King of Assassins
Chapter 103 - 101: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes

Chapter 103: Chapter 101: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes

The outer glass wall of Divine Shield Mansion has been repaired, but the interior has not yet been organized.

Firstly, time was tight, and the An Family people were busy dividing the family property, with no time to manage the office.

Secondly, this place was after all the crime scene, and the Law Enforcement Department also suggested keeping it as it is for a longer period.

Cao Xiong stayed in Mingjing City for three days before finally contacting the Law Enforcement Department.

In the evening, Cao Xiong and Yan Qingge, along with their entourage, entered An Shirong’s office under the guidance of Xu Mountain.

The office remained mostly untouched, with huge bullet holes on the walls and floor, and all kinds of debris scattered all over the place, including large patches of bloodstains.

The remnants of bodies had been taken away, but the bloodstains had yet to be cleaned.

In fact, personnel were still testing the site in an attempt to find An Shirong’s bloodstains.

Fortunately, the lighting equipment in the room was not damaged, providing great convenience.

The two technicians Cao Xiong brought performed a re-examination of the office with their detection equipment.

Yan Qingge, wearing sunglasses, casually walked around the bullet holes, deep in thought.

Yao Fei, not understanding technology or having the eye for it, could only widen her eyes and stare at Cao Xiong.

Cao Xiong, holding a flat, intricately carved silver flask, leaned against the wall, lazily sipping his drink.

He appeared so nonchalant, as if he was just there for fun, having nothing to do with any of it.

This demeanor left Xu Mountain, who had been observing Cao Xiong all along, a bit perplexed.

Cao Xiong’s great reputation as the Soul-Seeking Hand couldn’t possibly be false. Although his demeanor didn’t quite resemble that of a great detective, it made him appear even more unfathomable.

Curious, Xu Mountain nevertheless refrained from asking due to his position.

No one spoke at the scene, making the atmosphere a bit stiff.

Thankfully, the two technicians worked very efficiently and completed a preliminary inspection within twenty minutes.

"Boss, based on the site traces, it can be determined that it was a 55.35 caliber ship cannon. The opponent’s shooting accuracy is very high. Most of the bullets penetrated the glass wall, leaving only a small number of bullet holes on-site..."

A technician gave a simple report; this was actually very clear in the report, and he was just confirming it again.

Cao Xiong nodded and said to Yan Qingge, "Qingge, what do you think?"

Yan Qingge said, "A killer shouldn’t be called an assassin; with such meticulous, exquisite, and flamboyant methods, there’s a lot of style."

"Hahaha, style is a great way to describe it, accurate and vivid."

Cao Xiong laughed heartily, saying, "In my life, I have seen countless killers, but this unique guy is the first. I am sure this killer is not in any archive records. At least, not in the Pegasus Star’s archive records."

Yan Qingge nodded, deeply agreeing.

Even without being on-site, she had formed this judgment after viewing the Law Enforcement Department’s archives. This assassin was remarkable, with an innate rebelliousness and arrogance that belittled everything.

Moreover, the assassin was indeed skillful.

Cao Xiong then asked, "Do you have any other opinions?"

Yan Qingge thought for a moment and said, "Killing someone with a ship cannon is indeed imaginative. However, there’s a premise here: they need to know where An Shirong was. Timing must coincide."

She wondered aloud, "The question is, how did the assassin accurately determine An Shirong’s position?"

The glass outer wall of the office was specially made, with strict internal security. Very few people knew where An Shirong was. How the assassin accurately pinpointed An Shirong’s location was a major issue.

Cao Xiong spread his hands and said, "This is something to ask Deputy Minister Xu."

Xu Mountain said solemnly, "We have also suspected internal betrayal and conducted a detailed investigation. During the incident, all Celestial Net communications were checked. No one in Divine Martial Mansion reported any information outward."

"Perhaps the other party has superpowers, has marvels..."

