Rise of The Demon General-Chapter 252. The Murder Weapon

Amon shrugged. "I might be running, but I was also hiding. I knew I couldn’t outrun that bitch..."

"You watch your tongue, asshole! Wei Sui is a respectable member of our Wei Clan!" Wei Linkun exploded. He couldn’t take this brat anymore. "Don’t think that because you are among the top ten, you are anything special."

"Tell me where you lived when you were this academy student?" Amon asked Wei Linkun. "I suppose one of the top ten graduates Gao Xi mentioned was not you?"

Amon’s words caused Wei Linkun even more rage. Gao Xi was also gritting his teeth. Amon mentioned his name without any honorary title.

"Please calm down, Linkun," Yan Fan said.

Wei Linkun took a deep breath to calm himself.

Amon waited until no one else was talking before he resumed, "As I was saying, I knew I couldn’t outrun that bitch, so after putting a decent distance, I hid inside the woods by the side of the road. I traveled slowly from there while staying hidden. That’s why I took much longer than I should to arrive at this city."

"Hm... I see," Yan Fan nodded. "Do you not happen to see anything while on your way? Since you are hiding, Wei Sui should have advanced ahead of you. Do you not see or hear anything that might have caused her demise, or maybe seeing a suspicious individual while you traveled through the woods?"

Amon shook his head. "I didn’t see or hear anything like that. I tried my best to stay out of sight."

Yan Fan was silent for a while. He then smiled and said, "Thank you for your time, Student Lin Mo. I’m sorry I’ve taken up your time."

Amon nodded before turning around and leaving them. He entered his house and closed the door without a glance back.

"What an arrogant prick!" Gao Xi spat. "I don’t see why the principal and the head tutor value this brat so."

"I’m sorry, brother Yan," Wei Linkun apologized. "I shouldn’t have lost my cool like that. I’ve disrupted your questioning."

Yan Fan shook his head while smiling. "After I’ve heard your history with this student, I purposefully bring you along because I expect this kind of heated incident to occur. The problem is, I was hoping it was Lin Mo who lost his cool. I was hoping I could glimpse if he was trying to hide something or not when he lost his composure. Unfortunately, I couldn’t perceive anything from him. I couldn’t read him. He is unusually calm for his age. Is he truly twenty years old?"

"There is no mistake," Gao Xi confirmed. "Lao Zen tested his age during the academy entrance exam."

"He is two years younger than everyone in White Cloud City thought he was," Wei Linkun added.

Yan Fan turned to Wei Linkun but decided he wasn’t interested in that topic. Instead, he said, "Although I can’t read Lin Mo, my gut tells me he is hiding something. Whether it has anything to do with the case I’m working on, I can’t say."

"What is your plan?" Wei Linkun asked.

"I have other clues that need checking. I will send some of my people to keep an eye on this kid..."

When Yan Fan noticed Gao Xi’s look, he said, "When he goes outside the royal academy, of course. I won’t dare to cause trouble with the academy."

"If there is anything strange with him inside the academy, I will let you know," Gao Xi said.

"Thank you, teacher Gao Xi. You are always the best," Yan Fan said.

Gao Xi waved him off. "Our two clans have always been on good terms. There is no need to mention it. Speaking of which, I received news that my clan will be sending someone important to visit the Yan Clan. There seems to be a serious issue to be discussed."

"I’m not involved in the clan’s matters anymore after I joined the kingdom, so I don’t know," Yan Fan said. "Thank you for your help, teacher Gao Xi. I will take my leave now."

"Take care, you two," Gao Xi replied.

Yan Fan asked Wei Linkun as they walked, "Want to continue aiding me?"

"Sure. Your case is why I came to this city," Wei Linkun answered. "You mentioned that you have other clues?"

Yan Fan nodded. "I’m going to check the bodies of earlier victims. I lied during my conversation with Lin Mo when I said no one knew how the victims were afflicted by the poison."

