บท 47: Climbing and Exposing
"Alright."
General Blood pressed his hand to signal the thugs to stop their loud chatter, and he continued at an unhurried pace:
"To be able to silently kill Yin Hu, the culprit is most likely one of the awakened individuals in the territory, which means the culprit is among us!"
"This is a silent challenge against me. I am very angry about this."
"So I've decided to personally conduct an investigation to find the culprit!"
"But before the formal investigation begins, I've decided to give the culprit a chance. If they step forward now and explain their reasons, then I will give them a chance for redemption, which is also their last chance!"
Upon hearing General Blood's ultimatum, the faces of the six awakened individuals besides Tie Shan changed dramatically. General Blood's words undoubtedly pointed to one of them as the culprit!
Who could it be?
Their hearts pounded heavily, and their gazes darted between each other, seemingly trying to discern who could have done it.
Meanwhile, the thugs in the crowd looked at each other in silence, except for their slight breathing, the place fell silent.
No one stepped forward.
Behind the crowd, Chen Chong sneered inwardly. Everything about Yin Hu had been handled cleanly. Even Sherlock Holmes wouldn't necessarily find any clues. Moreover, considering the current situation, General Blood clearly focused his attention on these senior awakened individuals. Faced with such crude coercion, he naturally couldn't admit it voluntarily.
"No one is willing to admit it? Very well. Then, one by one..."
After a moment, looking at the dense crowd, General Blood nodded indifferently, as if he had anticipated it. His gaze shifted to the seven awakened individuals standing in the front row in a line, revealing a bloodthirsty smile:
"First, Tie Shan, where were you on the night Yin Hu disappeared? Who can testify for you?"
Obviously, General Blood placed most of his suspicions on these captain-level figures. Facing General Blood's inquiry, Tie Shan raised his head fearlessly and said loudly:
"Reporting to General, I was guarding the vehicles in the garage that night until around two o'clock in the morning before returning to rest at my residence. Both the garage and the brothers on night duty can testify!"
General Blood nodded and shifted his gaze to Bone Soldier. Without waiting for him to ask, Bone Soldier immediately spoke up:
"General, I was on duty in the warehouse area from morning till night. I didn't leave for a moment except during meal times. The brothers on duty can testify as well."
Then Li Bao hurriedly bowed and replied:
"Reporting to General, several brothers from our hunting team were gathered together playing cards. We played until around one o'clock before each of us went back to rest. Members of our hunting team can confirm this, no matter what the General asks!"
Following suit, Zhang Long, Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, Qian Xu, and other awakened individuals didn't dare to delay, quickly detailing their movements that night.
"So, Yin Hu evaporated on his own in his room?"
After listening to the testimonies of the seven awakened individuals present, General Blood paced leisurely, his tone chilling:
"All your testimonies can only prove your whereabouts in the first half of the night. What about the second half?"
The awakened individuals present couldn't help but exchange glances. These captain-level figures all had their own single houses and lived alone. Where could they find others to provide alibis for their absence?
Before they could speak up to defend themselves, General Blood's gaze swept past Li Bao, Sun Yimao, Qian Xu, and Wang Qianlie. Then he chuckled softly:
"Li Bao, Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, Qian Xu, you four have all had conflicts with Yin Hu, right? Especially you, Li Bao. Initially, Yin Hu secretly introduced your wife and became my plaything. You must have harbored resentment, unwillingness..."
Although General Blood spoke lightly, his tone carried a terrifying chill:
"To be able to silently kill Yin Hu under my nose, it shouldn't be the work of just one person. Did you collude with others privately, set up a trap, and kill Yin Hu?"
The expressions of everyone present changed drastically.
Li Bao once had a fairly attractive wife named Li Yun, who was abducted by other scavenger teams. However, Li Yun was not an innocent person. Although Li Bao hid her well, because the hunting team often went out into the wilderness, Li Yun secretly had an affair with Yin Hu within the territory and then, somehow, used Yin Hu as a stepping stone to enter General Blood's estate to serve him. This left Li Bao a laughingstock in the eyes of many.
This was also the biggest grudge between Li Bao and Yin Hu, as well as the shame in Li Bao's heart, now ruthlessly exposed by General Blood.
