Just as he was thinking that Logan Sullivan was about to lose his temper and shivered a little, the small "electric baton" in Charles Gray's hand suddenly, without any warning, shot out a string of sparks bright enough to blind a dog, and lunged straight at Logan Sullivan's back.

Luckily, Logan Sullivan was on high alert. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he immediately dodged to the side, and that string of sparks, carrying scorching heat, shot deep into the cave.

Carter Shaw: "Holy shit!"

Logan Sullivan: "Holy shit!"

Carter Shaw looked at Charles Gray in surprise, not expecting this useless guy to actually do something that most special investigators would only dare to dream of—taking down this bastard of a boss.

Logan Sullivan awkwardly brushed off the water and mud that had stuck to him from the cave wall. "What the hell are you doing!"

Charles Gray looked extremely innocent. "I—I don't know... It, it, it just moved on its own..."

"Nonsense, that thing attacks according to your fear. The more scared you are, the stronger its energy gets. It's basically tailor-made for you, okay?" Logan Sullivan was practically losing it. "What the hell were you imagining while walking behind me that scared yourself this much?!"

After a moment of awkward silence, Charles Gray finally raised his hand, trembling, and pointed at the furious Logan Sullivan, saying, "It... it's just the way you look right now."

Logan Sullivan: "..."

Carter Shaw couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

After laughing, Carter Shaw reached out to Charles Gray. "Let me see it."

This was one of the rare times Carter Shaw had spoken to him proactively, so Charles Gray was instantly flattered and handed it over eagerly.

Carter Shaw shook the "electric baton" by his ear, tapped it with his finger, then, eyes darting, tossed it back to Charles Gray, and gave Logan Sullivan a meaningful look. "Director Zhao, this isn't exactly a proper item, is it?"

Logan Sullivan snorted. "Don't act like you're some upstanding person yourself... Watch out!"

He hadn't finished his sentence when his expression suddenly changed. He pushed Charles Gray aside, dropped to one knee, and with a loud bang, a fierce wind swept over his scalp, bringing a foul stench. Out of nowhere, a huge comb-shaped object flew at them. Its base was made of thick, carved wood, about three meters long, and the top was studded with sharp blades. Anyone hit by this thing would be minced in an instant.

Carter Shaw pressed himself against the wall, flipping his fingers to grip a handful of talismans.

The massive "comb" turned in midair and swung down at them again from above. The talisman papers in Carter Shaw's hand shot out like darts, sticking precisely to the dense blades. But whether it was because he hadn't chosen the right talisman or not, the huge thing wasn't slowed at all, still chopping down with a terrifying force.

Logan Sullivan's gun was already in his hand.

But just then, Charles Gray, who had reacted half a beat slower than everyone else, finally snapped out of it and let out an inhuman scream: "Oh my god!"

Immediately after, a jet of flames two or three meters high burst from the "electric baton" in his hand, with power comparable to a gas explosion. Logan Sullivan and Carter Shaw both dodged at once, and the roaring fire slammed into the dozens of blades. The giant "comb" froze in midair, shuddered violently, and then, incredibly, melted in the flames, dripping onto the ground with a sizzling sound.

For a full minute, no one spoke.

After who knows how long, Carter Shaw finally turned his stiff neck, looked sincerely at Charles Gray sitting on the ground, and said from the bottom of his heart, "You're amazing."

Charles Gray had just been so scared his mind went blank. Now, with his heart pounding, he wished he could pop a handful of heart pills into his mouth. Hearing this, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

"I thought you just sealed a ground-bound spirit in an ordinary electric baton. Resentful ghosts can feed on fear and turn it into their own power," Carter Shaw said shakily, turning to their boss. "You... what exactly did you make?"

Logan Sullivan had already recovered from his daze at lightning speed and put on his usual cool demeanor, straightening his clothes. In a tone of a proper person, he said, "Privately sealing souls is illegal. As a law-abiding public servant, how could I knowingly break the law?"

Carter Shaw: "..."

"...Inside are the soul fragments of a hundred executed evil spirits. Most of them I got from Soulwarden, and a few I traded for with underworld coins from the ghost messengers. I fused them together with Samadhi True Fire..."

