Civilian Investigation Team

The headless corpse of the White Zombie lay limp in the corner, filthy blood trickling out as the air filled with a mingled stench of scorched flesh and rot.

Fang Gang shook off the cold, filthy blood on his hands. His dark golden skin gleamed with a metallic luster beneath the morgue's harsh white lights.

53 Evolution Points rested quietly on the system panel.

Host: Fang Gang

Realm: Tendon Transformation Realm (Early Stage)

Strength: 8000 (Barbaric Elephant Lifting the Sky)

Constitution: 1200 (Indestructible Golden Body)

Agility: 650 (Chasing Stars and Moon)

Cultivation Arts: True Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill (Mastered), True Vajra Indestructible Body (Mastered), True Nine Yang Divine Skill (Beginner 0/100)

Available Evolution Points: 53!

"Upgrade." Fang Gang focused his thoughts on the Realm category. All 53 Evolution Points were instantly cleared!

A torrent of power even purer than when he had broken through to the early Tendon Transformation Realm surged through his entire body!

His newly formed tendons and membranes, nourished by the power of the mid-stage Tendon Transformation Realm, became like billions of alloy bowstrings tempered anew—tougher and more explosive!

Strength! Like a slumbering beast awakening, it roared as it broke through its limits, reaching 10,000 points! Constitution! The Indestructible Golden Body settled further, its dark golden glow drawing inward as his defense and vitality rose to new heights! Agility!

Tendon Transformation Realm (Mid Stage)! His body's potential had been unleashed even further!

Fang Gang clenched his fist, crushing the air in his palm with a dull burst!

He could clearly feel the torrent of power rushing through his body, more violent and surging than before!

The deep black Resentful Eye imprint on his left arm seemed to settle somewhat beneath the suppression of his mid-stage blood vitality, but the chill seeping from its cracks had grown even more tangible.

"The flute..." Fang Gang's gaze turned icy. The flute music that had controlled the White Zombie's suicidal strike had come from aboveground at the crematorium!

He hoisted the Bronze Battle Halberd and turned toward the morgue exit. This time, he would drag that rat out!

Just as he stepped through the morgue's damaged doors, a cool female voice suddenly came from the dark corridor ahead, carrying a note of scrutiny.

"Stop."

Fang Gang paused, his cold gaze stabbing forward like a blade.

At the end of the corridor, where shadow met the pale light, stood a woman.

She was tall and wore a sharply tailored black trench coat that outlined her straight, poised figure.

Her long black hair was tied behind her head with a simple wooden hairpin, exposing a smooth forehead and a pair of eyes as cold and clear as winter pools.

She was beautiful, but her face carried a distant aloofness that kept others at arm's length.

Most striking were her hands. Her fingers were long, her nails neatly trimmed, but there were obvious calluses on her fingertips and the webs between her thumbs and index fingers—marks left by gripping something for years.

There were no powerful energy fluctuations around her, yet she possessed a quiet, abyss-like presence that seemed utterly out of place in this sinister environment.

"Someone from the Special Affairs Bureau?" Fang Gang asked flatly, with a trace of irritation at being interrupted. The Bronze Battle Halberd on his shoulder trembled faintly, its murderous aura contained.

"Ling Shuang." The woman gave her name, her voice still cool. Her gaze swept over Fang Gang's dark golden bald head, the ancient halberd on his shoulder, and the mountain-like yet faintly violent aura around him before finally landing on his completely uninjured body.

"Civilian Investigation Team."

"Not interested." Fang Gang moved again, his objective clear—go upstairs and find the source of that flute music!

"The surveillance cameras around the crematorium were interfered with."

Ling Shuang remained where she was, but her voice reached Fang Gang clearly. "Three minutes before you made your move, the aboveground distribution room suffered a short circuit. The backup power activated, and the surveillance feeds were cut off. The controller was cautious and left no traces."

Fang Gang's steps paused almost imperceptibly, but he did not stop.

"That White Zombie's bone claws." Ling Shuang's gaze seemed capable of piercing the walls and seeing into the morgue. "The claw tips were bluish and carried the Yin Erosion trait. It is a common sacrificial refinement method used by the Blood Sacrifice Priests of the Nightmare Holy Cult."

Nightmare Holy Cult! Blood Sacrifice Priests!

Fang Gang stopped abruptly and spun around! His icy killing intent surged like a tangible cold current, instantly locking onto Ling Shuang! The murderous aura on the Bronze Battle Halberd faintly leaked out!

"You know about them?!" His voice rasped like metal grinding against metal.

