Chapter 109 - 108: Educated Monster, Sudden Mutation

Li Jing and Chen Yuran quickly found Luo Zhize on the first floor of the office building, and soon met with Yue Lingling and Meng Hongtu in a somewhat cramped lounge.

Meng Hongtu looked relatively young, clearly he had a high level of cultivation.

At this moment, he sat in the lounge with an indescribable gloom in his expression.

Yue Lingling sat next to Meng Hongtu, her fair little face as white as snow.

And she seemed somewhat afraid of the latter, sitting on the side without daring to make a sound.

Seeing Li Jing and the others enter the room, Meng Hongtu suddenly stood up with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Inspectors, my son..."

Before he could finish, Chen Yuran spoke up.

"Meng Fanhao, Mr. Meng, has been confirmed dead. The dead can’t be revived, please find solace."

This was a brutal blow, like a punch in the face, causing Meng Hongtu, who had held a glimmer of hope in his eyes, to stumble back, looking like he had aged a few decades.

Meanwhile, Yue Lingling who was still seated, trembled at the news, lowering her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

She didn’t cry out.

Not that she didn’t want to cry, but that she didn’t dare to.

She was shaking all over...

Trembling with grief and trembling with fear are not the same thing.

Li Jing noticed Yue Lingling’s unusual behavior and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Such abnormalities, naturally, weren’t missed by him alone.

Chen Yuran and Luo Zhize were also paying attention.

Regarding their ability to handle cases.

People from the Security Department weren’t inferior to the Major Crime Unit, they just had different responsibilities.

Exchanging glances, Chen Yuran signaled to both of them.

Understanding her intentions, Luo Zhize retreated to guard the door of the lounge.

Li Jing then approached Yue Lingling and gently started.

"Miss Yue, I need to talk to you about some matters. Can we speak privately?"

Upon hearing his voice, Yue Lingling instinctively raised her eyes and then seemed slightly taken aback.

Li Jing had been standing behind Chen Yuran earlier, and since Chen Yuran was speaking, Yue Lingling hadn’t noticed him.

Upon looking at him now, she realized that Li Jing looked familiar.

After studying Li Jing more closely, Yue Lingling cast a hesitant glance at Meng Hongtu beside her, before standing up and nodding.

Just as she got up, Meng Hongtu, who was seated there in pain from the loss of his son, spoke out in a deep voice.

"Lingling, cooperate with this inspector."

Hearing his words, Yue Lingling’s body stiffened noticeably, and, with a soft "hmm" in affirmation, she moved on.

Seeing this, Li Jing furrowed his brows slightly and glanced coolly at Meng Hongtu.

Meng Hongtu...

No!

More precisely, including the already deceased Meng Fanhao, there were clearly some problems with this family!

Yue Lingling probably had the least problems and was the one under most control.

Not jumping to conclusions, Li Jing gestured to the standing Yue Lingling to follow him out of the lounge.

Chen Yuran watched them leave, and then turned her attention back.

"Mr. Meng, do you need some time to rest?"

"No need, whatever you want to ask, ask."

Meng Hongtu lifted his eyes, his face gradually regaining his calm, as he quickly adjusted to the situation.

In the face of this situation, Chen Yuran didn’t bat an eyelid, took out her notebook to record the conversation, and sat down next to him.

...

Elsewhere, Li Jing took Yue Lingling out of the conference room to the lobby on the first floor. He looked around and then turned around.

"The place downstairs is crowded. Miss Yue, let’s go up to the second floor for a chat via the fire escape."

Yue Lingling was very cooperative, nodding and replying with a "Good."

Quickly, the two of them avoided the crowds on the first floor of the office building, who were by the Assistant Investigators having their statements taken, and entered the fire escape that led to the second floor.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Li Jing stopped at the exit, turning to Yue Lingling, who followed him out.

"Miss Lingling, you should still remember me, right?"

"From the Chicken Shop."

Yue Lingling replied in a low voice, wiping away the tear stains on her cheeks, and then looking down, visibly uncomfortable.

"Fan Hao, he..."

"Exactly "how Mr. Meng died is still under investigation."

Li Jing spoke calmly, interrupting her.

Next, he gazed at Yue Lingling and decided to be straightforward.

"Do Mr. Meng and the elder Mr. Meng know that you are not human, but a monster?"

His unexpected words shocked Yue Lingling to the point where all her hairs stood on end. She looked up in bewilderment.

In her sight, a burst of golden light was visible.

It was the Linglong Tower, floating next to Li Jing.

Upon witnessing this, Yue Lingling turned pale and almost fell to her knees.

The divine might of a spirit weapon is distinctly different from precious items.

Anyone, unless blinded, can tell at a glance.

Seeing Yue Lingling trembling with fright, Li Jing waved his hand and put away the Linglong Tower.

This was not intended to frighten Yue Lingling.

Instead, he was worried that Yue Lingling might scare him instead...

At this moment, all the personnel in the entire office building were gathered on the ground floor, with no one left on the upper floors.

How could he not be prepared when it came to confronting a human-shaped demon?

