The next morning, before the simulated sunlight had fully dispelled the quiet of the Panshi District, Ling Chen woke up on time as usual.
His face carried a trace of lingering hangover fatigue and a persistent, faint sadness, his eyes slightly hazy, perfectly fitting the image of a young captain who had drowned his sorrows in alcohol and experienced the grief of losing a friend the night before.
He washed up, changed into clean combat attire, and prepared to head to the training grounds to supervise the new recruits' training—even though they were just two rookies.
Everything was as usual.
It was as if the brief and bloody encounter in the abandoned pipe district last night had never happened.
However, within the Hunter Guild, especially the Blackbird Guard Security Department, undercurrents had long been swirling.
Lei Hu, captain of the Blackbird Guard's Seventh Squad and a Bone Eater Stage Peak expert, had mysteriously disappeared last night.
There were no records of him leaving, no signs of conflict with anyone, his communications were completely cut off, and the last known location of his vital signs monitoring bracelet's signal... after the technical department's full tracing efforts, vaguely pointed to a certain area within the Guild, but then it was severely interfered with, making precise positioning impossible.
A Energy Condensation Stage Peak squad leader, in the heavily guarded core area of Shengjing Underground City, had vanished without a trace as if he had evaporated!
This was simply an unheard-of incident!
The Security Department immediately became highly tense, and various investigation procedures were secretly activated with maximum efficiency.
Not long after Ling Chen left his residence, he was stopped by two expressionless Blackbird Guard investigators. It was still the standard setup: a stern middle-aged chief interrogator and a silent recorder. But this time, the chief interrogator was a different person, with a deeper aura and sharper eyes, and his epaulets indicated a higher rank.
"Captain Lin Chen," the new chief interrogator's voice was steady but carried an undeniable pressure, "this is a routine inquiry by the Security Department. Please cooperate."
Ling Chen's face showed just the right amount of surprise and a hint of unease: "Another inquiry? About the mission, wasn't it already..."
"It has nothing to do with the mission," the chief interrogator interrupted him. "Please come with us."
Ling Chen's heart sank slightly, but his face still maintained that confused and slightly nervous expression: "Alright... alright."
He didn't resist, obediently following the two investigators back to the familiar interrogation room, which was filled with various sensing devices.
This time, the energy fluctuations in the room were noticeably more active, some complex runes on the walls that were usually inactive glowed faintly, and a low-frequency hum filled the air, making one's nerves taut.
"Captain Lin Chen, where were you last night?" The chief interrogator went straight to the point, his gaze like a torch, firmly fixed on Ling Chen's eyes.
Ling Chen's face showed a look of recollection, with a hint of fatigue:
"Last night... Brother Leimeng came to drink with me, to comfort me... We drank a lot of earth-core fire lotus, and then I saw him back, and I returned to my residence to rest. Probably... I didn't fall asleep until very late."
He rubbed his temples, as if still enduring the pain of a hangover.
"Specific time? Any witnesses?"
"I can't remember the exact time, I drank a bit too much. Brother Leimeng can testify that I walked him back near his residence. After that... I went back alone. The surveillance in the residential area should be able to confirm it."
Ling Chen's answers were watertight, and his expression was natural.
The chief interrogator gestured for the recorder to note it down and continued to ask:
"Last night, did you detect any unusual energy fluctuations? Or hear anything out of the ordinary?"
Ling Chen frowned, thinking hard:
"Unusual fluctuations? No... I drank too much, my head was spinning, I slept very soundly... It seems... it seems I was woken up by some sound in the middle of the night, but I was groggy and thought it was an auditory hallucination or the sound of pipes, so I fell back asleep."
He cleverly gave a vague, plausible, yet unfalsifiable account.
The chief interrogator stared at him intently, seemingly judging the truthfulness of his words.
The low hum in the interrogation room seemed to intensify slightly.
Just then, Ling Chen keenly felt an even more concealed and deeper mental force, like invisible threads, silently attempting to penetrate his sea of consciousness!
Deeper mental scanning! It's here!
This mental force carried a cold analytical meaning; it was no longer just about detecting lies, but seemed to want to dig into deeper memories and the subconscious!
The Soul Jade Physique's cold will instantly condensed to a high degree!
