novelraw Chapter 539: Stomp the Local Investigator into the Ground, Then String Her Up
Chapter 539: Stomp the Local Investigator into the Ground, Then String Her Up
......
The pavement shattered, and Nie Yi's body was instantly driven into the earth.
Her back caved in, shattered bones pierced her organs, and mouthful after mouthful of blood burst forth.
Volunteers?
Volunteers who steal from the watch?
Or volunteers who commit crimes?
Lu Ding turned his head to look at He Yuhao beside him. "Take me to find the monster inside."
He Yuhao's face went pale;
he froze on the spot, his gaze fixed straight on Lu Ding, not daring to look away even an inch.
Just like an ordinary person facing a large carnivorous beast.
Afraid that if he wasn't careful, if his eyes drifted for a moment, he'd end up as the beast's next meal."I-Inside... it's... dangerous... If you... rush in recklessly, you might..."
Snap!!
Lu Ding raised his hand and snapped his fingers, the sound crisp, his movement elegant.
The Jinche Way's Slash Attack erupted with that sound.
Half of He Yuhao's body disintegrated on the spot, a spray of blood splattering outward.
Some tiny droplets stained his now pale, bloodless face.
Lu Ding held his hand up without lowering it, his body leaning slightly forward as if another snap could come at any moment.
"Do you not understand human speech?"
Blood gushed from his shattered half like a broken dam.
The brain's protective mechanism dulled the pain, but the hollow sensation told him half his body was gone.
The remaining shred of reason screamed at him: 'Do as he says!!!!'
He Yuhao nodded with great difficulty;
his already ashen face drained even further.
He wobbled, shattered body moving mechanically forward.
Thoughts raced through his mind: Who is he? He's so domineering.
How dare he treat me like this?
I've told him I'm an investigator with White Ridge 749.
Doesn't he fear 749 coming after him?
According to 749 investigator training, shouldn't I call for backup now?
But with his strength, calling for backup could mean he dies here on the spot.......
Rotten teams breed soldiers who don't crave glory;
once outside temptation corrodes a person's spirit, team spirit and broader awareness will gradually vanish.
That led him to forget much of what he'd learned in training, and the mindset it was supposed to instill.
Oh right — whether New City's 749 even trains recruits per regulations is another question.
Clinging to a sliver of hope made him think that if he followed Lu Ding's orders, he might survive.
Lu Ding casually ripped a rebar exposed from a break in the wall.
After a casual swing,
he plunged it in and lifted, skewering the gravely wounded Nie Yi onto it and raising her in his hand.
Blood attracts monsters;
whether it helps or not, take it for now, and kill them later.
At least it's recycling the useless.
"Ah!!!!!!"
Severe pain triggered Nie Yi's screams.
"You dare treat me like this, you'll face 749's judgment!!!!"
Blood poured from her mouth with her screams.
She wasn't new to being an investigator;
in White Ridge she had acted high and mighty, flaunting her 749 investigator status—this wasn't her first time!
Although that identity didn't carry weight with noble families or major sects,
even if it didn't work in some circles, no one had ever dared treat her like this!!
Humiliation, torture, abuse!!
Lu Ding looked at the skewered Nie Yi with disdain and arrogance.
"Bark again and I'll turn you to ash right now."
As Lu Ding spoke, the gruesome scenes of the volunteers' bodies disintegrating and dissolving flashed through his mind.
In a daze, the blood on the ground spread as if covering the entire world. Faces, indistinct and cackling, emerged.
Nie Yi's voice fell silent mid-cry.
Yes!
Right!!
I must live first!!
If I survive, I have a hope of revenge!!!
Only by cooperating with him can I survive!!!
I'm not afraid!!!
The woman stopped cursing and shouting. She bit down hard on her teeth, silently enduring the pain, shooting murderous, resentful glances at Lu Ding.
She suppressed herself, holding on to the single hope of surviving to take revenge with her own hands.
When the time came, she would make Lu Ding wish he were dead!!!
Seeing her quiet,
Lu Ding stepped forward, following He Yuhao's pace.
