Afterlife Department

Chapter 8 - Cause Of Death

"But, I remember you said that there's no beginning in life." Huo Ling reminded Yi Bing. "Don't you dare deny it! It's on chapter 4. You said, 'Because in reincarnation, there's only the before, present and after. There's never the beginning nor the end.'!" He pointed at Yi Bing. Yi Bing gave him a look full of pity. "W-what's with that look?!" he asked.

Yi Bing kindly pointed it out to him. "This is your first life. You still haven't reincarnated to your second life yet." He said. "Your cycle hasn't yet started." He added..

"I know that!" Huo Ling said. "If this is my first life, then isn't this the beginning of my cycle?"

Yi Bing patiently explained to him. "Do you know where did the circle begin?" he said. "You have forgotten that your memory will be erased before you start another life." He reminded him.

"Ah." Huo Ling froze.

He already forgotten it before we could erase his memories. Yi Bing thought. He's hopeless. "Since your memories will be erased, how will you remember that this life is the beginning of your cycle?" he asked. "That's why it's called a cycle since you cannot see the circle's beginning, and it is never-ending." He explained.

"Oh." Huo Ling muttered. He suddenly looked dispirited.

What's with him now? Yi Bing thought and ignored him. The police already arrived. The neighbor isn't with them.

The two of them watched as the policemen forced open the door of the unit where Huo Ling found a couple of corpses. The rotting stench immediately assailed their nose when the door opened.

"Gross!" Huo Ling covered his nose as he floated away from the unit. He turned and saw Yi Bing didn't even flinch. "Why aren't you covering your nose?" he asked.

Yi Bing turned to him. "Didn't you say we, grim reapers, are veterans of death matters?" he asked.

"… you're lying." Huo Ling said.

Yi Bing blinked. "You're right. I sealed my sense of smell." He said and bravely walked towards the open door. "You're not following?" he asked. "You might recognize them, and they might be related to your death." He told him.

"You don't need to bait me!" Huo Ling said as he followed behind Yi Bing. "Ugh!" he groaned in disgust when the smell became stronger. "Can't you seal my sense of smell, too?" he asked Yi Bing as they entered the unit.

The police immediately checked the corpses and called the forensics. "You're a soul. If I'll do a Sealing then I'll be sealing your whole soul." He heard Yi Bing said.

"… what would happen if my soul is sealed?" Huo Ling asked.

Yi Bing stopped to turn to him. "My power is ice, as you've seen it." He said. "Your soul will freeze to death. If your soul has complications – since you're an Abnormal Soul, it depends whether you're too strong and experience the pain of my Sealing, or be too weak and your soul will immediately dissipate – "

"AAAAH! I get it! I get it! You don't have to do Sealing!" Huo Ling said and floated farther Yi Bing, maintaining a fixed distance.

Yi Bing didn't bother with him as he immediately checked the corpses. Like with the woman, he pressed a finger on a corpse's temple. But, nothing flashed on the corpse. He turned to another soul, and the same thing happened. The last one is also the same.

Yi Bing tapped his wristwatch and the holographic screen appeared. Then, the light covered the three corpses.

Rows of lines appeared on the holographic screen, along with the deceased's picture. "Eh?" Huo Ling reacted when he saw a familiar face. Due to the corpse already rotted for who knows how long, and he was disgusted to look at them, he didn't notice one of them is familiar to him. "I know this guy." He said and pointed the person in the middle.

Yi Bing turned to him. "You recognized him." He said and looked at the guy's information. "What's your relationship with him?" he asked.

Name: Wei Jing

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Cause of death: complication of an internal organ

Huo Ling stared at Wei Jing's face for a long time, trying to remember him. Yi Bing noticed and he spoke. "Do you want me to extract your memories – ?" he asked.

"AH!" Huo Ling interjected, intentionally or unintentionally. "He's my senior at work!" he said.

"And?"

Huo Ling turned to him. "He has vices – drinking and smoking. He's been repeatedly warned by our manager yet he was caught for the third time and was fired at work." He explained.

"Do you remember if he has any grudge on you?" Yi Bing asked.

Huo Ling thought before he shook his head. "No. We've never interacted." He answered.

Yi Bing stared at him for a long time, as if checking whether he was lying or not. Seeing Huo Ling's 'innocent' look, he moved his gaze and turned to the other two corpses. "How about them?" he asked.

Huo Ling looked at them. "I don't know them. They might be my senior's friends." He guessed.

The initial guess would always be friendship. However – "This powder…" they heard the police said.

"They're taking drugs!" another one exclaimed.

Yi Bing and Huo Ling looked at each other. "I don't know about it." Huo Ling immediately said.

"… did I say anything?" Yi Bing said.

"Your look tells it all!" Huo Ling said.

Yi Bing turned to the policemen and saw them forced open the locked cabinet. Then, as if a flood, snow white powder poured out of the cabinet. "They were taking drugs! I'll inform the department to send someone from the drug enforcement!" someone said and rushed out of the unit.

"So he destroyed his body with drugs?" Huo Ling said.

"Listen to them." Yi Bing told him and looked at the policemen.

"Multiple stabs on the chest and the abdomen." A police officer said.

"There're also wounds on the back – " his friend said.

"They must have been high and mistaken their friend as an enemy?" someone guessed.

"Anyway, they killed each other." Someone coughed. He'll soak himself in a scented bath tub.

Huo Ling looked at Yi Bing. "They killed each other, not me." He said, disappointment in his voice.

"Were you hoping he killed you?" Yi Bing said.

"Of course not! I was hoping I didn't die!" Huo Ling said. "But, I already did…" he floated out of the door, his back hunched. Suddenly, he saw someone approaching. Instinctively, he dodged to not bump the other. However, it was too late. "Sorry - !" he apologized, then saw his body passed through the other's body. Ah –

The person suddenly stopped just in front of Huo Ling. "Strange… I felt something cold – " he muttered.

"Did you find something – " the person behind him said. " – young master ?" he asked.