355: Monk Wei died tragically

"Who? Heshang? What happened to him?" Pan Han turned around in shock. Indeed, he hadn't paid much attention to him recently.

"He was poisoned, and after he fell unconscious, his head was cut off," Cheng Xiao said in a low voice, her expression downcast.

"What?! Who did it?" Hearing the way Heshang died, Pan Han's rage flared.

"Someone from the Base," Cheng Xiao's voice was even lower, and her eyes darted away slightly.

"Our own people?? Where's the killer?" Pan Han suddenly had a premonition that some things might have happened ahead of schedule.

"He's already been apprehended."

"Let's go, I want to see."

Cheng Xiao immediately led Pan Han to the crime scene, a small bungalow where Heshang usually lived.

From a distance, Pan Han could smell blood. As he got closer, he saw Wei Monk's body lying in a pool of blood, his head not far away... Pan Han was momentarily stunned.

Wei Monk was one of the first to join him, always fighting alongside him through thick and thin, and had performed exceptionally well.

Now, his head lay at Pan Han's feet, his eyes wide open, with a trail of blood at each corner.

All the main persons in charge of Dawn Base were present. Old Wu, however, hid behind Second Sister, seemingly afraid of such a scene.

Two fully armed soldiers were guarding a man, who was tied up securely.

When this man saw Pan Han arrive, his expression twisted slightly, then relaxed, even showing a hint of a smile.

Months into the apocalypse, Pan Han had not yet experienced the death of someone important to him. Now, it felt as if a large stone was pressing on his chest.

Everyone present watched Pan Han, not daring to breathe, no one spoke.

Qin Zhong tried to speak several times but swallowed his words.

"What's the situation?" After a long while, Pan Han finally calmed down slightly and asked in a low, deep voice.

Those four short words, accompanied by overwhelming pressure and anger, made everyone shiver.

"Reporting to Commander. The killer, Wang Xiong, secretly put poison in Heshang's drink when he was drinking, and then killed him after he fell unconscious." At this point, only Qin Zhong could step forward, after all, he was the eldest brother.

"I understand this matter. What's the reason?"

"Uh, this..." Qin Zhong clearly hesitated.

"Hahahahaha! Can't say, can you?!" At this, the killer Wang Xiong suddenly burst out laughing, shouting at Qin Zhong and Pan Han.

It seemed there was more to this. Pan Han walked over to Wang Xiong.

Wang Xiong was around forty, appearing unremarkable, with a gentle face, not looking like a heinous criminal.

"You did this, didn't you?" Pan Han asked.

"Yes! I did it!" Wang Xiong, instead, puffed out his chest, revealing a hint of pride.

"Why did you kill him?"

"Hmph! That bastard, he killed my sister. Just one cut, he got off easy." When Wang Xiong spoke of his sister, he immediately became agitated, his arms shaking as he tried to break free from his bonds.

The two soldiers behind him quickly held him down.

"?? How did he kill your sister?" This answer was somewhat unexpected for Pan Han.

"Hmm. That damned Wei Monk. He oppressed us for a long time, constantly extorting us. Seeing that my sister had some looks, he even wanted to take her..."

At this point, Wang Xiong was furious, tears starting to stream down his face.

Then, he took a breath, suppressing his anger, and continued: "My sister initially refused. Wei Monk pretended to lure her with food supplies. Later, he forced himself on my sister. My poor good sister came back bleeding from below, and died within half a day."

The more Pan Han listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.

He had heard stories like this since he was a child.

Rich young masters bullying men and women, military warlords oppressing the common people!

But Pan Han couldn't just listen to Wang Xiong's side of the story. He turned to look at Qin Zhong, Cheng Xiao, and the others.

"Is what he said true?"

"Reporting to Commander, it is true," Qin Zhong stepped forward, bowing his head in acknowledgment.

"How long ago did his sister die?"

"Yesterday."

"Yesterday? Wasn't yesterday Second Sister's wedding?"

"Yes, around noon, Heshang drank a bit too much. After he went back, he lost control and defiled Wang Xiong's sister. His sister passed away during the night. This morning, Wang Xiong acted."

"Were the things Heshang did before also true?"

"Well, somewhat."

"Bullshit, what do you mean, 'somewhat'? Was it or wasn't it?" Pan Han uncharacteristically flared up, his voice rising by an octave.

"Commander Pan," Wang Xiong suddenly interjected.

Pan Han turned to him: "Speak."

"These people, they protect each other. Do you still expect to hear the truth? How pathetic." After Wang Xiong finished, he spat on the ground, an expression of utter satisfaction on his face.

"Take him to the villa. I want to question him alone." Since that was the case, Pan Han decided to get to the bottom of it.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiao quickly went forward, escorting Wang Xiong towards the villa.

Pan Han coldly turned back to Qin Zhong: "Clean up the scene. I'll find you all after I'm done questioning."

"Yes, Commander!" Qin Zhong immediately led his men to work.

Pan Han returned to the villa with a somber expression. Cheng Xiao had Wang Xiong sit down and stood behind him.

"Untie him." Pan Han saw that Wang Xiong had not evolved and was just an ordinary person, so he ordered.

"Commander, he's the killer." Cheng Xiao frowned, somewhat unwilling.

"He's not going anywhere." Pan Han raised an eyebrow.

Cheng Xiao had no choice but to comply, using a knife to untie the knots.

"Thank you, Commander Pan. Anyway, I didn't plan on living today, so let's just speak openly." Wang Xiong flexed his reddened arms a few times, his expression relaxed.

"Alright. Have a smoke." Pan Han tossed him a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Thanks." Wang Xiong casually lit a cigarette, not even bothering to say "Commander" anymore.

He wasn't afraid of death, so why bother with pleasantries?

"Tell me, how did Wei Monk usually bully you all?" Pan Han also lit one.

"Cigarettes are really good stuff!" Wang Xiong took two deep drags, squinting his eyes, looking utterly content.

Pan Han didn't rush him, but watched him quietly.

"You probably don't know Wei Monk's nickname, do you?" Wang Xiong slowly opened his eyes, staring at Pan Han as he asked.

"I don't. What is it?"

"What else could it be? Wei the Skinflint!"

At these words, Pan Han was somewhat surprised. He had heard the story of Zhou the Skinflint when he was a child.

This was not a good person.

"Oh? How did he 'skin' people?"

"I have to say, Commander Pan, you're a good man. You've made the Base thrive, giving us ordinary people a glimmer of hope to survive. But that bastard, Wei the Skinflint, he's ruining things for you."

"Continue!"

"Two months ago, when Dawn Base's reputation was well-known, my sister, a few neighbors, and I, in order to survive, came to join you after much hardship."

"Originally, according to Base regulations, those who joined were allocated a fixed amount of supplies daily."

"Wei Monk saw that we had no one to rely on in the Base, so he constantly made trouble, demanding that we hand over one-third of our supplies to him. Otherwise, he would assign us heavy labor every day."

At this point, the cigarette in Wang Xiong's hand burned down to the filter. He unceremoniously lit another one.