Sister-in-Law's Husband [Storm Hunter]

His expression shifted slightly. He had not had much contact with Old Zhao. After a brief pause, he asked, "What happened?"

Hu Xiang sighed and explained in detail, "It happened yesterday. When his wife got up in the morning, she found that Old Zhao had hanged himself."

"Hanged himself?" Su Chen asked.

"It definitely wasn't suicide. Old Zhao had a happy life and would soon become a Professional. There was no reason for it." Hu Xiang lowered his voice. "Our people dissected his cerebral cortex and found signs of damage. We suspect he was tortured before he died."

"But he was just an ordinary City Patrol Guard. He didn't know any secrets. Perhaps..."

Su Chen saw what Hu Xiang meant and picked up where he left off. Frowning, he said, "You suspect it was because of me?"

Hu Xiang tried to cover it up. "It's just a guess. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. After all, he only spent a little time with you and exchanged a few words. Even if it was because of you..."

"It's possible." Su Chen's expression tightened as he thought of the Spatial Crystal.

Some things from that day had not been clearly explained. For example, aside from finding the Holy Word Stone, had Su Chen found anything else?

Hu Xiang was almost the only person who could know about this, but he was a Tier 2 Professional and not easy to deal with. That was why they had started with other people.

Though that was what he suspected, Su Chen said, "Some lunatics might take revenge on everyone connected to me."

"You mean Zhou..." Hu Xiang's heart skipped a beat as he uttered a single word.

"Stop pretending. You definitely thought the same thing," Su Chen exposed him.

"Was that really necessary? Old Zhao was just a minor character..." Hu Xiang sighed.

Su Chen fell silent. Of all the information he had come across, he had yet to see any mention of a Spatial Crystal. Its value had to be extraordinary.

Avenging a son's death and recovering the Spatial Crystal—the other party had more than enough motivation to act.

Su Chen's heart tightened. Zhou Xian was a Tier 3 Professional. If he acted personally, Su Chen would have no chance of withstanding him.

But then Su Chen thought again. Since Zhou Xian had gone after Old Zhao first, he likely did not dare attack Su Chen openly. The suspicion surrounding him had not yet been cleared, and Old Yuan was watching him closely.

Old Zhao's death might only have been for gathering intelligence.

"Does the City Patrol Guard offer any compensation in cases like this?" he asked.

"Yes. It will be treated as a death in the line of duty, and his family will be looked after. You don't need to worry." Seeing that Su Chen still remembered to ask about this, Hu Xiang's expression eased considerably. He could not help reminding him, "Be careful lately."

His main purpose in coming here was to warn Su Chen and earn some goodwill.

This matter had already been suppressed within the City Patrol Guard. No news would leak out.

Su Chen glanced at him. "You too."

"Me?" Hu Xiang could not help looking surprised.

Su Chen grinned, making Hu Xiang's skin crawl.

"You seem to have forgotten. Besides Old Zhao, there's someone else in the City Patrol Guard who appears to be very close to me."

Hu Xiang froze, and his expression changed drastically in an instant.

Su Chen sighed. "Something happened to Old Zhao, yet you didn't notify me immediately. That friendship is truly touching."

"Stop talking." Hu Xiang's face turned the color of pig liver. He had been too close to the situation to see it clearly, but Su Chen's reminder made him realize it.

"Your wife..." Su Chen only got halfway through before Hu Xiang turned and left. Yet he returned after reaching the door and exchanged contact information with him.

"Contact me anytime..." He hurried away.

"The Spatial Crystal..." Su Chen frowned. "It's already been swallowed. There's no way it can be spat back out, and there's no way to explain it."

The convenience of Storage Space went without saying. "Right, and the Shadow-Hiding Garment at the academy."

It was at least a first-tier item. Selling it for five thousand gold would not be difficult, and leaving it under the bed was not safe either.

"I'll go back to the academy and get it while it's still daytime."

Su Chen skillfully plucked out a strand of hair and tucked it into the door crack. After greeting Old Sun, he headed for Southwind Academy.

Whoosh—

A violent gale howled as black thunderbolts twisted overhead, their rumbling echoing throughout the area.

"It's from the mechanical side..." Zhang Hongbo's collar flapped wildly. Before him stood a ruined steel fortress. The portion exposed above the wilderness alone was nearly a thousand meters tall.

