Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Main Force Returns
「Half an hour later.」
Ding Lang rushed over with two assistants and a full set of investigative equipment. The veteran forensic doctor might have grumbled, but his professionalism was beyond question. His expression turned exceptionally grave the moment he saw the strange mirror and the charred corpse.
’It’s this thing again...’
Ding Lang crouched at the edge of the Array, carefully collecting fragments of the blue crystals with a specialized tool. He then directed his assistants to photograph the mirror and the body from various angles and to extract residual Spiritual Qi samples from the surroundings. He said:
"The deceased was burned to death from the inside by an extremely sinister Fire Attribute energy. The Spiritual Attribute of their flesh and blood was drained, leaving only this empty shell... This mirror seems to be a medium for receiving and converting energy. Or... a channel."
He carefully examined the twisted wood grain on the mirror’s frame, even scraping off a few samples. "This wood has been soaked in blood—a foul, spiritually tainted blood used to nourish and activate some sort of Evil Magic."
After nearly an hour of work, Ding Lang finally completed the initial crime scene investigation and evidence collection.
"I have to take the body and this mirror back to the forensics lab for further study," Ding Lang said to Yang Wenqing. "There should be traces of someone’s aura on them, which could serve as evidence if you ever manage to catch the culprit. But you most likely won’t. I’ll inform you as soon as I have any results."
"Thank you for your trouble, Forensic Doctor Ding." Yang Wenqing nodded, watching as Ding Lang directed his assistants to carefully place the charred corpse into a body bag. They then wrapped the strange mirror in layers of special talisman cloth before carrying it away.
However, as the current deputy commander of the city’s security, Yang Wenqing couldn’t devote all his energy to this single case. After seeing Ding Lang off, he gave an order to Wu Yan:
"Old Wu, you and Ah Rong will follow up on this case covertly. You’re a veteran officer; investigate it as you see fit. If Zhenyuan Mining refuses to cooperate, you have my permission to use a certain degree of force. Also, try investigating this case in conjunction with the sunken corpse case at the port."
"Understood, Captain!" Wu Yan nodded in understanding. "Ah Rong and I will be careful. We’ll report to you immediately if we find anything."
Yang Wenqing clapped him on the shoulder, then called over the two security officers from the port precinct who were at the scene. Once all the arrangements were settled, he flew the Flying Shuttle back to the branch office alone.
A mountain of pending reports sat on his desk. Documents for resource allocation requests needed his signature, and even some difficult public security cases required his approval.
He forced himself to temporarily push the strange mirror and charred corpse from Zhenyuan Mining out of his mind. He threw himself completely into the immense and tedious task of commanding the cleanup and recovery efforts.
After finishing the mountain of paperwork on his desk and signing off on the last urgent resource allocation request, Yang Wenqing looked up. He realized the sky outside had long since turned completely dark. The branch office building was still brightly lit, but the daytime clamor had gradually settled into a weary silence.
Still, he couldn’t rest. As the person in charge of the city’s security, he had to personally confirm that order was being maintained at night. He took a patrol team that had just come off their shift, personally led them aboard a Flying Shuttle, and began his night patrol.
The Flying Shuttle skimmed low over the silent streets. He focused his patrol on the outer city districts, where police alerts had been frequent. Those areas had suffered the most damage and were most prone to new outbreaks of chaos at night.
Fortunately, thanks to the forceful suppression and crowd management during the day, most areas had already returned to a state of basic order. Occasionally, he could see people who had lost their homes sitting silently outside the temporary shelters.
By the time he completed one full patrol and returned to the branch office, it was late into the night. Yang Wenqing only managed to meditate fully clothed in the command center’s break room for less than three hours before the sky began to pale. He had to start a new day of patrols and coordination.
It was another high-intensity, fast-paced day.
