Chapter 89: The Haunting Within the Prison, Part Four

Yan Junhao’s eyes grew a little damp. He did not know what to say. The five-star spirit investigator, whose name he did not even know, had simply sent him out—and himself had remained there forever.

A furious cry suddenly shook the entire prison. The blue radiance that had burst forth was swiftly suppressed by a tide of black substance.

Only then did Yan Junhao remember that he was still not out of danger. He hurried toward the wall of resentment not far away. Hidden within the white mist, he pulled up his clothes and found on his right waist a blue mark shaped like the sun.

He immediately poured his magnetic energy into it. His meager second-tier magnetic energy was drained in an instant, and then his body contracted once more, turning into a blue point of light that vanished.

Outside Harbor City Prison

The moment he landed, Yan Junhao, now awake, ignored the body’s reflexive urge to vomit. After quickly orienting himself, he picked up the golden greatsword Wang Liang had given him and ran east without pause.

Yan Junhao ran and vomited all the while. No one knew how long it went on before he finally collapsed from exhaustion.

By then, the boy had nearly reached the city proper, and the spirit investigators patrolling nearby had noticed him long ago. But because he wore prison garb and behaved so strangely, they were still observing his identity...

If they sensed he was a ghost or monster, they would kill him at once.

However, the unconscious Yan Junhao was soon subjected to a forced magnetic energy examination. After his identity was confirmed, he was sent to the military hospital in Harbor City’s northern district, which was now the only hospital left in Harbor City.

There, Yan Junhao would likely recover quickly. By then, as a man wearing prison clothes, he might well face charges of escape.

Lying in a hospital bed in patient clothes, Yan Junhao awoke groggily and immediately reached into his arms. But the golden greatsword Wang Liang had given him was gone.

Yan Junhao instantly woke up fully and sat up in bed.

“You’re awake? You recovered pretty quickly.”

Wu Zui leaned against the wall nearby, looking at Yan Junhao, while Xiao Keyi was off to the side practicing her control of magnetic energy with high-explosive magnetic rounds.

The reason Wu Zui and the others had come was that Xiao Keyi had once asked someone to look after Yan Junhao in prison. Otherwise, how could he have had the chance to awaken there?

So when he was discovered to have escaped, Xiao Keyi received the news at once. In a matter like this, it was still up to her, as the guarantor, to handle it herself.

And Wu Zui, unwilling to rest easy, naturally came along with his little disciple. Just yesterday, the cheongsam ghost spirit had attacked them again, likely still unwilling to give up on Xiao Keyi, and that had left Wu Zui uneasy.

“Where is the sword I brought back?” Yan Junhao asked at once.

That golden greatsword was the only thing left behind by the five-star spirit investigator who had saved him.

“...”

Wu Zui pointed to the other side of the bed. The golden greatsword was on the table. Only after seeing Yan Junhao calm down did he ask, “What now? Was the reform inside prison not thorough enough? And now you’re even daring to break out?”

At Wu Zui’s words, Yan Junhao did not get angry. Instead, his shoulders drooped in a dazed, numb manner, and his voice trembled as though on the verge of tears. “Prison? Everyone in the prison is dead. I’m the only one left.”

“You’re joking, right? Harbor City Prison has a five-star spirit investigator stationed there, plus a whole crew of armed spirit investigators. How could only you be left?” Wu Zui raised an eyebrow, not quite believing him.

“It’s true! There was a black ghost creature that could devour human flesh and blood, then take on the appearance of whoever it consumed—and it seemed to possess the victim’s complete memories as well. This sword was the relic left behind by the five-star spirit investigator in the prison before he self-detonated his core.”

Yan Junhao stroked the golden greatsword as he spoke, his voice thick with emotion.

“Ghost creature? A ghost spirit or an aberration?” Wu Zui caught a subtle difference in Yan Junhao’s wording and asked.

“It is both an aberration and a ghost spirit. It could release a confinement space that sealed off the entire prison, and it could also use the black tubes extending from its body to suck a person’s flesh and blood dry.” Yan Junhao’s face was filled with grief, and beneath it there was an unmistakable undercurrent of hatred.

“How are you feeling? If you’re up to it, come with us to the military command in Harbor City’s northern district. If what you said is true, that thing has to be dealt with as soon as possible.” Wu Zui looked at Yan Junhao and asked.

Under Wu Zui’s gaze, no new dark energy appeared in the smoke of sin, proving that Yan Junhao had been fairly obedient lately. For safety’s sake, Wu Zui was also planning to take him to the military command to verify things, since the military had daily contact with places like prisons and hospitals.

“I’m fine!”

Yan Junhao answered at once. He was only suffering from overexertion and aching all over.

Wu Zui and Xiao Keyi took Yan Junhao aboard Dragonhawk One. After switching on magnetic levitation mode, they headed straight for the military command in Harbor City’s northern district. They moved so fast that even the ghost spirit trailing behind Dragonhawk One nearly got left behind.

Harbor City, Northern District, Military Command

The military officer in charge had met Wu Zui before, and after hearing his description, he waved his hands repeatedly and laughed. “Impossible. Absolutely impossible. I just finished speaking with the warden, Lu Jun, and besides, there’s Wang Liang, a five-star investigator, there. How could they both be dead without even a message coming back?”