Like the most precise firewall, it wrapped and hid the true core of his consciousness layer by layer!
Leaving only those carefully woven memory fragments and emotional fluctuations that perfectly matched the identity of "Lin Chen"—grief, self-blame, fatigue, confusion about the future, and a barely noticeable hint of annoyance and grievance towards the Security Department's repeated scrutiny.
The mental threads lingered and probed on the surface of his consciousness, trying to find any inconsistent gaps.
When it touched those "grief-stricken" memories, a hint of moisture appropriately welled up in Ling Chen's eyes; when it probed the "fatigue" areas, Ling Chen's mental fluctuations appeared somewhat scattered;
When it scanned "emotions," the feedback was a complex psychological state befitting a young captain who had suffered a severe blow.
Flawless.
Impeccable.
The mental force probed several times, and finally seemed to find nothing, slowly receding like a tide. The low-frequency hum in the interrogation room also weakened slightly.
The chief interrogator's brow furrowed slightly, clearly somewhat surprised by the scan results, but unable to find any flaws.
He was silent for a moment, then changed the question: "Have you recently had any contact or conflict with Captain Lei Hu?"
Ling Chen's face immediately showed surprise and a hint of... just the right amount of apprehension: "Captain Lei Hu? No! I haven't seen him since the arena match.
Conflict... I wouldn't dare. He's a captain in the Security Department, and I..."
He lowered his head, his voice growing softer, as if somewhat fearful.
"To our knowledge, Captain Lei Hu seems to have some issues with you."
The chief interrogator pressed on.
"The arena match... I won against Feng Sun, and perhaps... perhaps that made Captain Lei Hu a bit unhappy..."
Ling Chen "reluctantly" admitted.
"But I've been trying my best to avoid contact with him since then, really!"
His performance was flawless.
He perfectly portrayed the demeanor of a young captain with some talent but an ordinary background, who had to be extremely careful not to offend important figures.
The chief interrogator asked several more questions, all revolving around Lei Hu's social connections, potential enemies, and abnormal energy records within the Guild last night.
Ling Chen's answers were either that he didn't know or reasonable conjectures consistent with his identity and knowledge.
The inquiry lasted nearly two hours, more detailed and harsher than the previous one.
But Ling Chen consistently maintained that slightly nervous, actively cooperative, yet somewhat fatigued and sad state, and the Soul Jade Physique's disguise showed no flaws whatsoever.
Finally, the chief interrogator closed his notebook and said expressionlessly: "The inquiry is over. Thank you for your cooperation, Captain Lin Chen.
Please keep your communication open in the near future; we may still need your assistance with the investigation."
"Yes, I will certainly cooperate."
Ling Chen nodded quickly, his face showing a look of relief yet undisguised worry.
Leaving the interrogation room, Ling Chen could clearly feel that the two cold gazes behind him were still fixed on his back like solid objects.
The Security Department's suspicion of him had not dissipated; on the contrary, it had grown stronger due to Lei Hu's disappearance.
He knew that things would by no means end here.
Sure enough, not long after he returned to the training grounds and began "supervising" Zhang Hou and Li Xun's basic training.
An extremely subtle yet immense pressure and cold fury, like a dark cloud, enveloped the entire training ground area!
A figure appeared silently at the entrance of the training grounds.
It was a tall, middle-aged man whose face bore a five or six-tenths resemblance to Lei Hu, but his demeanor was even more somber, and his eyes were sharper, like a hawk's.
He wore the uniform of a Blackbird Guard senior officer, and the insignia on his epaulets indicated his extremely high status, far exceeding that of an ordinary captain.
He merely stood there, yet he brought an oppressive feeling that made one suffocate; the surrounding air seemed to solidify!
Limit Breaking Stage Peak! Perhaps even... half a step into the Domain Stage!
Ling Chen's heart clenched sharply!
Lei Bao! Deputy Director of the Security Department! Lei Hu's paternal uncle!
He... came in person!
Everyone in the training grounds felt this terrifying pressure and undisguised malice!
Su Qing, Chen Mo, and Wang Yuan's faces instantly turned pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
The newcomers, Zhang Hou and Li Xun, were so scared they almost collapsed to the ground, not even daring to lift their heads.
