Chapter 304: The Wolf King's Appearance

Chapter 304: The Wolf King's Appearance

The Dark Wolf King rank was incredibly rare, so rare that in two lifetimes, one might only hear of a single person possessing such a rank.

Initially, they hadn't considered this possibility.

The Dark Wolf King was one of the rarest Third-Rank Proficiency ranks, and it was rumored that its combat power far surpassed that of ordinary third-rank proficiencies.

If the traitor's rank was the Dark Wolf King, many things would make sense.

The Elven guards in the Palace District of Koloss City were all powerful, and it was already challenging for ordinary Ability Users to defeat them, let alone kill them silently.

The Dark Wolf King rank perfectly addressed this issue.

Among the ten individuals they investigated, none had the Dark Werewolf rank, which led the initial investigation into a dead end.

However, with the inclusion of the Dark Wolf King rank, a Third-Rank Proficiency, the investigation took a different turn, and the solution became clear.

Chen Lianian's mind felt as if it had been struck by lightning; his expression turned solemn as he asked, "The Dark Wolf King, a Third-Rank Proficiency?"

Lu Heng nodded, "Yes, a Third-Rank Proficiency."

Chen Lianian's breathing grew heavier as he quickly organized the clues in his mind, finally piecing everything together.

"If that's the case... Do you suspect Zhuo Hongjun or Chen Zi Hang?"

In fact, both of these individuals came from influential families, and it wouldn't be difficult to silence them.

Although Chen Zi Hang had always kept a low profile, Lu Heng could tell that he came from a good family, but he didn't flaunt his background.

Moreover, Chen Zi Hang's family background leaned towards academics, and he had earned his place in the National Defense University based on his personal abilities, without relying on family connections.

Zhuo Hongjun was different; his personal abilities were lacking, and he could only rely on mobilizing and accumulating experience to climb the ranks.

While Lu Heng's intuition told him it couldn't be Chen Zi Hang, there was no concrete evidence to rule him out as a suspect.

In fact, if the initial assumption was correct, the situation would become much simpler.

With only two suspects, even a blind guess had a 50% chance of being right.

They could investigate one, and if it didn't pan out, they could move on to the other; it wouldn't make much difference.

So, based on his personal intuition, Lu Heng said, "I'm more inclined to suspect Zhuo Hongjun."

Chen Lianian took a deep breath and asked, "There's one last question. If the Dark Wolf King rank does exist, how do we explain the fact that this traitor, while in the Elven World, used the abilities of the Dark Wolf King to kill the Elven guards, but during our investigation, they didn't have the Dark Wolf King rank or the corresponding Energy Essence?"

This was the second challenging aspect of the investigation; without evidence or clues, they could only rely on analysis and deduction.

Lu Heng slowly rotated the ring on his left thumb, placed on his index finger, and replied, "He must have extracted the Energy Essence."

There were very few ways for Ability Users to extract Energy Essence, but it wasn't impossible.

Chen Lianian frowned in thought and asked after a moment, "Do you mean that this person obtained the Dark Wolf King Energy Essence in the Elven World, used its abilities to kill the Elven guards, and then extracted the Energy Essence after returning? So, during the investigation, they only had First-Rank and Second-Rank Proficiencies, but not the Third-Rank Proficiency."

Lu Heng nodded, "Yes, that's the only possibility I can think of, but without evidence to support this guess, we need to find proof."

Based on his extensive experience in investigations, Chen Lianian found Lu Heng's deduction strange, but it also perfectly explained all the doubts.

Aside from the lack of evidence, everything else seemed reasonable.

Chen Lianian had a feeling that they were getting closer to the truth.

However, he thought of another serious issue.

Even if this deduction was correct, they might not find any evidence in the end.

Because...

"If this person extracted the Dark Wolf King Energy Essence and then destroyed it or gave it to someone else, we might not find any evidence at all," Chen Lianian voiced his concern.

Lu Heng took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes, that's my biggest worry. If this person is cautious enough, they could abandon the Dark Wolf King rank after extracting the Energy Essence, making it extremely difficult for us to find evidence even if we continue our investigation."

Lu Heng had already considered this possibility.

If this person extracted and destroyed the Dark Wolf King Energy Essence, they could successfully remain hidden.

When Chen Lianian was deep in thought, his fingers unconsciously made a pinching gesture.

Every time he worked on a case, the smell of cigarettes seemed to support his thinking; without it, his mind felt stiff, and problem-solving became more challenging.

Lu Heng continued, "However, I have a feeling that this person wouldn't give up the Dark Wolf King rank. If it were me, I wouldn't want to give it up either."

