The frenzied crowd was dispersed by the guards with knives, but only a few mangled corpses remained on the spot, especially Valcke's body, which was reduced to a pool of flesh and blood, smashed so badly that it was impossible to tell that it had ever been a person.
Blood stained everyone's hands and clothes, as well as the stones they still held in their hands.
Silently staring at the corpses on the ground, silently staring at the guards of the Inspectorate Office holding swords and knives, and at the pot-bellied middle-aged man—Inspector Woodrow.
"This... my Valcke!" Woodrow stepped forward, staring at the bloody mess on the ground. Only his blood-stained clothes and the knight's badge crushed into the rubble beside him were recognizable as his identity. His face paled instantly, his entire body trembling. His outstretched hands froze in mid-air. He took several deep breaths, his expression gradually turning ferocious and furious. His gaze swept fiercely over everyone present, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Who! Who killed my Valcke!"
Those people, whose stones were stained red with blood, still watched him silently, but this time they showed no fear or retreat, and did not even put down the stones in their hands.
The scene was utterly quiet, not a sound could be heard.
Mai Ge looked at the obese Woodrow and realized that he was the one standing behind Valcke. Woodrow had been able to run rampant for so many years and commit so many evil deeds, and he was undoubtedly the biggest protector and driving force behind it.
As for how much benefit he could gain from Valcke's evil deeds, that is unknown, but the number of people who died and suffered oppression and humiliation because of him was no less than that of Valcke.
"It was me." Just as Mai Ge was about to speak, the old man who had been the first to step forward took a step forward, looked at Woodrow through gritted teeth and said, "I killed him, and I even bit off one of his ears, which is now inside my stomach. Do you want to cut open my stomach and take a look?"
Woodrow looked at the old man, whose face was covered in blood and whose teeth were still gnawing on bits of flesh. His lips trembled as he pointed at him and roared, "How could you possibly have killed Valcke, you old devil? But you dared to eat his ear! Arrest him, cut off his ear, and send him to Basti Prison!"
"I've worked in the mines my whole life. My two sons died there three years ago. Our family gave everything for the crystal mines of Chaos City. This damned bastard raped my daughter in law and didn't even spare my six years old granddaughter. My daughter in law hanged herself with my granddaughter in her arms, but no one has given me any justice! I've lived to this day only so that one day I can kill that bastard, Valcke. I wish I could eat his flesh, drink his blood, and chew his bones to pieces!" The old man stared at Woodrow with bloodshot eyes, pointing a severed finger at him and roaring with heart-wrenching fury, "Inspector General? You corrupt official, you'll get your comeuppance!"
"Grab him! Shut him up!" Woodrow was trembling with rage, and two guards stepped forward with their knives drawn.
"I'll be waiting for you down there. If Valcke dies, you'll die too! You corrupt official, I'll be waiting for you." The old man glanced at Mai Ge behind the crowd, then smashed his head against the wall in front of Woodrow, dying instantly.
Woodrow stared at the old man's corpse, who was staring straight at him, and instinctively took two steps back. A chill ran down his spine as the old man's last two sentences echoed in his mind.
Valcke is dead, so who's next?
Woodrow felt a pang of panic.
"Who killed Valcke?! If any of you dare to cover up the murderer, I'll lock you all up in Basti Prison and torture you to the point that you'll never get out!" Woodrow, forcing himself to remain calm, asked the crowd in a cold voice, surrounded by guards.
"It was me. I smashed his finger off with a stone. He took my sister away. I found her in the river three days later. I think I heard her say she was cold, but she couldn't speak anymore. I buried her, and then I wanted to kill him." A boy who looked as thin as a bamboo pole took a step forward, his hand tightly gripping a finger. He looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, but he had a calmness that did not match his age.
"It was me. I ripped out his eyes, just like he ripped out my mother's…"
One by one, people stepped forward, looked at Woodrow, and recounted their past experiences without the slightest fear.
"It seems that letting him die like that was too lenient on him." Mai Ge glanced at the old man's corpse lying on the ground, his eyes wide open in death, and at the people who came out one by one. He sighed inwardly, and a surge of anger began to rise from the bottom of his heart.
He knew that even in Chaos City, darkness existed, and even a modern society governed by law could not be everywhere bright. How could this city, which was groping its way forward in the pursuit of law and equality, completely avoid it?
But he never imagined that this darkness was such a cannibalistic vortex, with the same tragedy repeating itself over and over again. Despite living in a city known for its equality and rules, but their lives were not respected at all.
That scumbag who died at his hands, and this guy who became his protector, both deserved to die.
Woodrow looked at the people who came out one by one. Once, in his eyes, they were all skinny black rats, but now their eyes held an almost crazed look. Those who no longer fear death are the most terrifying.
"Lord Inspector, it was that guy! He kicked Colin away! He must have killed Lord Valcke! No matter how many of these black rats there are, they could never be a match for Lord Valcke, otherwise they wouldn't have waited until today to make their move." Just then, a thin young man standing next to Woodrow shouted, pointing at Mai Ge behind the crowd.
Woodrow's gaze shifted to Mai Ge, a hint of surprise in his eyes. This man clearly didn't belong here. Why would such a thing suddenly erupt in a place that had always been as calm as a stagnant pool? Even Valcke was dead. This guy was very likely the culprit. He waved his hand and said, "Bring him here!"
"That guy challenged me and I killed him in the duel. According to the laws of Chaos City, you have no reason to arrest me." Mai Ge stood still and looked at Woodrow calmly. "Besides, you should be worried about how to arrange your own affairs after you die. You've done so many evil deeds. I think you will die just as miserably as he did."
Woodrow laughed as he looked at Mai Ge, laughing so hard he bent over, tears welling in his eyes. Then, he suddenly straightened up, his laughter vanishing instantly. Pointing at the bloody mess on the ground, he gritted his teeth and said, "I have no son. From the age of five, Valcke has been by my side. I raised him as my son, intending for him to inherit everything from me, to take care of me in my old age, and to see me off in my final days. But you killed him, leaving me not even a complete corpse.
I'm going to kill you. I'm going to chop you and that little girl into pieces and feed them to the dogs, so you'll know what the pain of losing a child is.
As for these black rats, I'll lock them all up in Basti Prison, and they'll never be able to get out again.
Here, I, Woodrow, am king, and no one can defy my will!
And you, who do you think you are?"