Chapter 108
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Chapter 108: Bad News
It was Zhou Zhuo who stopped Ji Yongxing’s hand just as he was about to touch the corpse.
The young man quickly grasped the implication.
Whether intentional or not, he had nearly compromised the most crucial piece of evidence at the scene.
He had been so engrossed in the details that perhaps only he noticed, almost making a grave mistake.
“Master, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, but you must understand this is not a small matter. Anyone connected to this incident will undergo an unavoidable investigation.”
He spoke with profound significance, regardless of whether anyone else was listening.
Suddenly, Zhou Zhuo shifted the topic and asked,
“What did you find just now?”
Ji Yongxing paused, instinctively glancing around. Noticing that there was no one within two meters, he whispered,
“A pinhole.”
The usually gentle Zhou Zhuo immediately exuded an air of severity. He lowered his head and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear,
“Can I see it?”
Ji Yongxing shook his head,
“It shouldn’t be possible. I barely observed it with my abilities. The fine needle is a controlled item, requiring high craftsmanship, not something an ordinary person can…”
“Enough.”
Zhou Zhuo had unexpectedly turned and slowly walked toward the door, saying,
“There shouldn’t be any other clues. Let’s go back to the research room; there are many experiments still unfinished.”
“What about here?”
“Leave this to Luo Ya and Qian Qingfeng. They have plenty of experience and will handle everything well.”
As Zhou Zhuo spoke, he exited the beautifully decorated lounge, with Ji Yongxing trailing behind like an assistant, his head downcast.
Luo Ya and Qian Qingfeng, left at the scene, witnessed this moment and were not surprised.
Zhou Zhuo was already older, and his friendship with Holy Shield was well-known; such a sudden change was a genuine blow for the old man. That he could still walk normally was already a good sign.
All they needed to do was submit a site investigation report signed by the research institute to corroborate with reports from other agencies.
Beyond that, they bore no responsibility for this incident.
—
“How’s it going? Good thing you have me, or you would have fallen off the city wall and died by now.”
In the northern part of the outer city, a very likable young chubby fellow was boasting to his somewhat frail teammate while patting his chest.
The Sixth Superhero Team had just completed the reclamation and cleanup of the city wall under the leadership of their captain, Nian.
Due to a late notification, when they arrived in the northern district, nearly a hundred extraordinary beasts had already breached the defenses of the city defense army and rushed toward the nearby residential buildings closest to the city wall.
However, such a troublesome crisis only showcased the true value of the Sixth Superhero Team’s ranking.
Although the five had appeared quite passive during their previous battle in Lin Qingliu’s basement against the Paster, it could be said that the other side had initiated the conflict.
There is no shame in being unable to defeat someone who has already taken the initiative.
When the battlefield returned to a domain that ordinary people could comprehend, their combat prowess was fully displayed.
Whether it was Nian, who could summon hundreds of nearly supersonic bullets amidst the ruins, or Bomb Man, who could unleash fiery devastation within a confined space, or even the small, chubby boy with formidable protective abilities within a certain range, they all excelled on such a battlefield.
At that moment, one of his plump hands rested on Gecko’s shoulder, hoping to trade his earlier assistance for a dinner at a restaurant in the inner city.
Just then, a man in a light blue coat suddenly ran toward them.
This was highly unusual, as that coat was exclusively worn by logistics personnel, particularly those associated with superhero teams.
Why was he here?
Before they could ponder for long, the man reached them, completely disregarding Captain Nian. He handed a standard communicator to the chubby boy.
“Mr. Lucas, you have an urgent message.”
“I’ve told you many times, just call me Luke.”
The chubby boy clearly disliked being compared to his father, so he was not fond of that form of address.
But he understood the gravity of the situation and quickly took the communicator, pressing it to his ear.
“Hello, Mr. Luke Hartman. I regret to inform you that your father, Mr. Lucas Hartman, passed away two hours ago at the research institute.
Please proceed to Room A33 on the top floor of the institute, where we will explain the details to you.”
“Wh-what…”
“Beep beep beep…”
Luke, the chubby boy, felt as though his spine had been yanked out; he collapsed to the ground, his mind freezing in shock.
“Why? How could this be?”
He half-knelt on the ground, staring blankly ahead, unable to process what he had just heard.
His father hadn’t been that weak; just two days ago, he had personally captured a Third Level extraordinary beast that had intended to launch an attack. How could he…
The voice from the communicator was not soft, and the surrounding teammates overheard the message as well.
For a moment, they stood frozen, and after a few seconds, they realized they should help Luke to his feet.
Seeing the chubby boy in such a distraught state, none of them could find the right words to comfort him.
Then, Captain Nian stepped forward, using his abilities to support Luke’s legs, preventing him from collapsing.
“Let’s go and see. We’ll be with you.”
“Okay, okay.”
After a long silence, Luke responded like a lifeless shell, and the group silently boarded the vehicle sent by the logistics personnel, heading toward the main building of the research institute.
This was the longest hour of Luke’s life. He watched the scenery slip past the window, feeling for the first time that no one could truly understand him.
His feelings for his father, Holy Shield Lucas, were deeply complex.
On one hand, his abilities were strikingly similar to his father’s, which had filled him with pride throughout his upbringing.
On the other hand, compared to his father’s shield, which could envelop the entirety of Hope City, the soft light shield he could produce seemed like a child’s toy, almost laughable in comparison.
Though Luke appeared gentle and cheerful on the surface, he was fiercely competitive at his core.
Since awakening his abilities, he had held himself to the highest standards.
He had never once slacked off during his training, from childhood to adulthood.
But it seemed his abilities had inherent limits. Even though he had reached the threshold of the Third Level, it only allowed for more diverse and refined operations within a specific range; his skill points did not seem to extend to expanding that range.
