Chapter 302: Suspicion

Chapter 302: Suspicion

Under the cover of night, a Dark Werewolf sprinted along the Jinghai Highway, desperate to shake off his pursuers.

However, his tracks had been discovered, and without exceptional escape methods, it was nearly impossible to evade capture within the borders of Daxia.

He had no choice; the night before, he had received a call from Rong Xincheng, asking him to cooperate with the Ironblood Investigation Bureau's inquiry. That very night, he packed his belongings and left his residence, intending to flee to a foreign land.

But to his surprise, just half a day later, he was already being tracked by the Ironblood investigators.

Now, he could only frantically run on the highway, hoping to reach a sparsely populated area and hide in the mountains for a while before figuring out his next move.

After sprinting on the highway for some time, his stamina had significantly depleted.

He worried that if the pursuers caught up, he wouldn't have enough energy left to shake them off. Glancing back, he spotted a truck approaching from behind.

He hid by the roadside, waiting for the truck to pass, then sprinted and jumped onto it, hiding among the cargo.

He shifted back from his werewolf form to human, wiping the sweat from his face with his hand, panting heavily.

The previous escape had exhausted him, and after a moment's consideration, he took out a superpower serum and injected it into his arm, quickly restoring his Origin Energy and stamina.

...

In another part of the city.

Lu Heng and Chen Lianian hurried out of the Ironblood headquarters, preparing to head towards the Jiangqiao section of the Jinghai Highway.

Upon seeing their hurried appearance, Rong Xincheng approached them and asked anxiously, "Have you found You Jinghan?"

Chen Lianian raised his hand to stop him, "Stay here."

Rong Xincheng's expression turned worried, "I want to help. I'm his team leader, and he's usually a good person. He can't be a traitor."

Although Lu Heng hadn't disclosed the details of the investigation to him, based on the questioning, Rong Xincheng could guess some information.

Lu Heng considered for a moment and said, "Bring him along. Maybe he'll listen to you and cooperate with the investigation."

Chen Lianian thought for a moment and agreed, "Alright, but you must follow my instructions."

"Okay, okay," Rong Xincheng quickly agreed and followed them into the car.

...

The Celestial Phoenix arrived first at the designated section of the Jinghai Highway and searched the area but found no trace of the target.

Su Muyu reported via the communication device, "The Celestial Phoenix has reached the designated location, but the target is not found."

"Check the surroundings, look at the passing vehicles, or any potential hiding spots," Lu Heng reminded.

"Alright, I'll keep looking," Su Muyu responded.

The Celestial Phoenix's speed was incredible; with the skill 'Light Speed Shuttle', it could transform into a beam of light and fly at a speed of 10x125 meters per second.

Su Muyu's current mental energy level was 125 points, which meant the Celestial Phoenix's maximum speed could reach 1250 meters per second.

This was 3.7 times the speed of sound, making it impossible for ground-based units to escape the Celestial Phoenix's pursuit.

After searching the area for a while, the Celestial Phoenix discovered You Jinghan in a truck over ten minutes later.

"Found him, he's in a truck," Su Muyu reported the target's location.

"Good, follow him, we're on our way," Lu Heng urged the driver to speed up.

They hadn't brought the Mechanical Tiger this time, which would have allowed them to reach their destination faster.

...

When the truck stopped at a highway service area for a break, You Jinghan, with his keen senses, felt the danger approaching. He got off the truck, looked around, and identified the hilly terrain to the west as a potential hiding spot. He then left the service area and headed into the forest.

As he was about to enter the forest, the Celestial Phoenix dove down to block his path, attempting to communicate.

"You Jinghan, come back. Cooperate with the Ironblood investigation. If it's proven that you're not involved, you won't be in trouble," the Celestial Phoenix spoke in Su Muyu's voice.

You Jinghan was startled, having fought alongside the Celestial Phoenix against the Bloodborn Demons in the Queldore World, he recognized the creature.

"Get out of my way! I won't go back with you," You Jinghan accelerated into the forest.

The Celestial Phoenix launched an attack, blocking his path.

You Jinghan roared and transformed into his Dark Werewolf state, swiping a claw at the Celestial Phoenix, causing it to roll several times.

However, the Celestial Phoenix was a quasi-S-class power, not easily defeated. It continued to intercept him.

...

After the Celestial Phoenix blocked You Jinghan for over ten minutes, Lu Heng, Chen Lianian, and the others finally arrived.

