As the deputy chief of the Police Department who specialized in criminal offenses and had risen to her post by cracking one major case after another—the woman lauded as the "Iron Goddess"—Lucia Underwood was not nearly as calm and unbothered as she appeared.
First of all, Yaxiu Heath was a creator of nationwide renown. His recent donation of nearly half his fortune to disaster relief had propelled his prestige to its absolute peak.
Evidence implicating him had actually existed for some time, but until that evidence was ironclad and conviction certain, no one dared lay a finger on him.
Second, Lucia had reviewed the surveillance footage dozens of times and was utterly convinced that Yaxiu was a deeply concealed, cold-blooded killer.
Armed only with a sword, a single man had cut right through a gang of gun-wielding mobsters. This unthinkable combat prowess far exceeded the Police Department's frame of reference. If frame-by-frame analysis hadn't confirmed that his movements technically fell within normal human limits, the department would have suspected he possessed superpowers.
Even so, the Police Department had mobilized a massive force for this arrest, even requisitioning a special operations task force to assist. Not only were officers deployed in the rooms above and below, but snipers were stationed at vantage points on the surrounding high-rises.
She had imagined many possible reactions from Yaxiu. Would he be bewildered? Would he deny it? Would he be enraged, or demand a lawyer to defend him?
Would he confess? Would he smile, relieved, or beam with pride over his crimes?
Yet Yaxiu still caught the deputy chief off guard.
On the suspect's face, she saw an inexplicable look of... nostalgia?
"Sure enough, getting wanted is an indispensable part of every single journey of mine."
Lucia heard Yaxiu chuckle. "Now my Tour of the Stars is finally complete."
"Whoa."
Weixi stretched lazily. "Master, you're under arrest. Need any help?"
Lucia knew of the maid Weixi, who was supposedly a vagrant Heath had hired. Because Weixi's social security and health insurance records only went back a few months, and she was young and stunningly beautiful, it was very likely that Yaxiu had picked her up off the street to keep as a captive plaything.
Weixi calling him "Master" with every breath only cemented Lucia's judgment: Yaxiu Heath truly was a twisted murderer who trampled on life and dignity.
Yet Heath, who had remained utterly unruffled even when the cuffs were snapped on, snapped at Weixi's offer, "I can handle this. You're not allowed to interfere!"
"Eep, Master, you're being mean to me again."
Weixi sprawled on the sofa, kicking her calves back and forth. "I was only showing concern for you, Master. It's definitely not because I'm hungry."
Hungry?
Were they talking about dinner right now?
Just then, Heath said, "Officer Underwood, are you saying I've become a suspect in a murder case?"
"Strictly speaking, a serial murder case."
Lucia's tone hardened. "Counting last night's victim, twenty-eight people have already been killed."
Heath nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. I'll cooperate with the investigation."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Lucia reached for Heath's other hand to cuff it. "We will be taking you to the Changqiao City Police Department for questioning. If you require an attorney, you may—"
*Snap.*
Yaxiu caught Lucia's wrist and snapped the other cuff onto her.
"No need for all that trouble. I don't need a lawyer, and I won't be going to the police station."
Yaxiu pulled the female officer into the suite. "I want to ask about the case as well, so let's conduct the investigation right here."
The sudden turn of events sent every officer's blood pressure soaring. A tall officer behind Lucia lunged straight for Yaxiu's shoulder. "Yaxiu Heath, you are now suspected of assaulting an officer—"
*Whoosh!*
Yaxiu caught the tall officer's hand and gave it a casual twist. The officer spun completely around and slammed heavily onto the floor like a dead fish.
Lucia tried to fight back, but with Yaxiu's fingers pinching the pressure point on the web of her hand, she couldn't summon an ounce of strength. She could only follow his lead step by step as he pulled her along!
"Deputy Chief!"
"Yaxiu Heath, what do you think you're doing?!"
"Deputy Chief Underwood has been taken hostage!"
"Could you tell them to quiet down?"
Yaxiu pulled Lucia down to sit, saying calmly, "I just want to get the facts from you, and I'll assist you as much as possible. We can sit right here and talk. The door can stay open, but I'd prefer your people not disturb my friends."
Lucia weighed her options for a moment, then turned toward the door. "Wait outside for now, and report the situation up the chain."
"Igola, Harvey."
