The instant Qian Ze died, Jiang Che saw clearly beneath the heart lamp's illumination that a wisp of black vapor drifted out of his corpse, then dissipated without a trace.
What was that?
It looked rather like demonic qi, but under the Bodhi Heart Lamp's scrutiny, Jiang Che could already discern subtle differences.
He had never seen this new substance before, however, and could not work out what it meant.
He could only commit this detail to memory for now.
What mattered more at present was what he had seen in Qian Ze's mind.
The hooded figure addressed as "Master" was, in all likelihood, the man behind the scenes whom they were investigating. Unfortunately, he had fallen just short of seeing the man's face and uncovering his identity.
But he had seen the man who directly gave Qian Ze his orders before that with perfect clarity.
A short beard, military uniform, and the title "Hundred-Man Commander Zhang."
Hundred-Man Commander was a rank in the Wu Army. A Company Commander commanded four squads, while a Hundred-Man Commander commanded five companies.
There were only a handful of men in Ailin's garrison who held that rank. Within the Wu Army stationed in Ailin, they were effectively second only to County Commandant Lin.
Now that Jiang Che had seen his face, he could consider how to apprehend him once he returned.
Before that, however, he had something else to do.
Since whoever laid this trap had made their move, why would they target only his company?
Zhang Erguo huddled in the shadows of a corner, his back pressed against a ruined wall as he gasped for breath.
His company had also been ambushed.
Half an hour earlier, when Demon Monsters closed in from every direction, the Company Commander had chosen both the wrong