Afterlife Department

Chapter 156 – Harry Jackson

"W-what… what are you saying?!" Huo Ling said as he looked at the doctor in shock. He took a step back from him as if he was looking at a monster.

The fact that his father is a clone had shocked him. The news that he is a Walter already stunned him. The truth about the Walter family already made him despair since he felt disgusted with the Walter blood he had. Now, he was told his father was killed? Yes, he was killed, indeed. But, the murderer isn't someone he saw that killed his father, but actually it was someone else?! It is horrifying, okay? He had seen his father's death with his own eyes, and the murderer 'Liu Lingling' who's actually Yi Bing also had already confessed to him not long ago that he is his father's murderer. Yet, the murderer isn't the murderer whom he thought? Is he a three-year old kid that can easily be tricked?!

(The three-year old kid: why am I always get shot while lying down? Do you have a grudge on me?! How did I wrong you?)

Yi Bing, an upright gentleman… ehem, grim reaper, also is a man (grim reaper) of his words and he is also an honest person (grim reaper) despite he always tricks Huo Ling (Huo Ling is the only one he tricks, anyway). Thus, he spoke. "That can't be." He said. "I am the one who killed Harry Jackson.."

Huo Ling nodded. "I am the witness!" he said.

The strange doctor frowned. "No. It's Harry Walter." He said.

Huo Ling's brows knitted. "Are you saying I'm a liar?" he said. Yi Bing is the liar… no, wait. That's not right to say it right here right now. And Yi Bing's lies… are small lies. Not a big deal (it is, for him).

The strange doctor's respect to the Walter family as his superiors made him step back a little (in his words/argument) facing the legitimate heir of the Walter family. "No. You're not a liar." He said. "However, it is really Harry Walter who killed Harry Jackson." He told him.

Huo Ling scoffed. "Your words are contradicting!" he said. "Do you have proof that it's him who killed my father?" he asked.

The others. "…" technically, it is Harry Walter who is your father… what's with this? Usually, it'd be shifting the crime from person to person. Now, it's a competition who will carry the black pot (admitting crime)?

Indeed, the world is such a big place.

"Do you?" the strange doctor asked back.

"I do have!" Huo Ling said and pointed Yi Bing. "My father was possessed by the monsters and, in order to protect me, he killed him." He explained.

Yi Bing nodded. "It is as what Huo Ling said." he said, acting as the witness.

The strange doctor's brows raised. "He was possessed by the monsters? That's what he told you?" he asked.

"Wasn't he?" Huo Ling asked.

"Was he?" the strange doctor asked back.

Huo Ling. "…" damn it. I thought this strange doctor is a stutter and timid. How did he become so sharp now? Was his timid personality before is just out of his guilt towards him? 

In a sense, Huo Ling guessed it right. 

Yi Bing, Di San, Liu Lin, Feng Er and Si Shui naturally noticed since earlier the change of the doctor.

"The Soul Fragment was planting its roots in the doctor's soul, thus his change." Di San said.

Feng Er nodded. "I'm afraid, we have to say 'goodbye' to the timid doctor and 'hello' to the sharp doctor." She said.

"I don't think it's bad… the doctor now became braver." Liu Lin said.

"But… but, our mission…" Si Shui reminded.

They all looked at each other. Liu Lin just shrugged and messed Si Shui's hair. Tears formed in Si Shui's eyes after being 'bullied' by Liu Lin. He's really made of water 1for crying just from his hair being messed.

Yi Bing looked at Huo Ling looking speechless as he stared at the strange doctor with his eyes that are filled with grievance. His face looked like he was wronged. He almost would have laughed had not the current situation looking tense. Huo Ling ah… where did you sharp tongue go? He thought. An imperceptible smile appeared on his lips when he remembered the Huo Ling from the first world. Ah no, they're all the same Huo Ling, only their personality changed from world to world.

