Investigation and Inference

2024-08-16

Chapter 412 Investigation and Inference

Malicious attack? Ningdong? Overseas Cultivators?

These keywords caught Luo Jun's attention, and he instinctively recalled his experiences from the previous night. Could it be that the killing of the Hell Creek Family members had been exposed? No, that couldn't be right. He had been very careful. Even if someone had traced him back through the slightest oversight, it couldn't have happened this quickly!

With these questions in mind, he clicked on the post, glanced at it briefly, and realized he had been overthinking it.

This describes a case that occurred this morning.

The post was made by the official account of the Ningdong Branch. According to the description, at around 8:40 this morning, a battle broke out between Cultivators in Room 2405 of the Ningdong New Lake Hotel, which even involved several ordinary people staying at the hotel.

According to the information we have, Room 2405 was occupied by the Star Moon Team, who are currently on tour. Xing Yue's manager, who is also her father, Xing Yang, was attacked.

"Xing Yang? Is he Cultivators?"

Yesterday, Luo Jun also heard that Ailongtan and the others went to attend a concert by a popular idol named Xing Yue. Although Luo Jun is not a big fan of celebrities, he is still a young man. When he was in high school, many of his classmates were fans of Xing Yue and he had seen her photos and videos. She is indeed a top celebrity in the entertainment industry with both good looks and talent.

This big star's father is Cultivators? Could she herself be one too?

Luo Jun continued reading; there were further descriptions of the battle. According to Xing Yang's testimony, the attacker was a blond, blue-eyed foreigner who didn't display any special abilities, suggesting he was Martial Combat Faction with considerable strength. Xing Yang only managed to avoid being ambushed thanks to his own Special Ability. Later, to protect his daughter and other entourage, he created a large hole in the top floor of the New Lake Hotel, where the two ultimately engaged in a fierce battle. The attacker only left after Yuan Cultivation Society received a report and arrived at the scene.

Xing Yang was ultimately injured by the attackers, and one member of the Yuan Cultivation Society who came to surround and kill him was also seriously injured and is currently undergoing emergency treatment.

New Lake Hotel, Room 2405?

Luo Jun frowned. It was on the same floor as Room 2408 Charles and his group were staying... Was it a coincidence?

Judging from the outcome, the attacker was likely targeting the Star Moon Team and seemed unrelated to Charles's death. However, the attacker's foreign identity made Luo Jun feel that there was some connection between them.

According to Anderson's memory, he had already killed all the Hell Creek Family in Ningdong. If the attacker was indeed here for this reason, then it could only be someone sent by the Lineage headquarters after learning of Charles's death... But the Federation is on the other side of the world, and from Charles's death last night to the time of the incident around 8 PM, it was only about fifteen hours... Could it be that fast?

Special means of transportation?

It's unlikely. After all, this is a cross-border movement within the Main World. Zhendan's air defenses are not to be underestimated. Under the threat of modern weapons, Cultivators usually wouldn't openly invade another country's airspace. Being mistaken for an enemy plane and shot down would be no laughing matter.

That's the ability to teleport long distances?

This might bypass Zhendan's defense forces, but it might not be able to evade the Yuan Cultivation Society.

As the world's largest organization of Vital Energy Cultivator, the Yuan Cultivation Society, in addition to its secular military force, also secretly protects the territory of Zhendan from invasion by Cultivators from abroad. The most important means of this is the monitoring of Space Ability.

Generally speaking, the more powerful the Space Teleportation technology, the more obvious the spatial disturbance it will release. In order to monitor foreign Cultivators may infiltrate Zhendan through Space Skill, the Yuan Cultivation Society has installed spatial disturbance monitoring facilities throughout the country, with coverage comparable to that of signal base stations.

With such a wide coverage area, it's difficult to guarantee accuracy. Common teleportation, short-range teleportation, and even Chaos Mission summoning will generally not trigger monitoring. However, spatial disturbances involving long distances, especially Space Ability that cross national borders, are almost impossible to escape detection.

Moreover, Ningdong is an important branch of the Yuan Cultivation Society, and it's also where a gate exists. The monitoring of Space Ability here is definitely more stringent. Otherwise, if someone suddenly appeared in the academy, or even went directly to the location of the [Martial World] gate, it would be troublesome.

Since teleportation and supernatural transportation have been largely ruled out, either this matter has nothing to do with the Hell Creek Family, or there's only one possibility left...

The other party arrived in Zhendan using normal means of transportation.

airplane?

More than ten hours, including buying tickets, boarding, landing, going through customs, and a whole series of other procedures... Even if the Hell Creek Family could handle the paperwork, the time wouldn't allow it, unless...

Luo Jun exited the forum, switched back to a regular browser, and typed in "supersonic passenger plane" to start a search.

