Volume One, Chapter Six: The Department of Law Enforcement
“298!”
“299!”
“300!”
Jiang Buyue summoned the system panel.
[Attributes: Strength 36, Constitution 16, Agility 20, Spirit 6]
“Three hundred push-ups completed. Strength increased by 1 point, Constitution increased by 1 point.”
Jiang Buyue was gasping violently, beads of sweat the size of mung beans continuously sliding down his forehead.
Gurgle...
With the operation of the Chaos Devouring Heaven Technique and after vomiting everything he had eaten earlier, a strong hunger surged through him.
After quickly satisfying his hunger, he glanced at the clock by his bed—it was already late at night.
The double exhaustion of mind and body filled Jiang Buyue with overwhelming sleepiness. After a comfortable hot shower, he soon fell into a deep sleep.
...
At dawn, sunlight filtered through the curtains and brushed the boy’s cheek.
[Ding! Your cultivation has broken through to Quasi-Martial Artist Stage 5!]
[Ding! Chaos Devouring Heaven Technique refuses to fall behind, reaching Beginner level (1%)]
[Name: Jiang Buyue]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Quasi-Martial Artist Stage 5 (1%)]
[Martial Skills: Gale Slash (Beginner: 55%), Chaos Devouring Heaven Technique (Beginner: 1%), Shadow Step (Proficient: 13%)]
[Attributes: Strength 46, Constitution 26, Agility 29, Spirit 7]
Jiang Buyue looked at his palm, feeling the tangible improvement in his power.
After the Chaos Devouring Heaven Technique reached beginner proficiency, he could distinctly sense that his cultivation was advancing much faster than before.
Ring ring ring...
Jiang Buyue answered the phone: “Hey! Fatty, spit it out if you’ve got something to say!”
“Brother Yue, today’s Saturday, how about hitting Summoner’s Canyon tomorrow?”
“No thanks, not interested.”
“Come on! If you don’t show up, those elementary school kids will keep trash-talking me!”
Jiang Buyue twitched the corner of his mouth.
At that moment, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
“Is anyone home?”
“We’re from the Jiangnan Base City Law Enforcement Department!”
Jiang Buyue felt a chill run through him.
“Fatty, I’ve got some business to handle here.” He hung up abruptly.
Jiang Buyue opened the door to find a man and a woman standing there.
“Are you Jiang Buyue?” a young woman, about twenty-something, asked.
Jiang Buyue nodded, already guessing why they had come.
—
“I’m Zhang Zonghua from the Law Enforcement Department, and this is Yang Qi. We need you to come with us for an investigation.”
Jiang Buyue said nothing more and followed them to the car.
“Do you know why we’re here for you?” Zhang Zonghua asked.
Jiang Buyue nodded: “I’m a law-abiding citizen. The only thing that could have caught your attention must be what happened last night.”
“Did you kill that person?” Yang Qi in the passenger seat asked, her face full of curiosity.
Jiang Buyue nodded again: “You guys are pretty efficient.”
“According to the latest info, your cultivation is Quasi-Martial Artist Stage 4. How did you kill him?”
“He was too careless. Probably thought I wasn’t a threat and let his guard down. Otherwise, you would be collecting my corpse this morning.”
“You were ruthless. If he hadn’t died, he probably wouldn’t have been a man for the rest of his life,” Zhang Zonghua said, his tone tinged with fear as he tightened his legs.
“You don’t need to worry too much. The person you killed belonged to the God Devouring Cult and had five lives on his hands. By killing him, you’ve done the people a favor. We won’t punish you; instead, we’ll reward you.”
Jiang Buyue’s heart leapt with joy, all his remaining worries vanishing completely.
In less than half an hour, the three arrived at the Jiangnan Base City Law Enforcement Building.
The streets were bustling with cars and people, and towering skyscrapers surrounded them—the most prosperous area of Jiangnan Base City.
As Jiang Buyue stepped out of the car, he noticed a familiar figure.
Bai Ruixue?!
Bai Ruixue had just exited the Law Enforcement Building and also noticed Jiang Buyue stepping out.
Bai Ruixue paused in surprise. Wasn’t Jiang Buyue the guy with the bowl haircut in her memory?