The Dark Wolf King rank was incredibly rare, with only one person acquiring it in two lifetimes.

This rank, possessed by one in a million, and with combat power far surpassing ordinary third-rank proficiencies, was something no one would willingly give up.

Additionally, Lu Heng had another crucial piece of information to support this idea.

"In fact, this act of silencing the betrayer is a case of digging themselves into a deeper hole," Lu Heng stated.

Chen Lianian nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the more desperate this person is to silence others, the more afraid they are of the truth being exposed. If they had destroyed the Dark Wolf King's Energy Essence, they wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths. They could have simply stayed hidden, but now, with all these actions, they've drawn our investigation back to them."

Lu Heng suggested, "Let's try this. Let's investigate Zhuo Hongjun once more to see if he possesses the Dark Wolf King's Rank Proficiency."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Lianian spoke, "We just concluded our investigation not long ago, and if we start again, we might not withstand the pressure from his powerful family background."

Zhuo Hongjun's family background was indeed formidable, and the first investigation could be considered a cooperative effort.

However, investigating him repeatedly would not be as smooth.

Lu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do. I'll find someone to look into a piece of information. If it supports my theory, we can directly employ forceful methods."

Chen Lianian curiously asked, "What information are you seeking?"

Lu Heng didn't respond. After leaving the hospital, he called a private number belonging to Li Guining, a high-ranking figure in the Southern War Zone.

Li Guining was the highest-ranking official in the Southern War Zone, and Lu Heng had met him twice.

After a brief greeting, Lu Heng made a request, asking Li Guining to discreetly investigate whether the military had ever obtained the Dark Werewolf's Energy Essence.

Indeed, Lu Heng wanted to know about the Dark Werewolf's Energy Essence.

The reason for this inquiry was simple.

If the previous analysis was correct, then You Jinghan was merely a scapegoat for the mastermind.

This raised a question: Where did You Jinghan obtain the Dark Werewolf's Rank Proficiency?

The Heritage Class of Dark Werewolves was rare, and the sudden appearance of multiple individuals with this proficiency, including both the Dark Wolf King and Dark Werewolves, seemed unnatural.

If it was man-made, there would undoubtedly be traces to follow.

Li Guining's position was high enough that if he was willing to help, they would surely find the answers.

Two days later, Lu Heng received a reply from Li Guining.

The investigation yielded no information about the Dark Werewolf's Energy Essence; the military had never acquired such an essence.

If the military had obtained this essence, it would have been recorded in their archives and then distributed to Ability Users as needed.

Thus, the absence of records indicated that the military had never acquired this essence.

However, Li Guining provided another crucial piece of information.

Although the military hadn't obtained the Dark Werewolf's Energy Essence, there was an Ability User in the Northwestern War Zone's Ability User Unit who possessed it.

Furthermore, there was another critical detail: this Ability User with the Dark Werewolf's Energy Essence had processed their discharge papers a week ago and had already left the unit.

With all the information gathered, Lu Heng had pieced together the general outline of the entire incident.

However, they couldn't afford to alert the betrayer at this point.

This person was willing to go to great lengths to avoid investigation, even resorting to forcibly extracting their Energy Essence.

If they knew they were about to be exposed, they might choose to abandon their Rank Proficiency.

Energy Essences could be extracted, and Rank Proficiencies could be forsaken.

Indeed, it was possible to abandon one's Rank Proficiency.

By forsaking the original proficiency, one could reabsorb the Energy Essence and fuse with a new one.

However, abandoning a rank would result in the loss of all abilities from the previous proficiency, and the rank would also drop significantly.

Consequently, most Ability Users wouldn't abandon their original proficiency, but when faced with life-threatening situations or a significant loss of status, it was a different matter.

In other words, if they alerted the betrayer now, and if this person was ruthless enough to abandon their Third Rank Proficiency and fuse with a new Energy Essence, drowning all evidence under the rules, then all previous investigations would be in vain.

After discussing with Chen Lianian, Lu Heng decided to continue the investigation privately, keeping it from any third party.

This exclusion didn't extend to Lu Heng's team members.

Lu Heng assigned Su Muyu to tail Zhuo Hongjun and investigate his every move.

After several days of surveillance, Su Muyu discovered that Zhuo Hongjun visited a security company every afternoon, staying there for four hours.

She sent the Celestial Phoenix to investigate and found that the security level was high. Inside, there was a training room where Zhuo Hongjun spent four hours each afternoon without leaving.

Lu Heng, upon hearing this, speculated that Zhuo Hongjun was likely training his rank proficiency abilities.

Obtaining a rank proficiency didn't guarantee complete control over its abilities; one still needed to train and familiarize themselves with the techniques, forming muscle memory.

