Chapter 175: The Self-Cultivation of a Villain

“Being a villain isn’t so easy.”

Zuo Mingxuan, the Demon King Zuo, just walked out of a high-end sandalwood store when a small-time thug tried to rob him with a knife, pushing him into a corner. However, Zuo Mingxuan did not choose to kill him. Instead, he knocked the thug to the ground and then stood over him like a victor, teaching the thug a lesson.

“First, as a villain, you need to understand what your goal is. Without a goal, a villain can at best become a bully for life.” Zuo Mingxuan crouched down, wearing his unique bright smile. “Second, you need a very thorough plan, a very precise deployment, and countermeasures in case of failure. Clearly, you have none of these. So next time you think about being a villain, think carefully about these questions, and whether you can bear the consequences after being caught by so-called good guys.”

Regarding how to be a villain, Zuo Mingxuan clearly had his own complete set of theories. He was not afraid of anyone coming after him. Even against god-level figures like Qingqiu and Big Dipper, he had many ways to deal with them, not to mention a rookie like Siyuan.

Zuo Mingxuan was obviously in a very good mood today because he finally bought the Blood Jade Peach Wood he had wanted for a long time. This type of wood was often mistaken for the most common jet, but in the hands of an expert, it could become the best sculpting material in the world. It could gain a second life in Zuo Mingxuan’s hands.

“Go on, the cost of being a successful villain is very high. I hope you can be a good person next time. Although ordinary, the cost is at least very low.”

He let the thug go and then walked quietly on the noisy streets. Since his success on the cruise ship last time, he had not taken any action during this period. Apart from studying Hall’s God-Summoning Technique, he had been taking care of Zuo Xiaoqing’s daily needs and completing the crafts he had left unfinished a year ago. He did not even feel like being a villain.

“What peaceful times.” Zuo Mingxuan suddenly sighed for no reason. In the past few days, he found that those annoying guys from the Special Cases Division had suddenly disappeared from his sight. Now, when going out, he no longer needed to disguise himself back and forth. He could even go to an art gallery to see an exhibition in broad daylight. This feeling was really great.

He knew it must be because those guys from the Special Cases Division had encountered some huge problem, but it had nothing to do with him, Zuo Mingxuan. Even if all of them died, it would be a good thing for him.

However, thinking of this, Zuo Mingxuan suddenly became a bit interested in finding out what was happening that could make the Special Cases Division mobilize all their forces. He thought for a moment and then dialed a number.

“Old Xu, long time no see. I heard you’re living quite well now.”

“Old Zuo… didn’t we agree you wouldn’t contact me? What if someone finds out? What should I do then…”

Old Xu’s voice sounded nervous. There seemed to be someone around him. After hearing it was Zuo Mingxuan, he deliberately lowered his voice. “What do you want?”

“Oh, I just wanted to say hello. We’re old friends, after all.”

“Who’s your friend! Please don’t say such things.”

“Oh? Really? Then what do you think would happen if I put that list on Wang Zhenhua’s desk?”

Old Xu’s face turned pale on the other end of the phone. He trembled and whispered, “What do you want?”

“Nothing, really. I just wanted to ask what you’ve been busy with lately. Is there a problem with old friends checking in on each other?”

“No… none…”

“Then tell me.”

Old Xu naturally knew what Zuo Mingxuan wanted to know. Under his threat, not speaking was impossible. Moreover, if he lied, he knew this man’s methods. So, even though the higher-ups had classified this matter as top secret, after careful consideration, Old Xu still chose to tell Zuo Mingxuan.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Zuo Mingxuan was also slightly shocked when he heard about the scale of the operation. No wonder those guys from the Special Cases Division weren’t bothering him anymore—they had a bigger target. But he had to thank them for not pinning such a big incident on him.

However, this matter piqued Zuo Mingxuan’s interest. Although he had nothing to do recently, it didn’t mean he had no focus. To think that the former number one villain suddenly had his rank taken by someone else—this feeling of loss really made him a bit angry.

“I’d like to see who has such nerve to do something like this.” Zuo Mingxuan laughed loudly, put his hands in his pockets, and quietly disappeared into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Moran and Longyuan finally found the basement of that house… or rather, it shouldn’t be called a basement, but a slaughterhouse. Although the scene had been obviously tampered with, the not-yet-fully-congealed blood on the table and the already rotting heads in the basket nearby that hadn’t been destroyed in time spoke volumes.

Although Moran was not a forensic doctor, having roamed the martial world for many years, she was no stranger to corpses. But when she saw that basket full of what were clearly children’s heads, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of negative emotions.

“Calm down.” Longyuan grabbed Moran, who was about to explode. “No wonder the resentment here is so strong. It seems this is truly a place of evil deeds.”

Although Longyuan spoke calmly, the Sword Qi around her surged wildly. The whooshing Sword Qi created gusts of wind that carved deep marks into the walls, revealing a dark layer inside.

“This is…” Longyuan walked over and touched the black substance in the layer. “It’s a mixture of charcoal and blood.”

Moran ignored her words. She stood in front of the table and punched the stone slaughter table, shattering it. Her delicate skin was cut by a fragment, and blood flowed freely, but the wound healed instantly, leaving no trace.

“Let’s go, investigate.” Moran turned back coldly to look at Longyuan. “Such a heinous act—how can we, as disciples of Mount Shu, stand by and do nothing?”

“Shouldn’t we inform the authorities first?” Longyuan frowned. “If this is discovered, wouldn’t people think we were the ones who did this evil?”

“So what? The authorities have never been reliable since ancient times. Rather than relying on them, it’s better to investigate on our own.”

