Assassination

Yunmeng City Security Department. Lin Xiaowei was the first to return. Meanwhile, the investigative materials she had gathered during this period continued to accumulate. Through coordination with other cities, files detailing the cases committed by the Shadow Demon were pinned up along the wall one after another. On a nearby electronic monitor, surveillance and investigation footage from the Xia Li case was also playing. Even though the cases had already been consolidated, as officers of the Yunmeng Security Department, their greatest focus naturally remained on the murder of Longquan Real Estate's general manager. "The thirteenth homicide." She glanced at the file on Lei Ao and couldn't help letting out a heavy breath. "Truly... brazen and brutal!" "He's growing more and more unscrupulous." Zhang Qing, who had just pushed open the door, heard her voice and chimed in as he spread out the files in his hands. "In the earliest few murders, the killer chose relatively secluded, sparsely populated settings to strike. But lately... he's been ambushing targets out in the open, even bringing collateral harm to bystanders." Lin Xiaowei glanced at Lei Ao's case. Aside from Lei Ao, his driver had also been killed at the scene. Tracing back even further, Fang Qing, the assistant to Longquan Real Estate's general manager, had similarly been caught in the crossfire. "Has Consultant Xia headed over to Martial Master Wang Lie's place?" "Yes. The killer possesses professional counter-surveillance skills. Following the traces he leaves behind might not lead to genuine clues, so while pursuing the trail, they also plan to wait by Wang Lie's side and catch him in an ambush," Zhang Qing said. Lin Xiaowei nodded. That was really their only option. At that moment, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she abruptly snapped her gaze to the monitor. "Wait!" she called out, quickly adding, "Rewind the footage that just played!" Zhang Qing immediately went to work on the computer. "Back a bit more, a bit more... stop!" Lin Xiaowei directed. Soon, the screen showed a person shopping. "This one..." Zhang Qing took a look, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. "Isn't that the young master from the Su family?" Then he added, "This is a street a hundred-odd meters from the old city redevelopment zone. The camera belongs to a supermarket, and it's situated along a street with fairly heavy foot traffic. People wandering into town often pass through there..." On screen, Su Yaoguang was buying a bottle of mineral water. No matter how one looked at it, everything seemed perfectly normal. Yet Lin Xiaowei pulled up a file collected by the Guangming System. In that file, Su Yaoguang's name also appeared. Seeing this, Zhang Qing also found it a bit coincidental. Still... A young master of the Su family? Their team leader had always been prone to suspecting everyone she encountered, and the third young master of the Su family had indeed crossed paths with her not long ago, but... Wasn't there far too vast a difference between this young master and that vicious, bloodthirsty killer? Lin Xiaowei pondered for a moment, then said, "Check where that Su young master was when Long Daoqi died." "Captain, are you... serious?" Zhang Qing looked at her, his expression carrying a subtle warning. That person belonged to the Su family. "Check it," Lin Xiaowei said resolutely. "When I joined the Security Department and swore an oath before the police badge, I vowed to fight evil and crime to the bitter end and never condone any illegal acts! No matter who it is!" Seeing her resolve, Zhang Qing promptly logged into the Security Department's internal system. Before long, the officer's eyes widened, as if he had made an unbelievable discovery. Lin Xiaowei swiftly stepped forward. The screen clearly showed that on the day Long Daoqi died, Su Yaoguang had indeed been in Longxiang City, where the victim resided. A third coincidence emerged. Lin Xiaowei pursed her lips, waiting a long while before speaking. "Keep going. Check his location during the times of the other murders!" "Could it be... that Master Su just happened to be visiting Longxiang City on vacation...?" Zhang Qing said hesitantly. "Check!" Lin Xiaowei said forcefully. Zhang Qing paused for several seconds after hearing the command, but ultimately resumed operating the computer. The results... Aside from two instances where records were missing, the remaining three all matched up perfectly! For a moment, the senior officer's eyes filled with disbelief. Even Lin Xiaowei stared at the cross-referenced data in silence for a long time. "Captain, this doesn't prove anything," Zhang Qing spoke up suddenly. Looking at Lin Xiaowei, he quickly said, "The third young master of the Su family just happened to visit those cities around the times the murders occurred. But in reality, the killer left zero traces at every single crime scene. Relying on this alone proves nothing!" As he spoke, he deliberately placed heavy emphasis on the words 'third young master of the Su family.' Lin Xiaowei stared at the monitor. If it had been anyone else, with so many coincidences pointing to a single individual, she would already have brought them in for questioning. Yet the third young master of the Su family... "I need a full record of all his recent movements, especially around the times of those homicides, to verify them one by one." Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiaowei added firmly, "Also... I'm going to Shanlong City to meet this Young Master Su again." "You can't," Zhang Qing said hurriedly upon hearing this. "If our suspicion is true and he really is that vicious killer, going to see him means there's a strong chance you'll also..." "I will make thorough preparations," Lin Xiaowei replied, her tone brooking no argument. "Captain..." "Keep this information strictly confidential for now," Lin Xiaowei instructed. "If you truly must go, at least bring Consultant Xia along," Zhang Qing urged. Xia Wuyuan was the champion of the National Martial Arts Tournament. With him present, her safety would be guaranteed. Lin Xiaowei considered it for a moment, then finally nodded. *** Qingyu Industrial Park. Yaoguang drifted through the compound like a ghost. His lightning-fast reflexes, keen hearing, and superb observation allowed him to "vanish" from the guards' line of sight even when on the verge of coming face-to-face with them. Furthermore, Feiyu was an impoverished and underdeveloped minor nation, with facilities far from electronic or automated, which only reduced the difficulty of his infiltration. Soon, guided by his Perception, he arrived at the location of another demon. At that moment, he glanced toward the two-story building from before. Commotion seemed to be breaking out over there. The guard's corpse had been discovered. Yaoguang hastened his pace. Just then, the red dot moved. As the doors to what looked like a conference room opened ahead, two men walked out, conversing as they walked. Behind them followed two burly men dressed like guards and bodyguards. "An accident happened with Lei Ao, so human transport falls to you now... Do it well, and you'll receive precious divine blood to fulfill your desires..." While speaking, the man seemed to notice Yaoguang approaching with his head lowered. Just as suspicion arose and he turned his gaze in that direction, Yaoguang happened to look up, staring straight into his eyes. "You—" He had just opened his mouth. In the next instant, Yaoguang accelerated violently. Leaning forward, power exploded from under his feet. Boundless strength surged through the muscles, bones, and sinews of his legs, rippling through his entire body. As his internal vitality sank and swelled, an all-out burst launched him forward like an artillery shell, slamming into his target with a thunderous roar. The instant he hurtled forward, his right hand swept out. The short sword that had blended seamlessly with his form—seemingly invisible and intangible—instantly appeared in his grasp. In the fraction of a second when the leading man... or rather, the demon, barely registered what was happening, Yaoguang, hurtling like an artillery shell, drove the sword forward as his vanguard, brutally slamming into the man's body. *Squelch!* The blade pierced flesh. Blood splattered everywhere. Accompanying the strike was the savage kinetic force of Yaoguang's charge. Under the impact of such raw power, the demon had no time to transform before its burly frame was knocked clean into the air. The abrupt shock twisted the demon's face into a savage snarl. Ferocity exploded within it. Its right hand whipped forward, clenching into a fist that smashed down toward Yaoguang's nearby temple. Yet almost the moment the punch descended, Yaoguang's left hand parried outward, slapping firmly and precisely against the demon's armpit. The blow scattered the vitality gathered there, preventing it from unleashing any focused force. Throughout the exchange, the right hand gripping the sword remained just as swift. The advantage of the short blade was pushed to its absolute limit within the razor-thin confines of close combat. The short sword plunged into the demon's body was yanked free in an instant, only to be driven right back into flesh the very next breath! Pull, thrust, pull, thrust, pull, thrust! *Thrust! Squelch! Thrust! Squelch!* Yaoguang closed in, his momentum driving the demon's bulky body backward through the air while his left hand deflected the counterattacking punch. In the single second it took to send the beast flying several meters, his right hand drove nine consecutive stabs into its body. Blood sprayed in torrents. Upon hitting the ground, the demon was pushed by the residual momentum of Yaoguang's charge, stumbling backward four or five steps without pause. Taking nine sword wounds drained almost all the demon's strength. Before its beastly nature could mount a desperate final struggle, Yaoguang's parrying left hand shifted abruptly. Sweeping upward from the demon's armpit, his palm struck savagely into the monster's chin. The ferocious impact shattered the demon's teeth, sending blood and broken teeth flying into the air while fully exposing its thick neck. The next second... Yaoguang yanked the short sword free once more, raised it high, and slashed across! *Slash!* A cold glint flickered. Crimson blood blossomed from the demon's throat. A lethal strike!