Afterlife Department

Chapter 525 - Hao Ming

"'grim reapers'?" Hao Baiyun muttered. "You are here to fetch me?" he tilted his head as he looked at them both. "Are both of you needed to fetch me?" he added.

Yi Bing and Huo Ling. "…" well, this level of treatment would indeed be befitting for your honorable self, if only we really are here for you. They thought. "No." they answered.

"Huh?" Hao Baiyun was taken aback. "Aren't grim reapers the Soul Envoys in those ancient movies? So, why did you say you are not here to fetch me?" he asked.

"… we are here to fetch, but not you." Yi Bing explained.

"Young master Hao. Can we ask you some things?" Huo Ling politely spoke.

Hao Baiyun nodded. "Sure, considering you know me." He smiled, revealing the dimples on both sides of his cheek, making him look cute.

"We want to ask if you know of a ghost named 'You Ri' and if you have seen her." Huo Ling spoke. "She has died just yesterday in a car accident." He said.

"Hmm… her name sounds familiar…" Hao Baiyun muttered as he pondered. "A car accident yesterday… well, there are at least three to four car accidents that occurred yesterday. I am not working with the police so I am not clear which one is the person… ehem, ghost that you are looking for." He explained. "Do you have any other information about her?" he asked.

Huo Ling nodded. "She is twenty-five years old, female, and a fashion designer." He answered. "She is working in Haoming Company." He added.

Hearing this, Hao Baiyun's eyes brightened. "So that's her!" he exclaimed. "I remember her! She is working in my brother's company! That's my brother's company!" he smiled. "She is a very talented designer! I like her designs. They are so chic! Her designs for female clothes looks gorgeous, bringing the best out of any woman who wears it!" he told them. His eyes are shining in excitement and admiration.

Yi Bing and Huo Ling were surprised, on the other hand. They didn't expect that You Ri is actually related to Hao Baiyun as one of the employees of Hao Baiyun's brother.

'Haoming'… Huo Ling thought. "Your brother's name is 'Hao Ming'?" he asked.

Hao Baiyun turned to him in surprise before he suddenly grinned. "So you also guessed that his real name is the name of his company?" he said and laughed. "I have told big brother before that using his name as the name of his company is too plain. But, he said that it would make their customers easily remembered who is the CEO of the company that designed their clothes, or who is the boss of the designer of their clothes." He explained.

Yi Bing and Huo Ling. "…" isn't this person's ego too inflated? They thought. But, they aren't in the place to chide Hao Baiyun's elder brother, Hao Ming, since they don't even know him, much less they aren't even of the same kind since he is a human while they are grim reapers.

"Ehem… can you lead us to your company?" Huo Ling, the one who got the 'better' personality between him and Yi Bing, asked Hao Baiyun. "We wanted to know more about You Ri since she is the soul we are going to fetch." He explained.

"Sure!" Hao Baiyun answered as he nodded. "I also want to see my brother again!" he smiled and floated away.

Yi Bing looked at Huo Ling.

Huo Ling knows what he wanted to say. "Since we're going to the Haoming Company now, then we will go back here later." He spoke. "We can even go later at night where no one is around and look for the documents." He explained.

"… fine." Yi Bing spoke.

Huo Ling just decided right now without even asking for his opinion. But, since he has already seen Hao Baiyun, he doesn't want to see Gu Xingfeng right now so he can adjust his irritation from meeting this pair again. Thus, he didn't rebuke Huo Ling and went along with his decision.

"Let's go!" they heard Hao Baiyun waved at them, beckoning them out of the police station.

…

"Chief, where should we find this guy?" Wu Yi asked, referring to the native of this world that escaped one of their subordinates from wiping his memory of them, grim reapers', existence.

Although there wasn't any incident that happened until now, but they can't be too careless and confident. Not to mention their department's mission, thus they went in this world.

"Yi Bing and Huo Ling must also not have the 'direct teleportation' to their soul target so they are like headless flies like we are now." Bai Liu spoke.

