Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 738: Series of Traps (Please Subscribe)

When Gu Shenghui arrived at the inner space with Zuo Huaxian, Yao Xuefang, who was held down by four people, was already delirious and foaming at the mouth. Her long hair, soaked with sweat, stuck to her face with protruding, blood-red eyes, and her expression was grotesquely hideous, a far cry from the Yao Xuefang of the past, now terrifying like a demon.

Seeing this scene, Zuo Huaxian had no time to ask what had happened and quickly stepped to Yao Xuefang's side, placing his hand on her forehead. With the joint efforts of him and Elder Lin, the frantic Yao Xuefang gradually calmed down. Feeling the restrained body's struggles begin to ease, Pei Yan and the others collectively breathed a sigh of relief and loosened their grip. During the previous tussle, Yao Xuefang's limbs had been bruised, with the most severe areas even breaking the skin and oozing blood. Yet, Yao Xuefang, lost in delirium, was oblivious to it all, her body convulsing sporadically and a vacant expression on her face, a pitiable sight that moved others to tears.

"What on earth happened? How did she end up like this?" Zuo Huaxian, who was outside on guard, was brought here by Gu Shenghui in urgency and now finally found time to question. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"It's all my fault. I knew there were issues with the puppet, yet I succumbed to temptation to grow stronger and fell into their trap. Damn it, Bai Ze, I swear I won't be a man if I don't avenge this!" Pei Yan looked at the half-conscious Yao Xuefang's tragic state, recalling how she was plotted against for his safety. His heart ached as he realized this was Bai Ze's second time targeting his companions. Rage filled his chest, and he wished he could teleport to Bai Ze's side and tear him apart!

"It's not your fault. You don't need to..."

"It is my fault. It was my obsession with power that caused this mess, knowing there was a problem and yet still urging. No need to console me; I'm not a child anymore. I'll take responsibility!" Before Gu Shenghui could finish offering comfort, the irrational Pei Yan cut him off.

"Your fault? You're taking responsibility? How?" Gu Shenghui grabbed Pei Yan by the collar, pulling him next to the fallen Yao Xuefang, and yelled, "Can you cure her? Or are you going to kill Bai Ze? Will killing him make Yao Xuefang well again? I told you not to take everything upon yourself! What do you take the team for? What do you take me for? Are you the kind of jerk who lets your subordinates take the blame because you can't bear responsibility? Decisions are made by the team together, and it was me who called the shots! When it comes to taking responsibility, it's not your place to snatch it!" Finished, Gu Shenghui let go of Pei Yan's wrist and pushed him aside.

"I—I—I'm not..." Despite being scolded by Gu Shenghui, Pei Yan felt a warmth inside. Overwhelmed by self-blame and guilt, he found himself momentarily speechless. At this moment, a hand settled on his shoulder, and turning to look, it was none other than the mysteriously returned Xie Chujun.

Facing Pei Yan's gaze, Xie Chujun chuckled, "What Gu Chu said is right; this is indeed our responsibility. If I'm not mistaken, this trap was set by our old friend Mu Fanchen. Remember, if you want revenge after this, don't target the wrong person."

"Are you sure it's his doing?" Gu Shenghui, still angry, interjected with his hands on his hips.

Xie Chujun strolled over to the Mechanical Puppet that sparked this chaos, his fingers gently brushing over it as he sighed, "Only he could think of using this thing to harm people, truly killing two birds with one stone! As long as this thing reached us, even without Pei Yan, we wouldn't pass up the chance to study and possess it."

As he spoke, Xie Chujun looked around, and the onlookers lowered their heads at his words. He was right; the Investigation Division was in desperate need of bolstering its strength, and even knowing it was a trap, it would still take the risk for even a sliver of possibility.

Seeing no objections from the crowd, Xie Chujun continued, "In fact, we could be trapped the same way with any other item. However, using the Mechanical Puppet was particularly insidious. If affected, Pei Yan and Yao Xuefang, two of our mainstays, would be crippled. If my deduction is correct, Mu Fanchen learned of this puppet's secret while breaching the Celestial Secret Pavilion, hatching this wicked plan. Though I don't know what secrets lie within this puppet, it seems it stimulated Xiaoyao's soul. Yet, here's the problem: both you and Elder Lin examined it thoroughly and found nothing problematic to trigger a reaction. Therefore, the harm seems to target only those with in-depth knowledge of the Mechanical Puppet, those who operate it directly."

At this point, Xie Chujun looked at Pei Yan and sighed, "We should be grateful we didn't impulsively let Pei Yan try to absorb it. Imagine if Pei Yan had been affected and gone berserk; who among us could subdue him without getting injured or even at the cost of our lives?"

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Pei Yan, felt a chill down their spines. Indeed, if he lost his mind and went crazy, Gu Shenghui and the others would inevitably get hurt or even killed. Had that happened, even if he regained consciousness later, he'd be devastated, plagued with self-blame and guilt, possibly sinking into despair without recovery. This plan was diabolical!

"Pei Yan avoided this disaster, but Yao Xuefang didn't. If we hadn't let him in, for safety, we would've invited the departmental expert, Yao Xuefang, hence she got caught in the trap. As someone who develops and produces most of the division's equipment, knowing our weaknesses so intimately to strike so accurately, who else but Mu Fanchen?"

"What's the point of saying all this now? Even if we deduce he's behind it, we can't do anything to him! Right now, solving Xuefang's physical problems is paramount." Gu Shenghui, having suffered a major setback from Mu Fanchen again, felt a deep sense of defeat and lamented.

Xie Chujun ignored this and continued, "He even accounted for the division's lack of experts in soul-related abilities, leaving us in chaos and helplessness after the incident. Truly, it was a comprehensive scheme." At this point, Xie Chujun shifted his tone disdainfully, "But he missed one critical element."

"What element?" Despite knowing the answer, Pei Yan still asked knowingly.

"Me!" Xie Chujun pointed at himself confidently, "After over ten years of madness, aside from nurturing that fragment, my greatest gain has been the repair and mastery of the soul. No one in the division knows more about the soul than I do."

Finishing, he looked at the two elders, Lin and Zuo, next to him and said solemnly, "I've been observing from the sidelines and finally saw some clues. Elders, please invite Elder Yun. Later, join me in aiding and entering Yao Xuefang's Spiritual World to help mend her soul."