The First Case

In the blink of an eye, Yang Wenqing had been with the Major Crimes Unit for three days. After reactivating the Third Squad's communication device, he spent those days reviewing old case files to familiarize himself with the Major Crimes Unit's methods.

During those three days, he had also met the captains of the other two squads. One was Wang Jianchao, whom Xiao Liang had mentioned before. Wang was an extremely busy man who was hardly seen all day. The Second Squad's captain was a female police chief named Liu Xin, equally capable and efficient. After briefly meeting Yang Wenqing, she hurried off with her squad to handle a case.

This left Yang Wenqing feeling somewhat uncomfortable sitting in the office. Aside from reading case files over the past two days, he had gone to the archives to review the records of veteran officers, hoping to strengthen the Third Squad. He had also secretly observed two people, but ultimately rejected them both.

He had actually taken a liking to Li Ming, but Li Ming's wife had just given birth, and he did not want to join the Major Crimes Unit. The other was his classmate, Liu Rong, but Liu Rong was still recovering from his injuries.

His cultivation had not fallen behind over those three days either. After all, his goal had never been merely the Qi Refining Stage. Although he inevitably felt somewhat slack after his recent breakthrough, especially when faced with the full nine refinements that followed within the Qi Refining Stage.

Still, he forced himself to set a goal of reaching the fifth refinement. Once he reached it, he would be eligible to take the examination for promotion to police commissioner, and his personnel file could be transferred directly to the city, giving him more opportunities in the future.

That day, Yang Wenqing was once again studying case files when Liu Qin, who was stationed beside the communication formation, suddenly received a message. She hurried over to his desk and said somewhat uneasily, "A message from the Case Information Center. A box containing a decomposed corpse was found beneath a public pier at West City Harbor. It is suspected to have been used for an evil ritual."

Wu Yan, who had been boredly meditating nearby, immediately rose from his seat upon hearing this. He picked up the maintained pistol from the desk and placed it in his holster. Yang Wenqing's expression also turned grave as he picked up his newly issued Type-1 Military Pistol. It held twelve rounds and had an effective range of nearly fifty meters.

"Let's take a look!"

Yang Wenqing had read so many case files these past few days that he also wanted some field experience. After speaking, he put his gun into its holster. He was currently dressed in plain clothes, with the holster beneath his arm and a leather-armored winter coat over it, just like Wu Yan.

The Third Squad had a flying shuttle, an older Windrunner-III model. The two rushed to the garage as quickly as possible. Wu Yan pulled open the door and got in first, while Yang Wenqing followed close behind and took the front passenger seat.

Bzz—

With a low hum, the flying shuttle steadily rose half a meter off the ground. It then glided silently out of the garage and onto the street.

About twenty minutes later, the flying shuttle left the bustling city district at a speed of sixty kilometers per hour. As the salty, damp scent of the sea breeze grew stronger, the two saw a busy harbor through the windows.

West City Harbor had been built around a naturally formed crescent-shaped bay. A massive breakwater stretched into the sea like an arm, shielding the harbor from the winds and waves offshore.

The waters within the harbor were relatively calm, with vessels of all sizes moored there. There were old cargo ships driven by sails and simple spiritual energy formations, as well as enormous modern steel freighters covered in runes, giving off faint steam and spiritual light.

The dock area was built from sturdy timber and concrete. Mountains of cargo containers, massive crane arms, busy dockworkers, and sailors in uniforms of all colors could be seen everywhere.

The flying shuttle was stopped at the harbor entrance by two port guards. After Wu Yan showed them the Major Crimes Unit badge, they were allowed through. He drove the shuttle slowly along the main road through the dock area before finally stopping beside a relatively secluded public pier near the base of the breakwater.

A cordon had already been set up. Several officers from the Port Security Office were maintaining order, while curious dockworkers and sailors gathered outside the line, pointing and talking.

Yang Wenqing and Wu Yan got out of the flying shuttle. A stronger fishy stench mixed with an indescribable odor of decay hit them head-on. Wu Yan did not even furrow his brow, clearly long accustomed to it.

Yang Wenqing quietly circulated his spiritual energy, slightly blocking out the overly pungent smell.

A police chief from the Port Security Office hurried over. After confirming Yang Wenqing's identity, he said with a smile, "I heard the Major Crimes Unit had transferred in a young squad captain. Captain Yang, hello. I'm Yan Kuan, captain of the First Patrol Squad of the Port Security Office."

"Hello, Captain Yan!"

Wu Yan asked quietly from beside him, "What happened here?"

Yan Kuan glanced at Wu Yan, then turned to Yang Wenqing and explained, "An hour ago, a diving enthusiast found the wooden box. He thought it contained something valuable, so several people hauled it up and opened it, only to discover a corpse inside. They were so frightened that they called the police. We originally thought it was an ordinary murder case, but during the investigation, we found traces of a Sacrificial Formation on the seabed where the box had been placed, so we immediately contacted the Case Information Center."

Yang Wenqing had sharp eyesight and had already spotted the wooden box. An elite officer was guarding it nearby, so he asked, "Where are the statements from those diving enthusiasts?"

"They're all here!"

Yan Kuan opened the folder he was carrying and took out a document from inside.

Yang Wenqing did not read it immediately. He took it and casually handed it to Wu Yan before following Yan Kuan over to the wooden box. By then, the corpse inside had bloated so badly that its face was unrecognizable—or rather, it had already turned into a heap of rotting flesh.

He raised his left hand and lightly tapped the air, forming a Tracking Technique seal that recorded the bloodline imprint remaining on the corpse. This would help identify the victim.

Then his gaze fell upon the wooden box. Clear rune patterns covered the pried-open half of the box, and equally distinct rune traces could be seen inside.

"This looks a lot like the Five Elements Life-Draining Formation!"

Wu Yan was experienced and had clearly encountered similar cases before.

Yan Kuan nodded. "That's very likely. So you need to solve this case quickly. Otherwise, if the real culprit succeeds, a crazed monster might suddenly appear somewhere in the county."

Yang Wenqing nodded silently. He knew of the Five Elements Life-Draining Formation. It was the final madness of people on the verge of dying from old age, an attempt to steal the lifespan of others. But in most cases, they would become twisted monsters instead.

At that moment, the Major Crimes Unit's forensic team arrived as well. Yang Wenqing already knew the leader, an elderly man named Ding Lang. Ding Lang ignored the corpse and merely instructed his subordinates to collect various samples from it. After carefully examining the runes on the wooden box and learning the details, he asked, "Let's take a look at the seabed where the box was placed."

After saying that, he looked at Yang Wenqing. "Captain Yang, you know the Water-Repelling Charm, right?"

Yang Wenqing nodded. He had learned quite a few spells over the past three days. He understood Ding Lang's idea and had been planning to do the same, but he first looked at Yan Kuan and said, "The victim should have been someone from around the harbor. I'll have to trouble Captain Yan with checking for anyone who has recently gone missing near the port."

Yan Kuan replied with a smile, "Don't worry. This counts as one of our cases too. We'll have the results for you by tomorrow morning at the latest."