Although their target this time is a human, but they can also directly teleport to that human's side since they have the name, face and address of that human that escaped from their subordinate. Fortunately, their subordinate wasn't stupid and investigated that human before he returned to the Stable World. Or else, they wouldn't have a lead now and they would've asked Jin Wu to punish him more.

Wu Yi nodded in agreement. "They have it harder, though, since their target is a soul while our target is a human. A soul can hide but a human can't forever." He smiled.

"But, have you thought of the reason why they can't use the direct teleportation?" Bai Liu asked. "We also can't either, on our end." He added.

Wu Yi's smile immediately disappeared and they both fell silent. Bai Wu and Jiu Ye are silently and anxiously listening to the adults and kept their presence as low as ever to not disturb their 'parents'.

"You mean to say… there is something that is masking both their presences?" Wu Yi asked. "Both a soul and a human." He added. His expression is grave.

Bai Liu placed down his cup, emitting a crisp sound that made Bai Wu's and Jiu Ye's hearts jumped in fright. "Let's hope that the cause is something of this world. That would be explicable since we can't go against this world's rules." He slowly spoke. "But, if it is even beyond something of this world, then, we might have a harder time this time." He looked at Wu Yi.

Wu Yi's eyes narrowed as he also contemplated. "A Soul Eater… it must be that again." He sighed in irritation. "But…" his eyes widened when he suddenly thought of something. "If it could also hide a human's presence this time, then…" he gnashed his teeth as his fists clenched in anger, and also apprehension.

Bai Liu nodded. "It should be stronger." He spoke with a sigh. "Let's try looking for this human personally this time since our direct teleportation spell doesn't work." He turned to Jiu Ye and Bai Wu. "Jiu Ye, you come with me. Bai Wu, go with Wu Yi." He told the two juniors.

"Yes!" Jiu Ye earnestly nodded as he answered.

But, Bai Wu's eyes turned red and his tears are threatening to fall. "Mom… you don't want me anymore?!" he asked as he sniffled.

Bai Liu's face darkened. "Who's your 'mom'?!" he roared.

Wu Yi just laughed. "Come, son. Come here to your stepdad." He told him.

"What 'stepdad'?!" Bai Liu glared at Wu Yi. "Don't just casually gave yourselves a role! We aren't a family!" he told them.

But, you admitted that we are a family before when Yi Bing asked you in his office. Wu Yi, Bai Wu and Jiu Ye thought, though they didn't voice it. They are afraid that Bai Liu would finally explode in anger.

"Disperse!" Bai Liu snapped at them.

"Yes!" they immediately replied.

…

Haoming Company, CEO's office.

"Sir, here is your coffee." Hao Ming's secretary spoke as she placed down the cup on the table and leaned down, more than she should, thus showing her cleavage to Hao Ming.

But, to her disappointment, Hao Ming didn't even give a glance at her.

"Sir…" the secretary called as she puffed out her chest, making her chest bounce. Her voice is also saccharine, making any men's knees turn weak just by hearing it.

But, Hao Ming is not just any man, and he doesn't belong to the men in her mind.

Hao Ming finally turned and faced her. "There are some things that a human can't climb." He spoke as he looked at her. "Like the Gangkhar Puensum – " he said before his voice slowed down and turned low. " – or my bed." He told her as the corners of his lips turned up.

The social climbing secretary was about to ask him what is 'Gangkhar Puensum' when she heard the latter sentence of Hao Ming. "…" is it too late for me to ask what 'Gangkhar Puensum' is? She thought before the smile on her face froze.

…

At the entrance of the Haoming Company, Yi Bing is still pondering while he followed behind Huo Ling and Hao Baiyun as the former entered the door along with an employee that was in a rush while Hao Baiyun directly passed through the glass walls.

If this is the eighth lifetime of Hao Baiyun and Gu Xingfeng, then, Huo Ling and I might see them again one more time?!