From a distance, Rong Xincheng used a loudspeaker to shout, "You Jinghan, listen to me! Don't resist, cooperate with the investigation, and you'll be fine."

But You Jinghan refused to listen and instead accelerated deeper into the forest.

Lu Heng rushed forward, propelled by the wind, intending to intercept You Jinghan and forcibly take him back.

Just then—

Bang! A gunshot echoed, and You Jinghan collapsed, hit by the bullet.

By the time Lu Heng heard the gunshot, You Jinghan had already been shot.

Lu Heng rushed to him, pressing his hand against the wound, but the bullet's power was immense. Blood gushed from the gaping hole in his chest.

Moreover, the bullet had a corrosive effect, and even with his Dark Werewolf rank, his life force was rapidly draining.

The Celestial Phoenix in mid-air glanced at the shooter's location, hesitating whether to pursue. Since her main body wasn't there, if she wanted to save the person, she would have to rely on the Celestial Phoenix.

Lu Heng shouted, "Save him first!"

The Celestial Phoenix dove down, performing an energy transformation to become a Life Tree Vine, attempting to heal You Jinghan.

However, the bullet's power was too great, and with the combined effects of corrosion and poison, You Jinghan's vital signs continued to decline.

Lu Heng pressed on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding, and shouted, "Was it you who opened the Bloodline Clan's portal? Was it you?"

You Jinghan tried to speak, but as he opened his mouth, blood sprayed out.

Blood had already filled his lungs, making it impossible for him to speak. Every time he opened his mouth, he coughed up blood, only managing to produce gurgling sounds.

Until his life completely faded away.

Chen Lianian rushed over, looking at the deceased You Jinghan, scanning the surroundings, and breathing heavily.

Someone had silenced him!

Who was it?

Why did they do it?

His mind raced with various speculations.

At that moment,

Su Muyu arrived, flapping her energy wings and landing, while releasing a second Celestial Phoenix to track down the sniper.

However, a minute had passed since the gunshot, and after scouting the area, they still couldn't find the shooter.

Su Muyu crouched down, releasing another Life Tree Vine to try and save him.

But the injury was too severe, nearly destroying all the organs in his chest cavity.

Su Muyu sighed, shaking her head at Lu Heng.

Chen Lianian's temper flared; just as they had found a crucial clue, someone had silenced the witness.

He grabbed his hat, ready to throw it on the ground to vent his frustration.

Lu Heng furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment, then said, "Call an ambulance. Send him to the hospital for treatment. Use the Life Tree Vine to seal the wound."

The person was already dead, and calling an ambulance now wouldn't bring him back to life.

Then why call an ambulance?

Chen Lianian immediately understood the implication and shouted behind him, "Quickly, call an ambulance!"

After more than ten minutes,

The ambulance arrived and took You Jinghan to the hospital.

At the hospital, the Iron Blood had arranged for an operating room and doctors. After transferring him to the ward, they also deployed personnel to block access to the room.

Even Rong Xin-cheng, who wanted to visit, was refused entry.

In the hospital ward's corridor, Chen Lianian took out a cigarette, wanting to light it, but this was a hospital.

He could only place the cigarette under his nose to smell it, then put it behind his ear.

Lu Heng stood at the window, carefully reviewing the events of the night.

Chen Lianian was also analyzing the situation and asked, "Who do you think wanted to silence him?"

"What do you think?" Lu Heng's mind was still searching for an answer.

"It could be the organization selling superpower serums. He was injected with an SPA, a high-end product worth tens of millions per dose. They might have feared him revealing the channel for superpower serums and decided to silence him." Chen Lianian had recently been investigating cases related to superpower serums.

Due to Daxia's strict ban on superpower serums, there wasn't a rampant issue with them domestically.

However, these serums could induce dependency in Ability Users and enhance their combat power, making them extremely profitable.

Even if the law prohibited them, there would still be those willing to take the risk.

With each dose worth tens of millions, the involved interests were enormous, and one could imagine the magnitude of the forces behind the superpower serum channels.

From this perspective, it was indeed possible that You Jinghan was silenced by the superpower serum-selling organization.

However, Lu Heng had a doubt, "This sniper's rank is very high, extremely high."

You Jinghan's Origin Energy level wasn't low; otherwise, he wouldn't have been summoned to the Elven World.

To instantly kill You Jinghan with a single shot, this sniper responsible for the silencing must be even more powerful.

In other words, this sniper was a top-tier Ability User in the current stage, and their Origin Energy level was definitely not below 35.