Out of respect for the help Wu Zui had once provided when the whale aberration attacked, the military officer’s attitude remained fairly good. If anyone else had questioned their work like this, he would already have shouted them back out.

“Hmm... how about this? Trouble you to call again and say I’d like to ask for guidance on releasing magnetic energy blades. If that warden is really a ghost creature in disguise, then no matter how convincing he seems, he still can’t possibly use magnetic energy blades, right? And you wouldn’t be too embarrassed either.”

After some thought, Wu Zui made a suggestion.

“...All right, then. Let’s take it as letting you feel a little more at ease.”

Seeing Wu Zui persist, and remembering that Xiao Anguo had once asked him to look after Wu Zui a little, the military officer agreed.

After all, it was only a phone call. Could you really reach the heavens with that?

The military officer led Wu Zui and the other two into the communications room, which could connect to all of Harbor City’s important districts and to spirit investigators of five stars and above.

“Communications, connect me to Lu Jun at Harbor City Prison!”

“Yes!”

As the connection was made, Warden Lu Jun’s face appeared on the screen. Wu Zui had already quietly nudged Yan Junhao out of camera range. If what he said was true, it would be troublesome if the other side noticed him.

“Liao Xing? Didn’t I just finish speaking with you? Something else?” The warden in the image looked at the military officer in confusion.

“Oh, there’s a youngster here who heard that your magnetic energy blade release is extremely fast and wants to ask you for some pointers.” Liao Xing raised a hand and pointed at Wu Zui.

“You’re a four-star spirit investigator, asking me, a three-star, to guide you? That sounds like you’re trying to flatter me to death.” The warden waved his hands repeatedly, looking as though he did not want to show off.

After hearing that, Liao Xing felt something was off, though he did not show it. Instead, he said directly, “You don’t know this boy—he’s quite arrogant. He’s the master of the Xiao family’s precious daughter.

How could he possibly look up to my strength, which I just trained up in a magnetic energy enhancement chamber? If not, why don’t you let Wang Liang come and give him some pointers? He’s a five-star, stronger than both of us.”

“Wang Liang? He’s gone to deal with a newly born ghost creature and won’t be back for a while. Let him give pointers when he returns. I’m not up to it.”

The warden began to dodge and deflect.

“Fine, fine. Have Wang Liang send me a reply when he gets back. That’ll do. I suspect this boy is going to stay with me for a few days.” Liao Xing nodded helplessly.

...

After a round of exchanges, the image disappeared from the screen.

Once the communication ended, Liao Xing said with a grim expression, “There’s definitely a problem! Lu Jun isn’t the type to be so humble, and much less would he say Wang Liang won’t be back for a while. Just dealing with a newly born ghost creature—how could a five-star investigator be held up? At most half an hour in a prison!”

“Then what should we do? Harbor City shouldn’t have any idle five-star investigators left, right?” Wu Zui asked Liao Xing.

“Indeed there aren’t any left! Tell me the details.” After replying to Wu Zui, Liao Xing turned to Yan Junhao.

While Yan Junhao recounted everything, Wu Zui and Xiao Keyi, who had already heard it once, began exchanging thoughts.

[Master, should we go in?]

[Go in for what? A five-star died there. Do you and I have the ability to handle that? Don’t forget, there’s still that cheongsam ghost spirit nearby!]

[But something that is both a ghost spirit and an aberration... just hearing about it sounds like it ought to be very interesting!]

[If a ghost creature spots you, then it’ll find you interesting!]

At this point in their exchange, Wu Zui glared fiercely at Xiao Keyi.

Xiao Keyi withdrew her little tiger teeth with a huff, pouted, and flicked her twin ponytails as she turned away from him.

She was angry, and the kind of angry that could not be coaxed.

(ー`´ー)

“...”

Thud.

Wu Zui reached out and cracked her on the head.

Xiao Keyi immediately clutched the top of her head with both hands, tears welling in her eyes...

[You little brat, thinking of rebelling now, are you?]

...

Soon, Yan Junhao finished explaining the situation to Liao Xing as well. Liao Xing immediately made the decision to erase all information about everyone in Harbor City Prison as quickly as possible, then place them all under arrest warrants, just as Wang Liang had said before his death: if seen, kill without mercy.

As for Harbor City Prison itself, there was no free five-star investigator available to go there, but one wandering soul was hardly a busy man, and this was exactly the time he was needed.

Liao Xing picked up the phone and dialed. “Hello? Is this the Great Monk Wuxiang? I need your help to slay demons and exorcise evil...”

In some mountain ravine, Wuxiang was searching for materials to repair a Buddhist treasure bell when he looked toward the distant direction of Harbor City and set down the phone in his hand.

His figure gradually twisted and distorted, and soon he became a golden point of light, heading straight for Harbor City...

Once one reached Wuxiang’s level, one was no longer bound by the restraints of sect doctrine. He had naturally long since studied those three new methods of cultivation, so mastering a spatial singularity was only perfectly normal.

And just as Liao Xing put down the phone, he said to the three of them, “All right, someone will handle the Harbor City Prison matter. When the time comes, the three of you just take him over there. He’ll go straight to the gates of the military district.”