When Chen Chuan heard the na "Blood Mark Gang," he glanced into the living room and asked, "What’s this about?"
Ren Shu said, "It’s about that old commission regarding the Skull Splitting Demon. They sent a letter before you returned, Expert Chen. We told them you weren’t here. Now that they’ve heard you’re back, they’ve sent soone again." He added, "But this ti, they aren’t coming as a gang. They’re here on behalf of the Du Niao Company."
Chen Chuan knew that Du Niao Company was one of the many businesses started by the Blood Mark Gang. It was just a legitimate front, but that facade did make things look better on the surface.
He thought for a mont and said, "I don’t have ti right now. The details in the last letter were vague. Tell them to send over the specific information. I’ll decide after I’ve reviewed it."
Ren Shu said, "Alright, I’ll tell them just that."
After hanging up, he went back to talking with his aunt’s family. But just after lunch, Ren Shu called again. "Expert Chen, the Blood Mark Gang has already delivered the materials. They said they also want to talk to you in person this ti..."
’So soon?’
Chen Chuan’s thoughts raced. ’It seems the Blood Mark Gang is really in a hurry.’ But he didn’t want to spend his day off running around for this. He said, "Just tell them I’m busy. We’ll schedule a ti for tonight." Ren Shu replied, "Okay, I’ll have Xiaowei pick you up then."
Chen Chuan spent the rest of the afternoon at his aunt’s house. After dinner, he made a confirmation call, washed up, changed his clothes, and then headed out.
This ti, in addition to his Snow Monarch Blade, he also carried a briefcase. Inside was the case containing the Tayana Spider. Since the item was small and rather dangerous, he hadn’t left it at the school but kept it with him.
When he reached the alleyway, Driver Xiaowei had already pulled the car up to the entrance. He got right in. The car started smoothly and drove all the way to the company.
Ren Shu had been waiting for him. Seeing him arrive, he ca out to greet him. After exchanging pleasantries, he said, "Expert Chen, the man is still here waiting. He’s been sitting here all afternoon."
"Quite patient," Chen Chuan remarked.
Ren Shu said, "We are a legitimate company. Even if it’s the Blood Mark Gang, since they’re approaching us as a company, they have to abide by corporate etiquette."
When he said this, his cautious tone from speaking with Chen Chuan was gone, replaced by a distinct confidence. This was undoubtedly his area of expertise.
He glanced at Chen Chuan again and asked, "Expert Chen, would you like to see him now?"
"Let’s do it now," Chen Chuan said.
Ren Shu agreed. He gave a signal, and an employee went to fetch the visitor, while he led Chen Chuan directly to the reception hall in Building Three.
He said, "They’re installing an elevator right now. That way, Expert Chen, you won’t have to run up and down the stairs every ti."
Chen Chuan nodded. He understood what Ren Shu was doing—always trying to improve his working conditions. And for that reason, he made sure to bring greater returns to the company. "The office environnt is quite good now," he said.
After they reached the reception hall and sat for a while, they heard a voice from outside say, "Mr. Li, this way, please."
A mont later, a tall, thin man walked in. On the surface, there was nothing about him that suggested he was a gang mber. His attire was no different from that of any other company’s senior employee.
Upon entering, he introduced himself to the two of them as Li Hui, a senior manager at Du Niao Company, and then greeted them with warm and polite remarks.
After an exchange of complints and pleasantries, both parties sat down. Manager Li tentatively asked, "I wonder if Expert Chen has the ti to listen to my briefing on the situation?"
"That is precisely why I asked you to co here, Manager Li," Chen Chuan replied.
"Good, good."
Manager Li took the briefcase in his hand, placed it on the table, and pulled out a stack of docunts. He handed them to both Ren Shu and Chen Chuan, saying, "These are the materials our company has prepared at Expert Chen’s request."
As Chen Chuan took the file and began flipping through it, Manager Li spoke again. "Please allow to briefly explain. At present, three respected gentlen within the Blood Mark Gang have died. It is truly a deplorable loss."
Chen Chuan remained noncommittal, continuing to look through the docunts. Previously, he had only seen written descriptions; now, he was looking at very graphic photographs.
All three n’s skulls were split open, cracked wide in an exaggerated manner. A single glance revealed that everything inside was gone. It involuntarily reminded him of the two waterlon halves from that afternoon, scraped clean with a spoon.
Just looking at the photos, he could almost feel the perpetrator’s ticulous process—peeling back the flesh, carefully prying the skull apart, and not only eating the main brain tissue but also licking the inside clean of any residue. Not a trace was left, not even a drop of blood in the surrounding area. All that remained was an empty skull.
Beside him, Ren Shu could only stomach a few glances at the photos before feeling waves of nausea. He had to cover his mouth with a handkerchief.
Manager Li, however, continued speaking. "We’ve investigated repeatedly and even brought in others to take a look, but we haven’t found a single clue. They were simply sleeping in their own beds when their skulls were broken open. So, we’re almost certain this is truly the work of the Skull Splitting Demon."
