Chapter 52: Day of the Funeral
Tang Mu was still in shock when he attended Gong Qing's funeral at the chapel of one of the 4th district's public crematoriums three days later.
Even though he knew that there was something shady about the girl, he couldn't escape the familiar feeling of grief. He had to fight hard to hold back the tears every time his gaze landed on the closed casket resting on a simple stand at the front of the chapel. He was beside himself with sorrow and anguish as another person he knew had left the world forever.
Sitting beside him were the haggard-looking Hu Ning and the similarly grieving Huang An, all dressed in black. The former was a close friend of Gong Qing who wasn't aware of her dark side, while the latter was even one of the lovers of the peculiar girl. Their body language plainly expressed their grief. They were drowning in sadness as they quietly attended the funeral service.
Tang Mu sighed and swept his gaze all over the chapel. He could see that the funeral was small and close-knit, befitting a girl who had lived a relatively simple life as an orphan.
Her other hostel mates and classmates were obviously in attendance, along with a few public officials like the two detectives seated at the back. However, no siblings or relatives were sending her off.
As the minister began to speak, Tang Mu's mind drifted back to when he discovered Gong Qing's body lying lifelessly in the pool of blood in her room.
While in shock, he had broken his rule of not wanting to draw attention to himself and called the hotline of the police immediately. But he still didn't report that one of his hostel mates had died mysteriously, as he couldn't explain how he had peeked into her room without exposing his spiritual sense ability.
Instead, he just conveyed to the call operator the details he could observe with his routine senses, including how everything was silent as the grave around the place and that he couldn't reach Hu Wanjing, the hostel caretaker who had a habit of waking up early.
Surprisingly, the 4th district's police department reacted swiftly by sending emergency units to the hostel within minutes. The combat detectives, who happened to be psionics, had arrived first to secure the place and thus begun the long series of events that shook the neighborhood and the global media.
The rescue personnel, including the paramedics and the local firefighters, had been the next to arrive. They had gone around the hostel, successfully waking everyone knocked out by the incapacitating agent until they reached Gong Qing's residence. Like what they had done before, they knocked loudly and banged the door several times. But they got no answer and hacked the lock to access the place.
Upon entering, they discovered the girl's body lying in a pool of blood. They began working on her, noting the knife wounds on her wrists and neck, and within a short time frame, they came to an obvious conclusion. The victim was deceased and had most likely been murdered in cold blood.
It was then apparent that the situation was dire, and the rescue personnel worked even more swiftly to go through the other residences in the hostel. They eventually learned that Hu Ning was also missing and probably made the connection with the other case involving the two dead mysterious men and the aeromobil with the still unconscious kidnapped teenagers that had been reported to the police only minutes prior.
Tang Mu sighed again and returned his attention to the funeral service. The minister soon finished speaking, and the eulogies from others, including Hu Ning, Huang An, a few other acquaintances, and Tang Mu himself, followed.
As each person spoke, the grief in the room intensified until it was almost unbearable. Most nodded in agreement, tears streaming down their faces as they heard praises of Gong Qing's brave nature and her dedication to her friends.
Tang Mu felt out of sorts when it was his turn.
Although he was sad about Gong Qing's passing, he was still aware that she was somehow related to Hu Ning's attempted kidnap. He couldn't find the right words to eulogize her and, as such, didn't say much.
He only pointed out her bravery and resilience and wished her a peaceful and eternal rest. He then thanked all those who had come to send her off before retaking his seat.
The rest of the funeral moved forward smoothly until everything ended with the concealed cremation of the deceased's body. Most mourners soon departed, leaving only Tang Mu, Huang An, Hu Ning, Aunt Wanjing, and a few other hostel mates in the chapel.
Huang An immediately volunteered to remain behind and receive Gong Qing's ashes. He claimed that she always liked forests, and he would find a beautiful one and spread her remains there. Most others agreed and stayed behind to support him.
The exception was Tang Mu. The detectives who had sat at the back during the service had already notified him about wanting to talk to him. He had no issue with this, so he readily excused himself from the mourning group with a brief explanation before exiting the chapel.
The unforgiving noon sun immediately assaulted his eyes. He squinted them as he followed the path through the richly planted courtyard of the chapel before finding the detectives standing under the shade of a tree a few meters away from the disembarking pad.
"Tang Mu, we meet again," one of the detectives said with a smile. His name was Kang Song, and he was a big man with a tall build. He looked like a giant as he extended his hand towards Tang Mu.
Tang Mu nodded and shook the hand. Without saying anything, he then turned towards the other detective.
