48: Chapter 48 Destroying the Corpse and Covering Up the Evidence

The smoke and dust had yet to settle.

Five dark shadows tore through the aftermath of the explosion.

Though their clothes were tattered and stained with blood, the movements of these five death soldiers showed not the slightest delay.

Their coordination was seamless.

They blocked all sides—front, back, left, and right—cutting off every path of escape.

Five poisoned alloy daggers pointed directly at Lin Fan's vital points.

Lin Fan stood his ground.

He didn't dodge, and he didn't panic.

He simply watched the five sharp blades that were about to pierce his skin; deep within his eyes, a flicker of golden flame suddenly danced.

"Too slow."

If it had been ten minutes ago, facing an ambush by five Two-Star Martial Artists might have required some effort.

But now...

Lin Fan took a step forward.

This single step seemed to cross the boundary between life and death.

"Boom!"

Golden flames erupted from his body without warning.

S-Rank Divine Ember Flame.

A terrifying heat instantly filled the narrow alley. The air warped and distorted from the burn, and the five lunging alloy daggers began to glow red and soften the moment they touched the golden flames.

"What?!"

Panic finally appeared on the once-impassive faces of the five death soldiers.

The protective inner energy they took such pride in was as fragile as snow under a scorching sun before these golden flames.

It melted away instantly.

"Ah!"

The shrill screams had barely begun before they were abruptly cut short.

The four death soldiers in the lead didn't even have a chance to retreat.

Golden tongues of fire swept over their bodies.

There was no process of burning.

Only immediate annihilation.

Flesh, bone, and meridians were instantly reduced to the finest dust under the overbearing power of the S-Rank divine fire.

They vanished into thin air.

Only ashes remained, slowly scattering as they were carried by the heat waves.

"Th-this... what kind of sorcery is this?!"

The sole remaining leader of the death soldiers forced his momentum to a halt.

His feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground as he desperately scrambled backward.

Fear.

A shudder from the depths of his soul completely shattered his will as a death soldier.

"Trying to leave?"

Lin Fan's voice rang out from within the sea of fire.

His figure blurred.

A golden afterimage trailed a streak of light through the air.

In the next instant, a slender, fair hand had already clamped onto the leader's throat.

"Gurgle..."

The death soldier's feet left the ground as his hands clawed desperately at Lin Fan's arm.

But that layer of dark golden skin was indestructible; no matter how much force he used, he couldn't leave the slightest mark.

Lin Fan's fingers tightened.

*Snap.*

His neck bone shattered.

The death soldier's body went limp.

Lin Fan didn't let go.

Golden flames flickered from his palm.

*Whoosh.*

The corpse of the final enemy turned to ash within a single breath.

Even the traces of the fight were erased by the intense heat.

Only a lingering scent of sulfur in the air proved that a massacre had taken place here.

[Dissipating soul energy detected.]

[Attempt Basic Soul Capture?]

The system's prompt rang out abruptly.

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.

Soul Capture?

"Let's try it."

With a thought from Lin Fan.

An invisible suction force emanated from his palm, grasping at the gray mist that was about to dissipate in the air.

*Hum!*

The air vibrated.

The mist struggled violently, as if resisting the shackles of some cosmic law.

[Warning! Host's mental strength is insufficient.]

[Capture failed.]

[Intercepted Memory Fragment x1.]

It failed.

As expected.

Lin Fan wasn't disappointed. For a One-Star Martial Artist to forcibly seize a soul was indeed a bit of a stretch.

He closed his eyes and digested the intercepted Memory Fragment.

The images were very fragmented.

A dim secret room.

A somber, aged face.

"Bring back that Lin Fan's head."

Wang Tianba.

Lin Fan opened his eyes, golden flames flashing momentarily deep within his pupils.

As expected, it was that old dog.

"Since you want to play, I'll play a big game with you."

Lin Fan brushed the dust off his hands.

In the distance.

Orderly footsteps were rapidly approaching.

Accompanied by the roar of armored vehicles and the piercing sound of sirens.

