Chapter 115 - 98: Accelerating the Li Family’s Demise

Chapter 115: Chapter 98: Accelerating the Li Family’s Demise

"To disregard all human decency and natural order, to secretly control such a vile creature...

and to commit the atrocity of slaughtering the common people!"

This declaration was earth-shattering.

The crowd below instantly erupted into an uproar!

The reporters were like sharks that had smelled blood, desperately pushing forward.

They raised their arms high, shouting questions.

Eager to dig up the more horrifying secrets behind the story.

Before the commotion could escalate, the deputy director waved a sharp hand. "Bring him up!"

Two burly team members carried up a man whose body was like soft clay, all his bones broken.

The man’s face was ashen and his eyes darted about. It was the Li Family confidant who had been captured that day.

"This man is a member of the Xiaoshan Li Family!"

The deputy director’s voice boomed like a great bell as he pointed at the man.

"My colleagues from the bureau were at the scene where the Water Monkey was captured when they saw this fiend acting furtively.

His behavior was suspicious, so he was apprehended immediately!

After an overnight interrogation, this man confessed to his crimes without reservation.

The tragedy in Lou Mountain County the day before yesterday was the work of this man.

He used this wicked whip to command the Water Monkey!"

As he finished speaking, another person came forward, holding a long, dark red whip in both hands that looked as if it were soaked in blood.

The deputy director took the whip, walked to the iron cage, and cracked it in the air toward the Water Monkey inside.

"CRACK!"

The sound of the whip wasn’t particularly loud.

The Water Monkey, which had been struggling and growling,

suddenly shrieked in absolute terror as if struck by lightning.

Its maimed body desperately recoiled into a corner of the cage, as if the whip were the most horrifying thing imaginable.

The witness and the physical evidence were both right before their eyes.

The public’s fury was completely ignited.

"Punish the murderer!"

"Expose the mastermind!"

"The Li Family are killers!"

The roars of outrage were deafening.

The clicks from the reporters’ cameras nearly blended into a single, continuous sound, and the flashes washed out the faces of everyone on the stage.

The deputy director pressed his hands down, barely managing to control the scene. "Everyone, Director Lu will answer your questions in detail shortly.

Right now, the hour has come.

The first priority is to execute this monster and bring solace to the innocent souls who have died!"

"Along with this whip, stained with blood and used to control a vile beast—this whip of sin.

Today, it too shall be destroyed in public, to eliminate this evil for good!"

At his command, well-prepared team members quickly moved forward.

They piled a large amount of dry firewood around and on top of the iron cage, then doused it with oil. The strong smell filled the air.

The dark red whip was also tossed onto the pyre.

"Director, may we proceed with the execution?"

The deputy director turned to ask for instructions from Lu Jing’an, who had been sitting silently with a calm gaze.

Lu Jing’an nodded slightly, uttering a single, clear, cold word: "Execute."

"Execute!"

Seven or eight oil-soaked torches were forcefully thrown into the pile of wood.

"BOOM!"

Flames shot into the sky, instantly engulfing the iron cage.

The tongues of fire danced wildly, and the waves of heat forced the front rows of the crowd to retreat.

The firelight illuminated Lu Jing’an’s calm profile, as well as the countless faces in the crowd below—some filled with grief and indignation, others with excitement or satisfaction.

Inside the cage, the Water Monkey let out a desperate, shrill, inhuman screech.

It thrashed about frantically, which only made the flames burn more intensely.

The howling lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then gradually weakened before falling silent.

It was at this moment that Lu Jing’an collected the Water Monkey’s Divine Soul.

As for the whip, he had secretly swapped it out before it was thrown into the fire.

The real Treasure, a relic left by his master’s wife.

He would, of course, keep it safe to return to Chen Xuan.

The fire burned for over an hour, until even the bars of the wrought iron cage began to soften and warp.

When the flames finally died down, soldiers used long poles to push aside the ashes.

All that could be seen in the cage was a large, charred, curled-up mass of unrecognizable remains.

"YEAH—!"

"Heaven has eyes!"

Applause, cheers, cries of grief, shouts of approval...

All these sounds merged into a monstrous wave of noise that swept across the entire pier and shot into the heavens.

Lu Jing’an rose, preparing to take questions from reporters as planned.

However, he had just taken his position when an intelligence officer in uniform hurriedly pushed through the crowd.

The officer ran up onto the stage and leaned in to whisper a few urgent words in his ear.

Lu Jing’an’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, then smoothed out again.

He gave a slight nod to the deputy director and said no more.

Turning, he strode away, his black military coat cutting a sharp arc behind him.

Guards quickly followed, parting the crowd.

They escorted him to a car that was already waiting.

"Young Master, was that a call from Secretary Hu?" Inside the car, Chen Xuan, who had been following him like a shadow, asked in a low voice.

"Mm."

Lu Jing’an leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the rapidly receding streetscape outside the window.

His fingers unconsciously toyed with an exquisite solid gold lighter, making a faint "click" as he opened and closed it.

"The call came directly to the Water Patrol Bureau. I wasn’t there at the time, so it was transferred to my father."

A hint of apology crossed Chen Xuan’s face. "Young Master, I’ve caused you trouble."

Lu Jing’an shook his head, his tone calm yet filled with unquestionable resolve:

"Master, I’ve told you before, there’s no need for such formalities between us.

The help you’ve given me is far greater than you can imagine.

Besides, Father had already predicted that the directorship of this soon-to-be-established New City Public Security Bureau would be a hot potato.

The Li Family is backed by the Bai Family. They would never sit back and watch such a prize fall into the Lu Family’s hands.

Ceding it now is just retreating in order to advance."

The car sped along, quickly arriving at the Public Security Bureau.

Lu Jing’an, with Chen Xuan in tow, went straight to the director’s office.

Lu Huaiqian was standing at the window with his back to the door, looking down at the street below.

The telephone receiver rested quietly in its cradle.

"Father, what did Secretary Hu say?" Lu Jing’an asked, closing the door.

Lu Huaiqian turned around, his face unreadable.

He walked over to the large mahogany desk, sat down, and rested his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray: