Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Submitting the Mission
……
“Brother Lu, you scared me to death just now. I really thought you were dead!”
Seeing that, Zhou Hong was so excited that his face flushed red.
Lu Zhan, on the other hand, remained completely calm.
“It was only a Fourth-Heaven Qi-Gathering Demon Acolyte. Nothing worth mentioning.”
Did Brother Lu even hear what he was saying?
If Lu Zhan and the Rat King had swapped realms, then saying that would have been fine.
The problem was that Brother Lu was only at the First Heaven of the Aperture Opening Realm.
What had just happened had directly shattered Zhou Hong and the others’ understanding of what was possible.
Suddenly, Tao Xiao’an’s voice rang out through the palace.
“Lu Zhan, come take a look at this.”
Zhou Hong walked over.
“Isn’t that just the dry skeleton on the throne?”
“What’s so special about it? If there’s nothing else, I’ll call the Criminal Investigation Division and have them send someone to identify the body.”
That was the normal procedure.
The Demon Extermination Bureau handled matters involving Demon Beasts and Martial Artists, while clean-up and follow-up work were left to the Criminal Investigation Division.
“No rush. Look at this first.”
Tao Xiao’an took out three identity tokens and wiped the dust from them.
Three names were engraved on the tokens—Sun Xiang, Zhang Tao, and Li Yong.
Zhou Hong raised a brow.
“Wait, aren’t these the three people in charge of the Peach Blossom Alley jurisdiction?”
Lu Zhan glanced at the serial numbers engraved on the tokens.
Starting with 55?
Looks like they were from the class before his.
Zhou Hong sighed with some emotion.
“A few days ago, the three of them vanished without a trace. Their case is still listed as an active mission in the Demon Extermination Bureau.”
“Quite a few people accepted it, but no one could find any sign of them. Who would have thought they died here?”
Lu Zhan seemed to have figured out quite a few things.
“Perhaps this Rat Tide was a trap aimed at the jurisdiction heads from the very beginning.”
Presumably, it was the flesh and blood of Sun Xiang and the others that had let the Rat King taste the benefits.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Hong nodded, then could not help cursing.
“So the Rat King was fishing here? That’s really sinister.”
“Good thing you took this mission, Brother Lu. Otherwise, with Sister Tao’s strength and mine, we really wouldn’t have been a match for it...”
The more Zhou Hong thought about it, the more frightened he became.
Lu Zhan tossed Sun Xiang and the others’ identity tokens back.
“All right. We’ll submit that mission too later.”
Zhou Hong flashed an OK gesture.
Then he moved to collect the Rat King’s corpse.
“Don’t touch it. Be careful, it’s poisonous.”
Lu Zhan spoke up to warn him.
【Immunity to All Poisons, Effect 2】
Toxin Detection: When toxins or strong disease sources are nearby, your skin will feel a faint prickling sensation. Once you focus your attention, you will be able to see the faint aura emitted by the toxins.
His gaze swept over the Rat King’s corpse.
Sure enough...
He faintly saw several wisps of extremely thin, almost transparent grayish-green aura drifting out from the Rat King’s body.
Zhou Hong immediately pulled back his hand, still shaken.
“Thank you, Brother Lu!”
After that, he used his weapon to put the corpse into a bag.
Lu Zhan’s gaze did not linger on the corpse for long. Instead, it shifted to the collapsed bone throne and the huge stone statue behind it.
“This statue... have any of you seen it before?”
Lu Zhan asked with a frown.
“No. It’s probably from some kind of cult.”
“I ran into something similar on a mission before. There was a strange statue that time too, and it eventually led to a cult organization called Western Wolf.”
“In the end, the Demon Extermination Bureau had to send out quite a few people before they managed to strangle it in the cradle.”
Zhou Hong stroked his chin as he speculated.
“A cult?”
“All right. We’ll look into it after we get back. If we find any clues, call me.”
Not long afterward, people from the Criminal Investigation Division arrived.
The one leading them was an old detective who had worked criminal cases for more than thirty years.
“He Rong! May I ask how I should address you, sir?”
The moment they met, with only a single glance, he identified Lu Zhan as the one with the greatest authority here.
The sharpness of his eye made Lu Zhan click his tongue inwardly.
