Three days ago, when the first murder occurred, Gu Zheng hadn't thought much of it. He assumed some Demon Dao perpetrator had infiltrated Qingshi City and committed a bloody crime in a fit of twisted madness, so he spent the night investigating.
He never expected that just a day later, another identical murder would occur.
The corpse was mutilated, its chest and abdomen torn open to reveal a gaping hole where the internal organs had vanished without a trace.
This time, as Gu Zheng searched the scene, he found a single, viscous, dark-red Blood Pearl. When he reached out and touched it, his panel and equipment tab activated.
The Demon Points it contained could be added to any of his Four-dimensional Attributes.
The peaceful life he had known for twenty years was shattered in an instant.
Jolted by this startling reality, Gu Zheng decisively added the Demon Points to his Strength, bringing it to the peak of human potential—the level of a Grandmaster.
Of course, a true Grandmaster should have their Strength, Constitution, and agility all at 10.
The killer wasn't human. It was a mysterious, terrifying, and monstrously cruel Demon Fiend.
How could Gu Zheng spare a thought for anything else?
The one Demon Point he had acquired last time was already spent. This time, he gained two more, and without hesitation, he put one point into agility and the other into Constitution.
HUM! HUM~
In that instant, as the muscles in Gu Zheng's body grew, his bones began to transform. Every cell in his body was strengthening, his meridians growing tougher and more resilient.
His blood and qi began to boil, rushing through his limbs and torso to force impurities out through his pores. There wasn't much, however, as he had already undergone a cleansing when his Strength increased last time.
So, although a wisp of vapor rose from Gu Zheng's head, it quickly dissipated. His body didn't give off much of a foul odor either—just the smell of sweat.
Clenching his fists, he savored the changes within his body as he looked at his panel again.
But under the Realm column, it still read: Unentered Realm.
'Even a Grandmaster doesn't count as having entered a realm?'
Gu Zheng's sharp brows furrowed.
The small sense of security he had gained from his stats reaching the peak of human potential instantly diminished by more than half.
Being a Grandmaster wasn't enough to enter a realm.
'Could it be that this Demon Fiend, having already committed three murders, is a being beyond the Grandmaster level?'
At this thought, Gu Zheng's heart grew even heavier.
His face taut, he walked into the next room. His expression didn't so much as twitch as he saw two more bodies—one old, one young—with the same gaping wounds in their chests and their organs missing. He began carefully searching the corners of the room.
The mysterious, crimson Blood Pearl—the substance known as Bloodshed—was nowhere to be found.
Gu Zheng then turned and left the house, ordering the constables outside, "Prepare the bodies. Just like the last two times, take them outside the city and burn them separately. You can bury the ashes afterward."
"Yes, Mr. Gu!"
Han Ming responded and motioned for the other constables to enter the house. Bracing themselves against the stench of blood, they began to handle the bodies.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng strode out of the small courtyard and into the falling snow, heading straight for the Government Office.
'I can't wait any longer…'
As he walked, his mind was in turmoil.
He had practiced martial arts for ten years and traveled to many places. He thought he understood this world well.
But now, with the sudden appearance of a Demon Fiend, Gu Zheng felt lost and keenly aware of an immense crisis.
He didn't ask for much. All he wanted was to protect himself and those around him.
But any form of protection required power!
Especially now that Gu Zheng had seen a path to becoming stronger.
Demon Points!
He couldn't be sure if the Bloodshed displayed on his panel was the Demon Fiend's blood, but it was definitely related to them.
Therefore, this Demon Fiend had to die!
...
When he arrived at the County Magistrate's Office and entered the back courtyard, the County Magistrate, Tong Yuanshan, hurried over. "How did it go, Gu Zheng? Any leads on the killer? This fiend is too brazen! Three crimes in a row, each one cruel and vicious. If I get my hands on him, I'll make him wish he were dead!"
After he finished speaking, he quickly stuffed the cucumber he was holding into his mouth and began chewing rapidly. CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
"I have a small lead."
Gu Zheng's expression was solemn. He cupped his fist toward Tong Yuanshan and said, "My Lord, I need a detailed map of the city."
"A map?"
Tong Yuanshan was taken aback for a moment, but then he acted without hesitation, calling over a government constable on duty nearby. "Go and bring the panoramic map of the city," he ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
The government constable acknowledged the order and quickly departed.
"Gu Zheng, what did you discover? Tell me quickly," Tong Yuanshan urged, crunching his cucumber again. "This case can't drag on any longer. We must solve it as soon as possible, find the killer, and behead them in public to make an example of them!"
In four days, there had been three incidents and more than a dozen deaths, every victim disemboweled and left in a horrific state.
For now, the news hadn't spread, so the situation was still under control. But if there was another death, the entire city would be plunged into panic.
"My Lord, have you ever heard of Demon Fiends?"
Gu Zheng took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Tong Yuanshan.
In terms of connections, this cucumber-loving County Magistrate—a man with a good reputation who had personally visited him to offer him the position of Chief Constable—was undoubtedly the person he was closest to.
"Demon Fiends?"
