Chapter 15: Expulsion

Like a stroke of ill fortune, the chandelier fell with pinpoint accuracy toward the middle-aged man.

It felt like a preordained destiny. Fatal and sudden!

Was this the fate this family had to endure for its rise to power?

No! Something felt very wrong.

As a seasoned "unlucky bastard," Li Yelaie had detected the danger in advance.

It couldn't be helped; he was the kind of unlucky soul who, even when just passing by a pond, would consider whether a fish might jump out and flick its tail at him.

The moment he saw the chandelier, he had already imagined his reaction and the necessary countermeasures should it suddenly fall.

Thus, the moment he sensed a shift in the atmosphere, Li Yelaie had already reacted.

Behind Old Man Wang, the two bodyguards' expressions changed drastically. One reached out to grab the middle-aged man, pulling him back with all his might.

The other was paralyzed by terror, unable to move for a moment.

The primal fear of life and death caused him to abandon his duty as a bodyguard, failing to take the risk of rescuing his employer.

The middle-aged man, known as Old Man Wang, felt a sudden darkness above his head and felt his bodyguard pulling him frantically from behind.

He didn't even understand what was happening.

However, in the next instant, he saw a handsome young man in a suit suddenly erupt with speed beyond human capability, delivering a flying kick.

"Fuck! It's aimed at me!" The moment the thought flashed through Old Man Wang's mind, a sharp pain exploded in his shoulder. His body was sent flying, taking the bodyguard behind him down with him.

*Crash!*

Only then did the sound of the chandelier smashing to the floor and the terrified screams of the nearby guests reach his ears.

Looking at Li Yelaie, who had kicked Old Man Wang away and swiftly dodged the falling chandelier to return to their side, Cheese scanned the surroundings and muttered under her breath, "Was that kick a little too personal?"

"How could it be? If he dies, our mission fails," Li Yelaie replied, maintaining a defensive stance.

If he hadn't kicked Old Man Wang away, the chandelier likely would have claimed a life.

A massive, heavy chandelier like that would probably be enough to take down even a psychic.

"But he's the son of our benefactor," the Detective said, a faint light shimmering in his eyes, clearly having activated his ability.

"Then doesn't that make him our peer?" Li Yelaie chuckled lowly. "He should be thanking us."

"Stop fooling around. Stay alert," Cheese nudged Li Yelaie with her elbow.

The scene was chaotic. With the sudden crash of the chandelier, the hall grew much dimmer. Amidst the screams, some guests retreated in panic while others stepped forward in tension.

Many elegant young women tripped over their high heels, and even the dashing young men could not hide their confusion.

Under the dim lights, a cacophony of noise erupted.

"Someone's dead! Run!"

"Old Man Wang was hit! Call an ambulance!"

"No, Old Man Wang was kicked away!"

"What on earth happened?"

"Don't push me, you hooligan!"

"Ow! Who took my shoe?"

"Calm down! Don't run!"

Amidst the chaos, Li Yelaie, the Detective, and Cheese calmly observed their surroundings.

"Be careful. It might be a psychic from the Nether Path," Cheese whispered a warning. "I don't see him."

"My 'Trace Pursuit' hasn't detected any lingering traces either," the Detective responded. "If it truly is the Nether Path, the opponent must possess at least two abilities: one for stealth and one for teleportation. Otherwise, they would inevitably leave a trace!"

"Could it be an ability from another path? Divine Command?" Li Yelaie reached behind him, gripping his Jet-Propelled Battle Axe.

"No, if it were Divine Command, we would at least be able to see the weapon," Cheese replied.

Everything that just happened seemed like an accident.

But it was entirely different from Li Yelaie's usual bad luck.

According to official investigations, Li Yelaie's misfortunes were always an intersection of many coincidences and accidents.

If he were hit by a chandelier, the mounting point or even the ceiling would have inevitably shown subtle, undetected flaws.

Ultimately, it would have culminated in a certain necessity.

But what just happened was different. Someone had directly severed the chandelier, forcing it to fall.

This was a man-made accident!

As psychics, Li Yelaie and his companions had sensed something, but unfortunately, their eyes had not witnessed the act.

"Two abilities... a Second Awakening Nether Path user?" The trio's hearts sank. If the assassin was a Second Awakening Nether user, the difficulty of this mission would be extremely high.

"I'll help from the shadows this time," Cheese whispered before melting into the crowd.

Soon, as more lights were turned on, the commotion gradually subsided.

