Chapter 162: The Work of Experts

Tixiang spoke with Elham in a half-hearted manner, but his eyes kept darting toward Ya and Ling, who also looked as pale as death. Ya and Ling trembled like leaves in the wind; if not for the restraint and pride they had cultivated over the years, they would have already collapsed to the ground.

No.1 Shenghui Street, to be precise, was merely a secret stronghold in the Imperial Capital for the families of Elham, Ya, and Ling. This stronghold was established covertly by their families, specifically prepared for certain important reasons. For this stronghold, their elders spent a great deal of money, exerted tremendous effort, and leveraged significant connections. Otherwise, why would the former Minister of Internal Affairs of the Gaul Empire suddenly fall from grace?

And yet, this secret stronghold, prepared with such immense effort, was suddenly burglarized just days after Elham and the others arrived? If only a few trifles had been lost, Elham and his companions believed they could have managed. But those ruthless, pitiless scoundrels had ransacked three buildings, taking away everything of value!

Apart from some large pieces of furniture, all the precious treasures were stolen. How could Elham and the others explain this? They simply couldn’t! Not to mention other items, just the four vases passed down from the Dark Calendar era were things they could never hope to repay.

It was like tender young sprouts just emerging from the ground, not yet having had the chance to experience the beauty of the outside world, when a violent storm battered them, and a massive mountain pressed down upon them, nearly crushing them into dust.

Elham’s eyes grew warm; he wanted to cry out, but he couldn’t muster the tears.

Ya and Ling were at a loss; they also wanted to cry, but the last shred of their dignity told them they couldn’t break down here. Compared to Elham, the pressure on Ya and Ling was somewhat lighter because Elham was the captain of their team and would bear at least half of the responsibility. With half the burden shifted to Elham, the pressure on Ya, Ling, and Tolin was significantly reduced.

Moreover, Elham had several equally talented and outstanding brothers competing with one another, while Ya and Ling were only two sisters. They were the sole direct descendants of their family and, being rare twins of such beauty, no matter how you looked at it, their punishment wouldn’t be too severe.

So the two women managed to stand upright, but their minds buzzed chaotically, completely blank for a moment.

Lin Qi sighed and muttered quietly to Yulian, “This is truly horrifying. How could such a thing happen in the Imperial Capital? Such a fine mansion, how could it be stripped bare? Good heavens, how could something like this occur in the Imperial Capital?”

Lin Qi’s words also reminded Tixiang, who abandoned the dazed Elham and strode sternly toward the highest-ranking Copper Helmet officer present. Taking out his family insignia from his pocket and flashing it, Tixiang scolded harshly, “I am Earl Tixiang, a direct member of the Hualishi Family. What are you all doing? How could such a thing happen on Shenghui Avenue, in such an important location?”

Sweeping his hand around the area, Tixiang shouted angrily, “Are you all dead? Three buildings were cleaned out, and you didn’t hear a thing? What use is the Empire keeping you? You bunch of fools, good-for-nothings! I’ll give you three days. If you don’t recover the stolen goods, you…”

Tixiang didn’t finish his sentence, but the unfortunate Copper Helmet was already drenched in sweat, his forehead nearly touching the ground.

Earl Tixiang, a direct member of the Hualishi Family, was a person these unlucky Copper Helmets absolutely could not afford to offend. Not just the low-ranking officers present, but even their superiors, even the head of the Imperial Capital Guard Department, dared not cross Tixiang.

The highest-ranking official in the Imperial Capital Guard Department was merely a hereditary Viscount. In the face of a noble like Tixiang, a mere Viscount was someone who could be eliminated at any moment. Under Tixiang’s scolding, the officer could only nod repeatedly in agreement, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Rapid footsteps sounded as several Copper Helmets, clad in black beneath gray short cloaks, entered. These newly arrived Copper Helmets differed significantly in attire from their patrolling counterparts; at the very least, their caps weren’t copper helmets but flat, round gray hats. These were the investigative experts among the secret police, specifically tasked with solving major and important cases.

The Copper Helmets who patrolled daily were fierce enforcers, while these gray-capped ones were the brains directing those enforcers. Accompanying them were three slender black hounds. The moment these lively hounds entered the building, they began sniffing everywhere.

Tixiang smiled with satisfaction and said smugly to Elham, “Rest assured, I’ll keep an eye on this matter for you. No matter who dares to offend the honorable Miss Ya and Miss Ling, even if they flee to Hell, I’ll drag them out.”

Pointing triumphantly at the three hounds, Tixiang continued, “These are the highly prized ‘Long-Eared Foxhounds.’ Their sense of smell is the strongest among all hounds. They…”

Lin Qi shook his head gently. Using hounds to solve the case? Oh, poor little dogs, you’re in for some suffering!

Before Tixiang could finish, the three hounds let out piercing howls, suddenly leaping up seven or eight meters high, nearly hitting the ceiling. The poor dogs tumbled to the ground in a daze, then scrambled around blindly. Without watching where they were going, all three crashed into the wall simultaneously, their eyes rolling back as they knocked themselves out.

Even while unconscious, the three unfortunate dogs twitched violently, appearing to be in immense pain.

Lin Qi smirked maliciously. The Black Tiger Family were seasoned veterans; how could they leave such a glaring clue to be tracked? Early during their retreat, the three buildings had been sprinkled with a Secret Elixir made from tiger urine, bear urine, leopard urine, and certain rare herbs. Any hound that caught a whiff of this scent, perceivable only to them, would be terrified out of their wits and suffer severe nasal damage. It was like stuffing chili powder up a person’s nostrils—imagine how painful that would be.

Tixiang’s face instantly turned as dark as thunder. He roared in fury, “How are you investigating this case? Where did you get these three mutts?”

The newly arrived Copper Helmet investigators awkwardly picked up the three severely injured hounds. The leader tightly furrowed his brow, glanced around the ransacked hall, and shook his head. “Honorable sir, this case is not simple, not simple at all! The ones who did this are experts! Highly skilled experts!”

Tixiang and Elham both sucked in a sharp breath.