Yaxiu looked at the two standing by the doorway. "I'll handle this. It's nothing major, no need to be so tense."
The Swindler and the necromancer exchanged a glance. Then the dark-skinned man with curly hair headed back toward his room. "I'll go get my family ready."
Igola leaned against the doorframe and lit a cigarette Yaxiu had never seen before.
Yaxiu didn't expect them to be as quiet as Weixi anyway. He turned to Lucia. "Officer Underwood, please give me a brief overview of the case."
Lucia glanced at him and recited the case file she knew by heart. "The first murder took place in Fengduo City, your first stop after leaving Jiashi City. The crime scene was an old quarter beside the municipal river. Surveillance cameras captured an individual in a cloak using a longsword to kill several armed men before kicking all their bodies into the river."
"The second murder was..."
Heath listened for a bit before summarizing directly, "In short, wherever I've gone, murders have occurred. The victims have all been local criminal syndicates, and the perpetrator has always been a mysterious figure in a cloak whose identity couldn't be clearly seen?"
"Not only that,"
Lucia said. "The times of the murders overlap perfectly with your stays."
"Where is your evidence!"
Listening nearby, Feili spoke up immediately. "If you can't clearly identify them, how can you be sure it's Heath? I've been traveling with him through all those cities—why couldn't it be me?"
"Although the victims' bodies haven't been recovered yet, blood and hair left behind during the fierce struggle were found at the scene,"
Lucia said. "Based on the DNA from your dental records, Mr. Heath, we can confirm you were present at the crime scene."
"Speaking of which, according to your schedule, Heath, you're due for a teeth cleaning in three days,"
Rose remarked while tapping on her phone.
"More importantly, Mr. Heath, when you stepped in to subdue a group of mercenaries attempting a terror attack in Linguang City, your weapon of choice happened to be a sword as well. According to the subway surveillance footage, you displayed formidable individual combat ability capable of dodging bullets, and the cloaked figure was likewise able to emerge unscathed from a storm of gunfire."
"Apart from you, the Police Department has never encountered another cold-weapon martial artist capable of dodging bullets."
Lucia glanced down at her wrist. "Nor have I ever seen a method of subduing someone simply by pinching their wrist."
"It's just a very basic martial arts technique,"
Yaxiu said. "Based on the clues you have, it's only natural for you to suspect me. Even I think it sounds like something I would do."
"Wait!"
Feili suddenly caught onto something. "The victims were all armed criminal elements? Then whether the cloaked person was Heath or not, shouldn't that be considered legitimate self-defense? The cloaked person only had a sword, while the other side had firearms!"
Lucia looked at them and chose her words carefully. "On a personal level, I agree that those victims got what they deserved. However..."
"Every single time the cloaked figure struck, they deliberately chose a spot covered by surveillance cameras."
She continued, "Furthermore, it's evident that the cloaked figure intentionally lured the victims into view of the cameras, wiped them all out, and then dumped them into the river like trash."
A provocation!
Yaxiu and the others finally understood the Police Department's perspective. If it had happened only once or twice, the police would have written it off as gang turf wars. If the perpetrator had only operated outside camera coverage, the police wouldn't have reacted so swiftly either.
Instead, they went out of their way to slaughter people directly under the cameras, time after time, roaming from city to city. They might as well have embroidered *Come and get me, you can't catch me* on their cloak.
That the department had held off until now before making an arrest was already giving Heath an enormous amount of courtesy.
"Even so, the cloaked figure was facing armed criminals! The balance of power was completely unequal!"
Feili argued vehemently. "It has nothing to do with whether there were cameras, whether it was intentional, or how many times it happened! As long as a bunch of people are pointing guns at you and you only have a sword, any retaliation you take should be encouraged by the law!"
Lucia thought for a moment. "I probably shouldn't be saying this... but given Mr. Heath's reputation and financial resources, combined with the fact that the victims were undeniably tainted, you would almost certainly be acquitted in court. At most, you'd be sentenced to a few years of community service."
"However, the violent tendencies and lethal capabilities Mr. Heath has demonstrated are already equivalent to possessing weapons of mass destruction. The government will restrict your travel radius and dispatch officers to conduct regular check-ins. An activity like your Tour of the Stars must come to an end—you will not be allowed to continue this kind of... baiting and hunting."
Chapter 964