Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 25: Powerless as a Lamb

“I saw what the killer looked like!” Zhang Yuanqing’s glassy eyes regained their sparkle, and he immediately turned his head to look at his two colleagues standing nearby. As he spoke, he felt an intense wave of fear; the shadow of death lingered in his heart, refusing to fade for a long time. The sensation of devouring a spirit was both deeply satisfying and excruciating. Li Dongze and Guan Ya felt a wave of relief wash over them. The former hurriedly asked “What does he look like? Hmm, any distinctive features?” Zhang Yuanqing recalled the details as he spoke: “Male, aged 30–35, of medium build but stocky. He has a scar on his left cheek about half a finger long, sparse eyebrows, and a very fierce gaze...” Li Dongze listened patiently, sketching a rough outline of the killer in his mind. The killer’s facial features were distinct and highly recognizable. When Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking, Guan Ya asked “Did he sexually assault the female victim?” Zhang Yuanqing recalled the final images from his memory, “He probably did...” Guan Ya confirmed a suspicion she’d had and immediately looked at Li Dongze, furrowing her brow as she said “Team Leader, I suspect the killer has mental health issues.” Zhang Yuanqing didn’t understand. He thought to himself, Who in their right mind would commit such a brutal act? Li Dongze nodded and said indignantly, “That bastard deserves to go to hell.” Seeing Zhang Yuanqing’s bewildered expression, Squad Leader Li stroked his mustache with two fingers and explained “Do you remember the punishment mechanism for moral points?” Zhang Yuanqing nodded. “The killer murdered Zhao Yingjun’s mistress to silence her—that’s standard procedure. But assaulting the female victim before killing her will result in an additional deduction from his Morality Points.” Li Dongze was confident that, given this Songhai University student’s intelligence, it wouldn’t be hard for him to grasp the implication. Hmm, it really is possible he’s mentally unstable... Zhang Yuanqing understood. Crimes committed by Spirit Realm Walkers result in a deduction of a certain amount of Morality Points. Therefore, anyone in their right mind would try their best to avoid triggering the penalty system. Killing to silence a witness is a last resort, but subjecting the victim to further violent abuse before killing her would result in an additional deduction of Morality Points... There are only two scenarios in which someone would do such a thing: first, they have so much moral value that they fear nothing; second, the killer is mentally unstable and unable to suppress their inner beast. All things considered, the second possibility is more likely. The veteran Spirit Guide Guan Ya was utterly serious at that moment, one hand resting on her chest and the other under her chin, as she said “Spirit Realm Walkers with unstable mental states—whether they belong to Lawful or Evil classes—must be eliminated. People like this lurking in a major metropolis are like ticking time bombs.” Even if their morality score falls below 60, the Spirit Realm will publicize their location, drawing the hunt of fellow Spirit Realm practitioners in the city. But in that brief window, a powerful individual with superhuman abilities could easily kill their way from one end of the street to the other. Old Si Ji looked at the only rookie present and warned “The Spirit Realm is fraught with danger, especially solo expeditions—the mortality rate is extremely high. Even many Spirit Realm travelers who successfully complete their missions are left with indelible psychological trauma; over time, mental health issues become inevitable. “This is especially true for you Night Wanderers. If you ever feel that something is wrong with your mental state, you must notify us immediately. The organization will provide you with psychological counseling.” Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but recall everything he’d experienced at the Mountain God Temple; still shaken, he nodded: “I understand....” “By the way, was the killer’s DNA found at the crime scene?” Zhang Yuanqing asked. Guan Ya shook her head. Did the killer pack up all his descendants and take them away? Zhang Yuanqing felt a twinge of regret; if they had control over the killer’s countless descendants, Red Dance Shoes could help track him down. At that moment, Li Dongze finished his train of thought and asked “What else did you see in Zhao Yingjun’s memories?” “Yes,” Zhang Yuanqing had been waiting for him to ask that, and hurriedly replied “The killer was interrogating Zhao Yingjun about the whereabouts of the ‘Holy Grail’ and the ‘Register.’ ” The Holy Grail, the Register... Guan Ya and Li Dongze exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes. Li Dongze asked “What do the Holy Grail and the Register represent?” Zhang Yuanqing shook his head: “I have no recollection of anything related to them.” Li Dongze thought for a moment, then furrowed his brow “This case is more complicated than we thought. Zhao Yingjun has kept quite a few things from us.” He patted Zhang Yuanqing on the shoulder and praised him “Great job. You’ve found an important lead for us. Once we’ve arrested and neutralized the killer, I’ll make sure you get the credit you deserve. Alright, for now, go work with Guan Ya on the facial reconstruction to piece together the killer’s appearance.” “Got it, Squad Leader.” Zhang Yuanqing immediately followed the tall, leggy woman out. “Oh, right,” Li Dongze called out to Guan Ya, “Have a suit tailored for him. He’ll wear it at the office from now on.” Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to say, “I don’t come here very often,” he heard Guan Ya beside him reply, “Okay.” As they left the morgue, Guan Ya chuckled softly, “You absolutely must wear a suit at the office from now on.” Zhang Yuanqing nodded slightly: “I know—big companies have very strict dress codes.” Guan Ya giggled, “No, it has nothing to do with the organization. It’s the section chief’s requirement—he thinks casual clothes aren’t elegant enough.” What does this have to do with elegance…? Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, but as his gaze swept over Guan Ya’s long legs in black stockings, her short skirt and rounded hips, and her white blouse hugging her slender waist, he suddenly felt that the squad leader was right—one should always strive for elegance in life. As he walked, he checked his stats panel [Name: Yuanshi Tianzun] [Race: Human] [Class: Night Wanderer] [Level: 1] [Skills: Night Wanderer, Soul Devourer, Spirit of the Dark Moon] [Experience: 44%] [Morality: 60 (Initial Value)] His experience rose from 42% to 44%. After devouring the spirit, he felt a warm current surge through his body, leaving him feeling completely at ease, and it seemed as though his Taiyin power had increased. “Sister Guan Ya, did I gain two points of experience?” Zhang Yuanqing asked excitedly. Experience points symbolize strength. Even among Level 1 Night Wanderers, the gap in power between having 1% experience and 99% experience is immense. Guan Ya paused for a moment. “Oh, yes, that’s true. You Night Wanderers can gain experience by absorbing spirit entities. However, the Night Wanderers from the Taiyi Sect don’t seem to like doing that. Every time I ask them to help with spirit divination, they always have a sour look on their faces, act reluctant, and have a very bad attitude.” “Why?” The half-blood beauty rolled her eyes in a graceful and alluring manner. “How should I know? I’m just a scout who can’t even lift a chicken.” Bullshit. No matter how unskilled a scout is in combat, even a Level 2’s base stats should still outclass mine. Plus, after a scout advances to Level 4, they possess terrifying solo combat capabilities—their physical prowess at the Transcendent stage must be incredibly strong. Zhang Yuanqing wasn’t buying it: “You’re really as weak as a kitten?” Guan Ya’s eyes darted to Zhang Yuanqing’s crotch as she smiled sweetly and said “I haven’t tried it yet. Why don’t we go to the restroom? Let your big sister practice her skills on you.” Zhang Yuanqing said, “Don’t be like that—I’m still just a kid.” He immediately pulled out his phone and said, “Are you free tonight? I’ll book a hotel online right now. If you don’t mind, you can practice your squats, too.” “Hahaha, you’re so funny,” Guan Ya laughed so hard she could barely stand. “Yuan Shi, you really should come to the office more often. With you around, I’ll never be bored again.” The two left the glass building and entered the Public Security Bureau