Chapter 110 - 109: Clearing the Fog, Identifying the Suspect

Upon entering the office, Li Jing swiftly walked towards the window.

With just one glance, he spotted a high-end business car on the street not far from the front door of the office building, mangled and entirely stained with blood.

The front windshield and side windows were completely covered in a veil of red.

Both side doors seemed to have endured some strong internal impact; a nearly fully blood-drenched door had been blasted off into the nearby greenery, and three other doors had also been blown open.

With all four doors flung wide open, crimson blood kept streaming from the car.

Upon witnessing this, Li Jing immediately realized that Meng Hongtu had intended to blow himself up after getting into the car.

This puzzled Li Jing.

Wasn’t Meng Hongtu downstairs, being questioned by Chen Yuran and Luo Zhize?

Why did he suddenly rush into the car?

Even if he wanted to leave, he probably wouldn’t abandon Yue Lingling, his future daughter-in-law, would he?

Lost in his thoughts, Yue Lingling, who had followed him into the office, also came to the window.

Upon seeing the scene on the street, Yue Lingling slightly staggered.

Of course, she recognized the mangled business car on the side of the road.

She had taken this car when she had come.

Along with Meng Hongtu...

Thinking of Meng Hongtu and then looking at the crimson blood that had spilled from the car and onto the road, Yue Lingling turned deadly pale and clasped her mouth and nose.

Li Jing hadn’t told her that Meng Hongtu was dead.

But seeing this scene on the street, she very naturally inferred that the blood all over the ground and permeating the business car belonged to Meng Hongtu.

As a Human-shaped Demon, Yue Lingling’s tolerance for bloody scenes was far stronger than that of ordinary people.

However, the scene below was downright nauseating.

Yue Lingling felt a churning sensation in her stomach.

Upon remembering that Meng Fanhao, with whom she had been intimate, had also died like this, her face became even more pale, and unconsciously, her small hands clutching the window ledge started to tighten.

Good Riddance!

Both are dead!

She was free!

Li Jing took note of Yue Lingling’s almost nauseated expression as she looked at the mangled car on the street. He could pretty much guess what she was currently feeling.

With Meng Fanhao and Meng Hongtu dead, the Human-shaped Demon who had been threatened and controlled by these two was naturally no longer under threat.

For Yue Lingling and others like her who suffered a similar fate, it was indeed good news.

However, as an investigator, the situation had become more complicated for him.

Originally, there was just one victim, but now there were two.

And one of them had exploded on the street.

Won’t this become a major event hotly debated online within minutes?

In a little while, won’t reporters arrive?

This case was not like a case of Evil Cultivators or prohibited substances, where Dai Hong, the leader of the Heavy Case Group, would take the lead.

For the Security Department, cases would normally be the responsibility of the investigators on the scene.

This meant that whatever happened in this case would be handled by him, Chen Yuran, and Luo Zhize.

With so much chaos, there would certainly be many more complications to the case.

With a quiet sigh, Li Jing surveyed his surroundings.

By now, the members of the Assistant Inspector Department had begun setting up a police cordon around the deformed business car on the street.

There was a crowd of pale-faced passersby on both sides of the street who seemed to have witnessed the incident.

Some female passersby were scared into tears, while some rubberneckers stood pointing and discussing from a distance.

However, there was no one running around in panic; rather, the street was full of noise as more and more people gathered around.

Downstairs in the office building, the quarrelling continued.

It seemed that the office workers who were told to stay put inside the building were shocked and demanding to leave.

Paying no heed to the commotion downstairs, Li Jing scanned the street.

Within his field of vision, there were no health bars.

Clearly, like Meng Fanhao, Meng Hongtu had already unknowingly had something deadly planted within him. The killer hadn’t come to the scene.

After some contemplation, a vague outline of events began to form in Li Jing’s mind.

Meng Fanhao and Meng Hongtu were murdered consecutively, which was undoubtedly premeditated.

The killer seemed intent on letting Meng Fanhao die first so that Meng Hongtu could learn of his only son’s death on the scene - a cold-blooded plan that likely stems from the intent for revenge.

But Li Jing didn’t think it was that simple.

True, the killer’s actions could be considered as revenge against Meng Hongtu.

But at the same time, it seemed like a provocation towards the Patrol System!

Provoking the Patrol System was not something a monster would do.

They would much rather avoid the Patrol System whenever they could.

At the scene of Meng Fanhao’s death, faint remnants of Demonic Qi were clearly detected.

Li Jing didn’t reveal this at the scene to Chen Yuran.

The reason was simple.

If there were any remnants of Demonic Qi at the scene, the Forensics Department would inevitably find it during their evidence collection, so there was no need for him to bring it up.

The case being officially recognized as a monster-inflicted human casualty was just a matter of time.

Would a monster keen on revenge so carelessly leave obvious traces behind?

Such an action hurts others as well as oneself.

Involvement of human-shaped demons like Yue Lingling is not rare. They have one glaring thing in common; they have been in the company of the Meng father and son.

A thorough investigation surrounding these two will certainly yield many leads.

Taking all this into consideration, a conclusion can be drawn.

