Chapter 163: Who did this!

Southern Military Region.

As soon as Liu Qiye returned, he had the batch of Japanese martial artists taken away for interrogation.

Only then did he wipe the sweat from his brow and walk into the conference room.

Inside, led by the Old Stubborn, the high-ranking officials of the military region were already gathered.

"How is it? I brought this group back, so we're bound to extract quite a bit of information from the interrogation!"

Liu Qiye wanted to claim credit, but seeing the inexplicably solemn atmosphere, he quickly wiped the smile from his face and quietly found a seat to sit down.

"I told you to take the documents as a precaution and, by the way, stop Muzi to keep him from going too far. What on earth did you go and do instead?" The Old Stubborn slammed his palm on the table, blazing with anger.

"Not only did you fail to stop him, but you also let him kill Yuan Honggang and Sato Mukai! Do you have any idea how much controversy the Jiang Alliance and Japan will stir up over this?"

"Right now, relations between the two countries are already on a knife-edge because of the islands, and you let Muzi pull this stunt. Japan is definitely going to make a huge issue out of this!"

The Old Stubborn picked up an official notice from the desk and tossed it in front of Liu Qiye.

"This is a joint protest from the Martial Arts Association and Japan. Because Yuan Honggang and Sato are dead, and the others had their hands and legs broken by Muzi, they are now questioning us and demanding an explanation."

Liu Qiye picked up the notice and looked at it with an awkward expression.

This was precisely the reason why Sato and Noda had dared to be so unconcerned and fearless.

Even if firearms were used, as long as no one died, the worst that would happen was deportation back to their home country for judgment by Japan.

Neither of them had expected Qin Mu's style of action to be so ruthless and decisive.

They dared to openly insult the citizens of our country and show contempt for our national majesty?

They deserved to be killed on the spot!

"Well, who could possibly stop him? It's not like you don't know General Qin's temper."

"Killing just one of them is already off lightly. You didn't hear how foul-mouthed that Sato was. If this were the Northwest Battlefield, try letting someone say those things right to his face? You'd see him slaughter them until absolute silence fell."

Liu Qiye spread his hands, a look of utter helplessness on his face.

Just a few hours ago, he had prepared to take all the Japanese individuals involved back for interrogation.

However, right before leaving, Qin Mu unleashed a burst of internal energy that executed Sato, who had already lost both arms.

It scared Noda and the others so badly that they simply fainted on the spot.

"Besides, once we get confessions from the interrogation, are we supposed to fear the Martial Arts Association pressing charges? We haven't even gone after them for trouble yet!" Liu Qiye asserted firmly.

Nearby, a high-ranking official heard Liu Qiye's words, his expression sinking as he sighed and shook his head.

"It's not that simple. The people in the Martial Arts Association have all undergone special training. If information could be beaten out of them so easily, would we have needed to waste all these years of effort?"

After a round of discussion, no one reached a consensus.

In the eyes of many present, Qin Mu's execution of tumors like Yuan Honggang and Sato was something to be loudly applauded.

Yet, bound by protocol and rules, they were obliged to make him write a self-criticism.

Finally, the Old Stubborn stood up. His figure, slightly emaciated with age, was not particularly robust, but his spine remained straight, and his authority endured.

"The remaining personnel of the Jiang Alliance have already joined forces with the Japanese Martial Arts Association, and the Martial Arts Association is mobilizing in secret."

"We cannot let him continue killing like this; the impact is far too great!"

"Get the car ready. I am going to see Muzi in person!"

...

The duel between Qin Mu and Yuan Honggang spread rapidly.

In particular, many people had secretly placed bets, firmly convinced that Qin Mu's acceptance of this battle was merely the reckless arrogance of youth, nothing more than a suicidal trip.

Yet the outcome was the death of Yuan Honggang, a veteran martial artist, which instantly made many people unable to sit still anymore.

They began to speculate wildly about the true strength of Qin Mu, a young man barely in his twenties.

Was he at the Peak of Internal Strength? A grandmaster at the Pinnacle? Or had he inherited the teachings of some hidden expert and stepped into the Transformation Realm long ago?

After the battle concluded, the Yuan family immediately bolted their doors tight, shutting down all the martial arts schools they had established in Jiangcheng and refusing to take in any new disciples.

People even wondered for a moment if the Yuan family was hiding from Qin Mu out of fear that he would come looking for them next to settle accounts.

In reality, however...

Just as the Old Stubborn had said, the majority of the families within the Jiang Alliance, including the Yuan family, had begun seeking assistance from overseas martial arts associations.

Enraged by the assassination of Sato, the Martial Arts Association had even gone so far as to issue a bold declaration vowing to make Qin Mu pay with his life!

Coupled with the imminent conclusion of the seclusion of Yuan Qingtian, head of the Yuan family...

There was a faint atmosphere of an impending storm!

Many people craned their necks in anticipation, harboring a schadenfreude mindset, eager to see how this arrogant and presumptuous fellow who dared to challenge the Jiang Alliance would manage to wrap things up now!

...

While rumors swirled outside,

Qin Mu was currently at the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau.

"I'm looking for Zhang Feng," Qin Mu stated.

After waiting at the scene to help Liu Qiye have everyone escorted away and securing the perimeter, he had taken a car straight here to begin investigating the events of that year.

As for the Martial Arts Association, which was making a fierce fuss outside and demanding his life, he didn't care about them in the slightest.

"Mr. Qin, is there something you need?"

Upon receiving the notification, Zhang Feng hurried out immediately.

"I need all the files related to that incident from twenty years ago," Qin Mu said.

Hearing this, Zhang Feng scratched his head, failing to understand immediately.

Hadn't that matter been settled and put to rest long ago?

Besides, even if Qin Mu wanted to thoroughly investigate the Jiang Alliance, with his abilities, he could easily investigate on his own; why would he need their police department's files?

"You suddenly want these files—did you discover something?" Huang Qian asked out of curiosity from the side.

She was quite young, hence her erratic and quick-paced train of thought.

Zhang Feng was just about to scold her for running her mouth when he saw Qin Mu unexpectedly nod.

"Back then, a team carrying special credentials demanded to intervene in my mother's autopsy."

"After that, the body was suspected of having been swapped."

The moment Qin Mu said these words, even Zhang Feng's eyes widened in shock.

"But—people die, and once they're dead, the forensic doctor at the scene immediately reached a conclusion. What would be the point of swapping a corpse?" Huang Qian blurted out without thinking.

"How are you talking!"

Zhang Feng snapped a reprimand, and realizing her words were inappropriate, Huang Qian immediately gave herself a couple of light slaps on the cheek.

Wu Mu chimed in from the side, "Medical evaluations are not necessarily absolute. The medical arts of this world are profound and vast; bringing the dead back to life and turning white bones to flesh is not merely a legend."

Hearing this, Huang Qian felt as though a brand-new world had opened up before her. Her face was full of astonishment, and she found it hard to calm down for a moment.

Could someone even be saved after jumping off a multi-story building?

"I need to know which members of your police department participated in the investigation of that case back then," Qin Mu said.

"Only they will know who that team holding special credentials actually was."