Chapter 720 – You Can Make a Move Now (4k)
As she slowly approached the two, sharing the same experience, Su Jiu was certain that one of them was the assailant. She just wanted to clarify one thing— who did the other party belong to?
“This is a man…”
As she passed the long-haired middle-aged man, Su Jiu’s gaze unintentionally glanced at his back. It was a mark cut by a knife, with a neat cross-section. Based on her experience, she could almost confirm that it was a mark made by an alchemical weapon.
But she didn’t stop. She moved past him and came to the old woman’s side. Pausing for a moment, she looked at her somewhat European-style face and felt a strange sensation. Perhaps it was because she had seen too many foreign white faces recently, Su Jiu subconsciously paid attention. She scanned her tightly closed eyes. Could it be her?
“Her mental power feels very stable, why do I feel so strange…”
To verify her guess, Su Jiu approached the old woman, then slowly squatted down. After placing her hand on the woman and holding her in place, she raised her hand. Her fingertips emitted a faint dark green halo. She gently pressed it on the woman’s neck and began to use her awakening method.
“Cough…”
As she increased the pressure, the Caucasian old woman coughed and then slowly woke up. Although her emerald green eyes were slightly cloudy, her entire demeanor was like that of nobility.
“Are you alright?”
Looking at her reaction, Su Jiu felt it was normal, like an ordinary passerby. However, Li Xiao’s words made her cautious – the woman’s chest…
Shaking her head, the old woman’s gaze fell on the healing light in Su Jiu’s hand. After a moment’s pause, she spoke fluent French from her somewhat shriveled lips, “Thank you, Miss Priest.”
“You’re welcome. I’d like to ask you about what just happened. Do you still remember?”
Waving her hand, Su Jiu smiled and slowly helped her up. As they made contact, she couldn’t help but probe. To her surprise, her external qi seemed to disappear into the woman’s body without a trace, like a stone sinking into the ocean. This made her pause. Could this old woman with such a distinguished aura not even be an Advanced Stage Warrior?
“Memory? I was just walking on the road when I was suddenly attacked. Before I fainted, I saw the person’s face…”
The old woman nodded. A thoughtful expression appeared on her wrinkled face. Her green eyes glanced at the long-haired man not far away, but she quickly retracted them. She winked at Su Jiu and said, “But unfortunately, it seems my thoughts were carried away by a white dove. I think I need to recall it a bit more.”
Su Jiu naturally noticed her actions, and her heart skipped a beat. Was she hinting at something? A white dove… Is she a Watcher? So, her intention was that the long-haired man was the culprit, but why didn’t she say it directly?
“Then please recall it first.”
With a sense of bewilderment, Su Jiu turned around and saw that the long-haired man had regained consciousness. He was sitting on the ground, half of his face corroded, and his other eye was like a lurking lone wolf. His pupils turned slightly, but he kept staring in their direction.
“Miss Priest, if you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have been able to save my face.”
Seemingly noticing Su Jiu looking at him, he smiled and pointed to the other half of his face. His smile on his thin face appeared somewhat sinister.
“It’s alright, healing the injured is what I should do.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu narrowed her eyes and replied with a light smile. Then, she was about to walk forward. She wanted to see what was going on with this long-haired man. As she approached him, she changed the subject and said with a smile, “Sir, your condition probably requires your family to pick you up. Could you please tell me your exact home address and your relatives’ contact information?”
“I’m unemployed, and I’m the only one left in my family. As for my address, this Priest should know of [Sanhe], right?”
Upon hearing this, the long-haired man straightened up. His long hair concealed one of his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and replied cautiously. Facing this uncooperative answer, Su Jiu looked him over again and reluctantly withdrew her gaze. His somewhat tattered appearance did match the identity of a wandering day laborer.
“Miss Priest, instead of playing detective games here, why don’t you hurry up and call your colleagues to send us to the hospital?”
The long-haired man said indifferently. He then curled himself up, hunching his back, and casually draped his tattered windbreaker over his injured back.
“That…”
Just then, Li Xiao’s voice sounded not far away. She was also walking towards them. “Priest Su, did you find something?”
