Chapter 83: Investigation and Strategy

Chapter 83: Investigation and Strategy

Knock, knock, knock...

The top floor of the Splendid Imperial View's penthouse was being knocked on by someone.

Lu Heng opened the door and saw an older man and a young man standing outside. It was none other than the Iron Blood Senior Inspector Chen Lianian and his apprentice.

"What's the matter?" Lu Heng recognized the two, but he had to pretend he didn't.

Chen Lianian took out his badge, flashed it, and said, "I'm Chen Lianian from the Iron Blood Investigation Bureau. I have a few questions I'd like to verify with you."

"It's not very convenient," Lu Heng refused outright.

"Are you worried that we'll find something unfavorable to you?" Gao Zhiting immediately spoke up, his voice sharp.

This was a rather low-level provocation.

Lu Heng's lips curled up in a mocking smile, and he replied, "Then come back when you've found something."

Gao Zhiting's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "This place is a high-end community, and this top-floor penthouse with a terrace is not quite fitting for a student like you. That's the biggest loophole."

At that moment, someone walked out from inside the house and stood behind Lu Heng, brushing his bangs and asking, "What about me? Don't I fit in either?"

It was none other than Lin Zeyu.

After obtaining the information of all the parahumans who had entered the Evil God's Graveyard in the country, Lin Zeyu had come here to deliver it and discuss their next course of action.

The primary responsibility of the Iron Blood was to supervise and investigate cases related to parahumans.

Therefore, the files of parahumans requiring special attention in the coastal region were all in the Iron Blood's possession.

Lin Zeyu, the young master of the Lin family in the coastal region, had participated in the hunt for the tideworms during the Gardenia Beach incident. Hence, his file was in the Iron Blood's records.

Chen Lianian had a remarkable memory for files, so he immediately recognized Lin Zeyu.

"Young people are impulsive. Please don't mind them."

Chen Lianian tried to ease the tension for his apprentice and said, "I just want to ask a few questions, and then I'll be on my way."

"What do you want to know?"

"About a few cases and the Evil God Barton," Chen Lianian mentioned Barton and then fixed his gaze on Lu Heng's expression.

Lu Heng's face remained impassive, and he tilted his head, saying, "Come in."

After all, the Iron Blood was an official organization, and refusing to cooperate might lead to more trouble later on.

"Can I take a look around?" Chen Lianian took out plastic shoe covers, handed a pair to his apprentice, and put them on before entering the house.

"Go ahead."

Since they were already inside, there was no need to stop them.

Chen Lianian walked upstairs to the second floor, opened a door, and stepped out onto the terrace, leaning against the railing and admiring the coastal view. "The scenery here is quite nice."

Su Muyu came out with two cups of tea and placed them on the round table on the terrace. "Have some tea."

Chen Lianian walked to a shelf by the wall, picked up a Chinese sword, and ran his fingers along the blade, reading the inscription: "Thunderclasp Kunwu, Phoenix Spreading Wings. Do you practice swordplay?"

"A little," Lu Heng replied casually.

"Can you show me a dance?" Chen Lianian handed the sword to Lu Heng.

Actually, Lu Heng could have demonstrated any other sword technique, but he didn't want to bother with such things. He took the sword and placed it back on the shelf. "Inspector Chen, let's get to the point."

Chen Lianian didn't insist on the sword either, as it was unsharpened and purely a work of craftsmanship.

He sat down, observed Lu Heng, Su Muyu, and Lin Zeyu for a moment, and asked, "Are the three of you close?"

Lin Zeyu nodded and replied, "We're pretty close, close enough to risk our lives for each other."

Chen Lianian nodded thoughtfully, took out a notebook, and said, "Then let's get to the main topic. The other night, an incident occurred at the headquarters of the Gongteng Corporation, and you know about it, right?"

Lin Zeyu answered quickly, "Yes, we know that the chairman of the Gongteng Corporation died in the bank vault. This news has shocked the entire city. Inspector Chen, you're not suspecting me, are you? Our families are indeed competitors, and if you're going to investigate us, I'll have to call my lawyer."

Gao Zhiting, who had a short temper, interrupted, "We didn't ask you to speak, so keep quiet."

Displeasure flashed across Lin Zeyu's face, but he didn't react. Instead, he picked up a cup of tea and walked to the railing, slowly sipping it while enjoying the view.

Chen Lianian fixed his gaze on Lu Heng's eyes and asked, "Where were you between nine and ten o'clock the other night?"

Lu Heng directly stated the conclusion they were investigating for, "I was with her, and no one else can prove it."

Gao Zhiting continued, "So, you don't have an alibi?"

Lu Heng shrugged, acknowledging it.

In fact, it wouldn't be difficult to create an alibi using a Shadow Clone, but having an alibi every time would be too deliberate and suspicious.

Moreover, after the emergence of parahumans, such alibis would be unnecessary and redundant.

Gao Zhiting pressed further, "When you were in school, didn't you have a bad relationship with Gong Chu Sheng and Tang Guizhe?"

Lu Heng raised his eyebrows and asked in return, "Aren't you jumping to questions too quickly? Weren't you asking about the Gongteng Corporation?"

