The Necromancer is amassing troops like crazy in the apocalypse
Chapter 1258 - 934, Searching for the Killer_2

Chapter 1258: Chapter 934, Searching for the Killer_2

Wu Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke coldly, "Nasir, calm down. I am a hero. Do you understand what that means? If I wanted to kill her, you wouldn’t have even seen the corpse. Do you think I’d wait for you to arrive, see the body, and then let suspicion fall on me?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the scene fell into silence.

Given Wu Heng’s status, what he said indeed made sense.

He was surrounded by women, and the female priest before him was truly not remarkable in appearance. The only noteworthy quality she had was her identity as clergy.

In the crowd, a dwarf investigator said, "It’s also possible that something unexpected happened—perhaps the female priest cried out for help loudly, and he accidentally killed her."

Shanaela retorted, "That idea doesn’t hold water. Wu Heng, as a leader, wouldn’t have killed her over something like that, thus placing himself in a passive position."

Their chatter was somewhat chaotic.

The veteran mage Gianvito asked, "Leader Wu Heng, could you please recount the incident from start to finish?"

Even he didn’t believe Wu Heng would commit such an act.

Wu Heng nodded and recounted the events, describing how the priest followed him after he left.

Everyone heard him say that the female priest wanted to join Wu Heng’s sect and even attempted to seduce him, but after failing to achieve her goal, she committed suicide instead.

This left everyone feeling even more bewildered.

After finishing his account, Wu Heng went on to analyze, "The corpse is right here. Any of you familiar with examining corpses may take a closer look. This body has already developed livor mortis, meaning she has been dead for quite some time. In other words, she died before the banquet even began. Just based on that alone, it proves that I’m telling the truth."

Priest Nasir inspected the corpse’s skin, his eyes narrowing slightly. When he looked up again, he said, "Say whatever you like. Can I take people and leave now?"

"No!"

"What now? Leader Wu Heng, are you planning to kill us all?" Nasir’s tone remained hostile.

It was a stark contrast to his attitude during the encounter with Yan Hui.

The fact that he hadn’t acted directly was also because Wu Heng was the leader, leaving Nasir with no chance of winning.

Wu Heng said, "I suspect that the person framing me might still be here. I need to conduct interrogations. Once the questioning is done, you all can leave."

Hearing that Wu Heng had agreed to let them leave afterward, many people let out a sigh of relief.

As long as the conflict didn’t escalate further, they wouldn’t all end up dead.

No one spoke as Wu Heng continued, "Brittany, gather everyone together and record their professions and identities. Elder Tapani and Priest Nasir, you two will interrogate them one by one and discern any lies."

"What should we ask?" Tapani asked.

"There are two main questions: whether the individual’s profession is necromancer and whether they’re connected to this incident framing me," Wu Heng stated directly.

"Leader, if we cooperate, will we be allowed to leave afterward?" someone in the crowd shouted.

Wu Heng glanced at the person and said, "If you have nothing to do with this, you may leave."

Tapani nodded and ordered, "The association members should organize everyone. Return to the banquet hall; no one is allowed to leave. Anyone who leaves unauthorized will have a bounty issued for them tomorrow."

With no choice, everyone descended the stairs together.

Nasir carried the corpse away without sparing another glance at Wu Heng, following the group downstairs.

Once everyone had left, Bella materialized and remarked, "Didn’t notice anything special. Could they have already escaped?"

"Having framed me, wouldn’t they be curious about the results? Keep an eye on those remaining in the hall. If there isn’t a necromancer present, the ghost might still be attached to someone," Wu Heng replied.

"Alright." Bella nodded and went downstairs to continue watching the people.

...

Wu Heng sat in a chair, his thoughts racing over the incident.

At the banquet, he had originally thought the female priest was one of his fans, asking him numerous questions.

Later, she followed him upstairs, mentioning her intention to join his sect, which should have raised his guard then.

His confidence after becoming a hero had made him overlook some low-level professionals.

When her attempt to throw herself at him failed, she chose to die in such a manner before him.

Upon reflection, it seemed clear that her goal had already been achieved.

Knowing she didn’t have the ability to kill him and aware of the fragile relationship between Wu Heng and The Holy Court, the female priest’s death here, in an immensely humiliating way, was witnessed by many.

The Holy Court would never let this slide.

Especially considering her words before dying—she vowed to ruin his reputation and have others kill him.

