Chapter 34

The case of the Liu family compound has caused a stir at the central level. A senior general, one of the few remaining from the founding of the nation, was murdered in this heinous incident, which has drawn high attention from the central government. Each circle has its own unwritten rules. In this circle of power and privilege, you can smear your political opponents, report them, or retaliate, but you must never put them to death.

You can suppress, but you cannot kill—that's the unwritten rule. However, now, Old Master Liu was actually burglarized in his room, and a mysterious jade seal was stolen. He was also poisoned and killed. How could this be tolerated? This is a challenge to the entire ruling class.

Colonel Chen Hai of the State Security Bureau was entrusted with the task of solving this heinous crime. At thirty-four, he has a bright future and is a rising star in the military, capable of becoming a major general before the age of forty. His exceptional work ability is a given, and he is also a representative of the third generation of the Chen family in the capital, with a deep and influential background.

Originally, Chen Hai, full of confidence, signed a military order to solve the case within a set time. Massive resources were mobilized, and under the operation of the vast state machinery, Li She's master, 'Old Ghost,' was uncovered.

Old Ghost was once a prominent figure, a hero during the War of Resistance against Japan. No one knew his lineage, but he was known as 'North Swallow, South Ghost' in the martial world. North Swallow referred to the highly esteemed Yanzi School, while South Ghost referred to Li She's master, Old Ghost.

Several skilled members of the Yanzi School later joined Grandfather's forces, and the morally ambiguous Old Ghost once helped the Yanzi School complete several high-difficulty missions, stealing secret documents from the Japanese and Nationalist armies. According to the Yanzi School, Old Ghost always came in disguise, so no one knew his true face. The only certainty was that Old Ghost was male.

After the liberation, Old Ghost seemed to have fled overseas. It was said that over a decade ago, he took in a three-year-old boy as his last disciple, training him for eleven years. A year ago, after Old Ghost's death, this disciple began to wander alone in the world.

This time, the criminal infiltrated the Liu family compound alone, killing the internal martial arts expert Iron Monk, severely injuring Eagle Claw Wang Xu Kun and Overlord Fist Hu Sanjiang, and even killing a Class A psychic ability agent of the State Security Bureau. This had to elevate the criminal's danger level.

Even Old Ghost might not have had such martial prowess. From the injuries of Xu Kun and Hu Sanjiang, it was highly likely that Li She knew a long-lost internal martial art.

A month passed, and Li She seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving no clues.

This month was the most difficult for Chen Hai. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fingers, yellowed from smoking, testified to his frustration.

Chen Hai, repeatedly reviewing Li She's files, pondered deeply, "Definitely! This person is still in the country, and in the capital, just well-hidden." Chen Hai firmly believed in his judgment. In a megacity like the capital, with a population of twenty million and millions of migrants, finding someone skilled in disguise was like looking for a needle in the sea.

At this moment, the door to Chen Hai's office was pushed open, and a young female officer with the rank of major and glasses reported, "Report, Director Chen! We have cracked the criminal's computer records! Through these records, we found six hideouts of the criminal in the capital."

Chen Hai looked up. For a long time, they had only found some trivial information. Cracking the criminal's computer records would be a significant breakthrough.

"Good! Bring it to me!" Chen Hai said.

The female officer handed over a thick file, and Chen Hai began to read it line by line.

The female officer explained, "The criminal's computer skills are extremely high. We managed to crack it by analyzing the contact list. We also discovered an anonymous account in a Swiss bank. We have contacted the Swiss bank and frozen the account. Without funds, the criminal cannot escape the country."

Chen Hai nodded, "It seems this heinous crime was commissioned by a foreign group. Have the six hideouts been secured? I believe the criminal will return to one of them. Without money, he cannot escape far."

The female officer replied, "All secured. Our agents have infiltrated and found hidden compartments with large amounts of cash, fake passports, and weapons. From these fake passports, we have identified the criminal's appearance, and his name is confirmed to be 'Li She,' the disciple of Old Ghost!"

"Good! I order that a full regiment and two special forces teams be deployed around each hideout. Install surveillance equipment inside and monitor 24/7. Arrest Li She as soon as he shows up," Chen Hai commanded.

