Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 23: A Murder Case

Monday, sunny. In a place like Songhai, the morning rush hour is always a headache—whether on the elevated highways or at street level, the traffic is so congested it’s enough to send your blood pressure soaring. Ordinary commuters who take the subway don’t have to worry about traffic jams, but they do have to endure the ordeal of being squeezed in like sardines. In the morning sunlight, Zhang Yuanqing, a backpack slung over his shoulders, rode a shared bike through the bustling streets of Songhai, a jianbing guozi clenched between his teeth. He effortlessly passed one private car, minivan, and bus after another, his youthful energy fluttering along with his bangs. Songhai University is five or six kilometers from his grandmother’s house, and the bike ride takes only 15 minutes, so he usually doesn’t live on campus. Thanks to his promotion to “Night Wanderer,” he sped nonstop all the way to the university gates on a bike that usually left him exhausted—he pulled out his phone to check and saw it had taken only ten minutes. If it weren’t for the excessive number of electric scooters on the bike path, he could have gone even faster. Founded in the early 20th century—120 years ago—Songhai University is one of the nation’s top institutions of higher learning. In addition to its excellent faculty, Songhai University is known for two distinctive traditions: “Beautiful women know how to find good husbands,” and “Brave men dare to fence.” His grandmother used to warn his aunt that girls need to know how to protect themselves at school. Now that she’s older, she has to warn her grandson to take good care of himself at school. Grandma was very dissatisfied with the state of the world. Entering the campus gates and passing through the central axis flanked by a statue of the founder, he rode slowly along the path lined with sycamore trees on the right toward the academic building. The campus environment was elegant and quiet; students were either filming short videos, chatting on benches by the roadside, or hurrying to class with textbooks in hand. With its spacious, clean streets, green lawns, and aging dormitory buildings, the campus, at first glance, resembled a quiet, upscale residential community rather than a school. Zhang Yuanqing parked his bike outside the building, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and entered the multipurpose building. Upon entering the trapezoidal lecture hall, Zhang Yuanqing glanced around. Students were scattered in small groups here and there, and quite a few had skipped class. He picked a seat at random. No sooner had he sat down than he heard two boys whispering behind him “I just saw Xu Yingying at the school gate—she’s waiting for her sugar daddy again.” “That’s nonsense. There’s no way my goddess would be kept by a sugar daddy.” “It’s true. Every Monday, a guy picks her up in a luxury car worth hundreds of thousands. I saw it last Monday.” “Did you get a good look? It could’ve just been a ride-hailing driver.” “Would you kiss a ride-hailing driver?” “... Damn it. In high school, girls go for the top students; once they get to college, they go for rich guys from outside campus. When will ordinary guys ever get a chance?” Xu Yingying was a girl in their class—she was very pretty and considered the class beauty. Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but turn around and teased with a smile, “The ‘wife’ on your hard drive can help you stand up.” The two guys seemed taken aback that Zhang Yuanqing had chimed in; they froze for a moment. Zhang Yuanqing looked at them and asked, “What’s the matter?” A classmate named Li Lesheng chuckled, “Zhang Yuanqing, did something good happen to you today? This isn’t like you.” Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback: “Why do you say that?” Just as Li Lesheng was about to speak, the teacher—wearing black-rimmed glasses—walked in carrying a stack of books, and the chattering classroom immediately fell silent. Kangyang District, Mai Le Hotel. “Ding!” On the 16th floor, the elevator doors swung open, and Li Dongze—dressed in a suit with a black vest and white shirt—stepped out of the elevator, leaning on his cane. His gaunt face was etched with gravity, and Guan Ya followed behind him. All guests on the floor had been evacuated, and a police tape had been strung across the entrance from the elevator to the hallway, with two security guards stationed at the perimeter. Guan Ya stepped forward in her high heels, pulled out her ID, and gestured toward it. The security guards immediately cleared the way. Along the corridor leading to the room, several uniformed security officers