Yes, the only way to send a master from the Hell Creek Family to Zhendan within a dozen hours is by supersonic passenger plane!

This is a supersonic jet airliner with a speed of around Mach 2, mostly used for long-haul flights. Its speed is three times that of ordinary commercial airliners, and it can reach a route of tens of thousands of kilometers in just six or seven hours. If this is it, then it is indeed feasible.

However, due to the high maintenance costs of supersonic passenger aircraft, there are not many airports that support supersonic routes. Luo Jun searched for the nearest supersonic airport, which was about 200 kilometers away from Ningdong...

Searching for arrival routes again, there was only one supersonic flight from the Federation during this period, from 8 p. m. last night to 4:40 a. m. this morning, originating from Mountaine State Airport in the Federation.

Switch back to the forum and search for entries related to the Hell Creek Family... The Hell Creek Family's headquarters, Mount Dynaso, is located in the Montaigne State!

It matches!

Luo Jun frowned. If it was just a coincidence, then it was far too coincidental...

If the Yuan Cultivation Society had this clue, they would definitely investigate all the passengers on the flight and should be able to quickly identify the attacker... But the problem is, the Yuan Cultivation Society doesn't know about Charles's death yet and wouldn't even consider this possibility.

Is there any way to remind the Yuan Cultivation Society?

Luo Jun thought for a moment. The Yuan Cultivation Society was not to be trifled with. No matter what identity was used to issue a warning, it would be easy to find out who it was... If his Master were here, he could contact the Yuan Cultivation Society through him. However, his master was still doing cleanup work in [Utopia] and probably wouldn't be back this month.

Scrolling through the forum messages, Luo Jun noticed that everyone was very concerned about the sudden attack, leaving comments asking about the condition of the injured, whether the attackers had been caught, and asking about the latest developments in the incident.

News reports outside the forum described the incident as an accident caused by a meteorite falling... Although this explanation is far-fetched, a pure accident would not have any additional negative impact.

Moreover, because this incident involves the popular idol Xing Yue, many fans left messages expressing concern for her safety, and even some outrageous comments appeared, such as Xing Yue being a chosen one, a gift from God, and so on. Some even said that Xing Yue is an alien, and that her home planet was urging her to return home quickly, but Xing Yue refused for the sake of her fans on Earth... Luo Jun felt that if he made up more stories, it could be expanded into a science fiction novel.

Luo Jun also found it strange. If the attackers really came from the Hell Creek Family, why would they target Xing Yue?

Looking at the forum posts, contrary to mainstream news, people are paying far more attention to Xing Yang than to his idol daughter. Checking the related entries, Xing Yang seems to be a well-established master, though not yet at his Peak. He appears to be a Rogue Cultivator from a Mystic Faction, whose abilities are speculated to be related to time. With his powerful abilities, he can sometimes achieve results comparable to those of Peak.

So, could it be that the attacker targeted Xing Yang from the very beginning? As for the reason... could it be because they had no clue about Charles's cause of death, and therefore suspected Xing Yang, who was staying on the same floor of the hotel, was responsible?

This doesn't make much sense. Xing Yang and the Hell Creek Family shouldn't have any connection. Even if they had suspicions, they should have investigated first. Taking action right after getting off the plane seems too hasty...

However, considering the Hell Creek Family's methods of Kidnapping and even trying to hollow out their own heads, this attacker, though a bit crazy, does act in a way that fits the style of such a bandit Lineage.

Although it seems unlikely that this guy will trace it back to me, letting such a madman run rampant in Ningdong —who knows how much trouble he'll cause...

A foreigner, trying to cause trouble in my hometown?

But how do we find this guy?

He's most likely here to investigate Charles's death, so...

Luo Jun's eyes suddenly lit up, and an idea came to him. He pushed open the door and left his dormitory. It was still the holidays, and the school didn't impose any restrictions on students returning from internships. Luo Jun left the school and headed straight for the New Lake Hotel.

Room 2410, New Lake Hotel.

A man in his forties was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his body pulsating with internal energy.

The man was handsome, but looked somewhat haggard, clearly indicating that he was injured and treating himself.

Opposite him sat a girl of about eighteen or nineteen, who was looking at the man with a worried expression.

This girl is youthful and beautiful, with a top-notch figure, temperament, and appearance. In particular, her face has frequently appeared in various posters, advertisements, websites, short videos, and other platforms in the past two years, making her extremely popular in Zhendan.

That's right, the girl is none other than the popular idol Xing Yue, and the man healing her wounds is none other than Xing Yang.

"Ugh..." Suddenly, Xing Yang, who was regulating his Inner Breath, frowned, felt a sweet taste in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Xing Yue was startled and hurriedly went over to him. "Dad, are you alright...?"

