, a rookie, possessing a rule-type item will surely attract some people who might take risks."

She then advised him, "You should consider finding someone to back you up, like your superior's superior."

Zhang Yuanqing wondered, "Will that guy protect me?" He thought, "How can you guarantee that your superior's superior won't see the value in the item?"

Guanya reassured him, "That guy comes from a prestigious family and grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He is proud and arrogant, but he always boasts of winning people with virtue. In reality, he likes to splash money around and is a big spender. One rule-type item won't shake his pride. However, he has high standards and usually looks for elite talents."

Zhang Yuanqing only responded with an "Um" and didn't promise or refuse, skipping over the topic.

Guanya hummed, "You made quite a splash today, and your deeds will spread. Within the Five Elements Alliance, there will surely be people trying to recruit you, openly or secretly. Be careful of the beauty trap; there have been cases of seduction in the past. Those two female captains seem quite interested in you."

Zhang Yuanqing stated firmly, "I am loyal and devoted to the Second Squad. I won't fall for any beauty trap."

"Yet, you're a Scorpio," Guanya teased.

Zhang Yuanqing was puzzled, "What does being a Scorpio have to do with it?"

"Do you know the saying about zodiac signs? Pisces men don't talk about dogs, but Scorpio men want to mate even with dogs," Guanya playfully explained.

......

Inside the black commercial vehicle, Li Dongze was personally driving with a smile on his face. He said, "Oh dear, oh dear, I accidentally finished everyone's work. I'm such an unfaithful team member, my apologies, everyone. I didn't let you all get any credit."

His four captains had dark expressions. "When the bonus comes, I'll treat everyone to a meal," Li Dongze continued with a smile, "Don't envy it; it's all coincidental. This kid coincidentally cleared the She Ling Tunnel and coincidentally killed Ou Xiangrong. It's not a big deal."

"You're really asking for a beating with the way you talk," Big Muscle Bully said in a low voice.

"Be elegant; don't always be so violent. Let me report to Captain Fu Bai first." Li Dongze took out his phone amidst the captains' glares and dialed Fu Bai's number.

During the Ou Xiangrong incident, due to their mistakes, Fu Bai had taken considerable risks. Now that Ou Xiangrong had been killed, as his subordinates, they needed to report it promptly.

This kid, Zhang Yuanqing, really made Fu Bai proud.