Even though Nian Fuli was a captain, he had no dedicated official car when not deploying on an operation. Furthermore, this trip was to the municipal headquarters, so once they reached the street outside the alley, Chen Chuan drove him in his Jiade car.
After climbing inside, Nian Fuli needed only a few glances to spot the craftsmanship. "Little Chuan, has this car been modified? You've even installed armored plating?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Yes, a friend helped modify it."
"That can't have been cheap. It must have cost quite a bit, right?"
"He didn't charge me anything."
Nian Fuli was a bit surprised. "Then that's quite a good friend you have."
"He is," Chen Chuan said.
Since there wasn't much traffic on the roads at this hour and the matter was urgent, he picked up speed. In less than half an hour, he brought Nian Fuli to Constabulary Headquarters in Changbao District.
After learning more about the situation upon their arrival, he joined the headquarters convoy and rushed toward the location where Instructor Che had met his demise.
In his mind, he pondered the cause of death. Generally speaking, a third-limit fighter could only be dealt with by another fighter of the same limit, but in truth, there was more than one way to achieve it.
For instance, he carried a stone tablet from the raccoon dog urban legend, which could kill an enemy remotely across distance. But was there anyone in Yangzhi City who possessed such means?
If there was, then from top to bottom, not a single person in Yangzhi City could truly be considered safe.
The convoy traveled out of the city and reached the scene in under an hour. Chen Chuan noticed that this location was Caijia Stockade, where Guan Xiaohui and her companions had been. Looking at it from afar, however, it was now completely deserted.
The spot where Che Lie had died was in a small grove of trees less than five hundred meters from the stockade. He lay between two trees. When they caught sight of him, he was almost unrecognizable, for there was only a torso and limbs—his head was gone.
At the moment, an elderly man was examining the corpse.
Chen Chuan had seen this coroner before. Back when he had killed the members of the Mutual Aid Society, this very coroner had been sent to handle the autopsy.
As Chen Chuan walked over, constables on the scene recognized him right away. "Huh? Isn't that Little Chuan?"
"Who?" another constable asked from the side.
"Little Chuan! Hey, Captain Nian's nephew—did you forget about what happened last year?"
"Oh, right! I remember now, that's him! Didn't I hear he went off to Center City?"
Another chimed in, "Hey, you can't go calling him Little Chuan now. Look at that uniform—he must be an officer in Center City."
"Right, right, must mind our manners."
Chen Chuan stepped closer and took a look at Che Lie's body. His limbs had all been broken by brutal, heavy blows. The cut at the neck was smooth; judging from the marks, his head had likely been severed only after he was beaten to death.
Moreover, after the limbs were fractured, there was no sign of recovery whatsoever. The fatal injury was very likely to the head, and it had probably been removed simply to prevent anyone from identifying what kind of wound killed him.
Who would have thought that a man who had walked with an armed escort and sharp swagger just yesterday would lie here today in such an undignified state?
In the meantime, he learned more about what had happened. According to the constables who had accompanied Che Lie, they had suddenly received word the previous night from an informant left in the stockade, reporting that the villagers were preparing to evacuate.
Upon hearing the news, Che Lie had immediately decided to lead a team to intercept them. As they drew close, however, the rough road slowed the vehicles, and Che Lie, growing impatient, ran ahead on his own to cut off the escape.
By the time the convoy of constables reached the stockade, they found the entire village already deserted, with Che Lie nowhere to be seen. They could only leave a squad behind while the rest tracked the trail.
Yet the villagers had apparently retreated very rapidly toward the mountains. Combined with the darkness of night, the pursuers failed to catch up and could only report the situation back to the bureau.
Since the constables were not attacked, this did not raise any alarms at the bureau at first. After all, the weapons available to the villagers could hardly rival those of the constabulary, not to mention that the village was already empty.
It was not until daylight that a constable entering the woods to relieve himself spotted the body beneath the trees. It looked like Instructor Che. Realizing something was terribly wrong, he hastily reported it to the bureau.
The captain leading the team asked the coroner, "Can you confirm it's Instructor Che?"
He still found it hard to believe. Although Instructor Che was widely disliked at the bureau—in fact, most people feared and loathed him—his strength had been unquestionable, making the captain wonder whether this might be someone else.
The coroner replied placidly, "Confirmed."
Chen Chuan spoke up as well. "There's no mistake." He had shaken hands with Che Lie yesterday and observed him up close; even without a head, he was certain this was the man.
He glanced around the surroundings again, noting a few flattened branches and crushed blades of grass, but there were no signs of a fierce struggle. He remarked, "This should be the primary scene. However..."
"However what?"
The captain rushed over to ask, clearly placing great weight on his opinion.
Chen Chuan said, "However, the entire fight was extremely brief. Instructor Che was killed almost in a single exchange, without putting up any effective resistance."
The captain was startled. "Are you certain?"
Chen Chuan looked at him and said slowly, "As an Enforcement Officer of the Central Disposition Bureau and a third-limit fighter, I am completely certain, and I can take responsibility for this conclusion."
