126 Gathering of Experts

Ning Shi frowned when he heard Zong Shangcheng’s words. He knew that humans had souls, and he had experienced his soul leaving his body before.

However, Ning Shi would not go to the extent of claiming this incident to be the work of a ghost.

With the extraordinary strength of awakeners, if ghosts and monsters really existed in this world, they would have been discovered long ago.

Even if there were ghosts, they would just be another kind of life form.

Ning Shi took a sip of tea and slowly said, “The nannies’ death could be the work of a rare awakener, or it could be done by a spiritual-type awakener. If an extremely powerful spiritual-type awakener was involved, they would have many ways to kill a person from a distance without a sound or a trace. As for the nannies’ frightened expressions, it could be that they were threatened by the awakener or they saw an illusion.”

Zong Shangcheng nodded and said, “My cousin and the Investigation Department have come to the same conclusion as you. They also think that it was an attack by a spiritual-type awakener. They have narrowed down the scope of the investigation. However, there are no results yet.”

Ning Shi asked a crucial question, “The person who threatened the Zong family sent two letters. How were the letters delivered?”

Zong Shangcheng’s face revealed a trace of fear as he said, “The letters appeared out of nowhere. The first letter was found on the table by a nanny when she was cleaning the house. When we checked the surveillance footage, the letter appeared out of thin air. The second letter’s appearance was even more bizarre. At that time, my father was hosting a banquet to entertain his friends and the Investigation Department’s team members. The threatening letter appeared on the table out of nowhere. 10 experts, 3 of them Tier 8 awakeners, did not notice anything unusual.”

Zong Shangcheng took a sip of tea to ease his nervousness before continuing, “My father was completely disappointed in the Investigation Department because of this. He asked my cousin Yi Shengjia and two of his Tier 9 awakener friends for help.”

The way the letters were delivered was so strange that even Ning Shi was a little curious. What ability did the culprit possess?

Their car did not head into the city, but towards Mingyang Mountain in the suburbs of Shangmo City.

Zong Shangcheng explained, “Our relatives have all returned. For logistical convenience and to not hurt the innocent in the city, we moved to our holiday manor at the foot of Mingyang Mountain.”

Ning Shi nodded. This was the right thing to do. If a battle between powerful awakeners actually occurred in the downtown area, it would cause great damage and casualties.

From the looks of it, Zong Qing was a reasonable person.

“The Investigation Department is very satisfied with my father’s actions,so they sent an additional rank-9 awakener consultant overnight.”

Ning Shi said humbly, “You have three Tier 9 awakeners, plus the champion of the National Awakeners’ Competition, Yi Shengjia, who is also known as the top Tier 8 awakener, here. The experts gathered here are more than sufficient to protect your family. It seems that I’m just here to give moral support.”

Zong Shangcheng hurriedly replied with some polite words.

Ning Shi planned to keep a low profile during his visit this time. If the Investigation Department or the experts invited by the Zong family could solve the problem, he didn’t intend to make a move.

This was because Ning Shi sensed that there was a conspiracy from the troubles of the Zong family.

The goal of the culprit who was intimidating the Zong family was obviously not as simple as getting them to help produce a drink.

If that was their only goal, they didn’t need to create threatening letters and go to such lengths. They even gave the Zong family three days to consider and made such a big scene.

There must be a deeper scheme behind this.

Zong Shangcheng and Ning Shi were about the same age. Although they grew up in different environments, they still shared similar memories of their generation. Therefore, they chatted happily.

While they were talking, the car slowly drove into a luxurious manor.

The Zong family’s manor at the foot of the mountain had a typical western style. There were metal gates and white stone pillars. The lawn in the manor was well-maintained, and the images of the three buildings reflected in each other’s windows.

From the outside, the house looked very majestic. The marble had snow-white swirling patterns, and the ebony doors and windows were all exquisitely carved. Under the cover of the trees, it set off the profoundness and magnificence of the house.

There was a circular fountain in front of the manor, and three small streams were designed around the fountain. After flowing to the three houses, they gathered into a small pond in a depression.

It was obvious that the manor was designed by a master designer. Living here, one could feel the breath of nature as well as enjoy the convenience of technology and industrial civilization.

Before alighting, Zong Shangcheng hesitated for a moment before saying, “Principal Ning, you’re Shangren’s master. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. My father and I consider you a close friend. However, all our relatives are here, and there are dozens of them. If there are any ignorant fools who offend you, please tell me. My father and I will definitely punish them severely.”

“Don’t worry, I understand your intentions,” replied Ning Shi as he smiled.

Zong Shangcheng wanted to express that the opinions of some of his relatives did not represent the stance of the Zong family or him and his father.

It seemed that when a family grew big, there would always be disputes.

Ning Shi got out of the car and followed Zong Shangcheng to the largest house in the middle.

Zong Qing was already standing at the door, ready to welcome them.

Seeing Ning Shi, he reached out to shake Ning Shi’s hands as he revealed an expression of gratitude.

“Principal Ning, thank you for your help. I’ve troubled you with Shangren’s unruly behavior! Please come in!”

