Chapter 144: The Reverse Scale Touched, You're Asking for a Beating! Returning to Prison!

For a moment, Lin Yi remained silent.

The bloody rain stopped falling, and the red mist was dispersed, as if everything had returned to its normal and familiar trajectory.

Yet, everything that had just happened had been broadcast on the news, and everyone had witnessed it clearly with their own eyes. How could it possibly be an illusion that never occurred in a distorted spacetime?

Lin Yi's face was gloomy. Feeling heavy-hearted, he didn't feel like saying anything more.

Lin Tianming, An Yingxiong, and the others felt the same way.

Even Zhao Kaishan, who was usually boisterous and rarely settled down, stopped crying and stared blankly.

For a while, the room fell into a dead silence.

"The red mist is coming... Let us go, we want to eradicate evil and uphold justice!"

"That's right, we want to protect our home and country!"

"Let me and my elders out, we are going to slay demons and eliminate devils!"

...

On the other side, Zhang Ruofeng and the others, wrapped up like traditional Chinese rice dumplings, broke the silence, shouting about protecting the country and slaying demons.

Lin Yi cast his gaze toward Zhang Ruofeng and the others.

Soon, a surge of anger ignited within him.

Zhang Ruofeng and his companions spoke entirely of righteousness, but the truth was that slaying demons was so difficult precisely because people like them only knew how to exploit loopholes. Having no idea how to genuinely serve the people and vanquish demons, they completely disrupted the rhythm of the battle.

If everyone united and truly served the people, just like the Paranormal Investigation Bureau, what was there to fear no matter how many fiends and ghosts appeared?

With this thought, Lin Yi walked straight up to Zhang Ruofeng and his group, staring down at them.

Seeing Lin Yi approach expressionlessly, they were initially frightened into silence, but soon, Zhang Ruofeng spoke up.

"Lin Yi, I don't want to talk much with you right now... Quickly release these elders and us. We can actually help; otherwise, the Dragon-Tiger Sect will not let you off easily..."

"That's right, our Eight Extremities Sect still has many Grandmasters. Lin Yi, now that the red mist is spreading, you'd better release us quickly, or else..."

Huang Kuang also began to make arrogant threats.

Hearing these words, Xuan Ku shrank his neck slightly.

Then, he glanced at Lin Yi, and that single look sent a chill running down his spine.

Without a second thought, Xuan Ku smoothly pivoted and retreated into a corner of the room.

For some reason, Lin Yi's emotions had been somewhat unstable ever since the red mist covered the sky, seeming on the verge of a violent outburst.

Xuan Ku realized that he saw right through the situation. Whether Zhang Ruofeng and the others had suffered concussions or what, they were still fanning the flames and sneering at a time like this.

He had better stay far away to avoid getting splattered with blood when they inevitably got beaten up.

Lin Yi threw his fists!

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

Punch after punch rained down like raindrops upon Zhang Ruofeng and his companions.

"I'm telling you to threaten me! I'm telling you to threaten me..."

"Dragon-Tiger Mountain, is it? Eight Extremities Sect, is it? Go to hell!"

"Open your dog eyes and look around! What time is it? The people are suffering in dire straits, and fiends and ghosts are crawling out, yet you bastards are still here stirring up trouble! Stirring up trouble, I'll teach you to stir up trouble, I'll beat you to death..."

"Ah, ah, ah..."

Lin Yi's blows were solid and real. As a powerful Grandmaster, every punch he threw was backed by surging energy and unprecedented force, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds as they hammered into the bodies of Zhang Ruofeng and the others.

If Zhang Ruofeng and the others hadn't possessed some foundational martial arts training and had their bodies tempered, their limbs would likely have been broken, their chests caved in, and they would have been dead beyond a doubt.

Though Zhang Ruofeng and his group were already battered and bruised, they were now severely injured, nearly unrecognizable.

Although Lin Tianming and the others deeply wished that Lin Yi would just beat Zhang Ruofeng and the rest to death, now was not the time.

Lin Tianming glanced at An Yingxiong and Master Mu. An Yingxiong and Master Mu exchanged a tacit understanding and then looked respectively toward An Maoyi and Mu Yuqing.

Lin Yi was pulled away by An Maoyi and Mu Yuqing.

Meanwhile, An Yingxiong and Master Mu stepped in front of Lin Yi.

An Yingxiong said with a dark expression, "Lin Yi, calm your anger. There are indeed such petty people in this world, but the majority still hold righteousness in their hearts. Alright, stop hitting them. If you keep beating them, you'll actually kill them."

Lin Yi took a few heavy breaths, glanced at An Yingxiong, Master Mu, and the others, and finally looked at Bureau Chief Lin Tianming.

In the end, a bitter smile tugged at the corner of Lin Yi's mouth as he said to An Maoyi and Mu Yuqing, "I'm fine, just feeling a bit upset. Alright, Grandpa An, Grandpa Mu, Grandpa Liu, and all colleagues present, I'll be leaving first. The Demon Prison still needs me..."

Lin Yi wanted to head to the Demon Prison because he intended to directly slay the Turtle Demon, acquire its memories, and secure another one of the twelve Demon King Pearls.

Once he achieved that, he only needed to figure out how to harvest the "wool" of the Birdman Demon King and the Blood Demon. With that confirmed, his strength could expand once more.

At the same time, Lin Yi also wanted to temper himself. Under the dual pressure of the Corpse-Charmer Concubine Zhang Fang and the Mermaid Demon, he wanted to see if he could detach his Yin spirit, allow his primordial spirit to leave his body, and break through to become a Grandmaster!

"Alright, you go ahead first. As for the other reward matters, we can discuss them later."

