All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 347 The Disappeared Person
A special operations department car drove away with Ji Ran and the others.

Xie Yan planned to take a trip to Yashan Mountain, and then take a commercial flight to Beijing tomorrow to celebrate the New Year. Zha Hu was driving, Ji Ran was in the passenger seat, and Xie Yan was in the back.

"Boss, what exactly is going on?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan calmly replied, "Zhang Han has connections with the He Chenke Realm."

"But one person is missing."

"Uh."

Zha Hu tapped his head and said, "Boss, after all, it was Ji Ran who discovered it, so you should explain it."

Xie Yan directly captured the information through the infinite monkeys, much like he directly read out the answer to the most difficult math problem.

But ordinary students can't understand it without seeing the process.

Xie Yan paused slightly, then continued, "The company building's surveillance system is faulty; Zhang Han has altered everyone's memories."

"If someone uses a jade pillow to fall asleep, can we check the surveillance footage?"

"No."

Xie Yan shook his head and said, "It's not that it was destroyed, it's that it never existed. The surveillance system of Yashan Company has never been running. Zhang Hanyu modified the memories of the employees in the monitoring room, making them look at a blank screen every day at work, thinking they were watching surveillance footage."

"Furthermore, Ji Ran's fighting process shows that Zhang Han has an accomplice in the company."

"But no trace of that person can be found in any intelligence. Zhang Hanyu has been hiding him from the very beginning."

"The only loophole, or rather the variable, is Ji Ran's sudden appearance."

"The two syringes he found were the only clue."

"Once we arrive at the base, we'll send it for testing. Judging from Ji Ran's description of the combat effects, Zhang Han was injected with an encephalitis-related vaccine, mixed with the power of the Chenke Realm, which can greatly stimulate mental strength."

Xie Yan looked ahead and said, "Zhang Hanyu has always kept someone hidden in the company. This person comes into contact with everyone in the company every day, but because of Lingtai Dao's ability, no one can remember him."

"The reason we wiped out all the traveler squads here is because the Lingtai Dao cannot influence the travelers for long; all the travelers know him. To hide that person, we need to kill all the traveler squads."

"Initially, Zhang Hanyu planned to kill Ji Ran, then kill everyone in the entire company, and then have another person release the life form to create the illusion that the life form went out of control and caused the company's downfall."

"But there is a loophole here."

Brush and pull!

A strong smell of blood permeated the carriage.

Beside Xie Yan, Zhang Hanyu's headless corpse sat in the car, clutching its own head. Ji Ran had handed the body to Xie Yan when he got into the car.

"The corpse can be stored in the storage space. Zhang Han's body is completely dead."

"But he didn't die."

"Judging from Zhang Hanyu's behavior, the death was just an illusion."

Xie Yan's voice was firm, and every sentence he uttered was a statement of certainty.

"The crux of the problem lies with the person who disappeared."

Ji Ran listened attentively, then thought of the metaphor of "exploding one's hand" and said, "So, Captain, you're missing a button."

As Ji Ran spoke, he took out an insect—the [Warning Insect].

"I think I can help look for it."

"Oh?"

Ji Ran handed the insect to Xie Yan and explained how she found the company by relying on the Dao of Cause and Effect.

"The principle of cause and effect?"

"Yes."

Ji Ran nodded and said, "I need some time to improve my understanding of cause and effect. I should be able to find it after that."

Once you enter the path of cause and effect, your observation of cause and effect will no longer rely solely on sight, and your efficiency in searching for spiritual cause and effect will be greatly improved.

"Okay, I'll wait for your news."

……

Ji Ran booked a high-speed train to Yashan for tomorrow. Xie Yan knew that Ji Ran had just returned home, and since it was the Lunar New Year, he did not let Ji Ran go back with them, but instead sent him back to the mountain city.

The car turned back, and Zha Hu glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "Boss, isn't Xiao Ji pretty good?"

"good."

Xie Yan said calmly, "Right now, I could take on ten of you without any problem."

"Uh?"

"He's already at level 5."

"what?"

Zha Hu was stunned. He thought Ji Ran could win because of the level 5 Wind Beast and the level 4 Sickle Weasel.

