In the name of a Baofan District patrol investigator, I sentence you to death, effective immediately

A handful of incense ash scattered over Yan Biexi, and pain like burning flames instantly engulfed her entire body.

Yan Biexi clenched her teeth, her body trembling uncontrollably and sweat pouring down like rain, but she did not cry out at all.

Tang Hu watched. "Endure it. Keep enduring it. Let's see how long you can hold out. Are you still thinking of having your injuries examined after you get out and coming after me?"

A cold smile appeared on the man's face.

"Then you're overthinking it. You'll only feel pain. There won't be any injuries. Even the most sophisticated medical equipment won't detect what you've been through. But if you cooperate, agree to keep your mouth shut about last night, and sign and put your thumbprint on it, I can let you off. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking,

the room's door, along with its frame and the surrounding wall, shattered and scattered across the floor.

Lu Ding walked in from outside and picked up where he had left off. "Otherwise what?"

Turning to glance at Yan Biexi as she endured the torment, he raised a hand and stirred up a gentle breeze, letting coolness wash over her entire body.

The burning pain faded.

But lingering fear still remained in Yan Biexi's heart.

In those brief dozen or so seconds, she had felt as though she were trapped in raging flames, suffering torment, unable to pass out or die, in utter agony.

Fortunately, he had saved her.

Her gaze went to Lu Ding and Gao Zhengliang behind him.

Although she did not recognize this young man, she had met Gao Zhengliang.

The director of the Baofan District Public Security Administration.

So the director called him here...

Lu Ding frowned slightly at Yan Biexi's exhausted expression. In novels, whenever the protagonist rescued someone, he always appeared at the critical moment to spare them suffering. Why had things turned out differently for him?

"Lu Ding!! What is the meaning of this!?"

Tang Hu demanded, "You smashed the entrance of my Five Viscera Life Society and beat my people. If you don't give me an explanation today, I don't care whether you're Bureau 749's Corpse-Dissecting Taisui. You're not leaving!!!"

At Tang Hu's words, the Qi Refiners in the room immediately surrounded Lu Ding.

Lu Ding swept his gaze around, without the slightest ripple of emotion, and said indifferently,

"For threatening a Bureau 749 patrol investigation, attempting to surround and attack a Bureau 749 patrol investigator, unlawfully detaining a law enforcement officer, and torturing law enforcement personnel, your crimes shall be punished together. In my capacity as a Bureau 749 patrol investigator for Baofan District, I sentence you to death, effective immediately."

Along with Lu Ding's words came the terrifying slashes that had shredded hundreds of ghosts and monsters the night before.

Everyone's heart lurched, but before they could react,

crisp slicing sounds rang in their ears-the sound of flesh and bone being cut apart.

Blood erupted through the room, and chunks of flesh flew everywhere.

Lu Ding walked forward. Behind him, Gao Zhengliang held an arm half-raised, wanting to speak but stopping short. He had meant to stop Lu Ding, but Lu Ding had moved too quickly, his determination to kill too firm.

Before his words could leave his mouth or his body could move, Lu Ding had already dealt with all of them.

Lu Ding took the seat of honor and raised a hand. The three statues and the picture album on the shrine shattered together.

He blurted out, "What kind of wild gods think they deserve to sit above and behind me?"

On the floor, Tang Hu had lost half his body. His upper half stood propped on the blood-soaked floor, screams trapped in his throat.

Lu Ding looked at him in his current state. "That's my explanation. Satisfied?"

Now it was Lu Ding's turn to cross his legs.

"Didn't you say a new official lights three fires on taking office, and ask what made me so badass? Now I've lit those fires for you, and let you experience exactly why."

"So, tell me now. What are you putting on airs for? Who gave you the nerve to arrest a public security officer? And who gave you the nerve to threaten me?"

Lu Ding watched him, his tone as calm as ever, his expression relaxed and at ease, as though he were idly chatting with a friend.

Except this setting and the person before him were neither a place for conversation nor someone to chat with.

"Hhh... hhh... hhh..."

The pain made Tang Hu suck in cold breaths without stopping. Smoke billowed behind him, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood and dispersing the room's bloody stench.

An enormous, lifelike tiger's head loomed indistinctly within it.

This was the old immortal attached to Tang Hu-a mountain lord who had attained the Dao and descended the mountain to undergo his human tribulation. The character for "king" marked his forehead, displaying his ferocious might.

Known as the lord of the mountain forests, he drove beasts scattering and made all evil recoil.

"If you want trouble with me, come in your true body. Killing this phantom body formed from the qi you've lodged here is a waste of my time. Get lost!"

"ROAR!!!"

A bear's head appeared behind Lu Ding as he spoke, unleashing a furious roar from the depths of the primordial wilderness that shook the heart.

The mountain lord within the smoke instantly shattered. Tang Hu, who faced the roar head-on, was blasted into the wall by Flying Bear's roar and tumbled to the floor. Unable to suppress his injuries any longer, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You... you're a badass... Lu Ding... I concede. Corpse-Dissecting Taisui really is utterly overbearing and vicious."

This time, Tang Hu truly conceded. He did not dare refuse. He was already gravely injured, and if he did not receive effective treatment, the Five Viscera Life Society's headquarters would likely become the place he died today.

But those were not the words Lu Ding wanted to hear.

"Answer my question. Who gave you the nerve?"

An oppressive presence descended, stirring Tang Hu's fear of death. His emotions aggravated his injuries, making him vomit another great mouthful of blood.

"N-no one. I was wrong... I shouldn't have arrested a public security officer. I shouldn't have threatened you... Please spare me..."

"Very good."

Lu Ding reached up and pressed a button on the body camera on his chest. That amounted to Tang Hu's confession.

Then Lu Ding raised his hand.

The half-body clinging to life on the floor split in two, dead beyond all doubt.

Lu Ding had carried out his earlier sentence.

Punishment for all crimes combined: death, effective immediately.

As for the others, they had dared intend to surround and attack him despite knowing he was a Bureau 749 investigator.

Their deaths were no loss.

Inside the room, the surviving public security officers and Gao Zhengliang were all dumbstruck. Their Adam's apples bobbed. They wanted to vomit but did not dare.

Dead... all dead...

And right in front of them, public security officers, this young man had slaughtered every last one.

Yet they could not say a word.

Because the mere mention of Bureau 749 was enough to explain everything.

Although they did not know Bureau 749, they had heard some rumors. Today was their first encounter with a living member.

Gao Zhengliang's expression turned bitter.

What am I supposed to do now?

If I'd known, I would've kept thinking of a solution myself instead of telling Lu Ding. Now this many had died at once...

Gao Zhengliang instinctively swept his gaze around, intending to count.

But the floor was covered in pieces of corpses smaller than a palm. Like hell he could make sense of that count.

He had not noted how many people there were when he first came in, either.

Gao Zhengliang gave up. Let it all burn. I'm tired.