The news that Lu Daoxing had killed Jiang Yuanxiu spread through the entire Safe Zone like a flood breaking through a breached dam, shocking everyone.
In just a few hours, the incident became the hot topic among Sequence Ability users of every level.
No one knew how the battle between Lu Daoxing and Jiang Yuanxiu had started or how it had ended. In fact, no one could even explain it clearly.
All they knew was that by the time the news spread, Jiang Yuanxiu was already dead, and the way he had died was even more chilling.
The first thing people discovered was Jiang Yuanxiu's body.
A steel blade as thick as a wrist had pierced through Jiang Yuanxiu's chest, pinning him firmly to the outer wall of the City 121 United Government building.
Blood flowed along the cracks in the wall, especially conspicuous under the bright streetlights outside the building.
The people inside the building did not notice at first. They only suddenly heard a loud "BOOM!," and the entire building shook slightly.
Before they could recover, a deafening roar tore through the air and echoed outside the building.
"THE ONE WHO KILLED SNAKE CARD'S [REMNANT THOUGHT]—"
"LU DAOXING!"
[Remnant Thought]?
At the name, everyone pricked up their ears.
Of the four cards, Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Snake, only Snake Card members used aliases, and only Snake Card members were so mysterious.
Most wanted criminals below Snake Card 10 had originally held respectable identities. Because of some change in circumstances, they had been forced onto the path of lawbreaking and crime, so quite a few of them still used their real names and could not completely conceal their information.
But in everyone's eyes, wanted criminals at Snake Card 10 and above were basically born bad. They had fabricated identities for the sole purpose of committing crimes, making it easier for themselves to charge ahead on the road of crime.
From the very beginning, these people had used forged identities as their fronts, with no intention of holding back at all. They were especially careful about protecting their identities, and there was usually no trace to be found.
The Snake Card Queen of Hearts wanted criminal [Remnant Thought] had ranked highly on Snake Card for years. Countless Sequence Ability users from the various forces under him had died, yet his true identity had always remained a mystery.
This time, when they heard that someone had killed [Remnant Thought], the people in the government building immediately rushed outside in a "whoosh," all scrambling to see who [Remnant Thought] really was and then they saw Jiang Yuanxiu pinned to the outer wall of the building.
The mayor of the City 121 was [Remnant Thought]?
Everyone was astonished.
Could it be that Lu Daoxing was talking nonsense and framing the Jiang family? No, probably not.
Jiang Yuanxiu's head was still sitting perfectly well on his neck.
Everyone knew that there were people in the United Government who could read the memories in a dead person's mind.
If Jiang Yuanxiu was not [Remnant Thought], wouldn't Lu Daoxing's claim be exposed very quickly by doing this?
Lu Daoxing had killed people simply for revenge. He had killed so many members of the Jiang family before without saying a single word. This time, however, he had killed someone and left his name behind. There should be a reason for it.
At this moment, anyone with even a little sense had already become certain that Jiang Yuanxiu was [Remnant Thought].
What happened next further confirmed this fact.
In less than an hour, Jiang Changfu, the son of Jiang Hao and the highest-ranking member of the Haori Chamber of Commerce in the State 12, arrived at the scene together with Kafu, the governor of the State 12.
Then, the two sides began a fierce struggle over who would take possession of Jiang Yuanxiu's body.
Jiang Changfu said solemnly, "Governor Kafu, Fourth Uncle is a member of our Jiang family. Today, he was killed by criminals while carrying out his duties and died in the line of duty. Our Jiang family wants to take his body away. Why do you insist on stopping us?"
Kafu gave a cold laugh, "Mayor Jiang died in office. Everyone is deeply saddened. But the most important thing right now is to prevent the criminal's slander against Mayor Jiang and the United Government from succeeding and to clear his name! Of course I have to take the body away for investigation first! Afterward, I will personally send Mayor Jiang's remains respectfully to the Jiang family!"
"Governor Kafu, I cannot hand Fourth Uncle's remains over to someone else just because of a criminal's slander! Since when does someone have to prove their innocence just because another person threw dirt on them? You should be arresting Lu Daoxing instead of making things difficult for us Jiang family members who are grieving!"
Kafu shook his head, "According to Mr. Jiang's argument, we have no evidence proving Mayor Jiang's innocence, so naturally we also have no way to prove Lu Daoxing's guilt."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone merely heard someone claiming to be [Lu Daoxing] say that he had killed [Remnant Thought]. So let me ask you, did anyone actually see Lu Daoxing kill someone?"
Kafu looked around.
Everyone shook their heads.
Even those among them who leaned toward the Jiang family did not dare commit perjury in front of everyone.
Not to mention that they would not even pass the lie detector.
The corners of Kafu's mouth lifted slightly, "There isn't a single eyewitness. So there is still no definitive conclusion as to whether this was actually done by Lu Daoxing. How do you know it wasn't someone who had an old grudge against Mayor Jiang taking advantage of the chaos, killing Mayor Jiang, and then framing Lu Daoxing, who already had a grudge against the Jiang family?"
"You!"
"The only thing that can tell us what happened is the memory in Mayor Jiang's mind. Mr. Jiang, whether it is for the sake of clearing Mayor Jiang and the Jiang family's names, or for the sake of bringing the real culprit to justice—"
"Governor Kafu, you're really determined to do this?"
"Of course. It is my duty. Mr. Jiang, I hope you can distinguish between public and private matters and not let your personal grief interfere with the United Government's investigation. You should know that no one can place themselves above the law and justice."
Jiang Changfu narrowed his eyes.
Clear his name?
Anyone who was neither blind nor deaf could tell that Jiang Yuanxiu was anything but innocent.
Kafu, that miserable dog of the Richard family, had already offended the Gu family, and now he wanted to make an enemy of the Jiang family too?
He really didn't want to live.
But if Kafu would not even give face to the Gu family, how could he possibly back down before the Jiang family?
Many people in the Safe Zone had privately already labeled Kafu the [United Government's Number One Hardhead].
Kafu's hardheadedness had Jiang Changfu frantic with anxiety.
Jiang Changfu had received an order from his father, Jiang Hao, to make absolutely sure that Jiang Yuanxiu's body was brought away. The attendants behind him were constantly reporting the situation at the scene to his father.
If he handled this badly, he might very well lose his father's trust, and even his position as the person in charge of a remote place like the State 12 could be taken away.
On the other side, Kafu had also received a message from Qin Siyang, asking him to keep Jiang Yuanxiu's body in custody. Kafu had therefore put aside all his work and come here under orders.
At the same time, Kafu had also received messages from Jiang Yuanrui, the Minister of Economic Affairs, and Xiao Zhigang, the Minister of Education, asking him to "take human feelings into consideration."
But Kafu chose to leave all of them on read.
As long as he did not receive an order from Secretary-General Gu Weiyang, he was determined to take Jiang Yuanxiu's body away.
The two sides remained deadlocked over Jiang Yuanxiu's body.
Yet no one paid any attention to where the culprit, Lu Daoxing, had gone.