Newspaper Boy
Chapter 31: Concealment
Li Dongze, using a cane in one hand and holding a gun in the other, rushed into the underground parking garage, his sharp eyes quickly scanning the scene.
He first saw the unconscious Xu Yingying, then the not-so-obvious bloodstains on the ground and several cars with damaged bodies. As a scout, it wasn't difficult for Li Dongze to tell that a brief but dangerous fight had occurred here.
And the fact that Xu Yingying wasn't dead meant that things hadn't reached the worst-case scenario.
Several The Way of the Extraordinary agents also scanned the scene vigilantly and quickly. Immediately, they saw a figure emerge from the shadows at the rear of a car not far away.
Instantly, everyone instinctively turned their guns and aimed at him.
"Don't shoot, it's me..."
Zhang Yuanqing quickly raised his hands, while also taking in The Way of the Extraordinary agents other than Guan Ya and Li Dongze.
A muscular man in a gym suit looked like a fitness instructor. He was at least 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles that exuded a sense of power. He wore red fingerless gloves.
A beautiful woman in an ink-painting cheongsam, with a classic updo, had a graceful figure. She looked quite old, but her face was fair and delicate, without wrinkles.
A middle-aged man wearing a miner's helmet and a dark brown construction uniform had dark skin and a weathered face.
A young woman in a white racing suit, with an oval face, fair skin, and thick, soaring eyebrows, was heroic and carried a black longsword.
The other two armed personnel were unremarkable in terms of temperament and appearance.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing emerge from the shadows, Li Dongze and Guan Ya's tense expressions visibly relaxed, as if relieved of a heavy burden.
After the meeting ended, they received a call from Wang Tai, saying that Yuanshi had discovered Ou Xiangrong at Songhai University and that the latter had kidnapped Xu Yingying with ill intentions.
Li Dongze and Guan Ya were taken aback and immediately called the remaining team leaders to rush to Songhai University.
Li Dongze had a grim look on his face throughout the journey, and he was worried that Yuanshi would act rashly without thinking.
After new recruits become The Way of the Extraordinary agents, their first experience with extraordinary power often makes them arrogant. Coupled with their lack of experience and knowledge, they tend to lose their heads.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing safe and sound at this moment, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is he the Night Wanderer?"
The impatient muscle-bound man first asked Li Dongze. After receiving an affirmative answer, he looked around the underground parking garage and asked in a rough voice,
"Boy, where did Ou Xiangrong escape to?"
In his opinion, a level 3 Enchantment Demon was not someone a level 1 Night Wanderer could handle. After a brief exchange, Ou Xiangrong, fearing the arrival of official The Way of the Extraordinary agents, fled in a hurry.
If Ou Xiangrong hadn't escaped for too long, he might be able to catch up with the scout's tracking abilities.
Li Dongze, Guan Ya, and several team leaders stared at Zhang Yuanqing, waiting for his answer.
"He didn't escape!" Zhang Yuanqing said.
Didn't escape? Everyone's hearts tightened, and they raised their guns, looking around in astonishment and vigilance.
Then they heard this newbie say, pointing to the shadows behind him, "I killed him."
What did he say? The Fire Master muscle-bound man almost wanted to clean his ears, suspecting that he had misheard. He immediately got angry and roared in a muffled voice,
"Don't joke with me. This isn't an occasion for you to show off your humor."
Li Dongze and others were also stunned, and then frowned, their eyes showing more caution when they looked at Zhang Yuanqing.
Why are you so fierce? Can't you speak properly? This guy isn't from the Red Fire Gang, is he...? Zhang Yuanqing patiently explained:
"I'm not lying. His body is at the rear of the car. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."
The muscle-bound man glanced over there. The protruding pillars in the wall and the car body formed intersecting shadows, and he couldn't see the situation in the corner from his position.
He was about to go over to check.
"Wait," the middle-aged man wearing a miner's helmet stepped forward, glanced at Zhang Yuanqing, and said to the burly man, "I'll go take a look."
Seeing his colleague's solemn expression, as if he had remembered something, the muscle-bound man looked at Zhang Yuanqing warily and nodded.
Zhang Yuanqing noticed that Li Dongze and Guan Ya had strange expressions, while the others' gazes were filled with undisguised caution.
At this time, the middle-aged man wearing a miner's helmet slowly but steadily approached the rear of the car. Then, he stared blankly at a certain spot, his eyes wide open, like a clay sculpture.
"Boss Tang?"
The muscle-bound man watched his companion's expression of astonishment and confusion. His heart tightened, and the muscles on his upper body suddenly swelled, ready to strike at any moment.
Qingteng Bailong and several other team leaders immediately became vigilant.
Tang Guoqiang's appearance was very similar to when he was being bewitched.
But soon, they saw Tang Guoqiang "recover," and he bent down and dragged a corpse out, dragging it into the spotlight, into everyone's sight.