For an Ability User of such a high rank to be an enforcer for the superpower serum-selling organization? Ability Users of this caliber were top-tier combatants in any organization.

Normally, these top-tier combatants wouldn't engage in dirty work like silencing, especially just because someone had been injected with a superpower serum. It seemed a bit abrupt.

If this was indeed the reason, there's only one possibility: the sniper had also injected the superpower serum, artificially boosting his rank. Due to the serum's addictive nature, he had no choice but to work for illegal organizations.

Lu Heng closed his eyes, carefully recalling You Jinghan's appearance before his death.

At that moment, You Jinghan wanted to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up blood and couldn't make a sound.

Lu Heng recalled his expression at the time, feeling that something was amiss.

Chen Lianian took out a cigarette and sniffed it, saying, "Based on the information we have, You Jinghan has the Dark Werewolf rank and also injected the superpower serum."

"In other words, there's a possibility that he's a betrayer."

"If he was a betrayer, and after opening the Bloodline Demon's portal in the Elven World, when he heard about the investigation, it would make sense for him to choose to flee."

So far, all the clues indeed pointed to You Jinghan.

Moreover, all the clues were within a reasonable range.

The only strange thing was the final silencing.

Silencing wasn't unusual, but the sniper responsible was too strong. It's unreasonable for a random illegal organization dealing in superpower serums to have such a powerful Ability User as their enforcer.

Although they hadn't tracked down the sniper responsible for the silencing, the matter wasn't over yet.

As long as the news of You Jinghan's "survival" spreads, if the mastermind still wants to silence him, they will definitely find a way to make another move.

Now, it's a matter of seeing if they can lure the fish.

Lu Heng asked, "Has the news been released?"

Chen Lianian nodded, "It's out. The message says he'll wake up within twelve hours."

"Good, let's see who can't hold their nerves."

At this moment, Rong Xin-cheng shouted from downstairs, "Can I take a look at You Jinghan, just a glance, even through the door is fine."

Lu Heng saw him and said to Chen Lianian, "Perfect, let's talk to him."

The two went downstairs and brought Rong Xin-cheng to a quiet office.

Rong Xin-cheng hurriedly asked, "How is You Jinghan?"

Lu Heng didn't answer his question and asked directly, "What kind of person is You Jinghan?"

Rong Xin-cheng thought for a moment and replied, "He's usually a good person, otherwise, I wouldn't have teamed up with him."

Lu Heng continued, "How did you become teammates? Did you use a Team Pact?"

Team Pact scrolls were rare, and if purchased with money, they would cost a fortune.

Rong Xin-cheng shook his head, "No, we completed a hidden mission in the Abyss Battlefield, and the reward was a Team Pact."

Team Pact scrolls were indeed the primary method of forming teams, but not the only one.

In the Abyss World, there were other ways to obtain Team Pacts, such as the hidden mission rewards he mentioned.

Lu Heng asked, "Did you know that You Jinghan injected the superpower serum?"

Rong Xin-cheng was stunned and shook his head, "I don't know. Did he inject the superpower serum?"

Chen Lianian tapped the table with his pen as a reminder, "The case is still under investigation. Just share whatever information you know.

"During the final battle in the Elven World, did You Jinghan ever leave your sight?"

"Well... the battle was so intense that I couldn't possibly keep my eyes on him every moment." Rong Xin-cheng wasn't entirely sure.

However, the battlefield environment was complex, and Ability Users didn't maintain formations like soldiers, so occasionally splitting up was normal.

Lu Heng continued, "When did You Jinghan obtain the Dark Werewolf rank?"

Rong Xin-cheng shook his head again, "I don't know. Before today, I didn't even know he had the Dark Werewolf rank. I only found out about his werewolf form tonight."

Lu Heng asked again, "In other words, you're uncertain whether he obtained the Dark Werewolf rank in the Elven World."

Rong Xin-cheng was a bit helpless and shrugged, "I really don't know. He never mentioned the Dark Werewolf rank to me either."

Lu Heng asked again, "Do you know if he's a betrayer?"

Rong Xin-cheng shook his head, "I don't know, but I don't think he could be a betrayer."

"Why do you say that?" Lu Heng pursued.

"We've encountered betrayer missions before, but at the time, we already knew that becoming a betrayer was a dead end. It was You Jinghan who advised me not to take the betrayer mission. He's usually a good person, and I don't understand why things turned out this way." Rong Xin-cheng pressed his hand against his forehead, looking very sad.

As the team leader, he felt a sense of responsibility for his teammate's situation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end