"Have you heard? It seems those victims who caused such a stir a while back were almost all murderers themselves."
"Of course I've heard. I actually felt sorry for them at first, thinking they were doomed after Director Hu Tao and Consultant Chen Feng targeted them."
"And one person even went mad because of it. At the time, I was convinced Director Hu Tao and Consultant Chen Feng were committing straight-up murder. Weren't the Liyue Qixing supposed to do something about it?"
"Who would have thought the truth would be like this? Now it turns out the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was acting as heaven's proxy. Can you believe it?!"
"Those bastards... they really wasted my sympathy. And I even blamed Director Hu Tao and Consultant Chen Feng wrongly."
"Haha, you certainly blamed the wrong people. But the one who brought those villains to justice was another being."
"What's this all about?"
"You can go see for yourself, right on the busiest street of East Street."
"Since you've said it's something I have to see, then I definitely have to go look."
-
On the busiest street of East Street, passersby had already formed layer upon layer of a dense crowd. In the middle of the crowd, a blood-covered figure knelt on the ground. The person held a huge sign with one hand, and with the other, continuously held a dagger, carving pieces of flesh off his own body slice by slice. A bizarre smile hung on his face, sending a chill through everyone's hearts.
Right in front of the man, several lines of bloody words were written on the ground, detailing his numerous crimes. The content on the sign was also written with his blood, stating:
[ Greetings, all the people of Liyue, you can call me Kira. I am the God of Justice who wields the power to punish all the evil in the world. I imagine everyone has recently witnessed my great power firsthand. That's right, the deaths of those eight people were not because their time had come, or retribution from heaven, but because I have arrived. ]
[ Now that Liyue has lost the protection of Rex Lapis, although my power is not equal to his, I can still protect all the people of Liyue so that they can live and work in peace. Under the protection of me, Kira, Liyue will become a land without evil. Everyone will no longer be deceived or oppressed. All evil deeds will not be tolerated by me, and all will be punished by me. ]
[ To make everyone believe in my power, for the next month, everyone can report others. Just write down the criminal behavior and make the content public in any form. After confirming the content is correct, I, Kira, will completely purge all evil! ]
After reading the content on the sign, some people were itching to take action, while others were sweating profusely.
No one doubted the authenticity of the sign's contents because the absurd scene continued to unfold before their eyes, the spurting blood constantly stimulating their hearts.
However, not a single person present felt a shred of sympathy seeing this, because the person kneeling before them was a villain who carried the burden of thirty seven lives, including even an infant in swaddling clothes.
The Liyue Qixing had wanted him for nearly ten years but had never been able to bring him to justice, yet now he was kneeling before everyone present, continuously mutilating himself.
When Yelan arrived at the scene with the members of the Task Force, the figure kneeling on the ground swiftly slashed his own neck with the dagger. Blood immediately gushed out, and the next second he collapsed to the ground, losing all signs of life shortly after.
"Immediately seal off the scene and disperse the onlookers."
Seeing this, Keqing immediately spoke to the Millelith beside her, and soon the onlookers at the scene were persuaded to leave.
However, although the onlookers had physically left, their hearts remained behind.
"As expected, his ambition has been completely exposed."
"Compare himself to Rex Lapis? I don't know whether to admire his courage or laugh at his ignorance," Yelan said contemptuously after reading the contents of the sign.
Although only the Liyue Qixing knew that Rex Lapis had not died, Yelan had also roughly guessed this outcome through her own information and wisdom.
Yelan didn't know if the murderer truly thought Rex Lapis had passed away, or if he was deliberately provoking them.
But no matter which possibility it was, the opponent's actions were already an all-out declaration of war, falling short only of writing Rex Lapis's incompetence and the Liyue Qixing's lack of wisdom on the sign.
"This murderer actually wants to become the new god of Liyue? How arrogant!"
After reading the sign, Hu Tao spoke indignantly, and just then Yanfei also shared her own opinion.
"A mere murderer, no matter what false adornments are used to conceal his criminal acts, cannot change this established fact!"
At this moment, Yelan asked Keqing.
"Lady Keqing, what is the current search situation?"
Hearing Yelan's question, Keqing shook her head and spoke.
"Qi Shu still hasn't been found, it seems he was well-prepared for this."
Just then, Millelith came running in a hurry from the distance.
"Something's wrong, Lady Keqing! For some reason, the Millelith brothers responsible for the pier coast suddenly started killing each other, and over a hundred dead bodies have appeared, with no injured people."
