Chapter Seventy-One: Commanding the Undead

Touching his nose, Qin Yang carefully observed his surroundings after leaving the exhibition hall. He removed his mask and discarded it, listening to the swift yet organized sounds of pursuit behind him. His heart grew heavy; these men, though they appeared only for a few minutes, exuded an oppressive aura not to be underestimated. They were ruthless, killers without hesitation. He quickly boarded the car he had prepared in advance, ensuring the pursuers saw him before speeding away.

The continuous wail of distant police sirens reached his ears. The man with hawk-like eyes let out a cold laugh and led his team onto two black, unmarked SUVs that followed closely behind. As the vehicles started, gunfire suddenly erupted, bullets striking the cars, but those inside remained unmoved.

"Ignore them. Pursue," the hawk-eyed man commanded coldly.

"Damn it!"

Several policemen emerged from the shadows, watching the fleeing vehicles with frustration, stamping their feet in anger.

"The trap we painstakingly set was discovered by this crew?" one officer gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn it, the enemy never even entered our trap."

"Enough talk," came Captain Ling’s voice from behind. The group nodded quickly. The previous officer hurriedly reported, "Captain, they’ve escaped. Their escape route is completely different from what we predicted."

"I know." Captain Ling waved his hand, unperturbed by the disrupted plan. "Follow them. The mission has taken an unexpected turn. Notify Sun Qi: Group B’s plan remains unchanged. We must capture these drug traffickers in one sweep."

"Understood!"

Captain Ling issued a string of rapid orders, then mounted a motorcycle and sped off. The remaining officers began informing their colleagues: the plan had changed, withdraw from the defensive lines, and use any means necessary to track the enemy’s movements. Far off at a secluded harbor on the east coast of Haitian City, Sun Qi, waiting for orders, frowned deeply upon receiving the message.

"Captain Sun, what’s wrong?" Xiao Zhao, beside her, noticed her concern and asked cautiously.

Sun Qi replied, "Captain Ling sent word. Group A’s plan was disrupted. Now the entire city is chasing that gang of jewel thieves. We stick to our plan, but if anything unexpected happens, we adapt."

"What?" Xiao Zhao was visibly shocked. "Captain Ling spent ages preparing this ambush, every detail meticulously arranged. With his sharp insight, everyone believed we could catch the jewel thieves in one net. I can't believe the plan was ruined! Who are these jewel thieves?"

"They’re certainly not Captain Ling’s match. However, according to the message, a mysterious figure appeared suddenly and drew away all the jewel thieves—Captain Ling didn’t even get a chance to activate the plan," Sun Qi said bitterly.

Captain Ling, the head of the city’s criminal police brigade, was a figure Sun Qi admired deeply. With her own capability and record, Sun Qi could easily have been appointed captain, but the police bureau was filled with talent. Ling Suyun’s abilities and achievements surpassed hers, earning her genuine respect. It was said Ling Suyun previously served in a mysterious special forces unit, whose designation remained confidential despite Sun Qi’s many attempts to investigate. During a pursuit of an international criminal gang, Ling Suyun’s composure, judgment, and skill were extraordinary, leaving Sun Qi profoundly impressed.

Ling Suyun had personally cracked countless cases, making Haitian City one of the safest cities nationwide due to his presence. It was said that when several major crime bosses gathered together, he attended alone and managed to prevent a gang war involving hundreds. Neighboring cities often sought his help with difficult cases. Yet, half a year ago, Ling Suyun became deeply interested in a murder case in Jianghai City, tracking and investigating an international criminal organization with Interpol, and had been absent from Haitian City until he suddenly appeared this morning to take on the jewel thieves.

With his record, promotion would be a matter of a word, yet strangely, appointment orders kept coming but he remained steadfast in his position as captain. Sun Qi, out of admiration, refused several promotions herself. As she put it, "My boss has such great achievements but is only captain; I refuse to outrank him unless I can defeat him."

Such were the two. They had been with the city’s criminal police brigade for years, their authority even surpassing the bureau chief’s.

"So, Captain Sun, what do we do?" Xiao Zhao asked.