Facing this terrifying killing intent, which would have suffocated an ordinary cultivator, Ling Shuang's expression did not change in the slightest. Her cool eyes met Fang Gang's. "I know a little. Blood Sacrifice Priests specialize in controlling corpse puppets, refining them with the blood essence of living beings and resentful souls to increase a zombie's ferocity. The Yin Erosion on those bone claws is a trait of sacrificial refinement. It specializes in breaking protective aura and magical artifact defenses."

Her words confirmed Fang Gang's earlier impression. The sinister poison in those bone claws had indeed been extraordinary.

"Where are they?" Fang Gang pressed, his killing intent growing heavier.

That holy cult, along with the imprint on his arm, filled him with extreme displeasure.

"They are difficult to trace."

Ling Shuang shook her head slightly. "But since they have set their sights on this place, they will not give up easily. You ruined their arrangements. They will definitely come for you."

"I'd love that." Fang Gang sneered, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. Come looking for him? That would save him the trouble of looking for them!

"You are unusual."

Ling Shuang's gaze swept over Fang Gang's dark golden skin again, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity. "Pure physical strength, taking a Yin Erosion bone claw head-on without injury... the Vajra Indestructible Body? No, it seems even more domineering than that."

Fang Gang did not answer. He had no interest in exposing his abilities.

Ling Shuang seemed unconcerned by his silence and changed the subject. "The Nightmare Holy Cult acts ruthlessly and never forgives a slight. You are strong, but alone, there will always be blind spots."

"What are you trying to say?" Fang Gang was getting impatient. This woman kept talking in circles.

Instead of answering directly, Ling Shuang took out a palm-sized square bundle tightly wrapped in oilcloth from the inner pocket of her trench coat. She casually tossed it toward Fang Gang.

Fang Gang caught it steadily with one hand. It felt heavy. Beneath the oilcloth, he could sense some sort of leather or stiff-paper booklet.

A faint smell of dust mixed with cheap cinnabar drifted over.

"A small gift." Ling Shuang's tone was calm. "It may be useful to you."

Fang Gang tore open a corner of the oilcloth, revealing the booklet's cover.

The cover was made of dark yellow cardboard without any fancy decoration, bearing only several large, crooked characters written in heavy ink.

"Vajra Indestructible Divine Art"

Below it was a smaller line: Fragmentary Volume (Note: Not orthodox Shaolin, practice with caution!).

A smell even stronger than that of the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" and "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" hit him head-on, mixed with mildew and the unmistakable stench of a martial arts scam.

A pirated copy! Another pirated copy! And it was even labeled as incomplete!

The corner of Fang Gang's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He now had extremely complicated feelings about the words "pirated copy."

"This thing," Ling Shuang said at just the right moment, with a faint trace of mockery in her voice, "was something I 'bought' from an old fraud who claimed to be a 'Shaolin sweeping monk.' It cost two hundred yuan. He swore it was authentic and said practicing it would make one impervious to blades and spears. You look... rather hard to beat up?"

Fang Gang looked up at Ling Shuang. Deep within her cool eyes, there seemed to be a very faint look of anticipation, as if she wanted to watch a show.

"Thanks." Fang Gang casually stuffed the oilcloth bundle into his jacket pocket, his tone giving away neither pleasure nor anger. Impervious to blades and spears? With the system, he could actually become impervious to blades and spears! This incomplete volume had come at exactly the right time!

"You're welcome." Ling Shuang nodded slightly. "Consider it... the start of a good relationship. I will keep an eye out for members of the Nightmare Holy Cult. If I learn anything, I will notify you."

After saying that, she did not linger. She turned and walked into the shadows of the corridor. Her figure blended into the darkness like ink dissolving into water, vanishing after a few flickers as though she had never appeared.

"Civilian Investigation Team... Ling Shuang..." Fang Gang quietly repeated her name.

This woman was not simple.

Mysterious, powerful, and... she seemed to have some ulterior motive toward him? Still, as long as the information she provided was useful, he did not mind being used.

He did not waste any more time. Hoisting the halberd, he charged up the stairs leading aboveground! He was even faster than when he had come down!

He rushed out through the main doors of the crematorium building, and the cold night wind struck him head-on. Fang Gang's sharp gaze swept over the empty parking lot and the wasteland beyond it like a searchlight.

No one.

Only an extremely faint, lingering cold aura remained in the air—the trace left by that flute music! But its source had already vanished without a trace.

Fang Gang walked to the edge of the crematorium wall, the direction where he had last sensed the flute music most clearly. He crouched down and brushed his fingers over the cold ground.

