Bureau of Paranormal Investigation

The moment the figure appeared, Yang Xiao's expression changed. Gone was the earlier confidence and composure—his face tightened with tension. He held his breath, brows knit, eyes locked on the silhouette within the frost, as though he had recognized who it was. Lin Feng wore the same expression, seemingly just as shocked to see someone suddenly appear to save him.

By now, I had already raised my gun and aimed it at the figure. I didn't know who he was, but one thing was certain—he was no friend. Wu Rendi's custom-made bullet, though there was only one, had clearly reached its moment of use. But just before I pulled the trigger, Yang Xiao suddenly pressed down on the muzzle, still staring at the shadowy figure as he muttered under his breath, "We can't afford to mess with him. Don't move rashly..."

As he spoke, he gestured subtly. The puppet that had been knocked flying by Qiu Bulao earlier climbed back to its feet and moved in front of me once more.

After a moment of tense standoff, Yang Xiao was the first to speak. "Of all people, you have no connection to this man. He's now a half-human, half-ghost abomination. By your code, shouldn't you be the one most eager to cleanse him? So what's going on? Since when did the Underworld start playing bodyguard to rogue spirits?"

That figure… it was an Underworld Agent? But it looked nothing like the ones I'd seen before. As I stared in disbelief, the frost-veiled figure replied in a voice metallic and cold:"You don't need to say another word. I'm taking this man with me."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao's face turned icy. Wisps of black energy began to seep from his body, and he raised two Copper Nails in his hands, ready to strike. Even the puppet in front of me stepped forward, positioning itself beside Yang Xiao to form a triangular formation with him.

"You really want to do this?" the metallic voice asked again. "Think carefully. You suppress him. I suppress you. Picking a fight here gets you nothing." The voice paused, as though letting out a sigh. Then, the frost-covered figure turned and glanced at Lin Feng, still pinned to the wall. "Let's consider this me owing you one. I'll repay it someday, with interest."

"No," Yang Xiao replied coldly. "You heard what he just said, didn't you? I can't take the risk of letting him go and having one of mine end up dead. You're right—I'm at a disadvantage against you, but let's see if you can stop me before I kill him first." A strange smile crept onto Yang Xiao's face. He paused, then added, "You'll only have time to stop one of us. Who will you choose?"

As he spoke, the puppet darted toward Lin Feng. Halfway there, the frost surrounding Lin Feng swelled suddenly into a frozen barrier. The figure inside blurred and reappeared in front of the puppet. One hand reached out and pressed against its chest. Whatever he did, the puppet began to rapidly collapse—like a balloon losing air. In seconds, it was reduced to an empty, shriveled skin sack.

Yang Xiao had clearly anticipated this outcome. At the exact moment the puppet was halted, he spat out a mouthful of bright pink blood. His body leaned forward and he dove straight into the mist. As he vanished into the blood mist, his voice echoed in my ears:"If it goes south, shoot Lin Feng..."

This was the Blood Escape Technique Yang Xiao had once used in the fifteen-story building of Qilin. But this time, the mist was a lighter pink than before—less saturated than the deep purple-red of last time.

Yang Xiao vanished in a blink. And right then, a similar mist appeared beside Lin Feng. Yang Xiao stepped out from it, Copper Nail in hand, thrusting directly at Lin Feng's skull. But the frost burst forth again. Just as the nail touched Lin Feng's forehead, Yang Xiao was suddenly frozen over, his movement halted mid-strike.

At that critical moment, Lin Feng threw his head back to avoid the blow. The shadowy figure, moving with lightning speed, appeared behind Yang Xiao and snatched the Copper Nail from his hand. He flung it aside, and with the other hand, he pressed down on Yang Xiao's head. Whatever force he applied, Yang Xiao was immediately immobilized.

Yang Xiao's face twisted with rage and frustration. Lin Feng was right in front of him, but he was powerless. At that moment, a loud bang echoed—my gun fired.

