The wail of police sirens pierced the air.
Red and blue lights flickered.
Dressed in a black female suit, appearing more like an office white-collar worker than a Serious Case Squad officer, Lin Xiaowei and her partner Zhang Qing arrived at the alleyway.
"Inspector Lin."
Outside the yellow police tape, a man with an inspector's badge approached them, "This is the victim's information, the general manager of Dragon Spring Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., Xia Li, male, fifty-four years old this year..."
"Have the surveillance videos been pulled up yet?"
"We've retrieved some, but... the perpetrator has strong anti-surveillance skills. They either moved within the blind spots of the cameras or had already covered their facial features beforehand. Not a single camera captured their complete figure... I suspect this was a premeditated murder."
As he said this, the man's tone paused, "The way the victim died is almost identical to the three victims of the '3.11' serial killings marked sixteen, forty-four, and seventy-nine days ago, killed by brutal physical strikes... I have every reason to believe the murderer is the same person."
"I'll go have a look at the victim."
Together, Lin Xiaowei and Zhang Qing, wearing their consultant badges, entered the cordoned-off crime scene.
Inside the crime scene, every key piece of evidence had been marked.
The first thing she saw was an almost "V"-shaped broken utility pole with its inner steel reinforcement exposed.
Next, her gaze fell on the stone slabs on the ground that seemed to have been shattered by stepping on them.
Then...
Her eyes moved upwards, staring at the small building wall beside the alley, which seemed to have been brutally smashed by a demolition hammer.
The spiderweb-like crack spanned two meters.
It was hard to imagine what kind of force could damage a concrete brick wall to this extent.
"Bang bang."
Zhang Qing knocked on the wall, producing a heavy sound.
"It's very solid, no shoddy workmanship," he remarked.
Lin Xiaowei didn't reply, but after observing for a moment, she approached the victim's body.
The crime scene had already been partially cleaned up.
Yet, even so, seeing the Dragon Spring real estate manager with his sternum caved in, arms shattered, and skull penetrated, both Lin Xiaowei and Zhang Qing still felt a wave of discomfort.
"This is too brutal."
Zhang Qing remarked.
"Inspector Huang, are there any eyewitnesses?"
Lin Xiaowei turned her gaze.
"Yes, the victim's assistant secretary, Fang Qing, female, twenty-six years old..."
Inspector Huang reported the information and brought over a severely shocked woman with fresh blood on her forehead.
Zhang Qing went up to engage with her.
After a while, he found Lin Xiaowei again.
"The head suffered a severe blow, and her mental state is somewhat disordered, expression not making sense; we may need a professional in psychology to get any useful clues," he said.
"The clues left behind might not be of any use anyway, the perpetrator is very professional," Lin Xiaowei commented, and once again reached out to touch the broken utility pole that was still standing solely because of its steel reinforcement.
"Do you believe this is really the destructive power a human could possess?"
Flesh and blood shattering steel and concrete!?
How could that be possible!?
"Of course, it's possible."
At this moment, another man who appeared to be in his thirties and a woman about the same age as Lin Xiaowei crossed the police line and walked onto the scene.
"You are..."
There was some confusion in Lin Xiaowei's eyes.
"Inspector Lin,"
The Huang inspector in charge of the scene, Huang Bing, introduced with a smile, "This gentleman is a professional in this field, recognized as the number one person in the Martial Path of Yunmeng City… even in the entire Tian Nan province—Xia Wuyuan. He is also the Martial Path consultant specifically requested by the authorities to help crack the '3.11' serial murder case."
The man referred to as Xia Wuyuan squatted next to Xia Li and began examining his injuries directly.
"Hey, don't move the victim's body so carelessly," Zhang Qing couldn't help but say.
But Xia Wuyuan seemed unbothered.
He not only inspected Xia Li's body but even started patting it.
"I told you not to tamper with it carelessly; doing so can easily destroy any residual clues on the victim's body..." Zhang Qing couldn't help but step forward.
"Don't worry, just leave it to my senior brother," the young woman who came with Xia Wuyuan stopped him, "If my senior brother can't solve this case, then nobody in Yunmeng City, or even the entire Tian Nan province, will be able to."
"You..."
Zhang Qing frowned.
The audacity.
"Xia Wuyuan!?"
At this moment, assistant inspector Lin Xiaowei from the criminal investigation team seemed to think of something and suddenly said, "The champion of the fourteenth national Martial Path competition? Xia Wuyuan, the tenth-generation inheritor of True Martial Fist?"
"You are the granddaughter of Master Lin of Five Elements Fist, aren't you? Unfortunately, your father did not pass down the Five Elements Fist, otherwise, you would not have asked the question just now."
Xia Wuyuan withdrew his hand from Xia Li's severely fractured humerus and stood up. "First the skin, then the flesh to tendons and bones, breathe deep to strengthen the organs within, replace blood and cleanse marrow to enter sainthood, even immortals and demons prostrate themselves."
