Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Uesugi Kotoko was very happy when she was discussing her work with others, so whenever someone was interested in her job, she would put all her physical desires away to satisfy her mental needs first. Not many people were willing to discuss her job. She almost went crazy from focusing on her work so much. She even wished that the dead bodies could talk so she could share her discoveries and progress with them.

Therefore, she answered every question Zhao Manyan had. Little did she know, a shadow was creeping up to her in the darkness. It placed its long claws around her neck.

Uesugi Kotoko did not notice it at first until a few figures showed up behind her.

“Who are you?…” Uesugi Kotoko only realized something was not right when she turned around and saw people behind her.

“Enough with your disguise, you Undead Mage!” Mo Fan said coldly.

She had murdered people, sealed them up in boxes, and transported them out of the country as specimens. How could Mo Fan not be angry when he heard about it? Most importantly, the person inside the box was Mu Bai!

“What do you mean? I told you I have international certification for my job. The cruise liner is out in the ocean too. If you intervene with my job, I will call the police immediately!” Uesugi Kotoko realized these people might be after her specimen. The blond man was only bait!

“Call the police?” Zhao Manyan chuckled.

Mu Xumian frowned. She observed the woman carefully before looking at the Queen Bee of Revenge on her shoulder.

“Wait a second, she isn’t the warlock we are looking for,” Mu Xumian informed them.

“What warlock? I’m only a researcher! You have no right to interfere with my job, even if my specimens are humans!” Uesugi Kotoko defended herself.

“You better tell us the truth, or we’ll turn you into a specimen and deliver it to our country’s Research Union!” Mo Fan’s dark brown eyes were wide and murderous. Great fear suddenly surged into Uesugi Kotoko’s mind.

Her face turned pale, and she took a few steps back.

“He is our friend. If we found out you were the one who killed him, we’ll make sure your soul goes through the most painful torture after you die!” Mo Fan did not have the patience to go easy on Uesugi Kotoko.

Uesugi Kotoko could not withstand the pressure from Mo Fan. She fell to the ground in fright and trembled.

“I didn’t kill him. I really didn’t kill him!…” Uesugi Kotoko cried out.

“What happened then!?” Mo Fan asked.

“I was in Xiamen… I spent some time there. I was there when the storm came. I was planning to go back to Japan from Xiamen, but I was trapped in the city. I hid inside a deserted mall when the sea monsters showed up. I soon heard some strange noises. I was so scared that I didn’t dare to move around. I heard someone running toward me, and a strange thing like a phantom was chasing him.”

“I couldn’t see a thing, as the place was in complete darkness. I only knew that your friend had gotten rid of the phantom, but he was barely alive when he escaped into the mall.”

“I waited for a long time. I made sure nothing was nearby before I went to inspect him. He was dying. His body was emitting the rotting aura of the undead. The organs inside his body were failing, too. He was going to die within half an hour.”

“However, for some reason, a layer of frost wrapped around his body like a cocoon as he was about to die…”

Uesugi Kotoko had quickly removed the seal on the box and opened it up while she was talking.

A frosty aura burst out from it. Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, Mu Ningxue, Mu Xumian, and Liu Ru immediately stared at the contents. It was just as Uesugi Kotoko had mentioned. Mu Bai was currently wrapped inside a cocoon of ice.

“Is he still alive?” Mo Fan blurted out in joy.

“He’s dead,” Liu Ru shook her head.

The rest looked at Liu Ru with a puzzled expression. Liu Ru explained, “When a human is severely injured, like from rapid loss of blood or excessive damage to the organs and tissues, their vitality will be drain away rapidly. He’s currently in the stage of awaiting his death. As soon as the ice cocoon melts, he will die within a single breath, before a Healer can use their magic.”

“The Healing Element works by awakening the self-rejuvenating ability of a person’s body. Once the ice cocoon melts, the rate of his life being drained away is at least ten times quicker than the rate of rejuvenation. It’s impossible for him to survive… I’m not lying to you. I might not be a talented Mage, but I know when a person is as good as dead. You won’t be able to save him, no matter what trick you used to preserve his body. I’ve been working in this field for a long time. I believe he only froze himself because he didn’t want to die just like that, so I simply stored his body inside the preservative box. If you still want to preserve his body, you should put the lid back on,” Uesugi Kotoko said.

Mo Fan looked at Mu Bai, who was frozen in the ice cocoon. He could see the pain and resentment on Mu Bai’s face.

He knew someone terrifying was hiding nearby, yet he naively thought he was the enemy’s primary target. Little did he know that enemy was after Mu Bai all along!

Mu Bai was ambushed by the Undead Warlock while he was defending the Xinglin Route. Mu Xumian had already told them how strong the enemy was. They needed to gather so many people just to match the enemy’s strength, yet Mu Bai had managed to drive the enemy away by himself while holding onto his last breath.

“Mo Fan, can Xinxia save Mu Bai in his current state?” Mu Ningxue asked softly.

“I’m not sure. The Parthenon Temple might know some powerful spells,” Mo Fan replied, equally quietly.

“The Parthenon Temple won’t be able to save him either. People in our field are quite familiar with the Parthenon Temple. Their Healing Magic only works on living beings. As for your friend… even if he isn’t corrupted by the Undead Magic, he’s no longer considered living,” Uesugi Kotoko said confidently.

“Either way, let’s bring him to the Parthenon Temple first, so Xinxia can take a look at him,” Zhao Manyan said.

“You can’t take him away. He’s my…” Uesugi Kotoko blurted out.

“Humph, keep grumbling if you want to spend the rest of your life in jail,” Mo Fan spat coldly.

Uesugi Kotoko might be a disgusting woman, but she had somehow preserved Mu Bai’s body by sealing him in the specimen box. Otherwise, not even a body would be left if the Undead Mage found him again. It was the fortunate part of this misfortune.