Apocalypse: Grinding EXP through Hunting

Chapter 270: Chapter 233: The Blame is Pinned, Setting up Lin Shi

"I lost him! Damn it! A Peak Sixth-Grade master, some expert from the Wind Division who came out of nowhere. He ran faster than a goddamn rabbit and seriously injured two of our brothers!" The Sixth-Grade master who had just entered was covered in dust and spoke in a rush.

He was the first person from the Giant Rock Gang to trace the suspect here.

He was also the first to discover the mysterious Sixth-Grade master in the secret room underground.

The two clashed briefly before the mysterious Sixth-Grade master fled.

At the time, the Fifth-Grade masters from the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall hadn’t been deployed yet.

Shi Lei roared, "Use the Red Bee King’s Tracking! Find him even if you have to chase him to the ends of the earth!"

Shui Qianjun seized the opportunity to distance himself from the matter.

"All of my Black Water Gang’s Sixth-Grade masters are accounted for. Did you get a clear look at his face?

Was he one of my men?

Can you be certain the one who escaped is responsible for this?"

The Sixth-Grade master from Giant Rock thought for a moment before replying, "I know all the Sixth-Grade masters in the Black Water Gang. It certainly wasn’t one of them. What’s more, this man seemed determined to fight his way out. The moment he saw me, he attacked. After forcing me back, he fled for his life. It’s clear he’d been preparing his escape for a long time! By the time the Red Bee King caught up, his scent was already faint. He can also travel on the wind, making him impossible to track!"

"Son of a bitch! He was prepared! This won’t do! Keep after him! Don’t stop!" Shi Lei smashed the tea table beside him to pieces with a single palm strike.

Tea and ceramic shards scattered across the floor.

Shui Qianjun tried to placate him. "He’s at the Peak of Sixth Grade and from the Wind Division. Even you and I can’t guarantee we could capture him."

"Old Shui! Cut the crap and stop playing the good guy! The man was found here, and this so-called ’great disciple’ of yours is stammering and hedging. You owe me an explanation for this!"

Shi Lei directed his fury at Shui Qianjun.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

Only Tang Wen felt a great weight lift from his shoulders.

’It’s good that the Sixth-Grade master escaped.’

’Now that he’s gone, the blame is securely pinned on him.’

’The blame has been shifted, but other questions immediately surfaced in his mind, impossible to ignore.’

’Why was the Purple Pearl Honey, which I took on a whim, so important?’

’The Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall dispatched four Fifth-Grade masters, each carrying an Extraordinary Red Hummingbird.’

’Yet no one else, not even a powerhouse at the Peak of Sixth Grade, had an Extraordinary Red Hummingbird with them.’

’Why?’

’Was it simply because they were in short supply?’

Tang Wen had a sharp feeling that there was a huge secret at play here.

Shui Qianjun knew he couldn’t evade responsibility, so he ignored Shi Lei’s tone. "Old Stone, don’t worry. But didn’t your men just find a jar of it?"

The Sixth-Grade master from the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall had already secured the scene before they arrived, so they weren’t clear on the specifics.

"It’s not enough. Not nearly enough," Shi Lei said, suppressing his anger. "I’ll take you to see for yourself later. Then you’ll know just how much is missing. We didn’t mobilize all these people just to slander someone! Old Shui, you and I are friends. This is a truly serious matter!"

Shui Qianjun nodded, his expression grave.

Shi Lei was in charge now. If it had been some Fifth-Grade master, the two sides might have already had to settle things on the fighting stage.

With the Sixth-Grade master gone and no one from the Huang Family present, Zhao Zhe knew fear. "Gang Leader, Elder Shi, I didn’t know! I swear, I didn’t know anything! I’ve been framed! This is a terrible injustice!"

A sharp glint flashed in Shi Lei’s eyes. "Framed?! Then tell us, who was living in that room underground?"

Normally, he should have shown Shui Qianjun some deference and not questioned Zhao Zhe directly.

But the culprit had escaped. Even the Red Hummingbirds couldn’t find him, making the chances of capture slim. Zhao Zhe was now the only breakthrough.

Zhao Zhe’s mouth opened and closed, then opened again, as if he’d suddenly been struck dumb.

Sensing something, Tang Wen sent a mental message to the Gang Leader. "Master, Zhao Zhe is clearly afraid of something. That man’s identity must be a huge problem."

Shui Qianjun was taken aback, his reply coming as a mental message of his own. "Kid, you broke through to the Extraordinary realm?"

"Yes, just a few days ago. My senior martial sister knows. I was going to tell you once my cultivation stabilized."

Shui Qianjun’s frayed nerves were finally soothed by a sliver of comfort. ’Zhao Zhe is a disappointment, but at least I have another disciple who shows promise!’

He bellowed, "Zhao Zhe, are you holding something back? Are you afraid you’ll be killed if you talk?"

With a bitter expression, Zhao Zhe nodded frantically. "Gang Leader, save me."

"Fuck!" Shi Lei raised his hand, about to slam it down again. The gust from his palm hit empty air, and he remembered the tea table was already in pieces.

Shui Qianjun said, "Everyone, each faction will leave two representatives. The rest will wait outside. Vice Gang Leader Zhao, please attend to our guests in the outer room."

The members of the Horse Gang, Boat Gang, and the Association filed out, leaving only those at the Fifth or Sixth Grade.

The Black Water Gang and the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall also dismissed all but their Elders and Vice Gang Leaders.

The only exceptions were Tang Wen and Shui Yun.

Once the others had left, the bedroom felt slightly more spacious.

"Speak!"

Zhao Zhe gritted his teeth. "Huang the Seventeenth Lang!"

The name seemed to hold a demonic power.

Shui Qianjun, who had been sitting in his chair, swayed and then roared in fury, "What? How could you... How could you dare!"

"Gang Leader! I had no choice! The Huang Family put pressure on me, I could only comply!"

There was a member of the Huang Family present as well. Feeling all eyes on him, he immediately clarified their position.

"After Huang Shiqi committed such vile deeds, how could our Huang Family possibly shelter him?

Zhao Zhe, who pressured you into taking in that beast?

Give us a name, and I will bring them here to face you directly.

And you needn’t worry about retaliation!

The Huang Family wants to eliminate this disgrace of a son. We want him dead more than any of you!"

’Huang the Seventeenth Lang?’

Tang Wen, enjoying the show, nudged the back of Shui Yun’s smooth hand.

Shui Yun whispered, "Huang the Seventeenth Lang... yes, a traitor to the Huang Family.

He slept with his father’s concubines and his own stepmothers, tortured and murdered five of his biological and clan brothers, and beat his own uncle and grand-uncle to death.

He also wiped out dozens of members from two other major families and has had conflicts with the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall and the Association.

That’s what we know. There are likely other atrocities that the Huang Family has covered up."

Tang Wen was speechless. ’...Damn.’

’What a savage.’

’No wonder he’s got a face full of scars.’