Chapter 320: Chapter 320 The murderer surfaces
"BANG—"
The front door was kicked open fiercely. Star Power surged, and Wang Lan instantly locked onto a sloppy person in the living room.
"Don’t, don’t hit me..." The scruffy beggar seemed to reflexively kneel down, huddling and covering his head with his hands.
This scene made the world incredibly quiet. Zhang Xiao and Bai Xu stared with dumbfounded eyes, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Wang Lan and the man before them.
Is this the murderer you mentioned? At least a master at the Star Sea Stage?
Wang Lan’s brow furrowed as he surveyed the man’s home with a glance around. Although it was in the same community as Bai Ji’s, his home was still the rough apartment from when it was handed over. The lamp on the ceiling was just the most common screw-in light bulb. Apart from the front door, none of the rooms had doors installed.
The room was cluttered with various kinds of trash, as well as some junk picked up from who knows where.
After waiting a long time without any action from Wang Lan and the others, the middle-aged man looked up in confusion. One of his eyes was obviously blind, flashing an eerie and chilly light.
"Who are you... What are you doing in my home?"
Wang Lan did not reply but instead turned and walked to the balcony, where he saw an old telescope that had been packed away. A very worn observation telescope.
"Were you using this telescope to spy on us just now?"
"Ah?" The unkempt middle-aged man looked up blankly. "No, I was just looking... just looking casually." While speaking, the sloppy man’s face had a sleazy smile, yet also a hint of fear.
"Captain, I don’t detect any Star Energy Fluctuation from him. Could you have made a mistake?" Bai Xu quietly came to Wang Lan’s side and asked.
"Not necessarily! Do you think there are no Perception-type Star Martial Warriors among those death soldiers? He can still kill unnoticed. That means Perception-types are ineffective against the murderer."
"But... no matter how I look at him, he doesn’t seem like a Star Martial Warrior."
"Though his home is just a rough apartment, it’s still a two-bedroom flat in Modu City. It’s worth at least seven million. Don’t be fooled by his appearance."
"What if he’s just renting it?"
"Do you think any landlord would be willing to rent their property to him?" Wang Lan asked with a cold sneer.
"Young man, I bought this house with lottery winnings seven years ago. That was my one stroke of good luck, winning five million and buying this place. All my money went into this house."
"Five million? Now the house price has risen to seven or eight million, why don’t you sell it? Sell the house, and you’ll instantly become a rich man."
"Where would I live if I sold the house? You may see me as poor, but I’m not stupid. I know the house will retain its value; it won’t be a loss whenever I decide to sell it. When I first won the five million, there were many women who wanted to throw themselves at me.
But I knew they were after my five million. If I fell for it, in a few years I’d be out of money. I’m an old bachelor, with no children, so when I get older, I’ll just sell the house and move to an old age home."
"You’re not dumb! Where did you get all these things?"
"Picked them from the trash. I work at the garbage processing plant to the south, sorting waste."
"Really? How much is the monthly wage?"
"Two thousand! It doesn’t include food or housing."
Through a series of questions and answers, Wei Laohan’s information was quickly gathered. Yang Yang also swiftly verified through the Tianjian Bureau’s intelligence network that everything was exactly as Wei Laohan had said.
"Captain, the information checks out. It seems there’s nothing suspicious about Wei Zheng."
"But within a minute after we entered Bai Ji’s home, he was watching us through the telescope. That can’t be a coincidence, can it? ’Just casually looking’—that’s a bit too coincidental."
"Young man, I wasn’t just watching you..."
"Who else were you watching?"
"There are many residents here; many of them don’t close their bathroom or bedroom curtains properly, sometimes leaving a gap. This telescope is good... as long as it’s unobstructed, I can see hundreds of meters away as if I’m looking right through their windows.
I’ve been single my whole life, so when I think about women, I just look to satisfy my eyes." As he spoke, his face revealed a sleazy smile that all men would understand.
"Tsk, old reprobate!"
"Is that so? Yang Yang, hand me the suppression handcuffs."
Yang Yang took the suppression handcuffs from his waist and handed them to Wang Lan. "Captain, do you need to take him back for interrogation?"
"Since he’s a suspect, let’s take him back for a thorough investigation." Wang Lan took the suppression handcuffs and step by step approached Wei Laohan.
"What... what are you going to do? Don’t mess around... you..."
"Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing. We’re just inviting you to the Tianjian Bureau for an investigation. Rest assured, if you’re innocent, you’ll naturally be released."
"What Tianjian Bureau? I don’t know it. You’re not the police, do you have an arrest warrant... this is kidnapping, help, help—"
"Don’t shout. When the Tianjian Bureau arrests someone, even if you scream your throat raw, no one will care," Wang Lan sneered coldly.
These words, heard by the two young girls, instantly caused smiles to appear on their faces. They must have watched plenty of dramas.
Wang Lan gradually approached Wei Laohan and opened the handcuffs to shackle the latter’s wrists. Once the suppression handcuffs were locked on, they might not be able to suppress everyone’s Star Power. However, they had a strong inhibitory effect on the control of Star Power.
A momentary obstruction of Star Power could lead to an unnatural death. That’s why, even if one could break free from the suppression handcuffs, they dared not do so publicly. If they were discovered in the process of escaping, their death would be in vain.
