Inside the house,
Auntie looked up at the clock on the wall, lost in thought.
On the table in front of her, the dishes were still full, just as they were when Lin Qiye left.
After some time passed, Yang Jin reached out and used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, placing it in Auntie's bowl.
"Mom, let's eat."
"Ah..." Auntie shook her head, sighing deeply. "You said your brother left halfway through dinner and hasn't returned yet. Could something have happened to him?"
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. Maybe his friends from school saw that his eyes were better and insisted on taking him out for dinner." Yang Jin comforted softly.
Auntie's expression relaxed slightly upon hearing Yang Jin's words, but then worry crept back in.
"But he went out without an umbrella."
"Mom..." Yang Jin stood up, pointing outside the window and calmly said, "The rain has stopped."
...
Indeed, the rain had stopped.
The faint moonlight pierced through the clouds, casting a serene glow over the silent night, where all was quiet.
On the empty ground not far away, the broken signboard had been taken away, the blood and flesh cleaned up, leaving only grim knife marks on the ground, silently recounting the events of the previous night.
Perhaps tomorrow morning, someone would notice these mysterious cracks and make countless speculations, but they would never know the truth of what happened.
A few raindrops slid down the eaves, falling into the muddy puddle, creating ripples.
Splash!
A foot stepped into the puddle, splashing water.
In the darkness of the night, on the scarred ground, a small black mongrel dog walked calmly.
Around its neck hung a small pouch.
It traversed the cracks and arrived at a clean spot beside an empty space, stopping its steps.
Just a few minutes ago, a man's body lay here.
It lowered its head, and a faint light flickered in its black eyes.
Suddenly,
It opened its mouth,
And spoke in human language,
Its voice deep and resonant!
"Soul returns..."
...
Cangnan City, Peace Bridge.
Peace Bridge was a large bridge in the suburban area of Cangnan City, with the Jiangnan Grand Canal flowing underneath, traversing the entire city of Cangnan. Countless pedestrians and vehicles passed over this bridge every day, making it one of the landmarks of Cangnan City.
On the bridgehead of Peace Bridge, there were rows of small shops on both sides. Among them, the most inconspicuous-looking storefront had an old, large red signboard hanging above it.
- Peace Agency.
Similar to the other storefronts near Peace Bridge, it was not large, just over two hundred square meters, slightly larger than the average school's Lanzhou Ramen shop.
It was considered unremarkable not only because of its overly common name but also because the shops on both sides were much more eye-catching.
On the left was a brightly decorated wedding company named "Peace Wedding," while on the right was a funeral one-stop shop with white satin and flower wreaths, named "Peace Funeral One-stop."
Joy and sorrow, side by side.
In the middle of these two extremes, the Peace Agency was like a transparent shop, unable to attract anyone's attention.
If there was anything distinctive about it, it would be its name. Other agencies specialized in various fields, such as law firms specializing in litigation, detective agencies specializing in solving cases, accounting firms specializing in accounting...
But this storefront had no prefix, only the word "peace," making it impossible for people to figure out what it was for.
At this moment, underground in the Peace Agency.
In the spacious and bright lobby, a young man sat quietly on the sofa, staring at the floor tiles beneath his feet, silent.
In the lobby, six other people were seated.
"So, you're the proxy of the Archangel appointed by Old Zhao?" Wu Xiangnan sat on another sofa, looking at Lin Qiye and asked.
"That's right."
After a brief silence, Wu Xiangnan spoke slowly:
"My name is Wu Xiangnan, the deputy captain of Night Watchmen's 136th Squad stationed in Cangnan City. The one leaning against the pillar in black clothes is Captain Chen Muye."
Lin Qiye followed Wu Xiangnan's gaze and looked at a man not far away, leaning against a pillar with his hands in his pockets, silently watching him.
Sensing Lin Qiye's gaze, Chen Muye nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Wu Xiangnan turned his head and looked at the remaining four people. "Don't just stand there, introduce yourselves."
At this moment, the woman sitting alone on the single sofa, holding her legs, her hair still damp, lifted her head slightly, revealing a pair of reddened eyes.
"Nigh Watchmen's 136th Squad, frontline combatant, Hongying."
Lin Qiye recognized her. He was brought here by Hongying.
After Hongying finished speaking, the man standing beside her, smiling and holding a towel in his hand, spoke softly:
"Night Watchmen's 136th Squad, frontline combatant, Wen Qimo."
Next, the girl who was curled up and crying softly also raised her head slightly and said softly, "Night Watchmen's 136th Squad, combat support and part-time military doctor, Si Xiaonan."
