"It wasn't the beasts?" asked Su Jingxing, stunned.
A memory stirred within him. "Team Leader Gu, are you saying that the barbarians were behind this?"
Humans were not the sole ruler on Earth Star.
A powerful race existed alongside humanity.
Barbarians!
Unlike humans, barbarians were bloodthirsty savages.
They were brawny, large beings that were at least three meters tall. Their skin and flesh were tough as leather, and their strength exceeded a thousand catties.
That means, once barbarians reached adulthood, they would be equivalent to a ninth-grade martial artist.
Due to their powerful strength and bloodthirsty nature, barbarians never stopped attacking humanity.
For thousands of years, the war between humans and barbarians never ceased.
Before the modern era, humans suffered more defeats than victories.
In recent times, with the advancement of firearms, humans gradually gained the upper hand and chased the barbarians into the Boundless Mountain Range.
To keep the barbarians away, the nations erected sturdy walls and gates along the edges of the mountains.
Therefore, barbarians showing up in the forest of Forestry Town would be a major—and frightening—happening.
Whether it was the impact or the aftermath, it was not something a small team leader like Gu Bo could handle.
Gu Bo wasn't stupid, and he knew the gravity of the matter.
As soon as Su Jingxing finished his words, he immediately denied it. "No, it's not the barbarians."
"Glad to hear that," said Su Jingxing, heaving a sigh of relief. "If neither beasts nor barbarians did this, is there a chance that a powerful martial artist had killed them?"
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"Yes!"
[Corpse discovered. Would you like to extract it?]
"Yes!"
…
Su Jingxing extracted a card from every corpse, making it ten in total.
"It's possible," said Gu Bo pensively.
He thought for a moment and continued. "Little Su, go and get the head of the forestry station and the Security Team leader. I must speak with them."
"Got it," replied Su Jingxing. Without asking any questions, he turned around, walked out of the cabin, and went on his way.
Despite it being his first time here, he managed to locate the two prominent figures in the town after some asking around.
To his surprise, the leader of the Security Team—who was also the second most important figure in the forestry station—was actually cultivating in seclusion.
No one dared to disturb him, despite the gravity of the issue—for goodness sake, the entire patrol team had been killed!
There were guards stationed outside the secluded cultivation room, and Su Jingxing wasn't allowed to go in, so he decided that giving up was the best option.
He turned around to look for the head of the forestry station. However, when he found him, he was met with apathy.
"Aiya, all you have to do is take the bodies away. What's there to talk about?" said the head of the Forestry Station. His belly protruded, and his face shone with grease. "Go back and tell your team leader to look for Zhou Hongsong if he wants to talk. I'm too busy to entertain you. Run along now, child."
"Are you sure that's okay, Head Wang?" asked Su Jingxing. He then continued in a matter-of-fact, but polite tone. "Team Leader Gu thinks that the members of the Mountain Patrol Team had been killed by people, not ferocious beasts. If his speculation proves true and the murderer gets caught after a thorough investigation, wouldn't it reflect badly on you?
"I…"
Head Wang's expression changed. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at a few others around him and squeezed out a smile. "Oh silly me! I had been so occupied with work I couldn't think straight. Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. This matter requires cautious handling. I will get to the bottom of this and mete out justice, for the sake of the victims."
With an effort, he propped himself up against the table and rose from the sofa. With his big belly sticking out, he gestured at his lackeys. "The few of you, come with me. We must find out the truth."
"Yes, boss," answered the few office staff in unison.
Su Jingxing smiled surreptitiously at the sight.
Without another word, he turned around to lead the way.
They left the administration building and headed straight for the cabin that stored the corpses.
They traveled slowly—mainly because the Forestry Station Head was too fat.
There was no point for Su Jingxing to walk fast alone.
Slowly, they crossed two streets.
As they were about to reach their destination, they heard a commotion.
Su Jingxing faintly heard Team Leader Gu's voice. Subconsciously, he picked up his pace.
After taking a few quick steps forward, he saw that the once empty cabin was now surrounded by people.
The sound of Gu Bo arguing with someone emanated from the cabin.
Su Jingxing sped up as he listened in.
"Excuse me, please make way. I'm from the Corpse Collection Team. Please make way."
Su Jingxing jostled through the crowd. When he was at the cabin door, he saw the identity of the person that was arguing with Gu Bo.
It was Zhou Hongsong!
With a furious look on his face, the manager who received them earlier was coming down harshly on Team Leader Gu. "Team Leader Gu, you're the leader of the crematorium's Corpse Collection Team, not the leader of our Security Team! We've already carried out the autopsy, and we don't need you to do it again! Please fulfill your own duties and don't poke your nose into matters that don't concern you!"
"I'm doing this precisely because I want to fulfill my duties!"
Livid, Gu Bo continued in a deep voice. "You're right. I'm only the leader of the crematorium's Corpse Collection Team, not the Security Team. But because of that, I've seen more corpses than the leader of the Security Team!"
"And you are proud of it?" said Zhou Hongsong mockingly.
"No, my point is, I've been in this line for more than ten years and have seen all kinds of corpses. I may not always be right, but I can tell what caused the wounds on a corpse nine out of ten times."
Gu Bo paused and pointed at the ten corpses on the ground. "Take a look at their corpses, for instance. These wounds were clearly not caused by beasts!"
"What caused it then?"
Head Wang's voice emerged from the crowd of spectators.
"Make way, don't crowd at the door."
A path opened up as the office staff members cleared out the crowd.
Clomping towards the door, Head Wang took a quick glance at the corpses on the ground and swiftly retracted his gaze. Then, he looked at Gu Bo and said sternly, "Go on. What caused these wounds?"
"Team Leader Gu, this is the head of the Forestry Station." Su Jingxing offered a well-timed introduction. "The leader of the Security Team couldn't come because he's cultivating in seclusion."
"Cultivating in seclusion?"
Gu Bo's face flushed with anger. "How could he be practicing in seclusion at a time like this!"
Hmm?
Su Jingxing was taken aback; Gu Bo's reaction clearly wasn't normal.
Even the spectators could tell as much.
Gu Bo's reaction was somewhat over the top, despite the matter at hand being the complete annihilation of the Mountain Patrol Team.
"Cut the crap," snapped Head Wang with an impatient wave. "Forget about other people. I'm the head of the forestry station. You can report your findings to me, and if there is a problem, I promise to investigate till the end!"
"I agree with you, Head Wang, but I dare say this fellow is deliberately stirring up trouble!" said Zhou Hongsong with a livid look on his face.
He pointed at the corpses on the ground. "They are already in such a state, yet you refuse to let them rest in peace. What do you mean by a second autopsy? Do you not have any respect for the dead? Don't you understand how much of an insult it is for the dead to go through another autopsy?" he said with great sorrow and indignation.
"Yeah, Corpse Collection Team Leader my ass! Get the hell out of here! I'll send my brother's corpse over to the crematorium by myself!"
"Scram! You think you are a big-shot because you work at the crematorium?"
"…"
Curses of indignation rose from the relatives of the deceased who were crowding at the door.
"Team Leader…" said Su Jingxing as he walked up to Gu Bo.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," reassured Gu Bo.
"I'm not…"
"Shut up, all of you!