The City Lord's Manor guards had finally arrived.

This efficiency was indeed very "official."

Lin Fan glanced at the five piles of ash on the ground, then at his own intact clothes.

Too clean.

He didn't look like a victim.

*Rip.*

Without hesitation, Lin Fan tore the sleeves of his school uniform.

He grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, smeared it on his face, and mussed up his hair into a mess.

He took a deep breath.

He adjusted his facial muscles.

His originally cold expression vanished instantly, replaced by the terror and daze of a survivor.

Oscar-winning Best Actor mode: online.

"Don't move!"

"Hands up!"

Over a dozen fully armed City Guard rushed into the alley, their dark muzzles and combat blades instantly locking onto Lin Fan.

The powerful glare of a searchlight hit Lin Fan's face, stinging his eyes so he couldn't open them.

"Don't... don't shoot!"

Lin Fan raised his hands, his voice trembling as he huddled against the wall, shivering. "I'm a student! I'm a victim!"

A middle-aged man in a captain's uniform stepped forward.

Iron Pillar Zhao.

Captain of the Third Battalion of the City Guard, Initial-Stage Martial Master.

His gaze swept across the scene like a hawk's.

It was a complete mess.

There were scorched marks on the ground from the explosion, and the air was thick with the scent of high heat and burning.

But there were no bodies.

And no enemies.

Only a high school student who looked like he was about to wet his pants.

"What happened here?"

Iron Pillar Zhao walked up to Lin Fan, a powerful pressure from his vital energy washing over him. "Was that explosion your doing? Where are the attackers?"

"They... they ran away."

Lin Fan stammered, pointing toward the other end of the alley. "Five people in black clothes... I had Explosive Fruits... I threw them... there was a boom, and they ran off."

After all, dead men tell no tales.

Iron Pillar Zhao frowned.

He knelt down and pinched a bit of ash from the ground.

It was still warm.

This didn't seem like ordinary dust; it seemed more like... bone ash?

He glanced at Lin Fan suspiciously.

He recognized this youth.

The champion of today's Grand Martial Arts Competition, that little Shrewd Merchant who sold blind boxes.

But to say he could burn five attackers to ash?

Iron Pillar Zhao shook his head.

Impossible.

Unless he were a Grandmaster Level fire-type powerhouse, there was no way he could have destroyed the evidence to such an extent in such a short time.

"Captain, no suspicious individuals were found in the vicinity," a team member reported.

"However, we found the Wang Family's unique secret mark at the alley entrance."

The Wang Family.

Iron Pillar Zhao's expression darkened.

These aristocratic families again.

Assassinating someone just because they lost a match—do they really think the City Guard are just for show?

Iron Pillar Zhao knelt down and pinched the ash on the ground with his gloved fingers.

The ash was very fine.

There were no bone fragments left, and not even residues of the alloy daggers could be found. This level of destruction was definitely not something a few so-called "Explosive Fruits" could achieve.

That was high heat.

An extreme heat capable of vaporizing carbon-based lifeforms in an instant.

Iron Pillar Zhao stood up and brushed the ash off his hands. He glanced at the youth before him, whose face was smeared with black soot and who was still pretending to shiver.

The acting was terrible.

But the excuse was well-chosen.

"Clean this up."

Iron Pillar Zhao turned and ordered the team members behind him, "Seal off the scene and clean up these... traces thoroughly."

The team members were taken aback for a moment, but their professional discipline kept them from asking questions as they quickly began cleaning the ground.

Iron Pillar Zhao walked up to Lin Fan.

The pressure belonging to a Martial Master powerhouse was completely retracted. He even took the initiative to brush the dust off Lin Fan's shoulder; the movement was a bit stiff, but it was the greatest kindness he could show.

"Mr. Lin."

The form of address had changed.

From "young student" just now to "Mr. Lin."

"The City Lord requests your presence."

Iron Pillar Zhao's voice was very low, audible only to the two of them. "Also, regarding tonight's attack... the City Lord said he will give you a satisfactory explanation concerning the Wang Family."