Chapter 159: Thorough Investigation

These hundreds of elite soldiers were the maximum deployment Bai Shichen could muster on such short notice. The number of underworld agents within the Ghost City was inherently limited, and each had their own duties. If he were to abuse his authority to summon those agents, others would likely view it as making a mountain out of a molehill, providing gossip for malicious tongues.

Moreover, the Ghost City was not his personal domain where he could act arbitrarily; there were many considerations constraining him.

"My lord... this subordinate has another suggestion," Chen Changfeng spoke up from the side.

"Speak."

"My lord, Luo Kui is no fool. If my guess is correct, his residence is already empty by now. To speak frankly without reservation, the Ghost City is merely a tiny place, and wanting to find someone here couldn't be easier. I refuse to believe Luo Kui hasn't thought of this," Chen Changfeng stated bluntly.

Bai Shichen fell silent for a few moments, then said thoughtfully, "In that case, his best hiding place would be outside the Ghost City."

In truth, he doubted that the mastermind behind the scenes would dare to harbor Luo Kui, this hot potato. Walls had ears; if he were in the other party's shoes, his top priority right now would be to hastily sever all ties with Luo Kui, and then continue to manipulate things from the shadows, sitting securely on the fishing platform.

Although this might incur Luo Kui's resentment, matters had reached this point—did Luo Kui have any other choice?

Therefore, for the sake of his own survival, fleeing to the outside world had become Luo Kui's only remaining path to life.

"Go with them for now to search the Luo estate. As for the outside world, I will go personally," Bai Shichen glanced at the trembling Chen Changfeng, finally shook his head, and signaled for him to withdraw.

When all was said and done, Chen Changfeng had been manipulated by treacherous villains. Although he was derelict in his duty, he had always remained loyal to him. Since this was a time when capable personnel were urgently needed, he would spare him this once to observe his future performance.

"Yes! Please rest assured, My Lord, this subordinate will never commit such elementary mistakes again. Should I ever repeat them, without Your Lordship's punishment, this subordinate will never forgive himself." Upon hearing this, Chen Changfeng was instantly overjoyed, his elation evident in every expression.

No matter what, his life had finally been saved. Although his standing in Bai Shichen's heart had inevitably plummeted and he might even have been branded as unworthy of heavy responsibility, he felt not a shred of resentment, remaining only with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.

The speed of the hundreds of underworld agents was swift. Almost in the blink of an eye, the Luo estate was surrounded entirely. Faced with the aggressive and overwhelming agents, those guards could not summon the slightest will to resist—let alone them, even if Luo Kui himself were present, he would only be left to be slaughtered at will. Such was the gap in power levels.

After searching the entire Luo estate, they did not find Luo Kui's figure. However, apart from Luo Kui himself, his family members, guards, and the like were not missing a single one.

The commander of the underworld agents gave a cold sneer. "That Luo Kui is truly ruthless. For the sake of his own survival, he abandoned every single one of you."

Luo Kui had committed such an unforgivable and monstrous crime, so the fate of these family members could already be easily imagined.

The family members in Luo Kui's estate were still in a daze, almost every face filled with utter bewilderment. Yet no one would bother to explain anything to mere prisoners.

In an instant, Bai Shichen arrived at the gateway leading to the outside world, heading straight to the dwelling place of the old ghost who guarded the threshold.

That old ghost, much like himself, was also a Commander. Inspecting and monitoring the exits of the Ghost City was his responsibility, and all comings and goings required his consent. This was to prevent individuals with ulterior motives from sneaking in. Backed by the deterrent power of a strong practitioner in the Yang God realm, while it was still difficult to completely deter petty villains, this method proved remarkably effective.

At the very least, no major turmoil had ever occurred in the Ghost City.

Except for the intruders of a few days ago—that had been his first defeat.

"Brother Bai, what wind blows you over today?" Upon seeing Bai Shichen, the old ghost was startled for a moment before speaking with a smile.

"Brother Mo, I've been busy with official duties previously, and in the blink of an eye, several days have passed without seeing you. Time truly spares no one," Bai Shichen sighed with emotion. However, now was not the time for reminiscing; he needed to drag that scoundrel Luo Kui out first before considering anything else.

The old ghost was named Mo Wu, and his personal friendship with Bai Shichen was passable. Although his previous words contained a heavy dose of polite convention, they were not entirely devoid of genuine sentiment. In this Ghost City, having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy, unless their paths truly diverged.

Even so, he still had to face numerous conspiracies coming from the shadows. A single moment of carelessness could plunge him into an abyss of despair.

To reiterate: if one wished to live long, one had to be extremely cautious in speech and action, treading on thin ice. Only by remaining flawlessly watertight could one avoid danger to the utmost extent.

"You never visit unless there is a matter of importance. State whatever business you have," Mo Wu smiled. Though he did not know Bai Shichen's purpose, it certainly wasn't for a casual stroll.

"Brother Mo is brilliant, seeing through the purpose of my visit at a single glance. Since that is the case, I will keep it brief. The situation is as follows..." Bai Shichen quickly explained the ins and outs of the matter in a few brief words. Although he omitted the details, with Mo Wu's intelligence, he naturally could deduce them.

"You have come just in time. If you had arrived even a step later, things would have become troublesome." Mo Wu's expression involuntarily startled, though not because of Luo Kui, but rather because of the mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes. Bai Shichen was the first to be targeted—who could say if he would become the other party's next target?

In the Ghost City, whether in the open or in the dark, struggles had never ceased. There were countless people wanting to replace Commanders like them who held lofty positions. Many of the commanders serving under them were far from settled souls; Mo Wu could understand their thoughts. Trapped in this treacherous place of turbulent waves, every step forward was dictated by forces beyond one's control.

You might wish to remain content with the status quo, but would others allow it?

He feared that at the slightest hint of laxity, countless people would strive to trample you beneath their feet and seize the opportunity to climb upward.

This was reality. Immersed in darkness, one could only obey the laws of darkness. Yearning for the light would only result in being devoured by endless darkness.

As for Luo Kui, neither Bai Shichen nor Mo Wu had ever truly regarded him as anything significant. A mere grasshopper, no matter how frantically it leaped, remained nothing more than a grasshopper in the end.

The only person they genuinely cared about, from beginning to end, was that mastermind behind the scenes.

Bai Shichen let out a breath, still harboring lingering fear as he asked, "Where is Luo Kui then? Only by finding him can we hope to drag that mastermind out into the light. Once we have irrefutable proof, no matter who it is, I will knock them off their pedestal."