As evening fell, the sunset cast its glow along the way.
The weather had turned a little cooler, and Meng Chuan's qi and blood had yet to reach the first threshold.
The autumn wind brushed against him, sending a faint chill through his body. He couldn't help tightening his collar.
The same autumn wind blew over the corpse lying in the street.
As he walked to the Greenland Plaza Station platform to wait for the train,
Meng Chuan noticed an empty lot several dozen meters ahead and to the left, cordoned off with police tape.
Several fully armed officers stood nearby in the same uniforms as his uncle. At their head was a tall, burly officer who looked like he was in charge; his fierce, murderous expression was intimidating.
Meng Chuan had always had good eyesight. Through gaps between the officers and the cordon,
he vaguely saw a body stuck to the ground, dressed in the same blue-and-white uniform...
"No way. It can't be..."
Meng Chuan's heart thumped, and an ominous premonition came over him.
The person's figure looked vaguely like...
Panicking, he pulled his phone from his pocket and called his uncle. The thing he had feared most had happened.
He called several times, but no one answered.
Why couldn't he get through? Meng Chuan's heart sank. He hurriedly tried to get closer and look at the body.
He stepped off the platform and moved a few meters toward the cordon. The officers nearby immediately approached him warily.
"Quit staring! Get home, now. You're so young, yet you're curious about everything. What are you sticking your nose in for?"
The officer at the head of the group was a tall, burly man with a gleaming bald head and a hat in one hand. He came up to Meng Chuan and chased him away.
There was nothing Meng Chuan could do. He could only wait for the train and keep calling.
After Meng Chuan left, the bald officer put on his hat and returned to the cordon, squatting down beside it.
He rested one hand against his chin, his brow furrowed as he stared at the gruesome corpse before him.
The uniform and flesh were twisted together and stuck fast to the ground, as if a truck had run over them.
"Xiao Li, come over here and give me your assessment of the scene."
Hearing the burly man put him to the test, the young officer beside him hurried forward.
Though he had participated in all sorts of fatal and injury cases since joining the force as a detective, this was the first time he had encountered such a horrific death.
Xiao Li frowned. After analyzing the scene, he gave his assessment:
"Police Chief Long, I'll start by identifying the deceased. Judging by the clothing, the victim... was one of our colleagues. The body is so badly damaged that we can't determine who it was from the face or clothes. We also can't confirm his specific branch of service."
"As for the cause of death, my experience is limited, but I believe there are two possibilities. Judging by the scene, the first is that he was crushed by heavy machinery. His body was flattened, and there are spatter-like bloodstains near his ears, nose, and mouth, as if he'd been struck by a sudden, violent impact."
"The second possibility... I think there's a strong chance a Heavenly Demon did this. Solid Heavenly Demons possess immense strength, are extraordinarily cruel, and take pleasure in torturing their victims. The evidence at the scene fits.
"It doesn't look like the work of a human Martial Practitioner. Personally, I don't think even someone from the Demonic Path would use such a brutal method."
The bald Police Chief nodded in approval.
"Good. I'll add one more thing. The surveillance footage is missing, and if we rule out human interference, it was probably disrupted by a Heavenly Demon Force Field."
He continued in a low voice:
"Xiao Li, pass on my orders. Everyone in Qindu District, including detectives, patrol officers, traffic police, and even community officers, will be placed under your captain, Liu Jinglong. Get every last officer moving!"
"Find that Heavenly Demon for me. I'll personally make him suffer the same death, to honor the spirit of our colleague!"
"Yes, sir!"
A Heavenly Demon hadn't appeared in the area under his jurisdiction for many years.
As he thought of that, a murderous intent surged within the bald officer.
An aura like that of a primordial beast roared outward from him. Then, the hazy apparition of a giant ape appeared above his head, bellowing at the sky.
"You dared to kill one of my people? You're asking for death!"
The other officers lowered their heads and looked away. They hadn't seen Police Chief Long lose his temper in a long time...
After getting off the train, Meng Chuan hurried home. He still hadn't been able to reach his uncle, and he was frantic with worry.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
No one answered the door. Damn it! Had something really happened?
Meng Chuan couldn't bear to think about it. He hurriedly fumbled with his key, trying several times before he got it into the lock. He turned the handle and rushed into the living room.
"Uncle? Uncle, are you home?"
The living room was empty. The door to his uncle and aunt's bedroom was closed. Meng Chuan knocked, but no one answered. He turned to grab his keys and go out, planning to ask at the police station where his uncle worked.
"What's wrong, Chuan'er? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The bedroom door opened. His uncle, Meng Yongzhi, held a phone in one hand and put a finger to his lips with the other, signaling for Meng Chuan to stay quiet.
Meng Chuan froze without answering. A moment later, he let out a long breath of relief.
Thank goodness. It wasn't Uncle.
"I'm on a conference call. We'll talk later."
Meng Yongzhi made another shushing gesture, then went back inside and closed the bedroom door.
Now Meng Chuan could focus on practicing his stance. He returned to his room, opened the Illustrated Guide to the Sancai Stance, and began practicing the key points his instructor had taught him that day.
After a while, Meng Yongzhi knocked and came in.
He was holding a red gift box. On the front was a picture of a person performing a flying kick, with a line of eye-catching small print above the figure: "The first step to genius: Mingde Muscle and Bone Liquid."
"This is Mingde Pharmaceutical's new monthly pack of Tendon and Bone Liquid. One bottle a day strengthens your tendons and bones, so it's perfect for laying your foundation right now. Let's try it for a month and see how it works. If it helps, we'll keep buying it. Your uncle can renew the order with a phone call."
Meng Chuan stared at the gift box on the desk, at a loss for what to do. He had no idea what had gotten into his uncle these past few days. First he'd bought him a Martial Dao school membership, and now he was giving him all these Martial Dao gift packages.
"Uncle, on the way home, I saw... well, one of your colleagues had been killed."
"You saw it? It didn't frighten you, did it? We've already held a meeting at the station and been notified about this.
"When you called me earlier, I was at the community center dancing with your aunt, so I missed your call. Then I got the meeting notice and was on the phone the whole time. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Meng Yongzhi wasn't a fool. He immediately understood why Meng Chuan had come home in such a hurry and searched for him.
Meng Yongzhi was deeply gratified. He had, after all, raised Meng Chuan as his own son.
"Be extra careful on your way to and from school. Come straight home after class. Don't go to the martial arts school for the next few days; wait until the weekend."
Meng Yongzhi gave him another reminder.
"Then you need to be careful, too."
Meng Chuan was worried about his uncle, who worked as a patrol officer.
His uncle reassured him:
"Don't worry. This matter is indeed dangerous, since it involves a Heavenly Demon, but I'm mainly responsible for canvassing and investigating around Ping'an Middle School, so the risk is low. You don't need to worry about me."
"Focus on your martial arts training. If you need anything, just tell me, even if I have to sell everything we own.
"My greatest wish is for our family to raise a Martial Practitioner. Don't worry about anything else. Your uncle can't wait to see the day you become one!"
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