Afterlife Department

Chapter 247 – People

"Where should we start looking for your soul?" Di San asked and turned to Yi Bing who was wearing a very cold face like the Yama of Hell. Well, Yama was gone, and so is Hell. 

The only persona they could compare Yi Bing's current expression to is a grim reaper, and Yi Bing is a grim reaper. So, Yi Bing's expression is exactly what a model grim reaper should look like, compared to Di San's blabbermouth personality, or Feng Er's bubbly personality. 

"Right now, I can't sense it anywhere." Yi Bing said. "But, since I am currently in a task, it should have gone to something that has a connection with Huo Ling. Huo Ling's treasured object, or – " his eyes narrowed when he thought of a possibility. " – it possessed a person." He said. 

Di San and Liu Lin froze. "If it's a person…" they muttered and looked at each other, their gazes talking.. 

"Could it be someone close to Huo Ling?" Liu Lin asked. 

"Worse, it could be Huo Ling's enemy." Di San sighed. 

Yi Bing fell silent as he remembered his and Huo Ling's bickering days. "Might be." He vaguely answered.

Di San and Liu Lin sighed. "Where should we head to, then?" Di San asked. 

Yi Bing didn't answer and teleported themselves to a secluded area. Then, he took out his Death Note and opened the page of Huo Ling's biography. He clicked on the seventh tab. 

"Oh, right. This is already Huo Ling's seventh world, his sixth reincarnation. Time flies so fast!" Di San said. 

"En." Yi Bing nodded. "Currently, the person closest to Huo Ling is Jonathan Baurne, his adoptive father. He's the one who picked up Huo Ling when Huo Ling was still a baby and brought him back with him and raised him alone." He said. "Jonathan has no wife, nor children, and he only has a nephew left with him in the Baurne family." He explained. 

"So, Jonathan Baurne wanted him to be his own son." Liu Lin commented. 

"The next person is Lu Si." Yi Bing said. "He is the leader of the mercenaries, and the third faction of the mafia world. He is a pure Chinese, and it was rumored he is a fallen aristocrat. He felt that Huo Ling is a promising young man and wanted to recruit him to his group, but Huo Ling is loyal to Jonathan Baurne. But, that didn't stop their friendship, as Huo Ling treats Lu Si as a senior while Lu Si treats Huo Ling as his younger brother." He explained. 

"This Lu Si is a good person, I think." Di San said. 

"He wouldn't be the leader of a mercenary organization if he doesn't know how to take care of his own people." Yi Bing said, but Di San and Liu Lin senses something sour in his words. 

Di San and Liu Lin looked at each other. Is our great grim reaper jealous with Huo Ling's relationship to other people? Jonathan Baurne is still in his early forties, as well as Lu Si. Living in the mafia world, debauchery is inevitable. If Jonathan Baurne and Lu Si wanted to play with young men like Huo Ling, their age doesn't matter. 

"Another one is Lao Xie. He is the leader of the second faction in the mafia world." Yi Bing continued. "He is a former CEO, but destroyed his own company that is like his own son due to circumstances. After that, he lived by selling company secrets." He said. 

"Ooh. He has fallen due to dirty tricks, so he used dirty tricks to continue living." Liu Lin whistled. 

"Lao Xie is like everyone's grandfather. Because he is also Chinese, he took a liking to Huo Ling and always gives information to Huo Ling for free whenever Huo Ling has tasks." Yi Bing said. 

Up to here, everyone suddenly paused as they realized something. "With how good Jonathan Baurne, one of the leaders of the mafia world, is treating Huo Ling, Huo Ling shouldn't have been bullied in the Baurne family." Di San said. 

"Huo Ling also has a good relationship with Lu Si and Lao Xie, the leaders of the two other factions of the mafia world, so no one should be bullying Huo Ling in the underworld, right?" Liu Lin said. 