Cao Xiong was not disappointed and casually remarked, "It is said that the spiritual power of a Golden Level Sword Saint is vast and mighty, even able to travel across star systems. The fact that they can perceive An Shirong’s location is not too surprising."

Yan Qingge remained silent, also believing the other party must possess extraordinary abilities. Without this skill, they wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant.

"Let’s leave it at that."

Cao Xiong said, "Let’s go to the Golden Dragon Pavilion and take a look."

Xu Mountain had no objections, acting as a guide. The group took the flying ship directly to Tian’an Street.

The Law Enforcement Flying Ship was not restricted on Tian’an Street and landed directly in the courtyard of the Golden Dragon Pavilion.

The lobby manager, having received prior notice, was waiting on the side, bowing.

Cao Xiong was not courteous and immediately said upon exiting the flying ship, "To the Golden Dragon Pavilion."

The lobby manager led the way; due to the recent incident, the Golden Dragon Pavilion was closed to the public and not in operation.

The Golden Dragon Pavilion also maintained its original state, with bloodstains on the imitation white jade floor and the main seat littered with debris.

Cao Xiong glanced around, his gaze finally falling on the sword rack on the east wall: "Where is the Golden Dragon Sword?"

The lobby manager hurriedly said, "It was taken away."

"Wasn’t it returned to you?"

Xu Mountain was a little displeased. The Golden Dragon Sword, though a murder weapon, was the Sword Artifact of the Golden Dragon Pavilion. It wasn’t particularly special and was quite expensive. After their inspection, it had been returned.

The lobby manager hastily explained, "It was taken by President Wei."

"Hmm?" Xu Mountain was unaware of this.

"Just the day before yesterday, President Wei sent someone to retrieve the Golden Dragon Sword."

"Heh, interesting."

Cao Xiong gave Xu Mountain a meaningful look, then twisted open the bottle cap, took a swig, and didn’t say much more.

Xu Mountain felt a bit awkward. He had only received the notice at night, knowing Cao Xiong and Yan Qingge had arrived in Mingjing City to investigate the assassin. It was impossible for him to inform Wei Yue in advance.

The problem was that this matter could hardly be explained, let alone explained clearly.

Cao Xiong’s group all scrutinized Xu Mountain with scrutinizing eyes, not hiding their suspicion at all.

However, Yan Qingge wandered on the battlefield, seemingly uninterested in the awkward situation here.

Cao Xiong didn’t continue this topic either. Although Xu Mountain was only a deputy minister, he was a local tyrant. In terms of authority, they were on par with Xu Mountain and didn’t have the jurisdiction to order him what to do.

Moreover, the task force was also not duly authorized. If they insisted, Xu Mountain could rightfully disregard them.

Cao Xiong walked over to Yan Qingge and asked, "Any discoveries?"

Yan Qingge shook her head, "Nothing much."

She reached out and grasped at the air, "There’s still a bit of residual Sword Qi and spiritual fluctuations. The parties involved in the battle were truly formidable."

There were several video recordings of the battle, all from different perspectives of onlookers. Through the videos, it was almost possible to reconstruct the battle of that day.

However, the videos only captured the light and shadow changes, but not the fluctuations of Source Power, losing the bulk of the battle details.

Upon arriving at the scene, Yan Qingge could clearly sense the residual battle traces in the air.

The traces of Sword Qi left by Bai Yuncheng alone felt like they were etched in stone, maintaining a powerful ferocious aura even days later. Who knew about the unknown assassin?

It was clear that Bai Yuncheng was not just an empty name.

Yan Qingge made a simple comparison, and just in terms of Sword Qi, Bai Yuncheng surpassed her.

Yet, to the assassin, killing Bai Yuncheng was like slaughtering a chicken. Yan Qingge felt additional pressure thinking about this.

Looking at the deep night outside the window, a chill crept into her body.

If the assassin were to come at her head-on with a sword instead of hiding in the dark, would she be able to withstand it?

The muddled waters of Mingjing City were deeper and more dangerous than she had imagined!

Of course, she dared to come here because she had some reliance, not out of reckless fearlessness.

