Chapter 92

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Chapter 92: Title

Zhang Ye stood on the balcony for a long while. By the time he finished washing up and stepped out, the crowd below had dispersed, leaving only the police tape at the alley entrance as evidence of the earlier commotion.

The Hanzhou City branch of the Special Bureau operated under a dual structure, integrated with the police system to mobilize law enforcement when required while maintaining rapid response capabilities.

Zhang Wutong studied two autopsy reports—one from that morning, another from three days prior. The crime patterns bore striking similarities, though the older corpse had been nearly stripped of flesh upon discovery.

Han Jing lounged nearby, swirling his teacup. "Notice anything distinct?"

"Out with it," Zhang Wutong replied with a hint of resignation.

"This wasn’t done by ordinary people." Han Jing set down his cup, posture straightening as his gaze turned solemn. "Both victims bear bite marks inconsistent with human dentition."

"Any unregistered spirit cultivators in Hanzhou?"

"Unlikely… You suspect spirit cultivators?" Zhang Wutong’s brow furrowed. Accusations against their kind required caution—the alliance between human and spirit cultivators remained precariously balanced.

Though surface relations appeared harmonious, mutual wariness simmered beneath.

"This is no trivial allegation. Are you certain?"

"Seventy percent," Han Jing answered swiftly. "The dental patterns match rodents with 97% accuracy—but scaled to a creature half a man’s height. While the Awakening of Spiritual Energy defies logic, we’ve yet to document such mutations in animals."

Spiritual Energy accelerated evolution but didn’t alter physical size. If common beasts could quintuple their mass, humanity’s peace would shatter overnight.

"Only spirit cultivators manipulate their form. Historical records show malignant spirit cultivators occasionally breach the pact—perhaps we’re dealing with one craving human flesh."

The demon lords’ edict forbade attacks on human cultivators. Unprovoked killers faced exile, branded as malignant outcasts.

Zhang Wutong absorbed this, weighing evidence against consequence. Suspicion warranted investigation, not rash action. He accessed the Sky Net database, pulling surveillance footage from the alley.

"Any updates from the field team?"

"Still interviewing."

The body hadn’t been present during yesterday’s garbage collection. Security tapes revealed passersby near the alley, though none appeared to deposit the corpse.

Both victims had lain dead for over three days before discovery. Cross-referencing missing persons files via DNA revealed one vanished seventeen days prior, the other eight—their disappearance sites lying in completely opposite districts.

Han Jing peered over his shoulder at the grainy footage. "Recall my earlier theory?"

"The sewer system."

"Precisely. There’s a manhole in that alley." Han Jing leaned closer, finger stabbing the screen. "During inspection, I found blood traces around its edge…"

Zhang Wutong remarked, "I had someone inspect the area. The space beneath the manhole cover is extremely narrow—barely enough for a single person to squeeze through. Extracting a corpse from there would be highly challenging."

"Has anyone been sent down? If the killer weren’t human but a slightly larger animal, navigating that space might be easier," Han Jing stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"The body was fragmented, and the victim was already petite. Could the tearing marks have been inflicted during the initial attack?"

"That’s plausible," Zhang Wutong arched an eyebrow. "But how do you explain the corpse found three days prior?"

"The downstream section of that canal connects to a sewer outlet—"

Zhang Ye was finishing breakfast when knocking interrupted the morning stillness.

Opening the door revealed a young officer in police uniform. "May I come in for a discussion?"

"Of course." Zhang Ye stepped aside, assuming this concerned the alleyway incident.

They settled in the living room.

"A homicide occurred this morning in the alley below. Surveillance footage shows you passing the entrance at 11:45 PM last night and glancing inside multiple times."

"Could you explain why you looked into the alley? Did you observe anything suspicious?"

"I heard peculiar noises," Zhang Ye answered truthfully. "Assumed it was rodents disturbing the garbage pile, so I left after a brief check."

"Noticed anything else unusual?"

"No." Zhang Ye shook his head. His routine oscillated between home, night shifts, and countryside excursions to immerse in nature.

"Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll contact you if further information emerges." The officer concealed his disappointment professionally.

After escorting the policeman out, Zhang Ye watched from his fourth-floor balcony as the officer reviewed sparse notes. The young law enforcer discreetly marked Zhang Ye’s profile on his phone—surprised to find a Tier Six Innate Realm Practitioner residing here. He’d assumed high-level cultivators were all recruited by the Special Bureau.

Since the Awakening of Spiritual Energy, all citizen records now included cultivation tiers verified at municipal Special Bureau offices. Zhongxia’s policy maintained equality between ordinary citizens and extraordinary individuals four months into this new era—daily life continued unabated, though ambition now had an alternative path.

That evening, Zhang Ye donned dark attire and retrieved his registered nunchucks. Though Practitioners could turn street debris into lethal weapons, he preferred being armed when investigating murder scenes.

The government’s social stability measures seemed increasingly symbolic—even Tier Three Innate Realm Practitioners could cripple ordinary humans. While some abused their powers, vigilante cultivators kept crime rates in check, forcing malevolent actors to consider interruption risks.

Surveying the building’s aging exterior, Zhang Ye noted the strategic PVC pipes and AC unit platforms. From his edge-unit bathroom window, a precisely calculated jump could land him on the alley’s perimeter wall—provided he avoided the watchful Sky Net cameras.

At midnight, moonlight guided his descent. He paused on the low wall, nunchucks secure against his back. The alley now stood empty save for moonlight-bleached bloodstains where forensic teams had worked.

His attention locked onto the manhole cover encircled by dark blood stains. Gloved fingers tested its loose edges. With effortless strength belying his lean frame, he lifted the heavy cover single-handedly while angling his flashlight downward.

The stench of decay rose from surprising depths—not flooded, but far from sanitary. Resolving to see this through, he descended via rusted ladder rungs before resealing the entrance above him.

Clenching the flashlight between his teeth, he navigated the cramped shaft. Hanzhou City’s renowned deep sewers lived up to their reputation—eight meters down, his boots met damp concrete where three divergent tunnels materialized in the flashlight’s beam.

Before choosing a path, he methodically scanned the walls. This underground labyrinth surely held clues—he simply needed to find them.