Moran’s stubbornness flared up again, and her aura became completely different from usual. The sweet and lovely Moran actually emitted a cold, murderous intent. This intent felt almost tangible, and even the resentment in the room was cleared away.

“Let’s go!”

Longyuan glanced back at the house, gritted her teeth, and pressed her hand against the wall. Then the entire house began to shake inexplicably. The shaking grew more and more intense, turning into a high-frequency vibration. Soon, the building started swaying from top to bottom, and eventually, due to this swaying, the house collapsed instantly, leaving only a pile of ruins.

When she walked out of the ruins, Moran was waiting for her on the roof of another building. Seeing her come out, Moran didn’t speak but simply tilted her head, summoning Longyuan to rise into the air with her, disappearing into the sky.

Now, this matter had reached a level that angered both gods and humans. Although it was highly confidential within the Special Cases Division, just moments ago, information from an unknown source spread throughout the supernatural world. Even many ordinary people heard the news. No one knew exactly who leaked the information, but it was now causing an uproar, making the Special Cases Division’s top boss fly into a rage.

“There must be a mole among us. The spread of this information was planned, deliberately controlled within a specific range, as if someone meant to make things difficult for us.”

Chen Ming sat in the roundtable meeting room smoking a cigarette. There were over thirty leaders from three regions present. Although Siyuan was not there, Ji Yanran and Sun Linlin were both present. One was a full-time secretary, the other a part-time secretary, and Ji Yanran was also Siyuan’s apprentice, so it was fine for her to represent him.

“Let me tell you, I believe it’s not your fault, and I hope everyone keeps their mouths shut. If we find out there really is a mole, the organization will deal with it severely, without leniency.” The deputy chief of the Special Cases Division’s logistics department, codenamed Tengshe, slammed the table angrily. “The government is already putting pressure on us. If you can’t solve the case within a month, the Special Cases Division’s reputation and trust will hit a new low. There are too many people above who dislike us. Do you want to go from being civil servants to an underground cult?”

“Alright, everyone calm down. Now is not the time for blaming each other. We need to find a way to clean up this mess. We can’t rely solely on Qi Siyuan to work hard. Although this happened in his jurisdiction, as a team, we shouldn’t draw such clear lines. So I hope everyone can propose a reasonable plan.” The boss of the Special Cases Division’s logistics department, the white-haired Yu Xue, said coldly, “Since no one has any objections, let’s start drafting the plans now. Turn off your phones. From now on, unless we come up with a reasonable and thorough plan, this meeting will not adjourn.”

Most of the leaders around were experiencing such a situation for the first time. So, after looking at each other, they silently took out their communication devices and threw them on the table. Then, after a collective moment of silence, they began whispering to each other.

“Since we’re all brother teams, we can definitely share resources. On behalf of the North China region, I can be frank with everyone. In two months, the newest Northwest region will begin preparations. By then, the configuration of the five groups of China will be complete. I’m sure none of you want such a problem at this critical juncture.” Sister Xue leaned on the table with both hands. “I want to specifically criticize the Southwest and North China regions, especially North China. As directly under headquarters, your solve rate and efficiency are the worst among the four groups. As for Southwest, I understand they are short-handed. But North China? You have the best personnel, funds, technology, and equipment among the four groups, and you’re stationed in the Imperial Capital. Under such conditions, your annual solve rate is less than 17%, far below East China’s 69% and South China’s 57%. Even the Southwest, with only seven people, is 8 percentage points higher than you. Shouldn’t you reflect on this? This time, I hope you don’t maintain this habit of being pampered soldiers. Although we are fighting a war unknown to others, a war without names, any war is cruel. And the opponents we face are becoming stronger and stronger—first there was Zuo Mingxuan, and now this serial killer. No one knows what kind of problem will appear next. You can’t push all the tasks and matters onto Qi Siyuan. I know there are rumors below that say he is the favorite, and I don’t deny that. But have you ever thought about why he is favored? He joined the Special Cases Division less than a year ago, yet he has solved more cases, and of higher quality, than some of you have in twenty years in the division.”

Sister Xue’s words left the big shots from North China speechless. They smiled awkwardly and lowered their heads. Chen Ming, however, looked lazy. He wasn’t the one being scolded; instead, he was one of the three personally praised by headquarters. So he felt quite confident. Plus, like Sister Xue, he was part of Second Master’s inner circle, so he just watched the show.

But what bothered him most now wasn’t the serial killer, but the mole within the Special Cases Division. The Special Cases Division was no longer that little-known small organization. As it grew larger, it was inevitable that there would be some bad apples mixed in. The increase in gossip was already a sign, and this leak had put the Special Cases Division in an absolutely passive position. One misstep could lead to complete ruin.

Of course, this ruin didn’t mean they would all die, but once they lost the state’s support, they would truly be unable to move an inch. Moreover, if they became an illegal organization, many investigations would be impossible to carry out, and the Special Cases Division would exist in name only.

“Now we face two problems, internal and external.” Chen Ming lit a cigarette. “One is that we can’t solve the case, the other is that there’s a mole inside. If we don’t root out the mole, we’re just waiting for our reputation to be destroyed.”

Of course, they didn’t know who the mole was, nor who leaked the information. This was exactly the effect Zuo Mingxuan wanted to achieve—annoying these little kids in the Special Cases Division was simply a great pleasure. And if they handled it poorly, they could collapse entirely. Just like in chess, one wrong move leads to more mistakes.

Such a move that kills two birds with one stone is the basic quality a true villain must possess. Not only must they have the ability to act, but they must also have strategic thinking skills, able to watch their opponents willingly play themselves to death. Isn’t that also a joy in life?