After walking through the door, they were in a six-meter-tall hall. It was decorated with warm colors such as orange, yellow and red.

The hall was very lively and there were many people. They were divided in three groups, and there seemed to be a tense atmosphere between them.

After Ning Shi came in, everyone’s eyes focused on him.

Ning Shi’s perception was extremely strong. He instantly felt that a group of people were looking at him with hostility and contempt.

With a quick glance, he saw that this group of people were all wearing branded clothes and expensive jewelry. They should be relatives of the Zong family.

They surrounded a handsome and cool-looking man who was about 1.7 meters tall. Beside the celebrity-like young man, the relatives of the Zong family glanced at Ning Shi with either looks of disdain or hostility.

Ning Shi was a little surprised at first. By right, he had not offended anyone, but then he realized that this group of people wasn’t targeting him, but everyone around them.

The way they looked at the Investigation Department was the same.

Zong Qing led Ning Shi to a nearby place and introduced him in a clear voice, “Everyone, this is Principal Ning Shi, the strongest strength-type awakener in our country. He is the master of my youngest son, Zong Shangren. I’m sure everyone has heard of him, so I won’t go into detail.”

As soon as Zong Qing finished speaking, a sharp female voice could be heard.

“What do you mean by the strongest strength-type awakener? He’s just a country bumpkin carrying a sack. He’s far inferior to Brother Shengjia!”

Behind Ning Shi, Zong Shangcheng instantly slapped his forehead.It was as he had feared. How could he have such a stupid relative?

Before Ning Shi could speak, Zong Qing walked up with an ashen face and slapped the woman.

He chided, “Zong Linna, you’re my niece, so I did not discipline you before out of respect for your father. I can’t believe you actually have the audacity to say such things in this situation. Get back to your room and I’ll take back your shares in the group!”

Zong Linna covered her red and swollen face and looked at her uncle in horror. It was the first time she had seen her uncle so angry.

Not daring to say a word, she covered her face and went upstairs.

Zong Qing bowed and apologized, “Principal Ning, I’m sorry. My niece has been studying abroad and has just returned recently. It’s the Zong family’s fault for not being strict in disciplining her and allowing her to offend you. The Zong family will definitely compensate you later.”

Ning Shi had noticed Zong Linna earlier. She was a little girl who dressed in avant-garde fashion and was most likely younger than 18 years old. Her eyes were full of admiration and adoration when she looked at Yi Shengjia.

There was no need to pay heed to the words of a little girl who didn’t know much about the world. He said indifferently, “It’s fine, Mr. Zong. There’s no need for compensation.”

Zong Qing was experienced in dealing with people and matters. He knew that he couldn’t be caught up in this now and had to quickly move on. Thus, he led Ning Shi to introduce him to the important people in the hall.

“This is Consultant Ding, Ding Zhiyu, from the first unit of the Investigation Department of Shangmo City. Consultant Ding is a Tier 8 awakener skilled in fire-type abilities. This is the leader of the first brigade, Meng Dengjun. He is also a Tier 8 awakener and specializes in ice abilities. This is Consultant Zhou… This is my best friend, Tong Hansheng…”

Zong Qing introduced them as they walked, and Ning Shi nodded to them one by one.

These people had all heard of Ning Shi before. Regardless of what they thought of him, they were all very polite to him on the surface.

After being introduced to everyone, Ning Shi was about to ask why he didn’t see any Tier 9 awakeners around.

Just then, three middle-aged men walked down the stairs. Ning Shi knew the one in the lead. He was Wu Qihua, the president of Shangmo City’s Fujiao Awakener School.

Laughing, Wu Qihua hurriedly walked over to Ning Shi and said, “President Ning, it’s truly a small world. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“Come, let me introduce you to these two men. This is General Jin Rongzhi from the Northern Army. This is Consultant Deng Zutai from the Special Affairs Department. You two are technically colleagues.”

Jin Rongzhi had a stern expression. However, when he saw Ning Shi, he extended his hand and said politely, “Principal Ning, I’ve heard a lot about you. Commander Ou has always said that you’re the young man he has the most faith in!”

As for Consultant Deng Zutai, he was even more enthusiastic.

He bowed slightly and said with a smile, “Consultant Ning, please take care of me in the future.”

As a consultant of the Special Affairs Department, he knew Ning Shi was special in Hu Changjun’s eyes. This young man’s future was limitless.

Therefore, he chose to act courteous towards Ning Shi.

Everyone in the hall was shocked to see the three Tier 9 awakeners being so polite and respectful to Ning Shi.

There was only a one level difference between Tier 8 and Tier 9. However, the difference in strength between the two tiers was like heaven and earth.

After the three Tier 9 powerhouses arrived at the Zong family manor, they were indifferent to everyone and did not bother to show their faces. They ate and chatted in their group of three, separating themselves from the others.

Everyone thought that this was a matter of course.

Who would have thought that these three would be so polite to Ning Shi? Not only did they treat him like someone of their generation, but it seemed that they were also currying favor with him.