Chapter 32: Major Event

 Chapter 32: Major Event 

The phone rang for a long time before the call was answered on the other side. The voice on the other end was formal and cold: "I am currently analyzing the information on Eu Xiangrong and speculating on his behavioral trajectory. You have ten seconds."

In the organization of official spiritual realm practitioners, the various teams were the main force in handling cases, while the executives worked behind the scenes to coordinate. Only in the face of difficult cases would they personally take action. The Chief Executive was under pressure indeed.

Li Dongze cleared his throat and reported in a solemn tone, "Chief Executive Fu, we have already eliminated Eu Xiangrong."

This response seemed to catch the Chief Executive off guard. There was silence on the phone for a few seconds before Fu Qingyang's voice, no longer cold, came through, "Where did you find him?"

"At Songhai University. He was attempting to force Xu Yingying to reveal the whereabouts of the Holy Grail and the roster, but Xu Yingying had no knowledge of them. Your judgment was correct; Eu Xiangrong has indeed lost his sanity," Li Dongze explained.

Fu Qingyang praised, "Well done, Li Dongze. You were very sharp this time. You have successfully prevented a large-scale bloodshed event. I will recommend your team to the Elder Council. Were there any casualties?"

"No," Li Dongze paused for a moment, "Chief Executive Fu, we did not kill him."

"Not killed by your team?" Fu Qingyang's tone carried a hint of doubt. He seemed to realize something and said with a sudden realization, "Almost forgot, there is an Elder of the Water God Palace in Songhai University. Was it this person who acted? I'll have to pay a visit to thank them."

An Elder of the Water God Palace in Songhai University? Li Dongze was taken aback and then realized that Chief Executive Fu had misunderstood. He clarified, "It was Yuan Shi Tian Zun, the 1st-level Night Roaming God, who eliminated Eu Xiangrong. He is the new recruit in my team."

A 1st-level Night Roaming God killed a 3rd-level Gua Huo Zhi Yao? There was silence again on the phone. After about ten seconds, Fu Qingyang spoke again, "I see. Have him write a report and submit it."

With a hint of amusement in his voice, Fu Qingyang added, "Well done."

After ending the call, Li Dongze couldn't help but wear a triumphant expression as he tightly gripped the steering wheel and unconsciously pressed on the gas pedal.

Bai Long opened his phone and created a temporary group chat with several other team leaders. "Look at how proud Li Dongze is. His beard is almost flying to his eyebrows."

Qing Teng replied, "They achieved great merit. If I had such a subordinate, I would be proud too."

In the organization's internal rules and regulations, to enhance the collective sense of honor among team members, when one person achieved meritorious deeds, the entire team would be commended, and other team members would also receive bonuses and performance rewards.

For the Night Roaming God that Li Dongze recruited, if the previous feelings were just pure admiration, then now, several team leaders were jealous and ready to ignore the rules of conduct.

In Kangyang District Public Security Bureau, there was a morgue.

Li Dongze closed the morgue's door, blocking the team leaders outside.

He looked at Zhang Yuanqing by his side, his gaze profound, and said:

"The Night Wandering God's act of devouring spiritual entities can increase experience points, but the side effect is long-lasting, and the mind will be contaminated. If you have tried to enhance your strength in this way, you should understand what I mean."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

"Have you tried using that item to purify distracting thoughts?" Li Dongze suggested; that was his solution.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing frown in contemplation, Li Dongze smiled, "It seems that using that item comes with a significant price."

Indeed, using it frequently could lead to anemia and depleted vital energy... Zhang Yuanqing suddenly remembered a detail. He had once found a spiritual entity crystallization in the mouth of the Mountain Goddess.

Now, it seemed highly likely that the crystallization was formed from the souls of spiritual travelers who died in the Mountain God's temple.

That's why the information stated that it was the best supplement for the Night Wandering God.

The impurities in the spiritual entity crystallization were probably the spiritual contamination, but they were purified by the Goddess. Thus, it could be inferred that the Demon Subduing Staff could also purify mental contamination.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and took out the Demon Subduing Staff made of brass, with exquisitely carved patterns and enchantments.

He briefly explained the item's effects and the cost, saying, "If I go crazy later, use it to stab me, yeah, stab my thigh."

"Alright!" Li Dongze accepted the item.

Zhang Yuanqing walked to the corpse of Ou Xiangrong, placed his palm on the other party's chest, took a deep breath, and a sticky, pitch-black energy surged from his eyes, awakening the residual spirit in the body.

His forehead throbbed with pain, and his consciousness expanded as something foreign forcibly entered his brain...

...

In a daze, Zhang Yuanqing saw himself, saw the underground parking garage, and saw the eerie red dancing shoes.

This was the battle that had just taken place in the parking garage.

Zhang Yuanqing silently waited for the battle to end, and the scene quickly changed. This time, it was a dim room, and a masked man stood before Ou Xiangrong, holding an exquisitely crafted crystal cup filled with blood-red liquid.