The corpse was wearing loose camouflage pants, a black vest, and a black jacket. Its face was bloody and blurred, its eye sockets were empty, and the outline of its facial features could still be identified. It was indeed Ou Xiangrong.
The underground parking garage became quiet all of a sudden, and everyone stared blankly at Ou Xiangrong's corpse.
Li Dongze's expression gradually changed from serious to astonished, and he muttered to himself,
"Oh my god, oh my god..."
Guan Ya looked at the corpse, then at Zhang Yuanqing, and then seemed to realize something and became thoughtful.
The beautiful woman in the ink-painting cheongsam walked over quickly in high heels. She stopped beside the corpse, carefully examined it, and pursed her lips, saying:
"It's indeed Ou Xiangrong."
After speaking, she looked up at Zhang Yuanqing with a somewhat complicated expression.
The muscle-bound man's eyes were wide open, and he blurted out, "How did you do it?"
Several team leaders focused their gazes on Zhang Yuanqing, scrutinizing him repeatedly. Ou Xiangrong was actually killed by a level 1 kid, even though the latter was seriously injured and not at his peak.
The second team had made a great contribution this time. What good luck did Li Dongze have? He recruited such an outstanding subordinate.
How did I do it? Doesn't everyone have shoes...? Zhang Yuanqing didn't answer, but looked at his superior.
Li Dongze immediately stepped forward and coughed,
"Yuanshi, well done. You've made a great contribution. Just now, when we couldn't contact you, we were being scolded by our superiors in the conference room."
These words effectively diverted attention. The faces of several team leaders showed relaxed smiles, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him sideways: "Then why did you point your guns at me just now?"
"Enchantment Demons in the Transcendence realm can briefly affect people's minds. If given enough time to repeatedly bewitch and deepen the influence, they can achieve the effect of manipulating the target. Rather than believing that you killed Ou Xiangrong, we thought it was more likely that you had been bewitched." The young woman in the white racing suit walked over with her sword, sized Zhang Yuanqing up and down, and nodded in satisfaction:
"We were all wrong. Let me introduce myself. Bailong, a level 3 Water Ghost."
This female captain had an indescribable heroic spirit. There was no reserve or coyness in her, and she exuded confidence, as if everyone else was just a kid.
"Yuanshi Tianzun," Zhang Yuanqing said.
Several team leaders were stunned: "Good name..."
It was indeed good. Hearing it made people want to hit him.
Bailong smiled: "I'll just call you Yuanshi then. Fortunately, I always thought that boys your age would choose some strange names."
"Like what?" Zhang Yuanqing shrugged with a smile.
Bailong was stunned. She didn't expect this kid to be so familiar and even ask her in return. Logically speaking, when faced with a superior's teasing, shouldn't a normal person be humble or look restrained?
"Like Big Muscles." Guan Ya walked over with a smile, taking over from Bailong.
Big Muscles: "...The meaning of my name is: domineering muscles."
"That's what I meant," Guan Ya said with an innocent look.
Big Muscles was speechless.
As they were talking, several more official The Way of the Extraordinary agents rushed over, carrying stretchers and body bags.
They had just received a call saying that the murderer had been killed, so they hurried over to collect the body and take Xu Yingying out for treatment at the hospital.
Li Dongze didn't delay any longer and said, "Yuanshi, come back with us and take a look at Ou Xiangrong's memories."
"No, he can't come," Tang Guoqiang shook his head:
"Ou Xiangrong has been contaminated by evil forces, and we're not sure if his spiritual body has also been contaminated. In addition, Enchantment Demons are bloodthirsty and brutal, and their spiritual bodies have strong negative energy. This isn't something he can withstand. Yuan Ting will return to Songhai this afternoon, so hand it over to him."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately thought of his experience of devouring spiritual bodies in the hospital, and felt a burst of fear. But then he thought again, if his killing of Ou Xiangrong was seen by other Night Wanderers,
The Red Dancing Shoes wouldn't be able to be hidden. Of course, it's not like once exposed, it would definitely attract competition and covetousness, but it's still important to keep a low profile.
"That's not a problem. I'll find a way to resolve it for him," Li Dongze waved his hand, his attitude strong, and said:
"Ou Xiangrong's memories are very important, the sooner we question his spirit, the better. We can't judge how many memories a contaminated spirit body can retain."
Tang Guoqiang thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
He still didn't agree with Li Dongze's approach, but it was their second team that killed him, so they had the right to decide.
At this time, the beautiful woman in the cheongsam stepped forward and asked with concern:
"Are you injured? Do you need treatment?"
Her tone was gentle and her attitude was enthusiastic, as if Zhang Yuanqing was her confidant.
Li Dongze introduced with a smile:
"This is Captain Qingteng of the Hundred Flowers Society. She is good at healing. Within the Five Elements Alliance, Wood Demons are also known as Recovery Sorcerers. If you have any injuries, just tell her."
