Chapter 146 123: The Marvelous Use of the Skin Painting Technique, Part 2

You couldn't tell at all!

Exactly the same as the photo!

Forget injuries, you couldn't even detect the faintest trace of death. They looked no different than if they were merely asleep, lost in a peaceful, beautiful dream.

This cosmetic technique... was simply unheard of!

"How are you planning to handle the arrangements?"

After Xu Huo finished the cosmetic work on Liu Bo and Liu Wen, he looked at the Funeral Attendant behind him.

The man was an employee of the funeral home and was familiar with the procedures.

"Ah? Oh, right. We're preparing for burial."

the Funeral Attendant said.

"Zhaozhou City only has one crematorium, but there was an accident of some kind. Bodies can't be cremated for the time being."

"Burial is the only option... If you want water burial or cremation, they'll have to be kept in cold storage to wait."

After a moment's thought, the Funeral Attendant added:

"Alternatively, you could take the deceased to the crematorium in the neighboring city for cremation."

The news about Liu Bo was suppressed. The crematorium accident was publicly announced as a gas canister explosion.

Although some wondered why a gas canister would be on the second floor, and how it could possibly affect the cremation furnace, it wasn't enough to make them realize something was wrong.

As for water burial... it also involved cremation, but the ashes were then scattered into the sea or a river.

"Burial, then."

Suddenly, Song Min, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up.

"Bury her with her parents."

Xu Huo nodded.

He paused, then looked over at Liu Bo and Liu Wen. After a moment's thought, he said, "Burial it is."

"I'll cover the funeral expenses."

Generally, when a perpetrator or victim died, their body would be claimed by the family for burial after the case was closed.

If there was no family, the police would have the body cremated. The ashes would be placed in an urn that might be forgotten or eventually buried. It was free, but the process was uncertain, and a proper funeral was out of the question.

But with Xu Huo footing the bill, it was a different story. They could have whatever kind of service he was willing to pay for.

The morgue was crowded, and normal people probably wouldn't have lingered there.

However, Xu Huo and the others stayed until seven in the evening.

It was only when they finally had to rest that the group stood up to say their final words to Sun Yang, Liu Bo, and the others.

Li Jianye was silent for a moment. He walked over to Liu Bo's side and whispered.

"Brother, I never thought you'd kill yourself. It's my fault... Since you're gone, I'll catch the guy for you."

"I don't know what Xu Huo is thinking. If he lets Cheng Yang get away, I swear I'll beat him up myself... whether I can win the fight or not."

Qian Hua's words were brief. "Two years too late... but not this time."

Wang Chao leaned close to Sun Yang, whispering.

"Little sis, I heard what Captain Li said, but Brother Huo definitely has his reasons!"

"Captain Li wants to catch the guy, and I know Brother Huo does too!"

Song Min said nothing. She just sat there in silence, unafraid even though she was surrounded by bodies.

As everyone was preparing to leave...

Xu Huo stood beside Sun Yang's body, gazing at her young, beautiful face—a face that should have been enjoying its youth, brimming with smiles.

He was silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry..."

"I never planned on just arresting him."

With that, Xu Huo paused. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. He turned his back on the body and walked away.

"We rest, and then..."

"...we pay a visit to Cheng Yang!"

...

...

「November 12th.」

Afternoon, around two o'clock.

A convoy of police cars headed toward the target location. Prior to this, the police had issued a formal summons for Cheng Yang.

As expected, Cheng Yang chose not to go to the station.

He was shrewd. He knew that once he was at the station, he would lose any ability to control the situation. So, he started planning his response.

His vast business empire kept him from fleeing. Instead, he began destroying evidence.

He also started looking for the best lawyers.

Then he holed himself up in his company, turning it into an impregnable fortress.

At 2:20 PM, Xu Huo and the others stepped out of their vehicles. Dozens of police officers had assembled at the foot of a luxurious corporate skyscraper.

Sun Yang had been here once before. Sitting in her wheelchair, she had tilted her head back to look up, and the sheer scale of the skyscraper piercing the clouds had been suffocating.

Before this building, she was like an insect.

"The Cheng Group was formed in the early years through the marriage of Cheng Yang and his wife, a merger of their family assets and companies."

"It's a massive enterprise. You can see their influence in every industry throughout Zhaozhou City."

"According to a preliminary investigation, their operations involve, but are not limited to: infrastructure, land development, large-scale shopping malls, internet services, furniture and appliances, materials and processing plants, logistics..."

"Over the past thirty years, the Cheng Group has inextricably linked itself with Zhaozhou City."