Gao Zhiting slammed the table and said loudly, "The Hongda Corporation case, the Gongteng Corporation case, and the abandoned factory case—all these incidents are connected, and they all revolve around you."

Lu Heng spread his hands and replied, "I had no interaction with the people you mentioned in school.

"There's indeed no connection. Even if you ask other students at the school, you'll get the same result."

Just as Gao Zhiting was about to ask further, Chen Lianian interrupted him with a wave of his hand and continued, "According to a statement from a member of Lei Ming, Gong Zhenting once hired Lei Jin Hao to deal with you. Do you have anything to say about this?"

There were over a dozen Empowered who returned alive from the Abyssal Battlefield.

Iron Blood must have investigated what happened in the Evil God's Graveyard, so they definitely know about Lei Jin Hao's death.

A smile appeared on Lu Heng's face as he retorted, "So, is Iron Blood now reaching into the Abyssal Battlefield? From now on, when we're summoned to the Abyssal Battlefield, we'll have to follow Iron Blood's rules."

Iron Blood has its hands full with cases in the Main World and has no means to deal with matters in the Abyssal Battlefield.

Moreover, Empowered who enter the Abyssal Battlefield have to fight for their survival, so who has the energy to bother with Iron Blood's rules?

Chen Lianian waved his hand and said, "We won't pursue matters in the Abyssal Battlefield."

"Even if you wanted to pursue it, could you?" Lu Heng retorted with a cold voice, his tone carrying a hint of provocation.

Chen Lianian had to admit that Iron Blood couldn't even manage the Empowered within the country, let alone interfere in the affairs of the Abyssal Battlefield.

Lu Heng admitted straightforwardly, "Yes, I took care of Lei Jin Hao in the Abyssal Battlefield. If you want to report this, I'll wait and see how you handle it!"

Chen Lianian's eyebrows furrowed as he realized the topic had drifted from his original intention.

At that moment, he noticed a printed document on the table with the names of over a dozen people.

These names belonged to Empowered who had entered the Evil God's Graveyard.

He picked up the document and read it, his eyebrows knitting together.

This list was exactly what Lin Zeyu had brought.

When Chen Lianian entered, Lin Zeyu could have put away the document, but he left it on the table intentionally.

As Chen Lianian saw the list, his eyebrows furrowed even tighter, his mind no longer on the Gong Teng Group case. Holding the document, he asked, "What are you doing with this list?"

A mocking smile appeared on Lu Heng's lips as he crossed his arms and turned to look at the distant sea view.

Lin Zeyu joined in with a mocking tone, "We're not as free as you, being investigated while investigating who brought the Evil God's remains back to Blue Star. Inspector Chen is busy handling cases for big corporations, truly dedicated to the nation and the people."

Chen Lianian's face changed several times.

Apart from investigating the Gong Teng Group vault case, he had another task on this trip: to inquire about the Evil God's Graveyard.

Of course, investigating the Abyssal Battlefield wasn't for the case but to gather information about the Abyss.

"The Evil God's remains? What's going on?" Upon hearing these words, Chen Lianian immediately understood the severity of the situation.

Lu Heng intentionally left the document on the table to give Iron Blood something to do, instead of endlessly investigating those few cases.

"Someone brought a piece of the Evil God's finger from the Abyssal Battlefield, and we're looking into it. I don't need to explain; Inspector Chen should know the consequences of the Evil God's remains appearing on Blue Star."

Chen Lianian gestured for his disciple to sit and take notes, then asked, "Can you give me a detailed account of the Evil God's finger incident? This is a serious matter, and I need to report it."

Lu Heng then explained how the Evil God's finger was lost and might have been brought back to Blue Star by an Empowered.

After listening, Chen Lianian asked, "Are you sure the Evil God's finger was brought back to Blue Star? From your description, I don't see any evidence proving that the finger was brought to Blue Star."

Lu Heng smiled and retorted, "Does Inspector Chen believe in intuition?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Chen Lianian's eyes.

He believed in intuition, but only his own.

In fact, intuition doesn't come out of thin air.

Many times, intuition is formed through accumulated experience.

When investigating a case, he sometimes didn't need to follow clues but could roughly guess the case's progress just by entering the crime scene.

This was his intuition, a kind of environmental sensing completed in his subconscious, reaching conclusions without conscious analysis.

In fact, intuition is a conclusion processed by the subconscious, not generated out of thin air, which is why intuition is often so accurate.

"I understand. I'll personally investigate this matter. If you recall any other information, you can call this number." Chen Lianian placed a business card with only a phone number on it in front of Lu Heng.

"Okay." Lu Heng took the business card and looked at the number, the same as the one he had called before.

"Then I'll take my leave."

After saying this, Chen Lianian took two steps before turning back to look at Su Muyu and asked, "Su, you should have the ability to turn invisible, right?"

A momentary daze flashed in Su Muyu's eyes before she nodded in admission.

This couldn't be hidden; many people had seen her use it in the Abyssal Battlefield.

Denying it now would only raise suspicions.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end