"…" a momentary silence befell on them before their eyes widened in shock. "Then, Huo Ling is actually living freely in the underworld?!" they exclaimed. "Why make it sound like he is suffering in extreme hardships?! With his relationship with the three leaders, he can walk in the underworld sideways, right?!" Di San and Liu Lin both looked at Yi Bing. 

Yi Bing calmly received their gaze. "He doesn't only have a good relationship with the people of the underworld. He also has a friend in the government, as well as with one of the aristocrats." He said. 

The government and the aristocrats are the two factions in the light, while the Baurne Clan, Lao Xie and Lu Si are the three factions in the dark. 

Di San and Liu Lin. "…" holy shit. Huo Ling is so powerful in this world on his own?! He doesn't need a family to back him up! "Please continue." They both said as they forced a smile. 

Yi Bing did as they told. "In the government… Huo Ling's connection is actually with a policeman." He said. 

Di San and Liu Lin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "'policeman'?! Aren't the police and the mafia at each other's throats?! How can they be friends?!" Liu Lin asked. 

"It might not necessarily be a friendship. Just a nodding acquaintance would do." Yi Bing said with a cold voice. 

Di San and Liu Lin. "…" fine, fine! You're a giant vinegar jar! "Who is it?" they asked. 

"Gu Xingfeng." Yi Bing answered with a frown. 

"'Gu Xingfeng'… this name is familiar…" Di San muttered as he pondered with knitted brows. "Where have I heard the name…?" he spoke to himself. 

"No need to think that much." Yi Bing told Di San. 

"Hm?" Di San looked at him. 

"Gu Xingfeng is the one from the Stable World." Yi Bing. "I told you about him because he had reincarnated in some worlds where Huo Ling also reincarnated to. And it's not just twice, but more than twice did he and Huo Ling meet." He explained. 

Di San's eyes lit up. "Right! You have mentioned that to me." He said. 

Yi Bing nodded. "Yes. And since Gu Xingfeng is here again, naturally, the other one would also be here – " he gritted his teeth. 

"Hao Baiyun?" Liu Lin said when he saw the name on the Death Note. 

"Yes." Yi Bing said. "They always come in a pair." He sneered as he closed the Death Note. Aside from the soul's biography, the other information written in the Death Note given to the grim reaper is random, like now it showed the information about Huo Ling's relationship with the people in this world. "I won't count that one in the Stable World, but starting in the third world, though they didn't have a direct relationship with Huo Ling, they are the ones who solved Huo Ling's case. Then, comes the fourth world." He said. 

Di San and Liu Lin, the moment they heard Yi Bing's hostile tone, already wanted to run away. However, the cold that started to surround them prevented them from leaving. 

"In the fourth world, Hao Baiyun suddenly became Huo Ling's direct relative as Huo Ling's uncle." Yi Bing continued. "Then, in the fifth world, he became Huo Ling's cousin. Fortunately, he and Gu Xingfeng didn't appear after that." He sighed in relief. "I thought they will never appear again. Who would think that in this seventh world, they would reappear?!" he asked through his gritted teeth. 

Di San and Liu Lin are unable to even just shake from the cold as they were already frozen by the ice. Fortunately, after voicing his complaints at them, Yi Bing withdrew the ice. 

"Liu Lin. You can go back to the hotel first and inform Feng Er of our conversation." Yi Bing told Liu Lin. "Since the information with the mafia world is naturally hidden, then let Si Shui investigate those who are in the light: the government and the aristocrats." He said. 

Si Shui is a homebody. One reason is he is lazy, and the other is he is addicted to internet. Thus, he's the best choice among them to surf the internet and use his hacking skills. 

"Also, you and Feng Er, the two of you also investigate Gu Xingfeng and Hao Baiyun." Yi Bing added. 

Di San and Liu Lin stared at Yi Bing when they heard him said that. 

"What?" Yi Bing, this in-denial grim reaper, blinked innocently. "They are part of the clues for me to track down my soul. Didn't you swear to help me find my soul and bring it back?" he asked and flashed them with a smile. 

Di San and Liu Lin felt a chill ran down their spine. They should've known better. Yi Bing is very petty.