"It's nothing..." Xing Yang coughed twice. "That attacker was quite skilled. The flesh wounds aren't serious, but he disrupted my Inner Breath with his domineering power, causing some damage to my meridians..."

Experienced Cultivators often possess healing artifacts. While physical injuries are easily healed, artifacts and abilities that can heal meridian damage are extremely rare. Once internal injuries are sustained, at best, a long period of recuperation is required; at worst, it may leave irreversible hidden injuries, like those suffered by Old Yuan, permanently affecting one's cultivation level and strength.

"Where did that wretched guy come from? He attacked us without even asking what happened!" Xing Yue's pretty face was contorted with anger.

"I don't know him either..." Xing Yang shook his head. "Judging from his skills, he's definitely not an ordinary Cultivators... I'm quite knowledgeable in the cultivation world, and I know a lot about foreign experts, but I've never heard of anyone like him..."

"What do you mean 'ordinary'? I think he only hurt you by sneaking up on you!" Xing Yue pouted, looking unconvinced.

"No..." Xing Yang shook his head. "Even without the sneak attack, I probably wouldn't be a match for him."

"How could that be?" Xing Yue asked incredulously.

"Although he didn't use any special abilities, I have a feeling that he's not Martial Combat Faction, but rather that he's hiding his true power!"

"How is this possible?" Xing Yue exclaimed in disbelief, "Dad, you fought with all your might, and the opponent didn't even use his full power to suppress you... Unless he's at his Peak!"

Xing Yang nodded. "I had the same suspicion... but there are only so many Peak in the world, and each one is a renowned figure. It's impossible for me not to know them... No, there is one Peak whose identity no one knows!"

"Who?" Xing Yue asked curiously.

Xing Yang looked at his beloved daughter. "You've been paying attention to that mysterious powerhouse who's recently risen to prominence, haven't you?"

"You mean... Night?" Xing Yue realized, then shook her head in denial, "Impossible, how could Night do such a thing... Besides, he should be from Zhendan, his appearance doesn't match..."

"Many people suspect that the mask he wears has the function of distorting cognition, so it's not 100% certain whether he is from Zhendan, or even whether he is a man." Xing Yang shook his head. "If it's not him, then it can only be another hidden Peak, perhaps a reclusive Rogue Cultivator, or perhaps Secret Weapon trained by some large organization... But no matter who it is, I really can't figure out what grudge they have against me?"

As the two were analyzing the situation, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Xing Yue went to open the door and found a tall, middle-aged man in his forties standing there.

"Hello, my name is Cheng Yuan, and I am the Security Team of the Zhandong District the Ningdong Branch station." Captain Cheng showed his identification to confirm his identity.

"Please come in." Xing Yue stepped aside to let Captain Cheng in. Two members of the Security Team were standing guard outside the door.

"Mr. Xing, how are you feeling?" Captain Cheng asked Xing Yang with concern.

"Fortunately... the injury isn't too serious, but the damage to the meridians is a bit troublesome," Xing Yang nodded in reply.

"The captain heard about your ordeal and is very concerned, but he needs to oversee the security of Ningdong right now. After all, there is such a dangerous element hiding in the city, so it is really inconvenient for him to come and visit. But he asked me to bring you some healing pills..." As he spoke, Captain Cheng took out a small box containing a Rare-level pill that was remarkably effective for meridian damage.

Although its grade is not high, its efficacy is rare, making it a precious treasure.

"I can't accept this..." Xing Yang declined, but Captain Cheng waved his hand. "Although Mr. Xing is Rogue Cultivator, he has always been very supportive of the Yuan Cultivation Society's work and has helped us a lot. Please don't refuse this small token of our appreciation."

Under Captain Cheng's persuasion, Xing Yang finally took the pill. The effect of the treasure was indeed remarkable; his complexion improved significantly, and his Inner Breath flowed much more smoothly.

"Please thank Captain Xing for me..." Feeling his Inner Breath restored, Xing Yang lit up with joy as he looked at Captain Cheng: "Any progress in the investigation?"

"That's why I'm here." With that, Captain Cheng pulled out a set of photos. "We used surveillance equipment to screen foreign faces that appeared in this area before and after the attack this morning. We wanted you to confirm if any of them were among the attackers!"

Xing Yang looked through the photos once and finally shook his head.

"It's not that simple after all..." Captain Cheng sighed and put the photos away.

"We can't rule out the possibility that person has the ability to disguise themselves," Xing Yang cautioned, then repeated his earlier speculation, "I suspect that he didn't use his full strength when he fought me, most likely to hide his true abilities..."

"Is that so...? That makes things even more difficult..." Captain Cheng frowned. "However, we have another direction for our investigation..."

"May I ask, do you have any past grievances with the Hell Creek Family?"

(End of this chapter)