Huo Ling would talk back but he would always lose the argument when he finally became at a disadvantage – like now. Since there were a lot of information being exposed to them for the past minutes, these hidden information is a knife hanging above their head. Thus, Huo Ling was at a disadvantage now since he doesn't know if there would be another knife (information) that would be drawn before him.

And it seemed there is, again, looking at the strange doctor's grim expression. He didn't disappoint them since spoke again. "For thousands of monsters… clones the Walter family created, Harry Jackson is the most successful one. He is the closest to Harry Walter in appearance." He said. "Only in appearance, since Harry Jackson greatly differed from Harry Walter." He looked at Huo Ling. "Harry Jackson, ironically, is more humane compared to the authentic human Harry Walter." He said.

No need to ask 'why', since it can be seen from Huo Ling's tearful face. Harry Jackson really had loved Huo Ling. Huo Ling grew up filled with his parents' love, thus he has a soft heart. "My father…" he said as his tears fell.

The strange doctor smiled. "Harry Jackson was aware of the Walter family's deeds, thus he escaped." He said.

"You…" Hao Baiyun said. "How did you – " he suddenly felt strange as he looked at the strange doctor. He felt that the strange doctor's smile is ambiguous as he looked at Huo Ling.

The strange doctor turned and then his smile became wider. "In one way, I am a doctor of the Walter family thus I know their secrets. As for the other – " he said. "My name is Jiang Ce. My English name is Jackson." He told them.

Everyone. "…" can there be something more shocking than this?! Are we thinking it right?

"Yes. You guessed it right." Jiang Ce said, reading their thoughts by looking at their expression. "I am the one who helped Harry Jackson escaped. Well, it should be right to say, I kidnapped him." He chuckled. "I brought him in an unnamed island in the Carribean. Since his face is still that of Harry Walter's, his name can only be 'Harry'. But since he's not entirely Harry Walter, he adopted my name." he explained.

Them. "…" wait. This is too much. Why is it the name should be adopted and not the surname? Wait, wait. Huo Ling's father was 'married' to Jiang Ce?!

Huo Ling's expression also changed, but because of shock. His face was covered in black lines. He had watched many Chinese dramas, so he knows what it meant of adopting one's surname in China. However, it is strange since it was one's name was adopted?

"… you should also know, I am lazy making an English name so my surname is also 'Jackson'." Jiang Ce added.

"…" there are a thousand of horses galloping in their mind right now. Huo Ling's father was really married to Jiang Ce… they thought and looked at Huo Ling with a strange expression on their face. Even if that happened in the foreign land, but the rule is still the same.

Huo Ling. "…" what the hell! I'm not the one who married into someone's house so why the hell am I the one receiving that gaze?! He looked at Jiang Ce with a complicated gaze. "If… my father… then… why is he… my mother…" he said, his sentence incoherent since he can't find the right words to say to Jiang Ce.

"Oh. Hao Ning." Jiang Ce said as if he had just remembered Hao Ning.

Huo Ling and the others. "…" she is your 'love rival' ba! In their mind, they already made countless dog blood series starring Jiang Ce, Harry Jackson and Hao Ning.

"Wait." Hao Baiyun called. He heard Jiang Ce clearly said 'Hao' Ning, not 'Hou' Ning.

Jiang Ce immediately saw through Hao Baiyun's thoughts. "You guessed right. I know she's from the Hao family." He said.

"Then, why – " Hao Baiyun said.

"It was her who said she wanted to hide." Jiang Ce calmly said. "I respect her decision, and we're in the same boat." He explained. He meant, he was also hiding, too. From the Walter family or another thing, only he knows.

"Then, I…" Huo Ling said.

Jiang Ce turned to him. Then, he fell silent. The atmosphere immediately became heavy because of Jiang Ce's serious expression as he stared at Huo Ling. "I have to wrong you." He said. Before any of them could speak, he spoke. "You were made out of accident." He told Huo Ling.