Chapter 208 - The Case Of The Body Thief (4)
None of them talked as Jiang Chen's car drove in the direction of the train Lu Anqi's body had gone. Jiang Chen glanced at the map on his phone, predicting the arrival of the train cabin at every station where it would make a stop.
Shen Minyao remained silent throughout the ride. They were catching up fast to the public transportation, avoiding the build-up of traffic in the process. Meanwhile, Mu Qing also kept to himself as if he was only a spectator for this case. He wasn't planning to offer any help to these humans.
This was one of the rare cases he heard that a live human being's soul was expelled from its own body and snatched by a different spirit. Obviously, the grim reaper grew curious and wanted to know how it was even possible.
Lu Anqi still looked worried and distressed, while Li Fei'er was trying to calm her down.
"It's going to be alright, Xiao Qi. We won't allow you to die like this."
Lu Anqi sniffed and tried to contain her tears, not wanting to cause any more trouble than she already had. Moreover, she could sense that Jiang Chen was upset with the sudden turn of events. She even knew that he was trying to distance himself from Shen Minyao for some reason.
Initially, she thought that perhaps, she might be overthinking things between them. However, now that she was able to witness them speak to each other again, she felt like something had happened that made Jiang Chen wary of Shen Minyao.
Why did they suddenly give each other the cold shoulder? Even when the group met Shen Minyao and CEO Qin at the kindergarten where the hoard of demons appeared, Jiang Chen was a little hesitant to work with them.
"There are only two days left before my body starts to notice that I'm out of it. What if I don't make it in time?" She asked Li Fei'er.
"What if you trust your companions that we would be able to retrieve your body back?" The fox woman frowned. "Please don't waste our time and effort being here if you only plan to cry like this and do nothing."
"Yaoyao…"
"What? I'm merely stating the truth. Obviously, people who get exposed enough to paranormal things like this would face repercussions." Shen Minyao then glanced at Jiang Chen, who was trying hard to ignore her accusing stare.
"It's okay, Xiao Fei." Lu Anqi shook her head, telling Li Fei'er not to argue with Shen Minyao, anymore. "Shen Minyao is right. I can't just sulk here and pity myself, knowing that my body is out there being used by someone else.
It didn't take long before they reached the fourth station, where the train was about to make a stop.
"She's moving." Shen Minyao's voice broke the unwanted tension within the car. "I could sense her presence more profoundly now."
This only meant that Lu Anqi's scent was now stronger, that it confirmed her body's presence within the vicinity of where they were.
Jiang Chen nodded and hurriedly went to the north exit of the train station. He lowered the window next to him and watched as the passengers came out from the place. His eyes looked frantically for Lu Anqi's body in the crowd.
Li Fei'er did the same. She lowered the window to check the southern exit of the station and followed Jiang Chen's lead. At this, Shen Minyao scrunched her nose at the amount of scent that assaulted her senses the moment Li Fei'er opened the window of the car next to her.
It was already seven in the evening. Many employees were on their way home now, so the roads and most public transportation routes were filled with them. Even with Shen Minyao's heightened senses, Lu Anqi's scent could be overwhelmed by other humans that wore stronger scents. After all, that could weaken the fox woman's ability to ascertain her whereabouts.
"I see her!" Li Fei'er exclaimed as she spotted Lu Anqi's body step out of the southern exit, taking a turn to look around as if she was afraid of being followed.
Jiang Chen drove his car to follow Lu Anqi's body from a safe distance. He had to make sure not to give way in case it ran away.
"I think she's suspecting that we are following her," Li Fei'er commented.
"Don't worry. The entity that snatched Lu Anqi's body is a wandering ghost, not a demon. It would be easier for you to exorcise it from her body without leaving damage on it," Shen Minyao told her.
"That's very reassuring." The young shaman released a breath she didn't know she was holding until that moment. Li Fei'er was worried that although she might exorcise the spirit out of Lu Anqi's body, she would be the one to leave possible injuries on it.
"Where is she going?" Lu Anqi took a peek over Li Fei'er's shoulder to see what was happening.
"I think she's trying to open one of the lockers nearby," Jiang Chen said.
Some locker stations allowed people to leave their belongings in one of the lockers for a long time. It could keep the belongings for days or months, depending on what rate the owner chose.
Whoever was possessing Lu Anqi's body, she was able to unlock one of the lockers using a pin. She then fished out an old blue and white sports bag that had seen better days. She looked around, making sure no one's paying attention to her before discreetly leaving the place.
Lu Anqi felt disturbed, seeing herself being used by another spirit like this. She had never thought that after months of working as Jiang Chen's assistant, she would also experience something paranormal like this. Moreover, she would be able to experience what it felt to be a wandering ghost like the ones they encountered in the past.
Jiang Chen had to park his car at the nearby parking space as they couldn't follow Lu Anqi's body through the sedan anymore.
Using Lu Anqi's distinct scent, Shen Minyao led the way and kept a few meters of distance between their group and the body. The spirit who possessed Lu Anqi's body seemed to be aware of the possibility of her being followed. It was apparent by how she occasionally looked around her and made sure no suspicious person followed her tracks.
"What could be the worst-case scenario in this case?" Mu Qing asked the fox woman through telepathy.
The white snake that was still coiled on Shen Minyao's right arm made a slight movement, but he remained asleep. Ever since Baiyu's first feeding on the blood-sucking demoness, he had been in hibernation and had yet to wake up from it.
'What else could it be?' Shen Minyao hummed. "She's already lucky that what possessed her body wasn't a demon. However, if it was a malevolent spirit, then I fear that it wouldn't care if it hurt Lu Anqi's body… or worse, sexually assault her by touching her inappropriately."
Mu Qing pressed his lips into a thin line, realizing it was a mistake to ask the fox woman such questions. He was starting to wonder if she had always been so straightforward like this. Well, at least she wasn't like the other demonesses he'd met in his long life as a grim reaper… those who liked to show more skin and dress less, barely showing propriety at all.
When Lu Anqi's body went to a dark area of the local park, Shen Minyao and Mu Qing leaped up to the highest tree in the area to have a good look at what the spirit was up to.
"Yaoyao, what could you see from there?" Li Fei'er asked while Lu Anqi furrowed her brows in confusion.
She was aware that her body was at least thirty meters ahead of them, but why was Li Fei'er asking Shen Minyao a strange question? How could Shen Minyao have a good look at what was happening, considering how dark the place was and how far her body had gone from where they were.
"She's opening the bag she took from the local locker," Shen Minyao replied as she stood on the sturdy branch next to Mu Qing.
Seeing them up there, Lu Anqi thought that those two were weightless. After all, the branch they were standing on didn't even make a creaking sound the moment their feet touched it.
"Can you see what was inside the bag?" It was Jiang Chen who asked the fox woman this time. Until now, they have no idea of the identity that snatched Lu Anqi's body and what she was doing in a place like this.
Shen Minyao waited for the dark cloud that covered the moonlight to pass before she could see clearly what was inside the sports bag. As Lu Anqi's hands pulled something from the bag, the fox woman's brows shot up.
"Money.. Tons of it," she answered Jiang Chen.
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