"How could you be sure?!"
Li Yao was on the verge of losing control. He couldn't afford to overlook a single suspicious detail.
He was sure?
What could he possibly be sure of?!
"Because Kitahara Tsuyoshi is dead too!"
"What?!"
At the news, Li Yao and Venina's expressions changed dramatically!
"Could it have been someone Beyond War God Existence? No, impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Li Yao immediately dismissed the thought.
Setting aside the fact that he couldn't afford to provoke someone Beyond War God Existence, such people were all lofty figures. Why would any of them hunt monsters in the Wilderness Zone?
Soon,
the Azure Fighter arrived at the scene. Before it even landed, Li Yao and Venina jumped down from high above.
"Vulture, my condolences!"
Wang Tong and Li Kan cupped their hands.
"What have you found?"
Li Yao forced down his anger and tried to keep his voice calm.
"All I can say is that whoever killed Kitahara Tsuyoshi was at least an Intermediate War God!"
Wang Tong didn't take offense at Li Yao's tone. "Kitahara Tsuyoshi's fatal injury was a blow to the head, but the bones in the arm he used to shield himself were completely shattered. The same goes for his internal organs. It's obvious he was crushed by tremendous force!"
"Even an ordinary Mid-Level War God would struggle to do that. It could have been a High-level War God, or a War God Level Psychic!"
"It's possible that whoever killed Kitahara Tsuyoshi also killed Li Wei and the others to cover their tracks!"
At that moment, five people wearing dark gray clothes and carrying cases full of instruments jumped down from the Azure Fighter.
At the White-Haired Elder's command, the four others quickly opened their cases, took out various instruments, and began using advanced technology to meticulously scan and reconstruct the battlefield.
Time ticked by.
Li Yao and Venina stood in terrible silence, their faces dark as thunder.
Nearby, War God Wang Tong and War God Li Kan exchanged glances and sighed inwardly.
Given the ruthless nature of the couple, they would probably stop at nothing to avenge their only son!
Other than someone Beyond War God Existence, there was probably no one in the world who could withstand their fury!
Soon,
"Sir, ma'am!"
The White-Haired Elder bowed respectfully. "We have the results. Please come and take a look!"
Li Yao and Venina, along with War Gods Wang Tong and Li Kan, stood before a laptop. A simulated video was playing on the screen.
"Based on a precise analysis of the environment, materials, and residual energy, the three men died at almost the same time. They were killed in an instant."
The White-Haired Elder analyzed the evidence cautiously. "They all died the same way: their throats were slashed open from the front. Judging by the burn marks along the cuts, the attack speed was at least 1,200 meters per second."
At these words, Li Yao and Venina's pupils contracted!
What did 1,200 meters per second mean?
That was the speed of the M-series heavy sniper rifles used by warriors with conventional firearms!
If the attack hadn't come from close range, then the killer had to be a Psychic—and a War God Level Psychic at that!
"Sir, ma'am, please look at the footage!"
The White-Haired Elder finished speaking respectfully.
The screen showed a video in which green silhouettes stood in for the people. A streak of light flashed past Li Wei's neck from the front, then instantly curved in an eerie arc and decapitated Old Man Liu and the white man, Kalon.
"Exactly!"
Wang Tong nodded in agreement. "I examined the bodies too. There was no fear in Li Wei's eyes. He clearly hadn't had time to react, while the old warrior and the white man had died in sheer terror."
"From an analysis of material deposits from the same time period, along with the damaged ground, footprints, bloodstains, and changes in material energy, the battle took place about 1,200 meters from the three men."
The White-Haired Elder clicked on the laptop and brought up a simulated overview. "Sir, ma'am, please take a look."
The image showed two people fighting. In the middle of the battle, a streak of light suddenly shot out and slashed toward the three onlookers.
The simulation made the answer obvious!
"A War God Level Psychic!"
Li Yao clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. "Kitahara Tsuyoshi was an Intermediate War God. If the killer was a High-level War God Psychic, killing him wouldn't have taken any effort!"
"And if the killer was an Intermediate War God Psychic, Kitahara Tsuyoshi would have fled for his life, given his nature. He wouldn't have stood and fought!"
