Chapter 104: Mercenary

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In less than half a minute, Zhang Yuanqing rushed over and stopped at the entrance of the bridge tunnel.

Fu Qingyang gestured with his eyes, and Zhang Yuanqing walked to the tunnel entrance and looked inside. Through the night vision of the Nightwalker, he saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt slumped against the wall.

There was a hole the size of a finger in the center of his forehead, and blood was oozing from it.

Zhang Yuanqing carefully examined the man. He had prominent eyebrows, narrow eyes, and a thin face. He looked like a hardened criminal.

Death had come so easily. It seemed that just like Heng Xin, this "Heaven's Injustice" was also a transcendent-level witch doctor. Zhang Yuanqing's eyes turned black as he connected with the residual spirit within the body.

Then, he took out the Demon Subduing Staff and handed it to Fu Qingyang.

After making the necessary preparations, Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and transformed his spirit into a "green smoke" that entered his mouth.

Memories that did not belong to him flooded in, expanding his mental sea like an inflating balloon.

Images flashed by like a revolving lantern, and from the fragmented and sporadic memory fragments, Zhang Yuanqing pieced together a rough outline of Heaven's Injustice's life.

His father was a gambler, his mother remarried, and he lived with his grandparents. A troubled childhood had sown seeds of darkness in his heart. The hardships of growing up without support became the fertilizer for those seeds to sprout.

He had grown into a radical and violent thug.

In one of the changing scenes, Zhang Yuanqing saw a dimly lit bedroom. Heaven's Injustice stood by the desk, cut his wrist, and let the blood flow into a bronze bowl.

The blood boiled in the bowl, and a blood mist rose, coalescing into a blurry face with a sharp voice.

"How can the Dark Rose recover?" The voice asked sharply.

Heaven's Injustice respectfully replied, "They promised to assassinate the Primordial Celestial and seek revenge for Heng Xin. In addition, the Dark Rose wants information about the 'Young Mercenary King' in the real world."

The blood mist-formed face fell silent for a moment, and the sharp voice sounded again, "The Dark Rose should not be interested in that guy."

Heaven's Injustice said, "I don't know, but they are very secretive about it."

The blood mist face floated at the edge of the bowl, swaying slightly, and said, "If the Dark Rose successfully assassinates the Primordial Celestial, you should tell them that the 'Young Mercenary King' is named Lei Yibing, lives in Songhai, attends university in Jiangnan Province, and his home address is..."

"Before telling the Dark Rose, you must first find out the purpose of their investigation into the 'Young Mercenary King.'"

Heaven's Injustice nodded reluctantly, "I found out that the Dark Rose values this matter greatly and seems unwilling to reveal it to us."

The blood mist-formed face wavered a few times and said, "If they're unwilling, then forget it. The top priority is to control the Fallen Holy Grail. Everything else can be postponed."

In the radiant golden light, Zhang Yuanqing snapped out of the questioning state and opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the dark and lightless night sky. He realized he was lying at the entrance of the bridge tunnel, and his head was throbbing.

"Ugh." Zhang Yuanqing sat up and rubbed his head.

"I got knocked out again. Fu Qingyang won't reward me with a bunny girl. I don't deserve my sacrifices." Zhang Yuanqing looked at the young man in white beside him and said, "I managed to gather some information, but not much."

He proceeded to briefly share Heaven's Injustice's memories with Fu Qingyang, deliberately leaving out information about his comrade.

Zhang Yuanqing sighed, "Black Grim Reaper and his subordinates communicate through some item. Heaven's Injustice doesn't know the whereabouts of Black Grim Reaper."

Of course, Black Grim Reaper wouldn't reveal his hiding place to his subordinates. If anyone were to betray the organization or be questioned by a spirit like Zhang Yuanqing, it would mean exposing their location.

A seasoned leader of an evil organization couldn't be that foolish.

Although this was within their expectations, it was still disappointing. Now, their hopes rested with the King of Gu.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing noticed Fu Qingyang reaching into thin air and grabbing an item from his inventory.

It was a simple and ugly hand puppet with a round head and a skirt-like body. At first glance, it looked like a ragdoll.

The puppet's eyes were sewn with black threads into two X's, and its mouth was a straight line.

Fu Qingyang asked, "Did you see in Heaven's Injustice's memories where he hid his communication item?"

Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Yes."

Fu Qingyang nodded and put the ugly hand puppet on his right hand. In the next moment, Zhang Yuanqing saw faint silver threads extending from the puppet's head and hands, wrapping around Heaven's Injustice's body.

After a few seconds, a rustling sound came from the room, and Heaven's Injustice climbed out. The hole in his forehead had already healed, and the bleeding had stopped.

He had been resurrected!

Watching his stunned subordinates, Fu Qingyang moved his fingers, and Heaven's Injustice's mouth curved slightly as he emitted a low, hoarse voice, "This item is called 'Mercenary.' I applied for it from an elder of the White Tiger Mercenary Clan, and it possesses some abilities of a Dominator Realm Subjugator. It can reconstruct the details of a deceased person's life, including their voice, body habits, skills, and can be controlled by the holder."

Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback and pleasantly surprised, "Do you mean..."

Heaven's Injustice, in a low voice, explained, "Controlling this body to contact Black Grim Reaper, and find out his next plan."

This was an operation they hadn't anticipated. Zhang Yuanqing sighed with relief. Fu Qingyang had anticipated that they wouldn't find Black Grim Reaper's location on Heaven's Injustice, so he had applied for the appropriate item in advance.

Although this guy was arrogant and aloof, he was indeed formidable and a reassuring teammate.

Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank. The questions asked by the spirit, what if Black Grim Reaper inquired about his comrade? If Fu Qingyang couldn't answer, it might expose their efforts of several days.

If he confessed about his comrade, Fu Qingyang, with his sharp wit, might detect something. This was how plans could be disrupted by unexpected changes.

"Captain, you're brilliant and valiant." Zhang Yuanqing pushed aside his anxiety and praised as usual.

Heaven's Injustice raised an eyebrow and said in his low, hoarse voice, "Next time, you can use more flattering words. I don't mind."

With that, this puppet walked over to Fu Qingyang and helped carry the real body.

Was this the price of using the item? Seeing this scene, Zhang Yuanqing speculated. Then he heard Heaven's Injustice say, "Mercenary has two costs. First, it can only control the dead. Second, while controlling the puppet, the original body cannot speak or move."

The price seemed a bit heavy. Wasn't this just carrying himself? If he could switch the puppet for a girl, he suddenly had many bold ideas, but no, he couldn't think about that anymore. Zhang Yuanqing shook his head and expelled those daring thoughts.

The three of them returned to the business car. Following the images he had seen in Heaven's Injustice's memory, they located his hiding place.

It was located at the border between Kangyang District and Fenghui District, in a semi-new apartment building.

The night was dark, and the streetlights cast lonely beams of light. Tree shadows swayed in the wind, and except for a few 24-hour convenience stores that were still open, all other shops had closed.

The white business car stopped outside the apartment, and Zhang Yuanqing got out, charming the security guard.

Heaven's Injustice's body was carried by Zhang Yuanqing, and they entered the apartment.

Zhang Yuanqing led the way, following his own memories, and arrived at Room 302.

Fu Qingyang, controlling Heaven's Injustice, used a key to open the door.

Entering the room, Zhang Yuanqing scanned the area in the darkness. The apartment had two bedrooms and a living room, with a total area of about 70 square meters.

The furnishings were simple, the dining table covered with a dust cloth, and the kitchen utensils hadn't been used for a long time. It lacked the signs of a lived-in space.

It seemed that Heaven's Injustice had only used this place as a temporary refuge.

"The communication item with Black Grim Reaper is in the bedroom," Zhang Yuanqing said as he walked ahead and pushed open the bedroom door.

As soon as he entered the room, he smelled a faint, yet choking odor. He immediately felt dizzy, his lungs uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but cough.

Fu Qingyang, controlling Heaven's Injustice, said calmly, "There's a poisonous gas in the bedroom. Tell me where the communication item is, then take my body outside."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and took a few steps back. He said, "It's in the closet."

Heaven's Injustice, in Fu Qingyang's control, nodded and handed the body to Zhang Yuanqing before entering the bedroom.

"Bang!" The bedroom door closed.

Zhang Yuanqing, carrying Fu Qingyang's body, exited the apartment and waited in the quiet corridor.

Inside the bedroom, Heaven's Injustice wiped the blood off his body and opened the wooden wardrobe door. He took out a bronze bowl.

It was heavy, and the bowl was engraved with images of snakes, insects, and centipedes, as well as a slightly pungent odor.

Heaven's Injustice held the bowl, came to the table, and cut his wrist, letting the blood flow into the bowl.

According to the information Zhang Yuanqing obtained from questioning, this bowl didn't require any additional actions. It only needed sufficient blood.

The blood quickly gathered and covered the bottom of the bowl, filling about half of it.

Suddenly, the blood in the bowl began to boil, and wisps of blood mist rose, forming a blurry human face with a sharp voice.

"How is it?" The face asked.

Heaven's Injustice bowed and said, "Boss, Primordial Celestial is dead. Dark Rose has proven their sincerity to us."

The blood mist swirled, and the sharp voice carried a hint of laughter, "Very good. The follow-up contact will be handled by the Mistress. I plan to meet with the Dark Rose's people in two days. During this time, you come to the usual place."

Heaven's Injustice bowed, "Yes."

At this moment, the blood mist-formed figure asked, "What's the Dark Rose's response regarding the 'Young Mercenary King'?"

Heaven's Injustice's body tensed.

In the corridor, Zhang Yuanqing weighed his options and finally made up his mind. He clenched his teeth and said softly, "Captain, I have something to report."

(End of this chapter)