CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 227: THE CONFRONTATION

"Could that old man have really found something?" Zhu Zhu couldn’t help but ask as they returned to the room.

Even Zhu Jing, who was usually brash and carefree, chose to remain silent this time. The Silvermoon Douluo was the most powerful individual on the surface in the Sun-Moon Empire—his strength was beyond question.

What worried them even more was the fact that he was a Level 10 Soul Engineer, known for his mastery over various soul tools.

What an ordinary soul master couldn’t uncover, he might be able to figure out with the help of his soul tools.

Seeing Zhu Jing’s silence, Zhu Zhu grew more anxious. "Why don’t the two of you just run? With your strength, if it’s just about getting away, it shouldn’t be that hard."

"No rush yet. It’s only Silvermoon Douluo—we should still be able to handle him," Fang Chang said, startling Zhu Zhu so much her jaw nearly dropped.

She knew Fang Chang had been hiding his true strength. She also knew he and Zhu Jing had killed two Titled Douluo from Shrek Academy.

But she had always assumed Fang Chang was just an ordinary Titled Douluo, and that Zhu Jing had done most of the heavy lifting in the kill.

If that was the extent of his power, she wouldn’t have been too surprised—after all, before she underwent remolding and began cultivating again, she could’ve done the same.

But now Fang Chang was claiming he could take on a Level 10 Soul Engineer? That was enough to make her view him with awe.

Zhu Jing, however, wasn’t all that surprised. She had seen firsthand how Fang Chang had dealt with those two Titled Douluo.

At that time, she had already guessed that Fang Chang’s strength was at least on par with a Peerless Douluo.

"Mm. If something really does go down, the two of us should be able to hold out for a while." Zhu Jing bit her lip. "I’m just worried they might have laid other traps."

"Silvermoon Douluo is the Grand Worshipper of the Imperial Worship Hall. He has no shortage of Titled Douluo at his disposal."

"If they also bring in the Imperial Soul Engineer Legion and the enigmatic Soul-Life Sect, whose relationship with the Webspinners is rather... ambiguous, then we’ll be in real trouble."

At this point, Zhu Jing was already considering retreat. Taking out two Titled Douluo-level Webspinners was a major victory in her eyes.

She wasn’t in a hurry to fully uncover the connection between the Webspinners and other factions. After all, with the current strength of the spider clan, even knowing the truth wouldn’t change anything—they simply didn’t have the power to act on it.

But Fang Chang was not satisfied. Now that they were just a step away from the truth—especially after learning of the Webspinners’ connection to the Tang Sect—he couldn’t let it go.

While they hesitated, several figures had gathered in a small square deep within Shrek Academy.

Anyone who recognized them would be stunned—for these were some of the most elite Soul Engineers in the entire Sun-Moon Empire.

"Well? Have you figured anything out?" Silvermoon Douluo’s voice was cold as he looked at the group in the square.

The group hesitated for a moment before shaking their heads. It had already been three days since the incident had been handed over to them, and the area had been inspected several times, disrupting the crime scene.

Worse yet, the bodies had already been moved, making it nearly impossible to piece together what had happened.

"There aren’t many signs of battle at the scene, which suggests the victims were completely overpowered—it must’ve been an instant kill," one of them said.

"I looked at the bodies of the dean and that elder from Shrek Academy. Both committed suicide by poison."

"Before they died, their soul power was crippled, and their limbs were broken. They were probably tortured for sensitive information before being forced to take their own lives," another added.

Hearing his companions speak, a third Soul Engineer also chimed in. "There shouldn’t have been many attackers. I used a soul tool to analyze the area—besides the dead, there aren’t many other footprints."

"Your soul tool must be busted, bro," someone interjected. "I scanned the place too—there were two attackers."

As he spoke, he activated a soul tool he carried with him, releasing a fine white powder that settled onto the ground. Footprints appeared from the shadows where Fang Chang and Zhu Jing had hidden to a short wall nearby.

It was easy to tell at a glance—there were two distinct sets of prints.

Silvermoon Douluo’s frown deepened as he listened to their analysis. "You’re all missing the key point."

With a wave of his hand, his soul tool released several beams of light, illuminating various hidden areas around the square.

"Look closely at these spots." The places he revealed were all elevated terrain—but each bore clear signs of having been soaked.

Some were rusted, others covered in fresh moss. All of it indicated recent exposure to a highly saline liquid.

Seeing this, the Soul Engineers around him were startled. "We overlooked that detail."

"Also, among the dead, several had bodies showing signs of water exposure. I shouldn’t have to spell it out," Silvermoon Douluo added.

"You mean... the Pavilion Master of Pearl Sea Pavilion, Zhu Jing?" someone asked.

There was only one person in all of Sun-Moon City capable of causing such traces—Zhu Jing.

"And she was here at Shrek Academy when the incident happened. Even if we can’t say for certain she’s the culprit, all the evidence points to her being the prime suspect," Silvermoon Douluo said, his tone rising.

"But could she really have done this alone?" someone asked in disbelief.

Though she was a 97th-level Titled Douluo, her opponents weren’t weaklings. It was hard to believe she could have taken them out so effortlessly.

"That’s exactly what worries me," Silvermoon Douluo sighed. "I suspect she had help—someone on par with myself."

"That’s why I called you all here, and why I contacted both the Soul-Life Sect and the Royal Soul Engineer Legion. They’ll be sending reinforcements shortly."

"Tonight, we’re going all in."

Amid this rising tension, another day passed.

At nightfall, a low-ranking messenger from the Sun-Moon Empire arrived at Fang Chang’s place.

"Pavilion Master Zhu, Silvermoon Douluo asks for your presence at the Academy’s main hall. He says the investigation has progressed and your assistance is required."

Before Zhu Jing could refuse, the messenger turned and ran as if fleeing for his life.

"It’s here," Zhu Jing sighed. "They must have discovered something."

"Zhu Jing-jie, please—run!" Zhu Zhu pleaded again.

"I can’t. It’s too late now. If they dared to call me, they’ve already made every preparation." Zhu Jing turned to Fang Chang.

"Brother Fang Qi, what do you think? We got into this mess together—don’t tell me you’re going to leave me hanging now."

There was a hint of desperation in her tone. She knew that escaping alone would be nearly impossible. Her only hope now lay with Fang Chang.

"I’ll go with you. I’d like to see just what they plan to do," Fang Chang said calmly.

He activated his transformation ability to alter his appearance and prepared to leave with her.

Zhu Zhu opened her mouth to speak but held back, her words catching in her throat.

Fang Chang turned back to her with a carefree smile. "Don’t worry. Just wait for me here."