And at this moment, hearing General Blood's words, Li Bao never expected to be the first target. His scalp exploded, his body covered in cold sweat, and he exclaimed fearfully:
"General, Yin Hu's death has absolutely nothing to do with me! Li Yun being able to serve the General is her good fortune, and it was her voluntary choice. How could I resent the General? After I returned to my room to rest last night, I never went out again. Although no one can testify, everything I said is true. If there's any falsehood, I'll immediately meet a bad end!"
"Oh?"
Crimson eyes mercilessly stared at Li Bao, who was swearing under the gambling curse, as General Blood chuckled sinisterly:
"So, you're absolutely refusing to admit it?"
In General Blood's view, the most likely person to have killed Yin Hu was undoubtedly Li Bao. Yin Hu's death not only relieved Li Bao of a grudge but also struck a blow to his reputation, killing two birds with one stone. He didn't care if Li Bao admitted it or not. He was always stubborn, and as long as he decided on something, no evidence was needed!
Sensing General Blood's overwhelming killing intent, the nearly three hundred people present couldn't help but feel their hearts pounding, while Li Bao was drenched in sweat, fearfully continuing to plead:
"General, believe me, it's definitely not me! Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the ability. Who would dare to team up with me to kill Yin Hu at great risk? Besides, it's not just me who had conflicts with Yin Hu; Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, Qian Xu, they all had grievances with Yin Hu. They could be the ones!"
In front of everyone, aware of General Blood's brutality and knowing his life was hanging by a thread, Li Bao looked terrified, like a mad dog indiscriminately biting:
"And there's Chen Chong! General, he's also an awakened individual, and he was doing the night shift work. He could be the one! They could all be possible suspects!"
In the densely packed crowd, silence fell instantly. Behind the crowd, Old Man Xu faintly heard Li Bao's accusations and shook his head, saying, "Kid, did you offend this guy? You're trying to drag him down even when you're about to die!"
Chen Chong squinted his eyes, expressionless.
At this moment, on the stage, General Blood sneered: "Chen Chong? Li Bao, do you think Chen Chong, who hasn't even established himself in the territory as a fledgling awakened individual, could have killed Yin Hu? Besides, what motive would he have?"
Li Bao was suddenly speechless.
"Speaking of which..."
At this moment, in the front row of the crowd, Bone Soldier suddenly furrowed his brows and spoke up:
"The night before Yin Hu disappeared, he did indeed come across Chen Chong in my warehouse. They seemed to have a brief conversation, and Chen Chong seemed..."
"General, you heard that too!"
Hearing Bone Soldier's first half of the sentence, Li Bao suddenly felt like he had caught a lifeline and shouted:
"Chen Chong might be related to Yin Hu's disappearance. He should be questioned first!"
Tie Shan also stepped forward, grinning: "General, since Li Bao is not convinced, why not grant his wish and call Chen Chong for questioning? It will help him accept the truth."
In fact, neither he nor General Blood had ever suspected Chen Chong. The reason was simple. Chen Chong had only arrived in the territory half a month ago as a fledgling awakened individual, not only weak in strength but also not known to have any conflicts with Yin Hu. In his view, Li Bao's attempt to implicate Chen Chong was merely due to past conflicts between the two.
"That works."
General Blood raised his eyebrows, standing with hands behind his back, his stern gaze sweeping over the crowd, saying lightly:
"Where's Chen Chong? Step forward immediately!"
Whoosh!
As General Blood spoke, the crowd suddenly became restless, nearly three hundred thugs looking around frantically. And at the back of the crowd, Old Man Xu looked nervous, gazing worriedly at Chen Chong beside him.
"Didn't see this coming..."
Chen Chong raised his eyebrows, revealing a silent smirk.
He hadn't expected to be called up on stage because of Li Bao's reckless accusations, but more importantly, he had stumbled into it. Yet he didn't feel an ounce of fear.
As the crowd searched and clamored, Chen Chong, who had been hunched over, straightened up, no longer hiding. His sturdy, tower-like figure stood out among the malnourished thugs. Then, with ease, he pushed through the crowd blocking his path like shooing away chickens, steadily making his way toward General Blood on the wooden stage.
At the same time, standing on the wooden stage, General Blood, towering above, instantly noticed Chen Chong's imposing figure approaching like a tower. His serpent-like eyes were filled with astonishment!
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