Lei Bao's cold gaze, like a bone-scraping steel knife, slowly swept over everyone in the training grounds, and finally... fixed firmly on Ling Chen!
In that gaze, there was scrutiny, suspicion, and... an almost uncontrollable rage and killing intent after losing a loved one!
Although he had no evidence, and Ling Chen's performance was flawless, instinct and fury led him to pinpoint the greatest suspicion on this young captain who had recently had a conflict with his nephew and whose actions were full of "coincidences"!
Ling Chen felt the mountain-like malice and scrutiny pressing down on him, and sneered inwardly, but on his face, an extremely "natural" fear, nervousness, and bewilderment instantly appeared!
He subconsciously took half a step back, his body trembling slightly, his eyes darting away, as if completely awed by the other party's powerful aura and cold killing intent!
Even his breathing became somewhat difficult!
"Director Lei... Lei Bao..."
Ling Chen's voice trembled noticeably, stuttering as he spoke, his posture extremely humble.
"You... why have you come..."
Lei Bao didn't speak, he just stared at him with those bone-chilling cold eyes, as if wanting to see through him completely, from the inside out!
The powerful mental pressure impacted Ling Chen's will in waves, like a tide!
The Soul Jade Physique's cold will was as stable as The Boulder, perfectly simulating the mental tremors and fear fluctuations that an Energy Condensation Stage ability user should exhibit under powerful pressure!
After a full dozen seconds, just as Ling Chen was about to "collapse," Lei Bao slowly spoke, his voice deep and hoarse, yet carrying an undeniable authority and coldness:
"Captain Lin Chen... my nephew Lei Hu, disappeared last night."
Ling Chen's face immediately showed an expression of extreme "shock" and "disbelief":
"Wh... what? Captain Lei Hu... he... disappeared? This... how is this possible?!"
His reaction was impeccable, filled with just the right amount of surprise and a hint of... instinctive fear due to the other party's identity.
Lei Bao's gaze remained cold, as if trying to find even the slightest flaw on his face: "I heard... you and he had some grievances?"
Ling Chen's body trembled even more violently, and he quickly waved his hand, his voice tearful: "No... no! Absolutely not! The arena match was a normal competition! I... how would I dare to have a grudge with Captain Lei Hu! Director Lei Bao, please be clear! I... I spent the whole of yesterday dealing with squad duties and resting, I didn't see Captain Lei Hu at all!"
He acted like a young man who had been hit by a huge injustice and was terrified to the extreme.
Lei Bao stared at him intently, then fell silent for a long while. Finally, the terrifying pressure slowly receded somewhat, but the coldness and suspicion in his eyes remained undiminished.
"It better be so."
Lei Bao's voice was still cold.
"Captain Lin Chen, you had best pray that my nephew's disappearance truly has nothing to do with you. Otherwise..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the implied threat and killing intent in his unfinished words seemed to lower the temperature of the entire training ground by several degrees!
After speaking, Lei Bao didn't spare Ling Chen another glance, turned, and left as silently as he had arrived. But the heavy sense of oppression lingered for a long time.
The training ground was dead silent.
After a while, Su Qing and the others dared to breathe heavily, their faces still showing fear.
"Cap... Captain... are you alright?"
Chen Mo asked in a low voice, looking at Ling Chen's still "pale" face.
Ling Chen slowly shook his head, took a deep breath, as if just recovering from immense fear, and forced a strained, fearful smile onto his face:
"N-nothing... nothing. Let's continue training."
He turned around and walked towards the corner of the training ground, his back looking somewhat "shaken" and "fragile."
However, the moment he turned, deep within his profound eyes, all fear and panic instantly vanished, replaced by an icy calm and a hint of... mockery.
Lei Bao...
Deputy Director of the Security Department...
Very good.
The seed of hatred has been sown.
This way... the game is even more interesting.
Ling Chen knew that the real test had only just begun.
Lei Bao would never let it go; he would definitely use every means to keep a close eye on him.
But... so what?
In the face of absolute strength and perfect disguise, all suspicion and investigation would be futile.
He just needed to... continue playing the role of "Lin Chen" and wait for the next opportunity to arrive.