"Night Watchmen's 136th Squad, long-range fire support, Leng Xuan." The man sitting on the side with a sniper rifle said coldly.
Seeing that everyone had introduced themselves, Wu Xiangnan spoke again:
"Lin Qiye, right? About Zhao Kongcheng's death... do you have anything else to add?"
"I've already made it clear," Lin Qiye said calmly. "Zhao Kongcheng faced the Ghost-Faced King alone and fought to the death... Eventually, he killed the Ghost-Faced King single-handedly!"
"Were you present at the scene of their battle?"
"I was."
"How did you enter the Realm of No Remorse?"
"I glared at it, and it opened."
Wu Xiangnan opened his mouth, furrowing his brows slightly. "Can you give me a detailed description of their battle? For example, how did Zhao Kongcheng kill the Ghost-Faced King?"
"He swung his blade, unleashing a massive black crescent, and cut off the Ghost-Faced King's head," Lin Qiye said slowly.
"Black crescent..." Wu Xiangnan furrowed his brows in thought.
Just then, Chen Muye, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "It's the Oblivion Flash Moon, Old Zhao used the Ghost God's Invocation... activating his Forbidden Domain."
Wen Qimo exclaimed in surprise, "Sequence 083's Oblivion Flash Moon? That's a high-risk Forbidden Domain!"
"I never thought... Old Zhao was really onto something. I used to think he was just narcissistic..." Si Xiaonan muttered softly, her eyes teary.
"No, he's definitely narcissistic." Chen Muye's lips curled slightly, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "I think, at that moment when he saw his own Forbidden Domain, he couldn't quite believe it himself, right?"
"If we were there at the time, he would definitely have p
estered us, claiming that his Forbidden Domain was the most handsome of all..." Hongying seemed to recall something amusing, her lips curling slightly, but soon the light in her eyes dimmed.
Wu Xiangnan looked into Lin Qiye's eyes and spoke again: "There's one more question. Judging from the injuries on the Ghost-Faced King's body, they were a series of knife wounds and inexplicable burn marks... But the Oblivion Flash Moon doesn't seem to have this characteristic. What's going on?"
Frowning, Lin Qiye looked into Wu Xiangnan's eyes and spoke slowly:
"I've already made it clear. Zhao Kongcheng faced the Ghost-Faced King alone, fighting to the death...
In the end, he killed the Ghost-Faced King all by himself!"
Inside the house,
Auntie looked up at the clock on the wall, lost in thought.
On the table in front of her, the dishes were still full, just as they were when Lin Qiye left.
After some time passed, Yang Jin reached out and used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, placing it in Auntie's bowl.
"Mom, let's eat."
"Ah..." Auntie shook her head, sighing deeply. "You said your brother left halfway through dinner and hasn't returned yet. Could something have happened to him?"
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. Maybe his friends from school saw that his eyes were better and insisted on taking him out for dinner." Yang Jin comforted softly.
Auntie's expression relaxed slightly upon hearing Yang Jin's words, but then worry crept back in.
"But he went out without an umbrella."
"Mom..." Yang Jin stood up, pointing outside the window and calmly said, "The rain has stopped."
...
Indeed, the rain had stopped.
The faint moonlight pierced through the clouds, casting a serene glow over the silent night, where all was quiet.
On the empty ground not far away, the broken signboard had been taken away, the blood and flesh cleaned up, leaving only grim knife marks on the ground, silently recounting the events of the previous night.
Perhaps tomorrow morning, someone would notice these mysterious cracks and make countless speculations, but they would never know the truth of what happened.
A few raindrops slid down the eaves, falling into the muddy puddle, creating ripples.
Splash!
A foot stepped into the puddle, splashing water.
In the darkness of the night, on the scarred ground, a small black mongrel dog walked calmly.
Around its neck hung a small pouch.
It traversed the cracks and arrived at a clean spot beside an empty space, stopping its steps.
Just a few minutes ago, a man's body lay here.
It lowered its head, and a faint light flickered in its black eyes.
Suddenly,
It opened its mouth,
And spoke in human language,
Its voice deep and resonant!
"Soul returns..."
...
Cangnan City, Peace Bridge.
Peace Bridge was a large bridge in the suburban area of Cangnan City, with the Jiangnan Grand Canal flowing underneath, traversing the entire city of Cangnan. Countless pedestrians and vehicles passed over this bridge every day, making it one of the landmarks of Cangnan City.
On the bridgehead of Peace Bridge, there were rows of small shops on both sides. Among them, the most inconspicuous-looking storefront had an old, large red signboard hanging above it.
- Peace Agency.
Similar to the other storefronts near Peace Bridge, it was not large, just over two hundred square meters, slightly larger than the average school's Lanzhou Ramen shop.
