Renjia Town.
At that moment, in the town's only café, a group of young people sat around a table chatting.
"Guess who I ran into just now when I arrived?"
"Who?"
"That chick from War Saint Academy. I was planning to tail her and see where she's staying, but turns out she's pretty sharp. She spotted me and slipped away into the crowd."
"Damn! You actually lost her and still have the nerve to tell us? Ever heard of 'spooking the prey'?"
"What's the big deal? They probably picked the easy mission and are hanging around town. We'll run into them sooner or later."
"Speaking of which, where's Elias Vale?"
"Yeah, seriously! Damon, what's up with Elias? Why's he so late?"
"I'll admit he's strong, but it's not cool making all of us wait for him, right?"
The group muttered their complaints in hushed tones.
Damon Lawson frowned.
After all, meeting at the café had been Elias Vale's idea.
Now everyone else was here except the guy who suggested it in the first place.
Just as frustration was bubbling over, a towering figure nearly two meters tall entered the café.
In this era, with various factors affecting growth, most people weren't particularly tall.
Someone that big stood out like a sore thumb.
Even more intimidating, the man wasn't just tall his build was monstrous. His muscles were thick and stone-hard like granite, exuding sheer physical dominance.
The moment he stepped inside, his presence crushed the room.
The ones who had just been grumbling about Elias instantly shut up.
Because this giant was none other than… Elias Vale.
"Elias! Over here!" Serena Wren waved at him from their table.
Elias strode over calmly, not bothering to explain why he'd shown up so late.
To him, he didn't owe anyone an explanation.
"Everyone's here now? Good. Let's get down to planning."
Elias's tone was flat.
Though some were still unhappy about the wait, none dared voice it out loud.
Damon Lawson narrowed his eyes, but ultimately said nothing.
He had already decided this would be the last time he worked with Elias Vale.
Damon had pride too, and Elias's attitude was grating.
Just then, a commotion erupted in the street outside.
From the second-floor window, they could hear the noise and quickly gathered to take a look.
Down below, a squad of uniformed town guards was rushing out the city gate.
Leading them was Ah Wai, the head of the security team and cousin to Ren Tingting.
"Move aside! Clear the road!"
Ah Wai shouted, "There's been a body theft at the mortuary! Anyone with information gets ten silver dollars! Catch the thief and it's one hundred!!"
The townsfolk murmured in shock.
"A body theft? Who'd be sick enough to steal a corpse?"
"What do you even do with a stolen body? This world's gone mad!"
"One hundred silver dollars… if I could catch that thief, I'd be set for life!"
Meanwhile, upstairs in the café…
The expressions of the cultivators all changed.
A corpse theft happening right now? That wasn't normal.
It had to be another group working the same objective.
"Could be just a coincidence," someone muttered.
He was instantly shot down. "Coincidence? Of all times, it just happens now? Nah, we've definitely got competition."
Damon Lawson's brows tightened.
Then he turned to Elias Vale.
"Well, Elias? What now?"
Elias's face remained unreadable as he calmly replied, "We go check out the mortuary."
"Agreed."
The group headed off toward the mortuary without delay.
…
Half an hour later.
Old Master Ren's son finally arrived at the mortuary, visibly anxious.
After all, it was his father's corpse that had gone missing. Even if it was just for show, he had to make an appearance.
But truthfully, he was genuinely worried not out of filial piety, but because the corpse's placement was tied to the Ren family's feng shui. Any disturbance could have serious consequences.
"Uncle Nate, how could someone steal the body from the mortuary?"
Uncle Nate looked a little embarrassed.
The body had vanished on his watch, and as the mortuary's caretaker, he was undeniably responsible.
"Master Ren, Old Master's body was showing signs of corpse transformation. I suspect the thief took it to raise a zombie."
"What?! Can we get the body back?" Master Ren asked, panicked.
Uncle Nate clenched his jaw. "Don't worry. I swear I'll recover the body."
Their entire conversation…
Was overheard by a figure standing just outside the courtyard.
Moments later, that figure slipped into the grove beside the mortuary.
"I've confirmed it. The stolen body is definitely Old Master Ren's. And to be clear it wasn't stolen quietly. It was snatched."
Hearing this report, Damon Lawson and the others all stiffened.
Even Elias Vale's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them.
"Someone's running the same plan as us? Who could it be?"
Serena Wren, the only girl among them, couldn't help but speak up.
"Could it be Shen Fei's crew?" someone guessed.
Shen Fei was another prodigy from Godslayer Academy, one of the strongest freshmen on par with Damon and Elias in reputation.
Damon shook his head. "Not him. He picked the simple mission this time."
"No matter who it is," Elias said coldly, "I'll make them pay."
Everyone silently cursed him in their hearts: If you hadn't been late, maybe they wouldn't have gotten the jump on us. And now you're mad?
Damon shot Elias a glance and said coolly, "Right now, our priority is tracking down Old Master Ren's body. Split up and search. If you find anything, mark it and report back."
No one objected.
They dispersed at once to begin the hunt.
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