Chapter 28 Western Suburbs

Shen Lian and the other two carried the flower thief's corpse back to the Demon Suppression Division.

When the guards saw Shen Lian and the others carrying back a corpse, they dared not slacken their efforts and immediately reported the situation to Zhao Shan.

In no time, Zhao Shan arrived with his men.

"Commander-in-Chief!"

When Shen Lian and the other two saw Zhao Shan arrive, they quickly clasped their hands in greeting.

"Who is this person?"

Zhao Shan looked at the three of them and said.

Shen Lian stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Reporting to the commander, this man is the flower thief who has committed several crimes in Qinghe County recently. We found his trail at Wangchun Tower and arrested him. Seeing that there was no hope of escape, he bit open the poison sac in his mouth and committed suicide."

Chen Biao and the other junior officers looked at Shen Lian and his two companions with some surprise.

The flower thief was skilled at disguise and committed several crimes in Qinghe County.

The Demon Suppression Division devised a meticulous plan to capture the flower thief, but the thief managed to escape each time. Unexpectedly, they were captured and killed by Shen Lian and his two companions.

"Well done." A hint of approval flashed in Zhao Shan's eyes. "The flower thief committed several crimes in Qinghe County, causing great panic among the people. Your joint efforts in capturing and killing this scoundrel have been a great achievement. With this scourge gone, the people of Qinghe can finally sleep peacefully. You have all worked hard tonight, so go and rest now. Write down the details in a dossier and submit it tomorrow."

"Your subordinate obeys."

On their way back to the office, Li Hu and Wang Lin could not hide their excitement.

The flower thief who had committed multiple crimes in Qinghe County was finally brought to justice. Although he committed suicide, a major threat was finally eliminated.

"Brother Lian, we owe you a lot for your method this time. Otherwise, I really don't know when we would have been able to catch that flower thief," Li Hu said with a smile.

Shen Lian's expression remained serious: "The flower thief has been dealt with, but the heart-ripping case and the 'Blood Worship Cult' are still unresolved. Two consecutive murders, four people killed, their hearts missing, the killers' whereabouts are elusive, making them even more difficult to deal with than the flower thief."

Wang Lin nodded and said, "That's right. The flower thief only cares about sex, and his actions are somewhat predictable. The killer in the heart-ripping case is cruel and his motives are unclear. We don't even know what he's going to do next. Catching him won't be that easy."

"And then there's the 'Blood Worship Cult,'" Li Hu said, clenching his fist. "They lay low for over a decade before suddenly resurfacing, and now they've disappeared again. They're probably brewing some big move."

Shen Lian said, "Commander Zhao assigned us to the plainclothes patrol mainly because we newcomers are less likely to attract attention and make people less vigilant."

Wang Lin and Li Hu nodded.

After returning to his quarters, Li Hu immediately collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

Shen Lian sat at the table and recorded the entire process of capturing the flower thief, compiling it into a dossier to be submitted the next day.

Originally, Shen Lian planned to capture him alive, hoping to get some other information from the flower thief.

Unexpectedly, the flower thief was very decisive. Seeing that there was no hope of escape, he bit open the poison sac in his mouth and committed suicide.

This dashed Shen Lian's hopes of obtaining information from the flower thief.

It was late at night when he finished writing the case file. He folded the papers and placed them on the desk, then blew out the oil lamp and sat cross-legged on the bed.

Recently, a lot has happened in Qinghe County: the Corpse-Eating Woman, the Flower Thief, the Missing Persons Case, and the Heart-Digging Case, causing a great uproar throughout the county.

Fortunately, the issues with the ghoul and the flower thief have been resolved smoothly so far.

However, there are not many leads in the cases of heart removal and disappearances.

"My strength is still not enough," Shen Lian muttered to himself, his fists clenching unconsciously.

The battle to capture the flower thief went well, but it took three people to surround and kill him. If it had been a one-on-one fight, he might have escaped.

