# 491
Chapter 491 – Shen Qingzhu’s Clue
Baili Pangpang seemed to sense someone watching him and turned his head in puzzlement.
The aisle beside the shelves was empty—no one there.
“Oh dear, let me tell ya, our cat ain’t no ordinary cat, it…” The salesgirl was still gesticulating wildly, describing her miraculous feline, and Baili Pangpang’s attention was dragged back.
Shen Qingzhu pushed the cart, standing in the blind spot of the shelves, a glint flickering in his eyes.
He absolutely could not let Baili Pangpang see him.
That little fatty would definitely rush over, and the Seventh Seat was right beside him…
Although together they might beat the Seventh Seat, they had no sure-kill method; once the Seventh Seat fled back to the manor, the fact that he wasn’t bound by the soul contract would be exposed and his identity completely revealed.
Most importantly, once the Third Seat learned of this, countermeasures would follow; then the entire manor’s layout would be changed to better conceal the altar.
Right now the First, Third, Seventh, Ninth, and Twelfth Seats were all in Lintang, and Yiyu was about to descend. Shen Qingzhu knew best how strong they were; even if Lin Qiye and Team 008 joined forces they wouldn’t stand a chance.
In the end, Lin Qiye’s group would likely be wiped out.
That was not what he wanted.
His goal was simply to pass on what the Believers were doing, let the Night Watch know how deep the water ran here, so a special team would be dispatched.
Shen Qingzhu drew a deep breath and said to the Seventh Seat beside him:
“I’ll go check the snack section up ahead.”
He pushed the cart into the snack aisle, vanishing from the Seventh Seat’s line of sight.
Half a minute later he emerged with five large bags of oyster-flavored potato chips. The Seventh Seat glanced at the haul and raised an eyebrow.
“You actually like these?”
“None of your business.” Shen Qingzhu answered coldly.
The two quickly finished gathering the few days’ worth of supplies; since they only needed a small amount, everything fit in one cart.
At the checkout, Shen Qingzhu unloaded the items one by one. He stared at the five bags of oyster chips, then pulled three out and tossed them into a basket beside the register.
“Two bags are enough.”
After paying, they carried the plastic bags and left the supermarket.
…
“Old Cao, find anything?” Baili Pangpang leaned against a vending machine as Cao Yuan walked over.
Cao Yuan shook his head. “Nothing. Besides the earthquake, Lintang doesn’t seem to have any other weird incidents.”
“Looks like the problem is still the quake. I think—”
Pop—!!
Mid-sentence, a sharp crack rang out nearby, followed by startled cries.
Baili Pangpang and Cao Yuan turned to see a bag of chips in a basket beside a register suddenly burst, showering crisps over startled shoppers.
“Just a bag of chips exploding.” Baili Pangpang shrugged and started again, “I think—”
Pop—!!
A second bag burst.
Baili Pangpang froze.
Pop—!!
When the third explosion sounded, both sensed something wrong. They exchanged glances and headed for the register together.
Threading through the scattered chips, they reached the basket. The cashier, frightened by the three blasts, stood frozen.
Cao Yuan’s gaze fell inside; he reached in and plucked out a tiny object—a black ring.
“Soul-Severing Blade?!” Baili Pangpang exclaimed at the familiar ring. “This… this is…”
Cao Yuan locked eyes with him. “Bro?”
…
“Shen Qingzhu’s ring?”
Lin Qiye in the back seat widened his eyes at the phone. “Where are you?”
“…”
“Got it, I’m on my way.”
Jialan beside him asked curiously, “What happened?”
Lin Qiye rubbed his chin. “Looks like this really is tied to the Believers…”
Ten minutes later Lin Qiye and Jialan reached the supermarket.
“So after the chip bags exploded one by one, you found Shen Qingzhu’s ring in that basket?” Lin Qiye asked, eyeing the basket.
Baili Pangpang and Cao Yuan nodded.
“Inject air into vacuum-sealed bags, then compress them until they burst… definitely Shen Qingzhu’s trick.” Lin Qiye swept his gaze across the store. “None of you saw him?”
“Nope.”
“He saw you, and he’s stuck in a situation he can’t escape, so he used this little stunt to send a message… but what?”
Lin Qiye pondered, then his peripheral vision caught a security camera in the corner. His eyes lit up.
…
“Here’s the footage you wanted.” The staff zoomed in.
Lin Qiye and the other three stared at the screen.
It showed Shen Qingzhu entering with a curvaceous woman, pushing a cart and buying daily necessities.
“That’s really Bro?” Baili Pangpang’s expression turned odd. “He… landed a sugar-mama?”
“Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tissues, trash bags, bottled water… all household goods, and the quantities don’t look like just two people.” Lin Qiye mused, “They’re shopping for a larger group.”
While in the household aisle, Shen Qingzhu spotted Baili Pangpang nearby, pondered, said something to the woman, then walked straight to the snack section.
He casually grabbed several bags of chips, glanced around, noticed the corner camera, and narrowed his eyes.
“He saw the camera,” Cao Yuan said.
“No,” Lin Qiye murmured, eyes fixed on the screen. “He came looking for it.”
Shen Qingzhu pulled something from his pocket and, under the camera’s gaze, tucked it deep into the chip shelf, then pushed his cart away nonchalantly.
Later, at checkout, he placed three bags of chips in the basket and left.
“The chip shelf!”
All four spoke at once.
They hurried to the exact shelf. Lin Qiye reached deep and pulled out a crumpled scrap of paper.
He unfolded it; tiny handwriting read:
North suburb, 42 East-An Street, abandoned manor.
Altar of the Underworld God.
Special team intervention required.