"I have heard of this saying..."
Lin Xiaowei pondered, "This is the Four-layer Training Method of martial arts."
"Indeed, the Four-layer Training Method, consisting of physical external training, stretching and pulling bones, strengthening the inner organs, all the way to blood replacement and marrow cleansing, supplemented with the Force Application Technique, forms the four realms of a martial artist: martial master, grandmaster, and Martial Saint."
Xia Wuyuan was well-versed in the martial path.
"Aren't the martial arts professional titles in the countries of Zhongzhou ranked from first to tenth level?"
Zhang Qing, who was nearby, couldn't help but interject.
"The times are progressing, and the divisions in martial arts are becoming more refined. But if you observe closely, first to third level, fourth to sixth level, and seventh to ninth level also correspond to martial artist, martial master, and grandmaster."
Xia Wuyuan nodded. "Master Lin was a famous great martial master in Tian Nan province back in the day, just one step shy from strengthening the internal organs and reaching the human body's limit. Although he did not become a grandmaster, his vigor reached an ethereal state. He was virtually unbeatable in Tian Nan twenty years ago."
Having said that, he looked at the two-meter-wide crack in the wall.
"A grandmaster not only applies force ethereally, but their physique is so strong that it reaches the limits of the human body. Their explosive force can split open tablets and stones. It is certainly possible to do something like this."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qing, Lin Xiaowei, and Huang Bing all couldn't help but gasp.
Split open tablets and stones!?
If such force were to befall a person, could they possibly survive?
"The strength of a grandmaster can take on a hundred foes. In ancient times, clothed in iron armor, astride a warhorse, and fully armed, they could even cut through the ranks of a thousand soldiers, standing as an enemy against ten thousand."
Xia Wuyuan looked at the corpse beside him. "Xia Li, the general manager of Dragon Spring Real Estate on the surface is a property magnate with a family fortune in the billions, but in the Martial Arts World, he has another identity—the ninth-generation successor of Dragon Shape Fist and the most outstanding inheritor of Dragon Shape Fist in recent years, his strength being no less than that of Master Lin in his youth."
"Eh?"
Zhang Qing seemed to recall something. "Inspector Huang asked that survivor, Fang Qing. According to her, after committing the murder, the killer left a message saying, 'The ninth-generation successor of Dragon Shape Fist, that's all there is to it.'
"Not just the ninth-generation successor of Dragon Shape Fist."
Xia Wuyuan took a deep breath. "Successors of Crushing Fist, Zhao Family Fist, the Sect Leader of Luohe Sect... All these renowned martial masters met their end at his hands."
His expression grew solemn. "What this man has committed is not just the simple '3.11' serial murder case. The prosecutor's office has merged several cases that matched the M.O. of this killer, meaning, in recent years, he has killed no less than ten well-known martial masters."
This revelation caused Lin Xiaowei and Zhang Qing to feel their scalps tingle.
No less than ten martial masters!?
So many victims!?
Has this person gone mad!?
"What... What does he want to do!?"
Zhang Qing couldn't help but ask.
"Without exception, all who died by his hands were among the strongest of contemporary martial masters. If I'm not wrong..."
Xia Wuyuan stated gravely, "He wants to be the best in Tian Nan!"
"The best in Tian Nan?"
A question mark appeared on Zhang Qing's forehead.
What era is this, to still hold onto old feudal thoughts and aim for being the best in Tian Nan?
Alright, the title of the best in Tian Nan could indeed secure him tens to hundreds of millions in income per competition, but...
To prove oneself the best in Tian Nan by murdering others...
Even if he really goes to that extent, then what?
Is it about being able to withstand gunfire or resist artillery shells?
Risking being pursued by the Security Bureau for murder...
What is he aiming for?
"The best in Tian Nan?"
The woman beside Xia Wuyuan said indifferently, "If he wants the title of best in Tian Nan, he'll have to ask my senior brother if he agrees."
Xia Wuyuan waved his hand.
From the destruction wrought during the fight, Xia Li's strength was stronger than the rumors suggested, having definitely stepped into the Grandmaster Realm of internal cultivation of the organs.
If he were to be evaluated for a professional title, he would likely be rated Seventh Level, and with the right connections, even being rated Eighth Level was not out of the question.
Such a strong martial artist had been killed by that murderer; even as the champion of the national Martial Path competition...
He could not guarantee victory.
However, for those who practice martial arts, realm is not the sole criterion for measuring personal strength.
The application of vigor, physical condition, and mental will are all indispensable.
The final outcome of a battle can only be determined by fighting.
Therefore, he would not belittle himself.
"The operation has been dubbed 'Operation Exorcise the Demon', and this killer has been given the codename 'Shadow Demon', implying that he moves without a trace, but..."
Xia Wuyuan articulated decisively, "I will catch him."
His tone was forthright, "Not for anything else, just to uphold the dignity of the law and to give justice to the victims."