He Was Alive

"Quick! He's just up ahead!"

A commotion rose, and a group of people in black uniforms rushed around the corner, arriving at the spot where Qin Chen and He Wen had fought.

They were members of the Law Enforcement Bureau, late to the scene.

If Qin Chen had still been there to see them, he would've given them an earful.

What kind of turtle-paced response was this?

By the time you get here, I'll be stiff as a board!

In truth, it wasn't really the Law Enforcement Bureau members' fault.

They hadn't been slow to respond.

The fight between Qin Chen and He Wen had seemed to go on for quite a while, but in reality, it had only lasted a few minutes.

Getting here from the bureau within minutes meant they'd moved exceptionally fast.

Li Yingxue stood in the center of the scene, looking at the signs of the struggle all around her, her brows drawn tight.

Why had things like this kept happening lately?

And this place was extremely close to where they'd found He Wu before.

Could there be some hidden connection between the two?

Since the case might involve the Heretic Organization known as the Crimson Tide, Li Yingxue was being extremely cautious.

Her gaze swept constantly over the surroundings, finally coming to rest on the battered sewer entrance.

She slowly approached the entrance, her eyes fixed on the pitch-black opening.

She crouched down and ran her fingers over the knife marks beside it.

Then she turned her gaze toward the distinct Claw Mark on the ground nearby, and an image began to take shape in her mind.

After a long moment, her eyes sharpened, and she murmured:

"The Myriad Spirits Holy Hall!"

She couldn't be sure whether anyone from the Crimson Tide had taken part in this fight, but someone from the Myriad Spirits Holy Hall definitely had.

The Claw Mark on the ground was the best proof.

Normally, Fierce Beasts couldn't appear in the city, so the answer was obvious.

At the thought, Li Yingxue's expression grew grave.

Two of the three cases she'd handled recently had been connected to the Myriad Spirits Holy Hall.

She felt as if she'd fallen into an invisible web.

They'd been so active lately. Was the Myriad Spirits Holy Hall planning something big?

No!

When she got back, she had to speak with the bureau chief in person. They had to take this matter seriously.

Several incidents like this had happened in such a short time. She was sure it couldn't be a coincidence!

Of course, if Qin Chen had known what she was thinking, he might've had to say:

Maybe... it really was just a coincidence?

Staring at the deep, pitch-black sewer entrance, Li Yingxue fell silent for a moment, then prepared to leap inside. She had a feeling there was something nasty down there!

But just then, a voice stopped her.

"What are you doing here?"

Following the voice, everyone saw a middle-aged man with a commanding air.

The instant they recognized him, they all respectfully clasped their hands toward him.

"Director Zheng!"

The newcomer was Zheng Shan, one of the two deputy directors of the Law Enforcement Bureau in Muyang City!

Li Yingxue stood up and addressed Zheng Shan:

"Director Zheng, we just received a report that Martial Artists were fighting here!"

"After investigating the scene, we can confirm this wasn't a simple fight!"

"We found traces of the Myriad Spirits Holy Hall!"

"These Claw Marks are the best proof!"

"The Myriad Spirits Holy Hall?"

A trace of surprise crossed Zheng Shan's face. He looked in the direction Li Yingxue had pointed and indeed saw a clear Claw Mark. His expression turned grave as well.

"Just a few days ago, one of the Myriad Spirits Holy Hall's members was killed at home. And now they've shown up again?"

"Looks like this bunch of filthy rats is planning something big!"

After a moment's silence, Zheng Shan spoke:

"I understand! I'll discuss this with Director Fu!"

"Muyang City isn't a place where these rats can run wild!"

As he spoke, an intensely murderous aura erupted from Zheng Shan.

In an instant, everyone present felt their bodies grow heavy. The sheer force of his killing intent made it hard to breathe.

A thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.

The murderous aura came and went in a flash. Seeing everyone's awkward expressions, Zheng Shan smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry! I lost control for a moment. Please forgive me!"

"Yingxue! You've been the first to handle each of these recent cases. Go back now and carefully review the details of all of them!"

"Then come to Director Fu's office and meet us!"

At that, a trace of hesitation appeared on Li Yingxue's face.

"What is it?"

Seeing Li Yingxue's conflicted expression, Zheng Shan asked.

"Director Zheng, I think we should investigate this sewer first!"

"The knife marks clearly show someone deliberately struck toward the sewer entrance. Who would go around hacking at a sewer for no reason?"

"So I think there might be relevant clues inside. We should gather a team and investigate—"

"No need!"

Zheng Shan immediately cut Li Yingxue off.

Seeing the surprise on her face, a strange glint flashed in Zheng Shan's eyes. He explained softly:

"What I mean is, how could there possibly be any clues in a sewer? What normal person would go down there?"

"The knife marks above are probably just a coincidence!"

"Come on, Yingxue! The priority is still what I mentioned earlier. Go back and organize the clues from these cases, then submit a report to the bureau!"

"That'll help the bureau take precautions more quickly!"

"That settles it!"

As he finished speaking, Zheng Shan vanished from the spot.

After Zheng Shan left, the Law Enforcement Bureau members present all breathed a sigh of relief.

"So this is what the pressure of a Star Core Realm powerhouse feels like?"

"I've never seen Director Zheng fight before. I didn't expect his killing intent alone to put us under so much pressure!"

"By the way, did you know? I heard Director Zheng's wife and daughter were killed by people from the Myriad Spirits Holy Hall, so he hates them more than anyone!"

"Really? I had no idea!"

As everyone chattered away, Li Yingxue was the only one with her hand supporting her slightly bowed head, as if deep in thought.

Then she looked down once more at the deep, pitch-black opening beneath her and said to the others:

"Keep gathering clues here. I'm going back to the bureau to organize the details of these cases."

Meanwhile, in a certain space.

The crimson mist was thick as liquid blood, making it nearly impossible to see.

It didn't spread evenly, but writhed and surged as if alive, forming red whirlpools of varying shades.

The mist itself gave off a faint, ominous, heartbeat-like pulse of dark-red light, the only source of illumination in this space.

The ground wasn't solid earth or rock. It was covered by a thick layer of half-congealed, dark-red Fungal Carpet.

Beneath the carpet, the vague outlines of enormous, twisted fossilized bones could be seen, stained an eerie reddish brown.

In one spot, a figure lay atop the Fungal Carpet, his chest slightly caved in, his clothes in tatters, and dried blood crusted over him.

He lay utterly still, like a "corpse."

But a closer look revealed that his chest was rising and falling faintly.

Confirmed: he was alive!!