[Restart Volume] Chapter 245: Matters on the Journey Home

"Yes!" the soldiers responded one after another.

Captain Huo turned around and found Mo Xing running toward him, his face filled with excitement.

"Captain Huo, how did you manage to capture him?" Mo Xing asked.

"Samael? He and Lucifer were locked in a death struggle. In the end, Lucifer used a teleportation skill to escape, and Samael, having exhausted all his strength, was caught red-handed by us." Captain Huo paused. "Let’s get into the carriage first; we can chat more when we have time."

"Uh... alright."

Mo Xing nodded. He noticed that Captain Huo’s tone was different from before—it was much lower—so he didn't ask further and followed the soldiers into the carriage.

A moment later, all the carriages set off. Mo Xing and Captain Huo were in the same one. Captain Huo frowned, looking lost in thought. Mo Xing felt equally puzzled, but the atmosphere was too quiet to ask questions. The two sat in silence for a long time; in the quiet night, only the low whinnying of the horses and the rhythmic rolling of the wheels remained.

Mo Xing looked up at the stars in the night sky, each one sparkling and clearly visible. He had never seen so many stars before. In his previous world, he could see a few, but with the progress of industrialization, the night sky of his hometown had become less "clean."

Come to think of it, he had been in this other world for three weeks now, and he had no idea what had happened to his original world. If he had been missing for so long—or perhaps, if he had drowned in the flood back in that world—his family must be worried sick. And his terrible father—he should have had time to come back and check on him by now.

Mo Xing smiled. He had a rather awful father who was always busy with his so-called business, leaving him behind in their hometown and rarely returning home throughout the year. Whenever he did come back, he would drive that silver-white, second-hand cargo truck, which made a "clunk-clunk-clunk" sound as if it were about to fall apart. You could hear it from far away, as if it were "beating drums and gongs" to announce his return.

After a hasty meal, his father would always run off to brag to the neighbors about how much money he had made that year and what new cars or new buildings he was planning to invest in. In reality, he hadn't earned much at all; the money he did make was all spent on stocks, only to be lost. The only reason he returned to his hometown was to borrow money from relatives and friends to "invest" in his business.

Although he was a terrible father, Mo Xing still liked to go up to the rooftop terrace, checking the small cement road across the fields to see if that silver-white, second-hand truck would pass by, clunking and rattling, with a weary but feigned-energetic middle-aged man popping his head out of the window to greet the villagers harvesting their crops.

"Mo Xing."

Just as Mo Xing was lost in these memories, Captain Huo suddenly broke the silence.

"Uh? What is it?" Mo Xing snapped back to reality. "Go ahead, Captain."

"You were on the scene, so you should know how those gamblers turned into monsters?" Captain Huo asked.

"Ah, right. At that time, an auction was taking place, and everyone was bidding on an artifact called the [Ghost Cry: Blade of Wandering]..." Mo Xing said.

"[Ghost Cry: Blade of Wandering]?" Captain Huo frowned, clearly surprised.

"Yes, that’s right." Mo Xing nodded. "Just as the competition reached a fever pitch, someone came to report that the Imperial Special Police Force had arrived. The gamblers and the wanted criminals panicked and started grabbing things and running..."

"Oh? Someone came to report?" Captain Huo paused.

"Yes, and it was even broadcasted." A scene from a police film he had once watched flashed through Mo Xing's mind. "Could it be... that there was a mole in the Imperial Special Police Force?"

"Well, in a big forest, there are all kinds of birds; the Imperial Special Police Force is no exception." Captain Huo paused again. "I will find a way to deal with that later. Tell me, how exactly did the gamblers turn into monsters?"

"When they were fighting fiercely, that Shen... ah, no, that Samael defeated everyone else and went to open the crystal case containing the [Ghost Cry: Blade of Wandering]. He discovered it was filled with a mass of black mist and told us to get out of there immediately!" Mo Xing hesitated. Feeling it wasn't convenient to talk about his complicated, neither-friend-nor-foe relationship with Mr. Shen, he skipped over the part where Mr. Shen saved him and changed his phrasing:

"Some gamblers couldn't run fast enough. Once they were trapped by the black mist, they mutated into monsters—including the wanted criminals you asked me to look for, like the fat man Gulaga Siliuxiang and the scarred man Hen Ren."

"That Shen... Samael, I don't know how he ended up in the third-floor office, leaving me to fight alone," Mo Xing paused, "and then you arrived with the Imperial Special Police Force to save the day."

"By the way, from the moment the gamblers received the broadcast to the time your special police force actually arrived at the casino, about how much time had passed?" Captain Huo asked.

"Let me see... probably about six or seven minutes." Mo Xing counted on his fingers, estimating that was about right.

"Very well, thank you for your testimony." Captain Huo stood up and looked up at the starry sky. "We are almost back at the Aslant Imperial Square. Pack up and get ready to disembark."

"Mo Xing, your performance in tonight's operation was outstanding. On behalf of the School Guard and the Imperial Special Police Force, I thank you."

"Not at all!" Mo Xing scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. "It was your meticulous plan, Captain Huo; I just did a little bit to help."

"Haha, you're quite humble," Captain Huo laughed heartily.

A moment later.

Imperial Square was located in the very center of the Aslant Imperial City, and the Saint Sky Royal Academy was situated at the northern edge of the square. After getting off the carriage, Mo Xing saw the magnificent school gate.

The night deepened, and the lights shone brightly, illuminating the prosperity of the Imperial City while masking the soft glow of the moon and stars. The colorful, shifting lights were cast wantonly into the night sky, making it hazy and impure, creating a dreamlike illusion.

"Ah, I'm exhausted. I don't even know what time it is. I still have to shower and wash up when I get back to the dorm," Mo Xing stretched and headed toward the school gate. "At least tomorrow is the weekend and there are no classes!"

At that moment, in the carriage, Captain Huo received a message over his radio:

"Report, Captain Huo! It’s bad! Sa... Samael has suddenly disappeared!"

"What? Wasn't he locked in the Silence Crystal cell? There were over thirty people guarding that carriage! What is going on with you people? How could you lose him?" Captain Huo barked.

"I'm sorry, Captain Huo! We... when we entered the square, a gust of wind suddenly blew, and the brothers rubbed their eyes, and then Samael... he just vanished!"

"It seems I still underestimated Samael!" Captain Huo sighed and slammed his fist against the armrest of the carriage.