"Hello."
As soon as the voice sounded, Chen Yingyin's body tensed up. She gripped her gun and quickly aimed it at the door.
Upon seeing four people dressed in identical white uniforms, she hesitated.
Because the person called Bai Jun from earlier had worn the same type of clothes.
Old Gao, however, recognized these people, or rather recognized their uniforms. He whispered to Gu Yan beside him: "Young master, it's the Ancient Martial Arts Department."
Hearing this, the four of them weren't surprised, since the Ancient Martial Arts Department wasn't a secret to most martial artists.
When they looked at Old Gao, their eyes were full of respect. After all, he was a master, and they naturally couldn't afford to offend him.
However, what intrigued them more was the smiling young man standing next to Old Gao.
Could he be the young master of some hidden clan? Had he brought out a powerful fighter from his family? But why did he look so familiar?
Never mind, let's stabilize the situation first.
Thinking this, the tall, muscular man with short black hair said in a friendly tone: "Hello, my name is Li Yan, and as the senior said, we are members of the Ancient Martial Arts Department."
"We are currently taking over the investigation of this Autumn Water Garden incident."
"These are all my teammates."
At this point, the slender woman smiled slightly and introduced herself: "My name is Lin Yajing, I'm responsible for information gathering."
Another man with sharp brown eyes maintained a neutral expression and said flatly: "I'm Zhao Tianyu."
The last one was a bespectacled man who looked somewhat frail. He said nervously: "I'm Chen Lei, the technician."
After their introductions, the atmosphere in the room eased slightly.
Chen Yingyin lowered her gun, asking in confusion: "If you already know the location of the culprit's room, why don't you just capture them directly?"
This was what Chen Yingyin couldn't understand. She had initially thought the Ancient Martial Arts Department simply couldn't find where the culprit was hiding.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Hearing this, Li Yan's expression became a bit unnatural. He shook his head: "Ma'am, the situation here is complicated, and this is a confidential mission. We can't disclose too much."
Chen Yingyin wanted to ask more, but she was interrupted by Gu Yan's voice.
"In that case—"
Gu Yan shrugged and smiled at Chen Yingyin: "Let's go then. We'll leave this to the professionals to restore the scene."
"After all......"
He looked meaningfully at the group whose expressions had drastically changed: "You wouldn't want the property owner to know someone had entered his room, right?"
Lin Yajing smiled somewhat unnaturally, glancing secretly at Li Yan beside her.
The latter forced a smile, looking at Old Gao behind Gu Yan, and said: "Thank you for your understanding."
After saying this, he became even more curious about Gu Yan and the others.
Not to mention Old Gao, the master.
As for Gu Yan, this young man gave him a very strange feeling... there wasn't even a hint of true qi fluctuation from him.
It was too weird.
Chen Yingyin was anxious. She wanted to ask for clarification, after all, this concerned the safety of the residents.
But unfortunately, Gu Yan pulled her away quite forcefully.
After they left, Li Yan's smile faded. He said to Lin Yajing: "Go investigate. We can't let all our efforts go to waste."
"Understood."
Li Yan looked at everything in front of him, including the chunks of flesh in the corners.
He sighed softly.
I'm sorry, but to eradicate the King of Hell Palace, we have no choice but to do this.
.....
.....
Back in the car, Chen Yingyin seemed a bit gloomy.
Gu Yan asked Old Gao to drive them back, then turned to Chen Yingyin and said: "Sister Yingyin, now you understand how complex this situation is, right?"
Chen Yingyin nodded at his words. She looked up at Gu Yan, seeming to want to say something but holding back.
"What do you want to say?"
"......"
"I want to ask, do most martial artists not care about the lives of ordinary people?"
Hearing this, Gu Yan's eyes showed a hint of an indescribable meaning: "Why do you say that?"
Chen Yingyin thought about everything she had seen in that bedroom earlier, whether it was the evil spell talismans or the chunks of flesh scattered in the corners.
It all showed the ruthlessness of the house's owner.