Hearing this, Su Jiu first turned her head and saw the old woman, who was turned sideways, waving her hand at her, signaling that she didn’t want her to speak. Su Jiu was stunned for a moment, then her thoughts raced. Let’s assume the old woman is an ally. Then, Li Xiao mentioned earlier that the robber had a companion. Could it be that this old woman, representing the [White Dove], thought that if the robber was exposed, and he couldn’t retreat safely, his companion would retaliate?
“What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with this gentleman?”
When the voice sounded again, Su Jiu turned back. Li Xiao was already about two meters away and seemed to be looking towards the long-haired man. At this moment, the long-haired man also narrowed his eyes slightly, and his hand was subtly moving towards his windbreaker pocket. This scene was clearly visible in Su Jiu’s view.
After a moment of silence, Su Jiu’s lips suddenly curved into a smile. She patted Li Xiao on the shoulder and pointed to the distant damaged path, saying, “Perhaps those thieves have already escaped. We should still go out and check.” Since that Phantom Thief lady had said that crows could always trust white doves, why not trust them this time? However, some things still needed to be confirmed by herself; she couldn’t confirm who the criminal was based solely on coded messages.
“Alright, Miss Su, you keep an eye on these patients. I’ll go with the team members to pursue them. If these poachers are not caught, it’s likely that the higher-ups will deal with this matter very seriously.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao didn’t think much of it. She just chuckled and hurried away. It was obvious that she didn’t believe that the Priest who had just arrived could understand any details. This investigation mission also involved ordinary people being captured and imprisoned. If it wasn’t handled well, her position as the leader of the special operations team might be over.
“Everyone, wait here for now. Don’t wander around. The Law Enforcement Hall personnel will be here soon to take statements, and there will also be priests from a regular hospital to examine and treat you.”
Watching Li Xiao’s fading figure, Su Jiu didn’t rush to expose the long-haired man. She instructed the five people and then found the special operations team’s pickup truck, sitting on the hood.
“Although I know this long-haired man is suspicious, why did that team member say he cut a woman, and a strong one at that?”
Glancing at the old woman sitting in place, Su Jiu then picked up her phone, her legs dangling lightly. The sheer black stockings paired with thick-soled leather shoes had a somewhat alluring charm. If everything was as she guessed, the only way to prevent the hostages from being killed now was to wait, to wait for Captain Li Xiao to successfully capture the other accomplice.
Time passed slowly. The red sun in the afternoon replaced the unseasonal sunlight. After the medical team arrived to treat the injured, everyone, like Su Jiu, was playing on their phones. Su Jiu’s mental power had been focused on the long-haired man the entire time.
As if she suddenly thought of something, Su Jiu propped herself up on the car hood and walked towards the injured team member. She squatted down and asked in a low voice, “Are you sure you cut a strong woman? Or is it that you just saw her figure and thought she was a woman?”
The team member was stunned. His eyes were damaged by corrosive substances, so he had to close his eyes to think. After Su Jiu’s question, he suddenly realized and replied, “It was her figure. [She] was a bit stronger than me. After activating her domain, it was pitch black within the entire domain. I only managed to cut two fleshy protrusions in the brief moment of light…”
Hearing this, Su Jiu smiled. Her gaze flickered towards the hunched-over long-haired man. Just as she suspected.
“Why haven’t I gotten a reply yet…”
At this moment, the long-haired man looked at his phone and suddenly frowned. He glanced at the resting injured team member, abruptly stood up, and intended to leave into the distance. The old woman also stood up, but she didn’t choose to act. Instead, she looked at Su Jiu with interest.
“Sir, where are you trying to go? I said we have to wait for the Law Enforcement Hall personnel to return for approval.”
This movement naturally did not escape Su Jiu’s notice. She flashed forward and blocked his path, her smile undiminished.
“Miss Priest, please don’t meddle in other people’s business. Something has happened at my home, and I need to go back and check.”
Seeing Su Jiu suddenly blocking his path, the long-haired man’s face became somewhat gloomy. He spoke in a low voice, then tried to move past her and continue walking forward…
“But didn’t you just say you were an orphan? Sir, please cooperate…”
She blocked him again. This time, Su Jiu held a loquat branch. With a turn of her arm, the leaves on the loquat branch stirred, and the air pressure also surged. The billboards and warning lines were blown and swayed by the wind.
