Chapter 332: Positioning the Demon Dao
At the front of the alley, the people from Lihuatang who returned like a tide did not bring back any new spies.
Facing Zhao Duan's accusation, the Thousand-Faced God shuddered and groveled, saying, "We didn't find him. He must have gone out."
It's so late, where can I go? Zhao Duan frowned.
Qian Kerou suddenly asked, "Sir, is it possible that he was taken away by a demon? Just like the middle-aged man codenamed Ballast Stone you met during the day."
This speculation caused everyone's expression to change.
If the speculation is true, then what is the purpose of the evil Taoist master transferring the rebels away?
To understand the situation? To hold a meeting?
still……
Take action again?
Zheng Laojiu, who is experienced and was once a golden-medal brocade guard in the imperial court thirty years ago, sorted out the papers in his hand with the help of moonlight.
The paper recorded the clues they had obtained from the people they had arrested that night through torture.
Zheng Laojiu cross-connected these clues on paper and drew a social network.
He was trying to restore the interpersonal network of the rebel faction in the capital.
In his previous life, Zhao Duan had heard of the theory of six degrees of separation, which states that the distance between you and any stranger is no more than six people...
Although the spy network had many barriers designed by Zhuang Xiaocheng, these people were ultimately connected to each other.
In Zhao Duan's opinion, the spy network designed by Zhuang Xiaocheng was still a bit crude.
Therefore, although not everyone has been arrested yet, the paper network has almost been built.
"My lord, something is wrong."
Zheng Laojiu stepped forward and presented the mesh paper with lines in his hand, saying in a serious tone:
"Based on the information we have now, although we haven't fully grasped it yet, we should be able to find the trace of that demon. Since he has dismissed the rebel's agent, it doesn't make sense that the entire rebel party has not spread any relevant information at all...
Especially, we interrogated so many people, and none of them knew the situation. Most people didn't even know about Ballast Stone's death. Only some of the middle-level people who had direct contact with him realized that something was wrong..."
Zhao Duan frowned and stared at him: "Old Zheng, if you have anything to say, just say it directly."
Zheng Laojiu said seriously, "Sir, I suspect that this demon is not with the rebels at all, nor is he hiding where the rebels are."
As Lihuatang's confidants, they knew that the reason their master's closing operation tonight was hastily launched early was because of the appearance of the demon.
Zhao Duan's idea is indeed like this:
Since the demon Taoist has come into contact with the "ballast stone" and belongs to the same camp as Zhuang Xiaocheng, it is very likely that he will settle down in the place arranged by the rebels at this moment.
At the very least, as long as we catch the rebels who know the situation, we can follow the clues and find where the demon is staying.
Be arrested.
But it was almost late at night, and they had arrested so many people but still had no idea of the whereabouts of the demon.
This is enough to show that Zhao Duan’s initial speculation may have been wrong in direction.
"Sir, what Old Zheng said makes sense. Could it be that this evil Taoist priest hid himself after killing Ballast Stone and has not contacted other rebels at all? It's too early for us to act?" Hou Renming agreed.
Qian Kerou bit her lip and said:
"Maybe we haven't arrested enough people. I suggest we keep arresting. We'll eventually find clues."
Gongshu Tianyuan, who walked out of the carriage, also looked disappointed.
Although he came here mainly to help Brother Zhao, as a disciple of the Tianshi Mansion, he also wanted to slay demons and solve the problem of the National Master.
——Mr. Zhao never lets others work in vain. This time, he went to Gongshu Tianyuan to give him a credit in a subtle way.
But now, it seems to be in trouble.
Everyone was talking at once, and Zhao Duan hesitated for a moment, frowning and wondering whether his previous guess was correct.
If we make a wrong judgment, tonight's crackdown will only alert the enemy.
"There is another possibility."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind everyone.
Zhao Duan turned his head and looked back, only to see a girl in prison uniform wiping her tears with her sleeves in the carriage.
Yun Xi's eyes were red as she knelt in the carriage, facing the gazes one after another. Her eyes were cold and her tone was unusually calm:
"The Kuangfu Society's Beijing branch not only has these people under your control, but also another single line, completely separated from the entire intelligence network, and only communicated with by the branch leader or his deputy, 'Baldengshi'.
If that demon you're talking about kills Ballast Stone, maybe he can get this separate intelligence line from him... If I were him, I'd obviously prefer to hide over there. After all, no one knows if there's a traitor in the intelligence network."
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and looked at Yunxi with a strange look:
"Do you know that hidden thread?"
After Yunxi's faith collapsed, her IQ seemed to have improved. She easily understood what he meant and said seriously:
"You suspect that Zhuang Xiaocheng's abandonment of me means I don't have much intelligence?"
The girl shook her head and retorted:
"First, I was following Zhuang Xiaocheng. Although he kept a lot of key information from me, I still had the opportunity to learn some while he wasn't paying attention. Don't get me wrong, this was purely out of curiosity."
"Secondly, he abandoned me because he was thousands of miles away. Using magic to rescue someone, taking one more person with him would cost him several times more mana. It doesn't mean I'm worthless.
