Chapter 50: Cleaning the Battle Scene
A complicated feeling hit Tang Mu when he caught sight of the aeromobil's interior.
His eyes narrowed, and his face contorted with apprehension. He was so appalled as he instantly realized that he might have just made enemies with a terrifying organization that majored in kidnapping teenagers. Strangely enough, he was also relieved as he had been there in the right place at the right time to prevent the disaster of losing one of his close friends forever.
What matters is that she's safe!
Tang Mu's eyes softened as they once again landed on the visage of the unconscious Hu Ning. The small girl was as cute as ever, with her long black hair tied into a ponytail and her adorable face glowing in the morning light trickling into the aeromobil's interior. The only blemishes on her overall image were the traces of dirt on her pink pajamas and the handcuffs securing her delicate arms to the side of the vehicle.
Tang Mu felt even more sorry for her when he realized she was sleeping in an uncomfortable posture on the cold floor of the aeromobil. He subconsciously extended his hands, desiring to help her out of the handcuffs. But just as abruptly, his thoughts cleared, and he stopped himself.
He knew that immediately rescuing Ning'er was naturally the most humane way forward. But he also understood that the feat would also complicate the circumstances.
Firstly, he would increase the chances of leaving DNA evidence if he came into close contact with the captives. Secondly, he would also have to explain his circumstances and clarify why he was at the scene to Ning'er while calming her down after she woke up. All this process would take a lot of time and increase his risk of exposure. Moreover, the other victims could also wake up while he was at it and cause even more problems.
Tang Mu sighed with helplessness. More than ever, he was more intent on hiding his abilities from the authorities and other parties. He wanted to stay low profile as long as possible, especially since he had just killed two men with mysterious origins. He didn't wish to leave any clues for the woman who had just threatened him to unearth his identity.
Rescuing the victims isn't a good idea. I guess I'll have to leave everything to the police.
Tang Mu shook his head and turned toward the other three girls and two boys held captive in the van-shaped aeromobil's interior. He couldn't recognize any of them, meaning they were neither from his hostel nor the 4th high school. The men had probably kidnapped them from some other place before transporting them to the forest near his hostel.
After confirming that the teenagers were not about to regain consciousness, Tang Mu swept his spiritual sense through the whole interior of the aeromobil. The unique outer body of the vehicle that could block his perception captivated him to a certain extent. But since time was tight, he again forced himself to ignore the peculiarity before continuing his investigation.
He inspected every nook and cranny of the flying vehicle, including under the seats and the glove compartments. But once again, he didn't find anything useful, save for a gigantic machete and a runic dagger.
He used his gloved hands to retrieve the two weapons before stowing them into Star Orb storage space. Then, he quietly closed the vehicle and moved away from it while considering his next course of action.
There aren't any clues about the men in the aeromobil. But since I already know the code name of one of the men, I'll start from there and hopefully find more clues.
Maybe I can also rely on the Federal Mercenary Guild's intranet to find more hints.
Tang Mu made a few plans in his mind. It was at that moment that a light bulb went on his mind. He shook his head with a downcast smile and contacted Little Green with his thoughts.
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"Little Green, are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here," she replied. "What's the matter?"
"Didn't you detect the man who had intruded into my room before you sent me out of the Star God Pagoda?"
"I noticed him," she said. "But I didn't alert you."
"Why? I could have died, you know!" Tang Mu said with bitterness.
Little Green chuckled. "There are a few things you must understand. Firstly, I'm not your bodyguard or crisis detector, and I won't always be available to remind you about all the imminent dangers that come your way."
"Secondly, you must learn to rely on yourself, so don't expect me to help you out of precarious situations. Doing this will also allow you to grow into a strong-willed powerhouse who can handle significant responsibilities in the future."
"And thirdly, remember all this is not just my will alone. It's also a directive left by Lord Father when he handed me the management rights of the Star God Pagoda. I cannot defy his instructions and help you whenever you face peril. That's except in very few special circumstances."
"I see," Tang Mu said with a sigh. He picked up the two holographic smartwatches he had retrieved from the mysterious men and continued communicating with Little Green.
"You once said that you were an AI. Is that right?"
"You could say that," she replied.
"Can you help me with these two holographic smartwatches? I hope to unlock them without destroying the information stored within their memory banks. I also wish to deactivate all the elements which can allow the owner to track me through them."
"That's very simple," Little Green said with pride. "I'll help. Just place the watches in the Star Orb storage space. But this will be the last time I aid you. That's unless you can clear the first level painting of the Celestial Gallery and become a true Star God legatee."
"I'm really grateful. Thanks a lot," Tang Mu said and did as instructed. He hurriedly stowed the two smartwatches into the Star Orb storage space to enable Little Green to work on them before breathing a sigh of relief and observing his surroundings again.
The forest was growing brighter by the minute, with the speckled rays of the just risen sun shining through the trees and creating mysterious shadows on the ground.
The morning was also getting busier, and from a distance, the flurry of activity typical of Asia Metropolitan Region's 4th district was intensifying. Many more aeromobils were already airborne, with some occasionally flying a few dozen meters above the forest canopy.
Tang Mu perceived all this with his keen senses and knew he had to act fast or face the risk of exposure. His next order of business was to clean up the scene and ensure he had left no evidence that could tie him to the place. He had to be thorough to avoid drawing any suspicion from the organization behind the kidnappings and the police's forensic experts.
Over the past few days, he had gotten more proficient with using his spiritual sense ability. He had learned that it could work like a true-blue magnifying ability that would glean more details from the surroundings if he concentrated it on a smaller scope of perception.
For instance, he would detect many more particulars from his surroundings if he only extended it for just 5 square meters instead of unfurling it to its one-kilometer limit. Moreover, if he concentrated on a much smaller spot, he could even perceive the minuscule details like the tiniest veins on the leaves, the etchings on the surface of small insect bodies, and other minute components making up the world around him.
The only facets he couldn't sense with his mighty perception were those at the microscopic level. But he felt that he would at one point be able to use his ability to perceive those infinitesimal details if his mental strength and spiritual sense continued growing stronger.
Armed with this potent spiritual sense, Tang Mu retraced all his steps around the forest and ensured he hadn't left any DNA traces. He even picked up the tiny hairs that had dropped between the trees when he dodged the bullet from the mysterious man before returning to the scene with the corpses.
He forced himself to withstand the bloody sight and concentrated his spiritual sense into the immediate 5 square meter area. He again used the perception ability to inspect the scene around the mangled bodies until he ensured there was no evidence to pin him to the place. Lastly, he followed the directions in his memory and swiftly retrieved the three arrows he had shot out before finally allowing himself to relax.
Why do I feel like an experienced criminal?
Such a thought flashed through Tang Mu's mind. He shook his head and stowed the arrows back into the Star Orb storage space. Then, he started walking back towards the clearing while unfurling his spiritual sense to its full extent.
But just after walking a few meters through the trees, his eyes narrowed when he caught a particular detail in his perception scope. He immediately stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that a young couple holding hands had entered deep into the forest.
They were heading straight toward the clearing beside the small stream, and if they didn't change their walking course, they would soon see the two mangled corpses and the parked van-shaped aeromobil holding Ning'er and the other victims.