Strange Clues

"Still a long way to go..."

Chen Xia tried it out. He managed to channel his Qi energy into the hilt, but his Primal Qi could no longer be mobilized.

A blade like this would only form once the Primal Qi within his body reached a certain level.

Still, the fact that it had reached the hilt meant that one day it would flow into the blade and along its edge. Then Chen Xia could swing his long sword wildly, and as long as it struck an enemy, Seven Injuries Force would enter their body and shred their Five Viscera, sending its lethality soaring.

Of course, even without this effect, Chen Xia's fist technique was already terrifyingly powerful.

His Primal Qi was enough to let Seven Injuries Fist unleash tremendous force. When he fought Hu Biao earlier, he had thrown two punches, and his body had seemed somewhat depleted. He could have managed two more at most before running dry.

Now, he could sustain this Fist Force for more than eight punches.

But Chen Xia rarely needed to use it. With over 1,600 kilograms of force, he could usually take down a Grade 1 martial artist with a single punch. There was no need to use Internal Energy.

Chen Xia reckoned that, with his Fist Force, he could fight a Grade 2 martial artist. If he played his cards right, anyone who took one of his punches would be doomed.

This wasn't Chen Xia bragging. Seven Injuries Fist Force really was terrifying. Even if an ordinary Grade 2 martial artist could release energy from their body, its effects wouldn't be nearly as horrifying. They couldn't pulverize someone's Five Viscera—but Seven Injuries Fist could.

"Speaking of releasing Internal Energy, Yu Banshou, the dead squad leader, had corrosive marks around his wounds."

"...Could the person who killed Yu Banshou have practiced an Evil Technique that let them channel Internal Energy into a blade? Normally, only martial artists above Grade 2 can do that..."

Chen Xia mulled it over.

Being able to channel Internal Energy into a blade didn't necessarily mean someone was Grade 2 or especially powerful. It was all relative.

Primal Qi was only one factor. If a person lacked muscle, strength, and speed, Primal Qi alone wouldn't make them much of a fighter. They might be cut down by a speed-based martial artist before they could even reach their enemy.

But if all else was equal, having blade energy on top of that made all the difference.

"Maybe it's related to their Evil Technique. That's why so many members of the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group can release Internal Energy, letting them crush the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group."

"If I get my hands on an Evil Technique, I'll definitely be able to do the same. And if the technique boosts my lethality without giving me the side effects, my combat strength will rise considerably!"

With that in mind, Chen Xia had made up his mind. He could either buy an Evil Technique on the Federation's underground black market or go straight to the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group and search their people for one.

Black markets existed in many parts of the Federation, usually in war-torn Ruin Cities, chaotic areas, or places where multiple countries met.

Although the various countries had now united to form the Federation government and usher in a unified era, and "country" seemed to be little more than a title, each country's government still remained.

It was just that the borders between countries no longer existed openly. As long as you could afford a ticket for a hovercar, you could travel between them. There was no need to apply for a passport or anything like that.

But the black market would cost him money—hundreds of thousands, even over a million. Chen Xia might as well go straight to the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group. He might even get something out of it for free. Besides, he had to investigate the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group and the Evil Cult's hideout anyway.

Over the past ten days, Chen Xia had tried to gather information through various channels. He had asked people in the Patrol Inspection Office and made inquiries during exchanges between teams, but he hadn't uncovered anything.

The Patrol Inspection Office had another department, the Criminal Investigation Unit. Its members were much fewer than the patrol officers. Chen Xia had occasionally run into them and chatted, but before the Evil Cult began appearing in large numbers, they had very little intelligence. At least in the South District, they had nothing.

"Jiang Xinglan asked me to investigate the Evil Cult's base. She must know something, but not much. More than anything, she probably wants to test my abilities through this assignment. Destroying the Evil Cult's base comes second. Otherwise, Jiang Xinglan could simply order the South City Branch Office to handle it."

Chen Xia thought to himself.

He had his own ideas. Although she had helped him a lot, ultimately, he still had to rely on his own strength to earn his place.

As long as he quietly built up his strength, no one would dare look down on him.

If he could advance straight to Grade 2, or even become a Grade 3 Martial Master, whether or not he found the Evil Cult's base wouldn't matter.

His own martial strength would always be his greatest trump card.

Thinking it over that way, Chen Xia felt no pressure.

Gurgle!

Chen Xia took an inverted Qianyang Pill from his pocket and swallowed it. After practicing for a while longer, he left the Martial Arts Hall.

He arrived at the Patrol Inspection Office, clocked in, ate breakfast, then returned to the office.

He could have gotten away with not reporting in, but he still had to follow the basic rules.

Chen Xia didn't go on patrol today. Instead, he opened a computer in the office and checked the latest case reports.

After going through numerous recorded cases, he found that at least a dozen people had gone missing recently. They all had one thing in common.

Every disappearance had taken place at night. The victims had vanished without a trace, with no eyewitnesses and not a single clue.

As he continued reviewing the cases, noon arrived before he knew it. After lunch, he stayed in the Training Room and practiced for several hours. It was nearly the end of his shift when he finally picked up a bag and set off for the mall.

He rode his bicycle at a decent speed, and before long, the mall came into view.

"Hey, Captain Chen..."

Just then, Chen Xia heard a familiar voice.

He spotted a patrol car by the roadside, with Zhang Feng and the others standing beside it and waving at him. Their eyes crinkled with cheerful smiles. They were all from the old Eighth Team.

"Brother Zhang!" Chen Xia said with a smile.

"Hey, you're a captain now. Don't call me Brother Zhang. I can't live up to that!" Zhang Feng said with a grin.

"Come on, we've known each other for years. You're older than me, so it's only right."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to the mall to buy a few things."

Yang Hua was among them too. Since they'd run into each other, everyone exchanged greetings. Yang Hua greeted him as well, but unlike before, when he had talked freely in front of Chen Xia, brimming with confidence, he now said much less and kept a low profile.

"By the way, Captain Chen." Just as Chen Xia was about to leave, Zhang Feng called after him.

"What is it?" Chen Xia turned around.

Zhang Feng seemed to recall something. "Have you heard? Several young women have gone missing recently on our Xingou Street. I don't know what's going on, but people on the forums are talking about it too!"

"And, you know how you asked me the other day if I'd noticed anything strange lately?... I think I saw something last night," Zhang Feng said.

"What did you see?"

At that, Chen Xia immediately became interested. He had indeed asked Zhang Feng the day before yesterday to keep an eye out for anything unusual. He hadn't expected him to find something.

Zhang Feng lowered his voice. "I was on the night shift last night. When I passed through the Old Town on Xingou Street, I think I saw a red shadow flickering. Could it have something to do with the disappearances?"

"A red shadow?" Chen Xia asked. "What did it look like?"

"Uh... I think it was a person. Its body was transparent, and it had no feet. Right, no feet. It seemed to be floating... I saw it clearly. It seemed to notice me, then flashed away and disappeared." Zhang Feng still looked shaken as he recalled it.

A red, human-shaped phantom appeared in Chen Xia's mind. Such a phenomenon wasn't impossible in the High Martial Era, but he had never seen one before.

"Where exactly?"

Since this counted as a lead, Chen Xia asked him for more details. Zhang Feng told him it had happened on Alley 12 in Xingou Street, in an alley beside Ke Lai Xiang Restaurant.

"Be careful when you go out, too. I have a feeling Yijiang City's been dangerous lately..." Zhang Feng warned him, his face still a little pale. He had passed that spot last night, and the moment he saw the thing, he had been badly startled.