Chapter 106: Fortune Department Store (2)

Luo Qi and Du Zhengyi started from the first floor of the department store, first taking a simple walk through it; Luo Qi didn't even see a single shop run by a Mage.

It wasn't until they reached the third floor that they finally brushed past two Mages. But those two girls really didn't look like there was anything wrong with them; they were young, chattering away the whole time, with a pile of spoils hanging from their arms, excitedly talking about whose chosen clothes were the most suitable and what this season's trends were. From start to finish, the girls didn't look up at them once. Luo Qi even felt a sting; he really didn't know whether to lament that there were so many local Mages or that men were inferior to clothes.

They stopped on the fourth floor to have a meal, and everything was as usual. When they went to the fifth floor to check after the meal, Luo Qi stubbornly played two rounds of games, telling Du Zhengyi that this was the only way not to look conspicuous. Du Zhengyi watched him play two rounds and then sneered, saying it was indeed not conspicuous; playing so badly, one could tell at a glance that he was an ordinary person who couldn't rely on external forces.

Luo Qi endured the humiliation and couldn't hold on for much longer before his game tokens were exhausted, and he angrily followed Du Zhengyi from floor to floor.

However, the most embarrassing thing was that he had forgotten that the department store not only had women's clothing but also definitely sold underwear. When they walked slowly past the side, the salesgirl rolled her eyes so hard it was unbelievable. Luo Qi even started to wonder if that was why Du Zhengyi was wearing sunglasses...

Of course, above all this, the most boring thing was that Luo Qi couldn't help at all. Du Zhengyi's method of detecting Magic Energy was a skill he had honed based on actual combat, almost like an instinct carved into his bones. But Luo Qi was completely incapable of it; all he could do was follow along. The mall was only so big, and after three hours, his shoe soles had rubbed against every floor tile in the mall. Du Zhengyi finally announced that there were no traces of any Magic Energy here.

Luo Qi let out a sigh of relief, feeling that he must look like an idiot in the eyes of the passersby.

If nothing else, his phone's pedometer had already clocked fifteen thousand steps, all in the same mall.

They checked all the stairs, office corridors, and even the restrooms; Luo Qi was already so bored that he suggested they go check the women's restroom. Perhaps the organization that couldn't be discussed at the target location had its headquarters set up in the mall's women's restroom. Only by being unexpected can one win from a thousand miles away.

Du Zhengyi also felt that today's work was more tiring than ever, mainly because Luo Qi was truly annoying when he got annoying, and his interference was really too great. He talked too much, was noisy, and ate a lot when bored; all the vending machines, ice cream stalls, and egg waffle shops along the way had his presence, and he even took the time to queue for Heytea!

Their mission got off to a bad start; they were resting at a coffee shop on the first floor, and on the table sat a row of two dumplings that Luo Qi had gotten from a vending machine, which he called Mr. Wuyun and Rainbow Sister, as well as a pile of childish, ugly rainbow unicorns... Du Zhengyi could hardly bear it.

Thinking about it now, he really didn't know what had possessed his brain yesterday to feel such great love for Luo Qi, like one would for a disabled child. By today, he already wished he could personally strangle this future Mind Mage.

Now, right by the small round table in the coffee shop, Luo Qi was already incessantly listing a hundred possible scenarios to explain the encounter they hadn't had on this trip, which now escalated into a conspiracy theory. "Is it possible that her grandfather didn't discover anything at all, but just set up a trap so that his granddaughter, who keeps causing trouble, could be protected? Maybe the information cracked was just garbage to begin with, just to make Xinyue seem very valuable?"

Du Zhengyi said impatiently, "According to you, then why did he die himself?"

"Oh, yeah." Luo Qi sighed, lowering his head to take a big gulp of his coffee. He looked up again and said, "Her grandfather also worked for your teacher, so did he also participate in the experiments hosted by your teacher like my dad did?"

"Probably." Du Zhengyi said, "But I don't know everything about these people either."

"Then Shang is one too, right?" Luo Qi asked.

"Shang is not, actually." Du Zhengyi said, "Teacher didn't recruit him, which is indeed a bit strange; he is actually quite high-level. But perhaps it's because his level as a Doctor is higher; he has always been my Doctor, and maybe Teacher hoped he could stay in touch with me at any time."

As Du Zhengyi said these things, he couldn't help but think once again how willing outstanding Great Mages were to cooperate with Mind Mages; once their ability was strong enough to guarantee their own heads, Mind Mages were no longer a terrifying and unsettling existence. He thought of the question he had when he talked to Fan Shi yesterday; Fan Shi, who was clearly not a Mind Mage, was particularly keen on examining enemies from the perspective of a Mind Mage. Just like the question he asked Fan Shi yesterday, who exactly was his magnifying glass? Who was the Mind Mage standing on his side?

That person should be a Mind Mage approaching the pinnacle; those people had almost all been recruited by Pei Shu, and he should have heard of most of them. Moreover, it was unlikely that the Mind Mage was older than Fan Shi; Mages placed great importance on seniority. An older, high-level Mind Mage didn't seem like someone who would associate with the youngest Venerable.

A high-level Mind Mage who was both a genius and not old... Du Zhengyi couldn't help but glance at the idiot boy who was playing with his dumpling dolls... A trace of unease flashed through his heart; what if that Mage still held some hatred for him, and had some personal vendetta against him?

Behind him, someone sprinted past the entrance of the coffee shop.

The door of the coffee shop opened toward the first-floor lobby of the mall. Luo Qi suddenly stood up, looking around with interest, "Is there an idol here? Are they chasing them?"

Du Zhengyi also turned his head to look, and just then a second person sprinted past. The humans in the coffee shop turned their heads one after another to look; suddenly, a sharp, distant scream came from several floors up. The jazz music in the coffee shop was lazily spilling out, masking the chilling scream for the humans' ears; only Du Zhengyi and Luo Qi heard this chilling sound.

Du Zhengyi got up and ran outside; Luo Qi came to his senses, grabbed a few dolls, stuffed them into his pockets, and chased after him. Outside the door was an indoor plaza, and the set from the last event had not yet been removed; a giant doll stood in the center of the plaza.

Outside the coffee shop door, the salesgirl at the cosmetics counter suddenly screamed, her face full of terrifying fear. Luo Qi was startled and turned to ask her what was wrong. But she was already too scared to speak, trembling as if in a seizure, pointing toward the heights. Luo Qi first thought she was pointing at the strange-looking doll; suddenly, a sack fell from the fourth-floor platform higher than the doll's head.

The scream that erupted on the first floor almost knocked Luo Qi over. He shuddered; the fallen sack hit the ground heavily, bounced up a little, and then fell dead still again. In that instant, Luo Qi finally saw clearly that the sack actually had a head. So it wasn't a sack; it was a person wearing iron-gray clothes.