608: Chapter 608 Those who frequently kill people know

Hearing these words, Ma Donghe and Hou Peng paused, their expressions instantly changing.

Committing murder openly during the Special Investigation Team's official physical exam?

Could it be that among the eight hundred or so examinees, an insane perverted killer had snuck in?

Or did the deceased have a bitter grudge on the outside, and their enemy specifically chose this mist-shrouded restricted area—isolated from surveillance and the invigilators' sight—to settle scores?

If it was the latter, then it had nothing to do with them, and they could just pretend not to have seen it.

But if it was the former, that was far too dangerous, perhaps even more trouble than encountering a mutated beast.

The two looked at each other, a trace of nervous apprehension rising in their hearts.

After all, they were here to take the exam, not to get dragged into this kind of inexplicable storm.

"Judging by the body temperature and blood loss, the victim was killed about five minutes ago. The blood on his clothes still retains a bit of warmth."

Fang Cheng crouched on the ground, probing the victim's wound with his finger.

"The wound is a regular diamond shape with smooth edges, no signs of tearing, and no flaring flesh."

"This is a classic puncture wound caused by a military triangular bayonet. The specialized blood grooves on the blade can instantly drain all the blood from a target's body."

A faint glint flickered deep within his pupils. Shifting his gaze from the bloody hole in the corpse's chest, he looked up at the canopy above.

"The killer was hanging upside down up there just now. When the examinee followed the sound of the wind chimes to the base of the tree and looked up to search, the killer let go and dropped straight down from the canopy."

Fang Cheng stood up, pointing to a thick branch extending overhead. Tracing along several small snapped twigs, he drew a vertical drop trajectory in the air.

Then, drawing the dagger at his waist with a reverse grip, he jerked his arm downward, executing a clean, decisive strike.

"Covering the mouth with the left hand to stifle any sound, using the momentum of the drop with the right hand to plunge the triangular bayonet precisely between the third ribs on the left chest, crushing the heart instantly. Extremely fast technique, a fatal single blow that didn't leave even half a chance to call for help."

Fang Cheng paused for half a second. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he slashed his dagger horizontally through the air in a half-arc.

"To prevent the examinee from making strange sounds due to muscle spasms before dying, as the killer pulled out the bayonet, he followed up with a slash across the carotid artery. Using rapid blood loss to cut off the brain's remaining oxygen supply, he killed the target in the fastest, most reliable manner."

"Therefore, we can conclude that the murderer definitely didn't act on impulse, and his target isn't just one person."

This explanation was logical and meticulously analyzed, even calculating the angles of the blade strikes and anatomical principles with total clarity.

The key was that Fang Cheng's tone was far too casual—so casual it sounded as if he were at a market discussing how to butcher pork bought for dinner.

Ma Donghe listened in stunned silence, unconsciously swallowing his saliva, his eyes looking at Fang Cheng with a trace of dread.

Isn't A-Cheng's skill a little too creepy?

With just a few glances, he reconstructed the killer's ambush and attack in such vivid detail.

Could it be that he regularly goes around killing people for fun, or works as a mercenary hitman on the side to make money?

Fang Cheng naturally didn't know what Ma Donghe was thinking.

Still holding the dagger, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if immersed in the crime scene, pondering the lingering Killing Intent.

Hou Peng leaned in to inspect the marks on the ground and nodded in strong agreement:

"Brother Fang explained it thoroughly. There are no signs of large beasts trampling the ground nearby, nor any footprints left from fighting or struggling."

"The murderer is clearly a veteran. Not only is his blade work ruthless and his nature insidious, but he might even be a professional assassin who does black ops year-round."

Ma Donghe gripped the tactical flashlight in his hand, swept it across the dense fog around them twice, and lowered his voice as he stepped closer:

"A-Cheng, since you said the victim was just killed, doesn't that mean this guy is definitely still nearby?"

"Should we strike first and flush him out?"

Hou Peng also turned his gaze toward Fang Cheng, waiting for him to make the call.

Fang Cheng didn't answer right away, sweeping his gaze across the dim woods around them.

Right at that moment.

"Ah—"

An extremely brief and faint gasp drifted over from deep within the fog.

Due to the damp environment and dense fog insulating sound, the noise was as faint as a strand of silk by the time it reached the base of the tree.

But Fang Cheng and Hou Peng's sensory perception far exceeded that of ordinary people, and both picked up on this slight disturbance almost simultaneously.

The two exchanged a glance and instantly reached an understanding.

Pushing off forcefully, their military boots crushed the fallen leaves as they shot forward like two arrows loosed from a bow, dashing in the direction of the sound.

"Hey! Why are you guys running so fast?"

Ma Donghe was completely bewildered, watching the two vanish in an instant before he could even react.

