Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Sure Enough, Guessed Right
"Captain!"
"Captain!" Yang Yang and the other two also rushed over.
"You’re just in time. Check whose phone this is immediately."
"Captain, I’m back," Liu Yifeng returned, drenched in sweat. "I asked ten eyewitnesses. They all came out after hearing the loud noise. By the time they looked, they saw someone in a red skintight suit and a mask, wielding two knives and slashing at those six people. The two knives were extremely sharp, and the slashing was incredibly fast. They described it as taking less than five seconds for all six people to die. Then the masked person disappeared into the wall."
Disappeared into the wall? Earth Movement Skill?
"Captain, we’ve found his identity. His name is Duanmu Jing, a collateral member of the Duanmu Family who graduated last year."
The Duanmu Family? Could the murderer’s target be the Duanmu Family?
No useful clues were left at the scene; the only useful clue was likely Duanmu Jing’s cell phone.
As darkness gradually fell, Wang Lan and his four-person team concluded their on-site investigation and headed to the police station. Utilizing the police department’s resources for cases was standard procedure for the Tianjian Bureau.
Reorganizing the clues confirmed that the murderer killed with a clear purpose. Each time they struck, they killed the same type of person: individuals with no identity, no history, all aged between twenty-five and thirty-five.
It was hard to imagine how someone could hide their identity from birth until now.
This might happen in remote villages, where some people live their entire lives without household registration or an ID card. But in large cities, it’s nearly impossible to get by without an ID. What part of daily life doesn’t require an ID card?
This time, their only lead was a cell phone, which provided the phone number of one of the deceased. After they compiled the clues, there was a knock on the door of their temporary office.
"Major Wang, representatives from the Duanmu Family are here."
"Okay, please ask them to wait!"
Wang Lan organized the documents before him and walked out of the room with the four others. At this, the four of them felt their cheeks flush. Since taking the case, they felt they had merely been tagging along. They had neither constructive suggestions nor significant discoveries. When Wang Lan asked for their input, they were at a loss. After all, the victims’ identities were unknown, as was the murderer’s. People like the victims, who had no identity at all, were an even greater mystery. The only victim with a known identity, Duanmu Jing, might not even be connected to the others. Currently, there was no evidence to prove Duanmu Jing had any connection with the other victims.
In the interrogation room sat an elderly couple. Both were nearly sixty but remarkably well-preserved. However, at this moment, their expressions were somber, their complexions pale.
"What’s your relation to Duanmu Jing?"
"He’s my son," the old lady quickly replied. "Officer... my son, he... has he really been killed by that murderer? He was perfectly fine just yesterday..."
"Do you know why he was in an alley in Beijiao Ancient Village?"
"I don’t know. He just said he was going out to see friends today and had been gone for less than half a day... I didn’t expect..." she said, covering her face and sobbing.
"Officer, has my son really been murdered? Why would he be murdered?" the middle-aged man asked, his expression dark.
"You’re Duanmu Jing’s father?"
"Yes!"
"Name?"
"Duanmu Qi."
"Age?"
"Sixty."
"Occupation?"
"I’m a late-stage Star Cloud Star Martial Warrior, currently a sub-detachment leader in the Duanmu Pioneer Team. I was on leave last month, so I came home to rest."
"Do you recognize these people?" Wang Lan placed the restored photos in front of Duanmu Qi. He took them and examined each one carefully.
After a long while, he shook his head. "I don’t recognize them. Who are they? The ones who murdered my son?"
"No, these are the people who were killed by the same murderer as your son. None of them have any identity information. They aren’t missing persons, nor are they using fake identities. They’ve had no identity since birth—mysterious individuals with no records whatsoever. We suspect they belong to the same organization, and Duanmu Jing was mingling with them..."
"Impossible!" Duanmu Qi said firmly. "If my son was involved with any organization, it would definitely be the Duanmu Family. Although our line is a collateral branch of the Duanmu Family, we want for nothing. He would never betray the family for some dubious organization. Moreover, my son is not like me. He’s a top graduate from Jin City Star Martial Academy and has already reached mid-Galaxy Stage strength. The family values him highly. Breaking through to the Star Sea Stage is only a matter of time for him. The family wouldn’t treat him unfairly; he has no reason to join any other organization."
Galaxy Stage strength? Wang Lan’s pupils narrowed sharply. Someone that strong couldn’t even resist and was killed just like that?
"Officer, my son was a good, warm-hearted boy. Everyone who knew him said so. Perhaps he heard a commotion and went to see what was happening, only to get tragically involved," the old woman added, still sobbing.
Wang Lan patiently recorded the elderly couple’s statements, a process that lasted until around eight or nine in the evening.
The police captain ordered takeout for Wang Lan’s team of five. Knowing they were Star Martial Warriors with hearty appetites, he even ordered three servings per person.
