Liu Qin, who was organizing the communication logs, looked up at the sound of footsteps. When she saw it was Yang Wenqing, a flicker of nervousness crossed her face, but she quickly noticed he looked fine and let out a sigh of relief. She immediately stood to greet him, "Captain."
"Mm."
Yang Wenqing nodded at her with a gentle smile. "You’ve been working hard these last couple of days."
Liu Qin smiled back. "It was no trouble, Captain."
Yang Wenqing had just sat down at his desk, not yet having a chance to tackle the pile of paperwork, when the office door was thrown open. Wu Yan, Liu Rong, and Zhao Qin strode in, their faces etched with obvious exhaustion. They had clearly pulled an all-nighter.
"Captain!"
Wu Yan walked up to Yang Wenqing’s desk and spoke first. "Something’s happened. Xiaoli... Chen Xiaohai’s girlfriend... is dead!"
Yang Wenqing’s brow furrowed. "What happened?"
Liu Rong took a step forward, speaking quickly as she reported, "We were looking into Xiaoli, but we found that she’d gone missing."
Zhao Qin added, "We mobilized every informant and contact we have in the Port District and searched for a full day and night. We didn’t find her body until around six o’clock this morning, in the shallows not far from the pier where we found Chen Dayong."
"What else?"
Yang Wenqing asked, his voice grave.
Wu Yan answered, "Her cause of death is strange. It’s like... her consciousness was suddenly sucked away, leaving nothing but an empty shell."
"When will the autopsy report be ready?" Yang Wenqing asked, his mind calmly processing the information.
"Probably another three hours or so," Liu Rong replied.
Yang Wenqing stood up and said to the three, "You’ve worked hard. Go home and get some rest, but stay on standby. I’m heading to the medical examiner’s office."
He then turned to Liu Qin. "Xiaoxian, contact the Port District station immediately. Have them help gather all the recordings from the surveillance Arrays near where Xiaoli was last seen and where her body was found. Also, run a check on all her financial transactions and contacts from the last month—the more detailed, the better. And find any potential witnesses."
He finished and turned back to the three of them. "We’re on the right track with this investigation. After you rest, go to the Port District and keep watch. And put the executives at Zhenyuan Mining under surveillance. Don’t let a single one of them slip away."
"Yes, Captain!"
...
Yang Wenqing strode toward the medical examiner’s office. As he pushed open the heavy doors, the scent of a peculiar blend of incense washed over him. Ding Lang stood in a white lab coat before an autopsy table, staring down at a white-sheet-covered corpse. His brow was furrowed, and he held a newly printed lab report in his hand.
"Forensic Doctor Ding."
Yang Wenqing approached.
Ding Lang looked up. Seeing it was him, he said, "Captain Yang!"
Yang Wenqing nodded and asked, "How is the autopsy coming along for the body Wu Yan’s team brought in this morning?"
Ding Lang lifted a corner of the white sheet. "No external injuries. Internal organs are intact, and there are no signs of poisoning. Her vital signs failed naturally over an extremely short period, like a candle suddenly burning its last drop of wax. No signs of a struggle, no residual marks of pain."
He paused before looking at Yang Wenqing. "I examined the residual energy fluctuations and traced her likely mental state in her final moments. My conclusion is that her consciousness was instantly torn away by a ’Soul-Seizing Art’."
"’Soul-Seizing Art?’" Yang Wenqing’s brow furrowed slightly. ’That kind of Magic can be used once a cultivator reaches the Qi Cultivation Sixth Refinement and develops their Divine Sense. It’s not an especially advanced technique, but against a mortal, it’s child’s play.’
Ding Lang nodded. "The Caster was very careful. They left no trace of their personal Spiritual Qi signature."
"Forensic Doctor Ding, please get me a copy of the detailed report as soon as it’s finished," Yang Wenqing said.
"No problem," said Ding Lang. "Also, I’m going to try using a more precise Array to see if I can capture even the faintest wisp of related data from the residual energy field on the corpse. But don’t get your hopes up. Our opponent is a professional."
"Sorry to trouble you."
Leaving the medical examiner’s office, Yang Wenqing’s mood grew even heavier. Xiaoli’s death confirmed that there was indeed another Evil Cult Organization active in Qianjiao County, but he couldn’t be sure if it was the Yellow Springs Guide.
He had to make the Wang father and son talk, and soon. The Soul-Searching Technique Vice Director Gao had applied for was likely the fastest method, but getting the approval would take time.
After leaving the medical examiner’s office, Yang Wenqing went directly to Vice Director Gao’s office and gave him a detailed report on Xiaoli’s case.
After listening, Vice Director Gao tapped his fingers on his desk. "This certainly fits the style of those gutter rats. While there’s no direct evidence pointing to the Yellow Springs Guide, this makes the Wang father and son even more suspicious. It’s very likely they aren’t just aware of what’s going on—they could be participants, or even middlemen."
He looked at Yang Wenqing, his tone serious. "I will be personally overseeing this case from now on. The information and your initial investigation have been vital, but your top priority now is to get into the right headspace and prepare for the arena tournament."
He paused, his voice softening to a tone of reassurance and encouragement. "Rest assured, once this case is cracked, you’ll be the one who gets the credit. Every bit of merit and honor you’re owed will be yours."
Yang Wenqing gave a slight nod. ’He knew that with his current Cultivation and authority, he was in over his head facing an Evil Cult Organization of this magnitude and whatever powers it was connected to. Handing the case over for Vice Director Gao to personally supervise would allow them to concentrate their forces. It would be more efficient and would better mitigate the risks.’
"Yes, Director Gao, I understand," Yang Wenqing replied respectfully before leaving the office.
When he returned to the Third Squad office, Qian You had also come back. For the past two days, Yang Wenqing had led him in a nonstop effort to clear the case backlog, and their efficiency had been extremely high. Now, very few cases required urgent dispatch and mediation. Most could be handled through correspondence or simple meetings. All Qian You had to do now was work his regular shift.