As expected of someone in criminal investigation.
“No need to be so formal, Officer He. Just call me Lu Zhan. I’ll be troubling you all with the rest.”
Lu Zhan smiled faintly and nodded to them, looking very approachable.
Back when Zhang Tie had stolen his resources, he had reported it to the police.
At the time, He Rong had even warned them.
But Zhang Tie was an old hand and had become a Martial Artist, so naturally he had no intention of listening to an ordinary detective.
That was why he had refused to mend his ways despite repeated warnings.
Even so, Lu Zhan naturally remembered that favor.
He Rong froze for a moment, then smiled kindly as well.
“These days, there really aren’t many Martial Artists as polite as you.”
“A lot of ordinary people start looking down on everyone the moment they awaken and gain a bit of power.”
He crushed out his cigarette and gave a bitter smile.
Ever since the Blood Moon had hung in the sky thirty years ago and Worldwide Demonic Transformation began, the police had found themselves in an extremely awkward position.
Zhou Hong frowned when he heard that.
Could Brother Lu really be described as polite?
Then he reached a conclusion. When Brother Lu was being polite to you, you had better listen. Because if Brother Lu stopped being polite, by then it would be too late to regret it.
Thinking that, Zhou Hong nodded.
Yes, conclusion reached. Brother Lu was the most polite of all.
Lu Zhan felt that being polite was simply a matter of personal character.
If the other side did not appreciate it, then he could always settle things with his fists or his blade instead.
“In truth, there aren’t many righteous detectives like you either.”
Lu Zhan’s words made He Rong pause again, but he only smiled and did not answer.
Instead, he turned and began calmly directing his team in an orderly fashion.
At the side, when a young detective saw the Rat King’s massive corpse, he sucked in a cold breath and nearly fell to the ground, only to have He Rong catch him by the shoulder.
“Brat... you still need more training!”
He Rong patted his disciple on the shoulder.
Then he crouched down to inspect the remains carefully. His face grew grave, and he shook his head with a sigh.
“These Demon Beasts... they really deserve to die!”
Then, in a steady voice carrying respect, he said to Lu Zhan, “We’ll take over the scene, the evidence, the identity confirmation, and the notification of the families. You’ve worked hard, Sir Lu.”
Lu Zhan waved a hand and turned to leave.
After Zhou Hong finished handing over the work, he also came out of the underground cave.
……
By the time Lu Zhan and the others had left, Ma Yuan’s eyes were filled with deep envy.
“Master, you know that sir? Why didn’t you ask him to teach me how to cultivate?”
What young man had never dreamed of becoming a Martial Artist?
Besides, once they became Martial Artists, people like them could rise straight into the clouds.
“I do know him. I just didn’t expect he’d still remember me.”
“Huh? Master, then why didn’t you acknowledge him just now? That’s a Martial Artist from the Demon Extermination Bureau.”
Ma Yuan felt sorry that his master had missed such an opportunity.
Countless officials and nobles had no way of getting close to people like that, yet his master had let the chance pass for nothing.
“I was only doing my duty back then. I never really did him any great favor, so how could I have the nerve to ask?”
“Besides, you little brat haven’t even awakened a Spirit Root, and you’re already thinking about cultivation? What kind of dream are you having?”
He Rong teased.
There was nothing wrong with this disciple of his, except that the boy’s manner of speaking was a bit unserious.
Very much like he himself had been when he was young.
“Master, that’s where you’re wrong. Even the Martial Saint said that in this era, everyone has a chance to awaken a Spirit Root.”
“Take the old man who lives next door to me. He’s already over seventy. Then all of a sudden, he awakened a Spirit Root and became a Martial Artist. He even threw away the cane he used before.”
“If I awaken one someday, Master, then you can just prepare to enjoy your retirement.”
Ma Yuan grinned, lost in his fantasy.
He Rong only laughed and scolded him, “All right, you little brat. Write your scene investigation report properly first, then we’ll talk!”
Before they knew it, the sun had set and night had deepened.
A pair of headlights cut through the darkness as Lu Zhan and the others rode away from Anxi Residential Complex in Zhou Hong’s off-road vehicle, speeding toward the Demon Extermination Bureau base.