...

In the second year of the Abyss Era, at the end of February, inside a secret training room of the Capital Tonghe Security Company.

Zhuo Hongjun arrived for his usual training, but not long after starting, he noticed an additional person in the training room.

"How did you get in here?"

"His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes were filled with vigilance.

"What should I do when I see Shangguan?" Lu Heng asked as he picked up a training device from the rack and weighed it in his hand.

Zhuo Hongjun's gaze darkened, and he hummed, "What are you up to?"

Lu Heng placed the dumbbell back on the rack and spoke calmly, "I just wanted to see your Third Rank Proficiency. The Moonwell Spring Water that Wu Weibing and the others handed in, if I'm not mistaken, should have been given to you, right?"

Zhuo Hongjun narrowed his eyes, a confident smile appearing on his face, "I advise you not to look. You're not necessarily my match right now."

Lu Heng found his confident words even more intriguing, "It seems the Divine Enhancement effect from the Moonwell Spring Water has given you quite a boost."

Zhuo Hongjun hooked his lips, revealing a suppressed sense of pride, "Out there, I call you Commander to maintain a proper facade. Don't get carried away with yourself. If I go all out, I might just slap you into oblivion with one hand!"

Lu Heng's curiosity grew, "Is that so? Want to give it a try?"

Zhuo Hongjun's eyes darkened, and he didn't take the bait, "I don't have time to waste with you."

He turned and began to walk out.

Lu Heng's lips curved up in a smile, "I'm curious, if I asked you to give up the Dark Wolf King rank, could you bear to part with it?"

As soon as these words left Lu Heng's mouth, Zhuo Hongjun's footsteps froze.

Lu Heng noticed his frozen stance, confirming all his previous deductions.

Zhuo Hongjun stood motionless, trapped in a difficult dilemma.

When Lu Heng mentioned the Dark Wolf King rank, it meant his secret was exposed.

If he wanted to keep this secret, he had only two options: kill Lu Heng and eliminate everyone who knew about it.

Or, he could return and give up the Dark Wolf King rank, choosing a different Third Rank Proficiency to cover up all secrets.

But, asking him to give up this rank was no different from taking his life.

He had indeed fused with the Dark Wolf King essence, which was not the Third Rank Proficiency arranged by his family.

The rank his family had arranged for him was the Guardian Knight, but he was dissatisfied with it. So, he reabsorbed the Dark Wolf King essence and completely fused the rank with the Moonwell Spring Water.

Therefore, his current Third Rank Proficiency was not only the Dark Wolf King but also the Divine Enhanced Dark Wolf King, making him the strongest among all Third Rank Proficiency users.

Asking him to give up this rank was not as simple as just losing a Third Rank Proficiency.

The Moonwell Spring Water had been used up, and if he changed his rank now, he would not have the Divine Enhancement effect anymore.

Not only that, but his Energy Level would also drop significantly.

His current Energy Level was 39, and if he gave up his Third Rank Proficiency, it would drop back to 30 or even 29.

This would turn him from a Peak Ability User into a mere novice.

This was something he could not accept.

But if he didn't give up the Dark Wolf King rank, and this secret was exposed, he wouldn't be able to explain the origin of this rank.

If he were an ordinary Ability User, he could flee abroad and become a formidable Peak Ability User, and no one would be able to touch him.

However, he couldn't just leave. His family background, status, and everything else were tied to the Daxia military.

He turned around, his gaze cold as he stared at Lu Heng, and asked, "Who else knows this secret?"

Lu Heng smiled and said, "So, you admit it? You gave Yu Jinghan the Dark Werewolf rank to make him your scapegoat."

Zhuo Hongjun didn't respond but threatened, "Do you know what you're challenging? I've been letting you off, trying to maintain our dignity. Otherwise, I could crush you like an ant!"

When he said 'crush,' he didn't mean it physically, but with his powerful family background, there were countless ways to deal with an Ability User without connections.

"Is that so? If your family's power is so strong, why bother with a scapegoat? And why endure such intense pain to extract the essence? Did you not feel like dying when the essence was extracted?" Lu Heng knew his family background was influential, but not to the extent of challenging the law.

Zhuo Hongjun's eyes flashed with anger because Lu Heng had touched upon his most hated topic.

Ability Users could indeed extract their essence, but the process was akin to peeling off a layer of skin.

His family, knowing that Ironblood was investigating the traitor incident, had someone extract his Dark Wolf King essence to hide it.

Recalling that process made his fingers tremble.

If it weren't for Lu Heng's insistence on investigating this matter, he wouldn't have had to endure such pain.

Thus, his eyes were filled with hatred.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end