CHAPTER 427: CHAPTER 427 DEMON IN ACTION

"Why were you notified first instead of me?" Wang Lan asked Yu Ruoyun as soon as he saw her fully prepared to depart. Wang Lan was the leader of the investigation team; it made no sense for him not to be notified first about any new developments.

"That area was under the responsibility of students from the academy, and the team leader is a student council member. They heard we’ve been particularly interested in the auto repair shop recently, and the incident just so happened to occur at the employee dormitory of the auto repair shop."

"How bad is the situation?"

"It’s not good," Yu Ruoyun shook her head. "When the spatial rift appeared, it was the middle of the night with no fluctuations, no abnormalities. And those Exotic Beasts were very strange, a type of liquid worm-like beast."

They emerged silently and slaughtered just as silently. By the time the students arrived, the auto repair shop’s employee dormitory had been wiped out. Even people from a few nearby hardware and decoration material stores were killed."

When Wang Lan and the others reached the auto repair company, the whole place was in disarray. Under the command of the academy’s Star Martial Warriors, the local police were using heavy machinery for cleanup.

The horrific state of the scene made Wang Lan and the others feel somewhat queasy. These Exotic Beasts could turn into flowing liquid, so the entire area was covered in this viscous substance with a strong, foul smell.

"Have there been any reports of other rifts into Different Dimensional Spaces?"

"Not yet."

"It can’t be such a coincidence," Wang Lan immediately said. This is the Demon Clan’s way of silencing people. This means we’re on the right track, and this auto repair shop must be the one modifying the buses for them. "Quick, where’s the shop owner?"

Wang Lan hastily used his Tianjian Bureau authority to investigate and pinpoint the owner’s location. The owner’s home was in a residential area less than three kilometers away from the shop. They rushed over immediately, but by the time they blasted through the owner’s door, it was too late.

The family of the auto repair shop owner had all perished, and they seemed to have died without suffering. Their faces were still serene, as if they were sleeping peacefully.

"Everyone, look around and see if you can find any clues."

"Chief? Would the Demon Clan leave behind any clues?" Yang Yang asked doubtfully. This was clearly a case of the Demon Clan covering their tracks. The crime scene was spotless, and the Demon Clan had fled. What clues could there be?

"Don’t tell me you’ve worked with me before," Wang Lan sighed as he spoke to Yang Yang. Normally so smart, how could he suddenly become so foolish?

"Captain, I think the leader is looking for survivors among the auto repair shop’s employees," Yu Ruoyun said.

"Weren’t they all killed?"

"Those who lived in the employee dormitory and the boss died. But there are surely some who didn’t stay at the company’s dorm. And even if all the current employees are dead, couldn’t there be ex-employees?" Wang Lan said as he rummaged through drawers.

"Found it," Jiang Xinyu suddenly came running over, holding a list of employee contact numbers. Wang Lan took it gladly and immediately took out his phone to scan the photos. With Xiao Ai’s help, they quickly filtered out the employees residing in Modu City.

There were seven employees who either rented their own places or owned homes nearby. Wang Lan promptly ordered the team to split up and head to the homes of these employees.

Fortunately, Wang Lan had thought this through, something the Demon Clan had not considered. After dividing the team, they all found their targets without any trouble. If the Demon Clan had thought of this, they would have silenced these employees right after dealing with the owner.

Show your badges, assist in the investigation, and take them away! After this swift process, the team members regrouped half an hour later.

"Officer, we’re really good people! We haven’t done anything bad! I have a legitimate job, truly... you’ve got the wrong person," pleaded one of them.

"I’ve explained this over and over again: we’re not arresting you; we’re asking for your assistance in the investigation. You’re in danger right now. Taking you away is to protect you, and to keep your families from harm."

"I’m not well-educated, so don’t try to fool me. I’m just an auto mechanic—hardworking, law-abiding, and I never cause trouble with anyone. Who would want to harm me? To the point of wiping out my entire family?"

"Exactly! We’re all poor. Earning ten thousand Jade Coins a month is barely enough to feed one’s family in Modu City."

"You all work for Xin Cheng Auto Repair, right?"

"Yes, but we don’t handle dirty work. We don’t take in, modify, or sell cars of unknown origins... That’s the boss’s ’three nos’ policy."

"The owner of Xin Cheng Auto Repair and over one hundred employees living in the dormitory were all killed tonight."

"CLICK—"

That was the crisp sound of necks twisting. The people in the car all widened their eyes, mouths opening and closing without a sound for a long while.

"Is it true... or a joke? Impossible, right?"

"You think we brought you all the way out here to make a joke? Sorry, but we’re rather busy."

Upon returning to the Tianjian Bureau, just as they passed the reception desk, the intelligent AI receptionist suddenly called out, "Colonel Wang Lan, this is a fax from the Business Administration Bureau for you."

"Business Administration Bureau? Why?" Wang Lan took the fax, puzzled.

He led the group back to the interrogation room. Faced with the setup, the few employees still in pajamas immediately grew tense and shivered.

"Is it too cold? Turn up the heat a bit."

"No, no... there’s no need."

"It’s just... we’re a bit nervous..."