Some guests regained their elegant and noble composure, as if everything that had just occurred was merely a chaotic hallucination.

Taking advantage of the recent chaos, Cheese had quietly distanced herself from Li Yelaie and the Detective.

She could not afford to expose her identity as an official Handler.

Instead, she feigned a look of terror and vulnerability as she blended into the crowd, drawing the concerned attention of several young men.

On the other side, bodyguards immediately rushed to Old Man Wang's side to help him up.

To their surprise, Old Man Wang, his face deathly pale, said weakly, "Don't move... it's broken, it's broken! Get someone! Get help!"

Soon, more security personnel and private doctors arrived.

Several security guards subtly surrounded Li Yelaie and the Detective.

Fortunately, Old Man Wang remained conscious. After being lifted onto a stretcher, he did not make things difficult for Li Yelaie. Instead, with a pale face, he said, "Young man, thank you for saving my life. I will repay you."

That flying kick had directly cracked two of his bones.

Compared to being crushed by a chandelier, this was considered a minor injury.

Yet, it still left Old Man Wang terrified. If Li Yelaie had missed slightly and hit his chest, the consequences would likely have been no better than being hit by the chandelier.

The Detective responded, "We are just doing our job for the pay."

Their identity was that of psychics hired by the old Patriarch, so the statement was technically accurate.

However, a flash of bewilderment and suspicion crossed Old Man Wang's eyes; he was clearly confused by their identity.

*What? Does Old Man Wang not even know his father hired psychics?* Li Yelaie thought to himself.

The Detective was also lost in thought.

Due to the incident, the banquet ended abruptly for security reasons.

The guests departed one after another.

Cheese, who had been blending into the crowd, had vanished without a trace; no one knew where she had hidden.

Li Yelaie and the Detective were invited to the second floor by the reappeared old butler.

"Thanks to you, the Second Young Master was saved."

The butler's gaze toward Li Yelaie was filled with awe.

Just now, from the second-floor corridor, he had witnessed Li Yelaie kick both Old Man Wang and the bodyguard away.

*Is this what a psychic is like?* The old butler mused, gaining a new understanding of the danger psychics posed.

Li Yelaie nodded slightly, then hoisted his large black umbrella and followed the butler.

Compared to the vast hall, the layout of the second floor was more exquisite and opulent.

Expensive paintings hung on the walls every few meters.

Of course, there was also more security.

The black-clad servants moving through the corridors had noticeable bulges at their waists.

*Good grief, the Wang family actually has quite a bit of private armament? They really are from a scavenger background,* Li Yelaie thought.

A few minutes later, the butler led them to the largest room at the deepest part of the second floor.

Inside the spacious room, several people were already seated—four in total, men and women.

On the left sat a young woman in a white dress, beautiful and radiant.

In the center sat an elderly man with white hair, looking quite aged.

The old man wore a thick dressing gown and wore a kind smile.

On the right sat a middle-aged woman in magnificent attire and a young man who bore a resemblance to Old Man Wang.

They looked at the girl in the white dress with a sense of disdain or perhaps vigilance.

They were the final members of the Wang family.

And the elderly man in the center was Wang De.

Now nearing ninety years of age, he was a man who had lived through the Era of Chaos.

Though aged, he still appeared physically robust.

The girl in the white dress was the daughter of Wang De's eldest son—Wang De's granddaughter.

The middle-aged woman was Wang De's third daughter.

The young man was Old Man Wang's son.

Aside from the injured Old Man Wang, all other family members—or rather, those eligible to inherit the family—were present.

Once the butler brought Li Yelaie and the Detective in, Wang De's gaze locked onto Li Yelaie.

To be precise, it locked onto the black umbrella in Li Yelaie's hand.

After a long silence, Wang De let out a raspy laugh. "Young man, you remind me of an old acquaintance."

"Are you referring to this black umbrella?" Li Yelaie asked, pointing to the large parasol.

Wang De smiled. "Indeed. But his umbrella was a bit smaller. However, I haven't seen him in a very, very long time."

"Is that old acquaintance the killer targeting your family?" Li Yelaie asked bluntly.

"Mr. Wang De, we hope you can provide us with more information," the Detective added.

Wang De glanced at the butler and gave a faint, eerie smile. "No need. This no longer concerns you two. This is a family matter."

Li Yelaie and the Detective were stunned, completely failing to understand what was happening.