He quietly activated the "Tiger-Taming Stance" mental technique. The advanced stance training allowed his qi and blood to surge within his body, continuously flowing through his meridians.

The martial arts mark between his eyebrows flickered slightly, and the pores on his body opened and closed.

……

The next morning, Shen Lian presented the completed dossier to Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan glanced through the case file and nodded, saying, "Although this was the first time the three of you handled a case independently, you did a good job. I will report this matter to higher authorities, and you will be rewarded for your contributions once the case is closed."

Shen Lian said, "It is all thanks to the General's daily instruction; I dare not take credit for it."

Zhao Shan waved his hand, his expression turning serious: "Although the flower thief has been eliminated, the two major cases of heart-ripping and disappearances remain unsolved."

Li Hu couldn't help but ask, "Still haven't found anything?"

Zhao Shan continued, "Chen Biao and his team have already ruled out Liujia Village and the surrounding riverbank, and have not found any unfamiliar people around."

Shen Lian pondered for a moment and said, "Commander, the two heart-ripping cases were only a few days apart. The murderer's frequency of committing crimes has increased. I speculate that the murderer may need a large number of hearts to complete some kind of ritual or cultivation."

Zhao Shan nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking. I've ordered Zhou Wu to expand the search area, focusing on abandoned mines and hunters' huts in the western suburbs. Starting today, you'll be assigned to Zhou Wu's team and participate in the search mission in the western suburbs."

"yes!"

Shen Lian and the other two withdrew from the signing room and headed straight for the martial arts arena.

Zhou Wu was already prepared. Beside him were two veteran Demon Suppressors and six other newly recruited Demon Suppressors, one of whom was Chen Yun.

Upon seeing Shen Lian and the others arrive, he said in a deep voice, "Commander Zhao has already given instructions that this search of the western suburban mountains must be conducted with utmost caution. The murderer is ruthless, so everyone must remain vigilant at all times and no one may act alone."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

"Set off!"

Zhou Wu immediately led a group of demon-suppressing envoys to the western suburbs.

Chen Yun looked at Shen Lian and the others and smiled, "I heard you took care of the flower thief who had committed several crimes in Qinghe County last night?"

Last time, she, Shen Lian, and Li Hu were together but failed to catch the flower thief, and he escaped instead. Last night, the three of them actually captured and killed him.

Shen Lian laughed and said, "I guess we were lucky. It's just a pity we couldn't capture them alive. If we had, we might have been able to get some information."

Chen Yun said, "That flower thief is quite strong. If we don't do our best to capture him, the consequences will be unimaginable. Capturing and killing him is the best outcome."

Soon, Zhou Wu and his group arrived in the western suburbs.

The western suburbs are covered with rolling forests and overgrown weeds, with many abandoned mines and makeshift wooden huts built by hunters scattered among them.

Zhou Wu divided his group into three groups and advanced forward.

Shen Lian, Li Hu, Chen Yun, and a veteran demon-suppressing envoy formed a group and were responsible for searching the left side of the area.

Wang Lin and two other newly appointed Demon Suppressors, led by another veteran Demon Suppressor, were responsible for searching the right-hand area.

Zhou Wu led the remaining three newly appointed Demon Suppression Envoys in the center.

The mountains and forests were silent, save for the sounds of the wind and footsteps.

Shen Lian activated his [Combat Power Detection] and cautiously scanned his surroundings. All he could see along the way were traces of birds and beasts.

"Brother Lian, do you think the murderer might have already left Qinghe County?" Li Hu asked as they walked.

Shen Lian shook his head: "He committed two crimes in a row, taking four hearts. If it were really for some kind of ritual or cultivation needs, he probably wouldn't have committed the crimes yet. The western suburbs are vast and sparsely populated, making them a good place for a murderer to hide."

Chen Yun suddenly pointed to a wooden house not far away: "There's a wooden house over there."