Working: Start by earning the boss a hundred million!

Chapter 46 sounds like an insult to me.

Cheng Mai was silent for a moment, then commented seriously, "He's feeling guilty."

Shen Luo burst out laughing and started an outdoor barbecue with Cheng Mai.

Shen Luo cleared out a space, actually set up a fire, and the two began barbecuing.

"You didn't really come here just to have a barbecue, did you?" Shen Luo couldn't help but ask as she took her first bite of meat, watching Cheng Mai's focused barbecue preparation.

Cheng Mai continued grilling, saying, "You're not human, you don't know what people are thinking."

"Although it sounds like you're insulting me, I think you have a point," Shen Luo agreed.

“I had Xiaoqian check. The man who fell from the safety frame is named Zhou Long, 42 years old. He was laid off from his company three years ago and then went to work on the construction site with people from his village. He has a wife, a son and two daughters. The whole family of five relies on Zhou Long to support them by carrying bricks on the construction site. The key point is that Zhou Long bought a house for his son in Fengcheng City five years ago, and they still have a mortgage.”

Shen Luo listened, but couldn't quite understand the relationship between them.

“A mind obsessed with something will inevitably turn into a demon, that’s what Shang Xingjian told me.” Cheng Mai handed the roasted vegetables to Shen Luo.

"You suspect that Zhou Long has become an evil spirit and caused those teenagers to lose their souls?" Shen Luo understood the last sentence. "But even if he has become an evil spirit, he shouldn't have this ability now."

After all, becoming a ghost isn't something that can be achieved overnight. Having strong convictions is just a prerequisite for becoming an evil ghost; abilities also require cultivation later on.

"Let's wait and see." Cheng Mai had a hunch that if that person dared to give her eight hours, then the children wouldn't be in any danger during those eight hours.

"If that person is really that powerful, why didn't he just kidnap me?" Cheng Mai asked questions whenever he couldn't figure something out, so as not to misunderstand.

Shen Luo thought about it carefully, "They must be trapped somewhere, unable to appear in physical form, and too afraid to kidnap you openly."

Cheng Mai still had things she didn't understand, but she didn't know how to ask, so she stopped talking.

Some of the lesser demons in the mountains came to pay their respects to Shen Luo. After all, Shen Luo was of noble birth, and even if the lesser demons did not recognize her, they could still sense her aura.

Cheng Mai was used to these little monsters; some of them hadn't even taken human form yet, and had probably only just gained consciousness.

"Isn't it said that spiritual energy is dissipating? Why are so many animals becoming spirits lately?" The same goes for the mountains in City A. If this continues, the number of monsters will surge, which is not a good thing.

Shen Luo waved for the lesser demons to leave. She was also curious, "Things have been a bit abnormal lately. Unless a powerful being is about to perish and their spiritual energy begins to dissipate, but that shouldn't be the case. Where can you find a powerful being whose spiritual energy is so abundant these days?"

The two looked at each other, both feeling strange.

If you can't figure it out, just keep waiting until it gets dark.

"By nightfall, all the ghosts will have fled. What are you planning to catch then?" Shang Xingjian approached from a distance, tossing Zhou Long to the ground. "Wait for him?"

"Boss?" Shen Luo immediately stood up. "Didn't you go back to City A?"

"Spreading rumors will get you struck by lightning." Shang Xingjian glanced at her, sat down in her seat, and casually picked up a skewer of grilled meat to eat.

Cheng Mai looked at Shang Xingjian, seemingly also wondering why he was here.

"Why are you looking at me?" Shang Xingjian said while eating, without even glancing at her.

Cheng Mai coughed lightly and looked at Zhou Long, who had fallen to the ground.

"Where are the souls of those children?" Cheng Mai asked bluntly.

"No, I don't know, I don't know what you're talking about." Zhou Long was in his forties, but because of the immense pressure he had been under these past two years, he looked like he was in his fifties or sixties.

“I won’t promise you anything else, but I can tell you that after you die, you will not be under the jurisdiction of the state. You will have to wait until the state takes care of you again, and you will also have the possibility of reincarnation.” Cheng Mai got up and approached Zhou Long. “Whether it’s the King of Hell or a god, after today, the Fengcheng Xuanjie will be under the control of Xuanhe Technology. If you really don’t want to talk, we have time to waste with you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Long stared wide-eyed at Cheng Mai.

“I understand your anger and resentment at your tragic death, but those children are innocent. What you are doing now, how is it any different from those who harmed you?”

"And what about me? What did I do wrong?" The man staggered to his feet, looking angrily at Cheng Mai. "I used to have a good job and a happy family, but three years ago, during the business downturn, those of us who were older were the first to be laid off. I had a family of five to support."

The man cried out, "Do you know how much pressure I was under? I tried my best to find all kinds of jobs, and I never complained or grumbled, but why am I the one who died?"

It was truly heartbreaking to see and hear, and even Cheng Mai began to feel sorry for him.

"Perhaps he wasn't a good person in his past life," Shang Xingjian added casually.

Cheng Mai tilted his head slightly to look at Shang Xingjian, who was eating barbecue skewers.

"What are you looking at me for? Judge Cheng, continue with the case." Shang Xingjian gestured for her to continue.

Judge Cheng?

Cheng Mai felt that Shang Xingjian was insulting her.

"Struggling to make a living, who among those living on the edge of subsistence doesn't have a hard time?"

But that's not why he harms others.

"I'm only giving you one chance. Where are the souls of those children?" Cheng Mai didn't believe in the saying "three chances' is the limit." She would only give one chance.

"Since none of them end well, why should I tell you?"

"They seem fearless."

The man snorted, clearly confident and fearless.

Cheng Mai turned around, grabbed a skewer of grilled meat, and handed it to the man. "Want some? Oh, you can't finish it, and you probably won't be able to eat it for the next few hundred years."

Zhou Long stared at the meat skewers, the sizzling oil carrying the aroma he remembered.

Soon, very soon he will be able to enjoy this delicious food again.

Cheng Mai put the skewers back. "Leaving aside the earthbound spirit that killed you, do you know why the abbot of Xuantian Temple had his soul torn apart by evil spirits?"

Zhou Long knew about this, and not only Zhou Long, but all the ghosts and wandering spirits in Fengcheng knew about it. A few nights ago, the priest of Xuantian Temple lost his power, and hundreds of evil spirits rushed into Xuantian Temple. In the end, one of the Taoist priests of Xuantian Temple died and many were injured.

They know their souls have been torn apart, but few ghosts know why, since they dare not enter such a place.

"Xu Guan took those people's soul contracts from the Yama King's Palace and coerced and bribed them to do evil for him. One of the bribes was that they could get reincarnation early through back channels. Does this offer sound familiar?"

Zhou Long was stunned for a moment.

"Alright, let's get back to the earthbound spirit. She killed you, so she's your most direct enemy. But she has a son who carries the merits of three lifetimes. If he's lucky enough to be reincarnated, he'll probably be the son of a billionaire. That's quite a destiny."

Zhou Long's pale face turned even paler, and his eyes widened as he stared at Cheng Mai.

They seemed shocked by how much she knew.