Defused

Hearing this, Yaoguang could not help but show an expression of deep regret. One hundred and twenty million. He had been too hasty. He hadn't asked at the time. Seeing this, Ye Yuhe, along with Lin Xiaowei and Su Yaoyu who were quietly watching him, instantly realized something: Yaoguang was truly fascinated by the martial arts world. To actually feel regret over someone he didn't even know, simply because that person had been an outstanding figure in the field. Yet what Lin Xiaowei was secretly keeping an eye on was not this, but rather... Her professional instincts told her something was off about Yaoguang. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was. Only then did she instinctively observe him with heightened care, unwilling to let a single detail slip past. "Among the Ten Tigers of Tiannan, those with the fiercest momentum are Seven Kills Fist Wang Lie and Dragon Slayer Hand Lei Ao. Both are top Martial Masters who have risen to prominence recently, with real potential to become Grandmasters," Ye Yuhe explained. "Risen to prominence recently?" Yaoguang pressed. "They've built strong momentum lately?" "Yes." Ye Yuhe nodded. "Wang Lie made his name in Nanwan City's underground boxing circuit. Ten fights, ten victories, radiating murderous intent. His moniker is the Tyrannosaurus..." As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Xiaowei. Mentioning underground prize-fighting right in front of Inspector Lin seemed a bit insensitive. Lin Xiaowei, however, merely offered a smile. "As long as they're registered with the Martial Arts Association, the higher-ups won't intervene too heavily if martial artists insist on finding out who comes out on top." Hearing that, Ye Yuhe continued her introduction of Lei Ao. "This Dragon Slayer Hand is another who soared straight into prominence after years of silence. Unremarkable before thirty, he achieved great mastery in martial arts after thirty, earning the title of number one expert in neighboring Shanlong City." At this point, she paused briefly. "Speaking of soaring into prominence after years of silence, one cannot fail to mention Xie Yusheng, the Saber Paragon among the Three Paragons of North and South. He spent the first half of his life training in low-profile obscurity. Past forty, accumulating strength quietly before unleashing it, he ascended to Grandmaster at an incredible pace. Leading the Crimson Saber Sect, he carved out tremendous renown, and is now the veritable overlord of martial arts north of Tiannan." "Soaring into prominence, unleashing accumulated strength..." Yaoguang listened to Ye Yuhe's assessments. He didn't believe in any quiet accumulation of strength. A Martial Master's sudden surge in power had only one explanation in his eyes... Demonic possession. This was great—three suspected targets locked in all at once. Far more efficient than knocking on doors and trying his luck. Especially that Xie Yusheng. His overt strength was already at the Grandmaster level; just how powerful was his true strength?! One had to remember that Xia Li, Long Daoqi, and the others he had killed were, on paper, only at the peak Martial Master tier. "Aside from Saber Paragon Xie Yusheng, Thunder Paragon Feng Dong's Rushing Thunder Fist has held sway across Tiannan for over forty years. He is the most revered titan in our entire Tiannan martial arts community, as well as its public face. And the last Martial Paragon..." Ye Yuhe smiled slightly. "That would be my senior brother, Xia Wuyuan. He was also the champion of the Fourteenth National Martial Arts Tournament." "Little brother, you probably don't know, but what the National Martial Arts Tournament selects is the uncrowned king among hundreds of thousands of martial artists across Dayu's thirteen provinces. It's equivalent to finding the best fighter out of Dayu's three hundred million people. Even though the older generation can no longer compete after winning a championship, the prestige of this title still carries far more weight than winning the Hegemon Cup." Lin Xiaowei chimed in from the side, "It was precisely because of this achievement that, upon entering the Procuratorate system, Consultant Xia was directly appointed as a Senior Procurator, enjoying the benefits of a Chief Procurator." Yaoguang nodded. The Kingdom of Dayu's Procuratorate was an agency appointed directly by the royal family. Even the Prime Minister had no authority to dismiss the Procurator-General. It served as the royal family's sharpest blade for supervising the cabinet. The two kept each other in check, ensuring the royal family's absolute rule over the Kingdom of Dayu. It was an agency endowed with immense authority. Calling it a modern Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't be an exaggeration. "What about Martial Saints?" Yaoguang asked. "I don't seem to have heard any news of Martial Saints." "Martial Saints?" Ye Yuhe was taken aback for a moment. Then she shook her head. "Martial Saints... they are beings who stand at the very pinnacle of the martial arts world, those who have shattered the human limits. In ancient times, they were figures worthy of becoming revered as buddhas and patriarchs. There are very few in all of Dayu, and in our Tiannan, not a single Martial Saint has emerged for a century." "None at all?" Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. "Isn't Martial Saint just the next step after Grandmaster? Isn't it merely a single step away?" "Of course not." Ye Yuhe sighed with emotion, though she also found such a layman's question somewhat amusing. "A Martial Saint can be called non-human, a superhuman. Their power cannot possibly be viewed or measured through ordinary eyes. Whenever one emerges into the world, it usually signifies the rise of a paramount power. Even the royal family would treat them with the utmost courtesy, hiring them as honored guests." "I looked through some relevant materials before coming over," Lin Xiaowei said suddenly. "A Martial Saint's physique is so strong that ordinary bullets can hardly inflict serious harm upon them. While rifles can kill them, let alone whether ordinary firearms could even hit them, even if a bullet struck, figures of Martial Saint caliber naturally command fortunes in the hundreds of millions. Purchasing bulletproof gear with heavy funds is effortless for them. As a result, standard firearms pose no threat to them whatsoever; they only need to avoid heavy firepower. And if a Martial Saint who has broken human limits chooses to conceal themselves, it is virtually impossible to detect them. A century ago, during the chaotic era, countless imperial leaders and royal family members across the Central Continent were assassinated by Martial Saints, triggering national turmoil and leading to the collapse of empires." "That's right." Ye Yuhe nodded, her mind captivated by the thought. "Rumors circulating outside say that a Martial Saint backed by a top-tier logistics team is equivalent to a heavy combined-arms brigade." In a tone filled with shared pride, she added, "If nuclear weapons represent the light of technology, then Martial Saints represent the light of humanity." "The light of humanity..." Yaoguang repeated the phrase. It could only ever be the light of humanity. He didn't know how many demons existed. Yet beings like Xia Li, once they transformed and manifested their demonic form, even if they couldn't match a Martial Saint, would certainly not be far behind. Not to mention terrifying existences like Xie Yusheng, who presented themselves in the guise of a Grandmaster. Naturally, it was too early to assert that Xie Yusheng was possessed by a demon, but he knew... A Martial Saint was the limit of humanity, but definitely not the limit of demons. *** The information possessed by insiders differed like heaven and earth from that of outsiders. The information about martial artists Yaoguang had gathered online was far less detailed than what Ye Yuhe, a successor of Zhenwu Fist, had described. Though her circle of understanding was also confined to the borders of Tiannan, this overview had already given him a clear picture of all the Martial Masters and factions within Tiannan. In his mind, he had already noted down over a dozen targets, awaiting further confirmation. While they were conversing, the phone on Su Yaoyu suddenly rang. Offering an apologetic nod, she stood up to take the call. As she took the call, Lin Xiaowei also received a message on her phone. Looking at the message, she was visibly startled. "Good news." Su Yaoyu returned quickly after hanging up, a smile spreading across her face. "Black Tri-Star has posted a notice deleting their account and announced their retirement from the underworld. This means they've already fled Dayu, and naturally, they've abandoned their operation against Yaoguang." "The deterrence of the Tiannan Su family truly is extraordinary." Lin Xiaowei waved her phone. "I received word as well. The people from Black Tri-Star must have fled in a hurry out of fear of the Su family's name." "Perhaps they had planned to leave Dayu all along. That much can be seen from how frequently they took contracts recently. It was a final frenzy before their departure. After accepting this contract worth up to fifteen million, they didn't dare linger for a moment, fleeing Dayu without pause. They even deliberately created a diversion by showing up in Yunmeng City to draw attention and facilitate their crossing of the border," Su Yaoyu said. Lin Xiaowei nodded. Regardless of the reason, the fact remained that the threat from Black Tri-Star had been resolved. "To be safe, we will step up patrols around Chihe Residence and the surrounding streets to ensure nothing goes wrong," Lin Xiaowei said. "In that case, we'll be troubling the Security Department," Su Yaoyu said. "It's our duty," Lin Xiaowei replied with a smile. Su Yaoguang listened without saying much. In his mind, he was already planning how to travel to Shanlong City. Should he take an intercity coach or a train? Never mind. Shanlong was only about sixty kilometers from Yunmeng; taking a cab would do just fine. *** It was already past eleven at night when Lin Xiaowei returned to the Security Department. She rubbed her brow, weary from exhaustion. All day long, she had been spinning like a top without a single moment of rest. First came the major case in the old city district where Longquan Real Estate's general manager had been murdered. After finally handing the case over to Xia Wuyuan, the expert sent from above, she had searched for materials on the martial arts world without stopping for breath. Right on the heels of that, the eldest young lady of the capital's Su family paid a visit because violent criminals were attempting to murder Su Yaoguang, who was likely to become the only male heir in Su Huaifeng's line. If Su Yaoguang had truly died in Yunmeng, everyone in the Security Department would have been held accountable. Fortunately, after that trip to Chihe Residence, good news arrived immediately. Black Tri-Star had deleted their account. They had signaled their stance of no longer operating within the Kingdom of Dayu. They took money to do jobs and held no personal grudge against Su Yaoguang. Since they had deleted their account and left, the danger hanging over him had naturally dissolved on its own. She could finally relax a little. Just as Lin Xiaowei finished turning in her service weapon, Zhang Qing hurried over. "Sister Wei." "You haven't gone home this late?" Lin Xiaowei looked at him. "How are you ever going to find a girlfriend like this?" "How could a girlfriend be as interesting as solving cases?" Zhang Qing waved his hand dismissively, then quickly handed over an intelligence report. "I just received some news a short while ago, unverified as of yet. Black Tri-Star didn't post that notice deleting their account and exiting the Dayu market because they'd made enough money and decided to leave, but rather..." He involuntarily lowered his voice. "Except for their secret contact who never takes part in operations, the other three were completely wiped out. Not one survived."