I had aimed directly at Lin Feng's forehead. At this range, there was no way I'd miss.

But just as the bullet was released, the wall behind Lin Feng quaked violently. Lin Feng's body was jolted upward, and my bullet struck him in the jaw instead. His lower face shattered gruesomely, but the critical shot was avoided.

That shot seemed to alert the frost-shrouded figure. He quickly reached out and yanked the remaining Copper Nail from Lin Feng's body. Lin Feng collapsed to the ground. Ignoring his injuries, he reached for Yang Xiao's head again—as if he meant to replay what had happened two years ago.

Without thinking, I hurled my empty pistol at Lin Feng's skull.

I didn't wait to see if it hit. I lunged forward, grabbing one of the discarded Copper Nails like an icy dagger, and charged at him. But the moment I stepped into the frost's domain, an overwhelming chill engulfed me. My limbs grew stiff. Within a few strides, I was frozen solid—unable to move an inch.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng had already been struck in the shattered jaw by the thrown pistol. The figure's hand also slapped away Lin Feng's incoming arm. Though I hadn't harmed him, the figure clearly meant to prevent him from hurting Yang Xiao. That confused Lin Feng.

He froze in place, unsure why he'd been protected.

Just then, another voice rang out in the morgue:"Let it go. Unless you really want Wu Rendi to show up too?"

Lin Feng couldn't identify the frost figure, but he immediately recognized the new voice. Unfortunately, with his jaw shattered, he couldn't speak—he simply turned his head to search for the source of the voice outside the morgue.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from above. Lin Feng glanced back at me and Yang Xiao, his eyes brimming with frustration and fury.

Then the voice rang out again:"Let's go. If we wait any longer, it'll be too late. My formation won't hold for much longer..."

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment. In the end, he didn't dare lay another hand on Yang Xiao, but instead turned and strode quickly toward me—clearly intending to take out his rage on me instead. Surprisingly, the shadowy figure didn't stop him this time, allowing Lin Feng to reach me unhindered. He stood in front of me, staring coldly, and as our eyes met, I got a good look at him.

His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, viscous fluid oozed from the gaping black hole beneath his shattered jaw, and his body was riddled with several translucent holes—barely a patch of intact flesh left on him.

After a long stare, Lin Feng pressed his palm against my forehead. A chilling aura surged rapidly from my crown downward. I instinctively closed my eyes, prepared for death. But as the icy energy reached my chest, it suddenly halted.

Puzzled by the pause, I opened my eyes. Lin Feng was glaring at me, seemingly as confused as I was.

At that moment, the searing heat—previously dormant—flared up again for the third time, right in my chest. The chilling aura vanished in an instant, and worse still, the heat rebounded upward along the same path. Before Lin Feng could react, a burst of heat exploded from the top of my head.

Boom—Lin Feng's arm shot upward violently. He staggered back a few steps, only to realize that his arm was now bent at an unnatural angle.

The moment the heat escaped, I regained control of my body. The frost that had blanketed the morgue instantly melted away. Lin Feng's face twisted in horror, far beyond ordinary fear. He stared at me, dazed—just as he became a perfect target for Yang Xiao.

With the frost gone, Yang Xiao also regained freedom. Without hesitation, he hurled a Copper Nail at Lin Feng. But just as he released it, the figure appeared again, standing before Lin Feng. His silhouette rapidly expanded, engulfing Lin Feng entirely. As the nail struck, the figure compressed violently, and in the next second, both the shadow and Lin Feng vanished in a burst of mist—leaving only trails of melting frost on the ground. No other sign of Lin Feng remained.

"You okay?" I asked Yang Xiao, who stood there grim-faced and clearly unwilling to accept this outcome. "Who was that figure just now? I've seen Underworld Agents, but none as powerful as him. And what about the voice earlier—do you recognize it?"

