"Last night?" Xie Lingxi sat down on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, accepted the phone, and asked, "Was it something to do with the Xiahou family?"
Her assistant shook her head. "It's related to Primordial Supreme."
Xie Lingxi's eyes lit up with interest. "What happened?"
"I got the news from an official walker. While the official squad from Kangyang District was trying to apprehend a wanted criminal from the Spiritual Energy Association, they fell into an ambush. Reportedly, the attackers were four Level 3 evil professionals, which put the squad in a very dangerous situation. In the end, it was your friend, Primordial Supreme, who single-handedly wiped out all four Witch Gu Masters from the Association."
"He killed four Level 3 Witch Gu Masters… seriously?" Xie Lingxi's mouth fell open in stunned disbelief.
Is Primordial-ge really that powerful?
"We can't confirm if it's true. Word is the centurion from Kangyang District specifically ordered his men not to disclose any details about last night," the assistant said, shaking her head.
She had heard this from a female walker she was close to. Though it wasn't exactly top-secret information, it had already made its way around small female groups within the organization. Whether it was exaggerated or not, she couldn't say for sure. After all, not even most of the grassroots operatives knew the details. It wasn't critical intelligence, so she hadn't dug deeper—she simply wanted her lady to stay informed about the Five Elements Alliance and her friend's recent activities.
His strength shouldn't be this high... no, wait, he cleared a high-level Spirit Realm with the top score. It's very possible he obtained some powerful consumable or artifact… and an artifact is still a form of strength. Primordial-ge really has potential. I must introduce him to Dad at some point…
Xie Lingxi's thoughts turned quickly, and a sweet smile blossomed on her face.
"Heh, compared to him, Xiahou Tianyuan is just a petty rat. You can go now—I need to call Primordial-ge and comfort him. After all, he was bullied by Xiahou Tianyun."
The assistant was stunned. "I don't think Xiahou Tianyun is capable of bullying him..."
"You don't understand anything!" Xie Lingxi rolled her eyes.
At 8:30 in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the unit with a backpack slung over one shoulder.
Li Dongze's shoulder was bandaged thickly and supported by a sling. When he saw Zhang Yuanqing coming upstairs, he couldn't help but ask,
"You come to the office every day. Don't you have school?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied with righteous conviction:
"How can I let school interfere with my contributions to the organization? But since you brought it up, Squad Leader, I do have a question: A person's energy is limited. So, I've been thinking... maybe I should stop going to school.
"Does the Five Elements Alliance have any way for me to skip school and still get a diploma?"
Guan Ya, who was having a simple breakfast at her desk, chimed in:
"Of course. By that time, everyone will know Primordial Supreme was a student at Songhai University."
Li Dongze patted his subordinate on the shoulder, visibly pleased.
"Your devotion to the organization is commendable, but don't neglect your studies. You're not a Fire Walker, after all. Even if they abandon their brains, they can still clear dungeons."
Squad Leader, that's another dig at Fire Walkers...
Zhang Yuanqing nodded solemnly. "Alright, you have a point. Scouts are the best profession, after all."
Li Dongze beamed, clapping him on the shoulder again.
"I'll get you a whole crate of Coke. Just grab one from my office whenever you want. Anyway, back to business."
He swept his gaze across Guan Ya and Wang Tai and announced:
"I'll be out for a while to recover. In my absence, someone will be acting as Squad Leader. Guan Ya, Yuanqing, do your best to assist the interim leader in the pursuit of Black Impermanence. They'll be reporting in the day after tomorrow."
What? Squad Leader's leaving?
Zhang Yuanqing froze for a moment.
Then it hit him—Li Dongze's shoulder had been pierced clean through by the Spider Woman. He hadn't received any Life Elixir for treatment. As a Scout, he had no healing skills, nor did he possess the self-recovery ability of a Night Wanderer.
With an injury like that, he definitely needed time to recuperate.
"Squad Leader, who's the interim?" Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously.
"Interim! It's interim!" Li Dongze emphasized. He didn't elaborate, only saying, "You'll know when you see them. I hope you get along."
With that, he hobbled out of the second floor with his cane.
As soon as he was gone, Zhang Yuanqing dragged a chair over and sat next to Guan Ya, gazing mischievously at her elegant profile.
"So… is the new Squad Leader one of the team members we haven't met yet?"
She wore an expensive perfume—rich and fragrant, yet not overwhelming.
Guan Ya gave a nonchalant "mm" and said with a cheerful smile:
"Last night's battle put a lot of people on bed rest, so we're short-staffed. Fu Qingyang decided to bring back two members who had been put on ice."
"Squad Leader doesn't like them much?" Zhang Yuanqing finally asked what he had long been curious about.
"If you were leading a group of insubordinate subordinates—can't beat them, can't scold them—you wouldn't like them either."
"Squad Leader's that weak?"
Guan Ya shot him a glance, her lip gloss shimmering as she smirked.