Tong Yuanshan's hand froze. "You mean the monsters and ghouls from storybooks?" he asked in surprised disbelief. "Gu Zheng, are you saying this killer… isn't human?"
"Based on the wounds, at least, they couldn't have been inflicted by a human."
Gu Zheng said grimly, "I've carefully searched the crime scenes and found that the killer is incredibly fast and strong. It also has a taste for human organs and blood. This was the case at all three locations."
"This..." Tong Yuanshan's brows furrowed deeply, and he unconsciously started crunching on his cucumber again.
"I've never heard of Demon Fiends. Perhaps there are records in the old case files. I'll go look through them later."
Tong Yuanshan said as he ate.
"I've already checked the case files and the county annals. There are no such records," Gu Zheng interjected. "I myself only ever saw a fleeting mention of Demon Fiends in an ancient text my late father once collected."
"In that case, I have no idea."
Tong Yuanshan took a hard, frustrated bite of his cucumber. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
Hearing this, Gu Zheng didn't press further and returned to the case.
"Given the immense danger posed by this killer, I would like to request that you order the County Soldiers from the City Defense Bureau to assist."
Gu Zheng explained, "The County Soldiers wear Iron Armor and have Crossbows at their camp. With their help, we can set an ambush to lure the killer out. Even if it's a Demon Fiend, we'll have a chance to kill it!"
"An ambush?" Tong Yuanshan raised an eyebrow. "Gu Zheng, do you know how to lure it out? How confident are you?"
"Sixty percent."
Gu Zheng replied, "In all three cases, besides having their organs torn out, the victims also lost a great deal of blood. Based on these two points, I believe we can use the viscera of pigs and sheep mixed with human blood as bait to lure the killer out."
Although the crime scenes were covered in blood, Gu Zheng knew how much blood the human body holds. A quick mental comparison told him the victims had lost at least half of theirs.
Without a doubt, besides killing people to eat their hearts, livers, kidneys, spleens, and stomachs, the Demon Fiend also consumed human blood!
"Using pig and sheep viscera mixed with human blood as bait?"
Tong Yuanshan stopped eating his cucumber and frowned. "Won't that bait be a little subpar? What if the killer doesn't fall for it? Why don't we just use human organs? As it happens, we have two inmates on death row awaiting execution. We can use them as bait. The result will surely be better!"
"...That would naturally be better," Gu Zheng nodded, his expression calm.
"So the bait is settled. Where do we set the ambush?" Tong Yuanshan asked, resuming his crunching. "Qingshi City isn't huge, but it's not small, either. Even if you drain every drop of blood from those inmates, the scent won't carry across the entire city."
"Rest assured, My Lord. I've already considered that," Gu Zheng replied.
Just then, the government constable who had gone to get the map ran back, holding a rolled-up scroll.
Gu Zheng took the scroll, spread it out on the table, and pointed to the lines representing the streets. "My Lord, please look. The first murder was here, in Pingkang Square. The second was here, in Ping'an Square. And the third was over here, in Pingchang Square. These three crime scenes are in three different parts of the city. I believe the central point between them is the killer's hiding place!"
"King Runan's Mansion!?"
To be precise, it was one of King Runan's villas. There was one in every county seat under the jurisdiction of Nanyun Prefecture.
These villas, located hundreds of miles from the true royal mansion, were almost always vacant year-round, attended only by a few servants who cleaned and stood guard.
But it was, after all, the property of a Prince. Most people didn't even dare to approach it.
When the second murder occurred, Gu Zheng had already suspected the Demon Fiend might be hiding in the villa. He had searched the entire surrounding area top to bottom but hadn't gone inside, as he lacked both the evidence and the authority to do so.
Now, with the lines drawn on the map, the connection was obvious.
"...I'll write you a warrant. Take it, go inside, and set up your ambush."
A conflicted look crossed Tong Yuanshan's face for a moment. Then he took a hard bite of his cucumber, chewing with a CRUNCH CRUNCH as if to bolster his courage. "If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility!"
"Thank you, My Lord!"
...
...
[Front Courtyard of the County Magistrate's Office]
[County Captain's Office]
"Are you sure you heard Gu Zheng say the words 'Demon Fiend'?" Zhang Hucheng shot to his feet, his towering frame exuding an intangible authority that overwhelmed the government constable standing nearby to report.
The constable trembled and hurriedly knelt. "Reporting to my lord," he said nervously, "I am certain I heard Gu Zheng say the words 'Demon Fiend'!"
"Heh~"
A mocking expression crossed Zhang Hucheng's dark face. "Interesting. So that fellow Gu knows about Demon Fiends, too."
The government constable kept his head down, not daring to make a sound.
"Change your clothes and go to the garrison camp immediately," Zhang Hucheng said, sitting back down with a faint smile. "Tell Captain Pang to find an excuse and refuse to cooperate by dispatching his troops."
"Yes, sir!"
The government constable got up and backed out of the room with his head lowered.
In the Public Office, Zhang Hucheng sat alone, muttering to himself as a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
'Ambush a Demon Fiend? We'll just have to see how you, Chief Gu, plan to pull that off!'