Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 262 - 246: The Message’s Contents

Without further ado, Zhou Hu didn't give the crowd time to ask questions. With a stern face, he took out his phone, dialing a number as he stormed out in a fit of rage.

"Station Chief Lou, I must immediately report to you that another unfortunate incident has occurred in the Second Prison. This time, one of Chang Wei's captains has been murdered, his body found in the prison's duty room, just discovered..."

There was a slight tremor in his voice.

"That's right, what more evidence do we need? Who else but him could have done such a heinous act?"

Zhou Hu's speech sped up, his emotions growing more agitated.

"I've put up with it long enough, but when will this patience come to an end? If this continues, I'll have to sleep with one eye open tonight. Station Chief Lou, we can't let him continue to act recklessly in the Second Prison, you can't truly abandon us..."

The angry roar echoed down the corridor.

The prison guards exchanged glances, their faces full of shock and confusion.

They didn't even know that something had happened to Chang Wei too, until Zhou Hu's figure gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor. They immediately began to whisper to each other, nervously discussing this shocking piece of news, each showing different emotions and suspicions.

Meanwhile, a certain prison guard pushed open the door into the duty room, his eyes scanning the surroundings until they landed on a discarded phone on the bed.

A thought struck him, and he walked over to pick up the phone. Opening the screen, he saw a draft message that hadn't been sent:

——District Chief Chang, something went wrong, Wang Cong betrayed us, Feng Mu is not dead, please quickly…

The prison guard stared at the message, deep in thought, his heart filled with turmoil.

Then, without a word, he walked back into the crowd and quietly handed the phone to a close associate beside him.

The other guard took the phone, his gaze sharpening, and soon his own expression mirrored the same thoughtfulness. Then, he silently passed the phone to another close colleague.

You pass it to him, he passes it to another, and in this silence, it was as if all the guards had been infected with a virus, each one wearing a similarly pensive look.

They exchanged glances, no one speaking up, yet it seemed everything was understood without words, their eyes completing some unspoken communication.

"It was Feng Mu who did it, right?"

"Impossible, Feng Mu wasn't in the prison last night; he was having dinner with us."

"District Chief Chang seemed to be in trouble last night too?"

"Also unrelated to Feng Mu, probably not."

"So, it's all just coincidence, someone avenged Feng Mu overnight? Is that what you mean?"

"Do you remember? Yesterday afternoon, Feng Mu said something to Captain Tian Tao in the incinerator room — 'The captain seems dissatisfied with my silence, so I'll have to invite him down to ask them himself.' In retrospect, those words were quite meaningful."

"The most important words came true overnight; the captain really went down."

"This should, perhaps, only be... coincidence, right?!!"

Steady, powerful footsteps echoed in the corridor, gradually approaching.

The guards tacitly broke their eye contact, as if guided by an invisible signal, they turned their heads in unison, focusing their gaze on Feng Mu approaching with a neat uniform, his face calm yet exuding warmth.

They watched him without blinking, watching the hint of sorrow appear on his face, listening to him speak in a gentle and compassionate tone:

"I heard Captain Tian Tao had an accident. I didn't expect that after seeing him last night, it would be forever. Sigh, do you know who did this to him?"

Instantly, everyone fell silent, using rather strange glances to stare straight at Feng Mu.

Their gaze wasn't like they were looking at a murderer, because in their private exchange of glances, they had used reason and evidence to clear Feng Mu of suspicion.

However, that gaze seemed to conceal an indescribable emotion, as if each person was searching Feng Mu for an invisible flaw, silently confirming the murderer's appearance, even when objective evidence and logic couldn't pin the crime on him.

But then...

The pursuit of logic and evidence is the responsibility of the Patrol Office, not the expertise of the prison guards. They preferred to follow their intuition.

The air seemed to be filled with an invisible tension, as if even breathing became cautious.

"Ah, Officer Feng has arrived. Honestly, we're all in the dark about this, as Captain Tian Tao has made countless enemies over time, many who hold grudges against him."

The guard who spoke first sighed deeply, unconsciously lowering his tone by three points, adopting a more courteous and respectful attitude towards Feng Mu than ever before.

"Indeed, Captain Tian Tao's usual conduct leaves much to be desired, but I didn't expect his departure to be so sudden and tragic."

Other guards echoed in agreement, their gazes collectively settling on Feng Mu, showing subtle hints of flattery and reverence deep within their eyes.

The guard at the end of the line, when his gaze met Feng Mu's, suddenly felt an inexplicable pressure, as if Feng Mu's eyes were locked tightly on him.

Startled, he found his fingers involuntarily sliding over the phone screen, deleting the words in the unsent draft message, as if those sentences contained a burning secret.

Having done so, he let out a light breath, speaking in a sincere and caring tone:

"Ah, things have been quite unsettled in the Second Prison lately, we should all exercise extra caution and protect each other."

In conclusion,

they collectively showed that none of them were willing to go down and ask the captain who the real culprit was.

Feng Mu let out a gentle sigh, a faint worry flashing in his eyes, his voice low and filled with sympathy:

"I heard Captain Tian Tao has a child at home. With his sudden passing, leaving behind a widow and an orphan, how difficult the days ahead will be.

Alas, I think we should collectively petition the Prison Chief for compensation for Captain Tian Tao, so that his family can find some comfort."

Upon hearing this, the prison guards' expressions briefly froze, but soon their faces showed admiration, unanimously praising Feng Mu's benevolence and attention to detail, with no one objecting to the proposal.

Their smiles were warm and sincere, gathered around Feng Mu, as if moved by his compassion, eagerly expressing their support, buzzing around Feng Mu as they headed to the Prison Chief's office.

However, curiously, despite their lively gathering, their steps subconsciously fell half a step behind Feng Mu. To an outsider, it might seem as if they were all subordinates following Feng Mu.

...