When did he gain such an enemy?

Why would someone do this?

His mind spun quickly as he listed possible enemies who might be responsible.

First, those with grudges against him, such as the Secret Cultivation Hall or remnants of the pirates and members of the Evil Cult.

Second, those aligned with the Crown Prince—Wu Heng had supported the Fifth Princess and the Second Prince, so framing him at the Fifth Princess’s banquet could potentially make sense.

The Holy Court might aim to restrict him, preventing him from pursuing their matters further.

Third... The Holy Court itself...

The Pope had died on Gold and Silver Island, after an investigation revealed that the Holy Court bore full responsibility, with the association intervening, leaving them unable to seek direct revenge against him.

Having clergy die here would give them a perfect excuse.

Using the female priest’s sacrifice to acquire justification for war—would the Holy Court truly stoop to such lengths?

Thinking now about it, he realized he had no shortage of foes.

Others said he leveled up swiftly, implying that were he slower, his death would have been quite miserable.

"Uncle, are you alright?" Xiao Xiao asked softly nearby.

Wu Heng smiled and replied, "I’m fine. It’s just some insignificant trouble."

Xiao Xiao nodded, "Uncle, let’s go back to Gold and Silver Island. It’s much more comfortable there."

The feeling of being falsely accused left Xiao Xiao deeply unsettled.

Especially since they didn’t even know who was behind it.

All the evidence pointed directly to them.

Her uncle had done nothing wrong, yet no one seemed willing to believe them.

"No rush. I’m also curious about their motives," Wu Heng said lightly to reassure her.

The false accusations, although annoying, were hardly worth fretting over.

He had encountered many challenges along the way, and such matters no longer held any real bite.

Anything that didn’t pose a threat to his life was trivial.

As they spoke, the Fifth Princess returned, saying, "Leader, Elder Tapani has finished interrogating everyone. No suspicious individuals have been identified, and many are eager to leave."

Wu Heng stood and said, "Alright, let’s go take a look. If there’s nothing left to address, let them go."

The Fifth Princess followed, her voice tinged with guilt as she said, "I’m sorry. If I hadn’t hosted this banquet, none of this would’ve happened."

She didn’t believe for one moment that Wu Heng had killed the priest.

Someone meticulous enough to solve numerous cases wouldn’t make such a glaring mistake.

Even if he had killed someone, it wouldn’t have been in a place like this, leaving behind so many obvious clues.

Wu Heng paused, turned, and patted her on the head. "They’re targeting me. If they don’t reveal themselves now, they’ll try something else. It has nothing to do with you."

"You don’t blame me?"

"Why would I? This isn’t your fault," Wu Heng said plainly.

The Fifth Princess nodded with teary eyes.

The two descended the stairs, where everyone stood in the hall, restless and uneasy.

At the sight of Wu Heng, the bustling hall fell silent.

Tapani said, "Everyone has been questioned, including maids and chefs. No one is related to this incident."

"Leader, it’s late. When will we be allowed to leave?" a young merchant asked nervously from the crowd.

After he spoke, he quickly lowered his head, visibly uneasy.

Wu Heng scanned the crowd and withdrew a large copper bell, which hit the ground with a resounding clang.

[Holy Bell]: When rung, it drives away evil and averts calamities.

Priest Nasir’s eyes sharpened instantly, clearly recognizing the special item.

Without further explanation, Wu Heng rang the copper bell, its deep tone reverberating through the room. The crowd flinched momentarily, but nothing unusual occurred.

"Arrange carriages for them. Let them return home!"

Seeing no displaced ghosts, Wu Heng allowed the crowd to leave.

Relief washed over the faces of the people as they slowly filed out.

Wu Heng turned to a few people from the association and said, "Elder Tapani, I need the association to conduct an autopsy to confirm the time of death and clear my name."

The implication was simple: if the corpse’s time of death preceded the banquet, Wu Heng’s innocence would be proven.

Tapani replied, "Alright, I’ll make the arrangements."

Priest Nasir said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I’ll report everything to the Holy Hall."

"Very well, go ahead." Wu Heng nodded.

People from the association left along with him.

...

Outside the City Lord’s Mansion.

Across the street, a pair of eyes behind the darkened second-floor window of a building watched the carriages departing one by one.

The figure quickly retreated into the room’s inner sanctum and addressed the Demon Soul Pot, "Madam, the banquet has ended."