"It's not a solar term yet, how did he level up?" "He accidentally entered a multiverse, don't worry."

Xie Yan was clearly aware of Ji Ran's ordeal, but he didn't elaborate.

"Su Su is ready to break through to the second stage. The incense offerings accumulated by Yuzhen Temple are enough for her to directly leap over the dragon gate."

Xie Yanyi leaned back in his seat, looked at Zha Hu, and said, "Shuiyan herself has also integrated her intention into her domain. She is not a follower of the Incense Path, so she cannot break through in reality. But she will break through to the second level immediately after entering the Demon Realm."

"What about you?"

Xie Yan said, "Stripping away emotions, that's too difficult a path."

"I'd like to give it another try."

Zha Hu paused, sighed, and said, "Boss, you know."

"I can't strip away emotions; my strength isn't up to par with a Sequence Squad."

"Twenty years ago, in Qing City, I wasn't a Traveler yet, but I was among the first Secret Service members. Lin Chi was our captain back then, and General Hai personally led us."

The sound of the shovel was calm, but the knuckles gripping the steering wheel were white as he said, "Hundreds of comrades died there."

"If I want revenge, I must master the ability to strip away emotions. Back then, General Hongfeng proved that stripping away emotions can effectively suppress the people of the Chenke Realm."

Xie Yan sighed and said, "It's a pity that General Hongfeng has disappeared. You've already touched the threshold; if someone were to guide you, you might break through."

Zha Hu replied naturally, "It doesn't matter, I have patience."

"Alright, if you can master [Emotional Stripping], I will recommend you to the Secret Department."

"A word is settled!"

……

Ji Ran rested at home for a while, changed into a white jacket, said goodbye to her parents, and headed towards the food stalls outside.

Today, the three rascals are getting together.

The three of them have been friends since childhood, and they get together twice during almost every holiday.

Smoke rose from the building below, and orange lights illuminated the street. Food stalls had already set up, and a few scattered diners had taken their seats.

The heavy, transparent canopy covers the area dozens of meters in front of the barbecue restaurant, and even in winter, people still enjoy the lively atmosphere outside.

Ji Ran picked up her phone, took a picture, and sent it to the group chat.

[Ji Ran]: It's in place.

[Cai Lan]: Don't rush, don't rush, I'm working overtime! Let's go to the craft beer bar first and buy some fruit wine, the usual place, I want grape and stout.

[Deng Zhihe]: On my way home from get off work, 30 minutes.

[Ji Ran]: @Deng Zhihe, what would you like to drink?
【Deng Zhihe】: Taishan Original Liquor.

……

On the side of the road.

Ji Ran scanned a shared bicycle and slowly walked towards the familiar craft beer bar.

The night breeze brushed against my face, making me feel refreshed.

Ji Ran decided to relax and not think about anything else for the next two or three days before the New Year. Along the way, accompanied by the crowds of people leaving get off work, Ji Ran arrived at the old town.

The retro-style craft beer bar is located just outside a residential area. The three of us have been frequenting this place since high school.

However, just across the street, there was a row of dilapidated buildings with sparse lights.

【Heavenly Garden】.

This is a residential community that has collapsed. Countless people have tried to protect their rights to no avail. They have invested their life savings in the project, only to be left with an unfinished building that seems to have no future and a bank loan of one or two million yuan.

Many people were forced to move into unfinished buildings because they had no other choice.

Ji Ran glanced over and saw a tall man in a black sweater pulling a large suitcase as he walked into the overgrown residential area.

He was carrying a dirty children's backpack and looked somewhat forlorn.

Ji Ran's expression was complicated.

Back in college, I was full of enthusiasm and spoke out online. But social media hadn't taken off yet, so it didn't make much of a splash.

Over the years, apart from the weeds growing a bit taller, nothing seems to have changed. But that dark, gaping stairwell swallowed the lives of hundreds of people.

"call--"

Ji Ran let out a long breath, turned around, and walked into the beer hall.

On the brightly lit streets, towering streetlights separated the light and darkness on both sides with the bustling traffic.

The white jacket's silhouette contrasted sharply with the tall figure in the black sweater.

(End of this chapter)