Free Web NovelChapter 140: Chapter 140: Tracking the Mysterious Person
At that moment, far away on the Deserted Star, He Hanshi, Ye Ming, and Yan Huoshui were staking out their target employer.
The three of them were hidden in a large, leafy tree, while below, Fang Yuan paced back and forth anxiously.
He Hanshi glanced at the time. "It’s still early. I wonder how much longer we have to wait."
Bored with the wait, Yan Huoshui was about to check in with Jiang Xia when he noticed a new post on his friend’s feed.
He tapped on it and almost laughed out of sheer exasperation.
"That kid... The three of us are out here feeding mosquitoes while he’s off feasting with Lanlan."
"Hah, and he even made a post about it. It’s a good thing this whole mess is almost over. Otherwise, he would’ve single-handedly blown our cover."
As he spoke, he took a closer look at the group photo. Thankfully, there were no other young males. Mu Tangfeng probably hadn’t arrived yet, so there were only four people in the picture.
Hearing this, He Hanshi and Ye Ming also leaned over for a look.
He Hanshi’s expression was as calm as ever, but his fingers unconsciously zoomed in on Shi Lan. Seeing the short distance between Jiang Xia and Shi Lan, his gaze darkened.
Frowning, Ye Ming quickly cropped the photo, cutting out Jiang Xia and everyone else to leave only Shi Lan.
The trio stared at the photo for a long time, their expressions complicated as they reread Jiang Xia’s two-line caption several times. It wasn’t until He Hanshi faintly heard the sound of a landing spaceship that he immediately whispered to the other two.
"They’re here."
At his word, they all snapped back to attention and secured their hiding spots.
Fang Yuan seemed to sense something as well. His body tensed, but he also let out a faint sigh of relief.
’Someone finally showed up.’ He had been worried that Vice Admiral He and his men would think he was lying and fly into a rage.
A few minutes later, a tall figure in a mask and gloves appeared before Fang Yuan. He asked, "Is that you?"
The figure gave a terse, deep-voiced "Mhm," then pulled a case full of cash and a vial of reagent from his Space Bag.
The man opened the case to show him, then swirled the vial in his other hand. "This is the spiritual power enhancement drug I promised you."
Up in the tree, the eyes of He Hanshi, Ye Ming, and Yan Huoshui flickered, their gazes fixed on the vial. They had been about to rush out, but they all held back in unspoken agreement, waiting to hear more.
A fanatical light shone in Fang Yuan’s eyes. "Really?"
The whole reason he had swallowed his pride, played the submissive role, and risked angering those men was for this very vial.
According to the mysterious man, taking this drug could raise one’s spiritual power by at least one Level. More importantly, Fang Yuan had once personally seen a man jump from a C-level to an A-level Spiritual Power Level. When the impossible happened right before his eyes, he became a believer. He was certain no low-level male could resist such a thing.
To escape his C-level spiritual power, to save face as a male, and to gain a competitive edge in winning a mate, Fang Yuan felt that no price was too high to pay.
He swallowed hard, unable to tear his eyes away from the vial. The man just stood there. "Come and get it."
His words snapped Fang Yuan back to his senses for a moment.
His eyes still fixed on the vial, he said warily, "Put it on the ground, back up a few steps, and I’ll come get it."
The man gave a nonchalant shrug and did as he was told, putting the items down and backing away. He placed the vial right on top of the pile of Star Coins.
With the glittering Star Coins and the vial—a symbol of elevated status—right in front of him, Fang Yuan hesitated for only a moment before succumbing to temptation and walking forward.
One step, two steps...
He soon reached the case and crouched down. His hands unconsciously scooped up a handful of Star Coins before his trembling fingers reverently picked up the vial.
Just then, the man whipped out a gun and fired, aiming squarely for the space between Fang Yuan’s eyes. A smirk played on his lips beneath the mask.
"Shit."
He Hanshi sensed the danger and moved to save Fang Yuan, but he couldn’t outrun a bullet. By the time he yanked Fang Yuan aside, the bullet had already torn through the side of his forehead, just next to his brow.
Simultaneously, Ye Ming and Yan Huoshui took off after the killer.
When the masked man saw Ye Ming, his pupils shrank. His eyes flashed with surprise, shock, and rage at Fang Yuan’s deception.
But he knew he was no match for the two of them and quickly used his Instant Teleportation Talent Skill to flee.
Ye Ming and Yan Huoshui were left behind. By the time they reached his position, the man was already on a Teleportation Spaceship.
Through the ship’s viewport, Ye Ming stared intently at the other man’s golden eyes.
He narrowed his eyes. ’Those eyes look familiar.’
However, golden eyes were common in the interstellar age. Besides, they had been too far apart for Ye Ming to get a clear read on the man’s specific Spiritual Power Level. freewebnovёl.ƈom
However, the fact that he had awakened a Talent Skill meant he had to have S-class Spiritual Power at a minimum.
’A Beastman with S-class Spiritual Power and golden eyes... That narrows down the list of suspects...’
On the way back, Yan Huoshui frowned regretfully. "What a shame. He was right in front of us, and we still let him get away. That Instant Teleportation Skill is seriously handy, though."
"Oh, right. Since you were this person’s primary target, he must be connected to you. Have you seen him before?"
Yan Huoshui directed his question at Ye Ming, who shook his head. "I don’t have any leads for now. But there aren’t many Beastmen in the Empire with golden eyes and S-level or higher spiritual power. We can run a more thorough check when we get back."
Yan Huoshui nodded. It was the only option they had for now.
The two rejoined He Hanshi, who was examining the vial. A short distance behind him, Fang Yuan lay dead, his eyes wide with a gaping hole in his forehead, unable to rest in peace.
"He’s dead?" Yan Huoshui asked in surprise.
"Yeah," He Hanshi said, his tone heavy. "I was a step too slow."
"I found the bullet and took a look. It has a military serial number, so it must be from a special-issue military firearm. An ordinary person couldn’t get their hands on one. The killer must have military connections, at the very least."
"However, the power dynamics on Capital Star are complex. Plenty of people have at least some military connections, so getting a gun like this isn’t necessarily that hard."
He Hanshi continued his calm analysis, "But the bullets for these guns are typically reused, and each gun only comes with six rounds. That might be a possible line of investigation." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Ye Ming nodded in agreement and shared the details of the chase with He Hanshi.
After compiling all the information, they now had several new leads to follow.
"Oh, and we should probably have the Eldest Prince send this vial for analysis," He Hanshi added. "We need to see if it can really raise a person’s Spiritual Power Level like that man claimed."
Logically, using drugs to force a breakthrough in one’s Spiritual Power Level goes against the natural laws of Beastman evolution. Interstellar law also forbids anyone from researching it.
Furthermore, there were no known drugs or proven methods that could actually raise a person’s Spiritual Power Level. He Hanshi was highly skeptical of the vial’s authenticity.
And yet, the excitement in Fang Yuan’s eyes had been all too real...
The investigation was once again shrouded in mystery. Finally, Yan Huoshui broke the silence. "Let’s shelve this for now and continue the investigation on the quiet. It’s time we returned to Capital Star and announced the recovery of our spiritual power."
With that, he let out another sigh. "I’m so jealous of Mu Tangfeng and Jiang Xia."
’We’re the ones left to worry about everything...’
