Chapter Sixty-Three: Sixth Floor of the Dormitory Building

Three days passed quickly.

On the first day of shooting practice, Li Changqing was so caught up in the excitement that he spent an entire month's salary at the shooting club, yet his marksmanship barely improved. Bai Chuan regretted it deeply, feeling as though the money had gone to waste.

By the next morning, Bai Chuan declared that the shooting phase was complete and Li Changqing's marksmanship was satisfactory. Ignoring Li Changqing's strong desire to practice for another day, Bai Chuan took him running instead.

On the third day, they continued running. Perhaps it was simply more economical.

As for combat techniques, Bai Chuan taught none. According to him, hand-to-hand combat required long-term training to form muscle memory, and if Li Changqing wanted to survive, he'd be better off mastering sprinting for a quick escape.

Thus, over the past two days, Li Changqing practiced short sprints with Bai Chuan. To Bai Chuan's surprise, Li Changqing's physical fitness was quite impressive—his speed was comparable to a second-tier Federation sprinter, far surpassing the average soldier.

On the morning of the third day, Li Changqing instructed Tang Xiaoyu to stay home, then went alone to the agency's building, waiting for Shen Qingdai in the cold dawn.

Tang Xiaoyu silently watched from the window above, peering down at Li Changqing. He had strictly forbidden her from following him. If she dared to sneak after him, he'd take all her savings and spend it in one go at the shooting club.

Other threats might not move Tang Xiaoyu, but this one kept her from even thinking of stepping outside. Even Bai Chuan, who cared little for money, had been distressed by Li Changqing's spending—Tang Xiaoyu would certainly feel it more.

Standing on the street, Li Changqing checked the two guns stored in his straw hat, the iron pellets, and more than thirty talismanic charms. This was all he possessed.

Just then, a luxury car rolled to a stop before him. The rear window slid down, revealing Shen Qingdai with her exquisite makeup, pointing to the passenger seat. "Get in."

Li Changqing opened the door and found a middle-aged man in his forties in the driver's seat. Smiling at the two, he climbed in.

Shen Qingdai asked, "Have you found out where that abandoned factory is?"

"Miss Shen, I looked into it. There are many strange aspects about that place. For safety, we should be careful. If we rush in..."

He was deliberately retreating to advance.

Li Changqing couldn't guarantee the evil within the factory would destroy Shen Qingdai, so he needed to warn her in advance.

"Aren't you the personal disciple of the Shadow Cult's leader? Afraid of a mere haunted location?" Shen Qingdai scoffed. "Lead the way."

Shen Qingdai was proud; the more cautious Li Changqing acted, the more curious she became about the place.

As Li Changqing got in the car and left with Shen Qingdai, Tang Xiaoyu at the window felt as if her own pig had been lured away by a tempting cabbage.

Li Changqing pretended not to know the factory well and deliberately gave the wrong directions twice.

"Sorry, I've never dared visit in person—just memorized the route from the map."

Eventually, they arrived at the factory gates. The road was deserted, and they parked at the curb.

The three got out. Shen Qingdai, hands behind her back, wore simple clothes—a plain white T-shirt and jeans, looking as vibrant as a college freshman.

Gazing at the abandoned factory, Shen Qingdai squinted. "The stench of corpses, demonic aura, and sinister energy are all surging skyward. Truly uncanny."

Li Changqing channeled spiritual energy into his eyes. The entire factory was shrouded in thick corpse energy, resentment, and demonic aura rising upward.

"Miss Shen, this place is unusual. The corpse energy, demonic aura, and sinister energy are all concentrated—and in high density. If you just walk in, it could be dangerous. Let me check first, you wait outside," Uncle Yun said quietly, then pointed at Li Changqing nearby. "You take me in."

Don't drag me into your suicide mission, man!

Li Changqing waved his hands. "I'm just here to show you the way."

"Enough talk. We're going in together," Shen Qingdai grabbed his wrist and headed inside.

From their appearance, such intimacy could easily be mistaken for a couple on an outing.

Li Changqing wasn't in the mood for romance; he took a deep breath inwardly. He had expected to be forced inside, which was why he'd prepared his weapons.

Uncle Yun shook his head as he watched Shen Qingdai's back. Her pride would lead to trouble sooner or later. He hurried after her.

The familiar factory was now filled with thick mist.

"Where do we start, Detective?" Shen Qingdai asked.

Li Changqing spoke in a low voice, "Miss Shen, I've warned you repeatedly; if anything happens in here, don't blame me."

After a moment's thought, he said, "Let's start with the dormitory building. Huang Chao mentioned it before he disappeared."

"Let's go."

Shen Qingdai, hands behind her back, wandered through the building as if on a spring outing.

Uncle Yun brought out a black flag painted with complex, ominous symbols.

Li Changqing followed five meters behind, ready to use the skills he'd worked so hard to practice if anything went wrong.

Soon, they reached the central dormitory building.

"Let's begin searching," Shen Qingdai said, glancing at the old, dirty, broken building covered in dust.

But she wasn't a neat freak. She promptly kicked open doors one after another, checking inside with remarkable efficiency.

Uncle Yun did the same, and the two searched every room on the first floor, finding no trace or clue of Huang Chao.

"Up to the second floor. Li Changqing, you'd better stick close. If you lag behind and I think you're trying to escape, I'll kill you," Shen Qingdai said with a slight smile.

Second floor.

Third floor.

Still no sign.

Soon, they reached the sixth floor.

"Miss Shen, this door's been opened recently—the traces suggest it's not long ago," Uncle Yun observed the dust at the doorframe, seasoned and meticulous.

"Then this is the place. One left, one right."

With that, Uncle Yun started searching the room on the right.

Li Changqing knew well—this was where the two guardians met their end...

"Why are you standing there? Go search the rooms on the left," Shen Qingdai ordered.

Li Changqing hesitated, pointing at himself. "Me? Me?"