"Sean wants to see us?"
The Saints of the Five Elements Alliance exchanged glances. Upon hearing that Julian Meade had died from an assassination the previous night, everyone fought to keep straight faces, suppressing any hint of gloating while instinctively putting their guard up, sensing that Sean boded ill.
"We need to watch out for him lashing out blindly," Tianxia Guihuo said gravely. "Ryo-chan, go inform Minister Winnie."
Guan Ya pondered for a few seconds before saying, "He probably needs our assistance with the investigation."
A Swordsman possessing sharp insight and reasoning skills, along with Night Wanderers capable of questioning spirits, were indispensable professions in solving cases.
Unlike his companions' concern and gravity, Brother Red Chicken was thrilled. "That bastard is dead? Hou, hou ah! That's what you call wicked deeds bringing their own retribution!"
His only flash of wit was uttering those words in the dialect of the Soup-Brewing Province.
Inside the conference room, Sean Meade sat upright at the head of the table. With elbows planted on the surface and hands clasped beneath his chin, he stared silently at the projection screen.
Overnight, the Chief Executive Officer had aged several years. His eyes were bloodshot, and a deep, inconsolable grief weighed heavily between his tightly furrowed brows.
Yet his demeanor remained composed, those Eyes of the Wind King as sharp as ever.
To his left sat Emma, Winnie Berent's assistant, alongside officers from the Inspection Division. To his right sat the officers of the Enforcement Division.
Sean's assistant stood beside the right side of the screen and spoke in a deep voice:
"Julian Meade's autopsy report is in. Cause of death was myocardial infarction. There were no other wounds on the body, nor any traces of poison. Whether his spirit body still lingers inside the corpse remains unconfirmed; we need the Five Elements Alliance support team to head to the morgue for further verification."
With that, he pressed a button on the remote to play a surveillance video and continued:
"This is the footage from Chief Executive Officer Sean's residence. From the moment His Excellency departed until Julian Meade's death, nothing unusual was captured on video, nor was anything reported in the security guards' statements. The wind wall surrounding the villa suffered neither attack nor intrusion.
"In addition, we pulled surveillance footage from roads within a ten-kilometer radius and haven't spotted any suspicious individuals for the time being."
He handed out a stack of papers to the room. "The security personnel's statements are all here for your review. In fact, we already had a Scout consultant examine them; there are no signs of collusion or deception."
After hearing this, Emma merely skimmed the statements before putting them aside, her brow furrowing. "Why did he die of a myocardial infarction? What was the killer's motive?"
Whether from the cameras or the guards' testimonies, the previous night had been entirely uneventful. Yet a Level 6 Wind Mage could not possibly die from a heart attack.
In the absence of other leads, the cause of death and motive were their only viable clues.
"There are far too many ways to induce a myocardial infarction. Did Julian Meade have any enemies in New York?"
"Julian worked at headquarters and resided in Huadu for a long time. He shouldn't have had any enemies in New York. If we had to name one, could it be that Beast King from last night?"
The conference room fell abruptly silent. People stole wary glances at Sean.
*Knock, knock!*
Just then, a knock sounded against the frosted glass door. An Enforcement Division officer in a formal suit pushed it open, followed by the Saints of the Five Elements Alliance.
"Your Excellency, the support team has arrived," the officer bowed and announced. He then made an inviting gesture toward Guan Ya and the others, escorting them to the gallery before excusing himself.
"We're Saints, and we don't even get seats at the table?" Brother Red Chicken grumbled under his breath.
Zhang Yuanqing pulled over a high-backed chair and sat down, scanning the room to find everyone at the table scrutinizing him.
Chief Executive Officer Sean Meade said calmly, "Julian Meade was assassinated last night. Jumang, surveillance footage captured you leaving the New York Bank headquarters two hours before Julian was killed. Please explain why."
He then turned to Emma. "Additionally, I want the Inspection Division to examine his communication devices and have technical personnel conduct a thorough check."
Investigating internal misconduct fell within the Inspection Division's purview.
Instantly, Zhang Yuanqing became the center of attention.
He crossed his legs and met Sean's gaze evenly before looking around at the others. "I see what you're getting at. Chief Executive Officer Sean suspects me of hiring an assassin? First, when I choose to go out is my own business. I owe no one an explanation. During the window of Julian's murder, I was right here in the bank building. That airtight alibi is more than enough.
