As I was leaving, I curiously dipped my finger into it and tasted it. It was surprisingly delicious.
Continuing our pursuit through the SkyNet system and traffic management systems, we quickly located the Mercedes. It was fortunate that the woman remembered, as the license plate was an unremarkable jumble of letters and numbers, likely fake.
Tracking the Mercedes proved smooth, but unfortunately, they were too quick. Before the lockdown order was issued, the Mercedes had already exited Yangzhou City from the east and merged onto the intercity highway towards Jinling.
With no other options, we had to continue the pursuit, hoping they wouldn't switch vehicles again.
Just as Bai Qingcheng was about to contact Shen Xingyue, who was formerly with the Jinling Sabia Task Force and more familiar with the area, I had a sudden idea. "Wait a moment, Qingcheng, let me track them!"
"How will you track them? They must be almost in Jinling by now."
"No, to get from Yangzhou to Jinling, they have to cross a bridge. Today is Friday, and the traffic on the bridge is always exceptionally bad in the evening. They won't have enough time and must still be on the road. I'll send someone to chase them!" I asserted. My familiarity with the area around Jinling was no less than Shen Xingyue's; this was my home base.
"How will you chase them?" Bai Qingcheng asked.
I looked at Xiao Nu and Zheng Baobao. They understood. I showed them the map, outlining the pursuit route. Although they were new to the human world, they were already familiar with license plates as a unique identifier for vehicles.
Bingbing lent her phone to Baobao, and the two ghosts immediately set off in pursuit. Less than three minutes later, Zheng Baobao called back, "We've caught up, and the demon core is in hand!"
I snapped my fingers excitedly. It was worth bringing these two ghosts to the human world; they proved useful on their first outing.
By the time we drove over, the Mercedes was parked on the roadside. Inside, two shivering men in black suits sat, while Zheng Baobao, in her semi-transparent ghostly form, was in the backseat. It was clear that after Zheng Baobao revealed her identity as a ghost, the two men in black were terrified.
Xiao Nu stood beside the car, holding a box wrapped in the same red brocade, waiting for us.
We pulled over. As I looked at the box in her hand, I immediately activated my spirit-sensing ability. I couldn't see anything. Had we been tricked again?
However, the moment I began to pry open the box, Yao Yao beside me quickly covered the lid. "Don't let it escape. Find a safe place to open it first!"
"You saw it?" I asked.
"Yes, it's inside. They've somehow infused this box's lining with something that can block spirit-sensing abilities," Yao Yao explained.
If it could block spirit-sensing abilities, it could probably block demonic energy too, which explained why we couldn't detect anything from the outside.
"Let's head back to Jinling. There's a laboratory there," Bai Qingcheng suggested.
"What about these two?" I asked, pointing to the men in the Mercedes.
"Confiscate their phones and throw them off the bridge to fend for themselves," Bai Qingcheng said coldly. Not killing them was already showing mercy, considering it was Bai Qingcheng.
I kindly asked the two men in black if they knew how to swim. After receiving an affirmative answer, Baobao pulled them out of the car, first tossing their phones into the Yangtze River, and then throwing them in after.
When we returned to the Sabia underground laboratory at Jinling's Xuanwu Lake, Bai Qingcheng received a call. Intelligence from an internal spy within the Chi You organization indicated that the Miao King had learned of his plan's failure and the interception of the demon core. He was reportedly furious and preparing to confront Bai Qingcheng to seize Yuwen Chengdu's demon core. We were warned to be cautious.
"Where exactly is the Miao King?" I asked.
"He's in Jinling."
"Then it's perfect. Let's set a trap and catch him too," Yao Yao suggested. "This box they designed is quite clever and secure. As long as we have the box, the demon core won't escape."
"Set a trap... How do we do that?" Bai Qingcheng turned to me.
Bai Qingcheng's martial prowess was so high that she was accustomed to direct confrontation and combat. She would likely disdain such methods. However, facing the powerful Chi You organization and the Miao King, setting a trap was a more prudent approach. The battle was imminent, and any reduction in losses would be beneficial.
I thought for a moment and then looked at Yao Yao. "We'll have to rely on you for this."