Chapter 419: Investigation Team (6)

Luo Qi followed Du Zhengyi just as he turned into the second half of the Ten Thousand Character Corridor, and saw Majiang, who had been waiting there for a long time. Majiang's face was grave, as if he had fallen into a nest of trouble; only upon seeing them approach did he let out a sigh of relief, hurriedly walking forward to push open a small meeting room at the corridor's corner and ushering them inside.

"You scared me to death just now," Majiang said as soon as he entered the room. "They've started playing for real, you know that, right?"

"I know," Du Zhengyi said.

Luo Qi lingered at the doorway for a moment, then suddenly looked back.

Du Zhengyi turned his head sensitively; behind Luo Qi was the empty, dark-red corridor, with nothing there. Even in his Battle Mage field of vision, it was a blank slate. He asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

"Nothing..." Luo Qi said vaguely, then glanced back again with suspicion. He couldn't put his finger on the feeling, as if someone were peeping at him—the kind of feeling that made a slight shiver run through his heart. He thought for a moment, then placed a circle of pistachios behind his heels, arranged outside the door.

Majiang saw it at a glance and couldn't help but tease, "How clever. Why don't you kill a dog and sprinkle some dog blood to try it out?"

Luo Qi's face darkened, and he sullenly closed the door, standing with his back against it.

Majiang sized him up and explained to Du Zhengyi, "It might be an aftereffect. When we see people but can't sense them, we get a sense of distortion; he'll overcome this imbalance after a while. The key is tomorrow; you know they won't just let it go. Even if you successfully checked them for now, the matter is still here. Even if the Mind Mages who came might not want to do this job, there are others behind them, and those big shots don't care about their lives. They might hold a meeting tonight to study it, but the result won't change; the big shots behind the scenes will still urge them to continue the investigation."

"I know," Du Zhengyi said calmly. "The investigation can't be avoided, but we can't let them conduct it too easily. I felt that someone was maliciously targeting Luo Qi today, but Luo Qi is also a precious asset to the Mage World, and there are plenty of people who want to protect him. The top brass of the Qionglin must be competing in secret as well, and we must drag out time for them. If they want to interrogate Luo Qi, it must be done by someone with sufficient qualifications. It's always the minor demons that are hard to deal with; we should be cautious and just wait for the King of Hell to arrive. Besides, just because it can't be avoided, does that mean we shouldn't avoid it? If we drag it out for a few more days, who knows what might happen or what changes might occur."

Majiang was listening earnestly at first, but couldn't help laughing when he heard the end. "You must have been with Luo Qi for too long; I never thought even you would become a bit of a rogue."

Luo Qi nodded while listening, but his mind drifted elsewhere. He really had felt someone behind him just now, and it was absolutely not for the reason that a quack like Majiang had suggested.

"Isn't Guan Xinyue with you?" Du Zhengyi asked suddenly, drawing Luo Qi's attention back.

"There are too many strangers here, so I told her to stay in the room and not come out," Majiang said.

"Don't let those Execution Mages make contact with her," Du Zhengyi said. "I'm worried they'll want to collect evidence from Guan Xinyue. Although she doesn't know much, it's enough to make people suspicious."

"She's still a child; if someone really did that, it would be too low," Majiang said with disgust, his expression also somewhat worried. "If they are going to investigate Luo Qi, given the things he's done, his file is truly too thick. I'm afraid they won't be able to finish the investigation into him in half a year."

"What?" Luo Qi was shocked. "No! I don't want to be tied to those idiots for half a year! Even good people would turn into lunatics!"

Majiang ignored him and continued to say to Du Zhengyi, "They can put other things aside, but I guess what they are most interested in is why this place produced Magic Energy usage at the level of a Progenitor Mage; this is also the direct reason they were summoned here. What are your plans? Do you intend to tell the truth? I must remind you that Guan Xinyue happens to be aware of this matter; to them, she is an excellent breakthrough point."

Luo Qi pulled a long face, displeased; it was true, he really wanted to erase this part of Guan Xinyue's memory.

"An ancient ruin that Luo Qi accidentally stepped into, triggering ancient magic and causing the mine to resume production," Du Zhengyi said without blinking. "The matter is just that simple; we have no obligation to provide other details."

Luo Qi couldn't help but make some associations. "Brother, when you went on missions in the past, were the mission reports you handed in also of this corner-cutting style?"

"That's what we say..." Majiang said worriedly, "but this matter is, after all, too big..."

"Doctor," Du Zhengyi said. "Everything boils down to politics, and politics has no truth. If our side wins, everything will pass; if the other side wins, no matter what the truth is, we will be the ones in trouble."

Majiang was swayed. "That's true, too."

Luo Qi looked at Du Zhengyi's face, seeing only the same calm, unruffled expression, and couldn't help but secretly admire him. In the eyes of outsiders, Du Zhengyi was probably seen as young, frivolous, and willful—an arrogant genius they couldn't stand but couldn't defeat. Even in Luo Qi's eyes, he was an idealistic old fogey. But he was, after all, a peerless Great Mage, and he also had a side with a quite mature mind.

Du Zhengyi thought for a moment and then said to Majiang, "It might not be convenient for me to show my face; can you get a complete list of the Investigation Team as soon as possible?"

Majiang nodded.

Du Zhengyi suddenly turned to Luo Qi. "What is wrong with you? Do you have fleas on your back? Why are you always straining backward?"

"What?" Luo Qi widened his eyes. "Did I look back? I didn't move at all! Good heavens, are you trying to take your anger out on me or what? Bullying a kid?"

Du Zhengyi raised his hand and pointed to his own temple. "I can feel it. Your body posture, your attention, and your Slime tentacles that are jumping around have been scraping back and forth behind you."

"I didn't know you were so sensitive," Luo Qi said dryly. "It's hard to tell; you look quite sturdy."

"Shut up," Du Zhengyi said, pulling him away from the door and then opening the door behind him.

Outside the door was still the usual appearance of the corridor; a mage walked by, one of Pei Shu's own students. The Investigation Team mages were arranged in other corridors. Luo Qi leaned over to look, but with either of his eyes, he saw nothing at all.

"There's nothing," Du Zhengyi said. "Do you need me to help you check under the bed and in the closet for monsters? Can you sleep without a nightlight?"

"Shut up!" Luo Qi said, embarrassed and angry.