CHAPTER 433: CHAPTER 433 SORRY, YOU’RE UNDER ARREST

"How could that be?" Wang Lan finally looked up and asked. He had previously only discussed reviewing the related clues. The likelihood of Wu Changyue hiding in a house that had already been sold—a point Wang Lan had used merely as an example to urge his subordinates to be thorough—seemed too low.

But now, Wang Lan suddenly found it strange. Real estate prices in Modu City were already high, so why were Wu Changyue’s houses priced higher than the surrounding market rate? Were his houses particularly outstanding?

"The police superintendent didn’t ask, but real estate prices aren’t fixed anyway. Even in the same complex, the same building, different floors will have different prices."

"Make me a spreadsheet of the times Wu Changyue sold his houses!"

"Okay!"

About an hour later, the transaction times and amounts for sixty houses were sorted and printed out. Wang Lan’s eyes sparkled as he compared the figures on the spreadsheet.

"Our investigation team has the highest authority from the Tianjian Bureau, right? Go check out Hongfeng Real Estate. Especially over the past three years, look into their profits, investment directions, and if there’s anything odd about who they’re dealing with."

"Uh?" Yang Yang’s expression turned serious. "Team leader, are you suspecting... Luo Jianli? Although he’s from the enforcement division, he’s well-liked. I’ve heard if he hadn’t been injured on a mission, he would definitely be at a team leader level in the Action Department by now."

"Heard? Isn’t he your colleague?"

"I was only transferred here from Jin City the year before last," Yang Yang said with a naive smile.

"An old superior, eh? And I didn’t even realize it."

"Stop teasing me. Besides, Suzhou City is also an independent branch of the Tianjian Bureau now. Team leader, you haven’t said yet, but if Luo Jianli really is one of our own, it would be bad to misunderstand him."

"Look, every time Wu Changyue sold a house, Hongfeng Real Estate was the buyer. I compared it with the average real estate prices in Modu City at the time, and Wu Changyue’s properties were sold for two million more. Two million—that’s not a small sum.

And look at the transaction records from the Business Administration: every time Wu Changyue aggressively harvested pigs, it was around the same time he sold his properties. But his expenditure on pig harvests wasn’t even one-fifth of the revenue from selling his houses.

Yet Wu Changyue’s accounts show he doesn’t actually have that much money, and even his bank transaction records don’t show these sums.

We previously assumed Wu Changyue had transferred the money through secret channels and even managed to keep the transactions out of the bank records. This made us realize with a chilling certainty just how deep and well-hidden the Demon Clan spies were. But if we look at it from another angle, could we assume that Wu Changyue never actually received the money from selling the houses?"

"Never received it?"

"Yes, never received it. If he never had it, of course, there would be no trace. If so, the transaction records for these sixty properties might actually be empty, just records on paper. That’s why I want you to secretly investigate. I hope it’s not just paper records; otherwise, Hongfeng Real Estate will be inextricably linked with Wu Changyue. Also, keep an eye on Luo Jianli—what he’s been up to lately, any unusual behavior."

"Yes!"

Since the biggest threat in Modu City had been resolved, the pressure on Wang Lan from above wasn’t particularly high. They essentially told him to take his time with the investigation, not to rush, and to let them know if he needed anything.

The school had pretty much the same attitude. They told him not to worry about his studies; he would be granted full attendance and five points daily. They urged him to investigate thoroughly and to root out the Demon Clan spy at all costs.

But with the base destroyed, what was this about rooting them out? Wang Lan couldn’t help but smile wryly.

So, Wang Lan finally had his own position at the Tianjian Bureau, coming into the office regularly every day.

"Team leader, I’ve found something!" Yang Yang said excitedly to Wang Lan early in the morning. "Your intuition is too sharp. Damn it, I can’t believe it. A Demon Clan spy has actually infiltrated our ranks, and we don’t even know for how many years."

"Oh? So there really is an issue with Luo Jianli?"

"Definitely an issue. I checked the asset flow of Hongfeng Real Estate, and the money truly didn’t reach Wu Changyue, although it appeared on the books. In fact, there was no actual transaction. And Hongfeng Real Estate listed those sixty properties at such high prices not because of costs, but because those sixty properties couldn’t be sold!"

"Couldn’t be sold? Why not?"

"Hongfeng Real Estate used those sixty properties as collateral to borrow one billion from banks. The properties themselves were only valued at six hundred million. Following this lead, I found that ten years ago, Luo Jianli used Hongfeng Real Estate as collateral to secure two billion in loans for a maritime tourism project. But that project turned out to be a scam; the project personnel took the funds, made a show of starting construction, but vanished without a trace within two years.

I followed up on this project and found that its initial concept was extremely visionary: creating a real underwater world at the bottom of the sea. They even bought submarines, diving equipment, and so on under the project’s name... Now that I think about it, isn’t this the same equipment we found at the Demon Clan base?"

Hearing this, Wang Lan’s expression turned wooden.

Had he actually stumbled upon the truth? Previously, Wang Lan’s speculation had been just one possibility among many, something he himself believed had less than a one percent chance of being true; otherwise, he would have investigated it personally.

But unexpectedly, this line of speculation had hit the mark, striking the bullseye like a sharp knife.

"Where is Luo Jianli? Where is he now?"

"He’s currently the liaison officer between the Tianjian Bureau and the academy. Since the state of alert in Modu City hasn’t been lifted, the Tianjian Bureau and the academy are still maintaining vigilance in various districts of Modu City, wary of a sudden opening of a Different Dimensional Space."

