108: Chapter 108 The Cleaner

"Xiao Ding, Mu Xue, have you heard? That cult thing has infiltrated our Chang City."

The two, who were sitting at the dining table eating, heard Zhao Min's words and exchanged a look in tacit agreement.

"The school mentioned it today, what's wrong, Aunt Zhao?"

Seeing that Bai Muxue and Qin Ding both knew about it, and that it was something the school had announced, Zhao Min finally suppressed the worry in her heart.

"It's that Mr. Wang from our neighborhood. He joined the cult. Now, not only has he been arrested, but his family has also been detained. When it's all over..."

"Sigh..."

Zhao Min didn't finish her sentence, but what would the end be? It was highly likely they would be executed by the Federation, right?

Suddenly, Zhao Min remembered what her colleague had said at work today.

"You two need to be careful at school too. I heard from a colleague that there might even be cultist students acting as spies in the twelve schools of Chang City."

"If you see anything suspicious, find a teacher immediately. Don't try to be a hero, and definitely don't get anywhere near that cult!" She stared at Qin Ding, the worry in her eyes almost overflowing.

Qin Ding looked up and happened to meet Aunt Zhao's face, which was full of worry. His eyes flashed imperceptibly.

Aunt Zhao's colleague guessed quite accurately.

There really were some in the school, and one had just been taken down today—no, counting Mr. Wang, that made two cases already.

"Don't worry, Aunt Zhao. Mu Xue and I know what to do; we have it under control."

[Spirit Fox: Qin Ding, why didn't that big black dog of yours come? Is it not going to come and fight me for meat anymore?]

Qin Ding, who was eating, looked down and saw the Spirit Fox had scurried to his feet at some point. It was holding a meat bone in its mouth and looking at him with sparkling eyes.

It seemed to be hoping to hear from him that the Earth Dog wouldn't be coming.

"Da Hei is at home digesting spiritual items today. Aunt Zhao, I'll pack some big bones to take back for Da Hei later."

"Alright, I was just about to ask why Da Hei didn't come. That little gluttonous dog rarely misses a day."

This one sentence was both an answer to Zhao Min and to the Spirit Fox, which had just communicated with him via Mental Energy.

However, when Bai Muxue heard what Qin Ding said, a strange look flashed in her eyes. In the past, Qin Ding would never say such things; he would always just fill a bowl directly.

Hmm? Where did Little White run off to?

Having caught the tail of the truth, Bai Muxue carried her bowl to the kitchen. Sure enough, she saw the Spirit Fox chewing on a bone by the leg of Qin Ding's chair. The human and the fox's gazes met in the air.

The Spirit Fox's expression became slightly unnatural for a moment, and it decisively carried the bone back to its original spot.

A while later, Qin Ding returned home.

"Earth Dog, time to eat."

After placing the iron bowl in his hand in front of Da Hei, he went to the bathroom to wash up.

Crunch, crunch.

"Awoo."

[This meat bone is delicious. Next time, I'll have Boss prepare more meat in his ring so we don't have to bother Aunt Zhao to make my portion every day.]

Qin Ding, having finished washing up, glanced casually at Da Hei as it ate, then went straight back to the bathroom to wash up.

Late at night, on the top floor of the Chang City Administration Building.

City Lord Mo Qian was sunk into a large chair, his fingertips tapping the armrest unconsciously, while the phone call from earlier that day replayed repeatedly in his mind.

"The mayor of Eastern City called personally and even specifically mentioned Qin Ding... How could he notice an ordinary high school student?"

"Or could it be that behind Qin Ding stands a force I cannot reach, or even am not qualified to reach, which is why they lowered themselves to have a Tier 1 City mayor act as a messenger?"

"Is this a warning not to mess with Qin Ding?"

Where did this unknown behemoth come from? Qin Ding's parents were only Tier 3 and Tier 4 elite Beast Tamers, and it's not like no one has ever met them, so where did this power come from?

City Lord Mo Qian was getting more and more confused the more he thought about it. Real-world intelligence and his speculations didn't match up at all; they were clearly mismatched.

This was the greatest absurdity.

After a long while, a flash of light suddenly appeared in City Lord Mo Qian's eyes, and he suddenly saw the light.

"No... Qin Ding's situation doesn't look like he has anyone helping or backing him at all. There is only one possibility: this power does not belong to him, but to someone else..."

"This is the most reasonable explanation. To make a Tier 1 City mayor bow down and act as a messenger, only someone in the Federation's core layer could manage that, right?"

Thinking of this, City Lord Mo Qian felt no fear; instead, his shoulders trembled slightly, and he laughed softly.

"If that's really the case, Chang City, which has been trapped in a Tier 3 City status for years, will surely be upgraded to a Tier 2 City."

Knock, knock.

A knock on the door rang out abruptly. The smile on City Lord Mo Qian's face vanished instantly, restoring his usual calm demeanor.

"Come in."

The secretary pushed the door open and entered, holding a stack of documents. He closed the door, walked up to City Lord Mo Qian, and without hesitation, began reading directly from the documents.

"Yellow Sky Hemp from Class 2 at Changcheng No. 11 High School is highly likely a member of the He Ling Cult. However, the other party has disguised himself very well. Apart from showing flaws at school, he only followed Qin Ding for a while after school this afternoon."

"At the same time, he made a phone call, keeping his voice very low. Due to distance issues, we were unable to intercept it."

At the end, the secretary lowered his head in some trepidation.

As a subordinate, failing to complete a task meant fear of punishment, and the Federation's reward and punishment system had always been clear.

"You didn't intercept it?"

City Lord Mo Qian frowned subconsciously, but quickly waved his hand dismissively.

"It doesn't need to be intercepted. His series of actions have already labeled him as a suspected He Ling Cult member. Whether it was intercepted or not is not important."

"I called Qin Ding over, and right after, he started eavesdropping, peeking, following, and making secret calls. That is enough."

"Do you need me to bring him in now?"

Hearing this, City Lord Mo Qian glanced at the secretary who was bowing his head, his eyes gradually deepening.

"No, cast a long line to catch a big fish. Let our Chang City Scavengers keep watching to see if this Yellow Sky Hemp makes contact with others, especially at night."

Scavengers are personnel specifically tasked with handling dark incidents, such as arresting people like Mr. Wang, monitoring Yellow Sky Hemp, or directly wiping out cultist dens.

These are all done by Scavengers hiding in the shadows. The only difference between this group and normal Beast Tamers is that their main Beast's elemental ability is Dark.

"What about the other eleven schools? The one at No. 1 High School, did you catch them?"

"No."

"You may go."

Waving his hand, City Lord Mo Qian walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his entire figure hidden in the shadows, quietly watching the night view outside.

"He Ling Cult... I will crush you piece by piece."

The night passed without incident. The next morning.

"Awoo!"

[Boss, look at my face quickly! Why does it feel like my face has gotten longer!]

Qin Ding only felt a pain on his face, having been rudely awakened by a suddenly enlarged black dog head slamming into him.

"Hiss!"

Qin Ding's face twisted, and he reached back to grab Da Hei's ear, "It got longer, did it? Alright, alright, I'll help you make it longer right now!"