Its surface was formed from rusted metal plates welded together, etched with countless pits of varying depths and torn wounds. The dark red rust resembled coagulated blood.

The metal doors had long since vanished, leaving behind only a pitch-black entrance that plunged into unfathomable depths and radiated a decayed aura that made one's heart tremble.

"Gather information first..." Zhang Hongbo gave the order. The Exploration Guards behind him filed out one after another, carrying various instruments as they cautiously approached the fortress.

After leaving the dormitory building, Su Chen looked back once. The Shadow-Hiding Garment had already been stuffed into his Storage Space, and there was nothing here worth lingering over.

"Brother Su, it really is you..."

A surprised shout suddenly came from nearby. Su Chen turned and saw several excited-looking guys.

"You... you... you're... Liu Liang?"

Under the hopeful yet nervous gaze of the leader, Su Chen finally remembered his name.

Liu Liang let out a breath of relief. His lackeys stood beside him. It would have been awkward if Su Chen truly could not remember his name.

"What is it?" Su Chen asked, puzzled.

Liu Liang strode forward. Rather than trying to build familiarity, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother Su, someone's been asking about you lately."

"Oh?" Hearing Liu Liang's words, Su Chen narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

"Uh, sister-in-law's husband..." Liu Liang sounded awkward saying it.

"Who?" Su Chen was completely baffled.

"Teacher Jiang's husband..." Liu Liang explained.

Su Chen's face darkened. "Qi Chuan, right?"

"So his name is Qi Chuan..." Liu Liang scratched his head. "Anyway, it's him. He's been secretly asking several of us about you."

"From when we first met, he asked about every little detail. He even asked what you ate."

"But don't worry, Brother Su. My lips are sealed." Liu Liang puffed out his chest.

Su Chen looked him up and down, then shook his head. "No need. There's nothing worth hiding about those things. If he asks again, you can name a price. That senior is foolish and rich."

"Huh?" Liu Liang stared blankly at Su Chen's departing figure.

"Brother Liang?" Several lackeys crowded around him. "What did Brother Su say to you? He seemed kind of unhappy."

Liu Liang raised his head and sneered. "What the hell do you know? That just shows how close Brother Su is to me. Would you show a stranger that kind of attitude?"

The Inspection Guards within the academy had mostly withdrawn. As Su Chen walked, he pondered, "Why is that wronged husband still hung up on this? My strength has already been exposed. Does he still not understand?"

"Wait, could Zhou Xian be behind him..." Su Chen abruptly stopped, his expression darkening. "That's not impossible."

"Wronged husband, wronged husband... You and I really are fated."

By the time he returned to the Inspection Department, it was already late afternoon. Fatty Sun was standing at the entrance waiting for him.

"Little brother, you're finally back." Fatty Sun warmly greeted him.

"Brother Sun, is something wrong?" Su Chen asked politely.

"Inspector Yuan asked me to bring you something..." Fatty Sun glanced around with his small eyes and pointed toward the room.

"Alright." Su Chen opened the door, but his steps suddenly halted. He looked down at his feet, and his expression became unreadable.

"What's wrong, little brother?" Fatty Sun asked from behind him.

"Nothing..." Su Chen entered with an unchanged expression. After Fatty Sun came in, he casually shut the door and grinned. "Su Chen, First-Class Inspection Guard, on behalf of the Inspection Department, I offer you my congratulations."

"Congratulations?" Su Chen did not understand.

"Yes. The 17th Patrol Squad you belong to busted an underground black market in the southern district this morning and received collective third-class merit."

"Huh?" Su Chen was even more confused. Then Fatty Sun continued, "In recognition of your outstanding performance, we have specially retrieved the Professional information for [Storm Hunter] and awarded it to you."

Su Chen suddenly understood. After going in such a big circle, it was all to give him [Storm Hunter].

"But I wasn't at the scene. Is that alright?" Su Chen could not help asking.

"You provided the key information. You were absent because you needed to rest." Fatty Sun frowned in displeasure. "This is collective honor. You deserve it."

Su Chen fell silent. They had made dumplings just for his little bit of vinegar.

With such collective honor bestowed upon them, his colleagues from the 17th Patrol Squad, whom he had never even met, probably would not have any objections.

As he spoke, Fatty Sun opened his silver wristband and pulled up a virtual screen. Lines of text appeared.