"Let’s go meet this Luo Jianli."

At Wang Lan’s command, two cars from the team started up and set out. As for needing support from the Tianjian Bureau... it was unnecessary. Did they need the Tianjian Bureau’s help to arrest someone in the academy? The academy was full of Sweeping Monks.

The two cars drove straight into the academy; this was the first time Wang Lan felt so imposing. The joint command—a coalition of the military, the police superintendent, the academy, and the Tianjian Bureau—had been formed to ensure that every district had a Star Martial Warrior squad and that every street and community was patrolled by guards. Because the Demon Clan base had recently been taken down, the joint command center was still extremely tense, fearing that the Demon Clan, in a fit of desperation, might launch another attack like the previous one.

Wang Lan knocked on the door and entered the command center. The command center, formerly a multifunctional classroom at the academy capable of seating three hundred students, had been converted and no longer resembled its original state.

The classroom was packed with monitors, and dozens of communication officers were continuously receiving reports and issuing orders, bustling with activity. Even when Wang Lan and his seven-person team arrived, most people didn’t notice.

"Wang Lan, what are you doing here?" Longya asked in surprise, quickly standing up and walking over.

"Director Long," Wang Lan greeted with a smile, slowly turning to look at Luo Jianli, who was approaching with him.

Suddenly, his figure flashed, and his palm struck Luo Jianli’s chest. This sudden, violent action came without any warning. Only after Wang Lan’s hand landed did Longya’s face register horror.

"Colonel Wang, what are you doing?" Luo Jianli stood motionless, his face sullen, but the cold glint in his eyes told everyone he was furious.

"Colonel Luo, you’ve hidden yourself well. I now suspect you’ve engaged in espionage. You are under arrest."

The atmosphere in the command room instantly became dead silent. Everyone was surprised by the sudden turn of events, but they all looked at Luo Jianli with suspicion. Compared to Wang Lan, Luo Jianli’s status and words carried no persuasive power.

By now, an unspoken rule had essentially formed: if Wang Lan said you were a spy, then you were, no matter how much you argued.

"Wang Lan, do you know what you’re talking about?"

"I am crystal clear! Yang Yang, cuff him, take him away!"

Yang Yang took out the Star Force Suppression Handcuffs and strode forward. Just as he was about to cuff Luo Jianli, a sudden change occurred.

A strong sense of crisis washed over him, and Wang Lan instantly pushed Yang Yang away. As he pushed Yang Yang, his own body also dispersed. Almost at the exact instant Wang Lan’s body transformed into a kaleidoscope of butterflies, a beam of light shot through the butterfly mirage.

This was a maneuver requiring extreme precision; had he been slower by even a tenth of a second, Wang Lan could have been killed. The beam of light shot straight through the roof, turning into a streak of white light piercing the sky.

Wang Lan’s body reappeared instantly in a corner of the classroom, his eyes showing a look of shock as he gazed at Luo Jianli.

"Everyone, retreat quickly!" Yu Ruoyun urgently shouted.

From Luo Jianli’s attack, it could be inferred that his strength exceeded the Star Sea realm, and he might even have transcended the Titled Strongman realm. That strike carried the power of Annihilation; anyone in the room, if even grazed by it, would surely be reduced to ash.

"Liu Changfeng... surprised to see me out, are you? Shocked?" Although Luo Jianli’s mouth didn’t move, a chilling voice that sent shivers down the spine emanated from his body.

"An Ancient Giant Demon?" Wang Lan looked solemnly at Luo Jianli, whose face was now covered in bloodshot veins and rapidly developing fine scales.

"Liu Changfeng, are you still unwilling to come out?" the Ancient Giant Demon spoke another enigmatic sentence.

"If that’s the case, then I’ll just kill your host!" In an instant, Luo Jianli took a gentle step, but his figure bizarrely appeared right in front of Wang Lan.

At that moment, all Wang Lan felt was his scalp tingle. Almost instantly, his Star Palace opened, and the Phoenix Saint Cloth, his Star Palace Artifact, burst forth, encasing him just moments before Luo Jianli’s palm could strike his chest.

WHAM!

A terrifying power emanated from Luo Jianli’s palm, and ripples in space spread out between them. Luo Jianli’s palm force was halted three inches from Wang Lan’s chest, yet Wang Lan’s body twisted violently in the spatial ripples.

"Wang Lan!"

The people around finally reacted, simultaneously attacking Luo Jianli.

BOOM!

As if they had hit an invisible wall, Longya, Yang Yang, Jiang Xinyu, and the others were instantly repelled by an invisible barrier. Even Yu Ruoyun, who rushed forward to help, was unceremoniously knocked back several steps.

"Huh? Your Star Palace Artifact is rather strange," Luo Jianli commented lightly.

BOOM!

Violent power erupted from Luo Jianli’s palm, and Wang Lan’s body was blasted away like a cannonball, breaking through the roof and streaking towards the sky with a trail of light.

On the Heart Mirror over his chest, a crack suddenly appeared.

The Phoenix Saint Cloth, capable of withstanding 30,000 degrees of heat without deforming and resisting artillery fire without damage, was actually cracked by a single blow from Luo Jianli?

At that instant, Wang Lan felt his hair stand on end.

"Die!" Luo Jianli’s figure had somehow appeared eerily beside Wang Lan, with such speed that Wang Lan had no time to react.

"Phoenix Form, activate!"