Chapter 188 (Chapter 187) Going Home
Yan Shi never imagined that trafficking people while guarding the hole in the world barrier could actually be a business.
Besides the smuggling ring that tried to abduct her, there are at least ten other smuggling rings of varying sizes on this Dono beach near Novano Port.
Their long-term partnership is with a "hunting ground".
A hunting ground open only to certain prominent families.
Standing in the warehouse provided by the head of a smuggling ring, Yan Shi felt only a grand absurdity.
The warehouse was a large area hastily enclosed by thin iron sheets, and inside were huge cages stacked densely. Only a few cages were separated by dim lamps hanging high in the warehouse, which illuminated the rust spots on the cages and the dark, semi-congealed pools of blood on the ground.
The wind blew through the gaps in the sheet metal, carrying a slightly fishy, sweet smell mixed with the stench of decay.
Yan Shi stopped after taking a few steps and turned his head to look at the cage.
Because it was dark and gloomy, the environment created a sense of disorientation, and the creatures in the cages were listless, most of them huddled together like blurry shadows in the corners, showing no reaction to anyone entering from outside. A sign next to the cage door displayed the date.
"The hunting grounds," Yan Shi murmured.
To be honest, she didn't quite understand.
Living beings raise other living beings, and living beings hunt other living beings.
Her secretary, Xie Sheng, who had been following closely behind her, stepped forward and said softly, "Director Yan, the execution department has taken control of all personnel inside the warehouse. In addition, paper registration documents were found in a separate, isolated room within the warehouse."
"Mm." Yan Shi nodded.
Jie Sheng stood with his head bowed, quietly awaiting her next command.
Yan Shi had some idea that paper documents existed. She paused for a moment, then turned her head away and whispered, "Jie Sheng."
Jie Sheng immediately replied, "Director Yan, I'm here."
“You also come from a prominent family.” Because Jie Sheng was bowing, Yan Shi couldn’t see her expression, only looking down at the whorl of hair on her head. “Was the hunting ground fun?”
Jie Sheng answered decisively: "Director Yan, I have never been to the hunting grounds."
Yan Shi raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
Jie Sheng kept his head down, like a sword in its sheath, its edge hidden.
She replied softly, "My family doesn't participate in the hunting grounds. Baiyujing has its rules. This is Baiyujing's bottom line."
"Bai Yujing's bottom line?" Yan Shi was somewhat surprised.
Jie Sheng: "Yes. It's written on the Dharma Stele in the center of Baiyujing."
The central stele of Baiyujing.
That's interesting.
Yan Shi suddenly remembered the day she discovered the comic. She went to the Otherworld with Lin Cai, was later taken away by a smuggling gang, and then the execution team raided the black market. The leader of that execution team, Shu Zhijing, was from Baiyujing.
At the time, Yan Shi was unaware that the Bureau of Otherworldly Affairs in the Underworld was not used in this way, and he was impressed by the dedication and responsibility of his colleagues in the Underworld.
Baiyujing is different.
However, Bai Yujing also interfered with the special allocation funds for the Ju'e Plain.
Humans are such contradictory beings.
Yan Shi pulled herself out of her reverie, made a mental note of everything, and continued walking forward. As she walked, she casually asked, "Where are the residents from the surface world that were abducted today and yesterday? Let's send them home first."
Jie Sheng took out a communicator from his uniform bag, asked in a low voice, and then his expression changed slightly: "Director Yan."
"Due to the special request from the customers from the hunting grounds, all beings from the surface world... have been sent to the hunting grounds. They left via the teleportation array twenty minutes ago."
Yan Shi: ?
Everything went black before her eyes.
The air seemed to freeze.
Inside and outside the warehouse, apart from the whistling of the wind through the rusted iron sheets and the distant, indistinct sound of waves crashing against the shore, there was no human voice.
Jie Sheng lowered his head, trying his best to minimize his presence.
She heard Director Yan's cold, stern voice: "The location of the teleportation array."
Jie Sheng immediately replied, "There is a specially built small teleportation array outpost behind the warehouse. We have sealed off the site, but based on the residual spiritual concentration of the teleportation array, the target has already arrived inside the hunting grounds."
Yan Shi's gaze swept across the warehouse again, passing over the clumps of shadows huddled in the corners of the iron cages. He let out a heavy sigh: "Notify the Execution Department to mobilize a directly subordinate special operations team within three minutes. Force entry."
Jie Sheng was slightly taken aback, then quickly replied, "Yes!"
Yan Shi nodded and turned to walk towards the small teleportation array at the back of the warehouse.
After entering the inner world through the world barrier vulnerability, Jie Sheng discovered something amiss and decisively bypassed normal procedures, urgently drawing personnel from relevant departments at headquarters. Meanwhile, the array masters from the Information Department were redeploying and activating the teleportation array. The action team mobilized by the Execution Department was also arrayed beside the teleportation array.
When Yan Shi approached, everyone present bowed in greeting.
"Director Yan, everything is ready." After exchanging a few words in a low voice with someone next to the formation, Xie Sheng quickly walked over and said.
Yan Shi nodded: "Let's go."
The teleportation array lit up.
Upon landing, the pungent smell of blood assaulted our senses.
Before me lay a desolate wasteland. Among the knee-high weeds lay severed limbs.
It was very "fresh." Fresh blood gushed from the wound, soaking the soil. Mixed with the rustling of the wind and grass, it created an almost dizzying sense of absurdity.
Further away, several figures could be seen staggering forward.
High above, not too far behind the running figures, floated exquisite alchemical artifacts, their protective knots shimmering. Nobles, adorned in gold and silver, sat atop them, magical artifacts and refreshments piled beside them, their faces beaming with smiles.