Fu Xinghe watched the whole scene from start to finish.
Only one thought filled his mind: this doesn't follow regulations...
This really doesn't follow regulations...
In the end—fix your rear, wrong place, wrong thing, use extreme means!!!
I'm Lu Ding's assistant investigator;
my job is to support him!!!
He pulled a yellow paper covered in talismans from his briefcase.
He threw it toward the initial crime scene where Luo Family members had died!!
An ice needle then drove down, firmly pinning into the ground.
A large character stood out clearly!
[Judged]
This was one of the unique law-enforcement marks of Second Circle 749, signifying that a 749 investigator had been here.
Anyone unhappy with the matter could extract the qi from it and take it to the 749 review department to file a complaint.
At that point, the review department would pull the corresponding investigator's bodycam and compare the situation.
In principle, this required two-person authorization.
But Fu Xinghe felt that Lu Ding's law enforcement methods somewhat violated school-taught regulations.
So he left only his own mark.
And he followed one of the bureaucratic habits his uncle disliked: accompanying personnel must not record the principal on any video device.
Therefore, from the moment he exited the vehicle, his bodycam avoided recording Lu Ding from the front.
If problems arose later, let them come after him!!!
All causes and consequences, I will bear alone.
Since he was following Lu Ding anyway!
Then no half measures—this was learned from his uncle.
Why should those disloyal hitch a ride on someone else's fast train!?
He quickened his pace to keep up with Lu Ding, then, as he was about to catch up, slowed, holding the briefcase half a step behind.
They walked into the high-walled area.
The environment unfolded before them.
Demonic qi ran rampant;
the flowerbeds had withered, the grass was dry.
As far as the eye could see, there was no life.
Lu Ding actually laughed.
"Funny how it works. Such a big place, two investigators, a few volunteers, and they keep the monster inside obediently. You don't go in, it doesn't come out."
"Anyone with eyes can see it's a concrete wall;
the blind think it's some powerful sealing restriction."
The half-destroyed He Yuhao and the utterly ruined Nie Yi trembled at those words.
Fu Xinghe, however, caught the line that was about to fall and added,
"Surface work, formalities, fooling others and themselves—fake orders, burying head while leaving the rear exposed, waving a 749 flag with a rotten pole beneath. And they wave it with gusto."
Earlier Fu Xinghe had been somewhat reserved, but after throwing the judgment talisman, he gradually relaxed.
Having handed over his token, he didn't know whether Lu Ding felt at ease, but Fu Xinghe himself did.
"You've got a vicious tongue. Good—keep it up."
By now, Fu Xinghe had figured out a bit of Lu Ding's normal temperament.
They stepped into the disordered hotel lobby;
colors had faded, blood smeared the walls.
A hollow, cold wind swept through, carrying the metallic scent of blood off He Yuhao and Nie Yi in all directions.
Moans of ghosts rose in waves;
figures drifted along the chill wind,
wandering through the lobby.
On closer inspection, judging by their clothing, they were all guests who hadn't fled in time and had died in the Thousand Gold Hotel.
He Yuhao glanced back at Lu Ding, weakly shaking his body. "We... we have to go further up."
"Then lead the way, what are you standing there for?"
Fu Xinghe shot back.
Originally he had been ready to act, but because Lu Ding ignored these small fry and wanted a bigger feast first, he didn't move or speak;
Fu Xinghe suppressed the urge to act.
One can guess the leader's intent, but not make decisions for the leader—unless it's a rotten job.
He Yuhao turned and continued to lead, cutting through the 'crowded' ghost horde and guiding the two upward, stopping finally on the fourth floor—the floor with the heaviest yin energy in the Thousand Gold Hotel.
401... 402... 403... 405.....
They stopped.
He Yuhao raised his hand to knock on a door.
Voices came from inside.
"Don't knock. From far away I can smell the blood. You even brought me such ripe prey this time—men... women... not too young, not too old... Too bad the taste isn't like the kids you brought last time..."
"But the flavor will surely beat those children, hahahahahahaha... hurry up, hurry up, I can't wait!!!!"