Wang Lan borrowed a car from the chief inspector and, honking all the way, drove for nearly twenty minutes to reach Jiaoda Affiliated Hospital. After parking, he had just reached the hospital entrance when he saw five identical luxury cars enter the premises in succession.

Mr. Wan's bodyguards were the first to exit their vehicles. As soon as they stepped out, the vigilant bodyguards spotted the swiftly approaching Wang Lan. They immediately went on alert, with three bodyguards blocking Wang Lan's path.

"Sir, you cannot come any closer."

"Step aside. He's one of us," Lige said as he got out of a car, waving to Wang Lan.

"What's the situation?"

"The chief inspector just called. They found the delivery guy, but he's dead," Lige whispered to Wang Lan.

A sharp glint flickered in Wang Lan's eyes as he turned to glance at Mr. Wan descending from his car. Mr. Wan still carried himself with an air of extraordinary grace and composure. However, once he was out of the vehicle, his steps quickened as he entered the hospital.

Wang Lan and Lige, one on each side, escorted Mr. Wan at a brisk pace into the hospital's emergency department. With the bodyguards clearing the way, they headed straight to the intensive care unit on the third floor.

"The patient, Wan Qirui, male, seventeen years old, a senior in class two at Yaqi Academy, was stabbed at 11:15 AM today. He was brought to the emergency center at 11:45 AM and, after an hour of surgery, is now under observation in the intensive care unit.

The patient was stabbed seven times, with three wounds to vital areas causing life-threatening injuries. We can't guarantee whether he will make it through this critical period."

Outside the intensive care unit, the chief physician briefed Mr. Wan on Wan Qirui's condition.

"Doctor, please do everything you can to save my son's life. As long as my son is okay, I, Wan Lihao, will be immensely grateful. No matter the cost of the medication or treatment plan, just save my son."

At this moment, Mr. Wan had completely lost his composure. He clutched the doctor's hands, pleading agitatedly.

"We will do our best; that's all we can promise. But please rest assured, Mr. Wan, as long as Wan Qirui's condition doesn't deteriorate further, we are ninety percent sure he will pull through."

This assurance carried significant weight. Injuries that had been treated and medicated were unlikely to worsen unless someone were to stab Wan Qirui again.

"Xiao Li, come with me to change the dressings."

"Okay!"

Pushing the medical cart past the bodyguards towards the door of the intensive care unit, the female nurse wore a mask and cap, revealing only her eyes. Yet, it was these eyes that caught Wang Lan's attention. They were clear but held a vacant stare. As the nurse approached, Wang Lan detected a strange, heavy scent.

In an instant, Wang Lan made his move.

Simultaneously, the female nurse also acted. A scalpel, hidden in her sleeve, flashed towards Wan Lihao's throat like dazzling lightning.

CLANG—

Wang Lan was faster. His preemptive strike landed on the nurse's wrist, sending the scalpel flying. Lige reacted instantly, spreading his hands and emitting an electric net that pinned the nurse to the wall.

The nurse, trapped by the electric net, struggled ferociously for a moment before her head drooped, her expression becoming vacant.

"Xiao Li, what are you doing?" The chief physician, only just reacting, let out a panicked cry.

As the electric current dissipated, Wang Lan stepped forward and felt for Xiao Li's pulse at her neck. "Dead!"

As I thought.

"Who are you people? Did you kill Xiao Li? You... you..." The chief physician was now so terrified that he lost his composure, stumbling backward until he leaned against the wall.

Even doctors, who regularly confront death, still fear it. Especially in his eyes, Lige was a ruthless butcher who had taken Xiao Li's life without a moment's hesitation.

"Doctor Zhang, don't be afraid. We're from the Tianjian Bureau," Wang Lan quickly pulled out his ID for Doctor Zhang to see. "Besides, this nurse, Xiao Li, wasn't killed by my colleague. She was already dead. A Star Martial Warrior assassin killed Xiao Li first and then used their abilities to control her body. Do you understand that explanation?"

Doctor Zhang was somewhat aware of the strange and varied powers of Star Martial Warriors. Whether it was controlling elements or corpses, to her, it all fell under the umbrella of supernatural abilities, which made the reality easier for her to accept.

"Is that so?"

"We saw you'd already called the police. We'll see what security says when they arrive. But before that, I'd like to ask you some questions about Xiao Li..."

"I need to change a patient's dressings right now... Please wait a moment." Flustered, Doctor Zhang turned and hurried away. About ten minutes later, after the security guards had arrived, Doctor Zhang returned, pushing another medicine cart.

One of the guards spotted Hu Qing. "Hu!" he called out, then turned to Doctor Zhang. "As soon as I heard it was Jiaoda Affiliated Hospital, I guessed there was trouble here, Doctor. These two really are from the Tianjian Bureau. This is Captain Wang, and this is Captain Lige. You can fully trust them."

"Doctor Zhang, we need to understand Nurse Xiao Li's basic situation," Wang Lan said.