"The original blockade has also developed a breach, we cannot confirm now whether the murderer is still within the perimeter."
Hearing this news, Keqing looked as if she had suffered a huge blow, a look of disbelief on her face, and she took several steps back in a row.
Seeing this scene, Yelan sighed, then spoke.
"Lady Keqing, let the Millelith withdraw. We shouldn't increase the number of casualties any further."
"Ordinary people have likely become toys that Qi Shu can manipulate at will."
"This was my misjudgment. I never expected Qi Shu to become so manic after his identity was exposed."
"I think he deliberately exposed his presence this time so that we, the Liyue Qixing, would be preoccupied with these matters, making it easier for him to hide his whereabouts again."
Yanfei suddenly spoke.
"Miss Yelan, if we tell the people of Liyue about the deaths of those innocent Millelith, will it make them wake up in time and realize that he is not a savior, but a murderer?"
"I'm afraid it would be difficult. Qi Shu just needs to deny it."
"Even if he were willing to take responsibility, saying this was the consequence of the Millelith actively causing trouble for him would achieve the same result."
"In any case, please all head back first. This matter is of great importance, and I need to discuss it with Lady Ningguang."
"I will be back before long, and then we can hold another meeting to discuss our next course of action."
After hearing Yelan's words, the other members of the Task Force lowered their heads and walked back, their spirits deeply dampened.
Along the way, they saw that Liyue had descended into complete chaos. Countless corrupt merchants knelt in the streets, begging for forgiveness. They endured being punched and kicked, yet still handed over handfuls of Mora, all while continuously weeping about their own miserable circumstances to garner sympathy.
Numerous swindlers found their former victims one by one in the streets, fulfilling all the promises they had made back then. Even when faced with vicious insults and physical assaults, they kept smiling, only begging that their names and actions not be written down and publicly displayed.
The more absurd these scenes became, the heavier everyone's hearts grew.
This meant that the faith of Liyue's people was being continuously shaken. As time passed, the very acts of justice they had carried out were now becoming the destabilizing factors disrupting the new national order.
Suddenly, Chen Feng spoke to Hu Tao.
"Director Hu, it seems like the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business is going to become incredibly booming this way."
"But this is not the situation this Director wants to see."
Hu Tao frowned as she spoke.
"If one could only use life and death to judge a person's good and evil actions, this world would become completely unrecognizable."
"Consultant Chen Feng, I have spoken before about the efforts of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's predecessors. I believe such a world is not what anyone wants to see."
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng nodded thoughtfully.
After a while, Yelan entered the room with a serious expression. The discussions in the room gradually stopped and vanished, and everyone turned their gaze toward Yelan.
Yelan took a deep breath, then slowly spoke to everyone.
"During my conversation with Lady Ningguang, hundreds of victims have already appeared in Liyue Harbor."
"I don't know how Qi Shu managed to send so many people to their deaths at the same time, but it also means he has completely abandoned his inner scruples. From now on, every step the Task Force takes will be walking on the line between life and death."
"Therefore, I will ask one last time."
"If you choose to withdraw now, I will not stop you, and no one will blame you."
Hearing Yelan's words, some of those present immediately showed hesitant expressions on their faces. After a while, someone chose to leave.
Then, two more people left in succession. Now, the main members of the Task Force were less than one sixth of their original number.
"Is there anyone else who wants to leave?"
Yelan asked for confirmation.
"This is your last chance to quit. From now on, the only way to leave is if the murderer is brought to justice, or if you've already fallen in the line of duty."
Another moment passed. Seeing that no one else wanted to leave, Yelan nodded.
"This is for the best!"
Hu Tao, noticing the disappointment and self-reproach in Yelan's eyes, quickly spoke up to comfort her.
"Now we have a team of elite and capable officers. Maybe this way we can catch Qi Shu even faster!"
"And it can also avoid unnecessary casualties. If you think about it, it seems that Vision holders and Adepti have not been affected by this power so far."
"Director Hu, you've hit the nail on the head. This is exactly the conclusion Lady Ningguang and I reached after our discussion."
Hearing Hu Tao's words, Yelan nodded to her appreciatively, then said.
"So far, there have been no Vision holders among the victims. I believe this must be the limit of his ability."
"Therefore, I've discussed it with Ningguang, and the key positions will now be taken by Vision holders. If any problems arise, they can rush to the scene at the fastest speed."
After speaking, Yelan unfolded the map in front of her and said again.
"Everyone, come over here. We are going to reassign the areas each person is responsible for."