"The most likely possibility is that the other party was an Elementary War God Level Psychic!"
"But I checked. Thirty seconds after A Wei was killed, Kitahara Tsuyoshi was the only War God within a hundred miles!"
"That leaves only two possibilities!"
"First, the killer had just become a War God and hadn't yet joined the War God Palace!"
"Second, the killer was a War God-level expert who wasn't carrying a communicator, so I couldn't track him!"
War Gods had access to information and knew the secrets behind communicators. When handling confidential matters, they never carried one.
A heavy silence fell.
Only Li Yao spoke beside Li Wei's body.
War Gods Wang Tong and Li Kan stood farther away, silent. Their eyes held even a trace of pity for the couple.
Judging by the situation, the other party clearly hadn't targeted their son. Their son had brought this on himself by watching a War God battle—and might even have done something to offend one of them—so he'd ended up dead.
After all, the other party was a War God Level Psychic.
If they had wanted to kill Li Wei, he would have died right away. Not even Kitahara Tsuyoshi—or Li Yao himself—could have protected him!
Psychic attacks were simply too unpredictable.
"Whoever it was, I won't let the person who killed my son get away with it!"
Venina's eyes were bloodshot. "Make A Wei's death public across the world. Let every warrior know that I, Vinnie Polaris, am offering a 150-billion Hanxia Currency reward for the killer. So what if the killer is a War God Level Psychic? I'll still make them pay with their life for A Wei's!"
At that amount, Wang Tong and Li Kan both drew sharp breaths.
A reward of 150 billion was enough to tempt even someone Beyond War God Existence. Even the materials from a legendary King-level Monster were mostly worth only around 100 billion.
After all,
a King-level Monster was the equivalent of someone Beyond War God Existence. It possessed tremendous intelligence and commanded numerous Lord Monsters. How could it possibly be easy to kill?
By comparison, killing an Elementary War God Level Psychic would be much easier!
... "Across the entire world, there probably aren't many High-level War Gods who could come up with that kind of fortune!"
Wang Tong and Li Kan were tempted too. That sum was enough to bring several High-level War Gods together.
An ordinary War God could earn twenty or thirty billion a year with enough effort, but War Gods spent money just as extravagantly. Weapons, armor, combat suits, manuals—anything made for War Gods cost a fortune.
No joke, many War Gods in the world were still paying off bank loans!
The HR Alliance was the world's most powerful consortium of super-families. It controlled more than half the global economy and held monopolies over numerous industries.
As HR's executive director in Hanxia Kingdom, Venina was naturally immensely wealthy!
Soon,
thanks to the HR Alliance's efficiency, the news spread through the world's warrior circles within a minute of Venina putting out the reward.
Jiangnan Base City, Limit Guild Hall.
After a meeting, Zhuge Tao turned on his communicator and saw that Luo Feng had contacted him. He was about to reply when a message left him stunned.
"A reward of 150 billion?"
Zhuge Tao's jaw dropped, and his heart began to race. The sum was simply outrageous.
Even he, a Base City's martial arts hall director, couldn't help but feel his heart stir.
"Only the Vulture Scorpion couple could afford that. An ordinary War God couldn't come up with even thirty or fifty billion."
Though Zhuge Tao was astonished, he knew full well that whoever had prompted the couple to offer such a reward was definitely a War God, and might even be a High-level War God!
"Let's see what's happening on the War God Forum!"
With a thought, Zhuge Tao opened his computer and logged into the War God Forum.
By rights, a High-level War General like him wasn't qualified to access the War God Forum. But as the director of a Base City's martial arts hall, he had special access.
"As expected, the whole War God Forum is in an uproar over this enormous reward!"
Zhuge Tao shook his head with a smile, then his expression changed. "Another Mid-Level War God died at the scene?"
"Kitahara Tsuyoshi?"
"That little Japanese guy snuck into City 003? He was asking for it!"
"Wait, Jiang Li and Luo Feng are in City 003. Did something happen?!"
Only then did Zhuge Tao realize what was going on. He immediately opened his communicator and contacted Luo Feng!
Meanwhile,
Jiang Li had already regrouped with the Fire Hammer Squad.
Before you continue