The Rat Hole

Lu Chen reached out, grabbed Fu An by the neck like a chick, and lifted him off the ground.

"Talk. Where did Foreman Wang get that painting?"

"I... I don't know... I don't know anything..."

Fu An struggled violently in his grip, his face turning a livid purple from suffocation.

"Is that so?" A flicker of cold disappointment passed through Lu Chen's eyes. "Looks like you're worthless."

He tightened his fingers slightly, ready to crush the man's throat.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The fear of death finally shattered Fu An's last shred of resolve. He forced out a few words from his constricted throat. "It was... the South City... Black Market... a seller... wearing a... Ghost Face Mask..."

"Ghost Face Mask?" Lu Chen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Crack.

A soft sound. Fu An's neck went limp, the last light in his eyes fading completely.

Lu Chen tossed the corpse aside and turned his gaze to the guards, who had long since collapsed in terror, too weak to even hold their weapons.

"You lot. Want to live, or die?"

"Live! We want to live! Spare us, My Lord! We saw nothing!"

When Captain Li and Deputy Commander Liu arrived at the Anle Duke's Mansion with a large force, this was the scene that greeted them.

Lu Chen stood alone, a long blade at his waist, silent before the doorway of the study that had been reduced to rubble. At his feet lay the unseeing corpse of Steward Fu An.

The mansion's guards knelt behind him like the most loyal dogs, trembling.

"Lu Chen!" Captain Li's pupils contracted sharply as he took in the wreckage and the iron door that had been violently forced open. "What happened here?"

"Reporting to the Captain." Lu Chen saluted with cupped fists, neither servile nor arrogant, his voice steady. "During my inspection, I discovered that this iron door had been locked from the outside. The mansion's steward, Fu An, conspired with demonic agents to trap and kill me here. With no other choice, I fought back, slew the Demon Painting, and broke out. Fu An took his own life out of guilt. The rest have been captured by me."

In a few words, he set the nature of the incident.

Captain Li, a man of keen insight, grasped the cause and effect in an instant. His face darkened until it seemed ready to drip water.

"Wang Defa!" He ground out the name through clenched teeth, killing intent blazing in his eyes. "Fine! A fine steward of the Demon Suppression Division! Colluding with demonic agents to murder a colleague! Utter lawlessness!"

He swept his hand and ordered the Imperial Guards behind him: "Pass my command! Seal the Demon Suppression Division immediately! Arrest Foreman Wang Defa of the Corpse Handling Room! If he resists, kill on sight!"

"Yes!"

Several Imperial Guards acknowledged the order and shot off like black lightning toward the Demon Suppression Division.

Captain Li strode quickly to Lu Chen's side. Seeing him covered in dust but completely unharmed, his expression was deeply complicated.

"You... are you alright?"

"No need to worry, Captain. I'm fine." Lu Chen shook his head, then took something from his bosom and handed it over. "From Fu An's confession, I learned that the mastermind behind this is Wang Defa. That Demon Painting was purchased from a mysterious seller wearing a Ghost Face Mask at the South City Black Market."

He placed the [Annihilation Demon Eyes] he had obtained from the Stone-Skinned Soul-Peering Demon into Captain Li's hand.

"I suspect this is connected to the evil presence at Ghost Face Slope from before."

Captain Li took the demon eye, which radiated an ominous aura, and felt the eerie power within it. His expression grew even more grave.

He gave Lu Chen a long, searching look—the first time his gaze carried a hint of unfathomable depth.

"You've done well," Captain Li said in a low voice. "I will personally investigate this matter. You have rendered another great service. The Demon Suppression Division will not treat you poorly."

He paused, then spoke in a tone that brooked no argument: "From today onward, you are a Deputy Commander of my Imperial Guard Camp, equal in rank to Liu Quan. The post of Corpse Handling Room steward left by Wang Defa will also be... temporarily held by you."

At these words, the entire crowd was stunned!

A Deputy Commander, concurrently serving as the Corpse Handling Room steward!

In the history of the Demon Suppression Division, this was an unheard-of, extraordinary promotion!

Inside the Demon Suppression Division, alarm bells rang continuously.

Squad after squad of heavily armored Imperial Guards, holding long halberds, expressionlessly sealed off every entrance. The usually noisy training ground fell so silent that a dropped needle could be heard.

By now, the Corpse Handling Room was already empty.

Foreman Wang's normally tidy steward's office had been ransacked—tables and chairs overturned, tea sets shattered across the floor. Clearly, he had fled in great haste.

"Where is he?" a squad leader of the Imperial Guards asked with a frown.

"Reporting, sir! We've searched everywhere. There's no trace of Wang Defa in the entire Corpse Handling Room area!"

"Hmph. A sewer rat, and a fast one at that."

Deputy Commander Liu's face was dark. He glanced at Lu Chen, who stood beside him with a calm expression as if the matter had nothing to do with him, and asked in a low voice: "Deputy Commander Lu, what do you think?"

That address of "Deputy Commander Lu" came naturally, instantly setting Lu Chen apart from everyone else present.

Lu Chen's gaze did not linger on the scattered clutter. Instead, it slowly swept across the room he knew so well.

Finally, it stopped on an inconspicuous earthen basin in the corner, used for dumping medicinal dregs.

Through his [Eye of Delusion Breaking], a wisp of baleful intent—so faint it was nearly imperceptible—threaded from the bottom of the basin, extending deep into the ground.

"A rat naturally has its hole."

Lu Chen said flatly, then walked over to the earthen basin, raised his foot, and casually stomped down.

Crack!

The basin shattered on impact.

Yet beneath it, the bluestone slab emitted a dull, unusual metallic echo.

Deputy Commander Liu's eyes sharpened. He understood at once and waved at the Imperial Guards behind him. "Pry it open!"

Several Imperial Guards stepped forward, using their long halberds to lever the slab together.

Boom!

The entire bluestone slab was flipped open, revealing a pitch-black, deep hole just wide enough for one person to pass through.

A foul stench, mingled with the smell of earth, mold, and blood, surged out from the opening.

"There really is a secret passage!" the crowd exclaimed.

"I'll go down and take a look." Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Chen took a torch from one of the Imperial Guards and prepared to leap in.

"Brother Lu, no!" Deputy Commander Liu grabbed his arm. "Your status is different now—how can you risk yourself? Leave this trivial matter to the men below!"

"It's fine." Lu Chen shook his head, his gaze calm. "This rat was fattened by me. It's only right that I be the one to butcher him."

With that, ignoring Deputy Commander Liu's protests, he moved like a cat, slipping silently into the bottomless secret passage.

Deputy Commander Liu watched his disappearing back, his expression complicated. Finally, he could only give a stern order: "Seal this place off. No one is to approach! The rest of you, follow me!"

He understood well that Lu Chen's move was both to settle a personal grudge and to establish his authority.