Upon hearing this, Ma Donghe and Hou Peng paused, their expressions changing instantly.

To commit murder openly during the physical test organized by the Special Search Team?

Could it be that among the more than eight hundred candidates, a deranged psychotic assassin has slipped in?

Or did the deceased make some deep enemies outside, with a foe intentionally choosing this foggy zone, isolated from surveillance and examiners’ eyes, for settlement?

If it’s the latter, then it’s none of their business, pretending not to see would be best.

But if it’s the former, that’s too dangerous, possibly even more troublesome than encountering mutated beasts.

The two exchanged glances, a wave of tension surfacing in their hearts.

After all, they were here to take the exam, not to get caught up in these inexplicable events.

"Judging from the body temperature and the degree of blood loss, the victim was murdered about five minutes ago, with the blood on the clothes still carrying a slight warmth."

Fang Cheng knelt on the ground, probing the wound on the corpse with two fingers:

"The wound is in a regular diamond shape, edges exceedingly smooth, with no tears, and the flesh is not flipped outward."

"This is a typical puncture wound caused by a military triangular spike, the special blood groove on the blade can instantly drain the blood from the prey’s body."

His pupils seemed to flicker faintly, removing his gaze from the blood hole in the corpse’s chest to look upwards.

"The killer was just hanging upside down up there, waiting for the candidate to follow the sound of the bell blowing in the wind and walk under the tree, at the moment of searching upwards, he directly released from the tree crown and dropped."

Fang Cheng stood up, pointing to a thick branch protruding above, tracing a vertical drop trajectory through several bent small branches in mid-air.

Then, he pulled out the dagger from his waist with a backhand, his arm suddenly sinking downwards, making a decisive and swift slaughter move.

"Left hand covering the mouth to block the sound, right hand using the momentum of the fall, precisely stabbing the triangular spike into the gap between the third left chest rib, directly crushing the heart. The technique is swift, killing in one hit, not even giving a chance to cry for help."

Fang Cheng paused for half a second, then flipped his wrist, the dagger drawing a semi-arc in the air.

"To prevent the candidate from making any peculiar noises due to nerve convulsions before death, the killer simultaneously pulled out the military spike and gave a supplementary cut on the carotid artery, utilizing super speed blood loss to cut off the brain’s final oxygen supply, using the fastest and most steady method to kill the target."

"Therefore, it can be concluded that the killer was definitely not impromptu in their killing, and the targeted victim should not be just one." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

These words were articulated methodically, dissecting the situation thoroughly, even accurately counting the angles of the knife and anatomical principles.

Crucially, Fang Cheng’s tone was so indifferent, as if discussing how to slice the pork bought tonight in the market.

Ma Donghe listened stupefied, subconsciously swallowed his saliva, somewhat dodging in his gaze towards Fang Cheng.

Ah Cheng’s ability is just too uncanny, isn’t it?

Just by looking briefly, he restored the process of the killer’s ambush attack so vividly.

Could it be that he often kills people outside for fun or secretly works as an assassin to earn money?

Fang Cheng didn’t know about Ma Donghe’s wild inner speculations.

Still holding the short knife backward, eyes slightly closed, seemingly immersing in the crime scene, pondering the residual murderous intent.

Hou Peng leaned closer to examine the ground traces, nodding deeply in agreement with Fang Cheng’s deduction:

"Brother Fang speaks penetratingly, there are neither footprints of large beasts’ trampling nor any struggle or fight markings."

"The killer is plainly a veteran, not only with ruthless precision but very insidious, possibly a professional assassin engaging in dark deeds regularly."

Ma Donghe tightened the tactical flashlight in his hand, scanning twice around the dense fog in lowered voice, stepping a bit closer:

"Ah Cheng, you said the victim was just murdered, doesn’t that mean this guy must still be nearby?"

"Should we strike first, pulling him out?"

Hou Peng also directed his gaze towards Fang Cheng, awaiting his decision.

Fang Cheng didn’t respond immediately, scanning the dim woods around.

At that moment.

"Ah—"

A very brief, weak exclamation drifted from the depths of the fog.

Due to the humid environment and fog insulation, this sound had thinned to a faint thread when it reached under the bell tree.

But the perceptive ability of Fang Cheng and Hou Peng far surpassed ordinary people, both simultaneously catching this unusual sign.

The two exchanged a glance, reaching tacit understanding instantly.

Feet suddenly applied force, boots crushing the fallen leaves, like two arrows off the string, darting toward the direction of the sound.

"Hey! Why are you two running so fast?"

Ma Donghe, baffled, watched the two quickly disappear without even fathoming the situation.

Then he turned to look at the bleeding corpse on the ground and the surrounding dark, eerily chilly forest.

His scalp tingled, hurriedly carrying the dozens-pound mutated wild boar leg, striding quickly to chase after the disappeared duo.

..................

Cold wind penetrated the intertwining canopies, tearing open a gap in the dense fog spread across the forest.

In the center of the clearing, two groups stood in a tense standoff.

On the left were three young candidates in camouflage uniforms with robust physiques.

They backed against each other, barely maintaining a defensive formation.

Gripping standard daggers tightly, the heavy breathing was especially clear in the silent woods.

All three bore injuries, camouflage uniforms cut open in several places.

Especially one with a cold air to his crew-cut, blood was oozing from the left side of his rib.