Chapter 1319
Sato Junrou
On the terrace, Jiang Qinqin is immersed in her own artistic world, her brush smearing colors and lines on the canvas, temporarily isolating herself from the outside world's disturbances.
Just then, Luo Fei's encrypted communicator vibrated; it was a call from "Night Watchman," the head of the Divine Bow Bureau.
"Director Luo, it's an emergency!"
The night watchman's voice carried a hint of solemnity.
"The crew member, number 749-11, Zeng Liguo, nicknamed Lao Zeng, was murdered this morning in an alley in Baojia Town, Jinniu District, Chengdu City!"
Luo Fei's eyes sharpened.
"Is it confirmed?"
"It's confirmed. Colleagues from the local National Security Bureau have arrived at the scene and confirmed the identity of the deceased."
Furthermore, we previously tried to contact his son, Zeng Yuanchen, the one on the list who just turned 18, but we couldn't reach him. Now it seems that the killer's target may not only be Zeng Liguo.
Luo Fei's heart sank.
Even those who were expelled from the Heavenly Secrets Group were all elites who had undergone rigorous training and possessed superpowers!
The assassin was no ordinary person to kill him so cleanly and efficiently! Moreover, there had never been a case in decades of a former member of the Heavenly Secrets Group being targeted for murder!
This is no coincidence!
"I suspect this is related to the Xuanyuan 816 plane crash!"
Luo Fei said decisively.
"The killer is erasing some kind of trace, or... preventing us from finding someone!"
He glanced at Jiang Qinqin, who was intently painting on the terrace, and frowned.
He originally intended to leave her in the relatively safe environment of the hotel, but the situation in Chengdu suddenly changed, and Zeng Yuanchen's fate was unknown, so he had to rush there immediately.
"Get ready," Luo Fei said to Jiang Qinqin as he walked onto the terrace.
"We need to go to Chengdu immediately."
Jiang Qinqin put down her paintbrush, somewhat surprised.
"Now? To Chengdu?"
"Yes, there is an emergency."
Luo Fei didn't offer much explanation.
"You come with me."
Seeing Luo Fei's serious expression, Jiang Qinqin didn't ask any further questions.
She knew things were definitely not simple.
Moreover, for some reason, although she knew there might be danger, being by Luo Fei's side gave her a strange sense of security. Plus, having a private jet made travel convenient.
"Okay, I'll inform Lü Chuan to arrange a plane."
Jiang Qinqin nodded and took out her phone to make the contact.
……
Chengdu, a key high school campus.
During the summer vacation, the campus was much quieter than usual, but the senior high school building was still brightly lit.
Zeng Yuanchen, Old Zeng's only son, is a boy who has just turned 18. He has a handsome face, an introverted personality, and is even a little shy. He is sitting in the classroom studying.
Like his father, he inherited the ability to become invisible, and he had already awakened it when he was in elementary school.
Unlike his father Zeng Liguo, Zeng Yuanchen was strictly educated by his parents from a young age. He was excellent in both character and academics, and had a gentle and reserved personality, like a gentleman.
He rarely even spoke to female classmates, and he would blush easily when he did.
He was well aware of the special nature and potential dangers of superpowers, so he heeded his parents' warnings and never used the ability casually at school or in front of any outsiders. His classmates just thought of him as an ordinary boy who was a bit introverted and did well in his studies.
As get out of class was about to end, Zeng Yuanchen felt the urge to urinate, so he told the class monitor and left the classroom alone, heading towards the restroom at the end of the corridor.
His footsteps echoed clearly in the empty corridor. As he walked, he suddenly felt something was wrong, as if... someone was following him?
He subconsciously slowed his pace and listened carefully. Besides his own footsteps, there seemed to be another extremely faint, almost imperceptible footstep, faint and elusive.
Zeng Yuanchen felt a chill run down his spine. He pretended to tie his shoelaces and suddenly turned around to look—
The corridor was empty; there wasn't a single person in sight.
Or is it just my imagination?
He frowned, but the unease in his heart grew stronger.
He quickened his pace and almost jogged into the men's restroom.
The moment he entered the restroom, a ghostly black shadow appeared silently at the restroom door.
It was that superhuman assassin from Japan—Sato Junrou! And the mysterious figure who caused the Xuanyuan 816 air disaster, standing on the nose of the plane!
He had been infiltrating the school for some time, mingling among parents picking up and dropping off their children and outsiders, patiently waiting for his chance.
His goal was clear—to kill Zeng Liguo's son, Zeng Yuanchen!
