Morgue
Chen Guofeng, Shi Lei, and Lin Xiaoyue stood next to Zhao Nuoâs corpse, examining the injuries.
"It looks like his heart was shattered by a single punch."
Chen Guofeng covered Zhao Nuoâs body with a white cloth and said slowly:
"In the 137th Battalion, only Qin Tian has the strength to kill Zhao Nuo with one punch."
On their way here, they reviewed Qin Tianâs file.
Top Secret
Thatâs right, even if the higher-ups gave an order, they still couldnât access Qin Tianâs dossier.
This exemplifies the status of the Seventh Bureau within the Special Warfare Management Office. This department is directly managed by Marshal Lin and, without authorization, no one has the right to view the files of the Seventh Bureau personnel.
However, they learned that Qin Tian had been undergoing advanced studies at the Eagle Military Academy for a few months and was only recently transferred to the 137th Battalion to serve as the acting battalion commander.
After contacting the Eagle Military Academy, they learned more about Qin Tianâs feats.
For instance, he had single-handedly annihilated a Star Thieves group led by a Tier Five Vampire Viscount. His Spiritual Ability Level wasnât strong, but his combat prowess was astonishing.
"Why did he kill Zhao Nuo?"
Lin Xiaoyue asked doubtfully, "Heâs the battalion commander and more powerful than Zhao Nuo. It wouldnât be too difficult to seize power, so why resort to extremes?"
"Maybe itâs a matter of personality."
Shi Lei said in a muffled voice, "Some people are easily impulsive, and I guess heâs such a person."
"Regardless, Qin Tian is currently the prime suspect."
Chen Guofeng stated, "The leadership has spoken; we must apprehend Qin Tian and present him as a classic case to the entire army. Additionally, the leadership emphasized strongly that he must be captured alive."
"Sigh, is it really worth it? To kill and flee just for a bit of power?"
Lin Xiaoyue sighed, seeming to feel a slight regret for Qin Tian, who had originally had a promising future, now all gone due to an impulsive act.
"Boss, I asked just now, and Qin Tianâs communicator is already off, so we canât pinpoint his location," Shi Lei said.
Chen Guofeng nodded, not disappointed at all; anyone with a bit of common sense knows to turn off communication devices when on the run.
"Xiao Yue, letâs get to work."
Chen Guofeng said.
"Understood!"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and exited the morgue, speaking to Tu Changsong at the door:
"Go find me some personal items of Qin Tian, like a towel, blanket, or unwashed clothes; anything would do."
"Okay, Iâll do it right away."
Tu Changsong personally ran to the dormitory and arrived at Qin Tianâs room.
At this moment, the door was tightly locked.
Tu Changsong didnât hesitate, kicking it open.
However, upon seeing the situation inside, he was dumbfounded.
Inside, the room was empty; mattress, blanket, pillow, toothbrush, towel... all items had disappeared, leaving only a bare bed and a few empty cabinets.
Tu Changsong immediately reported this situation back to Chen Guofeng and the others.
After hearing this, the three exchanged looks, their eyes filled with suspicion and surprise.
"Did he know I was coming?"
Lin Xiaoyueâs eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Could someone have tipped him off?"
"Impossible."
Chen Guofeng declared, "The order was directly given to me personally by the higher-ups. It didnât go through anyone else, so thereâs no way it was leaked."
"So, he prepared for this just in case."
Lin Xiaoyue said in a tone of amazement, "Thinking of all this during a guilty escape, this guy is too cautious."
Chen Guofengâs brow slightly furrowed; Qin Tianâs actions had obviously caught him off guard.
Lin Xiaoyue is a Bloodline Martial Artist with an extremely keen sense of smell, able to track target individuals by scent.
With this ability, Lin Xiaoyue has achieved great feats over the years and is often dispatched to pursue some military criminals.
This time, the higher-ups still sent him along with Shi Lei and Lin Xiaoyue. Who would have thought theyâd hit a snag right from the start?
"Boss, what should we do now?" Lin Xiaoyue looked at Chen Guofeng.
"Letâs check the surveillance first."
Chen Guofeng called Tu Changsong over, expressing the need to view the surveillance footage. Tu Changsong immediately agreed and led the three to the surveillance room.
"Look, this is Qin Tian."
Tu Changsong pointed to the fleeting figure on the screen, gritting his teeth and saying, "He ran after injuring me."
"The mist is so thick, itâs hard to see the face clearly."
Lin Xiaoyue zoomed in, but the screen seemed to have a white veil, always obstructing the view.
"Officers, this is the distinctive feature of our Mist Town. At this time every year, heavy fog engulfs the area, shrouding the entire town in mist," Tu Changsong explained.
"Xiao Yue, can you see which way he was heading?" Chen Guofeng asked.
Lin Xiaoyue: "Once he left the military camp, we lost sight. Boss, I think itâs best to apply for a warrant for his arrest. Judging by the current clues, itâs going to be very hard to find him with just the three of us."
Chen Guofeng pondered and slowly nodded:
"That seems to be our only option. Xiao Yue, you should go see if there are any other clues in Qin Tianâs room."
They had come with full confidence, Lin Xiaoyue locking onto the target, while he and Shi Lei planned to capture him easily. But the result had taken them completely by surprise.
Lin Xiaoyue arrived at Qin Tianâs room, slowly pacing through every corner to see if he could catch even a whiff of scent.
The room was especially empty; all small items were gone.
"Strange, how did he manage to take everything away?"
Lin Xiaoyueâs brows furrowed slightly. The blanket, mattress, towel, clothes, teacup, and other personal items combined would at least fill three suitcases. How had Qin Tian, in a fugitive state, managed to carry these and flee?
"How about it, any clues?"
Chen Guofeng entered the room and asked.
Lin Xiaoyue shook his head, "Heâs cleaned up so thoroughly that even if I did it myself, it couldnât be cleaner. Boss, I feel like someone like that wouldnât impulsively kill."
Chen Guofengâs expression remained unchanged, "Whether or not he did it is a matter for later. Our job is just to take him into custody."
"Very well, but I really canât do anything. Boss, apply for the arrest warrant then," Lin Xiaoyue reluctantly stated.
Chen Guofeng thought it over and could only agree to this suggestion.
Soon, Chen Guofeng reported the investigationâs findings to the higher-ups and applied for the issuance of an arrest warrant targeting Qin Tian.
In the face of a major case, all procedures moved swiftly.
Twenty minutes later, a fresh arrest warrant was officially issued, spreading within the Silver Gray Star military system. Due to the major scandal, it was not yet released publicly.
...
In the shadows of the 137th Battalion warehouse, a figure loomed indistinctly.
Indeed, Qin Tian had not fled; he had doubled back. He had purposely let the surveillance see him escaping, then used Shadow Jump to arrive at the warehouse, capturing every word of Chen Guofeng and the othersâ conversation with his super hearing.
Though it was extremely dangerous, and if discovered, he might not even be able to escape, Qin Tian decided to take the risk.
"Arrest warrant."
Qin Tianâs gaze was deep; Zhao Nuoâs so-called suicide, the arrival of the investigation team, the order to capture him alive... he increasingly believed that there was nothing simple about this matter, and there must be insiders among the high military command behind it.
He could no longer trust anyone.