Afterlife Department

Chapter 16 - Ice

In the Afterlife Department, San Di frowned when the pen he's holding was covered in ice. "Aia. Yi Bing!" he called and turned.

"He's dealing with a Soul Eater right now." Gu Shi hit the ice-covered notebook on San Di's head.

San Di gritted his teeth as the ice cover broke and its pieces fell on top of his head. He shivered when an ice piece touched his skin. "I'll really torch that guy when he comes back!" he said as he reached for the blanket on his chair, only to find it was crisp cold.

The intern all huddled together to find warmth from each other as they looked at the walls that was also covered with ice. Even the floor beneath their feet became ice.

In the R&D, a loud string of curses can be heard when Sha Jiu roared after the electronic devices froze.. Anje Li turned her heating function to keep her body warm. "Yi! Bing!" Sha Jiu roared, taking off the mask on his face. "I'll definitely tinker with your ice scythe when I find it!" he said.

Hai Ba who was shivering in the corner sighed and tapped his wristwatch, only to find it was also covered with ice. He sighed and blew air on it to melt the ice.

…

"Ngh!" Huo Ling almost hid on Yi Bing's sleeves when countless hails fell from the sky. He also saw the leaking ceiling and the puddle on the floor was frozen. He could feel the biting cold on his soul as the temperature suddenly drop. Yi Bing's breath became a white smoke. Huo Ling felt like it suddenly became winter. He even doubted if the midday heat he experienced earlier was real. Huo Ling felt his soul was turning into a snowball. "Y-Yi… Yi… B-Bin… ng…" his teeth were chattering as he stiffly turned to Yi Bing.

However, the man looked like he was shooting a winter commercial just from his side view. He would be an overqualified winter clothes model. When Huo Ling turned to look at what happened to the Soul Eater, he regretted his decision. He shouldn't have looked at it, so that he wouldn't see a bloody and frozen giant lump of meat. The million ice pieces looked like needles skewering the Soul Eater's flesh. "Come." He heard Yi Bing called and Huo Ling was taken into Yi Bing's surprisingly warm palm. Huo Ling felt comforted by the warmth and his ball of soul relaxed, absorbing the heat from the man's big and rough palm. "Enjoying?" he heard Yi Bing asked.

Huo Ling didn't answer as he closed his eyes to nap. Yi Bing didn't bother him as he made a bridge of ice from the fourth floor going to the rooftop where the Soul Eater was weakly lying down. Its frozen body unable to move and it helplessly but weakly roared that sounded like a whimper.

Yi Bing heard a soft snore and he saw Huo Ling fell asleep. He turned his eyes that turned as cold as the ice around, and he reached the rooftop. He looked down from the top at the Soul Eater trying to struggle, but the ice was seeping through its flesh, freezing its flesh. Slowly, its body was turning to ice. "You've killed 1,765, 023 souls." Yi Bing said, his voice emotionless. On one hand was the fiery orange ball of soul that was lying on his warm palm, while a scythe was held on his frighteningly cold hand. "Die." He muttered, then raised the ice scythe and tapped at the Soul Eater's body that turned into a giant block of ice.

Cr… r… rack! The Soul Eater's body turned into blocks of ice that fell from the rooftop of the apartment building, only to float before it could reach the ground. Yi Bing looked around, then saw a crack formed in a corner of the space, before the crack grew larger and the space broke into million pieces. The negative temperature disappeared along the broken pieces of space, and was replaced by the burning heat coming from the sun that appeared on the sky.

The heavy storm surprisingly has passed.

Afterlife Department.

The ice suddenly disappeared and a mail was sent to Gu Shi's computer. Gu Shi opened the mail and saw it was Yi Bing's report about the Soul Eater.

Soul Eater #3319

Age: 5,202

Souls eaten: 1,765,023

Status: dead

Gu Shi sighed and relief as he immediately forwarded the report to the higher-ups. For 500,000 years, 3,318 Soul Eaters have appeared and were killed. Now, a 3319th Soul Eater appeared and was killed. This isn't to be celebrated, but they have to be alarmed instead. As possible as it could, no Soul Eater should appear. Even though they lessen the work for them grim reapers, yet it was nothing to be happy about.

Every life is as important as your own life – no matter whose life it is. You shouldn't take a life so easily. Instead, you should take it seriously. Sometimes, a life is like a giant web that once it was lost, everything it was connected to falls. In short, with just one life lost, a disaster can occur.

Gu Shi sighed and sent a message to Yi Bing.

1001: how's the Abnormal Soul with you?

0001: I'm still investigating the cause of his death.

Gu Shi can't help but frown. Abnormal Souls are really a hassle.

1001: If it's too complicated, ask 0007 for help.

0001: no thanks. I'd rather work with 9999 than him (0007).

Gu Shi laughed.

1001: alright. Just send me of the updates.

0001: ok.

…

Just as Yi Bing finished his call, he heard Huo Ling yawned. He turned and just in time to see a wide empty mouth on the orange ball of soul sitting on his palm. "Awake?" he asked.

Huo Ling slowly opened his eyes and blinked to adjust his vision. "We're back?" he said when he saw the familiar surroundings. They're on the rooftop of the apartment building. "You killed the Soul Eater?" he added.

"Yes." Yi Bing answered.

Huo Ling was about to speak when he heard the sound of the siren. "The police?" he said when he heard the familiar sound.

"Yes. I've called them for them to fetch the remaining corpses." Yi Bing explained.

"23 corpses…" Huo Ling muttered and he jumped off of Yi Bing's palm that turned cold after the temperature went back to warm. His soul turned to human shape and he floated towards the railing to watch the large number of policemen entered each unit in the apartment building. He heard curses and screams when the policemen kicked the door open and caught the people inside the apartment units off-guard.

A large case was at work.