Huo Ling started when he heard Yi Bing's words. He knows what Yi Bing meant: Huo Ling's soul assignment must be currently attached to its body. If this is true, then his soul assignment's body must either be currently in the country, but too far from where they are currently, or already outside the country. These are the reasons why he can't reach them.
If it is the former, then they have to extend their reach to every corner of the country. But, if it is the latter, then it confirms their suspicion that it was really the monsters' doing about the annihilation attempt to the Golden-Haired Monkey Clan and the Sunflower Clan.
"Perfect timing, then." Huo Ling spoke.
Yi Bing looked at him.
Huo Ling smiled. "I want to see Jiang Ce." He said.
Yi Bing nodded. "Okay." He said as he looked at the blue sea.
The wind blew and made their hair flutter with the edge of hem of their clothes.
"Hm?" a worker driving a car carrying some packages turned his head to the side and then looked above. He blinked his eyes. "Did I just imagine it?" he muttered, feeling bewildered as he returned his gaze on the side mirror.
He was absent-mindedly lately until he inadvertently looked at the mirror. Then, he thought that he saw two 'people' wearing black clothes on the roof. But, now that he looked back, he saw nothing. Suddenly, he subconsciously shivered. He decided to not think too much about it and focus on his job lest something bad happens to him.
…
"Did you find something?" Mu Li asked Xiao Hualing as they entered the car that Hao Baiyun lent them, which is bulletproof.
They went to the shipping companies and tried to deliver a package. While Mu Li and Zhuo Xia processed the package, they had Xiao Hualing, who activated her invisibility skill, spied on the company and see if there is something suspicious.
"I can't decide yet… I will send the video first to senior Yi and senior Huo." Xiao Hualing answered as she rubbed her earring.
Then, to Mu Li's and Zhuo Xia's shock, they saw a holographic screen appeared before Xiao Hualing. They blinked, thinking that their eyes are deceiving them. But then, no matter how many time they blink, the holographic screen is really there.
They wanted to reach their hands out to touch the holographic screen, but then immediately recalled that it was rude, and that Xiao Hualing is also a girl. So, they hurriedly pressed down their itchy claws.
"A holographic screen…" Zhuo Xia stared at the glowing holographic screen.
Xiao Hualing paused what she is doing and she looked at them. "You don't have a holographic screen here?" she asked and tilted her head.
Mu Li knows that she is referring to their world. "We do, but not everyone can afford it." He answered. "Wait." He called when he realized something. "You just said that you have a video?!" he looked at her. "You even managed to record a video of your infiltration earlier?!" he asked, shocked.
Xiao Hualing nodded. "It is easy…" she said.
"… what about in the other shipping companies earlier?" Mu Li asked. This is the eighth and last shipping company that they have been to.
"I did." Xiao Hualing answered and innocently blinked.
The communicators of the grim reapers have an automatic recording function so that everything they do will be detailed, in case that they would miss something during their investigation or other tasks. This is really convenient, especially to Xiao Hualing who was still new to this and only knows the basic function of sending mails in their communicators.
Mu Li's lip twitched. A different world is, indeed, a different world. They are so advanced! He already thinks that their world is advanced, but there is actually another world that is more advanced! There are mountains beyond mountains, indeed, as his master said!
"What did you find in the shipping companies earlier?" he asked her. "Which companies are suspicious?" he added as he took out the list that Fei Xuli gave them earlier and he handed it to her.
Zhuo Xia just silently sat on the front seat while watching them.
Xiao Hualing took the list and pinched her chin as she pondered over it. She looked at the list and one-by-one pointed out the suspicious ones she noticed earlier. "Out of eight of them, these three are the most suspicious." She said as she took out a pen and marked three names.
"… 'most'?" Mu Li muttered as he stared at her.
"En." Xiao Hualing nodded as she marked another two more names on the list. "They might not be the most suspicious, but they are still suspicious." She told them.
Mu Li and Zhuo Xia. "…" whatever you say. They thought and sighed.
"Let us have a lunch first before we continue to track down the traces of the Golden-Haired Monkey Clan." Mu Li said as he restarted the car.
Before the Golden-Haired Monkey Clan retreated to the mountains to hide, Hao Baiyun asked them for a couple of strands of their golden hair for Mu Li to use to track down the missing and dead Golden-Haired Monkey clan members.
"En." Xiao Hualing agreed as she sent messages to Yi Bing and Huo Ling while at the same time practicing on how to use her communicator.
She came from an ancient era yet she has to use a super advanced device. Fortunately, there was Jiu Ye who also came from an ancient era like her elder brother, to help her with these devices. In fact, she was surprised to find out that she has actually met them before when she was still selling flowers and she happened to give them some meat buns.
This matter, it was Shen Sheng who told her, by the way since Jiu Ye's and Shi Jiu's memories have already been erased, and that they only remember that they came from an ancient era, too, like her. As to why Shen Sheng told her about her helping the pair of brothers once, he wants to encourage her to continue 'living', but also to pay her sins by devouring the souls of the people who wronged her when she was still alive.
"Miss Xiao? Miss Xiao?" she heard Mu Li's voice called.
Xiao Hualing blinked. She was pulled from her thoughts. "Yes?" she answered.
"I want to ask you if you also want to eat steak." Mu Li said. "Before, when Zhuo Xia and I were begging on the streets, we passed by a restaurant and, through the glass wall, we saw a mouth-watering steak. It is as if we can smell its fragrance through that glass wall, although it was impossible." He wryly smiled. "Anyway, Zhuo Xia told me that he also wanted to eat steak, so – "
Zhuo Xia cut him off. "I didn't." he said. "I have never met you. I don't know you." He told Mu Li.
Mu Li just smiled as he continued what he was about to say earlier. " – so, I wanted to fulfill Zhuo Xia's wish." He said.
A vein popped in Zhuo Xia's forehead. "I said that I didn't – " he said.
Mu Li ignored him as he glanced at Xiao Hualing through the rearview mirror. "Is that okay to you, Ms. Xiao?" he asked.
Xiao Hualing who has never even eaten steak before since she was from an ancient era, and now already feels full, even if she hasn't eaten yet. "…" I was always eating senior Yi's and senior Huo's dog food, and last night of Mr. Hao's and chief Gu's dog food, too. Now, you also want me to eat your dog food?! She thought as her lip twitched. She forced a smile. "En. I would love to." She said and looked outside the window. I refuse to eat any dog food again! I have had enough! She inwardly roared.
She decided to ignore Mu Li and Zhuo Xia who are bickering again, and busied herself looking at the scenery outside the window.
…
Gu Xingfeng's expression is grim as he looked at a new report sent to his desk by his subordinate.
"Boss…" Ke Congyi called with a sigh in his voice.
Gu Xingfeng pinched his chin as he hit the table with his fist.
The officer beside Ke Congyi jumped in fright and was about to hide behind Ke Congyi when Ke Congyi stopped him.
"We have found a number of unidentified 'animal' corpses in that cemetery." Ke Congyi started. "But, before that day that that unidentified 'animal' corpse was found, it rained last night, so the soil eroded and thus the body was exposed." He looked at Gu Xingfeng.
Gu Xingfeng knows what he wanted to say.
"After we dug the suspicious areas in that cemetery, we found – " Ke Congyi took a deep breath while the officer behind him trembled as his face paled in horror. " – one hundred and eighty-six corpses.." He told Gu Xingfeng.