Turning his head to look at the bleeding corpse on the ground, and then at the dark, eerie, bone-chilling forest around him,

his scalp went numb. He hastily hoisted the dozens-of-pounds Mutated Wild Boar leg and strode off in large steps, chasing after the direction where the two had vanished.

...

A cold wind blew through the crisscrossing treetops, tearing a rift in the thick fog hanging in the woods.

In the center of a clearing, two groups of people were locked in a tense confrontation.

On the left were three burly young examinees clad in camouflage uniforms.

Standing back-to-back, they barely managed to maintain a defensive stance.

Tightly gripping standard-issue daggers, their heavy panting was exceptionally clear in the quiet forest.

All three were injured, their camouflage uniforms torn in several places.

Particularly the crew-cut man in the middle with a stern demeanor; blood was gushing from his left ribs.

He pressed tightly against the wound with his right hand, but blood still seeped through his fingers and dripped onto the rotting leaves with faint pattering sounds.

Clearly, they had just gone through a perilous life-and-death battle.

Standing opposite them were five examinees with extremely arrogant demeanors.

Spread out in a semi-encirclement, the five cut off the retreat of the crew-cut man and his companions.

They all held bloody military bayonets, dark red drops of blood slowly sliding down the grooves.

Playful smirks hung on the lips of all five, their eyes scanning up and down as if eyeing prey that had fallen into a trap.

The tall, thin man in the center was clearly the leader. He casually twirled his dagger, flicking away the bits of meat clinging to the blade.

Staring at the opposing leader, the crew-cut man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, a surge of Killing Intent flashing in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and shouted angrily:

"We're all examinees for the Special Investigation Team! We have no past grudges or recent enmity, so why are you making such lethal moves?"

The tall, thin leader sneered, stopping his playful twirling of the dagger and looking at the crew-cut man as if he were an idiot:

"Who said you need a grudge to kill someone?"

He stepped forward half a meter, his combat boots crushing dead branches with a harsh crunch:

"You can only blame your bad luck for stumbling upon our operation to clear the perimeter and gather sacrifices."

"To prevent word from getting out, we'll have to trouble you few to shut your mouths forever."

As he spoke, he licked his lips, a morbid excitement flashing in his eyes.

As if killing was merely an entertaining game to him.

"Clear the perimeter, gather sacrifices?"

The crew-cut man frowned deeply, twitching the wound at his ribs and causing his facial muscles to contort in pain.

Enduring the intense pain, he raised his dagger defensively across his chest:

"What exactly are you trying to do? This is the Xishan Military Restricted Zone. You dare to go on a killing spree here—aren't you afraid the Special Investigation Team will investigate to the end and send you all to court-martial?"

"Court-martial? That requires someone to get out alive to testify first."

The tall, thin man laughed even more rampantly, his eyes gradually becoming fanatical and greedy:

"Compared to that, what we're looking for is far more important. That's the entrance to an Ancient Civilization Ruins!"

An Ancient Civilization Ruins?

Hearing this, the crew-cut man and his two companions all looked bewildered.

They seemed to have never heard of this term before.

Taking in their reactions, the tall, thin man didn't bother to explain further, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth:

"It just so happens that the magnetic field here is unstable and the fluctuations are intensifying. The entrance is likely right nearby, and high-intensity life energy is required as a catalyst."

Saying this, he raised his bayonet and pointed it at the three men, his tone chill:

"Since you gentlemen voluntarily offered yourselves as Materials for the blood sacrifice, we naturally accept with gratitude."

"Screw your blood sacrifice! If you want to use our lives as stepping stones, you'd better see if you've got the teeth for it!"

The companion to the left of the crew-cut man shouted angrily, gripping his dagger with both hands and taking a desperate stance.

The other companion spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground, glaring viciously at the opposing side:

"At worst, it's a life for a life! Who's afraid of who!"

Hearing this, the group of tall and thin men were not afraid; instead, they burst into a roar of laughter.

Then they cracked their wrists and twisted their necks, joints popping softly as they prepared to finish off these final preys.

The gunpowder tension between both sides reached its peak instantly, a new round of slaughter on the verge of breaking out.

Within seconds, someone was destined to fall on this clearing.

Dozens of meters away from the clearing, behind a dense thicket, a hand silently parted the thorny branches.

Fang Cheng lowered his stance, crouching on the ground. Raising his left hand, he made a shushing gesture to Ma Donghe and Hou Peng behind him.

The two nodded slightly in understanding, deliberately slowing down their breathing.

Through the gaps in the leaves and the relatively thin mist, Fang Cheng took in the full scene in the clearing.

His eyes lingered on the injured crew-cut man's face for a brief moment.

Fang Cheng had an impression of this man's face.

He was the police academy student who had briefly exchanged glances with him a few days ago in the service hall while collecting their exam permits.

