Chapter 1281: Chapter 421:
At this point, Lin Kai paused slightly, as if he recalled something, a glint of mystery flashed in his eyes, and he scoffed, "Right, make sure to explicitly state that all six of Chu Yanâerâs group came from Cai Qiu Feudal Town!"
Zhao Bao and the two others were taken aback upon hearing this. The person who had just escaped from Lin Kaiâs grasp was the same one who had been secretly stirring up trouble among the Nine Towns over the past six months. Through Chu Dongningâs corpse, it could actually be confirmed that this person was undoubtedly from Chen Cang.
Knowing well that he was from Chen Cang, why make a point of saying they came from Cai Qiu?
The three werenât fools; they pondered for a moment, considering the recent situation where Great Xia had been deliberately spreading information about Outer Domain forces, and they quickly understood, their expressions turning peculiar.
"Oh, Sir, besides a sword, we found quite a few things on Chu Dongning, the most peculiar being this piece of jade!"
Tong Xingsheng, who was initially responsible for dissecting Cold Beasts in the Camp Supply Department, later joined the Prison Department. He was among the first batch to be promoted to the Silver Order Level as a Prison Warden. Now with a strength of 21 tufts, he was transferred to Hongmen last year to serve as Vice Chief of Punishment. He excelled at dissecting corpses and identifying wounds, so naturally, Chu Dongningâs corpse was entrusted to him.
As he spoke, he took out a fiery red jade from his belongings, evidently retrieved from Chu Dongning.
"This jade, although fiery red, feels very much like silver, and I also discovered..."
Seemingly realizing mere words wouldnât suffice, Tong Xingsheng took out a small piece of Solidified Fire Oil from his belongings and placed it on the fiery red jade.
An incredible scene unfolded.
The Solidified Fire Oil, upon contact with the fiery red jade, was rapidly absorbed, and after absorbing the oil, the jadeâs color became increasingly vivid, visibly so.
"This..."
Upon seeing this, Lin Kaiâs pupils instantly dilated.
What is Solidified Fire Oil?
It was brought forth by the Lord himself, an unparalleled weapon against Deceitful Monsters, far more potent than silver. And this fiery red jade could actually absorb it?
Tong Xingsheng was equally excited, declaring, "Sir, if Iâm not mistaken, this jade should be related to Solidified Fire Oil, considering Chu Dongningâs feudal town origins. Itâs likely an item used against Deceitful Monsters in Feudal Towns, but its specific function can only be determined after experimentation."
Lin Kai directly grabbed the jade with his hands, examined it for a moment, then turned to Zhao Bao, asking, "Arenât there a few Deceitful Monsters in the city right now? Has your Prison Department uncovered anything during this period?"
On hearing this, Zhao Baoâs face instantly showed awkwardness, and he bowed, saying, "Subordinate is ashamed. Those Deceitful Monsters kill totally at random, with no sense of logic, each more concealed than the last. Beyond increasing patrols, we have no other means."
Lin Kai frowned deeply upon hearing this, questioning sternly, "For over four months, Iâve brought at least 60,000 small torches, more than 10,000 pieces of Solidified Fire Oil, and over 2,000 Yellow Candles from Xia City. With so many materials to counter the Deceitful Monsters, and your Prison Department canât even capture a single one?"
Detecting the reprimand in Lin Kaiâs tone, Zhao Baoâs expression turned even more uneasy. He helplessly bowed, saying, "Forgive me, Sir. Judging by South Cityâs current situation, those Deceitful Monsters have likely figured out the pattern of the small torches and are completely unfazed; Yellow Candles are effective, but their limited number means they cannot be lit citywide. As for Solidified Fire Oil, its use requires finding the true form of these Deceitful Monstersâwe havenât even seen what those three creatures look like!"
After listening to Zhao Bao, Lin Kaiâs expression dampened significantly.
The Defender falls under the Governance Department; nominally, he governs Hongmen, but in reality, he is on equal footing with the heads of the other seven departments.
The issue of Deceitful Monsters in the city is technically under the domain of the Prison Department.
His primary duty as a Defender is overseeing Hongmenâs overall defense and coordinating affairs within the Eight Departments. Furthermore, because Hongmen is Great Xiaâs port, he also manages several matters concerning the Eight Towns, like rooting out spies from Outer Domain Feudal Towns, accelerating the integration of the Three Towns, and forming a Nine Towns alliance alongside Xu Ning and Yuwen Dao...
Owing to these manifold responsibilities, he had only minimally paid attention to the cityâs Deceitful Monsters during these past months, despite Zhao Bao reaching out to him multiple times. He merely sent messages back to Xia City to have the Camp Supply Department allocate materials to curb the monsters.
Given Zhao Baoâs current stance, it seems the Prison Department has no effective measures against these monsters. Ignoring the situation any longer is not an option.
"Notify the other five commanding officers to meet me at once in the Grand Hall at the top tier!"
With that single command, Lin Kai turned and left the morgue.
Observing Lin Kaiâs severe tone, Zhao Baoâs face visibly puckered. Standing beside him, Li Longkai laughed lightly, patting him reassuredly, "Donât worry, Old Zhao, the one from Chen Cang just escaped from Lord Lin, surely making him irritable. Itâs no surprise he got agitated hearing about the Deceitful Monsters. Letâs go up and discuss possible solutions."
Zhao Baoâs expression relieved a bit, yet after mulling it over, he sighed gently, shaking his head, "Incompetent is incompetent; Zhao Bao isnât one to argue stubbornly. But this Hongmen is paramount; if the Lordâs plan fails due to the Prison Departmentâs negligence, Iâd bear unpardonable guilt."
With a final sigh, he departed the morgue alongside Li Longkai.