I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 176 - 174: The Flower Chariot Attack

Shortly after the attack on the flower carriage occurred, the authorities released a detailed investigation report, officially designating the incident as a terrorist attack by the Exterminate Immortals Cult.

The report provided an accurate count of the fatalities caused by the attack. Li Xing felt that, considering the population density on the street that day, the number seemed low.

The authorities did not mention the Freedom Army, but tens of thousands of comments from self-proclaimed eyewitnesses of the incident unanimously expressed gratitude toward the Freedom Army.

Everyone understood that if the Freedom Army hadn’t appeared in time, the death toll would have been ten times higher.

Feelings are biased, and ever since Li Xing knew Yang Zhou was a staff officer for the Freedom Army, she naturally considered them her allies. Seeing her own people receiving such support and admiration from the public made Li Xing genuinely happy.

The report also mentioned that a male suspect related to the attack was captured on the scene and is currently undergoing interrogation.

Jiang Junnan’s body was as fragile as a gingerbread stick; someone sneezing could fracture his bones, with his mind sometimes clear and sometimes confused, leaving the outcome of the interrogation up to fate.

However, Li Xing had a strange feeling that Jiang Junnan’s presence at the attack site was likely related to her.

Two days later, Cui Tianxiao, the rumor monger, brought first-hand insider information to Li Xing. As she suspected, Jiang Junnan went there specifically to ambush her that day.

According to Jiang Junnan’s confession, Li Xing had publicly beaten him, causing serious injury and hospitalization. Thus, he harbored a grudge and always sought revenge. Unfortunately, due to the military academy competition, Li Xing seldom left the campus, making it difficult to strike.

On the day of the Festival of Light, he coincidentally saw Li Xing on the street, followed her into a restaurant, knocked out a waiter, changed into his clothes, and lurked near Li Xing for a sneak attack.

As for the terrorist attack, it was entirely coincidental and had nothing to do with him.

After hearing this, Li Xing couldn’t help but frown.

It was true that Jiang Junnan bore a grudge against her, but Li Xing didn’t believe it was a spur-of-the-moment attack on her.

"Did the Inspection Bureau believe Jiang Junnan’s confession?"

Cui Tianxiao shrugged, "They probably did. That kid has already been sentenced, guilty of disturbing the peace, and has been awarded a one-month free nutrient solution. As soon as the City Lord Mansion approves it, he’ll be sent in to pedal a sewing machine."

Li Xing’s gaze turned cold. Disturbing the peace? It was clearly attempted murder! The sentence was too lenient.

"Has no one questioned Jiang Junnan aging into an old man?"

"How could they not! And guess what the final conclusion was?"

Li Xing remained expressionless, with a look that could mean she didn’t care whether Cui Tianxiao said it or not, leaving the gossip enthusiast feeling bored, sighing that it would be better if Qi Ming were here.

"The Jiang Family said Jiang Junnan had premature aging syndrome, and that day just happened to be when it flared up."

Li Xing chuckled at the absurdity of this explanation. Wasn’t it ridiculous that the Jiang Family could come up with this?

The Jiang Family produced diagnosis papers from years ago as proof, and since the Inspection Bureau couldn’t prove that Jiang Junnan didn’t have premature aging syndrome, the matter was left unresolved under the principle of presumption of innocence.

Li Xing thought that the truth was far more complex; Jiang Junnan’s bizarre aging could not have gone unnoticed. Jiang Junnan probably told the Jiang Family Master about the pill himself.

If the pill truly came from the Exterminate Immortals Cult, whether Jiang Junnan was manipulated or joined them willingly, it would be a significant matter regarding political stance and beliefs. News of it would surely affect the Jiang Family’s reputation and become ammunition for their rivals.

Therefore, no matter what, the Jiang Family Master would never admit that Jiang Junnan aged because he took a Holy Pill, and he might even obstruct the Inspection Bureau from further investigation.

The Inspection Bureau’s people weren’t fools; they knew an ignored and unimportant branch member of the Jiang Family posed no threat to the Federation’s safety and stability, whether or not he was involved with the Exterminate Immortals Cult.

Besides, the Inspection Bureau wasn’t without upper-class nobles, closely connected with the Jiang Family, playing the game of favors. Stopping at the right time, they could save face for the Jiang Family and get benefits, so why not?

If Li Xing’s predictions were correct, after Jiang Junnan’s imprisonment, he would undoubtedly die suddenly from illness, never living to see his sentence completed.

With his death, the Jiang Family’s stain would be erased, and everyone involved could rest easy.

