10 O'clock at night.
The sound of cars vrooming filled the air, The quiet old street hadn't been so lively for such a long time. Lights shone and people came out of the cars. Old street seemed to have come to life for a moment like in the past.
...
Li Hao watched the scene from in front of the Zhang family residence. He didn't want to be the center of attention. However, he changed his mind when he found out that he could interact with the red shadow.
He was suddenly in the spotlight now. Li Hao knew he was important but because of that, he had intended to keep a low-profile. But now, he wanted to let everyone know that he was investigating the case only because of Zhang Yuan and nothing else.
Li Hao wanted to establish that he had no personal stake in this. He was not trying to discover anything. He wanted everyone to assume that he was impulsive and impetuous and he made a mess because he was loyal to his friend. No other reason.
Perhaps people wanted to see him like that. Li Hao believed that would work in his favor. He wanted to establish himself as reckless and imprudent while lacking critical intelligence to understand things.
That was what Li Hao wanted to be seen as! It would lower his enemy's guard and make them think that he was stupid. But that wouldn't work either. If Li Hao was that stupid, he wouldn't have been able to catch the attention and favor of Professor Yuan Shuo that easily. That would seem too fake!
With each step, Li Hao thought about what he could and couldn't do. He had taken only a small stone and made such a big commotion. He needed this commotion to hide the fact that he had taken the stone in the first place.
If this story got out, no one would even believe it. That was what Li Hao was after. The more outrageous a story seems; the less people will pay attention to it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Leather boots thudded on the ground. A team of fully armed Patrol Officers surrounded the old street. More Patrol Officers arrived and entered the Zhang family residence.
The Inspector General hadn't come, thankfully. But Li Hao recognized the brawny man at the front of the group. He was the captain of the law enforcement team. He was even rumored to be second-in-command to the Inspector General.
In level, he was considered the same as the Chief of Inspection Office, Wang Jie. However, his duties were entirely different, as was his authority.
The captain of the law enforcement team, Liu Long, wasn't to be trifled with.
He did not wear a black inspector uniform today but was in casual clothes with a trench coat over the shirt. It was not suitable for the current weather.
Li Hao figured he was carrying a lot of weapons under that trench coat. He had heard about the captain of the law enforcement team. He was tough and regal. He was also dangerous. This captain had killed many people.
"Who is Li Hao?" shouted Liu Long as he walked forward. His leather shoes crushed the stones on the ground. As he saw Li Hao from afar, his eyes flashed.
Amazing! He was an expert!
The inspection Division as a whole might not have any Supers, but there were some combat experts who could easily take on ten people at once. One such expert looked at Li Hao now.
"Level 3 patrol Office Li Hao reporting, sir!" Li Hao walked over and stood straight. "I was here to investigate a case under orders. Greetings, Captain Liu! It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
"Hmph!" Captain Liu grunted. His gaze was sharp when he looked at Li Hao. There was a hint of anger in those eyes. "Li Hao, as a member of the Inspection Division, you are a disgrace."
Li Hao flinched. He frowned. Captain Liu's voice was cold and unyielding. It was like the roar of a wrathful tiger. He didn't even care if anyone heard him.
"The Inspection Office comes under the Inspection Division. It is the most crucial organization in the whole of Silver City! As a member of such an organization, why are you undertaking an investigation without proper authorization? You should have directly reported to your office in the face of anything suspicious."
Liu Long's voice was intimidating. He took a step forward towards Li Hao. There had still been some distance between the two but that one step had covered that distance and now the captain stood in front of Li Hao in the blink of an eye.
Li Hao's heart froze. A true expert!
He had seen Liu Long before, but he had never seen him this close. If Li Hao pulled out a gun in front of someone like this, he would already be dead.
'But…did he make use of the mysterious power as well?' wondered Li Hao. 'Or was it possible for someone to be this powerful with training?'
Li Hao was nervous. He lowered his head. "I wouldn't dare, sir," he said in a trembling voice. "I was in danger and the only person I could think of was my teacher at that moment. I did not dare to ask the Inspection Office for help because I had no concrete evidence to trouble them with something like this."
Liu Long snorted. "If you didn't have evidence, then look for one now! Tell me, what happened here?" He seemed to have acknowledged Li Hao's answer for now.
Li Hao hesitated. "I have already reported on the self-immolation cases. I assume Captain Liu is well-informed about that?"
Captain Liu nodded. "I know about them."
"I am Zhang Yuan's best friend. I was very close to him so I felt it to be my duty to confirm about his death. I came here to see if I could find any clues about his… condition because I am sure that his death was not an accident but a murder."
Li Hao calmed himself and continued, "I was looking around the house when I realized that someone was following me. I am very familiar with my friend's house as I have spent a major part of my childhood here. I noticed that somebody had been in the house because things weren't where they were supposed to be. I became even more suspicious when I found footprints right outside the courtyard wall of the house."
"There aren't many people here," said Li Hao. "Most of the people who used to live here have moved away. The Zhang family residence is in the deepest part of the old street where nobody ventures. So, technically, no one should have been in the vicinity of this old house."