"You knew how they were afflicted?"

"I just found out a couple of days ago. I found out when I was re-examining Yan Won, the most recent victim. He has a tiny wound at the back of his upper thigh. More precisely, at the crease between his leg and butt. It was hidden under the crease. I found it only by chance. I want to examine earlier victims to determine if everyone had the same wounds. If they were, I must say this discovery troubles me."

"How so?" Wei Linkun asked.

"It shows that the perpetrator is extremely skilled and knows what he is doing," Yan Fan answered. "No one saw the perpetrator, which means the wound was done from a range. The wound implied a weapon as small and thin as a needle."

"Needle...?" Wei Linkun creased his forehead. "Wei Sui used needles as her weapons."

"Not many use needles for weapons, but it is not that rare as well. I can’t start rounding people up just because they use needles for weapons," Yan Fan said. "Anyway, the problem is not the weapon. It is the way the weapon is used. The murderer can throw a needle and accurately hit a spot that is hard to notice. Not only that, but it was also so accurate it avoided drawing blood. Otherwise, I would have noticed the wound during the first examination. Not to mention, the needle, which was the weapon, is also nowhere to be found."

Hearing that, Wei Linkun told Yan Fan that Wei Sui’s needles were capable of being retracted due to an enchantment between the needles and the box that stored them.

"Hm... That kind of enchantment is more uncommon," Yan Fan remarked. "Perhaps the murderer took Wei Sui’s needles after he killed her. Now, he is using the needles as his poison delivery agents to commit murder."

"Which means, if we find who has Wei Sui’s needle box, we find the murderer," Wei Linkun added.

"That can be our breakthrough," Yan Fan nodded. "The only question is, how do we find who possesses that box in this large city?"

*

Back inside Amon’s residence, Amon had the same thought. Yan Fan might say they didn’t know how the victims were poisoned yet, but Amon thought sooner or later it would be discovered. It was even more likely after his conversation with Yan Fan. He could see that Yan Fan was an experienced investigator. Such an investigator was thorough. It was only a matter of time before this constable learned about the murder weapon.

He took out Wei Sui’s needle box under his coat. He then stored it inside his black space ring. He must refrain from using the needles for the time being.

*

Another week went by. Amon remained recuperating inside the royal academy. When he thought he had recovered enough and was about to go pick a mission, Xin Wuming came with a report.

"Brother, that person has gone to meet Dao Se again."

Amon nodded. "I think it is time to make our move. I will go meet him."

"Should I bring others?" Xin Wuming asked.

"No. I will go by myself. This is a negotiation, not a confrontation," Amon replied.

Xin Wuming nodded.

"How is your training?" Amon asked.

"I’ve trained following brother’s instructions," Xin Wuming answered.

"Good. You will soon be put to the test. I hope you don’t disappoint me."

"I won’t," Xin Wuming replied.

Amon was content hearing the confidence in Xin Wuming’s tone.

*

"You have become more and more brazen, Dao Se."

Inside one of Sewer Snakes’ hideouts, Dao Se was conversing with a hooded man. They were alone inside a small office.

"I don’t understand what you mean," Dao Se said.

"Don’t be coy," the hooded man said. "You are supposed to maintain the balance of this city’s underworld. You are supposed to keep them in check, so they don’t become too powerful. You are not to gain supremacy over it. We don’t like all these power struggles. The more conflicts there are, the more unstable the economy is, and we don’t like instability."

"I am all for stability," Dao Se said.

"Then why did you take out the Street Aristocrats? Perhaps ambition has gotten the better of you? Perhaps you have forgotten where you came from and thought you could make it on your own?"

"I wouldn’t dare," Dao Se said. "What I have done can hardly be called gaining supremacy. There are still the Alley Advocates and the Demon Gang. By taking out the Street Aristocrats, I am ensuring stability among the remaining organizations."

"Hm... So, you are not going to expand your territory anymore?"

"Not if I can help it," Dao Se answered.