building. Guan Ya led him to the Technical Department with ease. After the Technical Department staff carefully questioned him about the killer’s facial features, it took them a full two hours to finally piece together a rough sketch of the killer’s appearance. After looking at it, Zhang Yuanqing stroked his chin and said “It looks a bit like him, but it doesn’t quite feel right.” Old Zhang, the experienced technician, paused thoughtfully before asking, “Is it the facial features or the demeanor?” “It’s the demeanor. The suspect’s demeanor gives off a very vicious vibe.” “What do you mean by ‘ferocious’? Could you describe it in more detail? I know it’s hard to put into words, but it would help to have a point of reference.” “As soon as I walked in, I saw Chang Wei beating Lai Fu.” “... Very good.” Finally, the new criminal sketch was finished, and Zhang Yuanqing nodded in satisfaction “That’s pretty much it—it’s about seven or eight out of ten in terms of resemblance.” Next, by cross-referencing the database of demographic information, they identified the suspect. “Ou Xiangrong, a native of Wushi, Jiangnan Province, has been a long-term resident of Songhai. In 2012, he was sentenced to prison for intentional assault; after his release, he vanished without a trace....” Sitting in her office chair, Guan Ya smiled “With this information, we’ll be able to track him down by this morning at the latest.” “That fast?” “Hehe, you have to trust the capabilities of the authorities and the Scouts.” Guan Ya stood up and walked toward the door, saying, “Yuan Shi, your work is done; you can go back to school. You don’t need to worry about what happens next. Although the Night Wanderer is extremely powerful, you don’t yet possess the courage and mental fortitude of a warrior.” “Okay,” Zhang Yuanqing replied cheerfully. In the office of the Glass Building, after Li Dongze finished reviewing the materials Guan Ya had sent, he opened the “Kangyang District Spirit Realm Wanderers Management Group” and shared the killer’s information with the group. Big Muscle: “Our new Night Wanderer is pretty efficient—he’s already identified the killer.” Water Walker: “@Li Dongze, how does it feel to have a Night Wanderer subordinate at your beck and call?” Li Dongze: “It feels pretty great.” Tang Guoqiang sent a red envelope. White Dragon: “All right, enough gloating. Let’s get moving. Notify the Songhai Public Security Bureau to arrange for personnel to strictly inspect all vehicles entering and exiting Songhai. Notify the Spirit Realm squads in all districts to cooperate with our manhunt at any time. Let’s hope Ou Xiangrong hasn’t escaped Songhai yet.” The killer struck this morning, and by now, five or six hours have passed. Not to mention Spirit Realm Walkers—even an ordinary person who had prepared in advance would have already fled Songhai by now. Ordinary people can be tracked using surveillance footage, but Spirit Realm Walkers are much harder to track. Qing Teng: “Compared to an evil profession seeking to take revenge on the authorities, escaping Songhai is actually a good thing.” The former would mean that Spirit Realm Walkers organized by the authorities would be targeted for assassination. Li Dongze: “He won’t leave Songhai.” Big Muscle: “You’re that sure?” Li Dongze: “If Ou Xiangrong just wanted to kill Zhao Yingjun, he would’ve struck long ago. Even with the Night Wanderer, by the time we’d pinpoint his identity, he’d have already fled Songhai. So why did he choose this exact moment?” Big Muscle: “Don’t beat around the bush—just say it.” Qing Teng: “So it’s still about revenge against the authorities?” Li Dongze: “No, I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that. My Night Wanderer found some clues in Zhao Yingjun’s memories. Ou Xiangrong was interrogating Zhao Yingjun for the Holy Grail and the Register.” The Holy Grail and the Register? While the other captains were trying to figure out what those two things were, Big Muscle just blurted out his question “What are those?” Li Dongze ignored him. After waiting a moment and seeing that his colleagues hadn’t offered any opinions on the Holy Grail and the Register, he had no choice but to reluctantly set the matter aside and sent a message “Let’s put the Holy Grail and the Register aside for now. Tell us about the operation first.”