Chapter 520: Commissioner Yan's Counterattack (Two-in-One)

The compiled surveillance footage was quickly placed in front of Yan Jing.

In the video, Tan Yan barely showed his face. He was clearly deliberately avoiding the monitored areas, occasionally revealing just a shadow or a glimpse of his limbs in sections with full camera coverage.

That was until he walked up to the entrance of the Special Prison Cell.

There, things suddenly took a bizarre turn.

First, his expression grew confused. The door was clearly only two or three meters in front of him, yet he began looking around as if he couldn't see it at all.

He immediately turned around, his face taut with anxiety, acting as if someone were watching him from the end of the corridor.

His expression was so genuine that the people watching the monitor felt as though they too could see a mysterious entity standing at the end of that blindingly bright hallway.

It stood there silently, radiating an aura of hidden, overwhelming power at a single glance, its face taking the shape of everyone's deepest fear.

"Whoosh."

As if a sudden gust of wind had just swept through the room, everyone accompanying Yan Jing to watch the footage shivered.

A second later, Tan Yan on the screen suddenly stepped into the dark area on the right, his figure vanishing completely.

That was the entire surveillance recording.

"Why is there no audio?"

Yan Jing looked at the technician beside him.

"This... we are also quite confused about that..."

The technician was sweating bullets, though whether out of fear of the video or fear of Yan Jing was anyone's guess.

"Logically speaking, we inspect the equipment every day, and the Special Prison Cell area has a shielding effect against weird energy—"

"Stop."

Yan Jing interrupted him.

"What did you just say?"

The technician swallowed hard.

"We inspect it every day..."

"Not that part."

"The Special Prison Cell area has a shielding effect against weird energy."

Yan Jing remained expressionless.

"Then how do you explain the wounds on Tan Yan's body?"

Even the greenest rookie could sense the weird energy clinging to Tan Yan's wounds—it was so thick it practically wouldn't dissipate.

"That... that... is exactly what we are confused about."

The technician's hair was completely soaked in sweat, and his lips trembled nonstop.

"It might be an entity we simply cannot comprehend. After all, the Special Prison Cell cannot block absolutely all weird energy."

"No, no, that is not what I mean." Yan Jing's gaze was calm.

"The wounds on Tan Yan were self-inflicted, right?"

The moment he said this, everyone around him froze.

That was right. Tan Yan's wounds had been caused by his own strikes.

Even if he had been hit by some ability, the weird energy ultimately belonged to him.

"Tan Yan had a way to use weird energy inside the Special Prison Cell."

Yan Jing's expression remained detached.

"Aside from him, can those with a higher level, or a level similar to his, also use weird energy inside the Special Prison Cell?" Everyone kept their heads down; no one dared to speak.

Yan Jing was firing shots at the higher-ups.

And not just any higher-ups, but those ranking even higher than Tan Yan.

Just what kind of figures were they?

Summit level at the bare minimum!

With no ceiling in sight!

Who would dare respond to that? No one.

"Compile a list of their names for me."

Yan Jing's face was calm as he walked out of the surveillance room.

After leaving, he strode outside, his thoughts racing just as fast as his footsteps.

His previous deduction...

Was absolute nonsense, of course.

There were countless extraordinary abilities in this world, and just as many incomprehensible ones.

Just because Tan Yan could use weird energy, did that definitively prove other higher-ups could too? And even if they could, did that guarantee they were the ones who killed him?

Of course not.

But he had to say it.

He had moved too slowly on this step, and this was the price.

Truthfully, no matter whose perspective he took, Tan Yan was doomed to die this time.

For the person backing Tan Yan, killing him severed any possibility of being tracked down.

For the person backing Ai Qing, killing Tan Yan would shift the focus toward another deputy warden.

It could even be used to frame Yan Jing.

That was why Yan Jing had to make a prompt decision and lock the suspect pool to the higher-ups.

He had failed to prevent Tan Yan's death in the previous round; he had to catch up now.

As for right now, he needed to execute the final step perfectly.

After getting his bearings, he took long, purposeful strides toward a certain room.

"Heh, pure nonsense."

Inside an office, a man wearing a Black Robe and holding the Codex read the subordinate's report on Yan Jing's actions and sneered. In his eyes, this was a desperate move by Yan Jing that couldn't withstand any scrutiny.

"Just because he claims a higher-up killed him, does that make it true?"

Weng Lingxiao adjusted his silver monocle and smiled.

"Who does he think he is?"

"Pass the word down. Say that Commissioner Yan deliberately murdered Tan Yan to settle a personal grudge."

"My lord, that might... not be of much use, right?"

The subordinate giving the report advised cautiously.

