Chapter 2655 - 2654: Breaking Out of the Body
Ling Feng, who had just entered the Vermilion Bird Royal City, was recognized by a commoner.
"You are... the King who fights side by side!" The commoner carrying a small bag of rice suddenly knelt down, showing respect to Ling Feng, the King who fights side by side.
Previously, Ling Feng had already been granted the title of "King who fights side by side" by Li Xiaonian, so most of the citizens in the city knew this powerful man favored by their own King.
Surrounding commoners also recognized Ling Feng and knelt down, shouting "King who fights side by side."
Ling Feng walked over to help the commoners up, but who would have known that these commoners, with tears and snot on their faces, looked at Ling Feng sorrowfully, unwilling to rise. Instead, they kowtowed and shouted, "Please, King who fights side by side, get justice for General Quan! General Quan has died unjustly! I saw him directing rescue efforts the morning before; who knew that the next day we’d hear news of his death! Which damned bastard killed General Quan! King, you must catch the murderer!"
"Yes, King, you must catch that bastard and kill him to avenge General Quan!"
"The bastard must not be spared! Blood for blood!"
"General Quan was such a good person, yet did not meet a good end. Damn heaven must be blind!"
The public’s outrage made Ling Feng, usually calm, feel somewhat at a loss.
Wei Dong said beside him, "General Quan Zhen guarded the Royal City for more than ten years; he could be considered an old minister of Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Usually, he was benevolent and courageous, defending against foreign enemies with unrivaled bravery, always leading from the front. Most people in the Royal City have received his kindness and help, so his reputation in the city and among the Guard Army has always been very good."
"After news of General Quan Zhen’s death came out, the people couldn’t sit still and demanded justice and an explanation for General Quan. He dedicated his life to the Vermilion Bird Royal City and has now lost his life; he must not die in vain."
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng nodded slightly, then took a deep breath and said to the surrounding people crouching on the ground, "Please rest assured, today I, Ling Feng, have returned as King who fights side by side to uncover the truth behind General Quan Zhen’s murder. I assure you all that I will use all my energy and ability to bring the murderer to justice. However he treated General Quan Zhen, that’s how I will execute him; we must ensure justice for General Quan Zhen and show that no soldiers who sacrificed for our Vermilion Bird Kingdom died in vain! Since someone wants to stir up trouble while the Queen is away, plotting against my Royal City generals, disrupting our Vermilion Bird Kingdom’s order, I, Ling Feng, will accompany them to the end!"
Ling Feng’s words shook the hearts of the surrounding people and they all shouted "King who fights side by side! King who fights side by side!"
Ling Feng followed Wei Dong to the home of Vermilion Bird Royal City guard chief, General Quan Zhen. Quan Zhen had originally moved his family inside the Royal City for convenience in handling affairs; his office and living space were only separated by a few meters. This way, no matter what emergency arose in the Royal City, Quan Zhen could arrive at the spot to command and fight immediately from his residence. At the same time, he had some personal considerations; the defenses within the Royal City were the tightest around the Guard Army, placing his family here was also to better protect their safety.
Wei Dong led Ling Feng toward the crime scene, but midway they saw a woman dressed in white mourning clothes and two children sitting on the ground crying in front of the house. Several soldiers tried to help them up, but the woman and children only wept and shouted, refusing to rise.
"These are the family of General Quan Zhen—his wife and children. I originally sealed off news immediately, but they are the closest to General Quan Zhen; how could they not know? I feared they would destroy the crime scene, so I had to cruelly keep them outside." A man in armor suddenly said from behind Ling Feng and Wei Dong.
Ling Feng turned to look. "Who are you?"
"I am Li Feng, the deputy guard of this Royal City. Greetings to King who fights side by side and Mr. Wei."
Ling Feng glanced at the pitiful wife and children of Quan Zhen and only said, "Be sure to properly arrange General Quan’s family," before entering Quan Zhen’s bedroom.
Li Feng took a look at the still grieving woman and children, shook his head, sighed, and also followed Ling Feng into the crime scene.
Ling Feng entered the bedroom and found that the various facilities were well-protected, covered with thin films; even General Quan’s body had fine white lines drawn on the ground, resembling a forensic examination site on Earth.
"Are these protective measures ordered by you?" Ling Feng asked casually.
Li Feng clasped his hands and said, "Yes! I used to work at the bottom and have investigated a few cases, so I know the importance of protecting the scene. I made sure to cover potential evidence with white lines and thin films, and don’t allow others to enter and exit at will," Li Feng said with emotion. "I knew someone would come to investigate, but I didn’t expect it to be King who fights side by side personally."
Ling Feng gave Li Feng an approving glance and then nodded, "You’ve done well. If you had damaged the scene, it would be difficult for me to gather evidence. I’d have held you accountable."
Wei Dong also gave Li Feng an approving glance, nodded slightly, and had some thoughts.
Ling Feng avoided the overturned evidence on the ground and came to General Quan’s body, squatted down, and looked carefully into General Quan’s eyes for a long time. After confirming the eyes weren’t necessary for evidence and investigation, Ling Feng gently closed General Quan’s eyelids and then slowly said, "General Quan Zhen, no matter what terrible things you saw in life, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. I will get justice for you. I will do a thorough investigation of your body later; I hope you won’t mind, for I have no other choice. May your soul ascend, and rest in peace."
Wei Dong and Li Feng both bowed their heads, the three observing a minute of silence.
After completing this ceremonial step, Ling Feng flipped his right hand, and the Shadowless Needle appeared. He used the needle tip to gently lift the terrifying gap on General Quan’s abdomen, allowing himself to see the internal conditions more clearly.
A smell mixed with blood stench and foul odor hit, yet Ling Feng didn’t even frown.
With the Shadowless Needle delving and picking open the bloody flesh of General Quan’s abdomen, the full view of the body’s interior gradually became clear:
The intestines and internal organs in the abdomen were almost entirely mashed, the connection points of the skeleton were completely crushed, and there were black marks on the bones, resembling scorching, but without the smell of burned flesh. The expected blood spray was also absent; the blood in the body’s blood vessels had completely disappeared.
Ling Feng’s previous hearing of Wei Dong’s strange judgment seemed somewhat verified now. Ling Feng had initially thought it was an assassination followed by a fight, where Quan’s skills fell short, leading to his murder.
Now, judging from the shape of the wounds, Quan’s cause of death wasn’t so simple; those flipping blood and intestines from inside out in the abdomen could only imply one possibility: Something broke out from inside Quan’s body to achieve such an effect.
And that thing must either be some sort of energy or...
Some sort of creature!