"Second, while Julian and I had friction, I had no motive to assassinate him."
He paused, shrugged, and scoffed. "Who bothers assassinating someone who already lost to them? Shouldn't he be the one looking to hire a hitman?"
The corner of Emma's mouth curved slightly.
An elderly white man from the Enforcement Division said sternly, "Mind your tone!"
The officers from the Inspection and Enforcement Divisions exchanged glances. Truth be told, none of them believed Jumang had a motive to kill Julian either.
At the banquet last night, Julian was the one who had been thoroughly humiliated, while Jumang had basked in the limelight. Having walked away with every advantage, there was no reason to assassinate the offspring of a Dominator.
After all, they had no fundamental conflict of interest, let alone a blood feud.
Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Third, I deeply love the Free Confederation!"
Everyone stared blankly, failing to follow. The older man who had just chided him asked in confusion, "Deeply love the Free Confederation?"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "I deeply love the Free Confederation, which is precisely why I will not hand over my phone. Because private property is sacred and inviolable. Because human rights are supreme."
Silence descended over the conference room once more. A collective sense of exasperation settled in—*the kid is clearly spouting nonsense, but no one can refute it.*
Emma cleared her throat. "Chief Executive Officer, if you can provide clues or evidence linking Jumang to Julian's assassination, we can launch a mandatory investigation. Otherwise, the prosecutors cannot easily grant your request."
Sean fell silent.
Emma then continued, "Let's proceed with the case. Will our new colleagues please review the materials? In addition, we need a Night Wanderer to go to the morgue and check whether Julian's spirit body is still present."
Her eyes swept over the three Stargazers, naturally bypassed Yuan Ting, and settled on Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang.
Yuan Ting shot to his feet. "I'll go!"
Emma hurriedly waved her hands. "No, we don't need Spirit Devouring, only confirmation of whether Julian's spirit body is still there. Furthermore, all information regarding this case must remain confidential and strictly private."
*Confidential, strictly private...* Yuan Ting sank back down bewildered, feeling thoroughly targeted and excluded.
Taking the cue, Sun Miaomiao stood up and said, "I'll go."
She left the room guided by an Enforcement Division officer.
Watching Sun Miaomiao depart, Emma turned to Guan Ya. "Ms. Guan Ya, you are a Swordsman. We need your deductive reasoning."
Keeping her eyes on the file, Guan Ya replied, "There's no need for Spirit Devouring, Ms. Emma. What you just said tells me there was an eyewitness present when Julian died, correct?"
"A member of the Desire class!" Emma cast a quick glance at Sean.
Having finished reading the file, Guan Ya looked up. "No signs of enemy intrusion were detected, nearby surveillance captured no suspicious individuals, and Julian Meade died of a myocardial infarction. If there was a witness present, toxins can be ruled out first.
"Toxins are not contagious diseases; they cannot spread selectively. Unless ingested orally, that Desire class individual at the scene would have perished from poisoning as well. Thus, Jumang's suspicion can be dismissed. While some Wood Monsters specialize in toxins, they cannot kill someone so soundlessly."
The personnel from both divisions nodded in agreement.
Guan Ya continued, "Considering the characteristics of each class, my suspects are: Night Wanderers, the Void, Witch Doctors, and Illusionists.
"A Night Wanderer's Night Roaming and Astral Travel, the Void's teleportation, a Witch Doctor's curse-killing, and an Illusionist's Dream Traverse could all eliminate Julian Meade without making a sound."
At that point, a realization dawned on Guan Ya. "Which is why you want to see if Julian's spirit body remains."
If a Night Wanderer had carried out such a silent kill, it could only have been through forcibly possessing the body and devouring the soul.
Just then, Sun Miaomiao returned with the enforcement officer.
All eyes turned to the wide-eyed, delicate girl.
She announced, "Julian's spirit body is still there."
"Then it wasn't a Night Wanderer!" Sean nodded slightly, as if confirming a suspicion. "I know which class did this. Meeting adjourned."
He then turned to Emma. "Notify Minister Winnie to come over for a moment."
The crowd filed out in bewilderment.
Fifteen minutes later, Winnie Berent entered the conference room.
The two chiefs sat at opposite ends of the conference table. Winnie said, "I am sorry to hear about Julian. My condolences."
