Chapter 81: 82. The Arrival of Yang Yi Long

82. The Arrival of Yang Yi Long

At this moment, Zhang Lei harbored murderous intent.

He wanted to eliminate this gang led by Wei Bin, completely uprooting the poison festering in the abandoned district and restoring peace to the area.

He had estimated both sides’ strength and believed his chances of victory were high; after all, he had brought several squads to investigate this building, and even if some men were lost inside, the remaining forces were still sufficient.

“Is this Zhang Lei really planning to attack? Doesn’t he fear that we’ll be driven to desperation and kill all his men? Without so many investigators, who’s going to maintain law and order in Tianchang City?”

Sensing an inexplicable surge of killing intent, Wei Bin’s face darkened instantly, and he felt trapped—unable to retreat or advance.

Because he had no desire to fight Zhang Lei to the death.

Killing a few ordinary investigators was a cost he could bear, but if he lost a battalion commander here, endless troubles would follow; unless he fled into the danger zone, he’d surely be put under bounty.

Moreover, Wei Bin had no confidence he could defeat Zhang Lei—if he lost and was killed by him, it would be a catastrophic loss.

This group were merely thugs at heart, still cowardly and bullying the weak, lacking the resolve or courage to risk everything.

At this moment.

All of the Investigation Bureau personnel waited for Zhang Lei’s decision.

Li Yi also sensed the unusual tension; he immediately handed his sniper rifle to Wang Jian beside him.

Wang Jian understood at once and nodded.

Though injured and unable to engage in close combat, he could still shoot from behind; as an investigator, he was proficient with firearms and fully capable of serving as a sniper when necessary.

“Are we going to fight?”

Fan Feng, inside the nearby building, also held his breath. He immediately ejected a standard bullet and replaced it with a special red round—designed for supernatural beings. He intended to use it in tandem with the battalion commander to snipe Wei Bin; once the Spirit Awakening expert died, the battle would be won.

Zhang Lei slowly raised his hand, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, ready to order the annihilation of this group.

“This is bad.” All the vagrants now felt panic rising.

But just then.

Wei Bin, the leader, seemed to sense something—he turned his gaze behind Zhang Lei and company, and his grim expression softened into a smile again.

▲C〇

Reinforcements have arrived.

Now, if a fight truly broke out, Wei Bin felt no fear at all.

“Hmm?” Zhang Lei’s expression shifted slightly as he glanced briefly behind him.

Down the distant highway, a convoy raced toward them at high speed, crossing the perimeter in mere moments.

“Someone’s coming—many of them, and they’re clearly heading this way,” Wang Jian said, his face darkening as he gazed into the distance.

“It’s the Cultivator Association. I recognize those license plates,” Investigator Zhang Zhixiong whispered. “Besides Li Shaoqing, Yang Yi Long is almost certainly among them.”

“Is Yang Yi Long from the Cultivator Association? But wait—aren’t they afraid to clash with the Investigation Bureau?” Li Yi asked immediately upon hearing the familiar name.

“Normally, they dare not—even assist us sometimes. But now? With a wonder artifact involved, top-tier experts all want a share; they won’t hand it over. If word hadn’t leaked, Wei Bin wouldn’t have dared lead his vagrants to openly attack our investigators.”

“A wonder artifact?”

Li Yi’s mind flashed to the skeletal mural—he was puzzled: “Why did the rumor spread so fast? This building should’ve been discovered first by the battalion commander.”

“The cultivator circle in Tianchang City is tiny—everyone knows each other, has dealt with each other. What secrets are there? Any major event spreads instantly,” said Investigator Liu Yue, his expression grim. “One of my field operatives, Xiong Bo, hasn’t shown up—I suspect he leaked the information.”

Li Yi nodded.

It was true.

When he’d been attacked by Ning Wu and Lao Ya, Kong Sheng had warned Lu Jue in advance; since Lu Jue knew him, that operation had failed.

He hadn’t expected the boomerang to now strike his own group.

Soon.

The lead vehicle of the convoy stopped roughly ten meters behind the group.

