Chapter 21: A Murder Case with Extremely Strong Directionality

"La Tiao, you must be sure to protect me; under no circumstances let any moving thing get close, understand?"

Through the "Immortal Guidance" method of casually tossing shoes, Chen Shicheng successfully got lost in the forest.

He always felt that wherever he walked seemed familiar, yet on closer look it was entirely new; drifting aimlessly until noon when the sun was overhead, he reluctantly logged off, planning to change inns and continue.

As for sleeping, forget it; he'll consider that when his strength can protect his life, anyway his current physical condition endures better than before.

After reminding La Tiao to protect his offline character's body and confirming it understood the order, Chen Shicheng exited the game.

Having packed his simple luggage, he went to the first‑floor reception to wait for the cleaning aunt to inspect the room.

While he was fiddling with the lucky‑cat figurine's paw on the desk, a mournful siren wailed from outside; when he turned around curiously, a line of police cars roared past with flashing lights.

Their speed rivaled that of street racers; if any private car got in front, they mercilessly blared the horn, forcing it to move aside.

"Whoa, are they catching some terrorist? Such a big show," Chen Shicheng muttered subconsciously.

But before he could finish, his brain seemed to be shocked, a sudden jolt.

"Speaking of terrorists, does the photo Officer Song showed himself count? It's already severe enough to make night pedestrians go home early; to ordinary people that really seems unbelievable."

The more Chen Shicheng pondered, the more uneasy he became, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead, his curiosity no longer suppressible.

"No need to look for it, thanks!"

He tossed two bills to the receptionist girl, not caring about the small change he lost, and eagerly grabbed his suitcase, sprinting along the direction the police cars had gone.

That run instantly put distance between him and them; the effect of his physical enhancement was astonishing.

Even while dragging his suitcase, he left the elderly folks on electric scooters far behind.

This flamboyant display of his physique only ended when he spotted a construction site.

The construction site's gate was tightly cordoned off by yellow barriers; the police car from earlier was parked nearby, and several officers were talking with the on‑site personnel.

Chen Shicheng didn't get to the front; instead he bought a deluxe breakfast at a nearby pancake stall, while probing for information.

"How tragic, what era is this that such people still exist, aren't they just idle!" a middle‑aged woman with her hair wrapped in foil said, grinding her teeth and angrily complaining to her friend.

"Exactly, I heard the method was extremely cruel, sawing a person in half down the middle, blood everywhere." Her friend couldn't help but brag about the info she knew.

"Is it true? I heard it might have been a work accident, the machine accidentally cut the person at the waist?"

"Impossible, what machine can split a person vertically into two pieces and then hang them on a tower crane? It must be done by a person."

"How do you know?"

"I'm telling you, this morning while buying vegetables, I saw it with my own eyes."

Listening to the two women's frantic first‑hand gossip, Chen Shicheng felt a chill rise from his feet straight up to the crown of his head.

Similar death scenes and bodies deliberately hung on tower cranes, such targeted and demonstrative methods, instantly reminded him of the man from last night.

"No way, is the revenge motive really that strong?" Chen Shicheng squinted at the now‑empty crane in the sky, a heavy sense of danger rising within him.

The man was the one he eliminated last night, and the demonstrative revenge also occurred last night; this level of initiative made him raise the man's danger rating by another tier.

What's more unsettling is that Yu Wei must have known they were in the same city; otherwise she wouldn't have used such a targeted method for murder and protest.

That means the game Mountains and Seas Deification isn't just synchronized with time and reality; even the locations match.

Players born in the same region in the game may also live near each other in real life!

At that moment, another police car with its siren wailing arrived at the construction site entrance.

A police officer who had once crossed paths with Chen Shicheng stepped down, his face stern as he talked with the on‑site officers.

His complexion shifted; silently he moved closer, perking up his ears and, thanks to his enhanced hearing, began eavesdropping.

"Team Song, the victim's identity has been clarified: Chen Shicheng, a migrant farmer, honest and kind, with no enemies or debt disputes."

"What about the autopsy results?"

"According to the forensic doctor, the victim suffered inhuman abuse while alive, being sliced piece by piece from the lower body into two halves. Sorry, Team Song."

"It's fine, continue."

"Although the wound marks differ slightly, we can preliminarily conclude it's the work of the same killer as the previous serial murders."

"What about surveillance and witnesses? The people at the site should all live together, right?"

"This area hasn't been built yet, so there's no surveillance. As for witnesses, the only one saw Chen Shicheng go to a restroom at night and never return."

No need to listen!

Chen Shicheng could now be certain: the killer was the pervert named Yu Wei from last night.

Moreover, beyond the known facts, he could confirm that the players in Huangchi County Town were all killed by this person, though it's unclear how many murders in total, making the police feel like facing a great enemy.

Chen Shicheng slipped aside, took out his phone, and began searching for recent serial murder cases in C City.

Soon, the official website posted a case report.

Three years ago, the first murder occurred in a mall restroom in the city center; subsequently more than twenty additional cases were uncovered. Although the victims had no connections, the identical modus operandi classified them as a serial murder case.

Reading the police's official notice, Chen Shicheng felt a hidden unease.

Even knowing Yu Wei had killed many, the fact that it exceeded twenty was beyond his expectation.

As for how the players were found in reality, Chen Shicheng immediately thought of the ancient Relic he had just obtained yesterday.

But there was still something he couldn't fathom: even knowing the appearance and name, how did Yu Wei locate someone with a homophonous name so quickly?

"Looks like there's little time left; we must quickly boost our strength, and even if nothing else, have a way to escape!"

(End of Chapter)