As for the five arrogant examinees opposite him, Fang Cheng had no memory of them in his mind; they were all unfamiliar faces.

However, listening to their conversation just now, combined with the tragic state of the victim killed by the triangular bayonet under the tree with copper chimes...

That corpse was clearly one of the "sacrifices" mentioned by this Gang.

"They're actually looking for the Ancient Civilization Ruinss as well..."

Hearing this familiar term again, Fang Cheng's pupils shrank slightly.

Various clues in his mind instantly connected into a complete logical chain.

This Gang clearly had a specific mission and even knew for sure that Xishan hid clues about the civilization ruins.

Therefore, participating in the exam was likely just a front; their true purpose was to target the secrets here.

This was definitely not information that ordinary civilian examinees could access.

Most importantly, the Special Investigation Team's interview process was extremely strict, and the chief examiner was particularly skilled in psychological pressure and profiling.

How did these five bloodstained, treacherous killers manage to smoothly pass the background checks and psychological tests to brazenly slip into the ranks of the examinees?

Unless someone among the high-ranking officials of the Special Investigation Team was covering for them, or was even the mastermind behind them.

A chill flashed across Fang Cheng's eyes.

The waters of the Special Investigation Team were far deeper than he had anticipated.

"Damn, these bastards hit hard—ruthless than back when I was grabbing turf in the Gang."

Ma Donghe crouched behind Fang Cheng, his broad shoulders drawn in tight.

Resting the heavy Mutated Wild Boar leg on his knees, he lowered his voice and muttered in a tone only the three of them could hear.

Hou Peng perked up his fan-like ears, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings as he chimed in:

"This is an organized, premeditated Gang operation, specifically targeting places like this. Brother Fang, we'd better not wade into these muddy waters. Let's just sneak around quietly."

"Don't move yet. Let's see the situation clearly first."

Fang Cheng replied in a flat tone, his gaze still locked onto the crowd in the center of the clearing.

Ma Donghe and Hou Peng obviously had no idea what an "Ancient Civilization Ruins" was, but he was crystal clear on it.

Back then, the Masked Man had also mentioned related clues, but unfortunately, he had long been blown to pieces and reduced to ashes during the fierce battle between Fang Cheng and the military.

As for Shanks, as a newcomer who had just joined the Blood Thorn not long ago, he naturally had no way of knowing the specific location and entry method of the ruin entrance.

Now, since he happened upon someone searching for the ruin entrance, how could he miss such a golden opportunity?

Whoosh—

A cold wind laced with a thick stench of blood blew from deep within the forest, swirling the fallen leaves across the ground.

Under the cover of the wind, an eerie figure silently emerged from the blind spot behind the group, like a rootless ghost.

Dressed in the same camouflage uniform, holding a bloody triangular bayonet in a reverse grip, he walked soundlessly to the side of the tall, thin leader.

"Area One cleared. The sacrifice is temporarily left in place."

The person said in a low voice.

The tall, thin leader nodded in satisfaction, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.

Behind the thicket, Fang Cheng's eyes suddenly narrowed.

He clearly saw that wisps of faint black mist were actually swirling around the assassin who had just returned from his killing mission.

That black mist was definitely not mountain fog; it seemed to possess a life of its own, resembling a swarm of tiny leeches.

It was constantly burrowing and wriggling inward along the skin of the man's neck, exuding a sickeningly sinister and icy aura.

Immediately after, a few extremely faint sounds of snapping twigs echoed.

Three more figures radiating Killing Intent emerged one after another from the thick mist in different directions, gathering into the tall and thin man's group.

The weapons in their hands were likewise stained with fresh blood, having clearly completed their respective clearing missions.

Fang Cheng observed the three newcomers carefully; they did not have that weird wriggling black mist on them.

"Very good."

The smile on the tall, thin leader's face spread completely. He raised his hand and pointed at the crew-cut man and his two companions:

"Kill these last three to make nine blood sacrifice Materials, just enough to activate the tracking Formation."

Hearing these words, the muscles of the crew-cut man and the other two police academy students tensed instantly.

Squeezed together back-to-back, their eyes held both the fury of facing a desperate situation and an undeniable tension and despair.

They were well aware that against nine ruthless assassins, they were as good as dead today.

However, the tall, thin leader did not immediately order the slaughter.

"Though before that, we need to deal with a trouble completely."

He suddenly changed the subject, moving the direction his bayonet was pointing away from the crew-cut man and slowly turning it toward the right.

His narrow, sinister eyes seemed capable of peering through dozens of meters of fog to see what was hidden within.

The tall, thin man grinned, revealing flash-white teeth as his voice echoed eerily across the clearing:

"Friends, lurking in there sneaking peeks for so long—aren't you going to come out and say hello?"