Li Zi thought back carefully.

She had definitely checked—the guy had no breath at all… his head had been smashed open, brain matter splattered everywhere. He couldn’t have been more dead.

But she didn’t believe Leng Feng was making things up… which could only mean that guy wasn’t the only one like him. After all, this bizarre, eerie fog clearly didn’t seem like a natural phenomenon.

Li Zi quietly placed her palm under the table—within it, a fluffy white ball appeared and swiftly hopped to the floor.

“Snow Sprite, scout the area,” she whispered.

The snow-white puff zipped to a corner and slipped out of the inn without a sound.

Moments later, Ren Ziling and Leng Feng walked over. Ren Ziling simply said in a low voice, “We’ll follow Major Leng Feng’s orders for now. Don’t ask why, got it?”

Li Zi nodded. Akiko hesitated, then also agreed.

Outside the inn, besides a squad of soldiers, there were many civilians—men, women, elderly, children. Each group held onto a long rope, used to prevent separation in the thick fog.

Ren Ziling took the lead at the back of the group, grabbing the tail of the rope. She didn’t walk beside Leng Feng… Leng Feng understood her personality—though, how could he truly be indifferent?

Two soldiers quietly moved from the front of the group to guard the rear.

As they walked, more soldiers brought out trapped civilians from across town—their destination was the town’s gymnasium.

By the time Ren Ziling, Li Zi, and Akiko arrived with Leng Feng, the gym was already crowded with civilians receiving emergency supplies from soldiers.

More and more people would arrive, while the number of soldiers was fixed. Ren Ziling offered to help—she couldn’t sit still anyway. Instead of letting her wander, it was better to have her assist with logistics. Leng Feng allowed it.

Just then, a soldier came over and whispered something into Leng Feng’s ear.

His face turned grim. He gave orders for one soldier to stay and look after Ren Ziling and the others, then left the gym quickly.

Outside, two men in black suits were already waiting, looking hurried.

“And you are?”

“Management Bureau. Here are our credentials.” One man showed his ID.

Within the system, only a very small number of people even knew about certain departments or seals.

Leng Feng had originally served in a local unit before being transferred to the capital and promoted to major. He had some insider knowledge.

“You…” Leng Feng handed back the ID with a puzzled expression.

He couldn’t help but recall the gruesome state of the dead soldiers and civilians. The arrival of this secretive department only confirmed the complexity of the situation.

“We’re here to assist with evacuation,” the man said quickly. “Ordinary people can’t move in this environment without specialized gear. So we’ll have to rely on… older methods.”

Perhaps because Leng Feng’s rank wasn’t low, one of the men even demonstrated something—a paper crane that flew at his command.

It was a minor Daoist trick, but to ordinary people, it was supernatural. Even though Leng Feng had seen a lot, he couldn’t hide his shock.

They got straight to the point.

“We were originally en route. This town was meant to be our first stop. But the fog suddenly thickened just before dawn and accelerated rapidly. We were still nearly 30 kilometers away… By 10 a.m., the fog had already reached our location.”

That speed was hundreds of times faster than at the beginning!

Leng Feng immediately realized how serious the situation was.

“Let’s talk inside,” he said quickly. He mainly wanted time to process everything.

—

In the misty streets, Wang Hu wandered aimlessly—completely disoriented. He had no idea where he was going, and the townsfolk seemed to have gradually disappeared without notice.

Suddenly, a fuzzy white thing floated down and landed on his shoulder.

It was cold, and the chill seeped into him instantly—though it only felt refreshing.

“You’re…” Wang Hu took the little creature off his shoulder and smiled faintly as he held it in his palm.

It smelled just like Li Zi.

The fluffy creature suddenly leapt onto his forehead. Wang Hu instinctively reached to swat it away, but just then, he heard Li Zi’s voice.

It brought his thoughts sharply back into focus.

“Can you hear me, Wang Hu?”

“I can hear you… But didn’t you say not to contact you? Why are you—”

“It’s about last night,” Li Zi’s voice was quiet. “Just a heads-up. That guy you killed last night? It might not be over. A bunch of bodies were found outside town this morning—same condition as those in the alley. You get what I mean?”

“You think… that guy’s still alive?” Wang Hu frowned.

“He’s probably dead. I mean, you crushed him. If he came back from that, I’d say he’s cheating life. But maybe he had allies. I just wanted to warn you—stay sharp. And seriously, don’t come looking for me!”

Her voice cut off abruptly, and the snow sprite fell from his forehead, drifting into the fog.

Wang Hu took a couple of steps after it—then froze.

The snow sprite lay motionless, sliced cleanly in half as if by something razor-sharp.

Alarmed, Wang Hu picked it up gently. “Li Zi? Li Zi?!”

No response.

Then, a figure slowly emerged from the mist.

“This Demon-like thing… Is it yours?”

Wang Hu looked up—the figure was barely half a meter away.

Black suit. Black sunglasses. A black briefcase in his left hand. A silver baton in his right.

Wang Hu stood up. He was nearly two heads taller than the suited man.

“Oh, big guy,” the man muttered in surprise. He quickly pulled out a gadget the size of a compact mirror from his case and aimed it at Wang Hu.