"Stick to the plan," Sun Qi replied, waving her hand. "The coast guard is ready, and this operation must succeed. Failure is not an option. Captain Ling has his own strategy; with his skill, those jewel thieves won’t escape his grasp."

Far away on the winding mountain road, Qin Yang glanced at the two pursuing SUVs in his rearview mirror, a cold smile curling at his lips.

He sped down the mountain road, taking sharp turns. In the darkness, a sinister cemetery appeared not far ahead—his destination. Here, among the gathering of the dead, he was confident of unleashing one hundred and twenty percent of his strength. Thanks to the butler’s hints, he had learned several little tricks from Hell, and dealing with the jewel thieves wouldn’t be as troublesome as imagined.

But in his rearview mirror, Qin Yang also noticed a motorcycle rapidly approaching behind the SUVs, apparently another pursuer.

"Quite a crowd," Qin Yang chuckled.

He parked in front of the cemetery, then slipped in silently like a wildcat. The hawk-eyed man saw this and sneered, "Follow him."

The gang of jewel thieves numbered six. After getting out, they searched at intervals of ten meters. The cemetery manager was nowhere to be seen; the entire graveyard was eerily quiet. In the darkness, Qin Yang activated his Yin-Yang eyes. Behind each tombstone floated black spectral ribbons, the presence of the dead. If an ordinary person saw what he saw, they would be terrified out of their wits.

"Butler, how many secrets about Hell have you kept from me?" Qin Yang watched the six men approaching, aggrieved.

"You never asked," the butler replied, somewhat wronged. "Besides, most abilities of the first level of Hell are trivial unless you activate Hell tasks. Otherwise, you’ll just waste soul points."

"Enough nonsense. Awaken these spirits briefly," Qin Yang snorted. "I want to give them a real horror show."

"First-level spirits are less aggressive than a child. Don’t expect too much," the butler said.

In that instant, black light shot from Qin Yang’s eyes, wrapping around over a dozen drifting spirits nearby. The spectral ribbons writhed, and silhouettes gradually emerged: pale faces, lifeless eyes, mutilated bodies—some with bulging eyes. It was horrifying. Even more terrifying, these spirits seemed to come alive. The six searching men broke out in cold sweat.

"What the hell is this!" One recoiled two or three steps, aiming his gun at two approaching spirits and shouting, "Cody, what the hell are these things?"

Cody was the hawk-eyed man. He shuddered at the sight of these ghastly spirits—just like ghosts suddenly appearing in horror films.

Spirit manipulation.

Hell was a place for gathering spirits, and manipulating them was a common skill. The butler had believed this power truly shined only at the second level of Hell, so he hadn’t mentioned it to Qin Yang. To control a single spirit cost ten soul points, and in his eyes, the returns weren’t worth the expense.

After all, first-level Hell could only manipulate first-level spirits.

First-level spirits had no combat power; only second-level spirits had some deterrence.

But the butler hadn’t considered that in this world, atheism was the mainstream, and few believed in or had seen such ghosts. While first-level spirits couldn’t cause physical harm, their terrifying appearance could inflict immense psychological stress.

"Damn, it’s that bastard’s trick," Cody scanned his surroundings, trying to spot Qin Yang, but his gaze kept drifting back to the terrifying spirits. As the ghosts drew nearer, beads of cold sweat appeared on Cody and his men’s foreheads.

Bang!

Someone, unable to endure the chilling terror, pulled the trigger. Bullets sprayed out, but predictably, they passed through the ghosts and vanished, the apparitions continuing their approach unscathed. Qin Yang sneered inwardly; ghosts were intangible, mere images, impervious to bullets, and incapable of physical harm.

Of course, second-level spirits and above were different.

The higher the spirit’s level, the more corporeal it became—like Han Mufeng, a fifth-level spirit who retained his appearance and consciousness after death, utterly unlike the low-level black spectral ribbons.

"Damn it!"

Cody saw a spirit approaching, its hands like bloody daggers. He shouted and instinctively punched it. His jade ring flashed a green light, instantly dispersing the spirit into nothingness.

"What happened?" Qin Yang was startled.

"The ring on his finger is a treasure infused with spiritual energy," the butler replied lazily. "I told you, manipulating spirits isn’t very useful for you at the first level of Hell."