Yang Xiao took a deep breath and didn't answer. He kept his gaze fixed on the morgue entrance. Outside, the sound of chaotic footsteps grew louder. A group of people rushed in. Once the area was confirmed secure, a portly man emerged from the crowd. He glanced around the morgue before turning to look at us and said, "Not gonna lie—this time you guys really screwed up, huh?"

Only Sun Fatty, Vice Director Sun Desheng, could deliver that signature line.

After his remark, Yang Xiao let out a cold laugh. But just as the smile appeared, his face went pale. As if suddenly remembering something urgent, he lunged at Sun Fatty and grabbed him by the collar.

"Get me a plane to Qilin, right now!"

Yang Xiao was truly panicking—eyes wide, nearly lifting Sun Fatty off the ground.

"Easy! Let's talk this through. Loosen up first…" Sun Fatty's face flushed red. Several investigators and I rushed over to pull Yang Xiao back, and only after some effort did we get him to let go.

Sun Fatty caught his breath, then turned to Yang Xiao and said, "Old Yang, I'm not saying you can't go to Qilin—I'll arrange a Bureau jet for you right away. But if you're looking for that person"—referring to Yang Xiao's wife's reincarnation, which few in the Bureau knew about—"then forget it. You won't find them right now."

"What do you mean by that?" Yang Xiao's expression darkened, just like when he faced down the shadowy figure. I honestly thought that if Sun Fatty said something too heavy, Yang Xiao might pull out a Copper Nail right then and there.

Fortunately, what Sun Fatty said next eased his tension.

Before answering, Sun Fatty ordered all the investigators out of the morgue. When only the three of us remained, he turned and said, "After Old Qiu went down, I arranged for your wife's entire family to be moved abroad. Old Yang, I'm not saying this to lecture you, but next time, let me finish talking—I am your superior after all."

As Sun Fatty rambled on, Yang Xiao was already on his phone, dialing a number. When the call went unanswered, he began to believe Sun Fatty and deleted the number. Then he asked, "How did you manage to send them away without me knowing?"

"Simple. I rigged a lottery and gave them all 'prizes'—European tour packages. Just so we're clear, the Bureau didn't budget for that. You're footing the bill." Sun Fatty took a long drag on a cigarette, clearly enjoying his petty revenge from earlier. "And as for why I didn't tell you... well, let's just say it was safer that way."

Yang Xiao didn't respond. He just stood there, silently processing Sun Fatty's words. Finally, Sun Fatty turned to me and asked for a detailed recounting of what had happened.

When I mentioned the figure who intercepted Lin Feng, and the voice that accompanied him, Sun Fatty's expression turned strange. He gave me an odd look, then turned to Yang Xiao and said, "Old Yang, not gonna lie—getting stopped by an Underworld Agent isn't your style. I've seen those guys before—one even showed up when your wife reincarnated."

At the mention of the Underworld Agents, Yang Xiao's face soured. He snorted and replied, "You think all Underworld Agents are cut from the same cloth? Let me teach you something. That one before—he wasn't just any Agent. He was a Judgment Warden. Ever heard of a 'Hell Judge'?"

Sun Fatty mumbled in shock, "Hell Judge... Damn, that bastard Lin really played it big..."

He was clearly stunned. Yang Xiao snorted again and continued, "You two know what I'm capable of. Let me put it bluntly—when it comes to summoning spirits or commanding gods, among the living, aside from Director Wu, I dare say I'm second to none. But this—this very ability of mine is exactly why I got wrecked. That Judgment Warden countered me from head to toe. The fact that I walked out of this is sheer luck."

As I watched the two of them go back and forth, I couldn't help but notice: compared to two years ago, Yang Xiao seemed far more open with Sun Fatty. Back then, he would never have said something like "I'm second only to Wu" right to Sun Fatty's face. Now, I could faintly sense that Yang Xiao had started to consider Sun Fatty… one of his own.

—End of Volume Five—