When Chen Feng and Hu Tao dragged their weary figures back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, they never expected to find it surrounded by people once again.
"Director Hu!"
"Ah, Director Hu, and Consultant Chen Feng!"
"You've finally returned!"
At this moment, the person leaned in and whispered into Hu Tao's ear.
"Director Hu, it was my fault before. I actually believed the rumors outside and terminated the contract with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Now I truly regret it!"
"I've come this time to continue negotiating the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business matters. I hope Director Hu can still offer some convenience based on the previous discounts."
Hearing this, Hu Tao immediately perked up.
"You're mistaken. Since the contract has been terminated, the previous matters have already been turned over."
"Now we are discussing current business. The discounts will definitely not be as large as before. Now, that's a different price!"
"Director Hu, this isn't very good..."
The person still intended to haggle, but an unknown number of people behind them started urging him on.
"Hey you up front, can you do this or not? If you don't have the money, just burn the body directly. Don't waste time here. Don't you see so many of us are still waiting?"
"If you don't hurry up, the deceased in our family will start to rot and stink!"
To avoid inciting public anger, the person eventually had no choice but to pinch his nose and accept the loss.
"Director Hu, it's my turn next!"
"Two of my family members have passed away, I want to order the 'second tombstone half-price' package!"
-
Today, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business was incredibly booming. Under the so-called Kira, over a thousand people had been judged in just half a day.
This time, ordinary people were happy, knowing no one would dare exploit them or deduct their wages at will in the future.
The wealthy families were also happy. An enormous inheritance had suddenly fallen into their laps. How could they not be delighted?
Those who were unhappy had basically all kicked the bucket. Next, they were just waiting for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's one-stop service.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which had originally been at its lowest ebb, had now completely turned its fortunes around. Not only was its original unfair reputation cleared, but because of Kira, it also became the top choice for the followers of Kira.
With this, the competitors who had thought the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was declining and that they could rise to power, immediately shut down their shops with tears in their eyes, completely giving up this time.
With the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor around, there was no way they could get any business.
However, Hu Tao's face showed little joy. After being visibly pleased at first, she later delegated all business negotiations entirely to a Messenger.
Afterward, Hu Tao took Chen Feng out to get some fresh air. The sky had already darkened, but Liyue Harbor was still brightly lit.
Yet, behind this apparent prosperity lay a night of endless madness and chaos.
"Consultant Chen Feng, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is completely rich after this."
Hu Tao looked at the myriad lights of the city and spoke slowly.
"Yes, we are rich, Director Hu Tao."
"But you don't look very happy."
"Yes, why is this Director not that happy?"
Hu Tao spoke to herself.
"Perhaps it's because too many people who shouldn't have died yet died in vain."
"Even if the ones who died were bad people, are they still worth pitying?"
Facing Chen Feng's question, Hu Tao shook her head and spoke.
"Life and Death should be pure, unrelated to a person's character or reputation."
"Whether a person is guilty or not should be judged by the laws of the mortal world, and should not be brought into the definition of Life and Death."
"This Director cannot stand by and watch the things that the past Directors of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor have upheld being willfully destroyed and played with. This Director will not forgive that murderer!"
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng seemed to be in a daze for a moment, and only after a good while did he snap back and change the subject.
"Speaking of which, I seem to have not seen Consultant Zhongli all day today. I wonder where he has gone again."
At this moment, after hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao spoke.
"It seems I really haven't seen Consultant Zhongli all day today. How has Consultant Zhongli become so unreliable now?"
"Forget it, most likely he is either drinking tea and listening to storytelling at the teahouse, or watching an opera performance at the opera house. After he comes back, this Director will have a talk with him."
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Chen Feng nodded in agreement.
However, at this moment, Zhongli had not gone anywhere else, but had instead sought out other Adepti.
Now that Liyue faced another crisis, it was inconvenient for him to intervene, but the Adepti could.
Zhongli concluded that without the help of the Adepti, the Liyue Qixing would find it difficult to overcome this crisis on their own.
Of course, if he were to intervene, this incident would be resolved more quickly, but in that case, Liyue would lose the meaning of its tempering.
Although Liyue was in chaos at present, it did not mean it was not a good thing.
The number of deaths was indeed large, but the vast majority were the parasites of Liyue, the kind that clung to Liyue and sucked its blood.
These kinds of people operated on the fringes of the law, and it was almost impossible for the Liyue Law to bring them to judgment. No one could have expected a certain Kira to suddenly appear and directly eliminate them in such a clean and efficient manner.