When he first met Ji Qing, Li Jing had taken due precautions.

When encountering Yue Lingling, who obviously had problems, he was not so foolish as to blindly trust her.

As for Su Qiong, that’s another story.

The situation at that time was different, and even if Su Qiong had tremendous courage, she wouldn’t dare to react.

Yue Lingling was not a fool either.

After seeing Li Jing bring out the Linglong Tower and put it away, she understood that he was merely intimidating her to prevent her from any rash actions.

Looking at Li Jing with apprehension, Yue Lingling felt a chill down her spine.

Second-level investigator, with a cultivation level from Three Realm.

Possessing a spirit weapon that not even someone from Four Realm might have...

Struggling to calm herself, Yue Lingling hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"When... when did you find out that I’m a monster?"

"From the very first time we met."

Li Jing responded indifferently.

"..."

Yue Lingling remained silent. After what seemed like an eternity, she let out a sigh.

"I am a monster, and both the father and son of the Meng family know."

Li Jing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Considering the unusual words and actions of Meng Hongtu, he had speculated quite a bit when he went upstairs.

One of the most likely assumptions was that Yue Lingling’s monster identity was known to the father and son of the Meng family, and was being constrained.

Getting confirmation at this moment, he began to think even further.

The death of Meng Fanhao, at the very least, involved Yue Lingling and another human-shaped monster.

Could there be a possibility...

Just as he was about to speculate further, Yue Lingling spoke in a low voice.

"I will do anything you say, as long as you promise not to harm me or force me to do anything unwilling."

Her words interrupted Li Jing’s train of thought.

Moreover, it made him realize that the death of Meng Fanhao was much more complicated than he had imagined.

Reining in his disrupted thoughts, Li Jing spoke,

"I will not harm or force you just because you’re a monster, but if you harm others that’s a different matter. As a human-shaped monster living in human society, you should understand what justice and law mean."

Upon hearing this, Yue Lingling looked up, stunned, and nodded.

"You seem to be different from the other investigators."

After speaking, she added in a low voice.

"I am a nurtured monster, educated, and have never harmed humans."

"..."

Li Jing.

It was not surprising for him that Yue Lingling claimed she had never harmed humans.

Facing him, even if she had harmed people before, Yue Lingling wouldn’t be foolish enough to admit it herself.

However, the amount of information from Yue Lingling’s words was much more substantial.

She was a nurtured monster?

And she received education?

Who raised her?

Who taught her?

Meng Fanhao?

Impossible!

Meng Hongtu?

Unlikely too!

The demons are unlike spiritual beasts, which are born knowing how to cultivate and comprehending human nature, their growth is extremely difficult.

Transforming into a demon is just the first step in a monster’s life.

Even if it is a unique individual born as a demon, it still has its destined path to follow.

For monsters, just to reach from initially opening their spiritual intelligence to understanding human speech and recognizing world affairs, it’s a long journey.

Cultivation is another matter.

Demons achieve Three Realm and can transform into human shape not just to blend into human society to enjoy life, but more because the human body is the best form for cultivation.

When cultivating with a beastial form, their growth rate is extremely slow.

Typically, monsters need at least fifty years of hiding and cultivating under the constraints of their beast form to reach Three Realm and transform into the human shape.

The real age of Yue Lingling in front of me might not be less than that of Meng Hongtu.

Not to mention Meng Fanhao who is at most in his mid-twenties...

Frowning at Yue Lingling, Li Jing asked.

"Could you tell me, who raised you?"

"The Demon Beast Union."

Yue Lingling murmured.

The Demon Beast Union?

Li Jing was slightly stunned, his spirit perking up.

This didn’t seem to have anything to do with humans.

So Yue Lingling was raised by demons?

He was quite interested in this part.

However, just as he was about to seize the opportunity to ask questions, Yue Lingling looked up and stared at him.

"I can’t say anything else. This has nothing to do with the Union. You can kill me, deceive me, humiliate me, but please don’t harm the Demon Beast Union."

"Tch!"

Li Jing clicked his tongue, losing interest.

Isn’t this just tormenting people?

Having stripped off his pants, and now this?

Looking at Yue Lingling who previously appeared timid, but now had a face full of determination, Li Jing had a rough guess about the Demon Beast Union.

Demons cannot coexist peacefully, assuming their bestial nature couldn’t be suppressed by the food chain.

As long as they’re wise enough to suppress their bestial nature and have enough power, there are no issues in coexistence.

The number of human-shaped demons infiltrating human society is not few, and it is normal for them to form groups.

Didn’t the previous Evil Cultivators case on the Rebirth Society also have a union of otherworldly creatures and evils?

What Li Jing never expected was that there would be a group of demons in the world that educates and nurtures other demons.

This was really impressive.

If human-shaped demons began to prioritize education like humans, they might produce a few intellectuals one day.

After imagining that scenario, Li Jing felt a chill up his spine and waved his hand.

"I can understand your concern for the Demon Beast Union that raised you. Since it’s inconvenient to talk about it, I won’t ask."

After saying that, he cast his gaze upon her.