After fiddling with it a few times, he sighed and muttered, “Figures. This thing doesn’t work… Electronics are so unreliable.”

“Who are you?” Wang Hu frowned.

The man looked at him, then opened his arms slightly. “Come on, man. The outfit, the gear—you can’t guess? This is classic Management Bureau style!”

Wang Hu shook his head. Management Bureau? Never heard of it… or wait, Li Zi had mentioned it once.

“For real? There’s still a Demon I’ve never heard of these days?” The man stepped closer, eyeing Wang Hu up and down before taking off his sunglasses and frowning. “But… you do look kind of familiar.”

“You know me?” Wang Hu instinctively grabbed the man’s shoulder.

His grip was so strong that the man nearly screamed in pain. Realizing he’d used too much force, Wang Hu quickly let go, looking apologetic. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I don’t remember anything from before, so… anyway, I’m sorry.”

But the man was secretly shocked. He was wearing the Management Bureau’s newest protective uniform, capable of withstanding most blunt force—how strong did this guy have to be to nearly crush his shoulder?

“You really don’t remember? Do you at least know your name?”

“Wang Hu. That’s all I remember.”

“Wang Hu?” The man scratched his head. “Never heard of any powerful Demon named Wang Hu… but forget that for now. What about the people in this town? Do you know where they went?”

Wang Hu shook his head. “Not sure. But I think they all went that way? I smelled a lot of people heading that direction.” He pointed into the fog.

The man was silent for a while, glancing at Wang Hu again. He was certain he hadn’t heard of this name before. As a newly appointed Management Bureau agent, he had memorized the profiles of all major Daoist and Demon world figures.

This Wang Hu looked pretty strong—was he some bigshot?

But the man quickly shook the idea off. All the real powerhouses were at the front lines. No way someone like that would show up in a small place like this.

Plus… this Wang Hu looked kind of dopey.

“Alright, listen to me!” The man suddenly straightened up. “According to the ‘Agreement,’ during national emergencies, the state has the right to conscript all personnel from the Daoist and Demon worlds. Wang Hu, under Article 6, Section 7 of the Agreement during extraordinary danger, I now officially conscript you to assist me!”

Wang Hu blinked… What was this guy even saying?

“Don’t get it?”

“Nope.”

“…” The man opened his mouth, then snapped, “I said! I’m officially recruiting you! You know what that means? It means you help me do stuff!”

Wang Hu remained unmoved.

The man patted Wang Hu on the shoulder. “Relax, big guy. I won’t treat you unfairly! Help me out this time, and I’ll apply for a medal for you from the Bureau! These medals are great, you know. If you screw up in the future, you can get your sentence reduced!”

These medals were indeed useful—they were tools the Management Bureau used to manage Daoist and Demon world personnel. Many low-level Demons and Daoists liked them. For Demons especially, a medal meant greater access and freedom in human cities.

Of course, as a rookie who had just started the job, the chances of actually getting one approved were basically zero… the man added silently to himself.

Wang Hu shook his head. “I don’t need a medal. But if you can help me figure out my past, I might consider helping you.”

Only because Li Zi had mentioned the Management Bureau did Wang Hu consider giving cooperation a shot.

“No problem! Leave it to me!” The man gave Wang Hu another firm pat. “Name’s Bu Bugao! I’m gonna be a department chief at the Management Bureau one day!”

“Oh.”

“…You—never mind.” Bu Bugao sighed, then said with a serious look, “Wang Hu, listen! I’m here on an important mission. So you’ve got to help me. This is for the people and for justice!”

“Oh.”

“My mission is to support the troops and civilians trapped here,” Bu Bugao said quickly. “For some unknown reason, the fog spread way faster than expected. That’s why the Bureau sent a rising star like me to help! Based on what you said, I’m guessing the military gathered the townspeople together. Let’s go meet up with them!”

He turned and strode into the fog—but after only two steps, he turned back. “Wait, which way did you say again?”

“That way.”

“Yeah, I knew that. Just testing you.” Bu Bugao nodded seriously. “Alright, no time to waste! Let’s go!”

This guy… is he really okay? Wang Hu frowned but eventually followed behind.

—

Inside the hotel, Grandpa Song and Song Ying stood anxiously outside a room.

The fog’s rapid spread had caused even the previously safe zones to fall in an instant. But the worst part wasn’t that—it was Song Haoran.

Just as they were planning to evacuate again, a woman brought back by Song Haoran warned them that he must not be disturbed. If he was interrupted now, he could suffer Qi deviation, and she would take no responsibility.

God knows what Song Haoran was doing in there.

Inside the room, Song Haoran sat cross-legged on the floor. Thick clouds of fog-like energy swirled around him, expanding and contracting rhythmically with his breathing.

Princess Chuyang watched him closely.

“He’s reached the sixth level of the Tongtian Floating Pagoda in a single day and still hasn’t stopped… this kind of talent is unheard of. No, this isn’t just talent…”

As she stared at the mist, now faintly tinged with gold, Chuyang’s expression grew serious—then even shocked.

“This is… Dragon Qi! He bears the signs of an emperor!”

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep