Chapter 123 - 122: Taking Control and Issuing Orders

The incident came very suddenly.

The "princess" who was blown to pieces played a popular leading role in the film industry under the banner of Yun Dian Culture, the company behind Yun Dian Paradise theme park, and received a lot of attention.

The float she was in was also the most conspicuous one in the parade.

She was already the focus of many spectators on both sides of the road. Her scream attracted the attention of most people.

This explosion left everyone at the scene stunned.

Li Jing and Liu Sisi, standing in front of the theme store, were no exception.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The music of the parade stopped abruptly.

What was originally a noisy scene became silent for a moment, then countless screams rang out.

Panic ensued.

Tourists screamed and ran around, and the park employees in the parade also screamed and fled from the group.

Whether they were monsters with a health bar on their heads or ordinary employees, none were spared.

Those sitting on the float cried out and jumped down.

Those walking on the ground turned pale and tried to get away.

With the parade in disarray, the already fleeing tourists became even more chaotic.

Many park staff involved in the parade unfortunately got splattered with chunks of flesh and blood, some were even covered head-to-toe.

They charged into the crowd covered in blood, how could the crowd not be in chaos?

Women screamed, children wailed.

Those who ran slowly or had difficulty moving were pushed to the ground or fell over.

Seeing the chaos about to get out of hand, Li Jing managed to react.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and struck out.

"Boom!"

A palm thunder as thick as a water bucket flashed across the darkening sky.

The startling thunder shocked those fleeing in chaos, they instinctively stopped and turned to look towards Li Jing.

The startling thunder was nothing.

But the release of the Three Realm’s power had a great deterrent effect on ordinary people.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Jing took out his badge and opened it, speaking out loudly.

"I am Li Jing, a patrolling officer from the Security Department of the Jianghai City North City Branch, I know everyone here is taken aback. But I ask all the tourists and staff to stay calm and avoid causing further accidents."

Upon hearing this, the frightened crowd looked at each other and calmed down somewhat.

Even though Li Jing’s appearance was abrupt, his revealed identity was reassuring.

Where he was a patrolling officer was not important.

The important thing was, he was a patrolling officer.

To the people of Hua Country, a patrolling officer was a unique reassuring factor.

Even the startled crying children knew that nothing would happen if a patrolling officer was present.

Adults also understood the situation.

With so many people running around and pushing each other, accidents and even stampedes were bound to happen.

There were many women and children at the scene, and God knows what could happen if things continued to be chaotic.

Having successfully stabilized the situation, Li Jing glanced at the pale-faced Liu Sisi beside him.

"Sisi, wait for me here, don’t run around."

"Okay, be careful, I can take care of myself."

Liu Sisi responded and let go of him.

She was somewhat shocked like everybody else at this time.

However, with Li Jing by her side, she wasn’t panicking.

Having experienced the incident with the monster chicken in the marketplace, she felt safe being with Li Jing.

After stepping into the Second Realm, she was no longer a helpless ordinary citizen without any combat capabilities.

Seeing Li Jing steadying the chaotic crowd with a wave of his hand and declaring his identity, Liu Sisi didn’t have any particular thoughts at the moment, her heart just thumped wildly.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, it would be difficult for her to realize that the inexperienced young man she kindly took in a few months ago, who would stumble around whenever she teased him, had become so dependable.

As Li Jing took flight with Sky Control and headed towards the scene, Liu Sisi raised her hand to her chest, muttering under her breath.

"Stupid kid, showing off for no reason."

Although she grumbled, she never took her eyes off Li Jing’s back.

Hovering over the scene, Li Jing took in the chaos then turned towards the crowd still gathered and watching him.

"Those involved in the Yun Dian Paradise street parade, step aside and wait here. Do not approach the scene. All other non-essential personnel, please gather your children and step back in an orderly manner, but don’t leave Yun Dian Paradise. You all are witnesses to the crime and will be needed to cooperate once Shangcheng District patrol arrives."

At this instruction, the crowd exchanged glances and began to disperse in order.

Some of the more proactive men and women in the crowd took it upon themselves to help maintain order.

Non-parade Yun Dian Paradise staff also stepped forward to assist. They had all been trained for crisis situations.

The parade staff went to the side to wait, as instructed.

The monsters at the scene felt somewhat disoriented at the sight of Li Jing soaring above them.

However, under the current circumstances, none of them dared to not comply.

Seeing that everyone on the scene complied, Li Jing, from his high vantage point, glanced at the shattered float from which the "princess" had been ejected.

Now only a puddle of flesh and blood remained on the float.

Compared to the gruesome deaths of the Meng father and son, the "princess" had not suffered as horribly, but the scene was undeniably bloody.

Seeing the wreckage on the float, Li Jing was genuinely bothered.

He wondered if he had somehow become possessed by the ghost of a jinxed elementary school student, since a murder had occurred even while he was just accompanying Liu Sisi to a theme park.

Normally, he would be responding to a report and rushing to the scene.

This time, he had been an eyewitness to the entire event.

Looking back at Liu Sisi waiting at the entrance of the themed shop, Li Jing forced out a smile to reassure her.

Then he turned his attention to the parade team that had remained where they were, as directed.

Close up, he could see that the group comprised a total of sixteen human-shaped monsters.

Although he suspected them, Li Jing wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions.

Those who harmed humans weren’t necessarily monsters. Moreover, this incident was separate from the sudden deaths of the Meng father and son.

Put simply.

The "princess" had screamed in surprise, suggesting she had suddenly encountered something that made her aware she was in danger. But even with this foreknowledge, she couldn’t avoid her fate.

The identity of the victim and her status were still unknown at this point. So it was too early to name any suspects.

How to handle the situation would depend on how the Shangcheng District patrol proceeded, once they arrived following the report.

Li Jing took a deep breath, took out his communication earpiece, and reported the situation to the General Bureau’s reporting center.

Many people at the scene had already phoned the police, but as an on-duty patrol officer, he needed to report to the General Bureau’s reporting center.

Just after he had completed the report with the reporting center, three streaks of light cut across the night sky. They stopped next to Li Jing.

As the light faded, two men and a woman appeared.

Seeing that the scene was under control and the crowd had dispersed in an orderly manner, the trio naturally focused their attention on Li Jing.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing showed his badge.

"North City Branch of the Security Department, Li Jing."

Having stated his identity, Li Jing did not neglect the others and showed his own credentials.

"Shangcheng Branch of the Security Department, Xu Jie."

"Wen Wanyi."

"Su Siliu."

Having stated their identities one by one, Xu Jie, who seemed to be unofficially leading the trio, spoke up.

"Thank you, Inspector Li, for helping to control the scene and preventing further damage."

"I was just doing my job," Li Jing replied with a smile.

At this, Xu Jie nodded in acknowledgement and asked,

"Inspector Li, could you please tell us what you saw as you were near the scene when the incident occurred?"

"Hmm."

Li Jing responded, recounting what he had seen.

There wasn’t much to say, really.

All he had seen was an employee of Yun Dian Paradise, dressed up as a princess in the parade float, suddenly exploding. Even so, since they had made a request, he had to follow through.

Upon hearing Li Jing’s account, Xu Jie and the others exchanged glances, their expressions slightly sombre.

Li Jing noticed their peculiar expression and furrowed his brows a little.

From their looks, it seemed as if they had thought of something?

Just as he was wondering, Xu Jie turned towards the other two.

"Wanyi, you go and talk to the Yun Dian staff involved in the parade. Sil Liu, you go ask the tourists if anyone noticed anything at the time of the incident."

"Got it."

The two replied and respectively went on their way.

Wen Wanyi approached the parade participants waiting nearby while Su Siliu proceeded towards the tourists, who had gathered not too far away after being evacuated.

After instructing his companions, Xu Jie nodded at Li Jing and went to inspect the scene.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing didn’t linger, and retreating into the sky, he returned to the front of his stall.

Seeing him return, Liu Sisi voiced her confusion.

"Why are you back so soon? Weren’t you going to help with the investigation?"

"I’m a patrol officer from the North City Branch. What happens in Shangcheng District is not within my jurisdiction."

Li Jing shrugged.

"Unless the officers from the Shangcheng Branch ask for my assistance, I can’t technically intervene in their investigation."

On hearing this, Liu Sisi blinked, finding his explanation reasonable. Glancing at the crowd that had gathered around the stall because of his return, she spoke in a hushed tone.

"Should we find somewhere else to stay?"

"Hmm..."

Li Jing turned to look.

The commotion had only just subsided, but word had already spread.

When he had cast a Palm Thunder at the entrance of the stall, he had caught the attention of the customers and Yun Dian employees within it.

The front of the stall was now crowded with spectators, all of them evaluating him, some even holding up their phones to take pictures.

After some hesitation, Li Jing responded in a low voice.

"We’ll head over where the witnesses are gathered. We were also witnesses to the incident and have the obligation to wait and assist in making official statements."

"Okay, let’s go."

Liu Sisi nodded.

...

Soon, the two arrived at the area where the witnesses were gathered.