were busy—some taking photographs, others collecting fingerprints, hair samples, and other evidence. Li Dongze brushed past the crowd and entered the hotel room, where he immediately caught the scent of blood. His gaze swept across the hotel suite. Lying on the bed were two bodies covered by white sheets, the pristine sheets stained with large patches of dark red blood. Li Dongze extended his cane and pulled back the white cloth to reveal a naked man and woman lying on the bed. He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, “It is indeed Zhao Yingjun.” Guan Ya, meanwhile, carefully inspected every corner of the room. Wispy strands of white mist drifted from her pupils. After a moment, she said “There are no signs of a struggle in the room, nor any evidence of tampering... There are only two condoms in the trash can, but three are missing from the box...” After speaking, she cast a somewhat pitying glance at the female victim. Li Dongze replaced the white sheet and said in a solemn tone “Guan Ya, stay here and assist the security officers in collecting fingerprints and hair samples, and retrieving the surveillance footage. I need to contact Sergeant Fu and the squad leaders—we may need to hold a meeting.” Guan Ya nodded slightly: “I’ll send the crime scene details and suspect profiles to your phone shortly.” Zhao Yingjun was an advisor to the Xiangshui Road Public Security Bureau, a member of the White Tiger Corps, and a Level 2 Scout. The murder of a Five Elements Alliance member was a major incident. Second floor of the villa, small conference room. The conference room was exquisitely and luxuriously decorated, with the floor covered in soft wool carpets and a long solid-wood conference table placed in the center. On the table were exquisite fruit platters, crystal-clear slices of ham, expensive imported red wine, boxes of cigars, and delicate pastries and desserts. At the far end of the conference table, a white projection screen hung, displaying a segment of the hotel’s surveillance footage. In the video, a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask walks from the direction of the elevator, approaches the guest room door, takes out his key card to unlock it, and enters the room. Forty minutes later, the man emerged from the room, his hands in his pockets, and walked away with his head down. When the video ended, Li Dongze pressed the pause button, looked at the team leaders seated around the table, and said “We received a report from the hotel this morning. A housekeeper was cleaning a room but couldn’t get the door open, so she went inside to check and discovered that two people had been murdered. Zhao Yingjun had been abused before his death; his body was covered in stab wounds, and there were signs that his hands and feet had been bound, but the fatal wound was a sharp object that pierced his heart. “The female victim was Liu Xiao’e. She was also stabbed in the heart with a sharp object, but showed no signs of abuse. Based on the missing condoms at the scene, we suspect she was sexually assaulted by the killer before her death. “Additionally, the Public Security Bureau examined both victims’ cell phones and confirmed that Liu Xiao’e was Zhao Yingjun’s mistress. “We reviewed surveillance footage from the hotel’s other entrances and exits but could not determine how the killer left; he must have used some special method to evade the cameras. Our preliminary hypothesis is that the killer is a ‘Spirit Realm Walker.’ ” A total of six people were seated at the table. The head of the table was a young man in a white suit, possessing the aloofness and nobility of a scion from a distinguished family. He wore a stylish short ponytail, and his chiseled features were so striking they were almost blinding. The first seat to the left was empty—that was Li Dongze’s spot. To the right sat a woman holding an orange cat. She wore a cheongsam adorned with ink-wash painting motifs, her figure radiating the voluptuousness and allure of a mature woman. Her well-preserved, beautiful face was firm and fair, adorned with light makeup, and she exuded a serene and elegant demeanor. Next to her sat a middle-aged man wearing a miner’s cap and work clothes; his dark, weathered skin bore the marks of a laborer’s life. Across from her sat a gym instructor in a form-fitting tracksuit; her muscular arms were as thick as a woman’s slender waist, her eyes sharp and intense, and a sense of volatility radiated from her every glance. The last was a woman in her late twenties, wearing a white racing suit and tight leather pants. With her black wavy hair and oval face, she looked both dashing and handsome. These five were the captains of the Lingjing Walkers