were just passing by?"
"In the middle of the night, lurking around, with spiritual energy flowing through your bodies… Today is the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, Ghost Festival, and you're just happening to pass by the Public Security Bureau while mocking ? Wow, what a coincidence. So tell , do you think I’ll believe that?"
Did he even need to ask?
It was obvious they were here for him.
And since they were, why leave them alive?
Lu Ding didn’t have that many enemies—Tianli Cult, Daheshan, and the second branch of the Cao family.
But the Cao family couldn't have sent a cultivator this strong, especially with Cao Ying in charge.
None of the others would dare make a move.
As for Daheshan, Lu Ding had read plenty of reports about it.
Every Ghost Festival, the place was bustling. The remnants of the old faction who refused to descend had built villages and raised families up there.
There was no way they would send soone this powerful just to ss with him.
Because none of them were much stronger than Ye Feng, and Ye Feng had been killed instantly. These two? No way they could cause him any trouble.
Besides, if they sent just a few people, it wouldn’t be enough. If they sent a whole group, who would protect their village? If the strong ones left, the remaining ones would just get slaughtered by monsters.
And if they did all co down, after refusing to descend before, would the 749 Bureau just allow that? Especially during Ghost Festival? That would be outright provocation.
So, there was only one answer.
Three words surfaced in Lu Ding’s mind—Tianli Cult.
Below, Yan Feifan caught the two severed heads as they fell, pulled out his phone, and scanned their faces with the 749 App.
"Lu-ge, these two are Guang Fei, the Swift Drifter, and Zhou Lie, the Ground Tiger—both from Tianli Cult. They’ve got records and bounties on them."
"Together, they're worth a hundred contribution points. What a nice little bonus, Lu-ge."
Yan Feifan’s words confird Lu Ding’s suspicion.
He floated downward, stopping just inches above the ground.
"Swift Drifter? Well, they sure delivered fast. And now their nicknas match their fate."
Drifters—floating corpses in the river.
Calling a living person a drifter? That didn’t sound right.
But now that they were dead, it fit perfectly.
"Why would these two be watching us at the Public Security Bureau? Could it be so kind of sche?"
Yan Feifan turned to Lu Ding as he spoke.
Normally, he was the one thinking things through, while Lu-ge didn’t bother using his brain. But this ti, their enemies were already dead, and they hadn’t left any useful clues.
He was having trouble figuring it out.
"What ti is it?" Lu Ding suddenly asked.
Yan Feifan glanced down at his phone. "Eleven o’clock, Lu-ge."
"Then let’s drive over. We still have ti—I’ll explain on the way."
He could fly, but that was for ergencies. And dragging Yan Feifan along while flying just didn’t feel right.
Driving there together also ensured Yan Feifan wouldn’t be left alone, preventing any unexpected accidents during a major event like this.
Lu Ding had seen it too many tis in TV shows—two people could just walk together, but instead, they always split up, and then one of them got ambushed.
He wasn't about to let that happen.
Inside the car, Yan Feifan asked, "Lu-ge, where are we going?"
"Caojia Alley."
"These guys are from Tianli Cult. And the only conflict they have with is over the Wind-Fixing Pearl. Right now, the pearl is with Cao Ying—he used it to retrieve the Zhima Beasts from Dingfeng Mountain."
"On his way back, he clashed with Tianli Cult."
"So now they know he has the Zhima Beasts. The Wind-Fixing Pearl is useless to them now."
"If they’re still coming after , it's either because they can’t swallow their anger and want revenge, or because they’re trying to stir up trouble in Bao Fan District, my jurisdiction."
"They needed to know my whereabouts right away. That’s why they sent people to watch ."
"The trouble they’re planning could be unleashing monsters or trying to steal the Zhima Beasts from Cao Ying. We don’t know for sure yet, so we’re shifting our starting point from the Public Security Bureau to Caojia Alley."
"It’s also possible they’re doing both. In fact, it’s highly likely—creating a monster outbreak to draw away, then ambushing Caojia Alley so I can’t cover both fronts."
At this point, Lu Ding couldn’t help but laugh.
