Chapter 126: The Assassination Organization

"Hey, what's up, kid? What did the criminal investigation team say?" My master asked as he answered the phone.

I looked at the report in my hand and replied, "The autopsy report is out. There's nothing unusual; it's exactly the same as what we saw last night. There's only a bloody gash on the neck."

My master pondered for a moment and said, "Alright then. I haven't found anything on my end either. We can only wait and see if Li Xin can dig up anything."

I nodded and asked, "What do we do next?"

"Let's head back to Li Xin's place first," my master said.

I agreed and hung up the phone. I then turned to Captain Liu and said, "Captain Liu, since the autopsy report is clear, I'll be heading out now."

Captain Liu paused, surprised, and asked, "Won't you stay for a meal?"

I waved my hand and said, "No, we still have work to attend to."

"Fair enough. I'll treat you all to a meal another time."

I nodded, turned, and walked out of the forensics department. Captain Liu escorted us all the way to the main gate of the criminal investigation unit before heading back. We caught a ride back to the Paranormal Intelligence Association. My master had already arrived and was sitting in Li Xin's office. Seeing us, he beckoned us over. I walked up quickly and asked, "Any discoveries, Master?"

My master shook his head, sitting on the sofa and brewing tea by himself. "Patience. That kid Li Xin won't let us down."

After he spoke, he poured two cups of tea for us. We sat on the sofa and began to drink. A moment later, the door was pushed open. I saw Li Xin walk in carrying several lunch boxes. My master looked at him, stunned.

Li Xin smiled heartily as he placed the meals on the table and said, "It's lunchtime. Let's eat first. We'll have results soon enough."

My master looked at Li Xin with surprise. Li Xin clapped his hands, sat on the sofa, picked up a meal box, and began to wolf down the food. Seeing that we hadn't touched our chopsticks, he asked in confusion, "Senior, why aren't you eating?"

"I must say, you've got nerves of steel. A homicide case this serious, and you still have the leisure to eat," my master remarked, looking at Li Xin.

Li Xin laughed sheepishly, set his meal box down, and said, "Senior, there's no point in rushing now. I've already instructed my subordinates to investigate. There are quite a few people in the circle who are proficient in illusions; finding them won't be difficult. Let's eat first. We can't investigate a case on an empty stomach."

My master nodded, finding merit in Li Xin's words, and opened his own meal box to start eating. Li Muyang and I followed suit. As he ate, my master said to Li Xin, "There are indeed many in the circle who know illusions, but weeding out last night's killer from that lot is going to be difficult."

Li Xin thought for a moment, nodded, and replied, "We'll investigate slowly, starting from the roots."

My master nodded without further comment. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Li Xin paused, looked up, and said, "Come in."

The door opened, and a young man in casual clothes walked in, holding several photos and files. He said, "President, I've tracked down the people you wanted. They are all here."

Li Xin looked at the files in the man's hand and nodded. "Just put them on the table."

The man acknowledged the order, placed the files on the table, and turned to leave. Seeing the file bag, my master abandoned his meal after only a few bites and reached for it. Li Xin also set aside his lunch box and watched my master.

My master took the documents out of the file bag, reading through them while comparing them to the photos on the table.

"Xu Hechang, male, forty-eight years old, height 1.72 meters, weight over 150 jin. Specializes in soul-bewitching techniques. Personal history: once broke into the Laoshan territory alone, was severely wounded and expelled by the Laoshan disciples, then withdrew from the paranormal circle and has lived in seclusion ever since."

My master read the first document aloud, then paused at the end, looking at Li Xin. "I have to say, is this level of detail really necessary? You can even get hold of their height and weight?"

Li Xin smiled and said, "It's a small feat."

My master nodded and went through the other files. Since the number of people listed was quite large, we each took a stack to examine. We spent nearly half an hour going through all the documents, which covered hundreds of individuals. My master placed the files on the table and asked, "Did you all notice anything?"

Li Muyang and I shook our heads, but Li Xin pulled out a few files and said, "These three are highly suspicious. Senior, take a look."

My master took the files and examined them carefully. He said nothing for the first two, but his brow furrowed slightly at the last one. "Wei Wujiang, male, early thirties, member of a paranormal assassination organization. Specializes in illusions. Personal history: once accepted an assassination order and single-handedly slaughtered the Liuyun Temple. No one inside survived, and the temple has ceased to exist since."

As my master finished, his brow furrowed even deeper. He looked at the person in the photo—a man in a black Taoist robe holding a black umbrella, captured while walking down a street. My master tossed the photo to Li Xin and asked, "Can you find out where this person is right now?"

Li Xin took the photo, glanced at it, and nodded. "No problem."

He walked over to his computer and accessed a specific website. After a short while, all of Wei Wujiang's information appeared on the screen. Li Xin printed it all out and handed it to my master. My master studied it for a long time before saying, "This person is a very likely candidate."

"Senior, are you saying this man is the killer behind these two murders?" Li Xin asked, shocked.

My master nodded and said in a low voice, "Wei Wujiang. I've heard of him. He joined the assassination organization when it was just starting out; he's a veteran figure by now. His mastery of illusions is truly terrifying. It wasn't just Liuyun Temple—many other sects have fallen victim to his hands. However, he is elusive and mysterious. He doesn't stay within the organization either; he takes orders through other channels. Finding him won't be easy, unless..."

My master trailed off, leaving us in suspense. My heart tightened, and I asked, "Unless what, Master?"

My master looked at me, then at the printed files in his hand. "Unless... unless we can capture a member of the assassination organization, or find a way to make contact with them through certain people. Otherwise, finding Wei Wujiang will be harder than finding a needle in a haystack."

We finally understood his plan. Li Xin then asked, "Senior, are you confident that it's him?"

My master nodded, then shook his head. "I'm not certain, but judging by the methods, it should be him. At the very least, having a suspect is better than having none at all. The immediate priority is to find a way to locate Wei Wujiang; otherwise, relying on our side and the intelligence reports to search this vast sea of people will be exhausting."

We agreed with his assessment. As I stood there, the thought of the assassination organization spinning in my head, I suddenly remembered Gu Chengguang. My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly said to my master, "Wait, Master! I just remembered something. Didn't Gu Chengguang say before that he received his mission from the assassination organization? If this is the same organization, can't we just find Gu Chengguang? Even though he didn't see the person who commissioned the hit, didn't he say he received the order through a computer?"

My master paused, looked at me, and suddenly looked surprised himself. "That's right! We can use Gu Chengguang as a resource. How did we forget about that? You two are sharp; you always provide reminders at critical moments. You'll be great assets in the future—keep up the good work."

With that, my master walked to the side, pulled out his phone, and called Captain Liu. After a few seconds, the call connected, and my master went straight to the point: "Captain Liu, where is the killer we caught at the Duoyuan Lake residential complex currently being held?"

Captain Liu was taken aback and replied, "He's at Yuzhou Prison. Why?"

"Is there a way for us to get in? We have some questions for him."

Captain Liu thought for a moment on the other end. "Alright, I'll try to arrange it. How soon do you want to go?"

"We'll be there shortly. Make the arrangements," my master said.

Captain Liu agreed, and my master hung up the phone and walked back toward us.