In the days that followed, the Soul Engineer of Mingdu were plunged into an unprecedented panic.
First, Level 6 Soul Engineer were killed one after another. Some were stabbed in the throat in the laboratory, some mysteriously disappeared on their way home, and some were snatched away by a dark shadow in full view of everyone and found dead.
The Mingdu guards increased patrols, but they still couldn't catch the murderer.
The only certainty is that these cases were all committed by the same person.
The victims all had a thin, hair-like wound on their necks, and their faces were frozen with the usual expression they had before they died.
This almost symbolizes that the killer almost never managed to get the victim to notice his actions.
A clean and swift slit in the throat.
There were absolutely no clues or traces left, giving no one a chance to investigate further.
Three months later, even the Level 7 Soul Engineer began to suffer the consequences.
The Level 7 Soul Engineer has already affected the core strength of the Sun Moon Empire. Although the authorities have increased their efforts and dispatched more personnel to thoroughly investigate the matter, they have still found nothing.
The number of deaths among Level 7 Soul Engineer was increasing, reaching double digits, which instilled fear in all the Soul Engineer of Mingdu.
No one knew who did it, but they all knew it was the work of the same person and their arm.
Therefore, the murderer was also known as the " Soul Engineer Killer ".
What's even more bizarre is that none of the trigger-type Soul Tool on the Soul Engineer had ever been activated. It was as if they were walking down the street and suddenly died inexplicably, which instilled fear in everyone, and most Soul Engineer dared not live alone anymore.
They almost always travel in groups, and are always ready with Invincible Shield.
This shows how much change Mingdu has undergone in this year.
Then another incident occurred, which nearly enraged the entire Mingdu leadership.
An Level 8 Soul Engineer from the Illustrious Virtue Hall has been killed!
The news spread like wildfire Mingdu, Mingdu immediately declared a state of emergency, mandating that all Soul Engineer of Level 6 and above be equipped with personal guards.
The entire Defensive Soul Tool array surrounding Mingdu was upgraded to wartime specifications, and even the patrols around the imperial palace were tripled.
Three days later, deep within the imperial palace of the Sun Moon Empire.
Kong Deming, the leader of the Level 9 Soul Engineer and the father of Soul Engineer, who rarely appears in public, made a rare appearance in the council hall. The white-haired old man sat in the main seat, but his cloudy eyes were sharp as knives at this moment.
On either side of him, Level 9 Soul Engineer from various factions stood in a row with solemn expressions.
Only Kong Deming could gather this group of proud Level 9 Soul Engineer together.
It's easy to imagine how badly this situation escalated.
"Fifty-six at level six, thirty-four at level seven, and one at level eight." Kong Deming's voice was hoarse but powerful. In just one year, we lost ninety-one of the Empire's most precious brains.
"Recently, a Soul Engineer has emerged who is at level eight and belongs to the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Jing Hongchen, do you have any leads?"
Kong Deming's gaze fell on the Level 9 Soul Engineer who was closest to him.
The Illustrious Virtue Hall looked to be only in his early forties, but he had the weathered air of a sixty-year-old.
His short, stout body was as solid as an iron tower, and his broad shoulders could almost block the view of the two people behind him.
This kind of physique should be paired with a neat short haircut to show off his spirit, but he deliberately kept his waist-length reddish-brown hair, with the strands cascading down his back like flames, completely burying his short, thick neck in the frizzy hair.
When Kong Deming's gaze fell upon him, Jing Hongchen's face turned ashen, yet also carried a hint of resentment.
"Teacher, please forgive my frankness, but I... I have absolutely no clues or leads."
These words made Jing Hongchen feel extremely humiliated.
It was like someone slapped him hard in front of him and walked away, leaving Jing Hongchen feeling frustrated and helpless.
Frustrating!
As expected, Jing Hongchen's words displeased the other Level 9 Soul Engineer present.
"The person died in the Illustrious Virtue Hall, which is under your jurisdiction. Not to mention, Illustrious Virtue Hall's Illustrious Virtue Hall are extremely tight. How did that ' Soul Engineer Killer ' manage to sneak into the Illustrious Virtue Hall silently, kill an Level 8 Soul Engineer without alerting anyone, and then leave unscathed?"
"Can you really cover up your failure by saying you had no clues?"
"Otherwise what?!" Jing Hongchen instantly flushed red. He glared angrily at the Level 9 Soul Engineer had rebuked him. "If you're so capable, go investigate! It's like none of your Soul Engineer have ever died. Do you have any leads?"
The Level 9 Soul Engineer also blushed. "I..."
He was about to retort when Kong Deming interrupted him:
"I've come to you not to argue, but to resolve this thorny issue."
The moment Kong Deming spoke, the temperature in the entire council hall plummeted, and it fell silent instantly.
The old man's cloudy eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on Jing Hongchen's flushed, round face.
"Even though there are no further clues, you should have noticed something from the wounds on the body, right?"
Jing Hongchen sighed and said:
"That's right. On the night of the incident, I had already studied the commonalities among all the Soul Engineer who had died over the past year."
"First, there was no fluctuation of Soul Power at the moment of death, and all trigger-type Soul Tool were not activated."
"Secondly, the wound precision reached 0.01 millimeters, equivalent to the level of the most precise soul-guided carving knife, and all were highly efficient and lethal methods that could slit the throat in one stroke."
"Third, no one can detect the assassination attempt, not even the Soul Tool. That's all I can find; there are no more clues."
"What's the difference between saying nothing and saying nothing at all?" The other Level 9 Soul Engineer sneered.
"Otherwise, why would I say there were no clues or leads?" Jing Hongchen said, clearly displeased. "This kind of thing has obviously exceeded the understanding of all of us."
"I simply can't believe it. Who on earth could ignore our Soul Tool and launch a fatal attack on us? You know, even Titled Douluo couldn't kill an Level 8 Soul Engineer silently."
Jing Hongchen paused, then continued:
"But to achieve this level of success, either there's a traitor within our ranks, or someone from one of the three major nations of the Douluo Continent has mastered a power system we completely don't understand, thus successfully accomplishing this series of objectives."
"Moreover, this mysterious power system completely counters the existence of our Soul Tool."
"Have you all considered that about a year ago, at one of the entrances to Mingdu, more than twenty guards died? The only surviving guard was so frightened that he went insane, and the only information we got from him was, 'He is the nemesis of our Soul Engineer.'"
"These two things must have been done by the same person, and the person acted openly and honestly, as if afraid we wouldn't find out."
"So that means..." Jing Hongchen said, not quite believing it himself, "That the other party is truly the nemesis of us Soul Engineer, which is why he is called the ' Soul Engineer Killer.' Sooner or later, perhaps even we Level 9 Soul Engineer will be assassinated by him."
These words exploded like a bomb in the council chamber.