[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-33":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269679,4431,"Chapter 33: Break Down the Door!","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>What is the hardest crime to detect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A senseless one—with no motive, no capability. You look at the case file and have no idea where to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When explaining his plan to the candidates, Li En acted like a seasoned criminal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But others found it normal; those who truly understand crime are likely all law enforcers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Criminals often need only one mistake to end it all, while enforcers face these cunning villains daily—what bizarre things haven’t they seen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many cold cases are solved by pure luck, and even then, people chalk it up to fortune. Like this: he had no reason to kill you—he wasn’t short on money, held no grudge. Yet the reality might be a fleeting glance on the street, or just disliking your hair color, then following you home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Li En’s design, the absence of motive or grievance would serve as cover for his group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if we only spoke of reason and logic, Li En truly had no need to clash with the slave market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En and Dimon came to sell goods—why would they kill the buyers? It makes no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing for justice, for the weak? Better to whisper such dreams in sleep. At least most people would think so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second layer of cover is the issue of killing capability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can a stray dog kill a lion? Can an ordinary person kill a high-rank transcendent? Reality allows such a possibility, though extremely rare—yet most would deem it utterly impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a world of transcendants; the gap between Dimon and Eugen far exceeds that between a stray dog and a lion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, as long as Li En—who possesses killing ability—has an alibi, it’s enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, when suspicion against Li En’s group shrinks to near zero, all eyes will naturally turn to the other side of the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Tail-Cutter has both motive and capability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He or she, having followed someone and discovered this transaction, would such a one—who craves “life”—let this treasure slip away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Angering the slave market? Given his usual madness, what wouldn’t he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But to establish this logic, one prerequisite exists: the Mad Knight could not have been near Eugen at the moment of his death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering Li En’s earlier words and expectations, Larry took a deep breath and drew his longsword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original six arms, under the illusion’s enhancement, had vanished completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though still slightly unnatural wielding only two arms, such an opponent posed no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The church’s manufactured justice seemed to have taken a different path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the children.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orphans, those little brats who emptied her pockets, shouldn’t become someone’s life storage, a reserve meal for anyone to take a bite from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The confused knight seemed to have found the banner in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.I will draw my sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Larry responded thus; now, she said it to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am honored to eradicate these scum.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, though clad in another’s skin, the young Spider Knight swung her blade for herself—for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judgment of the Sin Realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red light pointed to her enemies—these wicked ones must die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This transcendent judgment was unnecessary; the children bound by iron chains in the trafficker’s room were their unhidden proof of guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sin-Cleaving Slash.” A faint silver glow settled upon the imitation Sword of Courage; the young Oath Knight swung her first Sin-Cleaving Strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silver ring bloomed in the room; the next instant, a flower of blood erupted at its center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headless corpse, still spurting blood, had not yet fallen when another half-moon slash cut through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her blade flowed without pause; even with only two arms, she displayed an efficient, elegant killing technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was chosen for a reason—by swordsmanship talent alone, she was the most suitable heir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be afraid, children—I’ve come to save you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, she reached out her hand to the children who needed saving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You bastards, how dare you interfere with the market’s business!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s that knight again! Kill him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thugs behind them rushed in too, still including two transcendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sin Realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What greeted them was still only the crimson of condemnation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sin-Cleave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the silver of judgment, and the red blooms of ruptured flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing resisting criminals, Larry elegantly controlled distance, guiding them to death with a single longsword, while her extra eyes remained fixed on the children behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I swear: the suffering endured by innocent children shall be repaid tenfold upon the oppressors!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her oath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Controlling the power of law came at a cost; the divine gift she once received was insufficient to open this new “Sin Realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she swore three oaths of her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The despairing eyes of the children taken from her by traffickers that day replayed endlessly in her memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for that man reaching out his hand, she might have already fallen, unable to face her own heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, I can swing my sword for the children.