"Okay, Director Wang, please take this captain to learn about Xiao Li's situation," Doctor Zhang said to another doctor.

"I'll go as well," Hu Qing said quickly.

The two followed a middle-aged, bespectacled doctor away from the scene, navigating through the crowded hospital corridors. Wang Lan remained on high alert, scanning for any movement around him. Suddenly, a figure flitted past the corner of his eye. Almost instinctively, Wang Lan's form flashed, and he vanished.

BOOM—

The glass beside him shattered as Wang Lan burst through the window, charging out of the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, a figure flickered like a phantom and vanished in an instant. Wang Lan landed, but the figure was already gone.

"AAAH—"

Screams erupted from the surrounding crowd, the sudden turn of events having startled many people.

Wang Lan's eyes, sharp as lightning, swept across the area, scrutinizing every rustle and movement in the corners. Suddenly, he felt a gaze on his back.

He whirled around, activating his far sight.

On the rooftop of a high-rise building at the northwest corner of the hospital, the figure he had just seen inside appeared. A foreigner with shoulder-length blonde hair was staring at Wang Lan.

Though separated by at least three hundred meters, both were certain the other could see them. The foreigner wore a trench coat over a tight grey T-shirt that snugly hugged his well-developed muscles.

The foreigner tilted his head slightly, then made a slitting motion across his own neck in a taunting gesture. With a flash, he vanished, eerily like the wind.

Childish!

"Wang Lan, any findings?" Lige asked, approaching him.

"A foreigner. He was just in the hospital, but his movement technique is too strange; I couldn't even track him. In such a short time, he covered three hundred meters. His strength is at least at the peak of the Star Cloud Stage, possibly even the early Galaxy Stage."

"A foreigner? Was he planning to carry out the assassination personally? Did he retreat because you discovered him?"

"No, by the time I saw him, he was already retreating... which means... he had already completed the assassination himself..." Instantly, a sharp light glinted in Wang Lan's eyes.

I understand now... The ability to control bodies isn't an ultra-long-range control that ignores distance. It has limits; the puppeteer must be within a certain range for the bodies to move!

"So, you're saying..." Hu Qing's face suddenly filled with frustration. "Damn it! At the Arirang barbecue stall, the puppeteer was also among the crowd!"

"Exactly. But frustration is pointless now. Let's go."

Following Director Wang again, the two went to the archives room. Using a computer, they found Zhang Xiaoli's information.

"Zhang Xiaoli, female, twenty-two years old, a junior college graduate from a health school, single. Currently residing in Love Cloud Village. Here's her duty roster. Xiao Li was always a very optimistic, cheerful, and strong young woman. She loved her career and her work. Even though her busy schedule led to neglecting her boyfriend and their eventual breakup, she had no complaints. It's unimaginable... that this happened to her."

BEEP BEEP BEEP— Hu Qing's phone rang.

"Alright, send it over."

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

"What is it?" Wang Lan asked casually.

"It's the delivery guy's information and the autopsy report. The delivery guy died at noon yesterday. Consequently, he didn't accept any more orders after that time. However, he started accepting orders again this morning."

"Wait!" Wang Lan suddenly interjected. "How do you think the mastermind captures these people he controls?"

"There are two ways. Either he actively goes out, secretly selects a target, and then follows them to a secluded place to suddenly reveal his fangs and kill them. The other way is to lie in wait, setting a trap for the prey."

"Which one do you think it is?" Wang Lan asked again.

"For the past two days, we've had cameras and surveillance equipment across the city searching for the two foreigners twenty-four hours a day, yet we haven't found a single clue. It's unlikely they're attacking proactively."

"If they're lying in wait... how would they do it?"

Hu Qing's eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly dialed a number on his phone. "Lin, immediately investigate the last deliveries this delivery guy made before he died yesterday. Also, find out where Qin went and how many clients she serviced before her actual time of death."

This was all Hu Qing could find for now. As for the female singer and the sexy woman Li Dongliu used as a thug, Hu Qing had not yet been able to trace their movements.

The delivery guy's order history was available online; his company could pull up the list immediately upon request. As for Qin's appointments, they all went through Hong. For Hong to become the leader among the Ancient City District's five thousand sex workers, she definitely had a comprehensive management system.

So, Hu Qing didn't have to wait long; two pieces of information arrived almost instantly.

Detailed listings appeared before Hu Qing and Wang Lan. Wang Lan's eyes scanned them quickly, then his finger suddenly jabbed at one entry.

"Look here: Love Cloud Village, Building 35, Unit 5. The time is eleven-thirty. After that, he took about ten more orders, and then he didn't take any more for the rest of that day."

"The areas for the subsequent orders are quite spread out, not as concentrated as before. The murderer did this to create confusion, but it was a clumsy attempt—a dead giveaway."

"Also, Qin had a house call right before her confirmed time of death, also in Love Cloud Village. Considering Zhang Xiaoli as well, the base for these two foreigners must be in Love Cloud Village."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.