"Commissioner Yan has a solid alibi, and there is zero evidence pointing to him..."

"Heh, we don't have evidence, but does he?!"

Weng Lingxiao looked disdainful.

"If we weren't unsure of that person's current condition, would it even be his turn to jump around like this?"

"He wants to drag us through the mud and cause trouble for us, so why can't we do the exact same to him?"

As he spoke, something seemed to cross his mind, and he laughed.

"I really don't know how he made it this far."

"Doesn't he know that the one thing you never touch is the interests of the higher-ups?"

"A terrible move."

He offered his final verdict on Yan Jing's actions.

"Tan Yan is dead, and that boy is claiming the prison's higher-ups are the killers."

Immersed in a bathtub filled with floating rose petals, the woman listened to the report from the man beside her and chuckled softly.

Her laughter seemed to carry a certain magic, causing the bathwater to gently ripple and tugging at the heart of the man holding her hand. He felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and couldn't resist sneaking a peek. Amidst the rising steam, the woman's pale, jade-like body was faintly visible where the water met the mist.

Normally, he would never have the chance to enter her bathroom; he was only filling in today because her secretary-general had a sudden emergency.

The woman seemed completely oblivious.

"It is still a bit of a pity that Tan Yan is dead."

"But compared to what is coming next, it was worth it."

"What do you think he'll do next? Shift his focus to the killer who murdered the interrogator that night? Or keep hunting for the one who killed Tan Yan? Hmm?"

The woman gently tipped the man's chin up with her fingertips.

The man beside her could no longer speak. Staring into the mist, his eyes seemed to burn with fire.

The woman's smile grew even more alluring.

"What are you looking at?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to..."

She leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

The man instantly began to tremble with excitement, nodding vigorously.

The woman was marvelously generous; opening her broad embrace, she gently crossed one leg over the other and whispered, "Come here."

But the man did not plunge into the water as he had anticipated.

He was truly far too excited, so much so that the blood rushed to his head, leaving him unable to control his own body.

He desperately wanted to lean forward to touch that mysterious realm, but his limbs refused to obey, and he even felt as though he couldn't breathe.

In the end, he collapsed stiffly beside the massive bathtub, bleeding from all seven orifices.

Song Huien laughed again.

"It's just murder; why the need to find the killer? Don't you just kill whoever you want to kill? Once they're dead, they're dead. Why ask so many questions?"

"Wanting to get to the bottom of it—can he even withstand the wrath of those guys?"

"Those guys have quite the massive appetite."

"Warden Mu, taking this step was probably your worst move."

"Bang, bang, bang!!!"

Yan Jing knocked on the door at the end of the corridor.

There was no response from inside.

Yan Jing waited a moment. Seeing that no one answered, he knocked again.

Still, nothing happened.

After a moment of thought, Yan Jing called out Xiao Xin.

"Iya, iya~~"

Xiao Xin phased into the room and quickly phased back out.

"Zhu Leng, that Leng... has fainted!"

"Fainted?"

Yan Jing was stunned.

"Yes! That Leng is curled up on the floor, fainted!"

Yan Jing paused again.

"Just like this!"

Xiao Xin furrowed its brow, trying hard to twist its little face into a pained expression.

Yan Jing stopped pausing. Weird energy surged around him as he kicked the door.

With a massive boom, the entire corridor seemed to shake.

Outside, alarms blared.

But Yan Jing didn't stop. A Fear Fruit materialized in his hand, and he delivered another vicious kick to the door.

This time, the door loosened a bit.

Yan Jing's skin split open as the Fear Bird's tentacles manifested, smashing brutally into the door.

The door finally flew open.

Yan Jing looked at the pale-faced Mu Tian lying on the floor and closed the distance in a few quick steps.

For a split second, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

But he ignored it. Pulling a bottle from his pocket, he forced Mu Tian's mouth open.

And poured every last drop of the dream-like liquid down Mu Tian's throat.

The effect was immediate.

A few seconds later, Mu Tian let out a long breath. A faint wisp of black smoke drifted from his lips, and his pale face finally regained a trace of color. He opened his eyes, stared at the Yan Jing in front of him, and in the next second, flashed back behind his desk.

"How did you get in?!"

"Smashed the door open."

Yan Jing pointed honestly at the door.

Mu Tian's face darkened.

"Who gave you permission to enter?!"

"No one."

Yan Jing smiled.

"But no one forbade me either."

"Hey now, Warden Mu, I used the very last bottle of miracle medicine on me to save you."

"Don't be so cold."

Mu Tian didn't speak.

He seemed to find the fact that Yan Jing had saved him a little humiliating; his expression was somewhat unnatural.