He wants to completely eliminate any potential hidden dangers!
Seeing Zeng Yuanchen run into the restroom, Sato Junro's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he immediately followed him in.
The toilet was quiet, with only the sound of dripping water.
The doors to several cubicles were either half-open or closed, and there was no sound coming from inside.
Sato Junro held his breath, his heightened hearing scrutinizing every subtle sound in the restroom. No breathing, no heartbeat—the kid…it seemed to have vanished into thin air?
He immediately thought of invisibility!
When he killed Zeng Liguo, he used a specially made gold powder to break Zeng's invisibility. Looks like this kid knows that trick too!
Sato Junro sneered, not in a hurry.
Based on Zeng Liguo's abilities, he deduced that this low-level invisibility technique had a limited duration, at most two minutes!
If he just guards the door, the other party will have nowhere to hide in two minutes!
He clutched another packet of specially made gold powder in his pocket, like a patient hunter guarding the only exit.
One second, two seconds... time passed by, minute by minute.
The toilet remained eerily quiet.
Two minutes are up!
Sato Junro's eyes flashed with a sharp look, and he prepared to throw out the gold dust!
However, in that very instant—
"Ring ring—!!!"
The shrill school bell rang out suddenly without warning, shattering the tranquility of the campus!
Almost at the same instant the bell rang, Sato Junro felt an invisible force slam into him, causing him to stumble! Immediately afterward, a nearly transparent figure, moving so fast it was almost invisible, swept past him like a gust of wind and rushed out of the restroom!
"idiot!"
Sato Junro was both shocked and furious. He reacted quickly and threw the packet of gold powder in the direction where the figure had disappeared!
"puff!"
The gold powder packet exploded in mid-air, and the golden powder spread like smoke in the toilet entrance and the corridor outside.
However, the powder slowly drifted down, and the air... was completely empty! Contrary to his expectations, Zeng Yuanchen's figure did not appear!
"How is this possible?!"
Sato Junro rushed into the corridor, and his face turned extremely ugly as he looked at the empty corridor where only golden powder slowly drifted down.
"His invisibility time...is more than two minutes?! Or...is he not even using invisibility at all?!" He angrily slammed his fist against the wall next to him, making a dull thud.
"Zeng Yuanchen! You can't escape!"
He let out a low growl, his voice filled with violence and murderous intent. The fact that his target had escaped right under his nose was a profound humiliation for him!
At this moment, using the sound of the school bell as cover, and his invisibility ability, which far surpassed his father's and lasted longer, Zeng Yuanchen, like a frightened bird, mingled into the crowd pouring out of the classrooms and ran desperately toward the school gate.
His heart pounded and his face turned pale. Although he still didn't know the specific background of the black-clad assassin, the news of his father's recent murder and the terrifying feeling of facing death just now made him realize that something extremely terrible had happened!
And he is in great danger!
Luo Fei and Jiang Qinqin's red private plane landed smoothly at Chengdu Airport.
To avoid attracting attention, Luo Fei had Jiang Qinqin wear a mask and a pair of large sunglasses, covering most of her face.
Without delay, the two hailed a taxi outside the airport and headed to the crime scene—the old alley in Baojia Town.
Upon arrival at the destination, the alley entrance had already been cordoned off, and several people in plainclothes but with a capable demeanor were on duty, clearly from the local State Security Bureau.
The absence of ordinary police officers from the local police station indicates that the case has been taken over by the national security authorities.
Luo Fei showed his identification as the director of the 18th Bureau of the State Security. After checking it, the guards immediately saluted and respectfully let him pass.
Entering the alley, one could see Zhao Chuan, the director of the local State Security Bureau, leading several technicians to investigate the scene. The body of the deceased, Zeng Liguo, had been covered with a white sheet, but the bloodstains and signs of a struggle on the ground were still clearly visible.
"Director Luo! What brings you here in person?"
Zhao Chuan was somewhat surprised to see Luo Fei and quickly came to greet him.
He knew Luo Fei and knew that this young bureau chief was highly regarded by Director Lei of headquarters and had solved many major cases.
"Director Zhao, how's the situation?"
Luo Fei asked directly, his gaze sweeping over the bloodstains on the ground and the scattered golden powder around him.
Zhao Chuan introduced the situation with a solemn expression.
"The deceased, Zeng Liguo, was stabbed multiple times, with the fatal wound to his heart. He died instantly, and the technique was highly professional."
