Chapter 121: Corpse Oil

"Why the sudden change of heart, you two?" Wang Jian asked, knitting his brows in confusion.

Ah Huang flashed a cheeky grin. "Nobody turns their back on money! Besides, from what you said, the workload doesn't sound that heavy anyway."

Wang Jian’s face darkened. His voice sounded sullen as he replied, "In your eyes, is the cause of justice and righteousness—protecting ordinary people from the scourge of supernatural evildoers—really less important than money?"

Fu Yang retorted, "That sounds nice, but don't you get a salary as a special investigator for the Zero Squad?"

Wang Jian nodded earnestly. "Well, I have submitted formal reports several times requesting to waive my salary, stating that I only wish to contribute to national security and stability. But my superiors never approved it; they keep sending me money."

*Damn it!!!*

Does a person like this actually exist? That was some top-tier posturing...

Regardless, Fu Yang and Ah Huang had accepted Wang Jian’s invitation, becoming freelance combatants for the East China branch of the Zero Squad. To put it bluntly, they were temps.

After exchanging contact information with Wang Jian and chatting for a while longer, they left the police station with Master Bear. It was already past one in the morning. Ah Huang headed to his new place, while Fu Yang took Master Bear back to his rental apartment.

What they didn't know was that at that very moment, on the rooftop of a high-rise in Jiangcheng, two dark figures stood one behind the other, overlooking the city’s sea of lights. It was the wicked Daoist Liu Mengshu and the mysterious woman in black.

"The operation failed? I honestly didn't expect that. Even with Tuka-cha acting with you, you couldn't keep those wealthy businessmen there to force them into pressuring the government to openly enclose the Jiangcheng University Forest Farm." The mysterious woman’s voice was devoid of emotion—ethereal, drifting, and naturally imbued with a mesmerizing charm.

However, Liu Mengshu’s cultivation was profound, and he was naturally immune to her allure. His voice was low as he replied, "Why didn't you step in immediately? Even if the opponent had a Ghost King-level entity, if you and I had joined forces, we wouldn't necessarily have had to fear her!"

The woman in black looked out over the city nightscape without turning back. "Would stepping in have mattered? To join you in a grand battle against that Ghost King? Even if we won, what then? Would we have killed them at the cost of being injured? Would that have provided any substantive help to our plans, or our subsequent actions?"

The wicked Daoist was taken aback. Upon reflection, he had to admit she made sense.

Their goal was to use Wan Tiancheng as a puppet to secretly control these wealthy tycoons, thereby gaining a legitimate excuse to fence off the university forest farm for their research under the guise of real estate development. If those businessmen had already escaped the Wanhao Hotel, any further fighting would have been purely for pride, not for actual profit.

"Fine, I accept your explanation. I didn't lose much anyway, though your loyal hound Tuka-cha is dead."

"I have many dogs; one less doesn't matter. If the organization hadn't been so unsupportive of my operation this time, why would I have needed to summon that piece of trash from Thailand to China? I will replenish the manpower. Rest assured, you won't suffer any losses."

She spoke casually, as if Tuka-cha’s death meant nothing to her. The wicked Daoist felt a chill. According to her, there was an even larger organization behind her?

*What kind of background does this woman have? What kind of terrifying connections?* He felt a deep sense of wariness.

"Very well, Wicked Daoist, thank you for your hard work. Consider this your compensation." A wisp of black smoke carrying a bottle of glowing green liquid drifted toward him. He gripped the bottle, his expression one of shock.

"This is... Zombie Oil?!"

"Correct. Zombie Oil, extracted only from zombies naturally born in sites of extreme yin and baleful energy. It has restorative properties for the physical bodies of corporeal ghosts. Your brother should find it useful."

The wicked Daoist fell silent for a moment before forcing two words through his teeth. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Just continue to cooperate with me for the time being and help me fulfill my family’s dying wish."

They remained silent for a while longer. The wicked Daoist couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is your family’s dying wish? What was your ancestor’s true purpose in deceiving the Nationalist Government into building the Jiangcheng University Forest Farm?"

"When the time is ripe, you will know."

Seeing that the mysterious woman in black was unwilling to speak, Liu Mengshu didn't press the issue. He gave a slight nod and turned to head downstairs.

Only she remained on the rooftop. The night wind howled, whipping her black robe.

"So, the woman you like has a Ghost King at her side. It’s just that I’m not yet prepared to face her..." The woman in black murmured, her words scattered by the fierce wind into the night sky, vanishing into nothingness.

At 1:30 AM, an exhausted Fu Yang returned to the tenement building with Master Bear.

"So hungry, so hungry, so hungry, I'm really so hungry..." Master Bear sang along to Luo Tianyi’s "Feeding Song" while climbing the stairs behind Fu Yang.

*Gurgle, gurgle...*

"Stop singing that! I wasn't even hungry until you started!" Fu Yang complained.

"Oh? Trying to blame the latrine because you can't defecate? What's wrong with me singing? You want to control the heavens and the earth, do you want to control when I pee and poop too?"

"Can you not mention poop every time you're hungry? It's weird... Wait, something smells good!"

"Fu, kid, have your tastes become so depraved that you think poop smells good? I, Xiong Liangchen, am impressed... Wait, no, it really does smell good!"

Standing at the doorway, the man and the cat exchanged surprised glances. A mouth-watering aroma was wafting from inside Fu Yang's room!

He hurriedly pulled out his keys and opened the door. A pleasant female voice rang out.

"Humph! Finally back? If you hadn't returned, I was prepared to storm the police station and drag you out myself. I’m exhausted from making this midnight snack."

It was Wei Ke’s voice!

Fu Yang walked in, pleasantly surprised. The kitchen, which he had barely used since moving in, was lit, and an enticing scent of meat drifted out.

"Wei Ke, you... you made a midnight snack for me?"

"Obviously! Or do you think I made it for a dog?"

At that moment, Fu Yang felt a warmth in his heart. An urge to rush over and pull Wei Ke into a tight embrace welled up within him. This stunningly beautiful woman was not only powerful enough to scare off the century-old wicked Daoist with a mere display of aura, but she was also willing to cook for him...

He wanted to shout, "Wei Ke, let's be together!" but for some reason, the image of Qin Mei flashed through his mind, causing the words to get stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.