Chapter 1617 - 777

Chapter 1617: Chapter 777

The two entered the living room.

Fang Cheng let Ah Le sit down, then went to the bar to pour another glass of warm water, and handed it over:

"Have some water first, to soothe your throat."

Ah Le took the glass with both hands:

"Thank you, Mr. Fang."

After expressing his gratitude, he held the glass without drinking, his body still tense.

Fang Cheng sat on the sofa opposite him and asked first:

"I heard from Elder Shen that you led a team to Black Water River this morning, looking for the two brothers who were involved in last night’s incident?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Le’s hand holding the glass shook slightly, causing ripples in the water.

He suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Fang Cheng:

"Mr. Fang, you already know?"

"Know what?"

Fang Cheng felt a bit puzzled:

"I just heard that they drove into the mountains last night, lost control of the car on the road, broke through the guardrail, overturned, and fell into the river. I don’t know the specifics."

"It wasn’t an accident!"

Ah Le gritted his back teeth, and the muscles in his cheeks tightened.

He hesitated for a moment, staring at the glass in his hand, and said in a low voice:

"Mr. Fang, do you remember those man-eating monsters from the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps?"

Fang Cheng’s heart stirred, and he adjusted his sitting posture:

"I remember, what’s up?"

Ah Le swallowed saliva, then slowly said:

"The way Ah Liang and Ah Fei died is very similar to our brother who was eaten by that muscular monster before. It’s definitely not an accidental car crash!"

Ah Liang and Ah Fei naturally referred to those two members of the association who transported firearms into the mountains overnight.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly, leaned back against the sofa, and ordered in a deep voice:

"How did they die? Tell me the details."

Ah Le took a deep breath, calmed down his emotions, and recounted the events:

"I got the news this morning and rushed to the scene, brought a few brothers who were good at swimming into the river, and finally found the car that had sunk to the riverbed."

"Then we got a salvage ship, sent people to tie the car’s frame with ropes, and dragged the entire car to the shore."

"We checked carefully, found the car window glass shattered, the front and doors deformed terribly from the impact, stuck tightly."

"Ah Liang and Ah Fei were strapped into their seatbelts, staying in the car, but their death was strange, not by crash or drowning."

"Because when we salvaged it, the people inside... didn’t look like normal corpses at all..."

At this point, Ah Le’s voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.

"What’s wrong?"

Fang Cheng’s gaze tightened, focusing on Ah Le’s sweaty face.

"They... looked like wind-dried bacon hanging under the eaves."

Ah Le’s Adam’s apple rolled difficultly, speaking faster:

"Entire body shrunk, only a layer of gray-white skin tightly wrapped around the bones. The eyeballs were sunken into the eye sockets, and the mouth wide open, as if seeing something terrifying before dying."

"Among the brothers who went, one had worked as a coroner. Bravely examined them and found all their blood gone, as if drained instantly by something."

Ah Le suddenly lifted his head, his eyes showing undisguised fear:

"Mr. Fang, I’ve been in the mix for over twenty years, done plenty of things where the knife sees blood, but I’ve never seen such a death."

"This can’t possibly be something from a vendetta, definitely done by those monsters lurking in the shadows!"

"Just like... the last time when the Chairman was kidnapped by the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps, it’s absolutely not a normal method!"

While speaking, he tightly clutched the glass in his hand.

Ever since experiencing that near-death kidnapping incident, Ah Le is now very wary of these mutants with strange abilities.

Like a bird startled by a bow, even a slight movement in the wind can trigger his nerves.

Fang Cheng nodded slightly, indicating understanding.

Ah Le continued with difficulty:

"With such bizarre happenings, I’m afraid someone might be targeting the Chairman again, or coming after our East City Association."

"But when I reported back to the Chairman, he just glanced at the scene photos, told me not to make a fuss, said we might have just encountered some passing evil beings, and ordered the hall to distribute compensation to settle the matter."

Ah Le sighed longly:

"I really feel unsure, troubled. I thought repeatedly, you are a top expert in these matters, well-informed."

"Thus, I can only thicken my face and come to Mr. Fang, hoping to hear your thoughts."

Fang Cheng, after listening, didn’t immediately speak.

He lowered his eyelids, thoughts floating in his heart.

The inexplicable feeling from the morning seemed to intensify at this moment.

Ordinary car accidents couldn’t create two mummified corpses, clearly indicating the appearance of mutants or some kind of monster.

It’s just not clear yet who the real target is.

Could also be a spontaneous crime.

He raised his head, seeing Ah Le looking at him expectantly, then asked:

"Have there been any other unusual things happening in the East City Association recently?"

"No."

Ah Le shook his head decisively:

"Business in each branch and hall is running normally, haven’t heard of any strange occurrences."

"Have there been conflicts with other association forces?" Fang Cheng continued to ask.

Ah Le thought for a moment, then replied:

"Recently, over the spot rights for a few pubs and nightclubs in the southern district, the brothers down below indeed had some friction with Big Head Jiao’s people, mutually smashed two spots."

"But the matter didn’t escalate; both sides’ seniors have already agreed to meet at the teahouse next week for talks."

He paused, then added:

"Big Head Jiao is just a low-grade troupe, under a retired uncle, has at most a few hundred thugs collecting protection fees, with no major backing behind them."