squad in Kangyang District; several others were absent for various reasons. The young man in the white suit glanced around, his deep brown eyes as calm as a lake, and said casually “Everyone, what are your thoughts... Captain Qingteng, you go first.” The elegant woman in the cheongsam furrowed her delicate brows slightly: “Ordinary Spirit Realm Walkers wouldn’t dare kill our official personnel. Could this be the work of a Spirit Realm Walker from a dark profession?” Li Dongze replied, “We’re still investigating Zhao Yingjun’s recent social contacts.” If this were the work of a Spirit Realm practitioner of an “evil profession,” the gravity of the incident would be taken to a whole new level. Fire Master Da Jiba raised his eyebrows, his anger flaring. “Evil professions? Those stinking rats from the sewers—if they dare kill members of our Five Elements Alliance, I’ll make them pay dearly.” The others wore grave expressions. White Dragon, dressed in a racing suit, mused “How strong is Zhao Yingjun?” Li Dongze looked at Fu Qingyang. Fu Qingyang replied, “He has a defensive item.” Hearing this, Bai Long’s expression grew grave. “Although a Level 2 Scout isn’t skilled in combat, it won’t be easy to kill him if he has a defensive item—especially without alerting the guests in the neighboring room. Based on this, we can make a preliminary assessment of the killer’s strength.” Tang Guoqiang, the construction company owner wearing a miner’s helmet, said in a deep voice “Very powerful.” Big Muscle snorted coldly and repeated what he’d said earlier: “So what if they’re powerful? Anyone who dares kill a member of our Five Elements Alliance—no matter how powerful—must die.” Bai Long silently pressed his hand to his forehead, thinking to himself, Could they please kick that idiot from the Red Fire Gang out before we start the meeting? Li Dongze said, “According to our investigation, Zhao Yingjun has many mistresses—he especially likes to keep female college students as mistresses. We’re currently screening them one by one.” Big Muscle frowned and asked, “Why?” “Zhao Yingjun doesn’t stick to a single hotel for his trysts with his mistresses, yet the killer was able to find the hotel address and pinpoint the room number. This suggests he has some knowledge of Zhao Yingjun’s movements—either he’s someone Zhao knows, or he’s been following him for a long time,” Li Dongze said. “The person who knows you best is always the woman by your side. We might be able to get some leads from Zhao Yingjun’s mistresses.” The team leaders nodded solemnly. Li Dongze continued “Zhao Yingjun was tortured and abused before his death. Just imagine—what was the killer interrogating him about? What did he find out? Whether this was a revenge killing or the work of a malicious professional, this is an issue we must treat with the utmost seriousness.” The team leaders’ expressions shifted slightly. Evil-aligned and Law-aligned classes have always been at loggerheads, hunting and tracking one another. What would naturally pique the interest of an evil class would be information about official Spirit Realm Walkers—or even their hiding places. But if the killer isn’t a Chaotic Class, the fact that a powerful Spirit Realm Walker would risk offending the official organization by infiltrating the hotel to torture and kill suggests the truth behind this may be even more complex. Qing Teng said in a solemn voice, “We must track down the killer as soon as possible.” Upon hearing this, Big Muscle looked around and said, “Why isn’t Yuan Ting here? Have him devour Zhao Yingjun’s spirit body to access his memories. Then we’ll know who the killer is.” The importance of the Night Wanderer—who could control spirit bodies—became instantly apparent. Fu Qingyang shook his head and said “Yesterday, the Taiyi Sect summoned all official Night Wanderers to the capital for a meeting. Yuan Ting isn’t in Songhai.” His expression remained calm from start to finish, as if even the sky were to fall, he wouldn’t panic. A meeting in the capital? The captains’ hearts sank. If Yuan Ting wasn’t there, the Night Wanderers from the other major districts certainly wouldn’t be either. Wasn’t this a bit too much of a coincidence? The killer didn’t strike earlier or later—he specifically chose the moment when all the Night Patrol Gods were in the capital. Da Jiba roared angrily, “What’s going on with the Taiyi Sect? Why didn’t they hold this meeting earlier or later? Why now? We should’ve been training our own Night Wanderers long ago.” Li Dongze said helplessly “You’ve got the cause and effect mixed up—it’s the killer who chose this time… Never mind, that’s not important. Everyone, don’t worry—we have our own Night Wanderers.”