They looked down at their fleeing "prey," enjoying the thrill of dominating the fate of living beings.
The wind in the wilderness was cool, blowing the hem of my clothes and the strands of my hair.
Yan Shi stood in the wind, and for some reason, he suddenly felt like laughing.
She lowered her head, raised her hand to loosen her tightly fastened tie, and unbuttoned the first button at her neck, her movements slow and deliberate, as if it were merely a relaxation before entering the meeting room. Then, she leisurely removed her well-made but now cumbersome long cloak, tossing it to Xie Sheng behind her, who instinctively caught it.
Sensing her intentions, the surrounding fire spirits became excited.
Flames intertwined, lifting her limbs. The firelight reflected off her dark hair, creating a striking contrast.
Yan Shi reached out and suddenly pulled at the alchemical object floating in the air.
The flames coalesced into a long rope, which wrapped around the aircraft and pulled it downwards.
The nobleman seated atop the alchemist's vessel paused, his smile lingering, assuming it was part of a performance, and turned to look. Upon seeing the newcomer's face, his expression gradually froze.
"Yan, Yan Bureau...?"
The color drained from her face instantly, her smile froze in terror, and she stiffened in her seat.
Yan Shi said calmly, "Get down."
The next second, the blazing sun pressed down, and flames swept across the entire wilderness.
Yan Shi personally smashed the floating alchemical artifacts and the nobles on them, one by one, onto the ground, throwing them into the blood and mangled limbs.
Some of the nobles who hadn't yet been dealt with cried out in alarm and retreated in panic. The alchemical artifacts began to tumble and fall, scattering teaware.
Those who come to the hunting grounds to amuse themselves with unarmed and weak creatures are naturally not powerful individuals.
Most of them were the weaker members of their families.
He was incompetent and relied on his lucky birth.
"So noisy." Yan Shi frowned. The Fire Spirit knew her feelings and condensed into a small, scorching flame in mid-air, gently silencing the still screaming nobleman.
The flesh was scalded open, and the screams stopped abruptly.
Yan Shi walked through the mess and headed towards the figures who had been running but had now stopped.
To her surprise, a recent girl looked like a resident who had wandered into the other world from the surface world.
She had neat braids and was quite young. The bloodstains on the bottom corner of her shirt had just dried.
For her, today's experience was a completely unexpected disaster.
The girl's eyes were still somewhat blank, not yet realizing what had happened, but her eyes suddenly brightened when she saw Yan Shi.
Her lips moved slightly, and she whispered, "...Director Yan?"
Yan Shi sighed and approached. Amidst the firelight and smoke, he gently touched the girl's head.
The girl's eyes sparkled, and she called out again, "Director Yan."
As a recreational venue catering to the nobility, the hunting grounds naturally included lounges of considerable size.
This lounge, located inside the main control tower of the hunting grounds, was originally a place for hunters to rest and socialize. The carpet was soft and thick, and the air still carried a faint scent of spices and herbal tea. Now, the lights were dimmed, and the curtains were half-drawn, isolating the still turbulent and noisy outside.
Yu Ran sat in a corner of the sofa, holding a cup of hot milk in her arms, sipping it slowly.
Her face was still somewhat pale, her fingers encircling the cup, the warmth seeping into her palms through the ceramic.
Yan Shi stood beside a high-backed chair, his head down as he browsed the investigation report recently submitted by the secretariat. The report detailed the composition of the personnel within the hunting grounds, the connection methods of the smuggling chain, and a preliminary list of some of the major families involved. The sound of pages turning was slight, yet exceptionally clear in the silence.
Turning to the last page, Yan Shi looked up at Yu Ran and said, "According to the regulations, your decision needs to be obtained."
Because the concentration of spirit differs between the inner and outer worlds, it is easy for spirit-sensitive beings to grasp spirit when moving from an environment with extremely scarce spirit content to an environment with high spirit concentration.
Yu Ran's situation is more special. Not only can she control a certain amount of spiritual energy, but she also actively awakened her abilities in dangerous environments.
Her ability is highly aggressive; it is the wind.
It was also because of the awakening of her abilities that Feng gave Yu Ran an extraordinary perception of danger and a fast reaction speed, which allowed Yu Ran to survive.
By the stringent standards of some prominent families, Yu Ran is a genius.
“If you decide to stay in the Otherworld, the Bureau of Alien Management will process your transfer and you can continue your studies at Zhanzhou,” Yan Shi said, his gaze falling into Yu Ran’s eyes.
Yu Ran gripped the milk glass tightly, her fingers slowly stroking the inside of the glass, remaining silent for a long time.
After a long pause, she spoke softly, "What if... I don't want to enter the inner world?"
Yan Shi said calmly, "The Security Department will process and modify your memories from the past two days, and then send you home."
Yu Ran didn't respond immediately, but simply turned her head to look out the window. The curtains were half-drawn, the wilderness was silent, the wild grass drooped, trembling gently in the wind, and the dark red between the blades was still visible.
She gazed for a while, then slowly looked away.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly in the light and shadow, as if some long-suppressed struggle had finally come to a conclusion. She slowly exhaled: "I want to go home."
The secret service agents were waiting outside the door.
Whether Yu Ran decides to transfer to Zhan Zhou or erase her memories and return to the Otherworld, it is the work of the Secret Service.
Just as she was leaving with the Secret Service agents and her footsteps crossed the threshold, she suddenly turned back.
The wind is still blowing in the distant wilderness beyond the window.
Only Director Yan remained in the lounge, sitting there.
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