Before he could finish speaking, the F-grade alloy weight ring finally pierced through Bing 78's heart and burst out.
Even in death, Bing 78 retained an expression of utter shock.
"Hah-hah-" Jiang Fan panted heavily, keeping the two weight rings circling Bing 78's body, afraid he was not completely dead and ready to land a few more blows.
After waiting a while, Jiang Fan saw that Bing 78 remained motionless and had stopped breathing for some time. Only then did he finally feel at ease.
Of course, what ultimately allowed him to relax completely was the system notification that rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for killing a criminal and doing a good deed. Points +35]
He struggled over to Bing 78's corpse and took the F-grade alloy saber. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a tattoo beside the spot where he had pierced the man's chest.
It looked like a set of scales and a sword.
Jiang Fan wondered, Was this their organization's emblem?
There was no time to investigate further. He had to hurry back and make sure Tang Guo was all right.
Police lights flashed everywhere at the entrance to the Imperial View Villa District.
Wu Yun lay in Old Wu's arms, sobbing.
"There, there, Xiao Yun, don't cry. Everything's all right now. Be good..."
Just then, a stretch luxury car pulled up. After getting out, Lan Shengxue went straight to Old Wu.
"Where's my little sister? Why don't I see her?"
Old Wu recognized Lan Shengxue at a glance. After all, she was Ancheng's only celebrity to have become a martial artist before even taking the martial arts entrance exam. The recent coverage of her had been so overwhelmingly extensive that he could hardly have avoided knowing about her.
Suddenly, Lan Shengxue whipped her head toward a certain direction.
Puzzled, Old Wu followed her gaze.
Then he saw a slender figure gradually emerge from the dark shadows.
The boy was covered in blood, his face deathly pale and his steps heavy, dragging a saber completely out of proportion to his build.
"J-Jiang Fan?" Old Wu was so shocked he could barely speak properly.
"How did you end up like this? Right, didn't you mention a mid-stage first-rank martial artist earlier? Where is he?"
"He's dead," Jiang Fan replied.
At those words, not only Old Wu but even Lan Shengxue could not help studying Jiang Fan closely.
"D-dead? H-how did he die?"
Old Wu had wanted to ask, "Did you kill him?" but swallowed the question.
After all, he was not Xiao Qian, whose head was filled with flights of fancy.
Jiang Fan was only a seventeen-year-old boy. How could he possibly kill a first-rank martial artist, let alone one at the mid-stage first rank?
"A passing expert killed him," Jiang Fan replied calmly.
Hearing this answer, Old Wu thought, Just as I expected. I knew it. How could Jiang Fan possibly kill a mid-stage first-rank martial artist?
Meanwhile, Lan Shengxue's gaze fell on the saber Jiang Fan was dragging. "Did that F-grade alloy saber belong to the first-rank martial artist?"
Old Wu looked over as well.
Jiang Fan nodded. "After the expert killed the criminal, I went and looted the corpse."
Old Wu was shocked once more. Although Jiang Fan had not killed the man, looting a corpse was not something a boy could bring himself to do.
And looking at Jiang Fan now, he was so composed that it seemed as though nothing had happened. Wasn't his mental fortitude a little too impressive?
He considered himself to have investigated plenty of depraved cases and encountered many deranged murderers. Even after being arrested for their frenzied crimes, they had looked utterly unconcerned.
But the thing was, Jiang Fan was only a student!
Jiang Fan searched everywhere for Tang Guo, but did not spot her.
"Where's my little sister, Tang Guo?"
Seeing Lan Shengxue and Jiang Fan ask the same question, Old Wu belatedly realized something very serious.
"This is bad! One of the criminals escaped. According to my colleagues, he grabbed two little girls as he fled. From the looks of it, those two abducted girls could very well be your little sisters."
Before Old Wu finished speaking, Jiang Fan shook off his earlier exhaustion and forced his body into a run.
Seeing this, Old Wu hurriedly shouted, "Jiang Fan, don't go after him! The man who escaped is a late-stage martial apprentice!"
By the time he finished, Jiang Fan had already vanished.
Still, he was not quite so worried anymore, because Lan Shengxue had just gone after him too.
Lan Shengxue was an early-stage first-rank martial artist, and a genius among geniuses at that. Facing a late-stage martial apprentice should not be a problem for her.
Just as Old Wu was thinking this, a middle-aged man's resonant voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Where's that mid-stage first-rank martial artist you mentioned?"
Startled, Old Wu turned around and saw Wei Cangyue, dressed in a trench coat.
"Who are you?"
The constable who had come with Wei Cangyue said, "He's the instructor Ancheng No. 9 Middle School hired for its special training class, a middle-stage second-rank martial artist. He came here specifically to provide support."
Understanding dawned on Old Wu.
Wei Cangyue asked, "Where is he? Where's the mid-stage first-rank martial artist?"
Old Wu opened his mouth and replied, "Dead."
"What? Dead? How did he die? Didn't your people just say they couldn't deploy anyone else suitable, which was why they called me over to help?" Wei Cangyue asked in confusion.
Old Wu said, "Well-uh, a passing expert killed him."
"Oh? An expert?" Wei Cangyue rubbed his chin. After pondering for two seconds, he asked again, "Where did he die?"
"Well-I don't know either."
"You don't know? If you don't know, how do you know he's dead? And you sounded so certain, saying a passing expert killed him?"
Faced with Wei Cangyue's barrage of questions, Old Wu replied sheepishly, "I really don't know. A student from your special training class told me."
"Hm? The special training class?" Wei Cangyue had never expected the matter to end up involving him.
"Who? What's his name?"
"Jiang Fan."
"Jiang Fan?!" Wei Cangyue was taken aback again, then said, "Find the body."
The scene shifted.
Jiang Fan spread out his Psychic Power, searching for Tang Guo. Not much time had passed since the incident. He should be able to find her.
No!
It was not that he should be able to find her. He had to find her!
If he could not find her today, he feared he would never see Tang Guo again!
At that thought, Jiang Fan pressed his lips tightly together, the darkness in his eyes growing even more unfathomable.
Lan Shengxue caught up with Jiang Fan. "Don't run around aimlessly. Searching without any direction like this is futile."
"I'm not searching aimlessly," Jiang Fan replied.
Lan Shengxue frowned slightly, unsure whether he was saying that to show off and save face or whether he really had a direction.
"Found her!" Within the range of his Psychic Power, Jiang Fan finally spotted Tang Guo.
Lan Shengxue froze. Before she could speak, Jiang Fan abruptly changed direction, plunged into a dim alley, and vanished.