Li Jing had just put on a show, so facing scrutiny was inevitable.

However, at least no one here was trying to take pictures of him to keep as a souvenir or to post online.

After that incident, the witnesses were quite rattled.

They were mostly trying to calm their female companions or children, or speaking on the phone to reassure their family and friends.

Having done a round of inquiries, Su Siliu, who was responsible for questioning the witnesses, hadn’t found any useful information. Thus she decided to stay around in order to help calm the crowd.

Seeing Li Jing and Liu Sisi approaching, she took a moment to observe them.

At that moment, the tardy management of Yun Dian Paradise, who had been informed of the situation, arrived. A group of suit-clad executives immediately made their way towards Xu Jie, who was still inspecting the scene.

Upon seeing this, Su Siliu clicked her tongue and turned to Li Jing.

"Patrol Officer Li, could you watch over the tourists here for a while?"

With that, she hurried off after them.

The Forensics Department officers from the Shangcheng Branch had not yet arrived, and neither had anyone from the Assistant Inspector Department. With no one officially taking charge, even the police cordon line had not been set up. They couldn’t afford to let the park’s management carelessly disrupt the scene.

Taken aback by the sudden request, Li Jing paused for a moment before realizing what she meant.

"Sisi, you stay here alone for a while."

"Okay."

Liu Sisi obediently agreed.

Li Jing moved away from the crowd and turned back to address them.

"Everyone, please remain calm. The investigators will be here soon. As soon as we provide our statements, you will all be free to leave."

With Li Jing taking charge, the crowd of tourists quieted down.

They were even calmer than when Su Siliu had been present.

The children who had initially been crying in the crowd stopped, curiously staring up at him in awe.

There were also a considerable number of young girls, who were staring at him intently with stars in their eyes.

When it came to interacting with frightened witnesses, amiable Su Siliu held the upper hand.

However, when it came to making people feel safe, Li Jing, a male patrol officer who’d just demonstrated his competence, was more advantageous.

...

Before long, forensic officers and a large number of investigatory personnel from the Shangcheng Branch arrived at the scene.

The forensic professionals began processing the scene immediately upon arrival, while the investigators secured the scene and started taking official statements from the gathered witnesses and the parade staff.

As there were almost a thousand witnesses to deal with, the process of recording their statements took nearly two hours.

After they had given their statements, the witnesses were allowed to leave.

It was already past seven and Yun Dian Paradise, after the incident, had announced closure for the day and dismissed all the visitors. Li Jing rubbed at his temples, feeling a bit worn out.

"Sisi, should we go somewhere else or...?"

"Let’s go home."

Liu Sisi answered, sighing.

"It’s a pity. We barely got to enjoy ourselves."

"It’s okay. We’ll come back another time if we get the chance."

Li Jing responded with a gentle smile, summoning the Linglong Tower.

Just as he was about to leave with Liu Sisi, Su Siliu called out to them from a distance.

"Patrol Officer Li, please wait."

?

Upon hearing her, Li Jing paused and looked her way, a frown appearing on his face.

In a few steps, Su Siliu was beside them.

"Our Chief just instructed that he hopes you can take part in the investigation of this case and cooperate with us to solve it as soon as possible."

???

Li Jing was taken aback, showing signs of confusion.

He didn’t even know the Chief of Shangcheng Branch.

Why did he suddenly ask him to participate in the investigation?

Just as he was about to voice his doubts, his mini-assistant vibrated in his pocket.

Realizing the notification, Li Jing took it out, his brows furrowed.

The screen lit up to display a new message from Chen Jing.

"The Shangcheng Branch Chief is a good friend of mine, and the Yun Dian Paradise case is quite tricky. Your assistance would be appreciated, and it will be like owing me a favor. The reward will be generous."

Reading the message, Li Jing exhaled in frustration, and responded with a "got it".

When his own Chief ordered, he had to obey.

Moreover, it also involved the Chief of the Shangcheng Branch.

With a sigh, Li Jing put the mini-assistant away, his face clearly showing his exhaustion.

Seeing his expression, Liu Sisi blinked her beautiful eyes and spoke with concern.

"I can go home by myself, should I?"

"No way, I’ll take you home."

Li Jing shook his head and looked at Su Siliu.

"Umm, I..."

Before he finished his sentence, Su Siliu assumed an understanding expression and nodded.

"Officer Li, you first take your girlfriend home. This case might involve an unresolved major crime, and the Major Crime Unit will take it over soon. Xu Jie and I will also participate. I need to prepare a set of case data for you here. You just need to make a quick trip home and not delay too much."