Li Xing couldn’t help but admire Yang Zhou’s foresight; he might have anticipated Jiang Junnan’s only possible fate being death and left him to the Jiang Family for their own handling. This could better cover the eyes of those secretly watching and make it easier for the Freedom Army to find clues.

That night, Li Xing received a picture from an unknown number, showing a glass bottle with a small amount of brown liquid inside. On closer inspection, there seemed to be fragments resembling wings.

The picture came with four words: "One hour later."

Li Xing sighed. It’s all rotten and dissolved.

Hopefully, Yang Zhou’s ultra-advanced laboratory could still extract useful genetic information from these remains.

Lin Family.

Lin Feng’s face was so dark it could drip water, while Lin Caier’s eyes were swollen and red, huddled in Mrs. Lin’s arms, sobbing continuously.

The more Lin Feng looked at Lin Caier, the angrier he became, unable to help but yell, "Crying! You caused such a big mess, and you still have the face to cry!"

Lin Caier was startled and cried even louder. Her father had never been so harsh on her before; ever since Lin Yin arrived, her father started to dislike her!

Mrs. Lin’s expression was also unpleasant. She initially thought Lin Feng came back today because he was tired of Sun Jiaojiao and missed his original wife. She didn’t expect him to come seeking justice, and the target was the daughter he had doted on endlessly.

"Dear, you’re going too far. Didn’t Jiang Junnan confess that his attempted assassination of Li Xing was purely a personal vendetta? What does it have to do with our Cai Er?"

"Do you think everyone is a fool to believe whatever Jiang Junnan says?"

Lin Feng’s chest heaved violently, his dissatisfaction with Mrs. Lin reaching its peak. Lin Caier’s extreme and willful personality was all cultivated by Mrs. Lin.

"Under normal circumstances, after Jiang Junnan confessed, the Guard Team and Inspection Bureau wouldn’t continue their investigation. But the issue is that his timing coincided with a terrorist attack. Even if he took all the blame, the Inspection Bureau still needs to verify it themselves!"

Hearing Lin Feng say this, Mrs. Lin’s face appeared terrified, while Lin Caier was even more uneasy, twisting her clothes.

"Dear, what have they discovered?"

Lin Feng huffed angrily, "Now you’re scared? If you want no one to know, you have to do nothing!"

Mrs. Lin took a deep breath, silently reminding herself not to argue with Lin Feng at this moment.

"Dear, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what evidence they’ve found against Cai Er."

"There is no evidence, but there is a witness. Jiang Junnan has a twin sister, and they were very close, sharing everything. Before the incident, Jiang Junnan had mentioned to Jiang Xiuhui that he was going to help Cai Er with something big, and if successful, Cai Er would become his girlfriend."

Lin Caier gasped, "What? Dream on!"

She admitted to exploiting Jiang Junnan’s infatuation to harm Li Xing but never intended to use herself as compensation. How dare Jiang Junnan think such a thing? He deserved to die! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Lin Feng glared at Lin Caier and continued, "After Jiang Junnan confessed, the Inspection Bureau conducted extensive questioning and investigations, and Jiang Xiuhui, being a direct relative, naturally became a key interviewee.

Jiang Xiuhui believed that the situation Jiang Junnan found himself in was primarily Cai Er’s responsibility, so during the Inspection Bureau’s questioning, she accused Cai Er of being the mastermind."

Lin Caier felt a wave of anxiety. "What happened next?" If this got out, her image as a pure-hearted girl would completely collapse.

No matter how troublesome, she was still his daughter. If anything really happened, Lin Feng would be worried too.

"Fortunately, City Lord Xue was present during Jiang Xiuhui’s interview. He dismissed the accusation, citing that as a relative, her emotional distress rendered her subjective speculations unsuitable as valid evidence."

"Later, City Lord Xue took the initiative to approach Jiang Yishan. Who knows what method he used to convince the Jiang Family Master to calm Jiang Xiuhui down and keep you out of it."

Lin Caier breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both grateful and guilty toward Xue Han. She shouldn’t have ignored him before.

Her mother was right; her eyes shouldn’t be fixed solely on Chu Yunyi. A person like Xue Han, with excellent looks, status, and heartfelt concern for her, should be someone she interacts with more often in the future.

Lin Feng said, "City Lord Xue helped you a great deal, but he never mentioned it to me. If it weren’t for your cousin in the Inspection Bureau telling me, I wouldn’t have known. City Lord Xue is a true gentleman who doesn’t forget to repay kindness."

"Xue Han is the City Lord of Tianyi City, young and accomplished. In what way is he inferior to Chu Yunyi? Cai Er, you’re not so young anymore, it’s time to be sensible. It’s your choice who to pick!"