She clenched her fists and said: "Because the owner of that house killed so many people, yet the Martial Arts Department clearly knows his location but still allows him to kill at will."
This was something Chen Yingyin couldn't understand or forgive.
She had originally wanted to question them on the spot about why they would do such a thing.
But now that she had calmed down, she was glad she wasn't so foolish. After all, they were four martial artists.
On their side, there was just her, Gu Yan, and the elderly Old Gao.
How could they possibly be a match for them? She didn't know their temperaments.
Gu Yan was here because she had called him, so she had to consider his safety. In the future, she must remain calmer in such situations.
But still....
Chen Yingyin tilted her head back, covering her eyes with the back of her hand, and said to herself: "It's so frustrating. I'm a police officer, after all."
Gu Yan consoled her softly: "Perhaps some things aren't as simple as they appear to us."
These words startled Chen Yingyin. She looked at Gu Yan.
She heard him continue: "Just as they said, there are some special and complex issues involved here."
"The owner of that house might have some background or power that we don't know about. Sometimes, the Martial Arts Department might need to weigh various pros and cons, making decisions that are hard for us to understand."
"After all, they are martial artists......"
Gu Yan sighed: "Different from us ordinary people."
Chen Yingyin was silent for a moment, but still clenched her fists tightly: "Just because of this... they can allow that murderer to kill people?"
"No matter what, I still think this is wrong."
Her voice revealed a sense of struggle and helplessness.
Gu Yan stopped talking. He understood Chen Yingyin's feelings, but he knew that reality wasn't always ideal.
Especially since the owner of this house was involved in many things. According to the plot, the Martial Arts Department should be close to finding evidence of collusion between the King of Hell Palace and Demonic Martial Artists.
Once they find that evidence, they can launch an operation to eradicate the King of Hell Palace.
At this moment, Old Gao, who was driving, suddenly spoke: "This is a complex and dangerous world. There are even many things that even martial artists don't know about."
"Miss Yingyin, you don't need to be so conflicted. You just need to know that the Autumn Water Garden incident is no longer something that ordinary organizations can interfere with."
"Believe me, you'll soon receive a notice to suspend all investigations."
Listening to their words, Chen Yingyin's heart remained unsettled for a long time.
She couldn't bring herself to turn a blind eye to a murderer killing people because of some other matter, but.....
What Grandpa Gao said was also very true. This matter was no longer something ordinary people could interfere with. The culprit must be an extremely dangerous individual.
If...
"If I joined the Martial Arts Department, I definitely wouldn't do things this way."
Chen Yingyin suddenly spoke up. She looked at Gu Yan with bright eyes: "Gu Yan, do you know how to join the Martial Arts Department?"
Old Gao saw Chen Yingyin's expression through the rearview mirror. She was serious.
Gu Yan smiled at her words: "That's something you'd have to ask Uncle Chen about, if he's willing to tell you."
Ask my dad.....
Chen Yingyin pursed her lips, then sat silently to the side, seemingly lost in thought.
Gu Yan glanced at her and then looked away.
Very good. According to the normal plot, Chen Yingyin would soon join the Ancient Martial Arts Department.
And there, she would be discovered to have a talent for martial arts, apparently some once-in-a-century genius.
After that, through various opportunities and battles, she would become the first female director of the Ancient Martial Arts Department.
In the original story, this power provided countless help to Xiao Lin, but now.....
Gu Yan smiled inwardly. Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Of course.... tonight's banquet would certainly be interesting. The King of Hell Palace, huh......
Let me think, who was it in the original story that colluded with those Demonic Martial Artists....
Oh right, it seems it was an adopted son of Yan Huang, called Long Zaitian.
Gu Yan seemed to have thought of something interesting, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
ither go to a cultivation world where a single sword strike can defeat ten thousand enemies. Or they travel back to historical dynasties to alter history and wield imperial power. At the very least, they'd go back a few decades to get rich using their future knowledge and build a harem. Who the hell would transmigrate here!
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.