"Condolences are useless!" Sean said coldly. "It's *their* turn to mourn. I know who killed Julian."
Winnie adopted an attentive listening posture.
"It was a Dream Master—at least a Dream Master," Sean stated in a heavy voice.
"A Void has the ability to slip into the villa, but lacks the means to kill Julian without alerting anyone. A Witch Doctor's curse-killing is overly brutal and aggressive; the death wouldn't manifest as a myocardial infarction. According to the statement from that Desire class woman, Julian's lust surged uncontrollably last night, demanding sex without restraint. The killer inflamed Julian's desires.
"Winnie, the evil faction is provoking me. By killing my eldest son, they are declaring war on Heaven's Punishment, declaring war on the orthodox faction in New York! The evil faction is delivering a forceful response to last night's banquet, telling us that even if the Orderly forces assemble, they have nothing to fear."
Winnie nodded slightly. "What do you plan to do?"
Sean said grimly, "Issue an announcement to all Orderly classes in New York: purge every member on the Class-A Most Wanted list within one month."
***
Beside the Dessen River, known as New York's economic lifeline, Zhang Yuanqing faced the howling river wind as he listened to the President speak expansively:
"Yuanshi, do you know how Spirit Realm walkers wage war? The Soldier Master sect's assault on the Capital City was merely an act of venting fury. Wars between Spirit Realm walkers are never large-scale clashes. That would only inflict casualties on innocents and cause members on both sides to exhaust their Morality Points, becoming wanted criminals of the Spirit Realm.
"In a true faction war, there is no place for small fry; Extraordinary walkers can be completely disregarded. Gathering troops for a pitched battle is how ordinary mortals fight. The war of Spirit Realm walkers is about using every conceivable means to hunt down the enemy's mid- and high-level powerhouses."
Zhang Yuanqing murmured, "So Sean Meade is getting serious? He wants to purge the Class-A Most Wanted list to force their Dominators onto the field?"
Every name on New York's Class-A Most Wanted list belonged to an evil-faction Saint.
Bacchus, who was even stronger than Osmond and Hoover, ranked second.
Ranked first was Typhoeus of the Biological Alchemy Society, renowned as the Fiend Progenitor.
"Heh, you only need to kill half of them, or even fewer, and the evil faction's Dominators will have no choice but to step in," the President chuckled. "Your assassination last night was spectacular. It successfully accelerated the pace of the faction war. You can contact Catherine tonight."
With tensions now escalating, a Level 6 Illusionist was someone the evil faction would definitely strive to recruit.
"Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone.
*No need to wait until tonight; I can contact that little vixen right now.* He glanced around, moved to a secluded corner, altered his appearance, and pulled out his burner phone to power it on.
The moment it started up, a barrage of chimes rang out in rapid succession.
Every single one was a message from Catherine telling him to abort the mission and call off the hit on Julian Meade—well over a dozen in total.
Her initial messages had been fairly composed, but they grew increasingly frantic toward the end. Her message from that morning read: *Oh God, damn it, you really killed Julian! Your goddamn habit of turning off your phone makes me want to rip your head off! And that Jumang too!*
There were eight missed calls.
*Surprised? Shocked?* The corner of Zhang Yuanqing's mouth curled upward instinctively, and he dialed Catherine's number.
The call connected immediately, and Catherine's shrill voice came through:
"You damned brat, you ruined my plans! You ruined everything! Keeping open lines of communication is the most basic professional standard for a bounty hunter!"
Zhang Yuanqing replied flatly, "Powering down communication devices during a mission is the most basic professional standard for an assassin."
Silence fell on the other end, lingering for a long time.
Zhang Yuanqing said coldly, "The mission is complete, Catherine. It's time to honor your promise."
Catherine took a deep breath. "Tonight at ten, I'll be waiting for you at 69 Hamburg Street in Queens. You need to pass one final test."
Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "You've successfully exhausted my patience. Suddenly, I'm not so interested in joining your group anymore."
He hung up the phone.
Holding the device, he silently counted down: *Three, two, one...*
Catherine's call came in.
This time, the little vixen's tone softened. "I apologize for my tone earlier. Believe me, joining our organization holds infinite benefits for your future."
Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched into a smirk. "Fine. I'll give you one chance."
Chapter 686