The area fell silent for a good while.
After a long pause, the captain gathered his wits, a trace of awe in his eyes. He turned to the people around him and barked, "What are you standing around staring for? Write down what Officer Chen said, and bring Instructor Che's body back."
Since the stockade was now abandoned and the villagers' whereabouts were unknown, there was no point in conducting a sweep. Besides, if an exceptionally powerful figure was behind this, there was nothing the constables here could do anyway.
Returning with the convoy, Chen Chuan went to the headquarters and explained the situation to Director Guan. Originally, he had planned to offer a hand, but after a brief conversation, he learned that the bureau had long since requested reinforcements from higher-ups, and the dispatched personnel would arrive very soon. Seeing no need to linger, he said goodbye to Nian Fuli and left.
Since he had arranged to meet with Ding Jiao today and the scheduled time was drawing near, he collected his thoughts, set the matter aside, and headed off to meet Ding Jiao and his other old classmates.
When everyone met up, they caught up on one another's recent lives, then went rowing on the lake. After lunch, Ding Jiao brought out several two-wheeled motor vehicles from his shop, and they went out for a ride, followed by riding roller coasters at a newly opened amusement park. After dinner, they went to catch a couple of newly released movies.
Though the films here were not as vivid as those viewed through a boundary credential, watching them together with good friends and classmates was all about enjoying the atmosphere.
They watched two films back-to-back. It was past ten in the evening when they finally emerged from the cinema, agreeing on when they would hang out next before parting ways.
Such a scene would have been unthinkable half a year ago. But after the downfall of the Molan Company and the Blood Mark Gang, Director Guan took over the constabulary and cracked down hard on crime. Order within the city had improved dramatically. Even at this hour, pedestrians and passing vehicles could be seen on the streets from time to time.
And this was not even the bustling southern district, which was practically awake all night now.
After saying goodbye to Ding Jiao and the others, Chen Chuan drove back. Reaching the constabulary residential compound, he parked the car. Just as he stepped out, his instincts stirred. Looking back, he saw someone walking toward him from the intersection.
Beneath the lamplight, he could clearly see a gentle, refined middle-aged man dressed in a traditional center-fastening suit.
He recognized the man at once.
"Instructor Wen?"
The newcomer was none other than Mr. Wen, who had previously served as the constabulary's head instructor.
Instructor Wen smiled and nodded to him. "Enforcement Officer Chen."
Hearing this greeting, Chen Chuan deduced the situation immediately. "Director Guan mentioned that someone would come to take over Instructor Che's responsibilities. Was he referring to you, Instructor Wen?"
"Indeed," Instructor Wen said. "Because of Instructor Che's death, the higher-ups sent me to clean up the mess and resume the post of head instructor until a suitable replacement is appointed."
He looked at Chen Chuan and sighed with feeling. "Back when Captain Nian brought you to study under me, I thought you lacked sufficient aptitude. It seems I misjudged you."
Chen Chuan knew deep down that Instructor Wen's assessment had actually been quite accurate. Without the Second Self, having started training so late in life, he truly could not have compared to students who had trained in martial arts since childhood.
He said, "I remain grateful to you, Instructor Wen, for giving such candid advice."
Instructor Wen smiled. "Although I couldn't teach you back then, I can make up for that regret this time." He looked at Chen Chuan and said slowly, "Old He received the telegram you sent him."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised.
Instructor Wen smiled. "Because the practical application of the Furnace Breathing Technique requires in-person guidance, and he knew I was in Yangzhi City, he entrusted me to teach you how to use it. Allow me to introduce myself." He extended a hand. "Purist Faction fighter, acting head instructor of the Yangzhi Constabulary, Wen Tong."
Chen Chuan understood. He stepped forward, took his hand, and said, "Instructor Wen. Your student, Chen Chuan."
Instructor Wen said, "Trainee Chen, I can spare three to four hours a day to instruct you. It will take roughly five to ten days to teach you the primary applications of the Furnace Breathing Technique. Is that all right on your end?"
Chen Chuan answered clearly, "No problem at all."
Instructor Wen chuckled. "Then come find me whenever you have free time, Trainee Chen. Looking at the current situation, I won't be leaving Yangzhi City anytime soon."
"Understood. Thank you, Instructor Wen."
After saying this, Instructor Wen took his leave.
After bidding him farewell, Chen Chuan walked back toward home. But as he walked, a thought suddenly struck him.
Instructor Wen seemed to have kept track of the situation in Yangzhi all along, and he mentioned that Teacher He knew he was here, which prompted the telegram request. Yet Chen Chuan had sent that telegram only yesterday—did that mean Wen Tong might have already been here yesterday?
He seemed to recall hearing that Instructor Wen had a technique capable of cracking open a person's skull. Connecting that with Che Lie's gruesome death today, could there be a connection between the two?
He shook his head. Whatever the truth might be, it had nothing to do with him. He had no intention of digging into it, nor did he care to know what had really transpired.
Chapter 356