Recovery Sorcerer? Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, are you guys legitimate Recovery Sorcerers? Would you force others to grasp the future?
Li Dongze continued to introduce the burly man and the miner's helmet:
"Big Muscles of the Red Fire Gang, Tang Guoqiang of Zhongting. Both captains are experienced The Way of the Extraordinary agents."
It really is the Red Fire Gang... Zhang Yuanqing immediately said: "Hello, captains, please take care of me."
Big Muscles nodded in satisfaction:
"Want to add each other as friends?"
"That works!" Qingteng and Bailong nodded in agreement.
Tang Guoqiang didn't say much, but took out his phone first.
Li Dongze's mouth twitched.
After Zhang Yuanqing and several captains added each other as friends, Li Dongze said:
"Let's send the body back first. The other team members stay behind and cooperate with the security guards to clean up the scene. Yuanshi, you take Guan Ya's car back to the unit and write a report."
A moment later, official The Way of the Extraordinary agents drove a van and a blue sports car into the underground parking garage.
"Squad leader, can I ride in your van?" Zhang Yuanqing had something he wanted to say to Li Dongze alone, such as asking him to delete the surveillance footage.
"No, you're too dirty right now, not elegant enough," Li Dongze shook his head and refused, then turned to the captains: "Let's go back together."
Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally helplessly watched Li Dongze and the captains leave in the van.
Guan Ya's eyes flickered, she glanced at him, and smiled:
"The squad leader took away all the troublesome people. Let's go, I'll take you to delete the surveillance footage."
...Zhang Yuanqing looked at his nose and his nose at his heart.
........
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The blue sports car sped along the wide street. Guan Ya wore sunglasses, gripped the steering wheel, and hummed a little tune. She seemed to be in a good mood.
She clucked:
"You're really lucky, kid. You got a Rule-based item as soon as you became The Way of the Extraordinary."
She felt that she was lucky too. She had just been short on merit points when merit points arrived.
"Did you guys know already?" Zhang Yuanqing wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he praised: "Scouts are indeed the most perfect profession."
As someone who was good at socializing, he could adjust his mentality well.
"It was just a guess before. Remember, insight is the talent of a scout," Guan Ya smiled: "You can understand my hints and hide the Rule-based item, which means you're not too stupid."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately probed:
"The organization won't make me hand over the item, will it?"
"It won't force you, but if you voluntarily hand it over, the organization will gladly accept it and reward you with merit points and money. But people's hearts are complicated. If you, a newbie, have a Rule-based item in your hands, word will definitely spread, and it will attract some people to take risks."
Guan Ya earnestly taught: "The squad leader can hide it for you for a while, but not forever. You can consider finding yourself a backer, such as your superior's superior."
"Can that centurion protect me?" Zhang Yuanqing thought, how can you guarantee that your superior's superior won't have their eyes light up at the sight of treasure?
"That guy comes from a wealthy family and grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's arrogant and has high standards. I don't know about the other directors, but I can guarantee his character," Guan Ya smiled:
"And that guy always boasts about winning people over with virtue, but he actually likes to throw money around. He's a big spender. A Rule-based item wouldn't shake his pride.
"But he has high standards and looks down on ordinary people. He likes elite talents."
Zhang Yuanqing said "Mm" and didn't agree or refuse, skipping over the topic.
Guan Ya hummed twice:
"You were in the limelight today. After your deeds spread, people within the Five Elements Alliance will definitely try to poach you, openly or secretly. Be careful of honey traps. There have been cases of seduction before. Those two female captains seemed quite interested in you."
Zhang Yuanqing said righteously: "I'm loyal to the second team and will never fall for a honey trap."
Unless I can't help it! He added in his heart.
"But you're a Scorpio," Guan Ya pouted.
Huh? What does that have to do with Scorpio...? Zhang Yuanqing looked blank.
"Have you heard a saying about zodiac signs, Pisces men are trash, Scorpio men will even sleep with dogs."
"........"
............
Inside the black van, Li Dongze drove personally. He looked ahead and said with a smile:
"Oh my, oh my, I accidentally finished everyone's work. This team member of mine is not a good guy. Sorry, everyone, I didn't let you guys earn any credit."
What are you so proud of...? The four captains' faces darkened.
"When the bonus comes down, I'll treat everyone to a meal," Li Dongze said with a smile: "Everyone, don't be envious. It's all coincidence. This kid coincidentally cleared the Sheling Tunnel and coincidentally killed Ou Xiangrong. It's not a big deal."
"The way you talk makes me want to punch you," Big Muscles said in a muffled voice.
"Be elegant, don't always be so irritable. I'll report to Centurion Fu first."
He took out his phone from the gaze of the captains who wanted to hit him and dialed Centurion Fu's number.
In the Ou Xiangrong incident, Centurion Fu bore a considerable risk because of their mistake.
Now that Ou Xiangrong had been killed, he, as a subordinate, had to report it in a timely manner.
This kid Yuanshi had really made him proud.