Afterlife Department

Chapter 484 - Reborn

The streets are filled with various kinds of creatures. Some have pink flesh with a pair of antenna on their foreheads. Some have big and pointed eyes that occupy half of their face. Some have long and slender limbs that have three, wiggly fingers.

The most eye-catching are the four who wore black, hooded cloaks that is covering their entire bodies. They look like four phantoms with their fast speed as they walk, crossing the street before they disappear around a corner, never to be seen again. Some would think that their eyes must have mistaken. But, since most of the creatures in the black market all wanted to hide their identities to do illegal deeds, the four who wore black, hooded cloaks were immediately forgotten.

"Yu Yan. Age 55. A lieutenant colonel." Huo Ling muttered as he read the information displayed on his light brain which is one of they bought from the black market earlier. Although they have their communicators, but not only it looked outdated, it also looked different from the light brain owned by the citizens of this world. Thus, they have to buy a light brain to fit with this world and to be not suspected.

The problem is, the light brain is issued only to those who was registered since their birth. How can Yi Bing, Huo Ling, Shou Ji and Shi Jiu, who came from another world, own a light brain, then? Even if Shou Ji was once an inhabitant of this world, but he was already dead in this world. Thus, they can only buy their own light brains. And the only place where they can buy their light brain is the black market. This black market which is selling light brain is located in another, distant planet.

"So, he is still a lieutenant." Shou Ji spoke and smiled which is not a smile.

Huo Ling looked at him. This Yu Yan is the reborn soul and caused everything to change, including Shou Ji's life, resulting him to die this time. He doesn't know if Shou Ji meant what he told him earlier. But, right now, he knows that Shou Ji feels horrible. Who wouldn't feel horrible after learning that you died but you shouldn't have?

"Do you have an idea why he changed everything?" Yi Bing asked.

Shou Ji shook his head. "In fact, I was also shocked." He spoke. "After I died and I joined the Afterlife Department, I was really shocked when I found out from the Name Record that the world where I came from, its trajectory was changed. Because of a reborn person." He said.

He can still remember the horror he felt when he saw the duplicate names with same birth dates but different death dates.

Silence fell. Huo Ling doesn't know what to say, nor how to comfort Shou Ji so he resumed reading the data about Yu Yan. Meanwhile, Yi Bing was secretly observing Shi Jiu who was watching Shou Ji, who is trying to calm himself right now.

After Yi Bing heard Gu Shi told him that he has a new task, he wanted to decline at first since he wanted Huo Ling to take a rest. But, when he heard that the task is related to Shou Ji, he agreed. Because he regarded Shou Ji as a friend. He also sympathizes with him, and that Shou Ji also has a broken soul like Huo Ling. Thus, he accepted the task.

In fact, after Shou Ji found out the change of their world's trajectory and the cause is the reborn soul, he should have already acted to catch the reborn soul. But, they didn't. Because of two reasons: one, Shou Ji is a rational person. Even though he died unjustly, but he has a great self-discipline, so he doesn't act rashly. Which is why Yi Bing admired him.

Shou Ji didn't immediately rush to go back to his world since one, he is already dead. Two, his soul is gravely injured and he can't travel through worlds. The fact that he arrived in the Stable World, and even was found by Shen Sheng, is already very fortunate. Thus, he had two nurse his soul first until he has enough strength to go to his world and investigate, and also to catch the reborn soul, which coincides with the responsibilities of his new job – collecting souls.

The second reason is that they can't just directly grab the reborn soul. This is because the reborn soul has some power that makes it to influence the world. Or else, the trajectory of the world wouldn't change this much, and Shou Ji shouldn't have died. This is why Gu Shi waited until now to act, finally catching it. They had to investigate how powerful the reborn soul, and what power does it possess. Thus, they really can't act rashly.

"How much do you know about our target?" Yi Bing asked. His voice woke Huo Ling from his deep contemplation.

"Yu Yan was born from the green planet – a planet that resembles Earth because of its abundant plant life." Shou Ji answered. "His family is ordinary, and he has two younger siblings – one boy and one girl. His younger brother is helping his family farm while his younger sister married after." He spoke. "He is ambitious, which is out of the character of someone who grew up in an ordinary family." He said.

"This…" Huo Ling muttered. "This knowledge of yours about him… this must be your memory after his rebirth." He said.

They all looked at him.

"Since he has already reborn, naturally, what he changed should also have replaced your memories of your prior life when he wasn't reborn." Huo Ling spoke. "Since his rebirth, your memories will definitely have refreshed. For example, in your prior life, he is a filial child and left his family to become a soldier to bring honor to his family. But, since he was reborn, he became ambitious." He explained.

"Oh… you have a point!" Shi Jiu exclaimed.

"So this is why I felt that something was off about him…" Shou Ji muttered and bitterly smiled.

Huo Ling looked at him. "His personality must be one of the changes of him." He said.

Shou Ji nodded in agreement. "You're right. I trust in my judgement and I felt that he should have been a filial child instead of being an ambitious one." He said. "So this was where his rebirth started…" he sighed and tiredly closed his eyes.

Huo Ling fell silent.

"Chief… can you still hold on?" Shi Jiu asked.

Huo Ling started. "'hold on'?" he asked as he looked at Shi Jiu. "What do you men, 'hold on'?" he said.

"It's nothing." Yi Bing answered and pulled his arm to look at his light brain where Yu Yan's data was displayed. "Resume reading." He told him.

Huo Ling still felt suspicious regarding Shou Ji's state but since Yi Bing gave his order, he did so. "As Shou Ji said, Yu Yan grew up in Green Planet 12 – a planet with abundant plant life." He spoke. "He left his family when he was seventeen to join the army. When he was 18, he was the best newcomer and became an official soldier. When he was 20, he became a lieutenant. When he was 25, he became a captain. When he was 34, he became a major. When he was 45, he became lieutenant colonel." He said.

Human life, in this world, can reach until three hundred years because of the humans' evolution. But, at present, the oldest person has lived more than two hundred years. Three hundred years is the maximum, for now.

Yu Yan's life can be considered successful for him to be able to reach such a status at such a young age. Thus, Shou Ji was very puzzled why Yu Yan changed the history. If he didn't die, didn't land on the Stable World, wasn't found by Shen Sheng and hadn't joined the Afterlife Department, he wouldn't see the Name Record and wouldn't find out that everything in his world has changed. He would definitely still be kept in the dark of Yu Yan's crime.

Yu Yan, whether it be the prior life or now, he is still the lieutenant colonel. His rank didn't change. If his career isn't the cause, then what is it? What other things did he change? Did he have a problem with his family? Financial problem? Love life?

Shou Ji felt his head ached and he rubbed his temples.

"Drink this." Shi Jiu spoke and handed him a bottle of water.

"I really don't understand…" Shou Ji muttered.

Huo Ling and Yi Bing looked at him.

"So many people have died… the fifth and sixth battalion… more than a million people died." Shou Ji spoke. "A planet must have been destroyed…" he said as a tear fell from his eye. "They shouldn't have died, but they did." He laughed a hollow laugh.. "I really don't understand… why, Yu Yan?" he asked as he looked up at the dark sky.