Qing Songzi nodded, immediately followed up and said, "Such black mines are filled with evil aura, imbued with a powerful curse. Ordinary Yin Spirits would quickly be infected by the evil power and turn into Evil Ghosts as soon as they enter."

"Therefore, only Evil Ghosts can mine the spiritual metals in the mine. Ordinary Yin Spirits can't."

Xiao Mu curiously asked, "In that case, why not directly use Evil Ghosts for mining?"

Qing Songzi shook his head with a bitter smile, "It's not that simple. Evil Ghosts are our mortal enemies. At the moment, we do not have the power to control them."

"Even if an Evil Ghost is captured, it would struggle relentlessly and never give in."

"Oh!"

Xiao Mu responded, but he didn't comment any further.

He felt something was off with Qing Songzi's words. He himself had encountered Evil Ghosts that would give in, they would even beg for mercy and proactively serve him for the sake of survival.

Normally, Qing Songzi would not speak nonsense. Could there be some other hidden circumstances in the situation?

Were the Evil Ghosts he encountered in the Secret Realm different from those outside?

Xiao Mu didn't continue to ponder this, these were only his conjectures and it wasn't the right time to verify them.

"Mr. Qing Songzi, something terrible happened!"

A worker came in with a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old and reported to Qing Songzi.

"What happened?"

As Qing Songzi asked, he cast a surprised glance at the girl.

The worker looked at the girl.

The girl had large eyes and appeared quite refined. Her pair of shiny black eyes were filled with anxiety as she stared at Qing Songzi, "Are you Mr. Qing Songzi, the head of the Alliance?"

"Yes, that's me. Who are you?"

Qing Songzi felt puzzled as the girl was not a member of their group.

The girl proclaimed, "My father is Zhao Jingyuan. I am his daughter, Zhao Meiyin."

"Zhao Jingyuan?"

Qing Songzi evidently knew his subordinates well and quickly remembered who she was talking about. "Zhao Gong, the exploration officer Zhao?"

After the World Mutation, not only the martial arts secret scripts mutated, but various technical books did as well.

For instance, some exploration books would mutate and once learned, would allow one to master the ability to hunt for treasures.

The so-called Zhao Gong was one such individual. He specialized in finding various treasures for the alliance to enhance the alliance members' abilities.

The importance of such a person can be easily imagined.

Hence, Qing Songzi's expression changed slightly at the mention of Zhao Jingyuan's name, realizing something was amiss. "What happened to Zhao Gong?"

Zhao Meiyin, the girl, disclosed: "My father has disappeared."

"What?"

Qing Songzi gasped in surprise.

As an explorer, Zhao Jingyuan's position was extremely vital to the alliance. Ever since the World Mutation, he has found at least dozens of different treasures for the alliance, including secret manuals, Energy Fruit, and even various other treasures.

If such a person were to go missing, it would be a tremendous blow to the alliance.

"How did he disappear?"

"I don't know."

Zhao Meiyin shook her head, "I woke up this morning, and my dad was gone."

Qing Songzi turned somber and looked at the worker.

The worker, named Xu Ping, was in charge of the team Zhao Jingyuan belonged to. He was a martial artist with not too shabby skills, probably at the mid-stage of the Second Realm.

In addition to assigning work to team members, Xu Ping's main duty was to ensure the safety of the team members. It was undoubtedly his responsibility that Zhao Jingyuan was missing.

Xu Ping quickly explained, "This morning, Zhao Jingyuan did not come to work. When I called, I couldn't find him. That's when I realized something was wrong."

Zhao Meiyin took over the conversation, "I answered the call. My father left his phone at home. We've looked everywhere and couldn't find my father."

"Did you find any clues?"

Qing Songzi's expression turned serious.

The disappearance of Zhao Jingyuan, an explorer, was not a small matter. He had to treat it seriously.

"As soon as I confirmed that my father was missing, I came here. I didn't want to potentially destroy any clues, so I didn't disturb anything at home."

Despite her young age, Zhao Meiyin dealt with the situation very calmly.

"Very good!"

Qing Songzi praised, "You did well. Take us to your house to have a look."

"I'll go arrange the vehicle!"

Xu Ping quickly went out to arrange the transportation.

"Mr. Mu, about..."

Qing Songzi looked at Xiao Mu, seeking his help through his eyes. He wanted to invite Xiao Mu to go with him, but hesitated to voice his request.

Xiao Mu said, "I'll go with you."

"Thank you, Mr. Mu!"

Qing Songzi joyously showed his gratitude. With Xiao Mu going along, he felt more confident in handling the matter.

Zhao Meiyin looked at Xiao Mu curiously, wondering about his identity.

Being a commoner, she lacked in understanding towards the world of the Mutated Beings and was thus unaware of Xiao Mu's identity.

They left in a vehicle arranged by Xu Ping, with Xiao Mu, Qing Songzi, and Zhao Meiyin heading to Zhao Meiyin's home.

Zhao Meiyin's house wasn't too far from the Alliance.

After the World Mutation, to facilitate the workers, the Alliance had intentionally built many houses around the station area to accommodate them.

The Zhao family lived in a single small courtyard, which was a two-story small building. Although not grand, it was exquisite.

Before the World Mutation, having such a unique small courtyard in the city center was unimaginable. However, after the mutation, the whole world had enlarged, and houses thus became less valuable.

Zhao Meiyin took out a key and unlocked the front gate.

As they stepped into the courtyard, Xiao Mu immediately sensed something unusual.

Ghost Qi!

A residue of it pervaded the Zhao Family's courtyard. Apparently, an evil ghost had been there not too long ago.

"Where is your dad's room?"

Qing Songzi asked Zhao Meiyin.

"Please follow me!"

Zhao Meiyin led the way to Zhao Jingyuan's room.

Zhao Jingyuan lived in the master bedroom on the ground floor.

No sooner had they entered than Xiao Mu felt a dense Ghost Qi mixed with a strong stench of blood.

A Blood Demon!

Xiao Mu confirmed the level of the evil ghost.

A Blood Demon had appeared in Zhao Jingyuan's room.

The Ghost Qi inside the room was much denser than that outside.

Could it be the Blood Demon that took Zhao Jingyuan away?

Xiao Mu couldn't help but wonder.

Subsequently, he began to examine Zhao Jingyuan's room.

The room was in perfect order, showing no traces of a struggle. He casually asked, "Is Zhao Jingyuan a Mutated Being?"

"He practiced the Martial Arts Secret Scripts but was not very skilled. He hasn't reached the Second Realm yet, he's in the late stages of the First Realm."

Qing Songzi seemed to know detailed information about his subordinates and casually informed Xiao Mu.

"That's strange!"

Xiao Mu slightly frowned.

Logically, even if the Blood Demon took Zhao Jingyuan away, given he was not as powerful, he should have put up some resistance.

However, considering the situation in the room, Zhao Jingyuan hadn't put up any struggle at all.

Why was that?

Could it be?

Immediately after, Xiao Mu turned to look at Zhao Meiyin, suddenly realizing something, and nodded lightly.

Could it be that the evil ghost had threatened Zhao Jingyuan with Zhao Meiyin to force him to leave?

But on second thought, why didn't the evil ghost directly act?

With Zhao Jingyuan's strength, even if the Blood Demon killed him, it shouldn't matter, right?

If the Blood Demon didn't kill him, did it have other intentions?

Wait, what's this?

Quicker than expected, Xiao Mu discovered something unusual on the floor.

As he bent down to pick it up, it turned out to be a pinch of black dirt, giving off an aura of death.

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