Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 156: Legacy of the Sword Heart (Part 3)
"As the regional director for the Yuan Consortium, I have always maintained the utmost respect for the Academy."
Without wasting words, the director named Jia Yi led Fu Qian and Lanaya straight inside, arriving at a chaotic scene of absolute carnage.
"So, please believe that our abrupt request for the Academy's assistance this time is not us making an unreasonable fuss."
As he spoke, Jia Yi unzipped a body bag.
Hiss!
Almost instantly, Fu Qian heard Lanaya, who was walking ahead, draw a sharp breath.
Inside the body bag was a mangled, bloody corpse.
From head to toe, the body was covered in crisscrossing wounds, mangled almost beyond recognition.
The bones were likely shattered to pieces—was the killer mincing meat for dumpling filling?
Taking a quick glance at the injuries, Fu Qian understood why Lanaya reacted that way.
Although there were countless lacerations, it was glaringly obvious that they were all inflicted by a sharp blade...
Sword wounds?
Confirming that the two had noticed the anomaly, Jia Yi signaled his subordinates to unzip the other body bags.
Sure enough, every single corpse had been torn apart by crisscrossing sword strikes. The method of execution looked remarkably similar across the board.
"There are six casualties in total: three guards, one supervisor, and two staff members."
Jia Yi's face was like iron, seemingly struggling to suppress his rage.
"All the Beyonder Materials inside the Warehouse are gone."
"I trust you have both seen the wounds on their bodies. This is exactly why I immediately requested assistance from the Academy."
"If this can be resolved properly, we really do not wish to escalate the matter to the Night Watchers."
...
"What level of strength did the deceased possess?"
Looking at the scene before her, Lanaya's expression grew solemn. She now understood why the Committee was taking this so seriously.
In this world, there weren't many who stepped into the extraordinary through the path of the sword, and the vast majority of them were concentrated in the Academy's Sword Institute.
And now, just a short distance away, a group of people had been slaughtered by vicious sword strikes, and Beyonder Materials had been looted. It was indeed difficult for the Academy to wash its hands of suspicion.
Judging by Jia Yi's demeanor, he was just short of pointing fingers and demanding the Academy hand over the murderer.
"The three guards were between the Seventh and Eighth Tier, but the supervisor was a Quasi-Tier 5," Jia Yi stated bluntly.
Quasi-Tier 5—that was quite an impressive level of strength.
Fu Qian thought to himself silently.
To slaughter so many people in one fell swoop... if this was the work of a single person, their strength was undoubtedly formidable.
"There should be surveillance footage here?"
After a moment of silent contemplation, Lanaya asked.
"There is."
Jia Yi was clearly prepared. Someone quickly stepped forward and played a video clip.
It appeared to be nighttime. A figure wearing a mask and covered entirely from head to toe appeared on the camera.
Facing the guards who immediately went on high alert, the figure did not hesitate for a split second. A longsword swung out with chilling murderous intent, and blood splattered instantly.
Judging by the reactions, the assailant instantly killed the Quasi-Tier 5 supervisor—who had the fastest reflexes—and then casually took out the security camera with a single strike. The recording ended there.
Even through the screen, one could feel the sheer ferocity behind that sword swing.
This...
Looking at the footage, Lanaya fell silent for a long time.
After a while, she exhaled and looked at Jia Yi.
"I will contact the Academy."
A few moments later, Lanaya returned.
"I have reported the situation. The Academy will fully assist in the investigation. Until we have results, Fu Qian and I will remain here to prevent any further incidents."
*Shouldn't you ask for my opinion before saying something like that? When did I ever agree to stay here?*
Fu Qian muttered inwardly.
However, he could understand Lanaya's reaction.
Though the video was short, it was enough to prove that this was the work of a master swordsman.
Looking at Brother Jia Yi's expression, it was clear he had already concluded that the culprit was from the Academy.
As the regional director, the pressure on him after such an incident was undoubtedly immense. Naturally, he wanted the killer caught as soon as possible.
Going straight to the Academy and using the Night Watchers as leverage was indeed the most efficient approach.
And the fact that the Academy's Committee sent personnel over so quickly showed they also hoped to handle the matter cleanly.
Lanaya taking the initiative to stay was essentially a display of the Academy's cooperative stance.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Seeing Lanaya take this position, Jia Yi's expression softened slightly.
"Then we shall await news from the Academy."
...
"How long do you estimate it will take to get results?"
In the resting area Jia Yi had arranged for them, Fu Qian looked at the stern-faced Lanaya.
"It won't take long. I've already applied to the Committee to have someone specifically check yesterday's travel logs," Lanaya replied with absolute certainty.
"While there are quite a few people in the Academy with this level of strength, narrowing it down to those who practice the sword makes it much easier."
"Although the Sword Institute has developed rapidly in recent years, cultivation is a gradual process. There simply aren't that many individuals above the Middle Tier right now."
"Coupled with the opening of the Sword Pavilion, most people's movements are highly concentrated. We should have results very soon."
"Us waiting here serves two purposes: first, to prevent another incident, and second, to keep these Yuan Consortium folks from doing something irrational that would make the situation impossible to clean up."
At this, Lanaya scoffed.
"They've had smooth sailing for years, and their tempers have grown quite a bit along with it."
"The best outcome here is to clear the Academy of suspicion. Then they can go cry to the Night Watchers themselves."
It was obvious she did not appreciate being threatened.
...
Just as Lanaya predicted, given the nature of the incident, the Academy's efficiency was remarkably high.
In less than an hour, Lanaya received an encrypted file.
She scanned it rapidly, but her expression suddenly stiffened.
"Did someone's itinerary match?"
Noticing her strange look, Fu Qian asked curiously.
"No."
Lanaya subconsciously shook her head and let Fu Qian read the transmitted data himself.
"Not only the people capable of executing that strike, but the whereabouts of *everyone* at the Middle Tier and above in the Sword Institute have been screened. Everyone on the list has been cleared of suspicion."
*Then why does your face look so grim? Isn't this exactly what you wanted?*
Fu Qian flipped through the data casually, his eyes darting quickly across the lines of information.
Although he was nominally a mentor at the Academy, he didn't actually have much of a concept of its workings, and he was completely unfamiliar with the Sword Institute.
But after a quick skim, Fu Qian realized the problem.
*Seems like someone is missing?*
"Where is Li Weixuan? He uses a sword too, right?"
"Yes," Lanaya answered softly.
"In closed-door cultivation; unresponsive."
"A month ago, he went into solitary retreat to prepare for his breakthrough to Demigod."
Fu Qian now understood why Lanaya looked so terrible.
If he remembered correctly, this man was a legendary figure within the Academy.
If it was ultimately proven that he had something to do with this, it would be a massive disaster.
Amidst their silence, frantic knocking suddenly echoed from the door.
Before they could even respond, the door was shoved open from the outside. Jia Yi strode in, his expression so dark it looked like water might drip from it.
"Another location has been hit!"
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