"Let’s talk about the case. You’re so sure that it has nothing to do with the Demon Beast Union, you must have some clues about this?"

Watching Li Jing not asking about the Demon Beast Union, Yue Lingling let out a small sigh of relief and couldn’t help but look at him with curiosity.

The reason she mentioned the Demon Beast Union was an attempt to test him.

From her observation, Li Jing was indeed not like an ordinary investigator.

After a moment of silence, Yue Lingling bit her lips.

"Could you tell me how Meng Fanhao died?"

"He was blown up, without even a piece of intact flesh left."

As Li Jing was speaking, he said,

"There is residue of demonic qi at the scene, confirming..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Yue Lingling shook her head.

"I expected that a demon was responsible. Meng Fanhao will eventually kill himself due to his wrongdoing, sooner or later. But from your description, no one I met on his bed would have the ability to do this. What I can tell you is that like me, the number of humanoid demons who fell into the hands of the Meng father and son and were abused and insulted by them is not a few, I was just one of them."

"..."

Li Jing fell into silence.

He had already figured out that Meng Fanhao was a genuine playboy.

The entire top floor of the office building was his, with only pretty women and no men.

Everyone knows what this is.

With the confirmation that the Meng family, father and son, were aware of Yue Lingling’s monster identity, combined with Meng Fanhao’s death at the hands of another human-shaped monster and the guess that it was a crime of passion, he could probably imagine that the CEO, who was now nothing but a scumbag, not only enjoyed playing with humans but also enjoyed exploring "alternative paths".

These were not really an issue.

Sometimes, one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

In mythology, there are even heroes who play with snakes.

In the modern world, if you have the guts, there is nothing you can’t do.

A monster cultivating into a human form is not really different from a human, except that they will revert to their beast form after death.

Surprisingly to Li Jing, both Meng, father and son, were "recidivists". There were not a few human-shaped monsters whose weaknesses fell into their hands.

There were several around Meng Fanhao that Yue Lingling had seen.

How many human-shaped monsters are involved in this?

Massaging his temples, Li Jing looked towards Yue Lingling.

"So, your engagement to Meng Fanhao was actually forced?"

"Otherwise?"

Yue Lingling responded sadly.

"A monster will always be a monster. And some people might not be human."

Li Jing was rendered speechless by her words.

He didn’t know how to refute her.

Without allowing the topic to linger, Li Jing spoke up.

"Would you mind telling me in more detail how you fell into the hands of the Meng family, father and son?"

"Well, it’s a long story."

Yue Lingling sighed and resumed.

"After achieving a human form and getting educated by the Demon Beast Union, I left and integrated into human society, where I had been in North City for several years. During that period, I tried many jobs, none of which I managed to keep. Two years ago, I started live streaming and the results were not bad. After about a year, I was invited to an offline gathering organized by the platform and my nightmare started."

After slowly narrating her past, she revealed a bit of a sad face.

"At that gathering, Meng Fanhao was also there. His companion was a human-shaped monster and I was discovered and exposed. After that, Meng Fanhao publicly revealed my monster identity and coerced me..."

She stopped halfway before tears trickled down her cheeks.

Li Jing remained silent.

Yue Lingling’s experience was indeed pitiable.

At the same time, things were becoming more and more complicated...

There was no clear lead in the case yet.

On the contrary, the crimes committed by the Meng family, father and son, had become a problem.

This was going to be tricky.

The monsters that harm people must be dealt with.

This has nothing to do with whether they are monsters or not, rather it is about the existence of the rule of law.

Those like the Meng family, father, and son, must be dealt with even more!

Although they have been hurting monsters, not humans.

But it’s the same thing; they are forcing innocent people into prostitution.

There are indeed enough materials to shake Meng Hongtu’s position.

But they must have Yue Lingling and other victims who are human-shaped monsters to testify before they can be handled.

Once these human-shaped monsters testify, will there be a way to survive?

The answer is no.

Moreover, they still have their monster identities in the hands of Meng Hongtu.

As Li Jing was still struggling with the issue, a muffled explosion came from outside the building, followed by countless screams of horror.

Both Li Jing and Yue Lingling were stunned by the noise.

Just as he was about to go to the office window in the corresponding direction to see what was happening, a soft "beep" from his communicator sounded in Li Jing’s ear, followed by Chen Yuran’s anxious voice.

"Li Jing, how is Yue Lingling?"

Li Jing frowned at this sudden communication.

"She is fine, what’s happening downstairs?"

"Meng Hongtu is dead. His death state is identical to that of Meng Fanhao. It caused quite a commotion."

Chen Yuran quickly reported.

"Things are a bit complicated, downstairs is chaotic and the streets are also in disorder. You and Yue Lingling should stay upstairs for now and don’t come down. Protect her. Since the Meng family, father and son, have been killed, she could be the culprit’s next target."

"Understood."

Li Jing responded and looked at Yue Lingling.

"Follow me."

That said, he quickly walked toward the office from where the noise had come.

Yue Lingling didn’t know that Meng Hongtu was dead, but she didn’t dare to defy Li Jing’s instructions. She followed him without making a sound.