There was some good news. By noon, the Demonic Qi-contaminated area outside the city—handled by the Government Soldiers and Civil Affairs Bureau Cultivators—had been completely cleared. The residual evil aura was entirely dispelled by official seals and purification Arrays. Back in the city, the disaster relief efforts were also mostly finished before sunset. The rubble was given a preliminary clearing, main roads were reopened, and most of the injured were properly cared for.
But immediately after, a heavier and more emotionally taxing task fell on Yang Wenqing’s shoulders: handling the compensation for the fallen.
Vice Director Gao personally summoned him to his office and said with a solemn expression:
"Wenqing, in this incident, our City Defense Bureau branch lost a total of sixteen official security officers. They were heroes who died fighting for Qianjiao County and for the honor of the City Defense Bureau. For those whose families live in the city, you must console them and handle the funeral arrangements. For those who live farther away, you are to personally write letters of condolence and dispatch some of our colleagues to deliver them."
As he spoke, he handed a file to Yang Wenqing.
Yang Wenqing took it and saw a list of sixteen names and their home addresses recorded in the file.
"Vice Director Gao, I will handle it properly."
Yang Wenqing agreed in a low voice.
For the next while, Yang Wenqing temporarily handed off his other duties to his deputy. He then took two administrative officers with him, carrying the compensation funds and condolence gifts, and began visiting the families of his fallen colleagues who lived in the city, one by one.
It was an incredibly draining task. He had to face the heart-wrenching sobs of elderly parents, the despairing gazes of young wives, and the confused questions of small children. He had to repeat the same hollow but necessary words of comfort over and over, explain how his colleagues had died, and personally hand the compensation funds to the families. He also had to solemnly promise that the bureau would handle the funeral arrangements and do its best to help them with any future difficulties.
Some families were understanding, holding back their grief to express their thanks. Others were emotional, crying, questioning, and even blaming him.
Yang Wenqing silently endured it all, patiently comforting them. He knew that any bureaucratic platitudes or deflections at a time like this would be a desecration to the memory of his fallen comrades and their families.
When he finally dragged his weary body and mind away from the last family’s home, it was already eight o’clock at night. The continuous high-intensity work and emotional drain left him feeling exhausted, despite his physique as a Qi Cultivator.
Late at night, he stood in the branch office courtyard, gazing at the sparse stars in the night sky. He let out a long, heavy breath, realizing with profound clarity that safeguarding the peace was not a simple matter that could be solved with just a few orders.
He stood in the courtyard for a long time until the chill of the night wind brought him back to his senses. He composed himself, boarded a Flying Shuttle once more for his routine late-night patrol, and only returned to the branch office after confirming there were no further abnormalities in any of the districts.
Returning to the command center, he still didn’t go home. He continued to meditate in the break room to restore the mental and physical energy he had expended during the day.
「The next day.」
As sunlight once again shone down on Qianjiao County Town, Yang Wenqing appeared at the command center right on time. He began handling the new day’s affairs: the follow-up on the compensation work, the coordination of post-disaster reconstruction, the consolidation of order within the city, and so on.
Around ten o’clock in the morning, the low roar of Spiritual Energy engines suddenly echoed from outside the branch office courtyard, gradually growing louder and clearer.
The main group that had been away for the combat assessment was back!
Flying Shuttle cabin doors opened one after another. The sergeants who took the assessment, the operations division members responsible for security, and the Government Soldier escorts filed out. A few of the sergeants still had healing runes glowing on their bodies, a clear sign that the assessment at the Black Mountain Training Ground was no joke.
Yang Wenqing’s gaze swept through the crowd, quickly spotting a familiar figure. Wang Jianchao was still at the very front, his posture upright. Although his face showed signs of fatigue, his eyes were sharp, and a hint of joy touched his brow—he had clearly passed.
Xiao Liang followed not far behind him, looking a bit disheveled. The cuff of his uniform was torn, but his spirits were high. His eyes held a look of profound relief, suggesting that the results of both his written and practical exams were satisfactory.
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