The killer knew quite clear that the Meng father and son controlled many human-shaped demons and cunningly used this to cast a confusing fog over everything, obscuring their real purpose.

Verifying each person who had a contact with the Meng family will take substantial time.

Not every patroller could discern monsters at a glance like Li Jing.

As soon as the patrols find one, other associated human-shaped monsters will definitely feel threatened, and the situation will become chaotic.

When an alarming number of human-shaped monsters surface, it’s not something the patrol can readily deal with.

A human-shaped demon, pushed into a corner, is capable of anything.

The more their numbers, the harder it is to deal with!

Revenge can be ruled out.

Once it is confirmed that Yue Lingling and the others were coerced, the possibility of ’crime of passion’ can be also ruled out.

Judging from the sudden departure of Meng Hongtu, who should have been held for interrogation, there is a plausible guess that he might have realized something and tried to deal with it himself.

At this juncture, Li Jing pondered as he narrowed his eyes.

"There’s something I want to confirm, have you been in Meng Hongtu’s bed?"

At this time, Yue Lingling was feeling relieved about finally escaping the clutches of the Meng father and son.

Hearing Li Jing’s question, she blinked, looking puzzled.

"If I had been on Meng Hongtu’s bed, would Meng Fanhao have married me?"

Having said that, she bit her lower lip.

"I am a fox demon, naturally good at pleasing men. When caught by the Meng father and son, I thought for myself too. If I couldn’t escape, I might as well make the best out of the situation. From the first time I was coerced, I had charmed Meng Fanhao. You are a man; you should understand a man’s desire for exclusivity, right?"

Listening to Yue Lingling’s matter-of-fact words, Li Jing was left somewhat speechless.

He had expected Yue Lingling wouldn’t be an easy character to handle.

Human hearts are unfathomable, and a monster’s even more so.

If she were simply coerced into obeying, Yue Lingling would have been nothing more than a plaything for Meng Fanhao, hardly achieving the status of a fiancee.

But to think that Yue Lingling won over Meng Fanhao simply by knowing how to please men was quite astonishing.

Bear in mind that Meng Fanhao was a playboy.

Not shying away from humans or monsters, just how gifted would one have to be to become his most favored?

With a kind of awe and respect, Li Jing cast a glance on Yue Lingling, whose beauty could be compared to a goddess, and then proceeded to ask again.

"Did you and Meng Fanhao officially get a marriage certificate?"

"Of course."

Yue Lingling nodded and said,

"We planned to get married at the end of the month, the certificate’s already been taken."

"Then I must congratulate you."

Li Jing spoke up, saying.

"The father and son of the Meng family have both died. As Meng Fanhao’s lawful wife, you have the right to inherit. You will have a share in the billions of assets of the Huan Yu Group."

"Inheritance rights?"

Yue Lingling was taken aback, saying with disgust.

"I’m not interested in the Meng family’s dirty money."

"That’s for the best."

Li Jing nodded, powering up his tablet to access the patrol system, pulling up the identity information of the father and son duo to trace the direct inheritance relationship. He quickly traced down two pieces of information.

One belonged to Yue Lingling.

Another was associated with a woman named Meng Chengfeng.

Her identity was that of Meng Hongtu’s adopted daughter and Meng Fanhao’s adopted sister.

This information was easily obtained.

But Li Jing was not surprised.

With crimes of passion and vengeance ruled out, the most likely explanation for the murder of the father and son was the billions of assets of the Huan Yu Group.

Examining the identity information of Meng Chengfeng, Li Jing raised an eyebrow.

Meng Chengfeng was the executive director of Huan Yu Estate’s overseas operations under the Huan Yu Group, had been developing overseas in recent years, and occasionally came back to the country.

According to the immigration records, she had just returned to the country two days ago.

Without further ado, Li Jing held up his tablet.

"Have you met this woman?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Lingling instinctively gazed at the tablet before shaking her head.

"I haven’t seen her."

Speaking, she asked curiously.

"This woman’s surname is Meng, and she is also the executive director of Huan Yu Estate. Does she have any relationship with the father and son of the Meng family?"

"You need to be quiet."

Ignoring her question, Li Jing raised his hand to press on his earpiece.

"Yuran, I have a lead."

"Explain?"

Chen Yuran responded quickly.

"I traced the direct inheritance relationship of the father and son of the Meng family and found out that Meng Hongtu has an adopted daughter named Meng Chengfeng."

As Li Jing spoke, he said,

"Besides Yue Lingling, she is the only person with a direct inheritance right to Huan Yu Group. According to the immigration records, she came back to the country two days ago."

On hearing this, Chen Yuran fell silent, saying,

"I understand, I’ll ask the Intelligence Department to find out Meng Chengfeng’s current location. You bring Yue Lingling down, the situation below has basically stabilized."

"Understood."

Li Jing responded.

Yue Lingling couldn’t hear the conversation in the earpiece.

But she heard one-sidedly Li Jing’s words.

Seeing Li Jing cut off communication and look over at her, she frowned.

"Meng Hongtu has another adopted daughter? Why didn’t I know about this?"