"What gave you the illusion that he's strong? He's always been second-to-last in the squad. The only one below him is Wang Tai. In hand-to-hand combat, I could crush him. And now that you're here, he's still second-to-last."
…Zhang Yuanqing fell silent, feeling a wave of sympathy for Li Dongze.
After the roast, Guan Ya's tone turned serious:
"I need to warn you about these two. One's a Fire Walker—righteous to a fault, impulsive, short-tempered, zero tolerance for nonsense. You can't keep ogling my butt, or he'll beat you up."
"Sister Guan Ya, that's not fair—I don't stare at your butt."
"Oh? You don't?"
"I was obviously looking at your chest."
She rolled her eyes, ignoring him, and continued:
"The other's a Water Ghost. Weird temper, hard to get along with. He's made the Squad Leader vomit blood several times. Okay, not literally—figure of speech. But he's got a very upright personality and respects people who are the same.
"Most importantly, these two have unusual backgrounds. Getting on their good side will benefit you."
Zhang Yuanqing made a "please elaborate" gesture.
"One is the son of a high-ranking member of the Scarlet Flame Gang, a Level 3 Fire Walker. The other doesn't have much of a family background but is already a Level 4—Saint-level."
As she listed the details, she pulled open her drawer, took out a notepad, and flipped through it with her back turned. After confirming something, she nodded.
"Yup, that's about right."
Zhang Yuanqing caught a glimpse of the notes:
Primordial Supreme, Scorpio male. Traits: manipulative, vengeful, highly sexual. Note: Extremely high chance of being seduced by women from other organizations…
He gritted his teeth. That damn woman…
Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Xie Lingxi? Zhang Yuanqing immediately slipped into the restroom.
Outskirts of Songhai City.
Wang Qian, wearing a baseball cap and mask, hands in his pockets, strode quickly along the uneven sidewalk.
Compared to the city center, the outskirts were much more run-down. The roads were warped due to subsidence; the sidewalks were cracked and full of broken tiles. Because the central district had been entirely redeveloped, real estate developers were now focused on the outskirts. Construction sites were everywhere, adding to the chaos.
But for Wang Qian, the more chaotic a place was, the easier it was to hide.
He walked along the sidewalk for a long while, passed through a construction site, and arrived at a shabby, single-story house.
Knock knock knock...
He knocked in a unique rhythm, then said in a low voice, "It's me, Wang Qian."
The door creaked open. A middle-aged man with an unruly afro, beer belly, and tattered coat peeked out. After glancing around, he quickly pulled Wang Qian inside.
The place was filthy—beer cans, dirty clothes, takeout boxes scattered everywhere. Besides the chubby man, there were two others.
A scantily clad woman in jeans and a black tube top sat in front of the TV, a cigarette in her mouth, playing a video game.
A pale young man lay on the couch with headphones on, listening to music.
"What are you doing here?" the chubby man asked, scratching his unwashed afro. His voice dropped. "This isn't the time to be wandering around… Wait—what's wrong with you?"
He suddenly noticed something was off. Wang Qian's eyes were bloodshot, his face ashen, and his expression radiated hostility.
"Boss," Wang Qian growled, "my sister's been kidnapped."
The woman put down her controller, and the guy on the couch opened his eyes.
Crazy Saint frowned. "How do you know?"
Wang Qian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"I went to a neighboring district to make a call. My mom told me my sister's been kidnapped. It has to be the Xiahou family—who else would do this?"
"You idiot! That could've gotten you tracked!" Crazy Saint snapped.
"If I hadn't called, I wouldn't even know my sister's in trouble!" Wang Qian yelled, his eyes red.
The woman hurled her controller to the ground.
"F*** this. Xiahou family broke the rules. I'm done holding back. Let's have the Palace Lord rally the others—we'll go scorched earth if we have to!"
The young man with headphones sneered.
"Idiotic. Why go scorched earth? If they dare touch Wang Qian's family, ours are next. So forget family—just start hunting Xiahou clan members. Wipe them out. Who's scared of who?"
Crazy Saint glared. "That's cold-blooded. I don't agree with your orphan strategy. Too extreme."
"Killing to end killing, war to stop war—that's the whole point of the Palace of Slaughter."
Crazy Saint had no comeback. He could only sigh.
"The Palace Lord has her reasons. She told us to stay hidden, so we stay hidden. It's not time to go all out yet. Let me think."
The room fell silent. A dozen seconds later, Crazy Saint's eyes lit up.
"We shouldn't handle this ourselves. The Xiahou family kidnapping a civilian is crossing a line. Let's report it to the official organization."
"Report it to who?!" the woman snapped. "Who in the Five Elements Alliance would help Wang Qian? Half of them are Xiahou affiliates. You'd get more justice from a damn dog!"
Crazy Saint looked at Wang Qian. "Didn't you say you knew that guy from Kangyang District Second Squad—Primordial Supreme? Try asking him for help."