With the red mist of the sky reappearing, fiends and ghosts would continue to run rampant, and everyone felt heavy-hearted. Therefore, they fully understood why Lin Yi had lost control just now.

Hearing Lin Yi say he felt upset, Lin Tianming's eyes even turned slightly red.

By now, Lin Tianming and the others completely recognized that Lin Yi was an upright youth with profound righteousness in his heart.

Just as everyone was feeling moved, Lin Yi suddenly turned around and looked at Lin Tianming. "Right, Grandpa Lin, we can talk about the rewards later, but you need to have Deputy Bureau Chief Zhang the Butcher submit my upgrade points soon. Otherwise, I won't be able to access the deeper levels of the Demon Prison. Also, have you guys placed that Corpse-Charmer Concubine Zhang Fang next to the Mermaid Demon?"

"..."

Lin Tianming.

Neither Lin Tianming nor the others knew what to say anymore.

Giving a bitter smile, Lin Tianming rolled his eyes at Lin Yi and said, "You brat, is that all you care about? Maoyi and Yuqing are right here, and yet you still dare to mention this Corpse-Charmer Concubine business. Go, go, go, get out of here."

Lin Yi didn't offer any explanation and hurried away.

After Lin Yi left, the oppressive atmosphere lingered in the room.

An Maoyi and Mu Yuqing exchanged glances, then rushed forward and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on Zhang Ruofeng and the others.

An Yingxiong, Master Mu, and the others made no attempt to stop them.

Little fatty Zhao Kaishan rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and also rushed into the fray.

"Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap..."

"..."

Zhang Ruofeng and his companions, already beaten into the shapes of pig heads, felt as though heaven's thunder was striking them. Why was everyone suddenly joining in on the beating?

Their hearts were filled with bitter grief.

It was one thing for Lin Yi to beat us, but why are you people hitting us too?

Since when were sects like Dragon-Tiger Mountain and the Eight Extremities Sect so worthless?

How dared people from a mere branch of the Shenjing Paranormal Investigation Bureau treat them like this?

Zhang Ruofeng and the others, weeping without tears, would never grow into towering figures because they lacked true righteousness in their hearts.

Every single person in the Paranormal Investigation Bureau walked among fiends and ghosts, through dire straits, to save the common people.

They might not all be tear-jerking heroes, but with the red mist spreading and the screams of the many echoing all around, no one was joking, and no one should have touched their reverse scales.

For Zhang Ruofeng and his crew to stir up trouble at a time like this—not beating them to death was already showing mercy.

...

As Lin Yi walked down the elevator all the way, he noticed that everyone's expressions were tense.

When people greeted each other, there was no longer any trace of joy.

Those who caught sight of Lin Yi could only squeeze out a faint, forced smile.

Soon, Lin Yi arrived at the back entrance of the Demon Prison. The burly old men covered in bulging muscles opened the back door, and Lin Yi stepped inside.

The upgrade points displayed on Lin Yi's badge previously had been over a hundred, but now they had been replaced by a series of question marks.

Lin Yi figured that Bureau Chief Lin Tianming hadn't yet finalized his rewards or coordinated properly with Deputy Bureau Chief Zhang the Butcher, which was why the AI big data hadn't completed its final judgment.

Otherwise, given his contribution in the fragmented boundary micro-world, his upgrade points certainly wouldn't be lacking.

Putting that aside, Lin Yi took out his phone and checked the Demon Prison's work chat group.

Very few people were chatting in the group.

The sudden appearance of the red mist shouldn't have had much impact on the Demon Prison since it was located underground, but news would undoubtedly spread quickly.

Lin Yi had expected the group to be extremely lively, but it remained quiet.

Upon entering the Demon Prison, Lin Yi noticed familiar veteran colleagues patrolling and already busy at work.

Lin Yi only crossed paths with a scattering of acquaintances.

Some of these old brothers had ended up here purely as punishment for past offenses. Even though their complexions were sallow and pale, they still had to keep watch. Lin Yi felt they were truly pitiful souls.

Stepping deeper into the Demon Prison, Lin Yi sensed surges of ominous energy pulsing constantly.

This time, after turning a corner, Lin Yi ran into another group of acquaintances: Bai Zhanting and his men.

Bai Zhanting and a few other veterans were on patrol. Upon seeing Lin Yi, they struck up a conversation, giving him enthusiastic thumbs-ups as they knew how sensational Lin Yi's recent exploits and massive contributions had been.

When they noticed the badge pinned to Lin Yi's chest displayed several question marks, Bai Zhanting and the others were left speechless once more.

Lin Yi had only been in the Demon Prison for a single day, yet his upgrade points had already exceeded a hundred, instantly making him a Level 2 jailer. Right now, his heroic deeds were probably being compiled, which meant he would likely be promoted again shortly.

During their chat, Bai Zhanting repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Lin Yi.

Through their conversation, Lin Yi learned that Bai Ke and Bai Zhanting were actually relatives.

After chatting for a bit, Bai Zhanting and the others informed Lin Yi that the Corpse-Charmer Concubine Zhang Fang was being held in Cell 27 of the Ding-class area, locked up together with the Mermaid Demon.

"Brother Lin Yi, that section around Cell 27 in the Ding-class area will be under your jurisdiction from now on. Your tasks will automatically flash on your badge, and sometimes they'll appear in the chat group too—just check them when you can. As for the various supplies you can claim, they will automatically appear by the Well of Omens."

"Sigh, with the red mist appearing just now, manpower is going to be stretched thin in some areas. Our team will also face manpower shortages and get split up. Running into each other inside the Demon Prison will probably become quite difficult from now on. I hope you take good care of yourself, brother."

Listening to Bai Zhanting and the veterans' parting words, Lin Yi nodded and wished them well.