*What do you mean it doesn't concern us?*

*Didn't you old man hire us at a high price?*

*What, is the job over just because we walked through the door?*

Beside them, the butler lowered his head in silence.

"I thank you for saving my son, but your mission ends here. Rest assured, the deposit has been transferred. It wasn't a wasted trip," Wang De said calmly, but his eyes turned toward the old butler. "Old Huang, you have followed me for thirty years. What, do you no longer recognize me as your Patriarch? I am not dead yet!"

The last few words were laced with fury. Even at nearly ninety, the old man still possessed a terrifying sense of pressure.

"Patriarch, I cannot sit by and watch those children who grew up before my eyes continue to die in vain," the old butler pleaded softly. "Let them investigate. We cannot afford any more deaths."

After a moment of thought, Li Yelaie realized something.

The one who had actually hired the Detective was not the old Patriarch.

It was the old butler himself? Or was it someone else?

No wonder Old Man Wang was so surprised when he learned Li Yelaie and the Detective had been hired.

Wang De had never intended to hire psychics!

Even now, even with his son nearly dead, he was determined to hide some secret.

"Don't make things difficult for Uncle Huang. I am the one who hired them, Grandfather."

A crisp voice rang out.

The girl in the white dress sitting on the left sofa spoke up.

Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders as she looked at the old man. "How much longer is our family to be cursed? Was my father's death not enough? Grandfather, stop hiding things. Tell us..."

The old man looked at the girl, his eyes flashing with disbelief before turning fierce. He slammed his hand onto the tea table. "I am not dead yet! The position of Patriarch has not passed to you! You dare try to command me?"

The old man's intimidation made the girl tremble, tears welling in her eyes.

"That's right, what right does a junior have to demand things from her father?" another woman chimed in.

She was silenced by the old man's roar: "Shut up!"

Then, the old man turned to Li Yelaie and the Detective. "You two, leave this place. Forget everything. This is a family matter! There is no need for outsiders to interfere!"

As the old man's command was issued, the door behind Li Yelaie opened.

Several bodyguards appeared at the doorway, watching Li Yelaie and the Detective warily.

Clearly, if Li Yelaie and his companion did not leave, things were likely to turn ugly.

Li Yelaie and the Detective frowned. They weren't worried about the bodyguards; they were frustrated by the situation.

But leaving just like this was clearly wrong.

As an official psychic and a Disaster Handler, once they had discovered traces of a psychic killer and a certain curse, they could not simply stand by.

This was also why the official organization did not forbid Handlers from taking private jobs.

If, during a private job, they discovered something related to psychics or even Forbidden Objects, they were required to resolve the trouble before the situation escalated.

Thus, after exchanging a glance, Li Yelaie and the Detective both stepped behind the girl in the white dress.

"Since you are not our employer, Mr. Wang, we have no reason to follow your instructions," the Detective smiled. "Don't let my appearance fool you; I have very high professional ethics."

This wasn't a lie. Before becoming a psychic, the Detective had been a private investigator. Although his main tasks were catching unfaithful spouses, he would never betray a client regardless of the price offered. He truly did have high professional ethics.

Li Yelaie complained inwardly, but said aloud, "We will follow the arrangements of our employer."

Seeing their choice, Wang De sneered. "Do you truly think two psychics can bring me down? My Wang family may not be as prestigious as the great clans, but we are not something two mere psychics can shake! I was hunting monsters in the Wilderness before you were even born!"

In the next second, more armed personnel flooded into the room, leveling rifles at Li Yelaie and the Detective.

It looked as though a single command would turn them into sieves.

"You dare move against us?" The Detective's expression darkened. A psychic's barrier could indeed block bullets, but under such a large-scale barrage, the barrier would likely be exhausted quickly. If that happened, they would truly be dead!

Furthermore, the Detective even spotted thermal melt guns!

"You actually have thermal melt guns?" the Detective gasped.

Thermal melt guns were devastating weapons capable of rapidly draining psychic barriers. They were also military-grade equipment; even the Guard Bureau didn't have many.

How did Wang De get his hands on such weapons?

"Years ago, I was the one who brought the blueprints for the thermal melt guns back to the Megacity, so I have connections within the City Lord's Manor. Killing two psychics who trespassed into the estate is nothing..." Wang De's voice was cold, but it cut off abruptly.

Because a crimson longsword, adorned with several eyeballs, had suddenly appeared before him.

Li Yelaie held the blade in one hand, looking down at Wang De.

"You old bastard... why don't you try saying that again?"