As long as the limits were kept in check, this crisis would be nothing but an opportunity for Liyue.
After ridding themselves of these parasites, Liyue's ascent to the top would be unstoppable!
Of course, if things went too far, Liyue would have to spend a great deal of energy and time restoring its original order and rules.
The limits, naturally, were to be controlled by him, the Rex Lapis. Of course, he served as the final resort; before that, he hoped this matter could be resolved through the cooperation between the Adepti and the Liyue Qixing.
Eventually, Zhongli left Madame Ping's residence, and the next moment, Madame Ping transmitted a message to the other Adepti in Liyue in a specific manner. In the end, all the Adepti gathered in Madame Ping's courtyard, except for Cloud Retainer.
Just as dawn broke, several rays of seven-colored light descended upon the Jade Chamber, immediately drawing Ningguang's attention, who then received all the Adepti.
After several hours of deliberation and discussion, the Adepti set out, transforming into streaks of light to take positions in various areas of Liyue Harbor.
They unreservedly manifested their presence to the people of Liyue, also serving to intimidate those of low cunning.
They did not need to stoop to searching for the murderer's traces; they only needed to keep a constant watch on the Millelith's situation.
Originally, this task was assigned to Vision holders, but firstly, there were not enough of them, and secondly, the Liyue Qixing could not fully guarantee that the Vision holders would truly be unaffected by the murderer's abilities. Now that this task was being handled by the Adepti, it could not be any better. Even if the Adepti did not act and merely took their positions, they could still instill an immense sense of security in people.
The appearance of the Adepti did have an impact on the people of Liyue. At first, everyone restrained themselves, after all, the Adepti's reputation had long been admired and revered by the people of Liyue.
However, before long, as the Adepti's deterrent power gradually faded, Liyue gradually began to fall into chaos again.
Because everyone discovered that the Adepti were also unable to stop Kira from descending divine power to punish sinners, their awe of Kira instantly became even greater.
The current level of chaos was even worse than yesterday, after all, there were only a few truly heinous and evil people, and most of them had already been punished on the first day.
On the second day, people tried to publicly expose those whose crimes were not as serious. When this kind of person also suffered severe punishment from Kira, Liyue Harbor naturally became even more chaotic.
This outcome left all the Adepti utterly stunned, never imagining that one day their own reputation as Adepti would be of so little use.
Even when they appeared in person to try and persuade the people of Liyue, the results were still very poor. Everyone had been oppressed too harshly. Faced with such a golden opportunity, few could hold back.
And the Murderer's mysterious and unpredictable methods shocked the Adepti even more. The way they punished the sinners was something they couldn't even begin to understand. They had tried every means to investigate, but each victim seemed to die a natural death. The only abnormality was that they were unable to stop the process.
While the Adepti were still worrying about how Liyue had gotten into such a mess, the number of people who had become believers of Kira continued to grow.
If the news of Rex Lapis's passing had not been spread among the people of Liyue by the Liyue Qixing, so many people would not have turned to worship Kira in such a short time.
But now, the vast majority of people believed that Rex Lapis had already passed away. After all, who wouldn't love a god who would vent their frustrations on behalf of the common people? Naturally, they didn't struggle much with their decision.
Under these circumstances, even with the Adepti present, the Millelith's investigation work still met with immense resistance.
Countless Liyue citizens who had become believers of Kira were extremely uncooperative with the Millelith's investigations.
They were not afraid of the Millelith using force to enforce the law. If the Millelith dared to do so, they could immediately make the matter public and wait for Kira to descend and deliver punishment.
From restraint to complete abandon, it took the people of Liyue only a single afternoon.
In the end, the Adepti stationed throughout Liyue Harbor were like mascots. Aside from glowing and making Liyue Harbor look a bit nicer, they served no other purpose.
Another day passed. Yesterday's death toll had soared toward ten thousand. Realizing the situation was about to spiral completely out of control, the Liyue Qixing issued a decree after deliberation, restricting the movements of all Liyue citizens. They ordered that citizens not leave their homes without permission, and simultaneously sealed off the streets.
Issuing such an extreme decree also meant that the Liyue Qixing were completely at their wits' end. They had hoped this decree would provide a buffer, giving them more time to find a way to respond. However, the Murderer's madness far exceeded their expectations.
Immediately after this decree was issued, the number of deaths did indeed get brought under control.
But not long after, the news that the Liyue Qixing who issued the decree had jumped from the Jade Chamber to commit suicide completely ignited all of Liyue.