Afterlife Department

Chapter 75 - Huo Family

Special World.

"Why…" Huo Ling muttered in shock when he saw his room looked like it was passed by a storm. Everything's turned upside down. Even the TV's screen was broken. He only saw two pools of blood on the floor, but the corpses were nowhere to be seen. "They…" he muttered and looked at Yi Bing. His eyes are asking.

Yi Bing nodded. "Seems like, whoever came here was eaten by the Soul Eater." he said as he walked inside. He stepped on the blood as if it's nothing to him. "Just going to stand there?" he asked as he turned to Huo Ling who just stood by the doorway.

"G-going…" Huo Ling said and forced back the nausea he felt when he came inside his room and smelled the rustic and fishy odor of the blood.

Yi Bing watched Huo Ling passed by him. Looks like he really can't remember Fu Ling's room before. He thought.

He was referring to the first world - in which also the world where Yi Bing came from, where he and Huo Ling first met. It is Huo Ling's first life. Fu Ling is the woman who called for a delivery. Huo Ling happened to be the deliveryman. When Huo Ling delivered the food, Fu Ling was dead and Huo Ling was stabbed from behind, causing him to die. It was then he appeared before Huo Ling.

It was really the Soul Fragment's doing. He frowned. The only way Huo Ling remembered some parts of their meeting before is due to the Soul Fragment's effect. He followed Huo Ling as he tried to search his room. "This is my family." He heard Huo Ling said after he picked up the broken picture frame containing a family picture.

Yi Bing looked at it and saw a six-person family. A pair of old people, a pair of couple and a pair of siblings. His gaze fell on Huo Ling who was smiling brightly together with his younger sister. In his past life, Huo Ling has brown eyes and brown, curly hair. In this life, Huo Ling has a straight black hair and dark eyes. But, his young and handsome face still didn't change. "What happened to them?" he asked.

"It was my homecoming. However, before I could fly home, our house was caught on fire." Huo Ling answered before he paused. "Fire, huh?" he muttered and looked at his hand. He remembered his power. "Is this repentance?" he bitterly laughed as he sat on the bed and cried. "I'm sorry, everyone…" he sobbed before he finally had a breakdown.

Yi Bing looked at him before he looked away. In his last life, no matter how he was wronged – even in his death, he might have complained but still he had remained a positive person. However, in this life…

Yi Bing's eyes narrowed. Maybe it was because he was sheltered thus it was difficult for him to accept the hardships he is facing. He easily breaks down. "What about the investigation?" he asked him.

"They said it's an unfortunate incident. The gas leaked after it was left unattended." Huo Ling answered as he tried to recall the past.

Yi Bing frowned. "Is that true?" he said, his tone unconvinced.

Huo Ling nodded. "Yes. I saw the proof." He told him.

Yi Bing looked at their family picture again. "Hm?" he said when he noticed something. "… you have a butler?" he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Huo Ling wiped his tears. "Yes." he answered and looked at their family picture. His eyes are filled with extreme sadness. "My grandparents are very old. My parents are working, and my younger sister and I were studying." He said. "Old Tang is a family friend. My grandfather and him are friends when they were young, and all his family had gone abroad." He explained.

Yi Bing found it odd. "If you had a butler, why would the gas be left unattended?" he asked. Butlers are attentive people. That's the least requirement for them.

Huo Ling's eyes widened, shocked when he understood the meaning behind Yi Bing's words. "You suspect it's him?!" he asked, a look of disbelief in his eyes as he stared at Yi Bing.

"Where was he when the accident happened?" Yi Bing asked.

"He's…" Huo Ling's voice trailed off before he suddenly gasped. Then, he looked at their butler in the picture. "No way…" he muttered, a look of confusion registered on his face. "This can't be..." he added as he retreated a few steps, acting as if the picture frame is a giant snake about to pounce on him.

"What's wrong?" Yi Bing asked when he noticed Huo Ling's panicked expression. "Was he included to those who died?" he added. He can see from Huo Ling's expression that Huo Ling is wavering.

"It's the opposite." Huo Ling said and shook his head. "Everyone died, but he's… nowhere to be found." He said as he walked forward and took the picture frame from Yi Bing's hand.

"What do you mean?" Yi Bing asked.

"I just realized..." Huo softly said. "Everyone's corpses are charred, unrecognizable. However, there was one person missing when they counted the number of people reported that have died inside." he explained. "I… didn't expect… is it really him?" he asked in a low voice.

"What's it if you'll be wrong in your suspicion?" Yi Bing said as he crossed his arms and looked at the picture in Huo Ling's hand. "You're already dead." He told him.

Huo Ling froze before a hurt expression registered on his face. "You're right." He forced a laugh.

… annoying. Yi Bing thought as his lip twitched. He's not used to a depressed Huo Ling. "Do you have anything valuable on you?" he asked, changing the topic.

"None. Why?" Huo Ling asked.

"Someone was looking for something here." Yi Bing answered as he looekd at the mess around them.

Huo Ling was shocked. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Who would…" he said and stopped when he remembered Jin Yu is missing. "You think it's him?" he said. "But... I have nothing valuable on me." He told Yi Bing.

"The Soul Eater look for something it can eat. It wouldn't turn everything in here upside down." Yi Bing said. "I saw in the other rooms when I passed by. Their room is fine and orderly. Only your room is in a mess." He explained. Someone came to steal something on Huo Ling.

"But, the Soul Eater is only after the souls… why would it eat a human like Jin Yu?" Huo Ling asked.

"Well, it doesn't necessarily be the Soul Eater. It could be one of the zombies it controls." Yi Bing shrugged. "So, find something that could be valuable?" he asked as he looked around.

"I already said there's nothing." Huo Ling said and pressed his lips thin, getting impatient. He isn't used to being forced.

"Then, why would Jin Yu go here? Just to mess with you?" Yi Bing asked as his fingers ran along the table and stopped beside the broken music box. He pressed the button to make it play music.

"That's wrong." Huo Ling said after he listened to the music from the music box.

"What is?" Yi Bing asked.

"The note." Huo Ling answered as he took the music box from Yi Bing.

"Maybe because it was broken." Yi Bing said.

"No. This can't be easily broken, aside from its cover." Huo Ling said. "My grandfather gave this to me as a present." he explained as he opened the bottom of the music box. "Ah." he muttered when something fell to the floor.

"A paper?" Yi Bing said and picked it up.

Huo Ling looked at the paper and was surprised to see it was a deed of land. "Grandpa…" his voice became hoarse and his tears fell when he saw his name on the deed. Now, he realized. "So it was me they're after all along…" he cried as he fell on his knees.

"You mean…" Yi Bing looked at him.

"The land is owned by our family for generations." Huo Ling said. "However, someone was pestering my grandfather to sell the land to them. Of course, my grandfather disagreed. So, they…" he lowered his head and didn't continue.

It wasn't something special, but what happened still can't be overlooked. Just because of the humans' greed, they took others' life to satisfy themselves. "And this is what they're looking for." Yi Bing said.

Huo Ling nodded. "That's why they sent me abroad to escape under the guise of studying." He said. "When they didn't find the deed, they killed my family." His tears fell.

"What about Jin Yu?" Yi Bing asked.

"Maybe they find some people who had a grudge against us, then found Jin Yu…"

Yi Bing looked at the deed. "Do you have an idea who might they be?" he asked.

"If what you said before is right, then, we can start looking for our family's butler."

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