55: Chapter 55 White Snake

But in the next second, when the martial artist saw the shape of the card clearly, the wariness in his eyes first turned into surprise, and then into a trace of awe.

Clearly, just as Jiang Luoli had said, he recognized what this card represented.

Su Chen donned a black robe, concealing his face.

Like a phantom, he appeared at the mouth of the alley near the several martial artists in black.

However, he did not approach them completely.

He merely gave a slight nod from a distance toward the martial artist who appeared to be the leader.

The martial artist hesitated for a moment, signaled to his companions, and walked quickly to a stop several meters in front of Su Chen.

He cupped his fists in salute, keeping his posture extremely low.

"Who might you be, sir?"

"Just passing through. I was curious."

Su Chen's voice was calm.

Seeing that Su Chen was a friend rather than a foe, the martial artist breathed a sigh of relief, though his attitude remained respectful.

"Pardon the disturbance, sir."

"What is going on here?"

Su Chen's gaze swept over the glass jar being lifted onto the specialized vehicle.

The man inside was still sitting upright in the center of the jar, wearing a mysterious smile full of satisfaction.

A trace of bitterness and solemnity appeared on the martial artist's face.

"I won't hide it from you... this is already the third such case in Great Xia in the past month."

"Three murder cases, occurring in three different cities."

"This is already the third one?"

Su Chen remained unfazed, gesturing for the other man to continue.

"Yes, the first two occurred in Qiantang City and the Imperial Capital, respectively. The victims were a man and a woman."

"The female victim was a third-tier starlet in Qiantang. Her body was found in a bathtub, completely naked, with seven or eight thick layers of facial masks covering her face. She was suffocated alive."

"The male victim was the owner of a media company in the Imperial Capital. His body was found in his own bed."

"When he was discovered, he was wearing VR goggles, which were playing various adult films from the Island Nation."

"As for his cause of death... it was death by sexual exhaustion."

"Similar to the victim found this time, all three of them had a bizarre smile on their faces when they were discovered."

"Although the methods of death were completely different, judging by the MO and the extreme pursuit of ritualism at the crime scenes, these three cases were likely committed by one person or one organization."

Su Chen nodded, signaling that he understood.

"Any clues?"

"While there is no definitive evidence, the organization highly suspects those lunatics from the 'White Snake Cult' are behind it."

The martial artist lowered his voice.

"It's an ancient martial artist cult that has been acting very rampantly along the southeast coast recently, especially around Qiantang."

"They worship the so-called 'White Snake Immortal,' and their way of doing things is exceptionally bizarre."

"Ordinary people couldn't possibly pull off these cases, and they don't seem like the work of a typical martial artist seeking a vendetta."

"This kind of behavior, killing purely for pleasure, is their style. At the very least, the organization has already ordered us to begin surveillance on them."

"White Snake Cult?"

Su Chen silently committed the name to memory. This was the first time he had heard of this name in the real world.

"Yes, we've been tracking them for a long time, but they are very cunning. Their headquarters seems to be hidden in a mystic realm near Qiantang, making it very difficult to root them out."

"This is already the third similar case recently. The impact has been very negative."

The martial artist sighed.

"If you have any clues, sir, I hope..."

"I will keep an eye out."

Su Chen nodded and said no more. His figure retreated, melting into the deeper darkness as if he had never appeared.

Looking at the empty mouth of the alley, the martial artist wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Not daring to ask more, he quickly directed his subordinates to process the scene.

Su Chen returned home, his brow slightly furrowed.

The White Snake Cult, ritualistic killings, glass jars, banknotes...

Ever since stepping into the world of martial artists, it was as if he had gained Spirit Vision.

He could see things that he was unable to see before.

It seemed the waters of the real world were much deeper than he had imagined.

"Starting the next round of investment to increase my strength as soon as possible is clearly a matter of urgency..."

Just then, the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

He took it out and saw the name "Senior Jiang Luoli" flashing on the screen.

He answered the call, and Jiang Luoli's voice, carrying a hint of laziness yet sounding efficient, came from the other end.

"Little Junior, are you home?"

"Yes, just got back."

"How does your body feel? Any discomfort?"

"Very good. Better than ever."

Su Chen answered truthfully.

"That's good. I have some official business to tell you."

Jiang Luoli's tone became more formal.

"Your application to join the organization for supernatural ability testing has been approved by the higher-ups."

"The time is set for the morning after tomorrow at the Research Institute downtown. I'll pick you up then."

"Additionally, there's some good news."

There was a hint of a smile in Jiang Luoli's voice.

"I also managed to secure a slot for you in the Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony in Jinguan City."

"Of course, the prerequisite is that your Supernatural Ability Test results reach the organization's standard line."

"Although the hope is slim, for us martial artists, it's always an opportunity."

"Who knows? You might get lucky and be chosen by a Heroic Spirit."

She said half-jokingly.

Su Chen's heart stirred slightly.

He thought of the grand promises the system had made to him.

"If the investment performance is good, there's also a chance to obtain a powerful contracted Heroic Spirit..."

"Strange. My performance in the last round of investment shouldn't have been bad, yet I haven't seen any Heroic Spirit come to contract with me..."

Suppressing his churning thoughts, he said calmly,

"I will work hard."

"Good, I believe in you."

"By the way."

Jiang Luoli paused.

"Regarding your sister, Su Wanyue..."

"I just went to the hospital and paid for another few months of hospitalization fees for you."

"But the doctor said her condition is still not very optimistic."

"You should..."

"I'm going to the hospital to see her right now."

Su Chen spoke decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

Despite having no blood relation, his sister Su Wanyue was already his only family in this world.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Luoli's grip on her phone tightened slightly.

"That's good..."

"I hope she wakes up soon."

Su Chen hung up the phone and glanced at the city outside the window.

Without lingering any longer, he turned and left this temporary "home."