"Yes, sir!" The female officer saluted and went to arrange it.

The six hideouts in the capital were closely monitored, with pinhole cameras installed and 24/7 surveillance.

A full regiment was deployed near each location, and two special forces teams were on standby.

In a room near Li She's apartment, over a dozen monitors displayed the layout of Li She's room. Suddenly, all the screens were disrupted, showing static.

"What's happening! Check it out quickly!" the person in charge of monitoring shouted into the radio.

At that moment, a naked man suddenly appeared on the screen, lying on the ground as if he had just materialized.

The Divine Thief Order once again broke through the world barrier, bringing Li She back to the real world. Li She felt the intense pain of being torn apart. Shaking his head, he got up and cursed, "Damn, naked again!" He put on clothes from the wardrobe.

The person in charge of monitoring stared at the screen, picked up the radio, and shouted, "Report to headquarters! The suspect has appeared at Hideout 5! The suspect has appeared at Hideout 5!"

At headquarters, Chen Hai, hearing the report from Hideout 5, grabbed the radio and shouted, "Confirm the suspect's identity! Confirmed?"

The State Security Bureau officer, comparing the image to Li She's photo, shouted, "Ninety percent match!"

"Hmph, finally surfaced, huh? Notify all units to act!" Chen Hai ordered, and all the forces in ambush sprang into action.

Li She put on clothes from the wardrobe, glanced at the hidden compartment in the wardrobe, and froze, cursing, "Damn!" Caution, caution, and more caution—this was the first principle instilled by his master. Li She had marked his belongings with special marks, so he would immediately notice if they were tampered with.

His hidden compartment had definitely been opened. Li She pulled it open; his weapons were still there, but the bullets had been replaced with blanks. "Damn, since this place has been exposed, my Swiss bank account is probably frozen too! What a loss," Li She cursed.

He punched the wall behind the compartment, breaking through the hidden layer, and retrieved a backup bag. The cash was likely recorded, and spending it would attract the police. He put the bag on his back and prepared to leave when he heard footsteps in the hallway. The door was blown open with an explosion, and the reinforced double-layered anti-theft door was blasted away.

Smoke filled the room, and several black smoke grenades were thrown in.

Li She's eyes narrowed, and he struck the smoke grenades with a palm of Ice True Qi, freezing them into ice blocks.

"Target found! Target found!" Special forces teams with black masks rushed in. 'Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh'—a team rappelled from the roof and broke through the window.

Li She used the *Ice Fire Palm* to strike the intruders. The innate power of the palm was formidable, and a hurricane-like force instantly turned the six intruders into ice statues.

Li She picked up one of the frozen bodies and threw it out the window, hitting the special forces team preparing to rappel in. They screamed and fell off the rope.

Using the *Lingbo Weibu* technique, he dodged the bullets, glanced at the rope outside, and leaped toward it. He stepped on the windowsill for leverage, grabbed the rope with one hand, and slid down. Living on the 17th floor, even with his lightness skills, he didn't dare jump directly.

He paused, let go of the rope, and landed steadily on the air conditioning unit on the 14th floor. Just as he stood up, he sensed danger and instinctively crouched. 'Bang'—a bullet left a cup-sized hole in the wall. "Damn! Sniper," Li She cursed and quickly jumped from one air conditioning unit to another.

The sniper on the opposite rooftop fired continuously, 'Bang, bang, bang,' but the bullets narrowly missed Li She.

"Is this guy a monkey? So agile," the sniper cursed. He was a top sniper and had never encountered such a difficult target. The target wasn't just dodging bullets on flat ground but was rapidly descending from the 17th floor, using simple side steps and crouches to avoid the bullets, which was beyond imagination.

The ground was already filled with police. Li She jumped to the 4th floor, kicked off with both feet, and leaped like an arrow to the roof of a nearby building over twenty meters away.

"Quick, quick, quick! Surround the area. Secure the entire area, the suspect is on Building B," commands were issued from the command vehicle.

The sound of helicopters echoed in the sky, and two helicopters circled, locking onto Li She. He jumped from one building to another without stopping.

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