Chapter 316: A Joint Investigation by Three Parties! A Shocking Speculation

Chapter 316: Chapter 174: A Joint Investigation by Three Parties! A Shocking Speculation

This is the so-called “Creator’s Game.”

You pick a few favorites, just like choosing a character in a video game.

Then, you break their bones, twist their flesh, listen to their screams, and drape a dog’s skin over them…

Afterward, they’re thrown into a pit to face off against another person’s creation.

Just like dogfighting.

These people…

To call them human would be an insult to the entire species.

They’re utter animals!

“How are the authorities planning to handle this?”

Xu Huo turned to Li Jianye.

“They’ll be sent to a care facility.”

“We’ll hire specialized caregivers to look after them, search for information on their families, and also teach them Braille.”

Li Jianye stood and said.

With that, he started walking out.

This was all the authorities could do for now. The only thing left was to pursue the case with everything they had.

“Tsk.”

Watching the other man’s back, Xu Huo stood up with a click of his tongue.

‘It never rains, but it pours.’

He didn’t say anything else, simply rising to his feet and slowly following.

Being a criminal detective is always a tough job.

Seeing this sort of thing too often… the negativity is infectious and can send a person into a deep depression.

This is why detectives have high rates of depression, and why some even become monks after resigning.

Unless one can regulate their own emotions, but how many people are truly capable of that?

Very, very few. So, they often just bury it deep inside.

「2:30 PM, January 5th.」

Xu Huo and Li Jianye had just returned from the hospital where they’d been visiting the victims. The moment they stepped out of their car, they saw Zhang Liang and Zhao Gang walking toward them.

“What is it?”

“Let’s talk inside.”

Zhang Liang glanced around before leading the group to an office.

He was already familiar with the layout of the Jiangsan City Municipal Bureau; he didn’t need a guide.

He knew his way around simply from having been there so many times.

“The orders from above came down.”

“Faster than I expected.”

Zhang Liang spoke as they walked.

It wasn’t exactly top-secret, so there was no need to be overly cautious.

“Alright. As long as there are orders, we’re good.”

Xu Huo nodded.

Zhang Liang paused, then said suddenly, “You’re a part of this.”

“Me?”

“Are you sure?”

Xu Huo was momentarily stunned.

“I’m not even in the system.”

“Ever heard of an Honorary Task Force Leader?”

As he said this, the corner of Zhang Liang’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

‘To get a capable person on board… Wang Tao really threw his pride out the window.’

‘Task Force, Honorary Leader… Zhang Liang had no idea how those two terms could even be put together!’

‘A case can last for months or be as short as a few days. What’s the use of an honorary leader!?’

‘He must have really wracked his brain to come up with this one.’

Xu Huo felt a hint of resignation, but he didn’t object.

‘An honorary leader still gets paid. No reason to turn it down.’

“Additionally, Sun Yu, Zhao Qiao, and a few others will be arriving shortly.”

“They’re the core members. Including the local Captain Li and Director Chu from Jiangsan City, we should have enough people.”

Zhang Liang listed the other team members.

Although the case was suspected to have overseas connections, the Jiangsan City police force might not be of much use.

However, Xu Huo now had another idea.

“Do you remember that stone?”

Xu Huo’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Stone? What sto—”

Zhang Liang asked instinctively, but as soon as the words left his mouth, an image flashed in his mind.

It was the stone he had found on one of the foreign agents after the Capital City case wrapped up!

It was made of Obsidian with a pure gold interior.

“You’re saying…”

Zhang Liang understood. He narrowed his eyes.

“They’re connected to this Stone Token?”

Xu Huo nodded.

“That’s right. I ran a simple experiment this morning.”

Specifically, he placed the Stone Token in front of his monkey, Xiao Bao.

Its reaction was fascinating.

Xiao Bao showed agitation, anxiety, fear, and intense hostility!

“It’s clearly a stress reaction.”

“Before this, Xiao Bao must have seen something similar. And as for this type of token, I’ve found three different kinds so far…”

A stress reaction is highly specific to the object that causes it.

For example.

If you see a passerby, you might not even give them a second glance.

But, if you see someone holding a knife and covered in blood…

You’d probably run as far away as you could.

Insects are another example.

The reaction to seeing an insect is completely different for someone who’s afraid of them versus someone who isn’t.

For the person who is afraid, their response could be considered a stress reaction.

“So you’re saying…”

“The Capital City case, the Zhaozhou case… they’re… all part of the same case!?”

In a daze, Zhang Liang narrowed his eyes.

“And this organization… can we call it ‘Celestial Kingdom’?”

‘And you have to factor in the human trafficking case from twenty years ago…’

‘They killed a police officer—tortured him to death, actually. The entire province was in an uproar at the time. It was a huge case.’

‘A case spanning twenty years, plus two other major cases…’

‘Just where the hell did this organization come from!?’

“It’s hard to say. In Zhaozhou, with Cheng Yang and the plastic surgery hospital, we didn’t find any obvious traces of this organization.”

“Besides, we haven’t found a single shred of evidence about its members. With nothing new to go on, all we can do is reason from the clues we already have.”

Xu Huo said, shaking his head.

‘The two cases in Zhaozhou.’

‘In one, the man’s own son was the problem.’

‘In the other, Cheng Yang himself wasn’t clean. In neither case did we see any personnel from the organization behind the Stone Token.’

‘Only the Capital City case and the Jiangsan City case show traces of them!’

“Of course, that’s not the main point.”

“The main point is, I’m starting to suspect something…”