Ultimately, he turned his back.

"What did you come here for this time?"

"Tan Yan is dead."

"And?"

"You're not surprised?"

"I should be," Mu Tian sneered. "You've only been here for three days, and you've already gotten two candidates of our Great Prison killed. I seriously suspect you chose to start a rebellion on your very first day."

"You misunderstand."

Yan Jing raised an index finger and wagged it.

"I wasn't the one who killed them."

"And?"

Mu Tian didn't look back.

"Does it even matter if you killed him or not at this point?"

"Do you think those people will let this opportunity slip by?"

"I have nothing to hide," Yan Jing chuckled.

"But you shouldn't have said it was the higher-ups' doing!"

Having said that, Mu Tian abruptly shut his mouth.

Yan Jing acted as if he hadn't noticed the slip, the smile on his face growing even wider.

"Boss, whether you believe me or not—"

"The turning point for this matter lies right here."

"Don't you want to figure out exactly how many people in this prison are still on your side?"

Yan Jing walked out of Mu Tian's office.

Mu Tian stared at the closed door, his eyes flickering.

He meticulously inspected the room inside and out, finding no bugs and no traces of any entities having visited. "He really does have an incredible ability..."

He murmured under his breath.

His previous collapse on the floor had largely been an act.

The moment he heard Yan Jing's knock, he had deliberately dropped to the ground.

All the way until Yan Jing kicked the door open, he hadn't felt a single gaze fixed upon him.

Yet Yan Jing had kicked the door down anyway.

Either Yan Jing possessed an incredible ability to see inside the room without him noticing, or Yan Jing was deeply devoted, desperate to save him, and willing to force his way in regardless of whether he was in secluded cultivation.

Naturally, he leaned toward the former.

He had started suspecting it ever since Yan Jing produced Ai Qing's video.

And later, when he learned Yan Jing had several other videos, he became even more certain, which was why he played along and set this trap.

Yan Jing had been fooled into smashing the door down, exposing that very fact.

Yan Jing realized it afterward and baited him into speaking. He had been careless and exposed the fact that he was constantly monitoring Yan Jing's movements.

It was impossible for Yan Jing not to notice; when Yan Jing approached him, he was keeping his guard up, and Yan Jing had definitely sensed it.

But he couldn't afford not to be on guard. Yan Jing's imposing aura at that moment had exceeded his expectations.

Summoning humans was a trick he had used many times.

But Yan Jing was far stronger than any of the previous ones.

He was absolutely at the Summit level, and not just an ordinary Summit either.

He was very close to the Ninth Tier.

In his current condition, he had to be careful.

That was the entirety of the silent clash during their brief encounter just now.

He just hadn't expected...

That Yan Jing would feed him such incredible medicine.

"Heh. Humans really are willing to part with anything to complete their tasks."

With a couple of cold laughs, he sat in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Yan Jing's medicine had improved his condition significantly.

If those damned bastards really dared to plot anything right now...

Then he would have to remind them exactly who this Great Prison belonged to.

"Using that bottle of medicine was worth it."

Walking out of the corridor, Yan Jing smiled.

"I knew he was faking."

"If I didn't offer up a bottle of medicine, how could I win the trust of our Warden Mu? Don't you agree, Xiao Xin?"

"Iya, iya~~"

Xiao Xin didn't actually understand, but since Yan Jing looked happy, it was happy too.

It spun happily in the air.

Smiling, Yan Jing patted Xiao Xin's head.

Mu Tian had been tricking him, and he had been tricking Mu Tian.

In just a few short minutes, he had displayed his strength and proven his loyalty.

And it was a tangible, undeniable loyalty.

Though he had lost his last Advanced Healing Potion, he felt it was well worth it.

At the very least, the token at his waist was proof of that.

He walked toward the elevator, preparing to head to the Law Enforcement Bureau, but before he could get close, he spotted several figures waiting at the corner.

The man leading them had his hair slicked back and wore a neat suit. It was the same person who had been reporting in Weng Lingxiao's room earlier.

Seeing Yan Jing, the man smiled with a somewhat roguish air.

"Commissioner Yan."

The man held his hand out to Yan Jing.

"My surname is Tian, Tian Che. I am Warden Weng's secretary-general."

Yan Jing also reached out and smiled.

"Surname Yan, Yan Jing. The commissioner personally appointed by Head Warden Mu."

Tian Che's expression stiffened for a second. He had purposefully left out the word "deputy," so Yan Jing had deliberately emphasized "head."

They had only just met, but Tian Che already had a clear idea of just how difficult this man in front of him would be to handle.

"Such boldness, Commissioner Yan."

Tian Che chuckled.