[Discovered Tier 2 upper-level Profession—Storm Hunter. Can be promoted after completing the advancement requirements.]

[Advancement Requirement One: Secretly hunt and kill one Tier 2 Professional without being noticed by anyone else.]

[Advancement Requirement Two: Bring three F-rank Body Forging Methods to Master level.]

He actually needed to hunt and kill a Tier 2 Professional?

Su Chen was surprised. Even a lower-level Tier 2 Profession was still Tier 2.

The difficulty of advancing to a Tier 2 Profession had suddenly increased. Three F-rank Body Forging Methods also had to reach Master level, but that was actually not difficult for him.

Those were the visible advancement requirements. There were also hidden ones. For example, Professional progress needed to reach 100%, and the first-tier Profession was preferably [Gale Walker].

At the very least, it had to be a mid-level first-tier Profession oriented toward speed, and accidents could occur during the process of taking on the Profession.

But if it was a related top-tier Profession, compatibility would be easier.

"Hunt a Tier 2 Professional..." Su Chen pondered it, and he could not let anyone else discover it.

"After all, it's a Tier 2 upper-level Profession. The difficulty isn't low," Fatty Sun agreed.

"Yes..." Su Chen smiled. "By the way, Brother Sun, don't have anyone clean my room in the future."

"Clean your room?" Fatty Sun froze, then said awkwardly, "We don't provide that service. This isn't a hotel."

He had thought Su Chen was requesting such a service.

"Better that way." Su Chen politely sent Fatty Sun away, and his expression immediately darkened.

Someone had secretly entered his room. The strand of hair tucked into the door crack had disappeared. Before leaving, he had used [Spiritual Vision] to confirm its position. There was no way he could have been mistaken.

"The Inspection Department has their people too." Su Chen felt as though a great net had enveloped him. His expression was ugly. "Anyone who can sneak in quietly probably holds a position of considerable authority."

"I almost forgot!" Su Chen suddenly stood up, his eyes shining. "I'm not alone anymore!"

"I'm fucking second generation!"

"This is my teacher's territory. What the hell am I being cowardly for?"

He had not yet adjusted to his identity. After realizing this, Su Chen rushed out of his room and stopped Fatty Sun at the elevator.

"Brother Sun, I want to check the surveillance footage. Someone entered my room!" Su Chen said directly.

Fatty Sun's previously smiling expression shifted slightly. Surprised, he said, "Entered your room? How could that be? This floor has access restrictions..."

"I'm certain. I want to check the surveillance footage. Just this floor's footage. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Su Chen emphasized.

"Um..." Fatty Sun's expression changed several times. "There's no problem. Come with me."

The two arrived at the monitoring room. Fatty Sun had someone pull up the footage outside Su Chen's room. From the time Su Chen left until Fatty Sun knocked on the door, only a few people had passed by, and no one had entered his room.

Fatty Sun pulled him into an empty room next door and whispered, "Those cameras are only standard models. Quite a few Professions can evade them. If someone really entered your room, I'm afraid they'll be hard to trace."

"I want to deal with someone." Su Chen was not surprised. Since the other party had dared enter, they would not be easy to uncover.

But the change in his identity had given him a new idea.

"Who?" Fatty Sun was startled. He had thought this man was steady in the morning. Had he revealed his true colors by afternoon?

"Qi Chuan." Su Chen gave the name.

Wronged husband, the offense and defense had changed now.

"Qi Chuan... Wait a moment..." Fatty Sun fiddled with the virtual screen and quickly pulled up a file. "Qi Chuan, first-class researcher at the Ruins Research Department... He only became a Tier 2 Professional four months ago..."

He really was Tier 2, even faster than Jiang He... Su Chen speculated inwardly.

"Married, and his wife is... Jiang He?" Fatty Sun had not cared upon seeing that Qi Chuan was a Tier 2 Professional, but now his expression changed. "Jiang He seems to be the daughter of Jiang Rong, the head of the Ruins Research Department. Going after her husband..."

"They no longer have feelings for each other..." Su Chen explained. He then briefly described how he had provoked Jiang He in order to enter Southwind Academy.

He omitted certain key details and only said that because of this matter, Qi Chuan had been constantly causing him trouble.

"Gulp... Little brother, you're really fierce." Fatty Sun swallowed, the "jealousy" in his eyes nearly overflowing.