Chapter 156 The Patron Saint of Ordinary People
Yang Haoran gasped for breath, clearly exhausted, but when his gaze fell upon Du Xiao's Soul Body, a faint smile still appeared on his face.
Although the drain was considerable, he had, in the end, succeeded.
The first time was awkward, but the second time would be familiar. The next time he undertook such a task, it wouldn't be as strenuous. With some experience, he would know how to conserve more Spirit Power.
Summoning his Soul-Gathering Bead, Yang Haoran collected Du Xiao's soul within it.
At this moment, the Skin-Borrowing Ghost was still roaring wildly within the Soul-Gathering Bead, like a rampaging tiger.
But when it discovered Du Xiao's soul had also been taken into the Soul-Gathering Bead, it quieted, no longer clamoring, transforming from a mad tiger into a docile kitten.
Without time to wipe the beads of sweat from his face, Yang Haoran sensed a power fluctuation approaching his location. Judging by the strength of this fluctuation, the newcomer was very likely Wang Yiming.
Sure enough, following the sensed power fluctuation, Wang Yiming was jogging directly towards his position.
Meanwhile, Yang Haoran's mind spun, pondering how to explain the situation to Wang Yiming.
Immediately afterward, he noticed Du Xiao's corpse behind Yang Haoran, and his expression changed again, a jolt of surprise striking his heart.
“Brother Yang, what happened to you? And what's his situation? ”
Wang Yiming asked, a bewildered look on his face. From the current state of affairs, it was clear Yang Haoran hadn't just encountered minor issues since arriving here.
“I chased the Skin-Borrowing Ghost all the way here. This place has heavy Yin Qi, and with the presence of Wánglíng, the Skin-Borrowing Ghost wanted to heal and recover here. Of course, I couldn't let that happen, so I wanted to quickly capture it into the Soul-Gathering Bead. Who knew this fellow would jump out of nowhere? ”
As he spoke, Yang Haoran glanced at Du Xiao's corpse, the implication clear: the fellow who had suddenly appeared was none other than Du Xiao.
“Do you know what a Spirit Medium is? ” Yang Haoran asked Wang Yiming.
Wang Yiming was startled. “Spirit Mediums? Of course I know them! They enhance their power through ghost-keeping, and they're also the sworn enemies of your Underworld Office. Is this guy, then, a Spirit Medium? ”
Yang Haoran nodded. “You can examine his corpse. There's still residual Yin Qi on him, and the Communication Power within his body shouldn't have completely dissipated yet. ”
Wang Yiming didn't stand on ceremony. He took a few steps forward, squatted down, and began examining Du Xiao's corpse, while Yang Haoran continued to speak.
“This fellow tried to snatch the Skin-Borrowing Ghost from me, intending to sign a contract with it and make it his Guardian Yin Spirit. So, we had a fight. As a result, he met his end. ”
After Yang Haoran finished speaking, Wang Yiming had also completed his examination of Du Xiao's corpse. He stood up and spoke.
“There's no mistake, this kid is definitely a Spirit Medium. It's not my first time dealing with them; I recognize the residual Communication Power in his body. ”
At this point, Wang Yiming seemed to recall something, his gaze settling on Yang Haoran as he continued, “Brother Yang, rest assured, we Spirit Police will not interfere in the grievances between Spirit Mediums and your Underworld Office. If you want this corpse, feel free to take it; we Spirit Police will handle everything else for you. ”
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran smiled and shook his head. “I've already forcibly extracted his soul. I'll hand his soul over to my direct superior later. How they judge him is an affair for the higher-ups; I can't interfere, nor will I bother. As for this corpse, it's of no use to me. My current headache is how to dispose of it. ”
Wang Yiming's eyes lit up. A rare smile appeared on his usually solemn face as he said, “If you don't need it, then we Spirit Police will gladly take it! ”
Yang Haoran's expression was somewhat puzzled, but he still nodded. “If you need it, just take it. I'm just curious what you'd do with a corpse. ”
Wang Yiming looked a bit awkward, but after a moment of hesitation, he spoke. “The corpses of non-ordinary people hold a certain value. We need them for research. The results of our research can not only enhance the strength of the Spirit Police but also allow us to understand the weaknesses of such individuals. Then we can develop targeted weapons or other products, so that when we truly encounter criminals of this type, we Spirit Police will have a much easier time. ”
Yang Haoran was startled upon hearing this, his brows subtly knitting. He hadn't truly regarded the Spirit Police seriously before, believing their strength to be limited. But now, hearing Wang Yiming's words, he felt he ought to re-evaluate the Spirit Police.
Seeing Yang Haoran frown, Wang Yiming thought Yang Haoran was displeased with their methods, so he hastily explained, “Please don't find us Spirit Police disgusting. We have no other choice. This world has too many people with various abilities. If we don't do this, how can we maintain peace in this world? If the Spirit Police don't have some hidden trump cards, how could other organizations and religions possibly take us seriously? This world would have fallen into chaos long ago. ”
Yang Haoran nodded, expressing his agreement with Wang Yiming's statement. However, he then thought of a question and asked with a smile, “Surely your Spirit Police don't also have the weaknesses of us Underworld Officials, do you? ”
Wang Yiming's expression immediately turned awkward. He somewhat regretted having said those words to Yang Haoran just now.
“Well, well. . . what can I say? ” Wang Yiming stammered, unsure how to answer Yang Haoran's question.
Yang Haoran smiled. “I know you conduct such research. Over countless years, your Spirit Police must have obtained the corpses of some Night Watchers. It's not surprising that you would have yielded some research results. ”
“I didn't say that! And you'd best not speak carelessly either. Our Spirit Police and the Underworld Office have always had a good relationship. One maintains order in the mortal realm, the other maintains order in the Underworld. When major incidents occur, we even cooperate fully. So, please, don't speak carelessly and ruin the relationship between us. ” Wang Yiming appeared somewhat nervous.