Without any further ado, Wang Lan placed a photo of the bus in front of them. "Does anyone recognize this bus? It should have been modified at your auto repair shop about five years ago."

"Well, I certainly don’t remember; I’ve only been working for a year," one of them replied.

"I’ve only been here two years myself."

"Jin, you’ve been working in the shop the longest; do you remember anything?" one person asked a lean middle-aged man, who was frowning in deep thought.

"Officer... I think I do have some impression. Our shop usually modifies family cars. While we do get a lot of bus repairs, modifications are rare. But if you’re talking about five years ago... I don’t remember. I only recall a modification from three years ago."

"Three years ago? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure. Because that batch of cars was so special, I remember it very clearly."

"That batch? More than one vehicle?"

"Yes, a total of nine vehicles. I can’t quite remember the name of that boss, something with ’Yu’ in it..."

"Chen Feiyu?"

"Right, right, Chen Feiyu."

"Tell me in detail. Xu Ting, take notes."

"About three years ago, a boss brought in nine buses for us to modify. Those buses were retired from long-distance bus stations and didn’t have any major problems themselves. It’s just that they’d been used for a long time and were a bit worn.

But that boss was very generous; he wanted to change everything. From the engine to the transmission system, even the dashboards had to be replaced. Including reinforcing the vehicle’s frame and such, each bus cost at least a million Jade Coins to modify.

At that time, our boss quoted twelve million for nine vehicles, and to our surprise, that boss paid without a second word. That boss runs a driving school and wanted to modify the buses into student training vehicles, reinforcing the bodywork to withstand impacts. I thought, which driving school is so lavish with their spending?"

"What happened after that? Did you guys deliver the buses, or did they come to pick them up?"

"We delivered them."

"Where to?" Wang Lan suddenly became serious.

"To their driving school."

"The driving school? Located in Jiuting?"

"Seems like it. The Feiyu Driving School."

"That’s not right, though. Feiyu Driving School turned into an agricultural production site five years ago... How could you still see a driving school there three years ago?"

"But at the time, it really was a driving school. I was one of the people who delivered the buses. Maybe I remembered the place wrong; maybe it’s not the same place we’re talking about."

"Who else was with you delivering the buses? Do you have their contact information?"

"Yes, there were ten of us in total. Only three are left in the shop now. The other seven have left. I don’t know if they are still in Modu City. After all, the cost of living here is so high. With a salary of over ten thousand a month, if you rent a place yourself, one-third goes to rent..."

Through the information provided by Jin, Wang Lan successfully obtained the contact details of five other people. Three of them were living in the employee dormitory and were probably killed by the Exotic Beasts. Another had changed his number and was not immediately locatable.

While waiting for news, Wang Lan opened the fax from the Bureau of Industry and Commerce. One glance, and his face took on an odd expression.

The day he went to the farm and discovered they were manipulating the source of the pigs, Wang Lan immediately made a report call. The Bureau of Industry and Commerce worked efficiently. In just two days, they had a response.

But Flying Horse Farm hadn’t been buying cheap and selling high. Looking at the bank statements from past years, Flying Horse Farm had large outflows of funds but no inflows.

Moreover, the Bureau had specifically investigated the pig farms Wang Lan mentioned and confirmed that Flying Horse Farm did indeed purchase a large number of pigs from these farms. The primary reason for the increase in pork prices in Modu City was overall price growth; Flying Horse Farm’s purchasing of large amounts of pigs was not a major factor.

The final conclusion was that even though Flying Horse Farm bought a large volume of pigs, they didn’t sell them at high prices. Therefore, there was no speculative hoarding, and it naturally didn’t constitute a problem of disrupting the industry.

In the end, Wang Lan saw that the amount Flying Horse Pasture spent on pigs over the years had reached a staggering seven to eight hundred million Jade Coins. Was Flying Horse Pasture really that wealthy? There was a problem, definitely a problem.

"Team leader!" Yang Yang returned to the interrogation room. "Investigations are clear. It was definitely Feiyu Driving School. One of the men even took driving lessons there. So there’s no mistake; Feiyu Driving School was still a driving school three years ago."

"That means there’s an issue with Flying Horse Farm. All units, pay attention! Get ready to move out."

The ten-person investigation team immediately set off and drove again to Flying Horse Farm. At that moment, the farm was eerily quiet. The guard’s lodge, which should have had someone on night duty, was lit but empty.

"Something’s fishy. Everyone be careful." Wang Lan instantly felt the abnormal atmosphere upon entering Flying Horse Farm. The whole farm was silent and pitch-black.

"Wang Lan, how about we split up to investigate?" Yu Ruoyun asked, following by Wang Lan’s side.

Wang Lan shook his head. "No. The spies from the Demon Clan must know we suspect them by now. They are definitely waiting for us."

Suddenly, a flashlight beam shone their way. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Thieves, are you?" Alongside a scolding voice, a shadow swiftly approached.

Wang Lan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He mobilized his Star Power in an instant, shooting out an Extreme Heat Light Beam.

"BOOM—" The person dressed as a guard agilely rolled over to dodge. Realizing his cover was blown, he didn’t bother to pretend any longer and tore off his clothes to reveal his true appearance.

"Demon Clan!"