Chapter 35: 34: "Danger removed, all is well tonight.
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Fucking world, always filled with fucking people, doing one fucking thing after another, even more fucked up than the last.
If you want to be someone in this world,
you have to be a person who loves fucking things up even more than they do.
"..."
This was the heartfelt sentiment of Chen Miao, hiding behind the hill at the distant crime scene, after witnessing those police officers slaying the survivors.
Under the cover of night, he didn't immediately flee far away after escaping but found a hill to lie behind and stealthily observe. He needed to determine the level of danger based on the police's response, to formulate a corresponding strategy.
Level S Danger: Immediately escape far away, not looking back as he leaves Fengtian City.
Level A Danger: Temporarily hide in the suburban graveyard for a few weeks and assess the situation.
Level B...
Level E Danger: Nothing happened, as long as he doesn't turn himself in, there isn't much to do with him.
It seemed like it was Level E; he was too far away to hear what those people were saying, only vaguely seeing someone crawl out of a pool of blood and apparently say something. Just as he tensed up internally, cursing Doctor Gou for not finishing the job properly even though he was such a sly old fox.
With such a survivor, once they return and find out their child died in the Secret Realm, and only he and Hungry Monkey came out alive, he would definitely be dragged back into this.
Most importantly, with the existence of such a witness, the Enforcement Bureau, even if they wanted to wrap up the case hastily, wouldn't be able to. Not to mention imprisoning him, they could definitely make his life messy.
While he pondered what to do,
he saw the captain of those police officers pick up the weapon from the ground, and with a swift motion, end the last survivor.
Good.
Now there were no survivors left.
Simply perfect.
Although this event seemed preposterous, from his perspective, it definitely worked to his advantage.
For that captain, it was even more advantageous. Dealing with a case with live witnesses was much more difficult than one with none.
For Fengtian City, it was even more beneficial. The 'Envy' one died silently, without anyone else knowing, meaning no one would come troubling Fengtian.
It was extremely beneficial for Doctor Gou as well.
It was simply a win all around, the only ones possibly losing were those lying in the pool of blood, but they were already dead, so winning or losing didn't matter anymore.
"Let's go."
Once he confirmed that it would hardly implicate him, Chen Miao took one last meaningful look at the uniformed captain's silhouette in the distance, impressing his image onto his memory, and quietly left in the night with Hungry Monkey.
Danger averted.
Nothing to worry about tonight.
...
"Let's go, folks. Let's have supper, my treat."
"We still have to deal with those family members tomorrow."
"It's quite troublesome."
In Fengtian City, at the Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau, a man in uniform stepped out, pulled out a cigarette from his chest pocket, put it in his mouth, and, after exhaling a long puff of smoke, sighed and said, "This fucking job is just too much to handle in one day."
He was the captain who had dealt with the case in the suburbs tonight.
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He was busy until four in the morning before it finally came to an end.
However, tomorrow is the main event, and he had already dispatched someone to notify the families of the victims. These people were no pushovers, and their combined pressure on the Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau would be enough to give him a headache.
Even so, this was already the best outcome, certainly better than if the people from the "Envy" organization were to apply pressure.
At the end of the day, they were just ordinary folks and easy to handle.
In the face of the federal law enforcement agencies, they hardly mattered.
And behind him was a crowd of about thirty people, all members of his team who had worked with him tonight on the case. These people were tight-lipped and sensible.
When selecting his team members, he had carefully weeded out some of the fools.
Those who remained were those who could weigh pros and cons. He never relied on brotherly loyalty for their secrecy, but instead, he bound everyone's interests together. With everyone's hands dirty, who could report another without implicating themselves?
Most importantly, there was no benefit to reporting. Even if someone reported successfully, they would only get some symbolic rewards. On the contrary, they would no longer be valued by those above; no one likes a snitch.
No one would know who might be snitched on next. To put it bluntly, how many in the bureau were truly clean?
"Captain Zhou."
Not far from the Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau, this captain named Zhou Yinao had just found a barbecue stand and was ready to treat his team members at the public expense when he saw a subordinate with a complicated look on his face come over.
"We've just received a message: the children and apprentices, including the students, of this batch of victims all died in an F-level 'Medal of Warfire' Experience Secret Realm in Fengtian City this afternoon."
"It was a multiplayer secret realm for 30 people. Thirty went in, and in the end, only Hungry Monkey and Chen Miao came out alive."
"According to surveillance provided by the Secret Realm Building, these two were brought into the building by Doctor Gou, and when Doctor Gou fled, the figures of the other two men matched these two."
"Huh?"
Having just poured himself a glass of beer that he had yet to drink, Zhou Yinao stood stunned and incredulous upon hearing his subordinate's report.
Experience Secret Realm, huh.
Everyone knows it's almost absolutely safe.
The only danger in such realms comes from the Supernatural Profession Players who enter the realm with you. These weren't easy targets, the children of the victims. Two people managed to kill 28 others?
And they came out without a scratch?
However, for him, this was good news. It meant there would be fewer families putting pressure on him tomorrow.
"Not bad."
Zhou Yinao nodded, downed the beer in his hand, then lit another cigarette. Having shed his uniform, he wrapped himself in a coat and sat at the somewhat desolate barbecue stand under the night sky. He casually looked at the deserted street and said.
"It's good news."
"There's more..."
The subordinate with the complex expression continued: "The Intelligence Division also has information. Tonight we received many reports of blood smells coming from neighbors' houses. At the time, we were in the Sankui Wasteland, so the bureau dispatched people."
"They were all home invasions, clean and efficient, obviously the work of professionals."
"Most of the bodies have been identified now, all relatives of the victims from tonight's incident in the Sankui Wilderness, and we're still receiving reports, with more bodies yet to be identified."
"Unless something unexpected happens, it looks like no family of the victims will be coming to apply pressure tomorrow."
"They've all neatly embarked on the same journey."
"Ah?"
Captain Zhou's mouth slowly gaped open, his face full of shock and disbelief as he turned to the subordinate reporting the intelligence, asking subconsciously, "Are you serious?"
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