First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!
Chapter 172: From Now On, Slice the Meat Fine—Fat and Lean, with Gold-Soft Cartilage

.....

Qiu Si raised his hand and dispelled the spell:

"You see, these Tianli Cult people are really this dumb. They think using petty tricks and techniques can let them deliver a message without getting suspected."

"She had every opportunity to be a top prodigy of the Qu Family, one of Yunmeng’s finest, but chose to become a dog for the Tianli Cult... hahahahahaha......"

Deputy Director Qiu laughed helplessly.

The Qu Family was one of the top clans in Yunmeng—dominant, even.

Whether it was resources or cultivation techniques, they had it all—nothing to complain about.

The rest was just up to personal talent.

Qu Ningyan had decent talent; otherwise, she wouldn’t have topped the Yunmeng Prodigy Ranking.

And yet, someone like her actually joined the Tianli Cult.

Sure, people have different ambitions—but hers was way off the rails.

Bai Hemen couldn’t understand it—if he had that kind of background and support, he’d be charging ahead full speed, cultivating day and night.

Lu Ding didn’t bother trying to understand. Time, location, and intent—the three elements.

Now that it’s clear she’s up to no good—

No more need for words. Just get ready to act.

That said, now might not be the right moment.

For him personally, it was simple—get the evidence, confront Qu Ningyan, end her.

But for the local bureau, with the Tianli Cult involved, it wasn’t that straightforward.

The better move would be to bait the prey into the trap.

Set a snare.

Let the Tianli Cult walk right into it.

But there’s a problem—

The messenger is dead, so the message won’t be delivered, or he won’t return.

The Tianli Cult and Qu Ningyan will definitely get suspicious.

Lu Ding wasn’t a god. Of course he couldn’t predict everything.

But as long as he was aiming at the right target, that was enough.

Qu Ningyan must die.

If someone else killed her, Lu Ding wouldn’t feel safe—what if something went wrong?

So—she had to die by his hand.

Lu Ding asked, "Director Qiu, what’s your plan?"

Qiu Si waved someone over—a female investigator approached.

They watched her raise her hand and lightly tap her own neck. Her head slid sideways and ended up in her right hand.

Then she used her left hand to lift Qu Kai’s head and attach it to her body.

In that instant—

Boom!

She transformed into a man.

When she spoke, it was in a man’s voice: "Investigator Lu, my lady’s life... is in your hands now?"

Wow!! Looks just like him! It was uncanny—even their cultivation realm matched. Of course, her level was actually higher—it just got downscaled for the disguise.

Lu Ding examined carefully—aside from the "scent" being a little off, everything else was flawless.

But unless someone had seen the head-switch happen with their own eyes—

Such a small flaw was nearly undetectable.

Well then.

Lu Ding learned something new today—next time the scent’s off, just attack first.

Meanwhile, Bai Hemen was completely stunned—you can swap heads?!

Seeing one of them stunned and the other speechless,

Qiu Si looked very pleased. His subordinates might not have Lu Ding’s terrifying talent and strength—

But in terms of skills, they each had their specialties.

"In a bit, Xiaohua will take Qu Kai’s place and return to the Qu Family to report back to Qu Ningyan."

"But what if... Qu Ningyan attacks ‘him’ to destroy the evidence..."

Lu Ding zeroed in on the key issue.

The female investigator’s decapitated head—still in "Qu Kai’s" hand—spoke up:

"It’s fine, Investigator Lu. It’s not guaranteed she’ll do that. Even if she does—well, I’ve still got my head here at the Bureau. My body can regenerate—it’ll just take some time."

Lu Ding stared directly at her.

In his mind, he was calculating how to fight someone like this.

Feeling creeped out, Xiaohua added a respectful tone: "Please don’t look at me like that, sir. I’m not as tough as you think. There are still things that can kill me—like your slash."

"If I were hit by your slash and shattered, my body probably couldn’t regenerate. I’d be dead soon after."

That part surprised Lu Ding.

"Why?"

"I don’t know. It’s instinct. My body just knows what it can handle and what it can’t. So far, your slash is the most dangerous attack I’ve ever encountered."

"If I get shattered... it’s really shattered."

What Xiaohua said made Lu Ding think of the Path of Jinche—Cuts through anything...

If you’re not dead, it’s just a wound. Wounds heal.

But if you’re dead—you’re really dead.

The weight of Stubborn Stone of Nanshan just went up another level.

Hearing all this, Lu Ding felt more at ease. From now on, another rule:

Any enemy I kill—cut them into fine pieces. Fat, lean, and gold-soft cartilage included.

"Alright, go. We’ll wait for your update."

Qiu Si gave the order.

Xiaohua turned and walked into the darkness.

"Next, we set up the inescapable net—and wait for the prey."

Qu Ningyan must die.

The Tianli Cult members must die.

So let her live another day or two—then wipe them all out in one sweep.

Meanwhile, Lu Ding could take the chance to visit the Yu Family, figure out what’s going on with Yu Chen.

Once that’s settled—

The Tianli Cult people should be arriving.

Lu Ding thought it over and told Director Qiu his suspicions about Yu Chen.

After hearing everything,

Qiu Si did the math and said, "I hadn’t thought about that before—but if it’s just the two of you going, it’s too dangerous. I’ll go with you."

Lu Ding and Bai Hemen couldn’t afford an accident.

If Yu Chen really had something hidden—or was replaced by something else—

Then...

Whether they fought or ran, the two of them couldn’t control the situation.

Think about it—if even Yu Chen’s family in the Earth Observer Realm couldn’t detect anything—then those two were in over their heads.

Lu Ding was just about to say he already called someone—

When suddenly, from the darkness close by, a voice emerged.

"Go mind your own business. I’ve got this. More people would just get in the way."

Qiu Si was startled. Someone had gotten that close and he hadn’t noticed?

Could it be... a Heaven Observer Realm cultivator!?

All three turned toward the darkness.

A kind, gentle face emerged.

Qiu Si immediately bowed. Along with Lu Ding and Bai Hemen, they shouted together: "Elder Deng!!"

That’s right—the one Lu Ding called was Elder Deng.

Originally, he wanted to call and ask: between Instructor Li and Deputy Director Chu, who was stronger? He was gonna pick the stronger one.

But when Elder Deng heard the question and Lu Ding explained—

Elder Deng replied: "Wait—I’ll come. I’m stronger than both."

Asked about his realm—

Elder Deng answered: "They’re Earth Observer. I’m Heaven Observer."

Well then. Lu Ding was stunned. The big boss was right here next to him all along.

Now that Elder Deng had stepped up, Qiu Si smiled wryly.

He was worried Lu Ding and Bai Hemen wouldn’t be able to handle it.

But turns out—they brought an old-school Heaven Observer Realm powerhouse.

The Yu Family really kicked a hornet’s nest.

Running into these two kids—

Qiu Si had thought his Earth Observer Ninth Layer was already top-tier.

Little did he know—a Heaven Observer had shown up.