Chapter 236: Soul Reaping

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows across the large guest room, which felt somewhat cramped due to the sheer number of people present.

Most of the External Agents officers stood with solemn expressions, while the five Golden Guards seemed indifferent in comparison—two of them even yawned repeatedly.

The reason for this sudden gathering at such an hour was none other than the middle-aged man lying on the bed.

That man, named Yang Peng, was part of the External Agents Unit B. While patrolling last night, he suddenly felt a sharp stomachache and went off alone in search of a latrine.

But after waiting a long time without his return, the unit leader, External Agent Ma, led a group to look for him, only to find Yang Peng unconscious in an alley.

At the time, his pulse and breathing were stable, but no matter how much they tried, they couldn’t wake him up.

External Agent Ma even called for a physician, but after examining him, the doctor declared that there was nothing physically wrong with Yang Peng.

If his body was fine but he remained unconscious, then the only possible explanation was something supernatural.

“Golden Guard Yang, could we send Yang Peng back to the capital to have an expert examine him?” After some hesitation, Agent Ma finally stepped forward, bowing respectfully as he asked.

Golden Guard Yang, who had been sipping tea, let out a sneer upon hearing the request. “Do you think exorcism experts are as common as cabbages? That you can just meet them whenever you want or ask them for help as you please?”

“Forget about you External Agents officers—even us official Golden Guards can’t always get those esteemed figures to intervene if we run into supernatural trouble.”

Hearing this, Ma’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and said, “Yang Peng has served as an External Agents officer for many years. He was just about to retire with honor after this year… Could you at least help him out, if not for his achievements, then at least for his hard work?”

“Don’t try to play the sympathy card with me—it won’t work.”

Yang waved his hand dismissively before continuing, “I called you all here not to figure out how to cure him, but to come up with a way to catch whatever thing did this to him!”

“Now, everyone, let’s hear some ideas.”

Though he addressed the entire room, Yang’s gaze swept only across the External Agents, completely ignoring the other Golden Guards.

To him, it was as if it were the External Agents’ duty to immediately propose an investigative plan after assessing the situation.

But seeing that none of them responded, he turned his attention directly to Gu Ning’an, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

“Officer Gu, you made everyone wait for you the longest before we could start this meeting.”

“Shouldn’t you use that brain of yours now and offer some suggestions?”

This passive-aggressive jab was all too familiar to the External Agents officers.

When Gu Ning’an first entered, Guard Yang had remained quiet, leading some to think he might have changed his ways or was simply tolerating the rookie.

Turns out, the guy was just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make things difficult.

At this point, the only clue available was that Yang Peng had gone to the latrine and then lost consciousness—nothing more.

And Gu Ning’an was just a newcomer who had patrolled a few nights. Expecting him to come up with a solid plan was clearly an attempt to set him up.

The rest of the External Agents could already predict what would happen next:

Either Gu Ning’an would fail to come up with a solution or he’d suggest something random, only for Golden Guard Yang to seize on it and tear him apart.

Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Gu Ning’an’s first words left them stunned.

“Brother Yang lost his soul. That means there’s a soul-reaping entity in Four Corners Town.”

Everyone froze.

They had only assumed Yang Peng had encountered some supernatural force, but Gu Ning’an outright stated that his soul had been taken.

Was he just making things up, or did he actually see something others hadn’t?

“soul-reaping creatures—whether human or spirit—are never satisfied with just one soul.”

“Which means, if we continue patrolling, we’re bound to run into it.”

The moment Gu Ning’an finished speaking, silence filled the room.

Even Guard Yang, who had been all set to humiliate him, couldn’t find a proper excuse to do so—for now.

After a moment, Guard Yang came back to his senses and frowned. “So you’re saying we have to wait for them to act again before we can find them?”

“Give me a way to identify them right now.”

As soon as he said this, Zhou Zhongtian couldn’t hold back anymore. He stepped forward and said, “Guard Yang, the enemy is in the shadows while we are in the open. Asking Brother Gu to pinpoint the culprit directly—isn’t that a bit too much?”

Bang!

“Zhou, you bastard! Don’t push your luck!” Guard Yang slammed the table and barked, “Did I ask you to speak? Who told you to interrupt?”

“If it’s so difficult, then why don’t you give me a solution?”

Being scolded so harshly, Zhou Zhongtian felt his face burning with humiliation. He clenched his fists and was about to retort when Gu Ning’an pulled him back. Then, Gu Ning’an turned to Guard Yang and said, “I have some knowledge of mystical arts, but I’ll need your cooperation. Will that work?”

Guard Yang narrowed his eyes. “What kind of cooperation?”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Your body is brimming with yang energy—exactly the type of soul that a soul reaper would desire. If you’re willing to act as bait, we can draw them out.”

Hiss—

The crowd of External Agents collectively sucked in a sharp breath.

Never in their wildest dreams had they expected this newcomer to suggest using Yang Wang as bait.

Did he not know that whenever danger arose, Yang Wang was either hiding in the back or the first to leave?

One of the reasons Golden Guard’s External Agents roles were hard to fill was precisely because these officially registered Golden Guards were all terrified of getting involved. This, in turn, led to an extremely high mortality rate among the External Agents…

Guard Yang remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. “You claim to know mystical arts. Why should I believe you?”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Before midnight tonight, I’ll summon Yang Peng’s soul back. If he wakes up by then… would you be willing to make a small sacrifice to capture the soul reaper?”

Whoa!

All eyes in the room instantly locked onto Gu Ning’an.

That calm and confident smile of his left them in awe.

Summon back a soul stolen by an evil entity before midnight?

And he calls this “some knowledge of mystical arts”?

Moreover, with things having escalated to this point, if Guard Yang still refused, it would make him look bad.

“Fine!”

“Who would’ve thought I’d end up bringing in a mystic!”

“If you can truly summon Yang Yong’s soul before midnight, then what’s the harm in being bait?”

Knowing he had no way to back out now, Guard Yang simply agreed.

“Alright, then I’ll make my preparations.” With that, Gu Ning’an pushed open the door and left.

Moments after he stepped out, two Golden Guards exchanged a glance, taking Yang Wang’s silent cue, and followed him out…