Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 246: Chapter 246. Jue Body Suit

The person who interjected himself into Yan Fan and Yan Dose’s conversation was Wei Linkun. He was the grandson of Wei Suangsou, the clan head of the Wei clan from White Cloud City.

”I’ve been here for a few months,” Wei Linkun answered.

”I haven’t seen you since we graduated from the Royal Academy,” Yan Fan said. ”You said you returned to White Cloud City to make it big there. What makes you come back here?”

”I came because I heard the news from this city about the condition of some people here who died from poison,” Wei Linkun answered. ”They coughed up black blood from all their orifices. I suspect the same happens to the newest victim inside that restaurant?”

Yan Fan nodded. He then asked, ”Why are you interested in this?”

”Because the same poison kills my relative,” Wei Linkun answered. ”Interestingly, she was afflicted by the poison in a forest near this city five years ago.”

”Five years ago...?” Yan Fan asked. ”The first victim in this city occurred less than one year ago.”

”Nevertheless, I believe the perpetrator is the same person,” Wei Linkun uttered.

”Do you have a suspect?” Yan Fan asked.

”No. That’s what I come here to find out.”

”What is your relative doing near Qishurg City five years ago?”

”She is chasing someone... against our clan’s will,” Wei Linkun answered.

”Could the person she was chasing be the one who killed her?” Yan Fan asked.

Wei Linkun chuckled. ”If she had caught her target, he would not be alive now. No, I don’t think so. She must have had the misfortune of encountering an expert during her pursuit.”

”Who exactly is she pursuing five years ago?” Yan Fan asked.

”A brat named Lin Mo,” Wei Linkun answered.

”Lin Mo...?!” Yan Dose blurted after hearing the name.

”Do you know him?” Yan Fan asked Yan Dose.

”That asshole is the reason I got kicked out of the royal academy!” Yan Dose said with gritted teeth.

”You got kicked out? Sigh, never mind that,” Yan Fan shook his head. ”Back to the topic. Even if this Lin Mo kid wasn’t involved, he might have seen something when Wei Sui pursued him. Perhaps he saw the one who killed her.”

Wei Linkun shrugged. ”I doubt that. As I said, he wouldn’t still be alive if Wei Sui got near him in her pursuit. What I heard was they got into a scuffle with the protective crew tasked to send the Lin kids to the royal academy. Lin Mo got away during the chaos. Wei Sui resumed her pursuit after beating back the protective crew. No one knew what happened afterward.”

”Well, we are short on clues anyway. I want to talk to Lin Mo. Even if him seeing the killer is a long shot, I want to give it a try,” Yan Fan said.

”In that case, may I accompany you?” Wei Linkun asked.

”Sure. I always welcome your aid. The academy should grant us permission, considering we are its graduates.”

”Uh... What should I tell father?” Yan Dose asked.

”Tell him that I am on the case. I will relay any news if there is a breakthrough,” Yan Fan answered.

*

”Congratulations. I heard you claimed the top spot in the academy again,” Dao Se told Amon.

They were inside one of Sewer Snakes’ hideouts. Outside, the members of the Sewer Snakes and Demon Gang were gearing up. Gao Lan was distributing the newly purchased weapons to the lower-level members. With the funds from their operations, they could afford to renew the equipment of all their members.

”I see that words travel fast,” Amon said.

”Haha. The ranking of the students of the Royal Academy is prestigious. They were always broadcast outside. Everyone who pays attention knows about you securing the first rank, both during the entrance exam and the freshman graduation ceremony. But, of course, they don’t know the leader of the demon gang is actually the first ranker of the royal academy. Imagine the shitstorm it causes if this goes public.”

”Are you trying to say something?” Amon asked.

”Certainly not. We are in this together, are we not?” Dao Se replied.

”Hmph,” Amon harrumphed without saying anything more.

”By the way... new suit?” Dao Se asked. Amon was wearing a slightly different full-body suit that was all black. However, Dao Se could sense the suit was highly superior to the one Amon wore previously.