This peculiar golden powder was found on and around him. Our preliminary analysis suggests it might be a revealing agent used to counter visual interference or invisibility abilities.
Luo Fei squatted down, picked up a bit of gold powder with his finger and rubbed it around, his eyes cold.
"That's right, the deceased was an ability user who could turn invisible."
This gold dust is the method the assassin used to break his invisibility.
"We also noticed the wound caused by the murder weapon. It was very narrow and deep, with clean edges, much like the short sword commonly used by samurai in Japan. The murderer was a master swordsman, quick, ruthless, and accurate. He was very likely a highly trained professional killer."
Zhao Chuan added.
"Unfortunately, there are no surveillance cameras in this old alley. We only managed to extract a blurry image from the external camera of a noodle shop across from the alley entrance. It captured the back of a person in black, but we couldn't see their face."
Zhao Chuan had the technicians retrieve the video footage. In the footage, a man dressed in black clothes, a mask, and a hat quickly disappeared into the alleyway; his height and build…
Luo Fei's pupils contracted slightly!
This figure from behind bears a striking resemblance to the dark silhouette he saw standing on the nose of the plane in the video of the Xuanyuan 816 air disaster!
"It's him……"
Luo Fei muttered to himself. Combining Zeng Liguo's identity as a former member of the Tianji Group and his invisibility ability, Luo Fei instantly connected the two clues!
This killer is very likely the same person involved in the plane crash! And he murdered Zeng Liguo to silence him or to eliminate some connection!
So, the next goal...
"Zeng Liguo's son, Zeng Yuanchen!"
Luo Fei suddenly stood up.
"The killer might also target him!"
Where is he?
"According to the information we have, he is a senior in high school at Laifeng Middle School and should be attending extra classes at school now."
Zhao Chuan answered immediately.
"Let's go! To Laifeng Middle School!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Luo Fei pulled up Jiang Qinqin beside him and said to Zhao Chuan.
"Director Zhao, this situation is now in your hands. Keep in touch!"
"Understood! Director Luo, please be careful!"
Luo Fei and Jiang Qinqin quickly left the crime scene and took a taxi straight to Laifeng Middle School.
As expected, they were stopped by security guards when they arrived at the school gate.
"No unauthorized personnel allowed!"
The security guards were adamant.
Luo Fei showed his identification again.
"The National Security Bureau is investigating a case and needs to go in to find a student."
The security guard glanced at the ID and sneered.
"National Security? I'm the UN Secretary-General! You think you can fool me with a fake ID? Get out of here!"
Time was of the essence, and Luo Fei had no time for idle chatter. His eyes turned cold, and he struck with lightning speed, delivering a precise chop to the guard's neck. The guard didn't even utter a sound before collapsing limply to the ground.
"go!"
Luo Fei said something to Jiang Qinqin, who was somewhat stunned, and the two quickly entered the campus.
They found out which class Zeng Yuanchen was in, but when they arrived, they found that he was not in the classroom.
Luo Fei immediately requested to view the school's surveillance footage.
In the monitoring room, they retrieved the video footage from the teaching building.
The footage clearly shows Zeng Yuanchen going to the restroom alone during break time. Then, the familiar man in black appeared and followed him in!
The man in black was holding a gleaming Japanese short sword!
He stood guard at the toilet door with a knife for a while, seemingly waiting for something, before taking a few steps back, looking around warily, and finally nimbly vaulting over the corridor railing and disappearing from the surveillance camera's view.
Zeng Yuanchen never came out of the toilet after entering it.
"His invisibility skills are better than his father's!"
Luo Fei immediately made a judgment.
"It lasted at least ten minutes, maybe even longer! That's how he managed to find a chance to escape while being guarded!"
We must find Zeng Yuanchen as soon as possible!
He is in extreme danger!
Luo Fei used the National Security Bureau's internal system to find out where Zeng Yuanchen's mother, Wu Ting, worked—a bathhouse called "Bishui Yuntian".
He immediately took Jiang Qinqin and rushed over.
At the bathhouse, they learned that Wu Ting had taken the day off and was resting in the staff dormitory. The dormitory was on the sixth floor of an old residential building behind the bathhouse.
Luo Fei and Jiang Qinqin hurried upstairs. As soon as they reached the sixth-floor corridor, they heard the sounds of fierce fighting and suppressed screams coming from room 601!
"not good!"
Luo Fei's expression changed, and he rushed to the door of 601. He didn't care about manners and kicked the door lock hard!
"boom!!!"
The old wooden door swung open with a click! (End of Chapter)