It was considered unremarkable not only because of its overly common name but also because the shops on both sides were much more eye-catching.
On the left was a brightly decorated wedding company named "Peace Wedding," while on the right was a funeral one-stop shop with white satin and flower wreaths, named "Peace Funeral One-stop."
Joy and sorrow, side by side.
In the middle of these two extremes, the Peace Agency was like a transparent shop, unable to attract anyone's attention.
If there was anything distinctive about it, it would be its name. Other agencies specialized in various fields, such as law firms specializing in litigation, detective agencies specializing in solving cases, accounting firms specializing in accounting...
But this storefront had no prefix, only the word "peace," making it impossible for people to figure out what it was for.
At this moment, underground in the Peace Agency.
In the spacious and bright lobby, a young man sat quietly on the sofa, staring at the floor tiles beneath his feet, silent.
In the lobby, six other people were seated.
"So, you're the proxy of the Archangel appointed by Old Zhao?" Wu Xiangnan sat on another sofa, looking at Lin Qiye and asked.
"That's right."
After a brief silence, Wu Xiangnan spoke slowly:
"My name is Wu Xiangnan, the deputy captain of Night Watchmen's 136th Squad stationed in Cangnan City. The one leaning against the pillar in black clothes is Captain Chen Muye."
Lin Qiye followed Wu Xiangnan's gaze and looked at a man not far away, leaning against a pillar with his hands in his pockets, silently watching him.
Sensing Lin Qiye's gaze, Chen Muye nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Wu Xiangnan turned his head and looked at the remaining four people. "Don't just stand there, introduce yourselves."
At this moment, the woman sitting alone on the single sofa, holding her legs, her hair still damp, lifted her head slightly, revealing a pair of reddened eyes.
"Nigh Watchmen's 136th Squad, frontline combatant, Hongying."
Lin Qiye recognized her. He was brought here by Hongying.
After Hongying finished speaking, the man standing beside her, smiling and holding a towel in his hand, spoke softly:
"Night Watchmen's 136th Squad, frontline combatant, Wen Qimo."
Next, the girl who was curled up and crying softly also raised her head slightly and said softly, "Night Watchmen's 136th Squad, combat support and part-time military doctor, Si Xiaonan."
"Night Watchmen's 136th Squad, long-range fire support, Leng Xuan." The man sitting on the side with a sniper rifle said coldly.
Seeing that everyone had introduced themselves, Wu Xiangnan spoke again:
"Lin Qiye, right? About Zhao Kongcheng's death... do you have anything else to add?"
"I've already made it clear," Lin Qiye said calmly. "Zhao Kongcheng faced the Ghost-Faced King alone and fought to the death... Eventually, he killed the Ghost-Faced King single-handedly!"
"Were you present at the scene of their battle?"
"I was."
"How did you enter the Realm of No Remorse?"
"I glared at it, and it opened."
Wu Xiangnan opened his mouth, furrowing his brows slightly. "Can you give me a detailed description of their battle? For example, how did Zhao Kongcheng kill the Ghost-Faced King?"
"He swung his blade, unleashing a massive black crescent, and cut off the Ghost-Faced King's head," Lin Qiye said slowly.
"Black crescent..." Wu Xiangnan furrowed his brows in thought.
Just then, Chen Muye, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "It's the Oblivion Flash Moon, Old Zhao used the Ghost God's Invocation... activating his Forbidden Domain."
Wen Qimo exclaimed in surprise, "Sequence 083's Oblivion Flash Moon? That's a high-risk Forbidden Domain!"
"I never thought... Old Zhao was really onto something. I used to think he was just narcissistic..." Si Xiaonan muttered softly, her eyes teary.
"No, he's definitely narcissistic." Chen Muye's lips curled slightly, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "I think, at that moment when he saw his own Forbidden Domain, he couldn't quite believe it himself, right?"
"If we were there at the time, he would definitely have p
estered us, claiming that his Forbidden Domain was the most handsome of all..." Hongying seemed to recall something amusing, her lips curling slightly, but soon the light in her eyes dimmed.
Wu Xiangnan looked into Lin Qiye's eyes and spoke again: "There's one more question. Judging from the injuries on the Ghost-Faced King's body, they were a series of knife wounds and inexplicable burn marks... But the Oblivion Flash Moon doesn't seem to have this characteristic. What's going on?"
Frowning, Lin Qiye looked into Wu Xiangnan's eyes and spoke slowly:
"I've already made it clear. Zhao Kongcheng faced the Ghost-Faced King alone, fighting to the death...
In the end, he killed the Ghost-Faced King all by himself!"