It seems the misconception that Star Martial Warriors are all gluttons won’t be dispelled anytime soon. Star Martial Warriors had large appetites because absorbing Star Power from their cells could otherwise lead to severe malnutrition. However, Wang Lan’s group never lacked Soul Beads, so their food intake was similar to that of ordinary people. Of course, even eating portions meant for three, or even ten people, wouldn’t be an issue for the five of them. After all, Star Martial Warriors didn’t have to worry about their figures. If they ever gained weight, they could simply absorb some cellular energy and be slim again in three days.
"It seems this Duanmu Jing had nothing to do with those people and was merely killed in passing," Wang Lan summarized their findings so far. "His movements raised no suspicion; he indeed set out alone this afternoon, even went shopping and had coffee. He headed to the ancient street district at dusk and was then killed in a back alley. His whereabouts were completely open, with no attempt to avoid surveillance."
Later that night, as the team continued to mull over the clues, Zhang Xiao finally voiced his frustration. "We finally catch a lead, and it ends up being a dud... Damn it, who are these people? In my opinion, let them sort out their own grievances.
"After all, unregistered people aren’t citizens of Jade Country. We might as well consider it a dog-eat-dog matter and let the dead rest."
"Zhang Xiao, don’t speak out of frustration. Even if they have no registration or records, we must take responsibility for violent incidents that occur in Jade Country," Yang Yang said with a low reprimand.
"Alright, it’s late. Everyone, go get some rest. We’ll continue with the case tomorrow," Wang Lan said. "The captain has arranged dormitories for you. If you need anything, just tell him; all expenses will be reimbursed."
"The captain is mighty!"
"Then, Captain, we’re off to rest. You should get some rest too. Even though you’re young, don’t make a habit of staying up late."
"Mm, I plan to rest now as well."
Lying in bed, Wang Lan couldn’t fall asleep. Images of Duanmu Jing and the mysterious figures kept flashing through his mind. As for the friends Duanmu Jing was supposedly meeting, even his parents didn’t know who they were. They could only speculate that these were companions Duanmu Jing had met during a previous mission. But Wang Lan found no trace of any Star Martial Warriors near the ancient street. The killer and the other victims remained as elusive as a fog. Even if the killer’s identity was unknown, the other victims seemed to have appeared out of thin air. What kind of organization were they from? Even if they were Demon Clan spies, they knew to hide behind fake identities. If these individuals weren’t actually human, Wang Lan might have suspected they were members of the Demon Clan infiltrating the human world.
As the saying goes: what you ponder by day, you dream of by night. But Wang Lan’s dream was utterly bizarre: he dreamed he was an emperor, then an undercover agent, then targeted for assassination by death squads. It was completely illogical.
When Wang Lan woke up, he couldn’t recall the details of his dream, only that it involved ancient settings filled with grudges, betrayal, and deceit. The one element that stood out clearly was ’death squads.’ In the dream, he had been critically injured in an assassination, but his subordinates couldn’t find any trace of the attackers. These death squad members were orphans and beggars, taken in as children and trained for over a decade, to the point where they themselves didn’t even know their own original identities.
He stood up and began to dress. Suddenly, Wang Lan froze.
Death squads? Death squads!
This keyword was like a key, unlocking the tangled mess in Wang Lan’s mind. What if these people are death squads? Whose death squads? Trained from childhood, no identity... Only major families would train death squads.
Instantly, Wang Lan went back to the table, spreading out the documents once again. He discarded all his previous theories and considered the victims as death squad members.
Death squads are meant to carry out covert missions that must not be exposed. Why could the killer find these unidentified people so precisely? No, wait... what if they were sent deliberately? Death squads are usually kept in secret locations and are only deployed for missions. If they were death squads from the Duanmu Family, then Duanmu Jing being with them would make sense. Moreover, the explanation given by Duanmu Jing’s parents seemed plausible but contained a flaw.
According to eyewitness reports, the killer didn’t take much time to kill them, about five seconds. Even from the moment the first sound was heard, no more than ten seconds could have passed. In under ten seconds, the ’enthusiastic’ young Duanmu Jing just happened to arrive? And was ’unfortunately’ killed?
Additionally, judging by the distribution of the bodies, Duanmu Jing wasn’t at the end but in the middle. This arrangement looked more like he was being protected in the center.
If this theory holds, why would the Duanmu Family send death squads here? What couldn’t they do openly that required death squads?
Wang Lan looked at the map again. The locations where the victims were found formed an arc.
All the victims were aged between twenty-five and thirty-five; all were without identities.
The Duanmu Family must be up to something... but what?
Wang Lan tapped his fingers on the desk. After about ten minutes, his hand suddenly stilled.
He quickly pulled out his phone and used his clearance to access the Tianjian Bureau’s intelligence system.
I knew I was right!