The moment the handcuffs were about to be clamped on, a terrifying Star Energy Fluctuation burst forth like an exploding oil barrel. In an instant, Wang Lan’s Zanpakuto automatically appeared in his hand.
BOOM—
A loud noise thundered, and a wave of energy swept through. Bai Xu, who had been unguarded, was blown away by the terrifying impact. Although the other three weren’t as disheveled as Bai Xu, they didn’t fare much better.
It wasn’t that the so-called elite team’s response capabilities were poor; it was that their very first official mission had them facing someone who could completely conceal their Star Energy Fluctuation.
Concealing Star Energy Fluctuation is something all Star Martial Warriors try to do. However, fluctuations undetectable even by Perception-type Star Martial Warriors are extremely rare.
Even the Five Emperors couldn’t conceal their presence completely; at best, they could only reduce the strength of the fluctuations.
To Perception-type Star Martial Warriors, as long as it exists, it will definitely be sensed. As long as one is a Star Martial Warrior, they must have a Star Palace. As long as they possess a Star Palace and have Star Power in their body, it can be sensed even if completely still.
And the ability to completely shield from perception is a rarity among rare talents.
Encountering such a case on their first mission was truly an unlucky stroke for them.
The energy wave stirred the dust in the room, and thick smoke billowed in an instant.
Wang Lan’s figure retreated, his sword held horizontally in front of him, his legs dragging long scars on the ground.
In the midst of the rolling dust, Wei Laohan’s body slowly straightened. The upright Wei Laohan emanated a majestic aura like a great hill. At this moment, he stood tall like a vigorous pine.
Wei Laohan reached out with both hands. SWOOSH, SWOOSH—
A katana and a long sword flew out of a pile of junk, landing in Wei Laohan’s hands.
"You stubborn kid! I gave you explanations for all your doubts, yet you still persist? I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble and was willing to spare your lives, but you chose not to take the broad Yangguan road before you," he said.
"It is indeed you! Yang Yang, secure the formation, the barrier!"
The barrier is a skill that Tianjian Bureau teams must master. The strength of team members varies, and so does the power of the barriers they create. With people like Yang Yang, all at or above the Galaxy Stage, the Seal Array they cast could not be broken even by those in the later Star Sea Stage.
Moreover, another function of the barrier is to prevent suspects from escaping. Once trapped within, it is very difficult for the suspect to get away. So when Wang Lan’s words ended, Wei Laohan’s figure flashed, appearing before Bai Xu with eerie speed.
CLANG—
The Zanpakuto blocked Wei Laohan’s beheading strike. At that moment, Bai Xu’s face was already pale with fright.
Wei Laohan’s blade was near her delicate neck, yet Bai Xu was completely unaware. Had it not been for Wang Lan’s immediate intervention, she would have died.
Bai Xu was elite, praised as a genius wherever a twenty-year-old at mid-Galaxy Stage went. But she was close to becoming a cautionary example of a gifted life cut short.
"Hmm? You can keep up with my speed?" Wei Laohan cried out in surprise.
Normally, Wei Laohan’s speed was already at a certain limit. Among those in the Star Sea Stage, no more than ten could be faster. This was Wei Laohan’s confidence.
But no matter how fast you are, speed is just speed.
Wang Lan’s Phantom Tracer is essentially a blink ability.
With the blink ability of Phantom Tracer combined with the Gold-level Basic Swordsmanship and Basic Sword Skill, Wang Lan was fearless in close combat.
In an instant, Wei Laohan’s katana and long sword attacks came, and Wang Lan was engulfed in a flurry of blade and sword light.
Wei Laohan must have embodied the wind attribute, and he had developed the sharpness of the wind to perfection. His moves might not be the most sophisticated, but as the saying goes, no martial arts can prevail over speed.
With both his katana and long sword dancing different attack moves while still being as fast as lightning, it was no wonder the Duanmu Family’s dispatched assassins, and even Duanmu Jing, were killed by him as easily as chopping vegetables.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG—
A series of intense clashes rang out. The sounds of striking metal melded into a continuous roar. Though only two were fighting, it sounded like two armies in battle.
Wei Laohan had always been invincible in close combat, and Wang Lan was never one to back down from such close-range encounters.
After Wang Lan repeatedly thwarted Wei Laohan’s attempts to kill Yang Yang and the others, the four finally completed their positioning.
"Seal Array, Purple Flame Seal!"
As the four’s Star Power surged, the Seal Array gathered like a giant windmill. In an instant, walls of purple flames rose into the sky, enclosing the entire room and trapping Wang Lan and Wei Laohan in the middle.
BOOM—
With a loud crash, Wang Lan and Wei Laohan separated after their exchange of blows. Wei Laohan did not dare attempt to destroy the barrier before defeating Wang Lan. If he tried, Wang Lan would instantly deliver a lethal blow.
"At such a young age, you can match me blow for blow. When did Jade Country have such a young talent? Could you be from the Kirin Institute?" Wei Laohan asked, puzzled.
Although Wang Lan was not aware of what the Kirin Institute was, he did not bother to engage in pointless conversation.
In his hand, the Zanpakuto, even if a disguise, was a God Soldier Sharp Edge of the highest order. Yet, in this round of clashing, it had been chipped densely by the opponent’s katana and long sword.
The opponent’s mastery over the sharp attributes of the wind element was so profound that it left Wang Lan in awe.