She frowned and quickly approached him, asking, “Jiang Buyue, what are you doing here?”
“Killed someone.”
Bai Ruixue frowned slightly, clearly not believing him. She looked toward Zhang Zonghua and Yang Qi.
Of course, Zhang Zonghua and Yang Qi recognized the young woman—she was the daughter of Wang Ruxue, the Director of Jiangnan Base City Law Enforcement Department.
“He really did kill someone!” Zhang Zonghua confirmed.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruixue’s expression shifted: “Jiang Buyue, are you crazy? Killing someone in the Base City?”
Jiang Buyue was stunned.
What did she have to do with this?
Zhang Zonghua and Yang Qi also noticed Bai Ruixue’s change in expression, as if they had discovered something significant.
“Who did you kill? You... you wouldn’t have... done something to Li Shishi, would you?”
[Expressions] [Expressions] [Expressions] [Expressions] [Expressions]...
“What are you thinking? Someone like that is beneath me.”
“That Miss Bai, please don’t interfere with my duties,” Yang Qi awkwardly reminded her.
Bai Ruixue looked at Yang Qi coldly and asked, “Who did he kill?”
Yang Qi explained, “Miss Bai, Jiang Buyue killed members of the God Devouring Cult. Don’t worry; nothing will happen to you.”
“God Devouring Cult?!”
“The lowest level of the God Devouring Cult are Martial Artists. How could a Quasi-Martial Artist Stage 3 rookie like him kill a Martial Artist? The cult must be incredibly foolish.”
Jiang Buyue was speechless, feeling somewhat insulted.
Wasn’t this matter related to her?
In his memory, he and Bai Ruixue had little interaction—the only time was probably yesterday.
—
Jiang Buyue followed Zhang Zonghua and Yang Qi into the Law Enforcement Building.
In the reception room, the law enforcement officers asked routine questions.
He truthfully answered all questions about how he killed the God Devouring Cult apostle and whether he knew about the headless corpse.
...
“You took the murder weapon with you?”
Jiang Buyue nodded: “I took it home... do you need it?”
Zhang Zonghua shook his head with a slight smile: “You’re thorough. Did you take anything else? Like a black-red stone?”
A black-red stone?
Jiang Buyue shook his head.
He had never seen such a stone.
Zhang Zonghua’s gaze fixed intently on him, trying to catch any hint of deceit.
Jiang Buyue’s pupils were extremely unfocused, as if genuinely recalling something, which eased Zhang Zonghua and Yang Qi’s suspicions.
“Is that thing important to you?” Jiang Buyue asked.
“That thing is called a Demon Crystal. Once touched and absorbed, it awakens boundless desires deep in one’s heart, driving one to extreme paranoia and bloodlust.”
“If you encounter such a crystal, remember to keep your distance!” Yang Qi explained.
Jiang Buyue nodded nervously: “So... what about the reward?”
“Killing a Stage 1 Martial Artist apostle of the God Devouring Cult will earn you a 5,000 yuan reward and an official commendation.”
“Commendations are meaningless; it’s the 3,000 yuan that really matters.”
Jiang Buyue declined the commendation. He was an anonymous good citizen—once the deed was done, he preferred to vanish quietly.
Hearing this, Zhang Zonghua twitched the corner of his mouth.
Yang Qi, like a curious child, asked, “Little brother Jiang Buyue, what’s your relationship with Miss Bai?”
“I’ve only met her twice, including this time.”
Yang Qi was surprised: “Two meetings and you already have her? Not bad!”
Jiang Buyue: (－_－)!!
“I don’t have any relationship with her...”
Yang Qi and Zhang Zonghua looked unconvinced.
Jiang Buyue: (－_－)!!
...
After a lengthy one-hour interrogation, Jiang Buyue left the Law Enforcement Building feeling relieved.
“Out already?” a cold voice sounded.
???
“Bai Ruixue, why are you still here?”
“My mother works here. Isn’t it normal for me to be here?”
Only then did Jiang Buyue realize that Bai Ruixue’s mother was Wang Ruxue, the Director of Jiangnan Base City Law Enforcement Department!