Chapter 182: Zhang Yu Interrogated
Fu Ji’s voice echoed in his mind, “Remember, you have never seen Song Xu.”
“The surveillance cameras in the apartment were all broken anyway, and both you and Bai Zhenzhen disguised your appearances. There won’t be any footage of your real faces in the surrounding neighborhoods.”
“Plus, that group of evil god followers was terrified of ritual backlash, so their sense of secrecy was extremely high. They would never keep any information related to evil gods among their personal belongings.”
“The Inspection Team has surely failed to find any intelligence about evil gods on them for now, which means they have no way of knowing that Song Xu’s group was planning to target us.”
As a cautious person, Zhang Yu always prepared for things in advance. Just as he would get containers and tissues ready long before a sale of his seeds, he wouldn’t be caught scrambling at the last minute like some reckless fool.
He had, of course, already discussed how to handle potential questioning about this incident with Fu Ji and Bai Zhenzhen, so this was not the first time he had heard Fu Ji’s advice.
Hearing Yun Ni’s question now, Zhang Yu put on a blank expression and said, “Song Xu? I know he’s a top student at White Dragon High School, but I don’t know him personally. We’ve never spoken.”
Yun Ni nodded slightly upon hearing Zhang Yu’s words, her mind recalling some of the files on Song Xu.
Because the deaths of the six evil god followers from ritual backlash had been witnessed and even recorded by numerous citizens, the incident had quickly drawn the attention of the Inspection Team, which had classified it as a suspected evil god event.
During the multi-faceted data comparison, Song Xu was the first among the six deceased to be identified. As a top student at White Dragon High, his records were the most detailed and comprehensive ones the authorities possessed.
Through an investigation of the personal items Song Xu left behind, such as his phone and computer, the organization he had secretly founded was also exposed to the Inspection Team.
“An organization of geniuses from poor backgrounds, aiming to break their shackles and ascend to the second layer…”
Heh, people still fall for this kind of scam these days?
However, Yun Ni wasn’t particularly concerned about this. In her experience, the poorer people were in Kunxu, the more easily they were duped by the wealthy due to the vast information gap between them. Besides, fraud cases like this were not under her jurisdiction.
As the captain of the Inspection Team, Yun Ni’s primary concern… was the evil god.
But the phenomenon of six people spontaneously combusting was not, by itself, enough to confirm it as an evil god incident. After all, many methods could produce a similar effect.
Furthermore, no intelligence related to evil gods had been found among the clues and belongings left by the deceased.
As for Li Quan and the other former resident of the apartment, who had been taken away by their company on the day of the incident, they were currently working off the fine for possessing a pirated cultivation technique.
The Inspection Team had found no leads related to an evil god on those two, either.
The entire incident appeared to be a simple murder case, which prevented Yun Ni from escalating the operational authority and employing cruder, more forceful methods from the Divine Dao.
And yet, from the dilapidated building, the trashed crime scene, the damaged surveillance cameras, and other traces, Yun Ni could smell the distinct scent of an evil god.
The reason she was questioning Zhang Yu now was because his information had been found among some of the materials left behind by Song Xu.
This guy had been gathering intelligence on Zhang Yu this whole time?
Was Zhang Yu the target of their group?
Did Song Xu think Zhang Yu was also poor and want to recruit him into his scheme?
Perhaps I can get some useful information out of Zhang Yu?
As they spoke, Yun Ni and Zhang Yu arrived at an empty classroom, with the other inspectors standing guard outside the door.
The two sat down behind separate desks, and Yun Ni began, “Has Mo Tianyi contacted you?”
Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat, but Fu Ji advised him, No need to deny this. The Paupers’ Alliance is of little consequence to you, and besides, the Inspection Team and the local powerful families of Songyang are not part of the same system.
They won’t care about an organization like the Paupers’ Alliance. Just tell her the truth about your contact with Mo Tianyi.
Lying about this is more likely to arouse suspicion.
So, Zhang Yu truthfully recounted his few interactions with Mo Tianyi.
After listening, a flicker of disappointment crossed Yun Ni’s eyes. “No useful intelligence.”
Just like Mo Tianyi and those other poor students, none of them know if there was an evil god behind Song Xu?
Just then, Zhang Yu asked with a look of genuine curiosity, “Did something happen to them?”
Yun Ni was not surprised by his curious expression, but she had no intention of revealing the details.
“Mm… they’re connected to a case involving a pirated cultivation technique,” she said nonchalantly.
“If you remember anything else about them, you can call me anytime.”
At the same time, more details about the case flashed through Yun Ni’s mind.
This is a headache. Everything of value at the scene was destroyed.
Almost all the surveillance cameras in the apartment were malfunctioning…
No suspicious individuals were found in the security footage of the surrounding streets…
And that delivery driver who went to the scene… it seems the order was placed using a stolen phone, and the original owner is not a suspect…
The more Yun Ni investigated, the more she realized how few effective clues there were, and she could find almost nothing related to an evil god.
But the more this was the case, the stronger a feeling grew within her.
“If those six really did die from ritual backlash, then this was likely the work of an experienced and efficient evil god follower… or perhaps a veteran evil god was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.”
“In that case, this was a power struggle between evil gods.”
Could it be the same evil god that appeared at Songyang High School?
About a year ago, traces of an evil god had surfaced at Songyang High School.