"Apart from your own perspective, how much do you really know about the father and son of Meng family?"

Li Jing countered.

"..."

Yue Lingling fell silent.

She really knew very little about the father and son of the Meng family.

For more than a year, what she’d done was only to please Meng Fanhao and to seek better treatment for herself in the face of adversity.

Walking out of the office with Li Jing, Yue Lingling carefully asked,

"You’ve locked onto Meng Chengfeng through direct inheritance rights, could it be that you suspect..."

"At this point, it’s just a suspicion, we’re not sure how it is yet."

As Li Jing spoke, he glanced at her saying,

"Meng Fanhao attended the event with a disguised demon woman as his companion, which allowed him to break through your facade as a demon. Hence, he’d bring a demon everywhere he went, demonstrating that he’s convinced of this. The Meng family, father and son, are fond of forcing demons to comply with them, and their goal is probably not solely for bedroom companionship. You’ve got the upper hand over Meng Fanhao, which shows your competence, but other human-shaped demons might not be so fortunate."

As he spoke, Li Jing murmured.

"Have you ever considered that the person who helped to expose the disguises of human-shaped demons and prompted the Meng family father and son to embark on this path is also a demon? And she is better at it than you, successfully manipulating both of them and earning their trust."

"I..."

Yue Lingling was speechless, she whispered.

"I’m just a woman, how could I have such ideas."

As she said that, she showed a somewhat anxious expression.

"So you are saying, since Meng Chengfeng is the one who poisoned the Meng father and son, and they’re both dead, will I be her next target?"

"Not necessarily."

Li Jing shook his head, saying.

"You’re a demon, so is she, both of you will perish in daylight. She doesn’t have anything to threaten you with, and she might not able to get the best of you. The Meng father and son had quite a high cultivation level, but they didn’t realize how they were poisoned. It was apparently a close acquaintance they trusted who acted. With trust established, it’s easy for the culprit to succeed with the victims off guard. You should understand better than me when two men addicted to sleeping with demons are most off guard. If I’m right with my assumption, Meng Chengfeng will only try to please you, seeking more advantages."

Upon hearing this, Yue Lingling nodded.

Of course, she understood once Li Jing explained.

Besides sleeping with demons, which man isn’t off guard in those moments?

If she wasn’t afraid to kill, besides Meng Fanhao, Meng Hongtu would also know that she was a demon, and the former would have died in bed long ago.

Killing a man who isn’t off-guard is much simpler than trying to please him in every conceivable way.

Walking into the fire exit towards downstairs with Li Jing, Yue Lingling whispered,

"I won’t participate in the splitting of the Meng family’s wealth later, can you... possibly let me go?"

"I’m not interested in you."

Li Jing sneered, saying,

"Do as you like afterward, if you want to fight for their family assets, the other family members of the Meng family might not agree. Having the right to inherit the Meng’s family assets doesn’t mean you can necessarily do so. Without brains and tactics like Meng Chengfeng, I suggest you stay quiet."

Yue Lingling didn’t say a word, just quietly nodded.

She understood the reasoning.

But none of that matters.

She was only concerned with whether Li Jing would let her off the hook.

This man was truly horrifying.

...

Within no time, the two reached the ground floor.

By then, the commotion inside the building had settled down, people clustered together, craning their necks to look out at the street.

Chen Yuran and Luo Zhize stood guard at the front door of the office building, intimidating everyone.

Under these circumstances, the Assistant Inspector Department alone can’t keep things under control.

Seeing Li Jing and Yue Lingling emerge from the fire exit, Chen Yuran signaled them and walked hurriedly over, leaving Luo Zhize to guard the entrance.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing stopped with Yue Lingling.

Quickly, Chen Yuran weaved her way through the crowd blocking the entrance.

"Miss Lingling, the perpetrator might be targeting the Meng family’s wealth, you’re in great danger, and we are going to implement protective measures for you, please cooperate."

Upon hearing Chen Yuran’s statement, Yue Lingling responded with a "mm", quietly glancing at Li Jing.

She remembered what he had just said.

Theoretically speaking, she wasn’t in danger.

But if Chen Yuran said so, she would have to comply.

Seeing Yue Lingling’s cooperation, Chen Yuran nodded, signaling to her before turning to Li Jing and said,

"The Intelligence Department is currently investigating Meng Chengfeng’s whereabouts, I’ve tried calling her, but there’s no answer. Prior to this, the Intelligence Department found Meng Chengfeng is supposed to board an international flight to the small eastern country, Laiya from North City International Airport in two hours."

Continuing, she added,

"She is indeed very suspicious, you head to the airport and make sure she doesn’t board the flight. Dress inconspicuously and call for backup if necessary. Luo Zhize and I will stay behind to protect Miss Lingling and manage the situation here. Speculation is, after all, speculation, we can’t focus all our energy on her before it’s confirmed that Meng Chengfeng is suspect."

"Understood."

Li Jing responded.

Purely relying on speculation indeed can’t confirm that Meng Chengfeng is the real perpetrator.

Chen Yuran’s arrangement was reasonable.

He was all too willing to go to the airport and intercept her.