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strike was filled with joy; faint droplets glistened on her cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children’s joyful expressions made her blade move faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was only the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trafficker organizations on the list were mostly connected to the market—strikes, and strikes completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I swear: the light of order and law born of goodness shall guide me, bind me, and define my path.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The judgment of the Sin Realm became her guide; her sword swings would hold no hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trafficker gangs of the docks suffered a great purge; this one slaughtered with elegant efficiency, joyfully moving from one place of sin to another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She encountered resistance—even corrupt cops—but so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.Power and violence cannot hinder my actions; only my own heart can guide me. When I am lost, the light of law will show me the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next silver slash came without the slightest hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps still immature, but this time, as long as the light of law pointed toward evil, one day she would surely swing her sword against the gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again and again she slashed, yet the boundless evil remained uncut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along her path of swinging the blade, she looked toward the undeniable presence in the docks—the golden, magnificent palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered the words the man had spoken before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps we still cannot shake the roots of this evil, but this time, we can make them pay a price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I swear: I shall forever uphold the covenant of justice, never betray my companions on the path of justice. With our swords, we shall carve out an ideal land where the weak may also know happiness.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the foolish girl simply kept swinging her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let the thinking be left to trustworthy seniors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news of Eugen’s murder spread quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is Eugen?” But most dock workers didn’t even know who he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I think I saw him once.” The occasional “noble” visiting the slave market had only a fleeting impression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, he’s dead? That’s great—I mean, it’s a pity. He was a good man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the nobles and masters who had actually dealt with him, most reacted with quiet pleasure tinged with slight annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, fewer people who knew your darkness was a good thing—just find another agent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the entire slave market, Eugen’s death meant replacing one man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if there was temporary chaos and loss, even if many connections and private operations were damaged—if the kingdom’s “nobles” and “elites” still existed, still played with this kingdom, still had countless demands, nothing would change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did he die? Didn’t he have bodyguards?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killed by the Tail-Cutter? Hmm, why did they clash? Doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, the Tail-Cutter likes children, Eugen liked them too—did they both reach into the same pocket?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one cared much about his cause of death; it naturally became gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also subtly showed that once he was dead, everything about him no longer mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As I said before: while he lived, his life mattered—like the sky would collapse without him. Now he’s dead, no one cares.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, facing Talia S Daer  who came to ask what to do next, Li En replied casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But would this really shake the slave market’s foundations? From Li En’s understanding, their losses this time were substantial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too many private connections, industries, and treasures were in Eugen’s hands—he trusted no one else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, internally, they were busy fighting for power, with no energy to care about this side—or even calculate losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Eugen’s bodyguard, Sil? Why hasn’t he mentioned the Hero’s Blood? We won’t fail.” Talia felt uneasy; the slave market’s sluggish reaction unsettled her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li En smiled and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let the bullet fly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some things can’t be hidden forever. How could Sil possibly seal all news? If he truly succeeded, we could act later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, letting it ferment naturally, leaving fewer traces of human interference, was better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En could wait patiently—it was Talia, seemingly uninvolved, who grew the most impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking about that day, she grew increasingly uneasy, fearing she had ruined everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be me? Did I mess up their investigation? After all, the Tail Hunter is a woman, or so they think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, darkness had already begun to fall, yet many witnesses still filled the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that scene led them to conclude the Tail Hunter was female, wouldn’t it mislead the investigation? Perhaps Sil had already reported the assassin was a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—too many abilities can alter one’s form. If they investigate, they’ll check both genders.” As he spoke, Li En Sudar rubbed his chin, growing even more satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe pursuing the female lead is still correct. From my estimation, the Tail Hunter is very likely a woman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En Sudar had long held certain ideas and speculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tail Hunter was too brazen—he kept committing crimes as if unafraid of consequence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fear he caused always lingered; the victims should have been cautious and on guard, so why were they still killed one after another with perfect accuracy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many victims died in their own homes, at night, and some even had signs of their doors being opened. A man knocks on your door at midnight—would you open it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He committed his crimes so easily and recklessly that he must have an unassuming appearance and identity. The docks are highly insular—he’s very likely a local.