Yang Haoran knew full well, but he merely smiled and said nothing. Wang Yiming, however, seized the opportunity to change the subject.
“I'll immediately call someone to transport this corpse away. If it stays here, and ordinary people see it, it'll just be another troublesome matter. ”
As he spoke, Wang Yiming pulled out his phone, made a call, and after only a few words, he hung up.
“Yiming, there's something I've always wanted to ask you, but I've never found the opportunity. I think now is a good time. ” Yang Haoran looked at Wang Yiming, his smile fading, his expression turning serious.
Wang Yiming rarely saw Yang Haoran with such an expression. He was a little puzzled, and a little uneasy, thinking Yang Haoran was going to ask about researching the Underworld Office's weaknesses again.
“Heh heh, what is it? Brother Yang, feel free to ask. But please, don't put me, your junior, in a difficult position. Many of the things I've told you are confidential; speaking of them has already broken the rules, so. . . ” Wang Yiming's smile was forced, a smile squeezed out with effort that looked awkward no matter how you saw it.
“Don't worry, I won't put you on the spot this time. I'm just asking something very simple. ”
Hearing Yang Haoran say this, Wang Yiming's heart finally settled. Yang Haoran then continued speaking.
“The cases your Spirit Police handle are all special cases. What are your specific procedures for dealing with them? I know a little, but not in much detail. Could you explain it to me thoroughly? ”
Upon hearing it was about this, the stone weighing on Wang Yiming's heart finally dropped. He sighed in relief and began to explain in detail to Yang Haoran.
“Under normal circumstances, if there are Evil Spirits causing trouble and disrupting the lives of ordinary people, we dispatch officers once we learn of the situation. For such Evil Spirits, we try to capture them alive if possible; if not, we kill them directly. ”
“As long as the target is eliminated, and we're certain they've been cleared and will no longer affect the ordinary populace, then we consider the mission successfully completed. Like—don't get angry, alright? —like the last Yangjiawan zombie incident: once the zombies were gone and the culprit was dead, our mission was considered complete. ”
Yang Haoran's brow twitched slightly. He asked, “Last time, Master Zhou from Yangjiawan died at my and my friend's hands, not yours. Does that also count? ”
Wang Yiming continued to explain, “Of course it counts. As long as the target is eliminated, regardless of the reason for their elimination, our mission is considered complete. After all, our primary goal is to return ordinary people's lives to normal and ensure their personal safety isn't threatened. ”
At this point, Wang Yiming pointed at Du Xiao's corpse on the ground and continued, “As for battles between non-ordinary people like yourselves, as long as they don't affect or harm ordinary people, we Spirit Police won't interfere. There's no need. Ordinary police won't interfere either, because they can't handle it. ”
“Furthermore, if non-ordinary people harm ordinary people, we will intervene. In such cases, we will try our best to capture the perpetrator alive. If that's truly impossible, then we must kill them whenever possible, to prevent them from continuing to harm ordinary people while alive. ”
“Our duty as Spirit Police is to protect ordinary people, to ensure they have a good living space in this complex and dangerous world. We just need to do this one thing well. As for other matters, even if we wanted to manage them, we couldn't handle all of it, nor do we have the ability to. ”
After Wang Yiming's explanation, Yang Haoran finally gained a comprehensive understanding of the matter. He felt a deep respect for the Spirit Police. This world was never as peaceful as it seemed on the surface; there were too many extraordinary individuals. If the Spirit Police weren't guarding this world, one could only imagine how chaotic it would be.
Without the existence of the Spirit Police, people with special abilities would wantonly slaughter ordinary folk to achieve their goals. Ordinary people would have almost no room to survive in this world, and they would live in fear all day long. How could they possibly enjoy the comfortable lives they have now?
The reason ordinary people could enjoy a safe and danger-free life was precisely because a group of individuals silently guarded and protected them with their lives. Otherwise, how would they have the chance to watch movies? Reality would be a tragedy, and they themselves would be the protagonists.
Although Underworld Officials also had the duty to maintain order in the mortal realm, that was only directed at Evil Spirits who disrupted that order. Beyond that, other matters were not within the jurisdiction of their Underworld Office.
The Spirit Police were different. The Spirit Police not only managed Evil Spirits but also other aspects. They had to manage all kinds of special incidents that threatened the safety of ordinary people, which showed just how immense their workload was.
Perhaps precisely because the Spirit Police had limited numbers and an immense workload, they didn't have so many rules and regulations. They only needed to dutifully and responsibly protect ordinary people.
“Although I am not Spirit Police, next time if you encounter any special cases involving Wánglíng, you can let me handle them. I will arrive at the first opportunity. ” Yang Haoran said.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yiming's heart rejoiced.
“Really? ” Wang Yiming asked, somewhat uncertain.
“Really. ” Yang Haoran's answer was very definite.
“You're not planning to earn remuneration from us, are you? We'll certainly give you payment, but all our money goes into research. Our unit is quite poor. ” Wang Yiming asked, somewhat worried.
“I have no interest in money now. As long as the Wánglíng I subdue belong to me, that's enough. Besides, this is part of my duty. ” Yang Haoran responded with a smile.
“Alright, it's a deal then! ”
Wang Yiming was very excited, looking as if he was afraid Yang Haoran would go back on his word.
“The Captain will be thrilled when he hears about this! Before, your Underworld Office also had a Night Watcher who cooperated with us long-term. She was a woman, very formidable, but it seems she's disappeared now. Our Captain was just about to look for your Emissary, Deng Feng, to discuss it. I can't believe you proactively brought this up! This is simply too good! I'll call the Captain right away! ”
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