I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 546 Everyone is Doomed

Slowly ascending the cliff, members of the Tianjian Bureau had already arrived. This time, it was not only Lige but also Zhang Yeqiu. When Zhang Yeqiu saw Wang Lan coming up from the bottom of the cliff, she too was slightly taken aback.

"I say, Greedy Wolf Crown, how is it that wherever an incident occurs, you seem to be there? Truly, you’re a lucky charm for our Suzhou City’s Tianjian Bureau, living up to your renowned good fortune."

"Sister Qiu, stop teasing me. That murderer was so strange; no matter how many times I killed him, he wouldn’t die."

"I’ve already discussed it with the monks in the temple; it is indeed strange. By the way, where is the murderer now? Why didn’t you bring him back? Don’t tell me he managed to escape from you?"

"He fell to his death. He was smashed to a pulp, beyond recognition; we’d have to scoop him up with a basin."

"How is he dead again?" asked Zhang Yeqiu, surprised.

"I don’t have an answer to that question either. It’s possible the Ancestor behind him deemed his chances of escaping too slim and simply gave up on him. Have you made any progress on your end?"

"The man’s name is Han Cheng. He could be considered an entrepreneur in Suzhou City, mainly dealing in the seafood business. He has over a hundred ships under his command and is quite devout to Buddhism. Logically, he should have come to Hanming Temple to offer incense today; he even donated over three million. Afterwards, he was invited to the meditation room for Buddhist enlightenment, but who knew he would suddenly start killing people? To use a Buddhist expression, it’s as if he wasn’t enlightened but possessed by a demon."

"If he himself mentioned an Ancestor, then his demonic transformation wasn’t voluntary. Also, the commotion in the temple today was definitely premeditated. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made an uncharacteristic offering of several million, nor would he have been invited into the inner hall because of this donation."

"Although Hanming Temple is not large, it is quite famous among Buddhist monasteries. An incident like this at Hanming Temple will surely shock all of Buddhism. The mastermind behind this must have aimed for this outcome."

"Right, we also found a clue within the medical system. Han Cheng was diagnosed with a terminal illness six months ago. It’s a condition that cannot be cured with Gene Potions and has worsened severely."

After listening to Lige and Zhang Yeqiu, Wang Lan couldn’t help but fall deep into thought. A terminal illness, a wealthy family, an unjust fate, an Undying Body? Could all these conditions combined lead to a bargaining scenario? Demon Law?

"Report! A total of thirty-six monks at Hanming Temple have been killed, twenty of them martial monks."

"Understood. Send someone down to retrieve Han Cheng’s body. Also, have people investigate Han Cheng’s recent movements, relationships, and so forth—the more detailed, the better. I want to know what he did, where he was, who he saw, and what he said, down to the specific year, month, day, hour, and minute!"

"Yes!"

"Wait! How many people did you say were killed at Hanming Temple?"

"Report! Thirty-six people."

Wang Lan took a deep breath. Could I have been mistaken?

"What did you get wrong?"

"I’ve been thinking Han Cheng fell to his death because the Ancestor behind the scenes gave up on him, seeing no hope for his escape. But Han Cheng killed thirty-six people at Hanming Temple, and I happened to kill him forty times. The forty-first time, he just fell to his death..."

"That still doesn’t add up, does it?" asked Zhang Yeqiu, puzzled.

"No, he might have had extra lives before coming to Hanming Temple. He killed thirty-six people, and I killed him forty times. These two numbers are very close. Moreover, the cause of death for those Han Cheng killed was very strange... no signs of injury, and no apparent cause of death could be found."

"Externally, there are indeed no leads on the cause of death. It requires examination by a professional forensic pathologist."

Just then, Lige’s phone rang. Upon answering, his expression changed drastically. After hanging up, he said, "Hanyan Temple and White Horse Temple have also been attacked. The attacker’s killing method is nearly identical to Han Cheng’s. Both Hanyan Temple and White Horse Temple had many visitors at the time, but the attackers only killed monks and didn’t harm the visitors. After the Tianjian Bureau arrived, they all jumped off cliffs to escape. More than thirty people were killed at Han Shan Temple, and over twenty at White Horse Temple. As for the visitors, only three died accidentally by falling off the cliffs."

"This suggests Sister Qiu’s speculation might be right. The underlying threat is aimed at Buddhism, especially since today is the special occasion of Buddha Shakyamuni’s birth. Buddhism has been very low-profile for many years, and as the Demon Clan invasion draws closer, they have become even more discreet..."

Wang Lan and the others immediately rushed to Hanyan Temple. They found the place in chaos, with the Tianjian Bureau organizing the evacuation of tourists. Compared to Hanming Temple, the monks’ deaths at Hanyan Temple were extraordinarily gruesome: they were either dismembered or beaten until their brains burst.

"The attack was too cruel, and the style is completely different," Wang Lan sighed deeply after observing the murdered monk’s body for a long time.

"What kind of force is this? How did our men engage them and still let them escape?" Lige rebuked the team leaders nearby. "The team captain’s strength has already reached the pinnacle of the Star Cloud Stage. If the attackers were at Han Cheng’s level, a pinnacle Star Cloud Stage warrior should have been able to stop them!"

"Captain, we really didn’t expect it. They had no Star Energy fluctuation, just like ordinary people. I saw him panic and run out, and I thought he was a victim. But who knew..."

"Who knew? Where’s the basic vigilance of a Star Martial Warrior? Have you all been away from the battlefield for so long that you’ve forgotten what a real battlefield is, what it’s like to be in the thick of it?"

"Lige, let it be. Don’t scold them for now. It’s quite clear the incidents at Hanyan Temple and White Horse Temple were designed and premeditated by the same group. We don’t have information on the perpetrators from Hanyan Temple and White Horse Temple, but we do for Hanming Temple. Let’s go check Han Cheng’s home."

Wang Lan, Lige, and the others hurried to Han Cheng’s villa in the eastern lake district. The villa was unoccupied and very clean. Judging from the reserves of bowls, dishes, and clothes, at least five people must have lived there together. However, judging from the rooms’ cleanliness, the other four people’s belongings had been packed away. This included the lady of the house’s dressing table, which was spotless and empty.

"Captain, we’ve found a medical report."

"Prion disease?" Lige frowned, then shook his head. "This Ghost lurking within humans is indeed terrifying. So far, there’s no cure. Once infected, it’s a death sentence either way."

"And here’s a paternity test. It shows Han Bin and Han Cheng do not have a biological father-son relationship. What a tragedy! To have a terminal illness, and your only son isn’t even your own... That’s too cruel."

"Captain, we’ve found a secret room."

It couldn’t really be called a secret room, more like a hidden section of the basement under the villa. Originally, there were three sub-levels, but the third had been sealed off with concrete, turning it into a hidden chamber. The Tianjian Bureau members broke it open, and a strong stench immediately assaulted them.

The moment they smelled the odor, Wang Lan and the others’ faces changed instantly—it was the stench of decay. After the smell dissipated somewhat, Wang Lan and the others turned on the lights in the third sub-level of the basement. They were stunned by what they found. Inside were four decomposing bodies. One was a woman, kneeling as if in penitence and prayer.

Two elderly people had been hanged from the beams. Another, a young man, was so badly maimed, his body covered in densely packed wounds, that it looked as if knife patterns had been carved into his flesh.

Seeing the four corpses, Wang Lan exhaled softly. "The secret to Han Cheng’s Undying Body is how many people he killed. The more people he killed, the more lives he possessed. At Hanming Temple, he killed thirty-six people, and I killed him forty times. He died on the forty-first attempt. I thought the Ancestor behind him had revoked his power, but I never expected this."

"These are Han Cheng’s parents-in-law, his wife, and his child," Zhang Yeqiu stated, having gathered information from the network. Her tone was indifferent. "Han Cheng lost his father at a young age, and his mother passed away when he was in college. Relatives kept their distance when he was down on his luck. Naturally, after Han Cheng became successful, he didn’t associate with them either. So, in this world, the only people important to Han Cheng were his wife and child."

"Han Cheng and his wife were always seen as a model couple, well-known in their circle for their deep affection. Han Cheng often appeared in public with his wife, most recently at a shopping mall a month ago. According to a facial expression analyst, Han Cheng’s smile at that time was very natural, not forced. This indicated he was still very much in love with his wife back then."

Wang Lan asked solemnly, "Does that mean Han Cheng found out he had been deceived? Did he then take his son for a paternity test, only to discover the boy wasn’t his own flesh and blood? And after that, did he completely turn to darkness, embrace his Ancestor’s teachings, and kill his own kin?"

"Why couldn’t he have simply been a member of some evil organization all along?" Lige asked. "Maybe he was always a follower of the Ancestor, just hiding it until now."

"No. When I fought Han Cheng, he said he was willing to introduce me to the Ancestor. As long as I severed my worldly ties as a gesture of allegiance, the Ancestor would acknowledge me and bestow upon me an Undying Body. This suggests that to join, one must first kill their loved ones as a blood sacrifice. Han Cheng’s descent into darkness, his transformation from human to monster, must have happened within this past month."

After leaving Han Cheng’s house and returning to the Tianjian Bureau, they immediately began investigating Han Cheng’s connections. As a seafood business owner, Han Cheng’s social circle was vast. It wouldn’t be easy to pinpoint from his contacts where he encountered the Ancestor he mentioned. Even if the Ancestor had approached him directly, Han Cheng would have had countless ways to avoid detection being traced back to that meeting.

"Ji Qianxi’s best friend just gave a statement, revealing a crucial detail. She knew Han Cheng’s child wasn’t actually his. Sixteen years ago, Ji Qianxi was dating a boyfriend her family disapproved of. Later, she met Han Cheng through an introduction.

Ji Qianxi, blinded by love at the time, insisted on giving birth, even when her best friend urged her to abort the child. Soon after, Ji Qianxi and Han Cheng got together and married.

Over time, Ji Qianxi and Han Cheng genuinely developed feelings for each other. Ji Qianxi later regretted not listening to her best friend. However, the child had already been born, and Han Cheng believed he was his biological son, so this ticking time bomb remained.

But... how did Han Cheng find out this secret? Ji Qianxi had been devoted to him for years. Without a paternity test, Han Cheng would likely never have doubted her."