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killing is one thing; leaving safely afterward without drawing any attention or suspicion is another. Most concealment methods are time-limited and unreliable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En had done criminal profiling and now felt it more likely the killer was a woman, an elderly person, or a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His appearance must be utterly harmless; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to commit crimes so freely in the suspicious docks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then can’t we use this condition to list possible suspects?” Talia, after all, knew some investigative techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li En gave a bitter smile. “Do you know how many people fit the criteria of moving freely without raising suspicion? You and I—we’re both among them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too many possibilities—even an old beggar could be a candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially law enforcers—people would open their doors at midnight for them, whether they were Holy Knights or police officers; either could be the killer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if we truly assume the Tailhunter is an officer, it might trigger a new wave of panic and chaos—and cause us to overlook the real culprit from another profession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wouldn’t,” Talia said with a wry smile. “The dock police are under high suspicion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that a good thing?” Li En sighed. He knew it was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assessing the criminal’s profile is a way to narrow the scope, but it’s unreliable and lacks sufficient intelligence—it can only serve as auxiliary judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So there’s no solution?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that there’s no solution—it’s just insufficient resources. The Knight Corps conducts searches, the Thief Corps ambushes in the shadows—there must be results we haven’t found. But the slave market and those behind it? They definitely have something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What else can we say? Just wait and see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s group didn’t wait long—the expected came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone sold a shard of Hero’s Blood on the black market! For a fortune!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday was calm; today, it exploded like thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation was utterly shattered by one piece of news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hero’s Blood—how could it even reach the black market? And been auctioned? Instantly, eyes turned toward it—from the docks to the Radiant District, from the Church to the noble houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whose blood was it? How was it auctioned? How did an ordinary person get hold of it and dump it into the black market, causing such an uproar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, these details were dug up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Former Oath Knight Li En Sudar, upon arriving in Huicheng, was in a degenerative state. He likely entrusted it to his friend Dimon for auction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dimon secretly traded with ‘Black Gold’ Eugene, but was hunted down by the Tailhunter, who then killed him and stole the blood. Logically, it holds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dimon is weak—a mere ordinary man, a trash boss from the docks. He couldn’t possibly have dared to scam the market. He’s now severely injured and unconscious—this was the Tailhunter’s doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what about Li En? Isn’t it normal for the Mad Knight to go mad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s even less likely. On the day of the incident, he was chasing a group of human traffickers in the eastern docks—he used Law-based abilities. Only he can use them in the entire city—it must be him in person. Besides, why would he need to kill Eugene? There’s no motive at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the lack of motive to kill Eugene was the core reason neither Li En nor Dimon was considered the killer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Li En’s alibi cleared Dimon entirely—how could Dimon alone have injured Eugene?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about Talia? From the start, without dream guidance, these people had no contact in reality—her name wasn’t even within the case’s scope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, is it truly the Tailhunter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The guard Sil’s greed—his secret pursuit of the Tailhunter—has fully confirmed the Tailhunter’s guilt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li En said, interference leaves traces. Letting human greed run wild makes the explosion feel more natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He deliberately dragged it out for two days—his attempt to find the Tailhunter alone was exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the slave market—and even many noble elites—were thrown into uproar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When those who craved Hero’s Blood learned the bag of bloodstones had been stolen for two days, they descended into madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Eugene? Oh, he’s dead—who cares now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even this wasn’t enough—Li En’s spirit possession time was dwindling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed them to grow more desperate, like rabid dogs, more blind to possible flaws in the case, more frenzied in their pursuit of the Tailhunter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Covert, orderly searches weren’t what he wanted—he wanted total chaos, a complete breakdown of order, so that the evil in the shadows had nowhere to hide!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s light a fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En decided to give them one more push—to make them even more frantic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a “victim,” he had every reason to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In broad daylight, before countless onlookers who couldn’t believe their eyes, Li En kicked open the slave market’s gates and stormed in, bold and unashamed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You vile bastards—how dare you steal my goods?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His rage carried an undercurrent of joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this day, Li En had waited too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2551,"2026-06-19T21:45:41.002Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","40dd80df52e39a102ad9b06b987d3e0cb3b7be703b9eed10e49c031a6bbddc69","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-34","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-32",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]