Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 169: Chapter 78 Companion Beetle_2

The sensation of weightlessness and light followed.

The next second, Li Yelai had returned to the physical world, back in the official safe house.

But Li Yelai didn’t immediately speak; instead, he quickly took out the specimen of the Companion Beetle.

Originally imminently close, Yin Fire’s expression shifted, lifting his hand to throw a fog that enveloped the small bottle containing the Companion Beetle.

Seconds later, Yin Fire’s brows relaxed, ”Interesting, there was spiritual energy hidden within it.”

”Have we exposed our identities?” Li Yelai asked quickly.

”Not yet, the other party just wants to know our approximate location. Very well. This safe house was prepared to mislead them!” Yin Fire sneered, lifting his hand to disperse the fog, and a wave of spiritual energy silently dissipated.

”They better come looking!”

Elsewhere, hidden within a fortress deep in a mountain in the wilderness.

Before the Black Umbrella, a small circle was quickly marked on the map of the No. 3 Border City.

”My lord, the location is confirmed,” someone reported quietly.

”Excellent!”

Looking at the small circle on the map, Black Umbrella smiled.

That was where his spiritual energy dissipated, the physical location where Copper Face entered the ark.

”Copper Face, oh, Copper Face. You are still too naive, how could I just hand over the Absolute Spirit Ability? It’s just temporarily in your hands!” Black Umbrella looked at his new body and said coldly, ”Once I regain my strength, I will personally come to reclaim it!”

His original body had been destroyed, forcing him to switch bodies, his current strength only recovered to thirty percent.

Every time he thought about this, he felt an unbearable rage, but...

”Night General, you had better not die before I come for you! I want to see if the person behind you can actually protect you!”

Simultaneously, on the other side, in the icy, snowy wilderness of the north, within a large moving convoy.

A young man sitting inside an armored vehicle suddenly opened his eyes.

He said to the middle-aged man and old man beside him, ”Grandfather, dad. I am back. The ark is truly magical! Gathering strong individuals from around the world! Including some Forbidden Zone creatures! Gathering intelligence, trading items, it’s an unimaginable advantage!”

The old man nodded slightly, ”That is indeed special, Jing Lin, have you gathered any significant intelligence?”

”The news of us leaving the Giant City has also reached them. There might still be Ark Chosen Ones inside Yaoqing Giant City,” said the young man referred to as Jing Lin after pondering, ”Moreover, I seem to have found the exact location of Taiji Yin.”

”Are you certain?” the middle-aged man said joyously.

The Yaoqing Jing Family had formed the expeditionary army just to retrieve Taiji Yin.

And they could only follow a rough direction, enduring much hardship along the way. Facing harsh weather and terrain, passing through numerous dangerous areas.

If there were a specific destination, the safety of the convoy would greatly increase.

”While we received the resonance from Taiji Yin, No. 3 Border City just happened to eliminate a sub-branch of the Ember Church. And from the direction, it is right on our path. Our destination might just be No. 3 Border City.”

”The Ember Church, No. 3 Border City... After they robbed our caravan, they actually ran this far,” the middle-aged man laughed, ”This time, we really have to thank No. 3 Border City. The route is a bit difficult though, we have to bypass two Forbidden Zones’ radiation ranges.”

”No. 3 Border City... I wonder if the Mad King is still alive or not. In my time, his name shone like the ferocious sun,” the old man smiled, ”Let’s head towards No. 3 Border City then. If we retrieve Taiji Yin, our lineage will have achieved great merit! It wouldn’t be in vain that your great-grandfather gave us this opportunity. Jing Lin, you’ve done well, continue to use the ark to strive and become stronger.”

Jing Lin nodded, then added, ”Speaking of No. 3 Border City, I heard they have a special Spiritual Ability User there, the City Defense Army’s Processor. Night General!”

Jing Lin stated all the intelligence he had garnered from the ark.

The faces of both the middle-aged man and the old man grew increasingly grave.