To hunt down this evil god, the Inspection Team had invested a great deal of manpower and resources into investigating the corporation and family behind Songyang High School, maintaining long-term surveillance.
Unfortunately, that evil god had vanished like a phantom, never showing a trace again, to the point where many inspectors now believed that an evil god had merely been passing through at the time.
These cockroaches in the gutters, each one is better at hiding than the last.
A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind. Yun Ni looked at Zhang Yu and smiled faintly. “Before Pianpian left, she asked me to look after you. But big sister here is quite poor, so I don’t have any money to lend you.”
“I just have a bit of influence within the Inspection Team… Speaking of which, are you interested in advancing your career with us?”
“For example, becoming a formal team member? If you did, not only would your salary increase, but you’d get full medical coverage, daily meal and transport subsidies, a tax-free allowance, access to more powerful talismans, and even the chance to contact Pianpian.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered with interest. “Contact… Zhang Pianpian? Isn’t it difficult to communicate between the layers of Kunxu?”
Yun Ni explained, “Ordinary people certainly can’t easily communicate across layers. But the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods supervise the world and control all of Kunxu’s layers. If they couldn’t communicate up and down, how would they coordinate?”
“Once you become a formal employee under the jurisdiction of the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods, you can naturally use this privilege to communicate across layers.”
Fu Ji interjected in his mind, The girl is right. As long as both you and your sister become official employees of a divine ministry, you’ll have the chance to communicate across layers. Other opportunities exist too, like being involved in inter-layer corporate trade.
But becoming a formal employee of a divine ministry… that path comes with too many restrictions. With all the secrets you’re carrying, you’d best forget it.
Even without Fu Ji’s reminder, Zhang Yu, remembering Zhang Pianpian’s warning, had no intention of becoming a formal employee and promptly declined the offer.
Yun Ni just smiled, unconcerned, and told Zhang Yu he could come to her anytime if he changed his mind.
Not long after Zhang Yu left, the inspectors from outside entered the classroom.
One of the young men approached Yun Ni and said, “Captain, I just had someone look into Zhang Yu’s records. The kid recently purchased a batch of antiques worth over a hundred thousand.”
“The antiques market isn’t a good place for investment. It’s like archaeology… too many people are trying to unearth ancient cultivation secrets or gather information on extinct sects and fallen evil gods. The competition is fierce, with countless individuals and corporations making deals every day.”
“He’s just a high school student. What would he know about all that?”
“Also, I found records of him and Bai Zhenzhen leaving Songyang City twice in the last six months…”
Yun Ni shot him a look. She knew just as much, if not more, about common knowledge like archaeology and antiques as he did.
She was particularly aware that the Ten Great Sects and their subordinate corporations were constantly collecting information on sects lost to history, a vast market that was irrelevant to most city dwellers.
She knew even better that besides investment and archaeology, many antiques were used for worship.
Many powerful individuals who walked the Divine Dao, for instance, had personal shrines in their homes. Yun Ni’s parents, grandparents, great-grandfather, and ancestors all had their own private shrines for worship.
Of course, besides worshiping righteous gods, they could also be used to worship evil gods.
But Zhang Pianpian’s brother worshiping an evil god?
Yun Ni shook her head.
Someone like Zhang Pianpian, who is under the close watch of the righteous gods, has her entire family, from the old to the young, thoroughly vetted by the higher-ups. How could they possibly have any connection to an evil god?
A chain of thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning, but Yun Ni had no intention of explaining herself. She simply looked at the man and said coolly, “Who gave you permission to investigate him?”
The man was taken aback. “Captain, you were questioning him about Song Xu. Weren’t you suspecting that he might also be in contact with evil god followers?”
“When did I ever tell you I suspected him?” Yun Ni retorted coldly. “I was merely gathering some intelligence from him. Do not take matters into your own hands under my command.”
Although she reprimanded him, Yun Ni took no further action, knowing that his family had also produced inspectors for seven generations.
In Yun Ni’s eyes, the Inspection Team was like a beautifully decorated house. It had many walls, but only two or three were truly load-bearing. The rest merely pretended to be, but if you tried to knock them down to redecorate, it would cost a great deal of money and effort.
Then, Yun Ni asked, “When were the two times he left Songyang City?”
As her subordinate recited the dates, Yun Ni’s eyebrows arched slightly.
To anyone else, those two dates would seem perfectly ordinary, but to a tenth-generation inspector like her, they were highly unusual.
The dates of the high school Foundation Establishment exams?
They went to take the Foundation Establishment exam?
At first, Yun Ni thought her judgment had been wrong.
But on second thought, considering Zhang Pianpian, it suddenly seemed entirely possible that she would have guided her younger brother to take the exam.
“That’s enough,” Yun Ni said to the young man. “Zhang Yu is a colleague, after all. Don’t go investigating him without cause in the future.”
“Especially not about his trips out of Songyang. Anyone who wants to lose their job can go right ahead and look into it.”
Yun Ni issued a solemn warning to the subordinates before her. “If you actually dig something up, I’m afraid no one in Songyang City will be able to protect you.”
Given the level of secrecy surrounding the Foundation Establishment exam, Yun Ni thought, continuing to investigate what Zhang Yu was doing… would be like kicking a hornet’s nest, and who knows how many people would get dragged into it…
Her subordinates were all stunned by her words, wondering what kind of powerful background this Zhang Yu must have for a simple investigation to cost them their jobs with no one to back them up.