Chapter 36: Investigating the Mastermind Behind the Scenes
Xu Han focused his mind, and a magical array materialized before him. As the radiant glow faded, the little beast cub, still gnawing at a chunk of meat, appeared. The cub was fiercely wrestling with the meat, which was nearly as large as its own body, leaving it somewhat at a loss as to where to bite next.
“Come, let’s go level you up. You’re almost at level twenty,” he said, grabbing the little cub and heading toward Woodgrove Town.
...
In a certain villa in East Sea City, a jet-black bird stood atop the table before a middle-aged man. The bird’s eyes gleamed like rubies, clear and piercing. Its beak, long as a human’s forearm, tapered to a dagger-like point.
The middle-aged man extended a pale, slender finger toward the bird. Tilting its head, the bird regarded the offering, then opened its beak and swallowed the finger whole in a single gulp. It flapped its wings, letting out a crow-like caw.
“Delicious, delicious...”
A gentle, doting smile appeared on the man’s face, as though he were gazing upon his own child.
Thump, thump, thump—someone knocked at the study door.
“Come in,” the man said.
The door opened, and a man dressed in black entered, carrying a bag. He set the bag on the floor and bowed respectfully.
“Sir, the bodies have been brought back.”
The middle-aged man frowned slightly and gestured for him to open the bag. The black-clad man complied, revealing two corpses inside.
“What about their equipment?” the middle-aged man asked calmly, his gaze sweeping over the visitor.
The man in black lowered his head in deference. “When I found them, they were already like this. I would never dare deceive you, sir. Please see for yourself.”
The middle-aged man turned his attention back to his beloved bird, teasing its beak with his fingers. The bird pecked incessantly, tearing the skin of his hand, yet the man’s expression remained unchanged.
“And the Earthsplitter Tiger King’s cub?” he asked.
The man in black replied respectfully, “Sir, I only found the sealed iron cage, but it had already been forcibly broken open. There were no claw marks, so we can deduce that it wasn’t the work of a beast.”
The middle-aged man nodded slightly and gently stroked the bird’s head.
“Everything was proceeding according to plan. With those beasts, breaching East Sea and plunging it into chaos was inevitable. But now... someone has sabotaged it.”
“How dare they disrupt the plans of the Abyssal Church! We must find this person—I will kill him with my own hands!”
“Yes, sir!” the man in black responded, bowing deeply.
...
At that moment, in the City Lord’s Mansion, all the high-ranking officials of East Sea City had assembled. Zheng Zucai had returned to the city now that the beasts had withdrawn.
Li Zhentian spoke first. “Has the investigation been completed? Who was it that saved East Sea City?”
Several investigators shook their heads. “We have no information as of yet.”
Li Zhentian sighed in frustration. “Keep investigating! We must find this hero! And also, identify those two figures in black robes. Whoever dared to lure the beasts to East Sea must be unmasked!”
Chen Gang interjected, “This matter must have been orchestrated by someone high up in our city.” His gaze swept slowly across the assembled officials. “Access to the materials for the sealed iron cage is not something an ordinary person would have.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“Additionally, investigate everyone who left the city. Although only those two are suspects for now, it doesn’t mean others couldn’t have been involved. I propose we detain all returnees and interrogate them one by one. Only those cleared of suspicion should be released.”
Director Dai Guoqiang of the Investigation Bureau frowned. “Old Chen, isn’t that a bit extreme? Never mind the immense workload—such a mass detention will cause a sensation. If the higher-ups take issue, the consequences could be dire.”
Chen Gang replied solemnly, “We cannot afford to be careless! This time, we must root out the mastermind. If they dared to use beasts to attack the city once, they could do something worse next time. For the safety of East Sea City, this is necessary!”
Li Zhentian, brows knitted, said slowly, “Chen’s approach is drastic, but not without reason. Here’s what we’ll do—I’ll request instructions from the Main Governor’s Office in Zhenhai and see what the higher authorities decide.”
Li Zhentian submitted a report, and soon, a reply came back from Zhenhai’s Main Governor’s Office: two words—Permission granted.
Li Zhentian announced, “It’s settled, then. Proceed as General Chen suggested.”
...
The eastern city gate was sealed.
All those returning were brought to the Investigation Bureau for questioning. Their backgrounds were probed all the way back three generations—no detail was spared. They were asked to recall everything down to the exact times they ate, used the restroom, and every word they had spoken. Many groaned in protest, but there was no alternative; the matter was simply too important.
...
Meanwhile, outside Woodgrove Town, Xu Han was busy hunting monsters. As dusk approached, he prepared to head home. His spatial ring now held several new varieties of beast meat—perhaps consuming them would unlock the next illustrated compendium reward.
He glanced at the little cub napping nearby. After a full afternoon of leveling up, the cub had reached level five, its body now about the size of an adult cat, with greatly improved attributes.
[Name: Earthsplitter Tiger Cub]
[Race: Tiger]
[Level: 5]
[Strength: 140]
[Constitution: 150]
[Agility: 75]
[Spirit: 35]
[Skill 1: Earthsplitter Claw Lv.1 (Imbues the claw with earth elemental power, significantly increasing destructive force, adds 20% armor penetration, cooldown: 2 minutes)]
[Skill 2: Tiger’s Roar Lv.1 (Lets out a mighty roar, intimidating lesser beasts nearby with fear; strong beasts are unaffected, cooldown: 5 minutes)]
[Skill 3: Sandstorm Lv.1 (Summons a sandstorm, inflicts minor damage on enemies and blinds them, cooldown: 10 minutes)]
[Skill 4: Rockfall Lv.1 (Shatters the ground, launching rock shards at enemies for damage, cooldown: 3 minutes)]
Even at level five, its stats already surpassed most professionals—some first-tier professionals would struggle to match it.
Satisfied, Xu Han casually returned the little fellow to his pet space and made his way toward East Sea City.
Soon, he arrived at the city gates. Seeing the city guard on high alert, he paused, muttering to himself, “Didn’t the beasts retreat? Why are the defenses still so tight?”