Humph, do you really think that Zhuang Xiaocheng chooses his disciples so casually? I am one of the best among the younger generation in the society.
At this moment, Yunxi seemed to have completed some kind of transformation.
Or in other words: blackening.
Her slightly round face was extremely cold and her eyes were a little crazy, which made the blue bird subconsciously stay away from her.
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
He laughed happily, like a devil tempting people to fall.
His original intention of bringing Yunxi out today was to crush her soul, but he didn't expect that in addition to achieving his goal, he would also gain something unexpected.
"Then why should I believe you?"
Zhao Duan walked over and lifted the kneeling girl's chin with his fingers, asking her to raise her little face and look at him from a condescending position.
The two faces were very close to each other, looking into each other's eyes. The girl did not avoid or evade, but deep in her pupils was a lasting sadness and dead silence.
Yun Xi didn't resist at all. She said calmly, "You can ask that fat guy to torture me with the fox spirit."
She laughed at herself, "It's just death anyway. I'm already dead anyway."
She poked her swollen chest with her hand.
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.
No... why are you cursing like that, little girl... Gongshu Tianyuan was unhappy.
Zhao Duan restrained his smile and asked, "Where is that single line?"
"Eight-sided Theater, actor Wu Ling."
Yun Xi said calmly, "Most of the Kuangfu Society's spies in the capital are mortals. Because they are inconspicuous enough, there are very few masters. This Wu Ling is the only one, a magician of the Divine Chapter of Xishendao."
Zhao Duan took two steps back, pushed the girl roughly into the car, and turned around without any hesitation and said:
"Split the troops into two groups! Brother Gongshu, please suppress Qianmian and lead the Jinyi officers to continue to follow the clues we have to close the net and arrest the suspects. Kerou, the other police officers, follow me and head to the Bafang Theater immediately!"
The Bafang Theater is quite far away, and the clues given by Yunxi are just a reference, so he chose a safer method.
The two teams advance together to maximize the success rate.
Gongshu Tianyuan was stunned for a moment and said:
"Brother Zhao, there's no problem on my side. With so many of us, even if we encounter that demon, I have the confidence to take him down. But do you have enough manpower? A divine sorcerer and a bewitching demon with strange methods, if..."
Zhao Duan wanted to say that it was enough, but then he remembered the law that underestimating the enemy will lead to death.
After thinking for a while, he called out three Jinyi soldiers, gave them the address of Kong Hanlin and the other three tonight, and asked them to go and get someone.
As the Chief of Investigation, he already knew the operational arrangements for tonight's imperial court, that Ma Yan would be patrolling three places.
…
…
The residence of the deputy general of Qianniu Guard is in the west of the city.
Taking into account the ranking of hatred values, there are two gangs lying in ambush near this general's house tonight.
After leaving Kong's house, Ma Yan hesitated for only a moment before rushing towards the closer Deputy General Qianniu.
Although the deputy general of the imperial guards has martial arts skills, he is far superior to the mortal Kong Hanlin, and it is much more difficult to bewitch him.
But Ma Yan never dared to underestimate the power of the national teacher.
However, when he hurried over, before he got close, he saw the fire in the distance ahead.
The deputy general's residence caught fire!
Ma Yan's heart sank suddenly, and his fluttering cloak almost formed a straight line in the darkness.
"Dugong!"
"You are here, Lord Governor!"
When Ma Yan landed in the mansion, he found that the entire courtyard had obviously suffered violent damage, with traces of fighting everywhere.
The servants in the house were putting out the fire, while the officers who were supposed to be lying in ambush outside gathered in the courtyard, and some of them were even injured.
"What's going on?" Ma Yan's face looked grim. He saw the deputy general of Qianniu Guard lying on the ground in the crowd, tied up with ropes and covered in blood.
This sturdy man, wearing light armor, had disheveled hair, blood all over his body, veins bulging on his neck, and was roaring and screaming like a wild beast, seemingly losing his mind.
Haitang, who was guarding here, came over. The bag of throwing knives on her waist was half empty, as if she had just been through a tough battle.
The female police officer said bitterly:
“We first saw a man enter the house, and then we followed your instructions and waited, ready to follow him, but we didn’t see any movement until we heard screams and flames suddenly erupted from the house, and then we rushed in.
I saw Deputy General Qianniu was like a madman, swinging his sword everywhere, killing several servants. The fire was caused by the lantern that ignited the house.
We didn't dare to kill him, so we just worked together to find a way to control him, and that's how it ended up."
If they didn't care about life or death, the Jinyi present could easily kill the mad deputy general.
But in order to capture him alive, everyone obviously paid a heavy price in terms of injuries.
Ma Yan said in a deep voice: "Where is the man who bewitched me?"
Another police officer came out and pointed to the door of the burning house and a blackened body on the stairs, saying:
"He was the first one to be hacked to death."
————
P.S. Yunxi: I was originally a wealthy lady, but was deceived by Lao Deng and fell into his trap. Today I have been reborn. Cast your vote and listen to my revenge plan...
(End of this chapter)
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