Chen Chuan looked at the detailed investigation records below. All the victims had died suddenly. For instance, one of them had been talking to his wife in bed when he suddenly went silent mid-conversation.
Annoyed, his wife turned over, only to discover his split-open head and empty cranium. She fainted on the spot. The shock of waking up to the sa sight caused her to pass out again, and she suffered from psychological problems afterward.
Another victim was perhaps not well-cared for by his family. In the morning, his lover got up, got dressed, said a quick goodbye, and left, completely unaware that the man in bed had had his brain eaten. It wasn’t until that evening, when she saw he was still lying in the sa position, that she realized sothing was wrong. By then, his body had been cold for a whole day.
Only the last person was discovered in the gang’s office. There were no signs of a break-in at the scene.
He then said to Manager Li, "The Skull Splitting Demon has been appearing in Yangzhi City for a long ti, yet the problem has never been solved. Therefore, I need to study this first before deciding whether to accept the commission."
"Of course, of course." Manager Li was good at reading the room. Chen Chuan was his only hope now, so the fact that he was even willing to look into it was a good sign. He wouldn’t dare push his luck. He stood up and said, "Then I won’t disturb you any further, Expert Chen. If you discover anything, please be sure to notify us."
He took out a Na Card, placed it on the table, bid the two n farewell, and tactfully departed.
Chen Chuan waited for Ren Shu to see the man out and return. Then he asked, "Mr. Ren, has the company received reports of similar incidents from other places?"
Ren Shu thought for a mont. "We just received a batch of files from the Administrative Affairs Hall, and I haven’t seen any similar reports. But there’s no telling if there are unreported cases. However, I’ve already had soone compile all the past reports on the Skull Splitting Demon. Would you like to see them now, Expert Chen?"
"Yes, bring them all over," Chen Chuan said.
When an employee brought over the files, he set aside those that were clearly deliberate misdirections and others that were too old, keeping only the ones that seed valuable.
After reviewing them, he found that the cases matched what he had seen in the photos perfectly. Still, he couldn’t be absolutely certain without examining a cri scene himself. But according to the files, the bodies had already been buried, so there was no point in stirring up trouble. He would have to wait for the Skull Splitting Demon to appear again to get his chance.
Since there was nothing else to be done there, he didn’t stay at the company long. He took the car directly back to the school. On the way, he mulled it over. ’Why is the Skull Splitting Demon only targeting the Blood Mark Gang this ti? Is it because of sothing they did? Or is there another reason?’
As he was deep in thought, he suddenly sensed sothing. He shot out a hand and firmly caught a Crossbow Arrow that flew in through the open car window.
Judging by its trajectory, however, the Crossbow Arrow wasn’t aid at him. If his judgnt was correct, it would have hit the car door next to him and embedded itself there.
He glanced over and saw a figure on the rooftop across the street vanish in a flash.
He looked back at the Crossbow Arrow and saw a small slip of paper tied to its shaft.
This person was clearly skilled. Even the slightest extra weight on an arrow’s shaft could interfere with its flight. To accurately shoot an arrow through the window of a moving car from over thirty ters away, while also ensuring the person inside wasn’t hard, required a very high level of archery.
He untied the paper slip from the shaft and opened it. A single sentence was written on it in what looked like blood: "None of your business. Stay away."
’This must be about the Blood Mark Gang case,’ he thought. ’So this is a warning.’
’Who could it be? The Iron Chain Gang?’
On the surface, the Iron Chain Gang seed like the most likely culprit. But he had dealt with their mbers before, and this style just didn’t quite match their character.
He said to the driver, "Master Xiaowei, pull over up ahead."
"Right away, Expert Chen," said Driver Xiaowei.
After the car stopped, Chen Chuan got out, straightened his clothes, and found a secluded spot. He took the case out of his briefcase and tapped on it with his finger. "I need you to lead the way."
anwhile, the figure who had fired the Crossbow Arrow leaped down from the roof. After weaving through quiet alleyways for half an hour, he arrived at a secluded, small building.
Several young people were inside. Seeing him enter, one asked, "Brother Xin, how did it go?"
The man pulled off his mask, revealing a young face. He took a few deep breaths and said, "I’ve warned that expert. I just don’t know if he’ll continue helping the Blood Mark Gang." As he said "Blood Mark Gang," a look of hatred flashed in his eyes.
A young man standing in the corner, who hadn’t approached, said, "The legend of the Skull Splitting Demon has been around for years, and no one has ever been able to solve it. I think this was a pointless gesture."
Brother Xin said seriously, "I’ve told you all before, that expert is highly skilled. He’s the one who dealt with the Flying Head Sect. That ans he might be able to deal with the Skull Splitting Demon, too."
The young man remained unconvinced. "Soone that skilled isn’t going to be scared off by your crossbow arrow. I doubt it."
"We had to try."
The young man said, "We don’t need to scare people. We need more good weapons. As for this expert, why not just get rid of him? Why waste the effort?"
Brother Xin said in a low voice, "We will have them. I’ve already made the arrangents. Once we get our hands on them, we won’t have to be afraid of anyone."
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