Hearing Bai Yuling’s reply and figuring out why she was asking, Hu Yao’er’s face immediately lit up with a look of understanding, and she said,
“I see. No wonder you asked me that, Auntie Bai.”
“So, can you answer my question, Xiao Hu?”
Bai Yuling pressed Hu Yao’er further.
At that, Hu Yao’er thought carefully for a moment, decided how she was going to deceive Bai Yuling, and then answered,
“Auntie Bai, the reason our organization’s leader, Daoyan, left in such a hurry today is because she still had something very important to take care of.”
“What could be so important that she didn’t even have time to speak with me?”
“I’m very sorry, Auntie Bai, but I truly can’t tell you the details of this important matter. However, I can assure you that what our leader is doing will never harm anyone living on the land beneath our feet.”
Faced with Bai Yuling’s questioning, Hu Yao’er quickly fed her the lie she had just prepared. She flatly refused to answer the question but made sure to offer a corresponding guarantee.
Upon hearing Hu Yao’er’s words, Bai Yuling was initially a bit worried. But after receiving her assurance, her furrowed brows relaxed.
“Since you’ve already given me your word, Xiao Hu, I won’t press further into what your organization’s leader is up to now.”
“Thank you for understanding, Auntie Bai.”
Hu Yao’er gave a faint smile and thanked Bai Yuling.
“Let’s set that aside for now. Xiao Hu, today’s matters are considered settled here. The members of the Free Life Association won’t be much help sticking around. How about you head back to the Paranormal Affairs Bureau and rest first? Once I’ve finished up with the aftermath here, we can have a proper chat.”
Hearing Hu Yao’er’s gratitude and seeing the faint smile on her face, Bai Yuling smiled as well. She then turned to Hu Yao’er and made the suggestion.
“Alright, I understand. Then we’ll see you later, Auntie Bai.”
“See you later.”
After waving goodbye to Bai Yuling, Hu Yao’er led Zhao Meier and An Xiaoyu to first find Si Yexing and Ji Zige. Once all of their duplicates had gathered, they all headed together toward the Fangfeng City Paranormal Affairs Bureau’s base.
…
“Phew, I barely made it back before anyone noticed. I thought the five-star hotel today was only going to be a few small fries with no real power, but it turns out there was actually a strong one capable of temporarily possessing the strength of a four-star extraordinary being.
Good thing I reacted in time and transformed into Daoyan Empress myself. Otherwise, even with my other duplicate, Ji Zige, who has the combat power of a four-star extraordinary being, the first joint operation between the Paranormal Affairs Bureau and my Free Life Association would have definitely gone south. Ji Zige’s extraordinary powers just aren’t well-suited for battle.”
Having secretly climbed through the window into the bathroom, released her transformation, and returned to her original form as a little white-haired, red-eyed girl, Yan Qi glanced at her phone to make sure Shen An’an hadn’t called her during that time. She let out a sigh of relief, and her body, seated on the toilet, relaxed.
“Now I should get out of the bathroom quickly. If I stay here too long, Sister Shen might start thinking something’s wrong with my stomach. And if she ends up taking me to the hospital for a mandatory check-up, that would be no good.”
Recalling the various strange-looking medical examination devices in the hospital, which she had no fondness for, Yan Qi muttered to herself.
She then quickly left the bathroom and returned to their fifth squad’s office.
“Xiao Qi, you took a really long time in the bathroom. What took you so long?”
Looking at Yan Qi, who had pushed open the office door and walked in, Shen An’an, who was busy writing the mission report, asked.
“I’ve been eating a bit more lately, so it takes me a bit longer to use the bathroom.”
Yan Qi flashed an embarrassed smile and answered Shen An’an.
Hearing that, Shen An’an didn’t find anything unusual about her answer, so she didn’t suspect a thing. Instead, she said,
“So that’s it. Well, you should try to eat a little less for now, Xiao Qi. Squatting on the toilet for too long can cause problems.”
“Thanks for your concern, Sister Shen. I’ll be sure to keep your advice close to my heart.”
“Alright, enough about that. This is your task for today. When Zhao Liang gets back in a little while, the two of you can head out together and get it done.”
As she spoke, Shen An’an handed Yan Qi a task sheet.
Seeing that, Yan Qi reached out and took the form from Shen An’an.
After reading through it, Yan Qi couldn’t help but frown. She then looked up at Shen An’an and said, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice,
“Sister Shen, why is my task today again about going with Brother Zhao Liang to eliminate ghosts in the residential complex? Can’t you give me something different for a change?”
“I know you’re tired of these elimination missions, Xiao Qi. But I don’t have a choice either. Right now, in our Paranormal Affairs Bureau, the most plentiful and most suitable missions for you to handle are these ghost-hunting ones. So just bear with it for a while. Once this period passes, I’ll try to arrange something else for you. How about that?”
“Alright, since you put it that way, Sister Shen, I won’t complain anymore. But when this period is over, you have to get me a different task.”
“Mm, I promise.”
…
“Auntie Bai, you’re back. The cleanup at the hotel is all done, right?”
Inside the Fangfeng City Paranormal Affairs Bureau director’s office, Yan Qi’s duplicates had been lounging around, bored, doing all sorts of things. But the moment they saw Bai Yuling push open the office door, they all immediately sat up straight. Then Hu Yao’er, the one most familiar with Bai Yuling among the duplicates present, stood up proactively to welcome her. At the same time, she didn’t forget to ask how things were going on her end.
Looking at Hu Yao’er, who had risen from the sofa to greet her, a sullen-faced Bai Yuling fixed her gaze on both Hu Yao’er and the other duplicates of Yan Qi seated nearby, and said,
“Xiao Hu, our Paranormal Affairs Bureau people have finished the cleanup at the hotel. But I also have some very bad news to tell you and your companions.”
“Bad news? What bad news?”
