Bringing the Earl Greyrock for confrontation and interrogation is indeed a good method.
Several teams of martial artists, since they were loaned to Earl Greyrock by Zhang Gai, one of them must be the murderer.
Such a large number of death warriors.
This is no small feat, it's impossible to simply conjure them up.
"We've found something."
At this moment, Qiong Xue rushed in, holding a stack of documents: "Earl Greyrock did leave the city three months ago and brought dozens of personal guards."
"So, Zhang Gai didn't lie to us. But we'll have to verify the specifics before making a conclusion."
Shang Yufei looked at Baiyu, waiting for him to decide.
"Then we'll bring Earl Greyrock in as well. I'll handle this personally to avoid any accidents."
Once he finished speaking.
Baiyu promptly set out, assembled his team, and headed towards Earl Greyrock's mansion.
The nobles of Mountain City are all concentrated in the villa district, unlike Villiduo, where there are individual estates.
So finding someone there is quite convenient.
However.
Upon arrival at the Earl Greyrock mansion, the news Baiyu received was that the Lord Earl had left a week ago.
That was before the city was sealed off.
As for his destination.
The old butler left at the mansion was unsure, and others were even more clueless.
Baiyu furrowed his brow.
Following that.
He immediately ordered the entire villa district to be sealed off.
Only entry, no exit.
This action was naturally met with resistance from the entire noble community, but this group, compared to Villiduo's nobles, was vastly inferior.
The difference in strength.
There was simply no comparison.
In the end, these nobles only dared to shout out, and even when Baiyu glanced at them twice, they quickly avoided him.
"Captain, aside from the Earl, there are also four marquises and twenty-three viscounts missing from their homes."
Soon.
Soldiers from the Security Bureau brought a statistic.
Baiyu's face slightly changed.
The nobles of Mountain City total just a few dozen, and now, a third are missing, which clearly indicates a major issue.
These nobles have defected to the enemy?
"Search, regardless of whether there are people or not, search it thoroughly."
Baiyu said decisively.
...
With overwhelming martial power as a deterrent.
The nobles in the villa zone were more obedient than the tamest puppies.
However.
The search results were far from satisfactory.
Most nobles were indeed not within the villa zone, but Baiyu had already sent people to the Anomaly Bureau to investigate.
Over the recent months.
There's no record of a large number of nobles leaving the city.
Which means.
If these people did leave the city, they must have done so by smuggling.
Possibly smuggled to the Heavy Fog Forest or Villiduo.
Leaving in such a manner.
Attempting to trace them would be very difficult.
Things have reached an impasse again.
Baiyu frowned, this batch of foreign races and traitors in Mountain City is truly annoying.
Originally hoping for some gains through the capture outside the city, but it was violently disrupted by the Fourth Celestial Demon King, and now there are some clues, only to have them cut off cleanly now.
There's no doubt about it.
Those who could contact Earl Greyrock and know his whereabouts must have been thoroughly cleaned out, not a single one remaining.
Now wanting to trace them.
Aside from using extraordinary means, there's no other way.
"Captain, we've discovered an anomaly in Earl Greyrock's mansion!"
At this moment.
A martial artist from the Security Bureau ran over, a look of panic on his face.
"Anomaly?" Baiyu asked, "What kind of anomaly? Be clear."
"We can't enter the inner residence, no matter what methods we use. Also, there seems to be a Simulation Realm inside."
The martial artist said hastily.
Baiyu furrowed his brow and said, "Take me there."
...
The scale of Earl Greyrock's mansion is slightly smaller than that of the Count Violet.
The inner residence is the core of the entire mansion.
Baiyu arrived at the entrance of the inner residence.
The door was not locked, but there was a faint white mist floating in the air around.
A few martial artists from the Security Bureau were inside the door.
They looked pale, their hands waving wildly in the air, their muscles trembling due to pain.
Judging from their appearance, they were clearly stuck in a predicament.
"Earlier, only Xiao Li was trapped inside, but later, Old Liu and Old Wu went to save him, and the three of them ended up in this ghostly state as well.
I dared not act recklessly.
So I came back to report to you, Captain."
Baiyu nodded, indicating he had done well.
This white mist clearly contained a significant threat, for ordinary martial artists, entering it would pose difficulties for rescuing others or even self-preservation.
"Notify the Anomaly Bureau, and also, bring me some flashlights, and call the butler from Earl Greyrock's mansion."
Baiyu ordered decisively.
Soon.
Two martial artists brought over the old butler from Earl Greyrock's mansion.
Baiyu first tested the flashlight.
He didn't step inside, but extended the flashlight into the white mist outside the door.
The result was that the lit flashlight flickered twice, then instantly dimmed.
Electrical devices were unusable.
This aspect was extremely similar to a Simulation Realm.
Baiyu couldn't yet determine whether this was a Simulation Realm, but based on the current situation, it was very different from usual Simulation Realms.
To ensure safety.
He didn't continue to venture deeper.
Instead, he ordered to use ropes to drag the three trapped martial artists from the Security Bureau out of the inner residence.
Even after they were brought out.
They remained in the same state as inside the inner residence, incoherent, with their hands waving wildly, and their bodies trembling.
"Be careful and send them to the hospital."
Baiyu's expression was grim.
Still no trace of Earl Greyrock, and three of his own men were injured, starting off inauspiciously.
"Butler, do you know what's going on here?"
Baiyu turned his head.
However.
The old butler, who was initially somewhat normal, suddenly shrank significantly, his skin wrinkling inch by inch, face covered in furrows, instantly aging several decades.
Baiyu was startled.
The butler gasped desperately, as if breathing air had become extremely difficult.
"Lord Earl, I-I really don't know more details..."
The butler spoke with a trembling voice.
Baiyu raised his brow, the other martial artists from the Security Bureau were equally shocked by this scene.
This mansion of Earl Greyrock.
Was filled with an eerie and strange atmosphere.
"What's happening to you?"
Baiyu watched the butler cautiously; his appearance at that moment could be described as that of a ghost.
Moreover.
This immediate, unpredictable change was incredibly odd.
Compelling vigilance.
"Sir, I feel... I feel it's hard to breathe, I can't catch my breath..."
The butler spoke hoarsely, gasping for air.
Baiyu hadn't yet responded.
He reached his breaking point, suddenly dashed madly into the inner residence shrouded in thick fog.
Thud.
He didn't take many steps before trembling all over and collapsing.
Then his skin rapidly desiccated, vanishing into the mist, leaving behind a skeleton rolling on the ground, which then scattered into bones.
Silence descended around.
The martial artists from the Security Bureau all exchanged glances, seeing the fear in each other's eyes.
A living, perfectly fine person.
Just like that.
Disintegrated!
Baiyu furrowed his brow even more, extending a finger into the white mist.
However.
The decay did not affect his finger.
"Must one inhale the gas for it to take effect?"
Baiyu pondered silently.
This could indeed be possible, but the martial artists rescued from the inner residence did not show signs of this.
The contradictory situation.
Made the whole affair more mysterious.
And the silent inner residence resembled an entrance to Hell.
The mist did not spread, like a fluid, encasing the area.
"Captain, maybe we should retreat? We don't even know what this thing is, entering recklessly would be certain death."
Nearby.
A squad leader from the Security Bureau remarked.
Baiyu stared intently into the inner residence, even with his eyesight, he could only discern the entrance area, while the rest was covered by mist.
He took a deep breath and said, "Bring fire and burn it!"
