Clues

Night fell. Lin Xiaowei returned home after finishing her day's work. Although the Lin family was not an especially prominent clan in Tiannan Province, relying on Old Master Lin's daring and tenacity back in the day, they had accumulated assets numbering in the billions. Thus, even though she was merely working in Yunmeng City, Lin Xiaowei had still bought herself an apartment of over eighty square meters. She was originally assigned to major and severe cases at the Security Department, which was usually fairly quiet. Over the past year or two, however, similar cases had noticeably increased. Missing persons cases in particular numbered in the thousands each month. While more than half of them were eventually located, on average, more than five hundred people still vanished every month. Though such matters did not fall under her purview, they tied up a tremendous amount of the Security Department's manpower, indirectly dragging down the progress of her own casework. Just as Lin Xiaowei collapsed onto the sofa, intending to get some proper rest, her phone rang at an untimely moment. She glanced at the caller ID. "Zhang Qing? What's going on?" she asked. Over the line, Zhang Qing was equally concise. "The killer struck again! Not in Yunmeng this time, but next door in Shanlong City! Superintendent Zhao told us to coordinate with the Shanlong Security Department to assist Consultant Xia's operation." Lin Xiaowei, who had been slumping into the sofa, sat bolt upright. "I'll be right over!" "I knew you'd want to be there. The car is almost at your building." ... Five minutes later, Lin Xiaowei boarded a police command vehicle. Several people were already inside, including Zhang Qing, Xia Wuyuan, and Ye Yuhe, along with a few elites transferred from the Yunmeng Security Department to assist Xia Wuyuan with the case. Everyone was busy conferring and reviewing details. Seeing Lin Xiaowei arrive, Xia Wuyuan merely nodded before throwing himself back into work. "The same person?" Lin Xiaowei asked. "Yes," Zhang Qing nodded. "After killing Lei Ao, according to reports from passersby, he even remarked, 'Number one in Shanlong? Nothing special.' From this, it's clear this wasn't an ordinary vendetta, but a life-or-death battle between martial artists, matching our theory on the killer's motive." "There were witnesses?" Lin Xiaowei's eyes lit up. "From a distance. They couldn't make out the killer's identity, only overheard what he said." Zhang Qing frowned. "The killer acts with extreme cruelty and almost never leaves survivors. Take Fang Qing last time—though she survived, she suffered severe head trauma and mental derangement. The doctors say she's unlikely to ever recover. I even suspect..." The veteran officer paused. "Every time, he deliberately leaves behind some way to send us a message." "You mean..." Lin Xiaowei glanced at Xia Wuyuan and lowered her voice. "His hunting of these famous Martial Masters isn't for the title of number one in Tiannan?" "I just find it hard to believe anyone would do something so insane over an empty title like 'Number One in Tiannan,'" Zhang Qing shook his head. Even if it was for the title, this kind of behavior was indistinguishable from lunacy. "If not for that, why would he kill without reason? And there's no connection between the victims—the only thing they share is being famous Martial Masters," Lin Xiaowei asked. Zhang Qing had no answer. The vehicle sped through the night. Just over an hour later, they arrived at the crime scene. By then, the Shanlong Security Department had already cordoned off the area. The group stepped inside. At that moment, a burly man dressed in a sharp suit was harshly berating a middle-aged man bearing the insignia of a Chief Inspector. Xia Wuyuan's eyes immediately locked onto him. Almost the instant his gaze fell upon the suited man, the man sensed it and looked over as well. The second his eyes swept over, Xia Wuyuan felt a sudden wave of goosebumps crawl across his skin. It was... the sensation of being watched by some terrifying monster. However, after noticing the badge pinned to Xia Wuyuan, the man quickly shifted his gaze. Exchanging a few more words with the middle-aged officer, he turned and walked toward a luxury car parked nearby, flanked by an entourage. "Wait a moment..." Xia Wuyuan immediately stepped forward. Two members of the entourage stepped out to block him. "Sir, please do not get so close to our boss, to avoid any misunderstanding." "I need him to answer a few questions," Xia Wuyuan said. At that moment, the middle-aged man who had just been berated hurried over. "Consultant Xia, President You could never have anything to do with this matter. He is a major shareholder in Yulong International, and President Lei also held shares there. That's why he came in person to look into things after hearing that President Lei had been killed..." A major shareholder in Yulong International? Standing to the side, Lin Xiaowei served in Yunmeng City and knew of the powerful figures in the surrounding regions. This President You, You Long, kept a somewhat low profile in Shanlong City, reportedly because his primary businesses were in Feiyu and he rarely spent much time in Shanlong. But the man himself... was undeniably the most terrifying deep-water predator in Shanlong City. Just from the fact that Yulong International contributed nearly twenty percent of Shanlong's annual tax revenue, one could see the staggering extent of his influence in the city. "A figure like that really has no motive to kill, nor could he possibly have the time to roam all over Tiannan murdering people as the 'Shadow Demon,'" Lin Xiaowei remarked. The middle-aged officer nodded repeatedly. Hearing this, and watching You Long depart surrounded by bodyguards and assistants, Xia Wuyuan ultimately found it difficult to say more and could only turn his gaze to Lei Ao's corpse. Looking at Lei Ao—whose heart had first been impaled and crushed by a sword, and whose skull had then been pierced right through—Ye Yuhe could not help but exclaim in anger, "Utterly audacious!" "The comparison is already done." Zhang Qing had finished the handover with a local Shanlong detective and came forward. "Judging by the victim's wounds, the weapon was the exact same blade that killed Xia Li. It is clear that the killer is indeed the same person." "Senior Brother, your deduction was correct," Ye Yuhe said immediately. "Four of the Ten Tigers of Tiannan have already fallen to him. Nine times out of ten, his next target will be another member of the Ten Tigers, proving his strength by defeating them. And since his targets tend to be highly renowned, his next objective will be either Tyrant Dragon Wang Lie or Iron Fist Shan Zhen. We can definitely station our people around them—or even have them cooperate with us—to lie in wait!" "Lying in wait is the most passive method, but... until we have a more efficient approach, it's all we can do." Conferring together, the group continued their examination of the crime scene. After busy hours of documenting nearly everything that needed recording, they finally prepared to head back. On the way back to rest, Lin Xiaowei flipped through the recorded information. As she browsed, a newly compiled data document caught her eye. Funded by Lei Ao, this district had recently installed a "Radiance" surveillance system. Through this system, profile data had been collected on everyone who had passed through the area around the time of the murder. There were thousands of entries. What truly caught her attention, however, was one particular name. Su Yaoguang. *That Third Young Master Su? He came to Shanlong?*