"As a bewitching demon, your evil is pure, and you have good potential. Drink the wine from the Holy Grail, and you will be my servant," the man said.

"Every half month, you must drink the wine from the Holy Grail again, or even a god won't be able to save you."

"Remember my name, Judge of Illusions."

In a cheap rental room, a man wearing a mask and a cap stood in the living room and coldly said:

"Judge of Illusions is dead. His trusted accomplice, Black Wuchang, escaped with the Fallen Holy Grail and the registry and is hiding in Songhai City. If you don't want to 'die from poison,' help us find him. Will the Spirit Society treat you fairly?"

...

The scene changed, and he saw a blue sky and a group of thugs in strange outfits beating him up.

The transition was abrupt, and Zhang Yuanqing felt a bit lost. It took several seconds before he realized that he was experiencing a memory of Ou Xiangrong's past.

He never expected that this heartless villain had such experiences in the past.

"Ou Xiangrong, are you ignoring my words?"

"Ou Xiangrong, cherish the time when we talk to you nicely."

"Don't hit me, don't hit me..." Zhang Yuanqing felt the intense fear in Ou Xiangrong's heart, curling up in fear.

...

"Useless trash! Bullied again? If you get beaten, fight back! Why are you crying like a baby? How could I have such a useless waste like you!"

A middle-aged man cursed loudly, spewing saliva.

This time, Zhang Yuanqing felt despair in Ou Xiangrong's emotions.

Many chaotic and fragmented scenes flashed by rapidly. In similar situations time and time again, his mentality became more and more twisted, more and more violent.

Just then, a resplendent pure golden light broke into his consciousness, dispelling the violence and pain, bringing warmth.

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly opened his eyes and saw the bright incandescent light and the pristine white walls, along with a disheveled Li Dongze.

"Captain, are you okay?"

Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, and he quickly touched his face, realizing it was covered with tear stains.

"I'm fine." Li Dongze casually threw the blood-stained Demon Subduing Staff on the ground, adjusted his clothes, and complained, "I should have asked Guan Ya to do it. She's better at combat than me, and it would have been more elegant."

After tidying up, he couldn't wait to ask, "So, did you find any clues... you look in bad shape."

"I'm just... feeling a bit upset."

His experience points had increased again, but this time, Zhang Yuanqing didn't feel happy about it.

Li Dongze looked understanding and said, "Because of Ou Xiangrong's memories?"

"Yes."

The memories of spirits were incomplete and fragmented, only retaining some unforgettable experiences.

After so many years, Ou Xiangrong was still deeply haunted by his experiences during his school days, influencing his entire life.

Although he was a damned criminal, Zhang Yuanqing still felt uncomfortable.

Li Dongze sighed and said, "Although I don't know what you saw in his memories, I can understand. The Night Wandering God of the Taiyi Sect despises consuming evil spirits for a reason. Yuan Shi, do you know why the concept of evil professions exists?"

He didn't rush to ask about the case clues; instead, he took this opportunity to enlighten and teach Zhang Yuanqing.

"In the conflict between factions, we've killed countless evil practitioners. After observing the data from the Night Wandering God's spirit inquiries, we noticed a phenomenon. Every evil profession is, in reality, a wrongdoer or criminal."

"In other words, these spirit realm travelers of evil professions were chosen from a specific group in the real world."

Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, "So, they didn't become bad people after becoming evil professions; they were already bad people from the beginning?"

"Their wickedness isn't entirely inherent; it's something that humans themselves have created," Li Dongze sighed, "The spirit realm doesn't actively cultivate evil. The birth of any evil profession is due to the human world's own grievances. This is a grim reality and lacks positive energy, but it's the truth. Just understand it, but don't spread it widely."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded silently.

"In addition, let me tell you something. You have already killed Ou Xiangrong, so you should have gained some reputation," Li Dongze said. "Among spirit realm travelers, hunting each other doesn't deduct moral values. However, if you have reputation, it will make other spirit realm travelers of the same faction fear you. For example, if you have 10 reputation points, killing a spirit realm traveler of the same faction will deduct 20 moral values. Well, lawfulness and goodness are distinct."

After saying all this, Li Dongze patted Zhang Yuanqing's shoulder. "Alright, let's talk about the real matter and not waste time."

In lawful professions, there are both those who are good and those who are chaotic or neutral? Then in evil professions, could there be those who have repented and changed their ways... Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his thoughts, refocused his mind, and said solemnly:

"Captain, it seems like I saw a major event in Ou Xiangrong's memories."

"A major event?" Li Dongze smiled. "He's just a level 3 bewitching demon. How big of an event could it be? I've been working for so many years, and I've seen all kinds of major events. Speak up."

He wasn't being arrogant but from Li Dongze's perspective, Yuan Shi's experience was limited, and his definition of a major event might not be accurate.

"It's like this..." Zhang Yuanqing narrated the memories he had read.

A few minutes later, Li Dongze rushed out of the morgue, bellowing at the team leaders outside:

"Something big has happened!!"