Chapter 056: There’s a First Time for Everything—Mistakes Are Only Natural

“Officer, do you know the specific details of the crime committed by Yu Nie ten years ago?”

Captain Cui told me that his knowledge was not detailed enough, and if I wanted to know more, I’d have to review the archives from that year.

Just as I was asking Captain Cui about the events from a decade ago, a sudden, agonized scream erupted from the spot where we’d just lain in ambush.

Before Captain Cui and I could rush over, more screams followed in quick succession.

Soon, silence fell again.

I swallowed hard—eleven screams in total, exactly the number of people Captain Cui had assigned to the ambush.

My scalp tingled with fear. Even if these eleven people stood perfectly still and let me attack them, it would still take a considerable amount of time to knock them all out.

But now, it seemed to have happened in barely a dozen seconds.

Captain Cui and I exchanged a glance, and he immediately drew his gun.

He held it with both hands, eyes sharp and scanning every corner, afraid to miss anything.

“Buddha be praised…”

As we searched for the source of the enemy’s voice, a chant drifted from behind us.

I drew a sharp breath and turned. The beam from our strong flashlight lit up the fierce face of a bald monk.

Who could it be but Yu Nie?

“Put your hands on your head and squat down! Or I’ll shoot!” Captain Cui, seeing Yu Nie, tensed immediately, every nerve taut.

But Yu Nie, staring down the barrel, seemed far more relaxed than I had been.

He didn’t comply—he simply pressed his palms together and bowed to both Captain Cui and me.

Captain Cui’s brow furrowed; he quickly shifted his aim to Yu Nie’s legs.

“Bang! Bang!”

Two shots rang out, but Yu Nie stood unmoved, without a single bullet wound.

Captain Cui’s aim had gone astray again, but this time, not because of me—three corpses, somehow reassembled without our notice!

Two corpses clung to Captain Cui’s arms, pulling him back with all their strength.

A third stood behind me, apparently intending to attack, but when I turned to face it, it recoiled in fear, taking two steps back instinctively.

Can corpses feel fear?

“Jiang Huai! Shoot him!” Captain Cui, realizing he couldn’t fire again, made a shocking decision—he tossed his pistol right at my feet.

I quickly bent to pick it up, then aimed at Yu Nie, mimicking the stance, while casting a spell with my other hand at the corpse behind me.

“Yu Nie, aren’t you going to give me an explanation?”

“Buddha be praised, Benefactor Jiang Huai, I do not wish to be your enemy. Step aside.”

Yu Nie acted as if certain I wouldn’t harm him, striding straight toward me.

“Stop! Move again and I’ll shoot!” He ignored me, continuing forward, and I realized his gait showed no sign of injury.

Even if Yu Nie were a high monk, he’d still be flesh and blood—he couldn’t possibly recover from bullet wounds so quickly.

That left only one possibility: the man before me was not Yu Nie!

“Bang!”

Without hesitation, I fired at him.

I’d aimed for his torso, but, unfamiliar with the recoil, the shot went lower.

Yu Nie cried out, dropped to one knee, blood quickly soaking his pant leg and pooling on the ground.

“Don’t move!”

He grimaced in agony, veins bulging, sweat pouring from his forehead, but even so, he uttered not a single sound.

“You’re not Yu Nie. Tell me—why are you impersonating him?” I walked up and struck his head with the gun’s butt.

He remained silent, glowering at me with a vicious glare.

When our eyes met, I was certain: he was not Yu Nie.

His gaze was filled with malice and murderous intent—not the compassion I’d seen in Yu Nie’s eyes.

I narrowed my eyes, pressing the barrel to his brow. “I’ve heard that the wild Maoshan sect knows a unique spell—one that can alter a person’s appearance, build, and voice for a time, making a perfect disguise. I never thought I’d witness it tonight.”

I drew a deep breath. “Release Captain Cui—or I’ll shoot again!”

His life was now in my hands, and wounded, he dared not make another move.

He could only obey. With trembling hands, he waved, and the two corpses gripping Captain Cui immediately let go and retreated to the side.

Captain Cui rushed to my side, taking the pistol back from me.

“Jiang Huai? That’s not Yu Nie?”

“No, and I’ll prove it to you.”

I moved behind the man, pressed down on his head, and landed a punch three inches to the right of the nape of his neck.

He opened his mouth to scream, but I quickly covered it. I pulled out a yellow talisman, pressed it to his head, and drew a spell on it with my own blood.

“By command of the law!”

The talisman burned, flames engulfing his face.

When the fire died, a different face appeared before Captain Cui and me.

I didn’t recognize him, but his eyes made my skin crawl—being stared at by him felt like being watched by a venomous snake.

I turned to Captain Cui, who looked utterly shocked. “You… you’re He Cong!”

I didn’t know who He Cong was, but from Captain Cui’s frightened expression, I was certain that this He Cong was no ordinary man.

“Heh heh… you… you know me…” He Cong let out a creepy laugh; his voice was so grating it felt like fingernails scraping a wall.

Before I could react, Captain Cui did something that stunned me.

After confirming He Cong’s identity, Captain Cui fired a shot at each of He Cong’s limbs, as quickly as he could.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”