"The growth of Zhaozhou City is the growth of the Group, and the growth of the Group is the growth of Zhaozhou City."

"In a way... Cheng Yang is the uncrowned king of the Zhaozhou City business world!"

"The Group's market value is in the billions!"

"Cheng Yang's personal net worth is unknown. He's involved in education, charity, and entrepreneurship, and has an excellent public reputation!"

'In 2003, a market value in the billions...'

'This wasn't like his previous life, where valuations in the tens or even hundreds of billions were common!'

'In his previous life, there were 12 companies with trillion-dollar valuations. One, named after a certain black-and-white animal from Antarctica, was worth four trillion in port-city currency.'

'A liquor company was worth two trillion.'

'A few billion sounded small; it wasn't even a rounding error on a rounding error for those giants.'

'But in this era... there were only a handful of companies like that in the entire country!'

'After all, the entire country's annual military budget was only a few hundred billion.'

"Heh, so he's forsaken broader expansion to sink his roots deep into Zhaozhou City..."

A cold sneer appeared on Xu Huo's face as he listened to the information being relayed to him.

Local governments often provide favorable resources to businesses that benefit the local economy. Cheng Yang had clearly leveraged this to grow his empire and achieve his current monopoly.

It was terrible for long-term development.

But in the short term, Zhaozhou City was guaranteed to see rapid growth.

The group walked forward. Just as they were about to present their identification, a security guard spoke up.

"No need. Captain Li, Captain Qian, and Captain Liu, is it?"

"The director already said you can go straight in."

'Go straight in? No security check?'

Xu Huo narrowed his eyes.

'They're acting awfully confident...'

'Does he think we wouldn't dare touch him?'

Pushing the thought aside, Xu Huo gave a slight nod. Without saying a word, he led his team forward.

The Cheng Group headquarters was an imposing sight: thirty-five stories tall and covering tens of thousands of square meters.

Both its exterior and interior were incomparably luxurious.

As soon as they entered the lobby, a man in a suit spotted them. He paused for a second before striding over to greet them.

"It's Captain Li, correct? Per President Cheng's instructions, I have been waiting for you."

"Where is Cheng Yang?"

Xu Huo scanned the area, but saw no one else.

"President Cheng is in a meeting in the executive conference room on the thirty-third floor. You'll have to wait."

The executive wore a fixed, plastic smile.

"A meeting?"

Li Jianye paused.

"Yes, you'll have to wait a moment."

The executive said, "If you need to discuss something with him... please wait outside the conference room."

"What's the room number on the thirty-third floor?"

Xu Huo asked.

"President Cheng is—" The executive started to speak, but was cut off.

"I ask, you answer. Do you understand me?"

Xu Huo looked up, meeting his eyes.

"What's the number?"

The executive was cursing a storm in his head, but on his face, he could only muster a forced, apologetic smile.

"3301."

With that, Xu Huo ignored the man and walked straight toward the elevators.

"You can get back to your work now."

The elevator doors closed. Xu Huo and the others felt it begin to rise, and soon, they arrived on the thirty-third floor.

It was high up here, over 170 meters in the air. A fall from this height would, without a doubt, leave you as nothing more than a pile of mangled flesh.

The executive was still trailing behind Xu Huo, following him all the way to the conference room door.

The heavy doors were shut tight, perfectly sealed. Not a single sound escaped from within.

"The meeting will be over in twenty minutes. If you officers would just wait..."

The executive had just opened his mouth, but he couldn't finish his sentence.

The next second...

BANG!

Xu Huo kicked the door open. The sound was immense, echoing down the entire corridor.

The explosive noise made the people discussing matters inside jump in their seats.

Inside the conference room was a vast space with a massive round table, surrounded by people. A huge, flat-screen television was mounted on the far wall.

A dozen or so people, still shaken, whipped their heads around to look, their faces a mask of astonishment.

They were all dressed in impeccable suits, every one of them looking like a corporate elite.

"President Cheng, he..."

The executive's face stiffened, color draining and then flooding back. He rushed to the head of the table and whispered an explanation to the man sitting there.

The man paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and said with a smile:

"Meeting adjourned. Everyone, you can get back to your work."

The people at the table exchanged glances. They tentatively began to file out, their hearts pounding as they passed the group of uniformed police officers.

"You can leave too."

Cheng Yang glanced at the executive, who immediately departed.

Now, the only people left in the room were the dozen or so police officers, Cheng Yang, who remained seated, and three other men in suits.

"You're Mr. Cheng Yang, correct?"

"We'll have to ask you... to come with us."