Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 225 - 145: Ice Frozen for Three Feet

Chapter 225: Chapter 145: Ice Frozen for Three Feet

In the early morning, the Siyang City Police Department urgently convened a meeting to discuss the case of 13 missing persons.

This recent case, which has caused an uproar and caught the attention of the entire Blue Star, had results in just one day after being taken over by experts from the Royal Hunting Court. No one could have imagined the experts would be so efficient—or rather, they never really expected the experts to truly reveal the truth.

It was all a transaction between the Hunter Association and the Shanqi Commerce Association.

The only thing that mattered was the "expert" title; the Shanqi Commerce Association never needed anyone meddling in their affairs. What they needed was to push a "pawn" to the front, using the "pawn’s" voice to dispel those unnecessary doubts and discussions.

If measuring Duan Mingyuan’s actions as that of a "pawn," he clearly overstepped.

He not only uncovered the truth behind the disappearance of the 13 individuals but also pulled the underground trading post of the Shanqi Commerce Association into the light. Even more outrageous was that all truths were confessed by the real culprit who had personally planned the disappearances.

Eli, an interstellar fugitive with a bounty of 79 million Bei from the Universe Company, actually chose to surrender and confessed how they used the wronged souls from the trades, transformed their resentment into Life Energy, lured them into becoming monsters, and then swallowed those 13 individuals.

With the truth laid bare, everyone in the spacious meeting room had no joy for the discovery.

Every face was somber, some even fearful.

This time, it seemed the Shanqi Commerce Association wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath as well as before, as even the Interstellar Mercenary they had hired for a high price had voluntarily submitted a self-surrender registration form to the Siyang City police.

If the investigation into the underground trading post were to continue, many among them would be implicated.

How had they climbed to their current positions step by step?

What had they purchased in the trading post?

And what price had they paid?

These were questions that could not withstand further probing.

"With that, my work in Siyang City is also complete."

As the meeting came to a close, Duan Mingyuan said that he still had some cleanup duties to handle within the Hunter Association.

Although Star River was an experienced liaison and very adept at handling the complex relationships in Siyang City, the deep scars he bore from the former Royal Hunting Court had made his way of thinking unsuitable for this newly transformed organization.

Da Jiang had already begun looking into candidates for the new station chief, and Star River would likely make an excellent deputy.

"Such a satisfying conclusion," he mused.

No sooner had he stepped out the door than Duan Mingyuan encountered Earth Wolf Twelve, standing with folded arms and leaning against the wall.

Even after submitting a self-surrender registration form and revealing his crimes, the Siyang City Police Department had not restricted his freedom.

The revolver that had been handed over as evidence was back in his hands.

This was a legacy issue.

The current laws of Blue Star could not judge an Interstellar Mercenary. According to the Chamber of Commerce’s procedure, they had to organize the criminal materials and send them to the Shanqi Commerce Association headquarters. Only after the Association’s investigation and review would a verdict be passed for Earth Wolf Twelve.

Of course, that was merely in theory.

In reality, everyone knew Earth Wolf Twelve would ultimately face no punishment.

The gravest crime he ever committed in this vast universe was the assassination of corporate executives. Compared to that charge, killing a few civilians from other planets didn’t even count as additional crimes.

However, under the mediation of Shanqi Commerce Association, even Universe Company had ceased to pursue the matter.

"The bad guys getting judged, with all the shady deals brought to light—it follows the classic happy ending of a retro film."

Earth Wolf Twelve changed his tone, "But I think you also understand that I won’t face any real punishment, and before long, the member of the Wangxu Organization will also jailbreak in some manner."

Even if they willingly walked into the police station, the authorities would not want to accept hot potatoes like them.

They didn’t want to be targeted by a terrorist organization like Wangxu, and letting them go might be the wisest decision.

"And once you leave Siyang City, everything will return to the way it was, and then you’ll realize, what a fucked-up world this is."

Earth Wolf Twelve exhaled a ring of smoke, expressing his personal view of the company and the Chamber of Commerce.

He had found himself in a predicament similar to Duan Mingyuan’s, or even worse.

He hated the despicable people who schemed in the shadows more than the enemies who fought each other on the battlefield.

"That’s no longer within my job scope."

Duan Mingyuan had already organized the information he had gathered in Siyang City and sent it to the Third Prince. How to deal with Shanqi Commerce Association was for the Imperial Court to consider.

Catching a few criminals was easy, but to fundamentally change Siyang City was not a work that could be done overnight.

What he had done was merely to fulfill his promise with Jiuyue, complete the work in Siyang City, and then return to the academy as quickly as possible.

"If you get into trouble with the Hunter Association in the future, I will still capture you."

"Then let’s look forward to our next duel."

Before returning to the contact station, Duan Mingyuan had one more place to visit.

From the confessions of Eli and Earth Wolf Twelve, he learned about the old hunter’s whereabouts.

Like all those who had disappeared before, the old hunter, due to excessive curiosity, attracted the Chamber of Commerce’s attention, and after a tough seven hours in the underground Chamber, he ultimately could not escape the fate of having his Life Energy drained.

His body was piled up with others and processed together.

Duan Mingyuan shared this information with Xing. By the time he arrived at the location provided by Earth Wolf Twelve, Xing was already there, standing in front of a tombstone, her gaze fixed on it, looking soulless.

Bodies that had been "processed" naturally left no trace, and all that was left were items left behind by the bodies.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Xing took a deep breath and asked, "Is there any possibility that my master could..."

"The essence of resurrection is to reconstitute the Vitality that has not yet dissipated. Once the Life Energy is depleted, there’s no second chance."

The expected answer.

Xing lowered her eyelids.

She felt that she should be content, as this was the best outcome she could imagine.

If she hadn’t met Duan Mingyuan, she would have been lying dead in an alley, and Zheng Liu would have remained forever among the missing persons of Siyang City.

That she could stand here now felt like those perfect endings in movies, so idyllic that it seemed a bit unreal.

However, before she could utter words of gratitude, the ground beneath her feet suddenly began to wriggle as something emerged from beneath the soil.

Xing looked toward the source of the sound and saw it was a human hand.

The hand emerged from the soil and grasped her ankle.

"There are zombies!"

In the early morning, a woman’s piercing scream echoed long in the deserted outskirts.

Duan Mingyuan continued to explain, "However, your master’s situation is unique. His Life Energy wasn’t exhausted naturally but taken. Therefore, I asked the person who took his Life Energy to do me a favor... Also, if you keep kicking him in the face like that, your master is likely to kick the bucket again very soon."