Carter Shaw was on the verge of collapse. "And where did you get the fire?"

"Last year, when I went to catch the fugitive Firefeather, I borrowed a light from it for a cigarette, and kept a spark afterwards."

Carter Shaw was silent for a while, at a loss for words. He reached out to pull Charles Gray up from the ground and said weakly, "Forget it, let's just keep going."

He had a boss who was a big shot in both the underworld and the mortal world, and was on friendly terms with all three realms. In this lifetime, Carter Shaw figured he would probably never get to fulfill his wish of beating this guy up the normal way... Maybe this glorious and arduous task would always fall to the office mascot, comrade Charles Gray.

Logan Sullivan smiled and was just about to remind them to be careful when, in the distance, a clear whistle sounded. A ball of glowing gray mist floated over, rolled straight into Logan Sullivan's arms, and as soon as the glow and mist touched his hand, they vanished, leaving a letter in Logan Sullivan's hand.

A familiar aura, a pitch-black envelope, blood-red writing.

Carter Shaw's expression turned serious. He stepped forward, then hesitated and stepped back, while Logan Sullivan, afraid that Charles Gray would accidentally hurt his teammates again, took the initiative to walk ahead, trying to keep his distance from him.

Carter Shaw asked from behind, "Is it from Soulwarden?"

"Yeah." Logan Sullivan tore open the envelope in two quick motions, but the contents made him frown.

Soulwarden was always long-winded. Every time before getting to the point, he would at least exchange pleasantries several times, practically greeting every relative you had, and only then, with a few words, touch on the main topic, showing off his literary subtlety. But this time, the letter was unusually sloppy, with no greeting or closing, more like a sticky note, and contained only one sentence: "Danger. Do not pursue. Return immediately."

Carter Shaw: "Why would Soulwarden send a letter here? What's happened?"

Logan Sullivan folded the letter and stuffed it into his pocket, not saying anything for a moment.

Soulwarden usually sent wandering souls directly to the Special Investigation Office. Unless it was an absolute emergency, he wouldn't come out in person—after all, he didn't want to be seen by unrelated people.

So what had happened now?

And how did Soulwarden know he was here?

Logan Sullivan's face remained calm, but his mind was racing. He hesitated, glanced at his two clueless subordinates, and said to Carter Shaw, "Here's the plan, Old Chu, you take him back first. Meet up with Julian West and the others."

Carter Shaw: "What?"

Charles Gray: "Aren't we going to look for sister Zach Warren?"

"I'll go by myself. You two head back first." Logan Sullivan patted Charles Gray's shoulder. "Hold on to what I gave you, be careful on the way, help Julian West destroy the altar on the mountain, don't let William Sherman and his students wander around, and wait until the rescue team clears the road before doing anything else."

Although Logan Sullivan didn't reveal any details, Carter Shaw still sensed a bit of unease from his words. "You're going alone?"

Logan Sullivan nodded, saying no more.

Carter Shaw frowned, then decisively grabbed Charles Gray, who wanted to say something more. "Let's go."

Charles Gray: "But..."

Carter Shaw: "But what? Don't waste time. The boss wants to finish up quickly and go back to date. Move it."

Charles Gray: "..."

Charles Gray was half-dragged by Carter Shaw toward the cave entrance, all the while looking back anxiously at Logan Sullivan.

Logan Sullivan tucked his flashlight under his arm, gloved hands in his coat pockets, and stood there watching them leave. Only when they were out of sight and the big door behind him echoed shut did he turn and continue forward.

At that moment, the little gray shadow that had just dispersed suddenly appeared out of nowhere, condensing in front of him into a small skeleton about the height of a four- or five-year-old child. It spread its thin white arms wide, forming a "T" shape, and stood in front of him with its head tilted up.

"Oh, such a small puppet. Did Soulwarden send you to follow me?" Logan Sullivan raised an eyebrow.

Maybe because it was so small, the little puppet's dark eye sockets actually gave off a hint of innocence. It didn't seem to understand human speech very well, neither nodding nor shaking its head, just standing there stubbornly, blocking his way.