“What’s going on with this Miss Priest?”
Not only were the other injured people looking over, but even the people outside the warning line were also looking. The team member also seemed to perk up, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
“This Miss Priest, you are not from the Law Enforcement Hall, so please do not restrict my personal freedom. My child has a fever!” Seeing that many people were watching, the long-haired man’s eyes flashed with shrewdness. He suddenly waved his hands and shouted at the crowd.
As expected, his trick attracted more onlookers. The closest distance between them and the long-haired man was no more than eight meters. If a fight broke out, they would inevitably be affected.
“Everyone, please don’t crowd around. This is a Law Enforcement Hall investigation!”
Su Jiu clearly understood his intention. She could only wave her other hand and shout, but she also knew that now was not the time to act. She could only wait for the other bandit to be completely dealt with…
Gossip is human nature. The onlookers naturally ignored Su Jiu’s advice. As a group of people had gathered earlier, more and more people were coming, forming a dense crowd once again.
Seeing that the crowd had gathered, the long-haired man seemed to provoke Su Jiu. He snorted lightly and suddenly stopped rushing to leave. Instead, he stared at Su Jiu’s face through the gaps in his hair and said with a sinister smile, “Miss Priest, you meddle too much. Be careful that your recklessness causes many innocent people to die…” He had already realized that Su Jiu suspected him, so he no longer bothered to pretend. He directly activated his “Plan B” to threaten her.
Afterward, he swaggered towards the crowd. His gait was not much different from that of an alchemically distorted streetlamp, incredibly arrogant. Su Jiu tightened her grip on the loquat branch, her eyes slightly lowered. She took out her phone and looked at Penguin. She sighed.
Li Xiao
13:46
[Me: Sister Li, have you found the other poacher?]
[Li Xiao: Not yet. The other party is very cunning. The injured person was not him at all. All that blood was to mislead us.]
15:23
[Me: Sister Li, how is it?]
[Li Xiao: We were all tricked. We caught a scapegoat underling, but we also understood the nature of these people. They are not poachers but members of the Ancient God Sect. He told us that there are still more than twenty hostages on that person. What’s wrong?]
[Me: The other bandit is likely hidden among those injured.]
[Li Xiao: Wait for my news. Don’t alert them.]
16:56
[Me: Still can’t find them?] (Unread)
She looked up again. Just as she was considering letting the other party go to prevent the hostages from being killed, a figure suddenly darted in. It was Zi Yi. The latter ran, dragging her priest’s robe, and breathlessly arrived in front of Su Jiu. A look of excitement appeared on her small face. She grabbed Su Jiu’s sleeve, bent over, and panted, her head almost touching Su Jiu’s chest. “Classmate Su, Captain Li said that the ringleader has been caught. She said…”
Her head swayed twice on Su Jiu’s chest before she exhaled, “You can make a move now.”
The long-haired man in front of them brushed past Zi Yi and turned his head. Just as Zi Yi finished speaking, the expression on his face changed abruptly. No wonder he said he never received any information from his companion. Damn it, he was captured!
“Caught?”
Hearing this, Su Jiu didn’t bother to consider why the other party had notified Zi Yi first. Without a word, she flashed towards the alert long-haired man.
“Heh heh, here you go.”
Her movement was exceptionally fast, and a sonic boom suddenly sounded. The shadow of the loquat branch stretched into a streak of light, leaving only Zi Yi’s half-bent body and the girl’s afterimage.
Sensing Su Jiu’s attack, although surprised by her speed, the long-haired youth relaxed his gaze upon seeing the loquat branch. Fortunately, she was just a priest, and the other team member’s eyes were injured, so she posed no threat to him.
“A mere priest dares to stop me?”
Thinking this, he sneered. Black, spider-like fuzz appeared on his face. As his hair whipped around, a golden inverted cross was revealed under his neck. Then, the bulging flesh mass on his back exploded with a “bang!” Black corrosive liquid splattered out, and two tentacles extended, looking particularly terrifying… His aura began to surge, seemingly approaching High-Rank Battle King!