”Mimicry pathways of ’Wanxiang’... Such a special ability exists in the world.” The old man said in a deep voice. ”Afterward, upon reaching No.3 Border City, try to make contact with the Night General and reveal some information that might target Ark Chosen Ones. Establish good relations.”

Jing Lin nodded.

The middle-aged man then said, ”If we can persuade him or take him away...”

”It’s difficult, Dad. The Giant City won’t let go of such a special Spiritual Ability User,” Jing Lin shook his head. ”He’s probably highly regarded by the Giant City.”

”Let your sister try then. She’s much more flexible than you. If the Night General himself wants to come to Yaoqing Giant City, No.3 Border City has no reason to block him. At worst, we’ll compensate them,” the middle-aged man said indifferently, the resources of the Spiritual Ability Family should not be underestimated. For a Spiritual Ability User without a family background, this could be a great lure.

Jing Lin shook his head again. He didn’t want his sister to resort to using her beauty.

Moreover, females with the Jing Family bloodline had more important responsibilities.

Had it not been for an incident with an aunt from the previous generation, their lineage would not have fallen into such a state.

...

On the other side, Li Yelai sneezed wildly, feeling as if someone was talking about him behind his back.

”Yo,” Yin Fire chuckled with a sneer, making suggestive gestures, ”Could it be that some girls are missing you?”

”Impossible, absolutely impossible! I’m always self-aware!” Li Yelai retorted. Then, he asked, ”About the Spirit Extinguisher matter, how should I handle it?”

After dealing with the Companion Beetle, Li Yelai handed over the intelligence and traded materials to the officials.

As for the B-grade Spiritual Ability Equipment, it was offset by the merit points of the Thunder Stepping Dragon Colt’s corpse.

It was akin to snagging a Summoning Item for free, which felt very good.

The healing medicine was taken by Yin Fire, who used two-thirds of it for research, planning to reverse engineer the formula and technology.

The remaining medicine was given to Li Yelai for his personal use in case of emergencies.

”The information on the Spirit Extinguisher is significant, but we can’t act overtly as it would expose your undercover identity. We can only investigate in secret. Currently, the City Defense Army is checking the city entrance and exit records for the past half-month. Sadly, they haven’t found anything so far. The other party might have smuggled in.”

Yin Fire continued, ”And just continue patrolling the South City Old District with the Companion Beetle. If you find that Flying Gunman, immediately call for people to eliminate him. Also, you must be present and appear in the persona of Copper Face. Keep the copper mask at your side.”

Li Yelai nodded. This was to avoid detection from any ark spies within the Giant City.

Alas, Li Yelai didn’t have more intelligence about the Flying Gunman.

If there was a photo or more details,

he could use Taboo Items to locate the person.

”Is that Spirit Extinguisher still alive?” Li Yelai asked in a low voice.

”Unclear,” Yin Fire sighed. ”I hope she’s alive. She’s a miracle of humanity. But... if she’s in the hands of someone with malicious intent, the outcome wouldn’t be good.”

”In the distant Kunlun Giant City, more than thirty years ago, there was a Spirit Extinguisher who appeared, but an illegal Spiritual Ability organization discovered him first. When the officials rescued him, he was turned into a human stick, his limbs chopped off to create Soul Extinguishing Weapons. As for him, he became the organization’s breeding machine... After being rescued, he was fitted with prosthetic limbs. But in the end, he committed suicide.”

Li Yelai sighed.

Not being found by the officials was the greatest tragedy.

If the Spirit Extinguisher had died, the officials would take revenge for her. If she were still alive, Li Yelai hoped she could hold on a little longer.

”Then without delay, take me to the South City Old District. I’ll go on patrol,” Li Yelai picked up the Companion Beetle.

”You should learn to drive; Spiritual Ability Users learn quickly,” Yin Fire mocked and then, after pondering, added, ”Well, maybe it’s not suitable.”