"No wonder you have the sheer audacity to investigate every single higher-up in the Great Prison. It seems you have the backing for it. Truly a promising young talent." Yan Jing noticed that after Tian Che finished speaking, the expressions of the people behind him turned rather hostile.

Evidently, these individuals were the so-called representatives of the Great Prison's higher-ups.

Just as expected, a bald man in his fifties standing to Tian Che's right spoke up to Yan Jing.

"Commissioner Yan, I understand that a new official always wants to make a show of strength, but you've let these fires burn far too wild and far too wide."

"You burned Lord Ai, then you burned Lord Tan, and now you want to burn us. Are you trying to burn the entire Great Prison to the ground?"

It was the same old tactic of slapping on a label before picking a side—a classic move from the older generation.

Yan Jing smiled.

"I don't understand what you mean. That deduction was simply the most probable conclusion based on the scene."

Seeing that the others were growing angrier and preparing to argue with Yan Jing, Tian Che stepped forward. Stepping between Yan Jing and the rest, he said, "Everyone, please calm down. Commissioner Yan, you cool off as well. Let me speak."

"It's like this. After Warden Weng heard about the recent incident, he felt that you, Commissioner Yan, were acting a bit too rashly."

"And... well, we received news that during the deduced time of Lord Tan's death, someone saw you coming out of the Special Prison Cell." The moment he said this, the others beside him sneered.

"That's right, Commissioner Yan. You wouldn't be trying to clear your own suspicion by blindly framing us, would you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've also had several subordinates report that they saw you then."

The bald man, his face full of aggressive flesh, seemed to feel victory was already in his grasp. He spoke bluntly:

"Commissioner Yan, the Law Enforcement Bureau will be over shortly to inspect you. If you want your little human tasks to go smoothly this time, then buy us a meal and publicly apologize to everyone."

"Say a few nice words, and maybe if we feel better about it, we'll let this whole thing slide."

"What do you say?"

Beside them, Tian Che watched Yan Jing. His expression appeared gentle, but he simply couldn't hide the smug smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Obviously, Yan Jing had been far too cocky.

They wanted to teach Yan Jing how to behave in the Great Prison.

But Yan Jing just smiled.

"Is that so?"

"Well, regarding the case, I have a few deductions of my own."

As he spoke, Yan Jing pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read aloud:

"Regarding the murder of Lord Tan."

"Listed: Deputy Warden Weng's secretary-general, Tian Che, and Deputy Warden Song's secretary-general, Wei Qiao, are named as the primary suspects in this case."

"Penned personally by Warden Mu."

The moment he said this, the smile froze instantly on Tian Che's face.

"Are you... joking with me?"

He felt like his brain couldn't quite process what he was hearing.

Yan Jing's expression darkened.

"I said this was penned personally by Warden Mu! Did you not understand?!"

"No... wait... what proof do you have that Warden Mu wrote this?! Yan Jing! Forging Warden Mu's handwriting is a crime punishable by death!!!"

Tian Che panicked completely, screaming at Yan Jing as several strands of his perfectly slicked-back hair fell loose.

Yan Jing's expression was as dark as still water. He unhooked the token from his waist and waved it in front of them.

It was a token carved from jade, bearing no words whatsoever. It looked like black jade, as dark as a deep pool, and as smooth as a mirror.

Most importantly, there was a smear of pale gray shadow swirling around it.

Upon seeing it, everyone present shuddered. The bald man's legs turned to jelly, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

"No, n-no, there must be some mistake."

Tian Che's slicked hair was a complete mess. His face was drenched in sweat, his eyes frantic.

"Where is the evidence? There's no evidence! I had an alibi at the time; there definitely has to be a mistake somewhere."

"You're saying that Warden Mu is wrong, is that it?"

Yan Jing's gaze turned icy.

"Is that what you mean?"

Stripped of every ounce of his previous bravado, Tian Che frantically waved his hands.

"No, n-n-no, I meant there's a mistake somewhere else. That's not what I meant at all."

"Heh."

Yan Jing looked at the others beside him.

"Do you all think Warden Mu was wrong too?"

"No, we don't."

The men waved their hands repeatedly.

"Do you want to demand evidence from Warden Mu?"

"No, of course not."

They were trembling like leaves in the wind.

"Then who do you think is the killer?"

"It's, it's Tian Che! It's Wei Qiao!"

Sweat poured down their bodies.

"I'll be conducting a survey."

Yan Jing's smile returned as he looked at Tian Che, who had collapsed onto the floor with a face as ashen as death.

"To see which of the higher-ups think the killer isn't you."

"If it's more than half, we'll reinvestigate."

"Do you understand?"