Chapter Forty-Nine: Another Mission Arrives

Over on Wan’er’s side, vexation ran high, while Zhu Fu had launched into a grand and vigorous renovation. He was transforming the inn into something with a distinctly military flavor. The fact that a former bandit would create a military-themed inn left Wang Zixuan astonished; he’d half-expected Zhu Fu to opt for a bandit motif instead, which would surely have driven the guests away in terror.

During Zhu Fu’s renovation, Zhu Gui was anything but idle. Brewing liquor, scouting locations, securing permits—he had to oversee it all. Yet, the most curious thing was that Sun Erniang had vanished during this time. Ever since the Zhu brothers had immersed themselves in their tasks, no one had seen her. Wang Zixuan, however, didn’t trouble himself about her. First, he knew that those sent by the Lord of the Underworld wouldn’t dare harm her. Second, Sun Erniang was a woman of the world, someone who had clawed her way through life and seen all manner of people.

But the one driving her mad was Hao Yingjun. He couldn’t be sent back, and keeping him around was nothing but trouble. She wished she could slap him away with a single blow.

At that moment, Hao Yingjun was still trying to pry information from Wang Dongxu.

Wang Dongxu said, “They have a complete surveillance system. Every corner is covered. Whenever I try anything—suicide, mischief—they’re onto me in an instant.”

Hao Yingjun pressed on, “But how exactly do they do it?”

Wang Dongxu waved his arm. “Wherever there are animals, ghosts, or other non-humans, there are supermarket informants keeping watch! Oh, little boss, your basics are below basic!”

Hao Yingjun rolled his eyes, and after much idle chatter, a new task came in from headquarters. With no alternative, he quickly locked Wang Dongxu away.

Monitoring Room: “A serious explosion has occurred at 36 Good Fortune Avenue. The scene is utter chaos, suspected to be a terrorist attack by a non-human entity. All relevant personnel are to proceed immediately to investigate.”

“I’m exhausted,” Wang Zixuan muttered, “High-risk security check, and I have to lead the team.”

She descended to the armory, punched in the code, and retrieved her weapons.

“Xiao Deng, grab your weapon and stand by at the door,” she ordered.

At that moment, Hao Yingjun scampered over.

“Big Sis, take me with you! I want more field experience.”

Wang Zixuan shot him a glare. “Stop talking nonsense. This mission is too dangerous.”

Unwilling to give up, Hao Yingjun blocked the doorway, gazing at her with hopeful eyes. With a sigh, Wang Zixuan tossed him an umbrella gun. “Take this and come on.”

Hao Yingjun fumbled to catch it. “What… what is this? How do I use it?”

Wang Zixuan gave the handle a twist, producing a sharp click as it bent and snapped straight again.

“There’s a trigger on the handle,” she explained. “The tip fires tranquilizer darts. The canopy can be deployed as a capture net. The ribs serve as an extendable baton. It’s all in the intern manual, chapter six, section twenty-one—intro to field equipment. Two more points off your performance score.”

As she spoke, she kept piling all sorts of strange gadgets into Hao Yingjun’s hands.

“Enough, enough! I won’t ask any more questions, alright?”

She shut the armory door, and they headed straight for the scene. She didn’t notice Xiao Deng downstairs—not that she cared. Just having Hao Yingjun along was trouble enough. Watching him flounder in the chaos, she almost regretted bringing him; his eyes were wide with terror.

“Big Sis… there aren’t any… unclean things here, are there?” Hao Yingjun stammered.

Wang Zixuan ignored him, pulled out a gas mask for herself, handed him a weapon, and tossed him another as she stepped out of the car.

“Get out,” she ordered.

With her Remington in hand, Wang Zixuan strode boldly ahead, while Hao Yingjun trailed behind, umbrella gun clutched tightly, glancing nervously over his shoulder every few steps—half-expecting a demon to leap out from the shadows.