Starforce Warriors-Chapter 326: Not As Expected

"What exactly happened here?"

Edward stared at Clove's corpse, a chill rising in his heart.

She was beheaded. And there’s the remnants of sword aura.

By the time Clove was found, she was already a lifeless body. A terrifying sword aura had mercilessly shattered her internal organs and brain.

"Sir, the Ghost Slayer Zhong Kui appeared and disappeared without triggering any alarms in the base," Lei Yinuo reported.

Lei Yinuo had watched the surveillance footage countless times, but he couldn’t help feeling dread each time the scene replayed in his mind. The surveillance cameras had captured the entire process of Clove’s death. Yet, it was still of no use because Zhong Kui had appeared out of thin air and disappeared just as mysteriously. It was like he was a ghost. Even the most advanced light core couldn’t calculate how he had done it.

"Zhong Kui, a folk deity from Great Xia's Daoist tradition tasked with exorcising ghosts... A god of Great Xia?" Edward mused as he looked down.

As chief inspector of the Realm of Traces, Edward had conducted extensive research and studied many of the ancient legends of Great Xia. Once he had heard about the Ghost Slayer Zhong Kui, he had specifically looked up the stories surrounding the figure.

"Lei Yinuo, do you think Zhong Kui could be a member of Great Xia's Dragon Group?" Edward asked.

Lei Yinuo thought for a moment. "It's said that there’s someone in Great Xia's Dragon Group called Youming, who specializes in Earth Movement Techniques and can travel a thousand miles a day..."

"Earth Movement Techniques!" Edward frowned. "So, the Dragon Group really did send someone... But with all the trouble they're dealing with and their lack of personnel, how do they still have the time and energy to intervene here?"

Lei Yinuo replied, "Perhaps it's to protect Ye Liuying. After all, she's under thirty and already in the Golden Body Realm. Being selected by the Dragon Group isn't out of the question."

Edward said, "Then all the more reason not to let her go."

Lei Yinuo added, "But we're still lacking the final piece of evidence to convict her."

Edward replied, "Intensify the search. We must find the Yinji Moon Fox. Once we find it, everything will be settled."

"We’ve searched all night, but after the incident in the slums, we haven't found a single trace of the fox... Sir, I have a theory," Lei Yinuo said.

"Speak," Edward prompted.

"The mysterious woman beside Li Xiaofei. Could she be the Yinji Moon Fox?" Lei Yinuo suggested.

"Rest assured, that's impossible," Edward replied firmly.

That woman was in the Golden Body Realm, and even he felt threatened by her. The Yinji Moon Fox, on the other hand, was a mere five grade star beast. The gap in strength between the two was as vast as the heavens and the earth. There was no way she could be disguised as the fox.

"We don’t have much time left," Edward said slowly. "We must find the Yinji Moon Fox within five days, no matter the cost. Lei Yinuo, we both have work to do."

"How should we handle the Dragon Group?" Lei Yinuo asked.

Edward thought for a moment before answering, "Anything the Dragon Group tries to stop, we must complete. Anything they attempt to accomplish, we must prevent... Lei Yinuo, you’ve passed the organization’s tests, so I’ll be honest with you. The organization is sending three experts from the Blade of Verdict to assist us in completing this mission."

Lei Yinuo was overjoyed. "That’s fantastic!"

The Blade of Verdict was the strongest of the three divisions under the Inquisition. Every member of the Blade of Verdict had at minimum the combat strength of the Golden Body Realm. With their help, their future operations would go much more smoothly.

"Sir, I’d like to meet with City Leader Xie Renyu," Lei Yinuo said. "The Xie family has a good relationship with us and has cooperated with us in the past. If Liuhe Base City's government supports our search, we should be able to increase our efficiency."

Edward thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"In times like these, it’s wise to collaborate with friendly forces in Great Xia. That’s an excellent suggestion, Lei Yinuo. Go ahead and proceed boldly."

***

The next day. The sun had just risen. The PM2.5 index read 88.[1]

At the headquarters of the Cloudy Sky Gang, the atmosphere inside Cloudy Sky Hall was thick with murderous intent.

Chu Yuntian, wrapped in plaster, and Li Junjie, covered in bandages, along with the Hall Masters and Incense Masters of the Cloudy Sky Gang, were all glaring furiously at the young man standing in the center of the hall.

This particular man was the coward who had fled in the face of battle!

“Speak up,” Li Xiaofei’s smile was as sharp as a blade.

Xiao Bidao looked bitter as he said, “President, please let me expla— I mean, listen to my reasons! The reason I turned and ran was actually for the benefit of the Cloudy Sky Gang. You could say my intentions were pure.”

“Oh?” Li Xiaofei sneered.

Xiao Bidao put on a serious expression as he continued, “President, the force that barged in was from the Realm of Traces under the Inquisition. Do you know who they are? It’s like pinching a tiger’s tail! If I had acted recklessly and accidentally killed one of them, wouldn’t that have brought disaster upon the Cloudy Sky Gang?”

“So, you turned around and ran?” Li Xiaofei’s sneer deepened.

This guy had absolutely no loyalty. He had also bailed at a critical moment when he was working for the Ye family. Though his strength was undeniable, he was utterly unreliable.

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“I was trying to intimidate them,” Xiao Bidao swore solemnly. “At that moment, I had already demonstrated my immense strength in the Five Spirits Realm. They must have been terrified! As long as I remained hidden in the shadows, the Realm of Traces people wouldn’t dare to act recklessly!”

But before he could finish speaking.

Smash!

The lights shattered instantly. Xiao Bidao’s face darkened immediately.

He glared at Li Xiaofei, "President, even if you have a grudge against me, you didn’t have to smash the lights! Do you think lights are free?"

Li Xiaofei responded, "If you hadn’t been doing a decent job as an instructor for the disciples lately, I’d have smashed your head in by now."

"Exactly!" Xiao Bidao quickly agreed. "President, I’m a man of culture. I excel at imparting knowledge and enlightening others, but fighting and killing? That’s not my thing."

"You? A man of culture?" Li Xiaofei scoffed.

Xiao Bidao immediately felt offended. He immediately pulled out a suona[2] and said, "Let me show you a skill..."

Li Xiaofei was stunned when he began to play.

This guy actually knows how to play a traditional Chinese instrument? Impressive. Is he going to play Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix or something...? Wait a minute. What the hell? Is he playing funeral music?

Li Xiaofei jumped up and started pummeling Xiao Bidao, "Are you trying to send me off to the afterlife? You ungrateful fool, your rebellious heart must weigh two hundred pounds!"

"I can switch! I can play something else..." Xiao Bidao hurriedly tried to explain as his voice rose in panic.

Just then, Yang Cheng rushed in. He had been negotiating with Xie Renyu at City Hall regarding the compensation.

The government was expected to clean up after the Realm of Traces from the previous night and compensate the slums for the damage. Li Xiaofei stood up from where he had been thrashing Xiao Bidao.

"Old Yang, what did that Xie guy say?" he asked, dusting himself off.

Yang Cheng entered with a look of disbelief still plastered across his face. "Things didn’t go quite like we imagined..."

Li Xiaofei frowned. "Did that Xie guy try to weasel out of the compensation? I knew it! That scoundrel was never up to any good. Looks like I’ve finally exposed his true colors."

1. A key indicator of air quality is the amount of PM2.5 in the air. PM stands for particulate matter and the 2.5 refers to size. ☜

2. Suona, also called dida, laba or haidi, is a traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. The Suona's basic design originated in ancient Iran, then called "Sorna". ☜