A tiny drop of dark red liquid, not yet fully congealed, stained his fingertips.

It was not blood.

It carried a viscous, nauseatingly sweet and fishy odor, along with a faint remnant of Mental Pollution.

Beside the liquid lay a black fragment the size of a fingernail. It was neither cloth nor leather, as if torn from some garment, with scorch marks remaining around its edges.

"Wounded?" Fang Gang stared at the dark red mucus on his fingertip, the cold glint in his eyes intensifying.

Good. The next time they met, it would be that person's death!

He carefully put away the fragment.

Ding! An unknown tissue fragment containing residual special yin energy has been detected! Spend 1 Evolution Point for a preliminary analysis?

"Analyze!" Fang Gang did not hesitate.

Evolution Points -1!

Analyzing...

Conclusion: The tissue fragment contains mixed energy characteristics of "Blood Resentment" and "Soul Control," highly consistent with the power profile of Nightmare Holy Cult "Blood Sacrifice Priests" (73.8%). The material is woven from "Ghost Spider Silk," produced deep within the Southern Border Black Mire Swamp and commonly used in priestly robes.

Blood Sacrifice Priests! Southern Border Black Mire Swamp!

Fang Gang remembered these two key pieces of information. The Resentful Eye imprint on his arm also seemed to twitch faintly as that information was confirmed.

He did not linger. Carrying the halberd, he strode away from that silent place of death.

When he returned downstairs to his apartment building, Old Zhao poked his head out again, another delivery bag in hand.

"Little Fang! Another one for you! You've got a lot of deliveries today, huh?" Old Zhao's voice was a little weak as he looked at the ancient halberd on Fang Gang's shoulder, its murderous aura restrained.

Fang Gang took the delivery bag and glanced at the sender information. It was still the familiar blank space. He tore open the seal, and a thin booklet slid out.

Cover: "Two Forms Push Hand (Authentic Ancient Manual)"

A line of smaller print beside it read: Complimentary Practical Lesson on Deflecting a Thousand Pounds with Four Ounces (Disc Edition)!

Expressionless, Fang Gang put away the booklet and carried the halberd upstairs.

After closing the door, he leaned the Bronze Battle Halberd against the wall and took out the oilcloth bundle Ling Shuang had given him along with the newly delivered "Two Forms Push Hand." The two pirated manuals, both radiating an air of cheapness, lay side by side on the hard bed.

"System, scan the 'Vajra Indestructible Divine Art' fragment!"

Ding! Low-quality paper medium detected (worm-eaten). The content has key omissions (approximately 40%) and numerous fabricated alterations...

Energy response: Weak (negligible)

Threat level: None

Spend 1 Evolution Point to convert it into the beginner foundational cultivation art "True Vajra Indestructible Divine Art" (completed fragment version)?

"Convert!"

Evolution Points -1!

Converting... Completing core defensive circulation routes... Correcting qi circulation nodes... Supplementing missing body-tempering methods...

Conversion complete! Obtained foundational cultivation art: "True Vajra Indestructible Divine Art" (completed fragment version) (Beginner 0/100)!

A fragmentary method for tempering his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones on a deeper level, strengthening his defenses, flooded into his mind. Though incomplete, it was more exquisite than the previous single "Vajra Indestructible Body," and its direction was clearer!

A sharp light flashed through Fang Gang's eyes. Defense! This was exactly what he needed!

Combined with his already mastered Vajra Body, his defense would become even more monstrous! Without hesitation, he immediately began circulating his blood vitality according to this new method.

At the same time, he picked up the "Two Forms Push Hand."

"System, scan it."

Ding! Low-quality medium detected...

Spend 1 Evolution Point to convert it into "True Two Forms Push Hand" (Beginner)?

"Convert!"

Evolution Points -1!

Conversion complete!

A basic method of guiding, dispersing force, and borrowing force to strike back flooded into his mind.

Fang Gang felt the blood vitality within him circulate along the new route, continuously strengthening his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. He also sensed the newly born techniques of soft force in his mind. Finally, he touched his cold, hard bald head, which seemed to have become even darker and more metallic as the Vajra cultivation art circulated.

He looked toward the heavy night outside the window, fire burning in his eyes.

His defense had grown stronger.

He had more methods of attack as well.

Nightmare Holy Cult?

Blood Sacrifice Priests?

Come on!

Let's see whether your sacrificial evil arts are stronger, or whether these ever-evolving bones and this bald head of mine... are harder!

His phone screen lit up with a new shipping notification.

"Your purchased 'Dugu Nine Swords (Illustrated Detailed Edition)' has been shipped..."