The doors opened.

A group of unfamiliar cultivators stepped out quickly—each was formidable; Spirit Medium cultivators were rare, most had awakened their spiritual sense, and the two leaders were even stronger: one was Yang Yi Long, whom Li Yi had met before; the other he didn’t recognize, but judging by appearance, he must be the expert Li Shaoqing.

“Yang Yi Long really came.” Among the crowd, Li Yi’s expression darkened—he immediately thought of Lin Yue.

It was this Yang Yi Long who had broken Lin Yue’s arm—he remembered it clearly.

Yang Yi Long now stood in a long robe, arms crossed behind his back, black hair falling over his shoulders, his bearing outstanding—no matter where he stood, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

“Battalion Commander Zhang Lei, it’s been a while. I hear you’ve run into some trouble, so I came to see if I can help. Whatever you need, Commander, I, Yang Yi Long, will not refuse.”

Zhang Lei didn’t mince words: “Fine. Yang Yi Long, help me kill Wei Bin. As thanks, I’ll personally award you a ‘Model Citizen’ medal.”

“No problem.”

Yang Yi Long smiled faintly and agreed at once: “I can fulfill your request—kill Wei Bin for you. I can even assist you in wiping out all these vagrants lurking in the abandoned district. But I don’t want a ‘Model Citizen’ medal. I only want this building. What do you say?”

As he spoke, he pointed toward the nearby abandoned tower.

“Of course, I won’t take it for free. I’m willing to pay two hundred million to purchase it. With that sum, Commander, you could rebuild two more buildings in the old district—you won’t be left at a loss.”

“Yang Yi Long,” Wei Bin growled from afar, “Watch your words.”

He truly feared Yang Yi Long and Zhang Lei joining forces—otherwise, he’d have no chance to escape.

Zhang Lei laughed loudly: “This building contains a wonder artifact—its value exceeds two hundred million. And since it involves a wonder artifact, the Investigation Bureau must reclaim it. Yang Yi Long, pick another demand. For example, I can give you the building next door—you can build your company there.”

Wonder artifact?

At the word, everyone’s breathing grew heavier.

Though they’d heard rumors before, hearing it confirmed from Battalion Commander Zhang Lei’s own mouth carried a different weight.

Zhang Lei had no reason to hide it now—everyone knew the truth; pretending otherwise would seem petty.

“So easily admit there’s a wonder artifact here? That’s not like you, Battalion Commander Zhang Lei,” Yang Yi Long said calmly.

“It’s a wonder artifact, yes—but it’s cursed. Anyone who approaches gets dragged into a hallucination. Even I nearly got trapped and couldn’t escape. This artifact can’t be used for cultivation. Yang Yi Long, I advise you to abandon this idea and cooperate with me to deal with Wei Bin’s gang.”

Zhang Lei revealed this crucial information primarily to dissuade them from coveting the artifact.

A cursed artifact held no value for their interests.

“Really?” Yang Yi Long frowned slightly—he didn’t doubt Zhang Lei’s words.

“Zhang Lei, we came all this way—leaving without seeing it is unacceptable. Let us enter the building and examine the artifact. If it’s truly as you say, I, on behalf of the Cultivator Association, will renounce all claims to it and assist you in dealing with these vagrants.”

At this moment, one of Yang Yi Long’s companions—a cultivator who had awakened his spiritual sense—spoke slowly.

He looked young, under thirty, dressed in a crisp suit, smiling, more like a successful young CEO than a cultivator, radiating an air of aristocracy.

His name was Li Shaoqing, vice-chairman of the Cultivator Association.

He was also the head of the Li family, the wealthiest in Tianchang City.

Yet despite this status, background, and power, Li Shaoqing had never possessed even a single broken wonder artifact.

Had the artifact’s existence not been confirmed, Li Shaoqing would never have come in person.

“Li Shaoqing, you’re interested in the wonder artifact too?” Zhang Lei frowned.

Compared to Yang Yi Long, Li Shaoqing carried far greater weight—he was a far more difficult opponent.