"People these days… they’re all learning to use strategy now. This is an open plot—a sche that can’t be broken."
"If a monster outbreak happens, I have to deal with it. By the ti Caojia Alley gets attacked, it’ll be too late."
"But… it hasn’t started yet, has it?" Yan Feifan asked.
"Hahahahahaha..."
Lu Ding burst into laughter.
This was getting interesting. Reality was really different from novels and TV shows.
Novels were full of sches in the dark.
Reality? Open plots.
Dark sches could be broken. Open plots? Unstoppable.
Once they started, you had no choice but to play into them.
"But now, they’ve just handed the only way to break the situation."
"What a Swift Drifter. Delivered fast—sa-day express."
Yan Feifan didn’t quite get the swift part, but Lu Ding couldn't stop laughing.
So he just laughed along.
In his heart, he thought—Lu-ge isn’t dumb, he just doesn’t like thinking.
And they tried to outsmart Lu-ge?
Tianli Cult really didn’t know what they were ssing with.
They must have thought, No way Lu Ding would co, right?
Yan Feifan could already imagine their shocked expressions.
"Why the hell is Lu Ding here!?"
Surprise—he’s here.
Lu Ding’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Send word to the Wuzang Shengshe and Sihai Group. Have them quietly deploy people and keep eyes on every inch of Bao Fan District. If anything happens, they report to imdiately."
"Got it, Lu-ge."
This was Lu Ding’s Bao Fan District.
Anywhere else, trying to order the local big shots around would only cause resentnt.
"Maintaining order is your 749 Bureau’s job. I don’t work for you, I don’t get paid by you, I get no benefits—why the hell should I do your dirty work for free?"
But in Bao Fan District?
These two—no, three—big bosses…
It wasn’t about whether they dared refuse.
It simply never even crossed their minds.
They would cooperate. Period.
Total Cooperation.
The mont the ssage was sent out, Wuzang Shengshe and Sihai Group sprang into action.
Inside the Wuzang Shengshe group chat:
[Tang Bao / Group Leader]:
Anyone still awake, wake up the ones who aren’t. Grab your gear, rouse the Old Spirits, and set the Fierce Soldiers loose. Keep everything under control and get ready to move.
[Lu Investigator has given the order for us to keep an eye on Bao Fan District. If anything happens, report to him imdiately. Last ti, we handled the Broken Bridge Pier incident well.]
[749’s logistics leadership said they might consider giving us an off-the-books status, assisting 749 in post-incident cleanup within Yunhai City. If we do well this ti, we might officially be part of 749!]
ssage feed scrolling:
[Jiang Zilin]: Leopard Bro, we can actually join 749? You’re not joking, right?
[Mao Chenghua]: Would we even pass the background check?
[Fang Yang]: I’ve got a record. It’s nothing serious, but still… it’s 749…
Seeing the doubts, Tang Bao responded:
[Tang Bao]:
That’s why they said "consider," not an imdiate yes. It all depends on our performance. This opportunity is only possible because of Lu Investigator—Lu-ge.
Look at all of Yunhai—what other faction has been given an off-the-books status with 749? None. Not a single one. But we have this chance.
[Yan Honglang]: No need to say more—I’m heading out right now. I’ve wanted to join 749 for ages. Even if we don’t get an official position, off-the-books is fine too!
[Gao Ji]: If we make it into off-the-books status, we’ll finally be able to exchange for 749’s resources and techniques. And with that title backing us… let’s see who the f*** dares to shout at ever again.
[Liao Yao]: I think this isn’t enough. Leopard Bro, we shouldn’t bother Lu Investigator with minor problems—he’s busy today. As off-the-books personnel, we should be helping the official investigators, not adding to their workload. If sothing happens, we handle it ourselves. Only if we can’t solve it do we report to Lu Investigator.
Tang Bao saw this ssage and shot to his feet—he’d been too excited to think of this himself.
[Tang Bao]: You’re a f***ing genius. That’s exactly what we’ll do! Everyone, get moving! Get your gear, set up the altars, open up the warehouse—take whatever you need! No limits!!!
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