The full-body black suit was the Jue Body Suit crafted from the combination of the Self-adjusting Chainmail and the Jue Ogre’s hide. Amon collected it from Mu Sou a few days before the freshman graduation ceremony. This suit was classified as high-tier engraved armor.

When handing the suit, Mu Sou told Amon that this suit could be considered the peak among the high-tier engraved armor. Only a runic-grade armor could beat it in terms of durability. Mu Sou said this suit made Amon practically invulnerable to all attacks below the Martial realm unless the opponents used a particularly strong art or weapon.

Amon didn’t put much faith in Mu Sou’s words. The suit might protect him against most sharp assaults, but a strong enough blunt-force trauma could still wound him. Plus, his hands and head were unprotected by the suit.

When Amon didn’t respond to his remark about the suit, Dao Se changed the subject, ”I must ask, did you have something to do with the strings of deaths going on these past few months?”

”I have no idea what you are talking about,” Amon replied.

Dao Se chuckled. ”No? Hehe. I heard the victims all died from poison. They coughed black blood. It is funny that all the deaths are related to the prominent figures who would have prevented tonight’s operation, or at least delayed it.”

”I guess we are lucky then,” Amon replied.

”We certainly are, and you are my God of Luck, Lin Mo. Ever since we worked together, my expansion has gone extremely smoothly,” Dao Se said while patting Amon’s shoulder. ”Stay that way, will you? I would hate to lose a God of Luck.”

Amon harrumphed again. This was the second time Dao Se expressed a subtle threat. Amon wasn’t concerned, though. This meant his partner had started to truly see him as an equal. Someone who could threaten him. Amon had expected this. Sooner or later, it would come to this. However, it was not yet the time to stab each other, and they both knew it.

Gao Lan entered the office where the two were conversing. ”Everyone is ready to move out,” she reported.

”Good!” Dao Se rose from his seat. ”It’s time to make history! After this day, even the Alley Advocates will be wary of us.”

They went out and met the members gathered outside. The hideout was in a deserted suburb where most houses were vacant. A few who still lived there didn’t dare to go out after seeing the massive crowd.

There were probably one thousand people gathering there. One-third wore black getups with faces covered by demon masks. The remaining were Sewer Snakes members.

Dao Se looked at the crowd with a prideful face. He never dreamed of commanding such a force. He applied to join the kingdom army but failed because of his shady background. Instead, the kingdom used him to control the underworld. He accepted, but there had always been resentment with this arrangement. His dream was to be a commander who held the fate of many in his hands. He was not exactly a commander now. Furthermore, those he commanded were all thugs instead of disciplined soldiers, but he guessed this was as close to his dream as he could get.

”Everyone! After tonight, everyone will cower at the mention of our name! We will paint the streets red and etch ourselves as the kingpin of this city’s underworld!”

The crowd roared with excitement. Everyone was equipped with a new weapon, not the rusty ones they used to carry. They had also consumed a pill that improved their prowess for a limited time. The pill had the side effect of filling them with bloodlust. They were eager to get into action.

”All right. Move out!” Dao Se exclaimed.

Amon told Dao Se and Gao Lan, ”Remember. Stick to the plan.”

”Worry about yourself, kid,” Dao Se said. ”You only have a few Transformation Stage cultivators. Don’t make me go and rescue you.”

Amon chuckled. ”I am touched, so you are willing to rescue me?”

Dao Se chuckled back. ”We will see,” he said.

The large crowd started splitting into smaller platoons of around fifty people. Dao Se, Gao Lan, and Sewer Snakes’ officers led one platoon each. Amon did the same. The officers leading his force were mostly leaders from the Vicious faction, like Xin Wuming and Wu Lang. A few were strong cultivators recruited from the streets.

On that night, there were few people on the streets. This was because there was a large festival organized by the mayor. The festival was conducted at two adjacent venues. One was for the public, on a wide plaza beside the city hall. Half the citizens of this city were probably there at this moment. The other one was a private setting inside the city hall. All prominent clan leaders and influential people were there.

Hence, the movements of the large crowd from the Sewer Snakes and the Demon Gang didn’t rouse as much commotion as it would have otherwise.