Cao Xiong took another swig of liquor, casually wiping his mouth, "Bai Yuncheng is said to be the third in East Continent, though that’s somewhat inflated, his Swordsmanship is indeed formidable."

He sighed, saying, "The thought of an assassin killing Bai Yuncheng with one sword is enough to send chills down one’s spine. Damn, the July heat is all gone."

Yan Qingge was silent for a moment, then asked, "What have you discovered?"

Cao Xiong smiled and shook his head, "Hard to say, hard to say."

Yan Qingge couldn’t fathom Cao Xiong’s thoughts nor determine if he was just going through the motions or genuinely here to catch the perpetrator.

However, if they failed this time, Cao Xiong’s hundred percent case-solving legend would be broken.

Yan Qingge didn’t ask further; even though Cao Xiong appeared drunken every day, he was cunning and formidable. They were never on the same path.

"Since the Golden Dragon Sword is no longer here, let’s head back."

Cao Xiong said casually, "It’s late at night, sorry to trouble Deputy Minister Xu, I’ll treat you to a late-night snack."

Xu Mountain had nothing to talk about with Cao Xiong. He declined, saying, "No need, I have other things to attend to. Leader Cao, Ms. Yan, you should also rest early. I’ll take my leave. You can keep the flying ship."

After Xu Mountain left, Yao Fei sneered and said, "That guy doesn’t seem trustworthy at all, surely off to inform someone."

Cao Xiong glanced at Yao Fei askew, "Kids shouldn’t talk recklessly. That’s it for today, let’s go have a late-night snack."

He said expectantly, "I’ve heard the grilled fish in Mingjing City is exquisite. Let’s go try it."

Everyone seemed pleased; working with Cao Xiong was always relaxed, eating, drinking, and getting things done.

The group found a famous grilled fish restaurant and ate all through the late night before taking the Law Enforcement Flying Ship back to the hotel.

Yan Qingge, upon returning to the hotel room, contacted Yan Qingfeng.

The spotlight on the light screen flashed, Yan Qingfeng was holding a large wine glass drinking boisterously with a group of girls. Seeing Yan Qingge, he raised his glass, "Little Sis, have a drink."

His features resembled Yan Qingge’s, only more rugged. Dressed appropriately, with a casual air, he was evidently a playboy.

Yan Qingge looked at her brother coldly without saying a word.

Yan Qingfeng felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, helplessly waving his hand. The music stopped, the lights ceased flashing, and the scantily-clad girls quickly left. The room quieted down instantly.

"You’re such a buzzkill. Speak if you have something to say." Yan Qingfeng lay lazily on the sofa, indicating Yan Qingge could report her findings.

"I went to the scene and found no trace of Evil God presence. The assassin should have no connection with the Evil God Organization."

Yan Qingge paused and added, "The assassin is extremely formidable."

"What does Cao Xiong say?" Yan Qingfeng asked curiously.

"He didn’t say anything. He’s sneaky, who knows what he’s up to."

Yan Qingge said, "Cao Xiong is definitely colluding with the Black Dragon Association. That’s beyond doubt."

"Sigh, everyone already knows that. The problem is Cao Xiong is skilled."

Yan Qingfeng thought for a moment and said, "As long as Wei Yue has no ties with the Evil God Organization, cooperation is possible. Find a chance to discuss collaboration with Wei Yue. If she’s willing, we can help her resolve these troubles."

Yan Qingge frowned and said, "You can deal with the Black Dragon Association and Cao Xiong?"

"If Wei Yue is willing to pay a certain price, these won’t be problems."

Yan Qingfeng confidently said, "Our Yan Family still holds some sway."

In the adjacent room, Cao Xiong was also in a video call with someone, "Hmm, I’ve found a lead..."

The Law Enforcement Minister on the light screen was overjoyed, "Where is the person? I’ll immediately take people for an arrest!"

(There’s a third update at midnight, three consecutive updates~ More updates depending on the daytime situation~)