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She was Lee Dai, a slim and seemingly delicate woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail. She looked all professional and chick in her black lady's suit, high heels, and spectacles. Tang Mu similarly shook the hand of the lady detective before returning his gaze to Kang Song.
"We're so sorry for your loss," the tall detective began. "But we would like to ask you a few questions to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. We also want to unearth more info about the organization that tried to kidnap Hu Ning and the others before they can strike again."
"Go ahead," Tang Mu said, feeling tired. The detectives had questioned him three days ago. But here they were again to interrogate him about the same murder and its connection with Hu Ning's attempted kidnap.
Kang Song noticed his expression and said comfortingly, "We know you have been through a lot, especially after losing your friend. But please bear with us for a short while."
Tang Mu nodded again.
Kang Song immediately exchanged gazes with Lee Dai, his partner, and motioned for her to ask the questions.
Lee Dai nodded and locked eyes with Tang Mu. "Tang Mu! We already asked this question three days ago. But we'll ask again to make sure. Did you notice any abnormality with Gong Qing in the days leading to her death?"
Tang Mu sighed on hearing the question. He took a moment to organize some thoughts before choosing to disclose a bit of the truth. "I noticed one peculiarity. But I don't know whether I should say anything as this could tarnish Gong Qing's name when she has already left us."
"Don't worry!" Lee Dai assured. "Whatever we hear from you will remain confidential."
Tang Mu nodded. "The oddity I'm talking about was that I once saw Gong Qing kissing a man I couldn't identify. But at that time, I had also observed that she had an ambiguous relationship with Huang An. Huang An is the other friend of ours who is all muscles. He's still in the chapel."
"Oh!" Lee Dai nodded and tapped her smartwatch to produce two holographic images above it. One belonged to a plain man with average Asian features, while the other portrayed a bald Caucasian male with a prominent flaming tattoo covering a large part of his face.
Tang Mu felt uneasiness creeping into his heart after he looked at the two images. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the men depicted in the holograms.
They were the same enemies he had taken down three days ago. They were also the two men who had been constantly in the news after the police found their lifeless and mangled corpses beside an aeromobil with kidnapped teenagers.
Fortunately, no one could associate their death with Tang Mu yet, especially since he had removed all his traces from the battle scene in the forest. He was a bit relaxed as the story floated around the neighborhood, web forums, and even the global media was that a mysterious vigilante psionic had taken them down to save Hu Ning and the other kidnapped victims. As for what the official police, like the ones before him, thought of the matter, he couldn't begin to guess and had to remain careful before them.
"Do you recognize the two men?" Kang Song, the male detective who was keenly watching him, asked.
Tang Mu swallowed and nodded again. "I have seen the two men several times in the news over the past three days. The story is that they killed Gong Qing and tried to kidnap Hu Ning and the others. But a mysterious vigilante ended them before they could succeed."
Tang Mu then creased his brows and pointed at the hologram of the plain Asian guy with average features. "As for him, I think I had seen him before," he said in his most natural voice. "He might be the guy who was kissing Gong Qing. Who is he exactly?"
"His code name is Red Stalker, while his partner, the other guy, is Mystic Snake," Kang Song said, sighing. "They are both rank one psionics who are also subordinates of Crimson Blaze, one of the Crimsonblades of the Crimson Brotherhood."
"Oh," Tang Mu said with narrowed eyes. Fear fluttered in his stomach when he learned that the terrifying Crimson Brotherhood was the underworld organization that had tried to kidnap him and Hu Ning. He glanced at the detectives without masking his dread and asked, "Why are you telling me all this info that wasn't even in the news?"
Lee Dai, the lady detective, sighed. "We only wish to alert you about how serious the situation is. Aside from Red Stalker, have you seen any other suspicious individuals lingering around the hostel?"
"Never," Tang Mu answered.
Lee Dai's eyes flashed with a strange light, and she nodded again. "That's all. But we hope you can contact us if you think of any other information that can allow us to get to the bottom of this matter. You already have our contact info."
"Okay," Tang Mu agreed.
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Here was the living room of a cozy apartment in an unknown location of Asia Metropolitan Region's 4th district.
Everything inside, including the stylish decor and the eclectic furnishings, showcasing a blend of contemporary and vintage elements, projected how filthy rich the dwelling's owner must be. The curtains were all closed, but the many installed resplendent lights illuminated the spacious place, giving it a comfy and tranquil feel.
A naked beauty with an angelic oval face and long red hair cascading down her shoulders like a flaming waterfall was seated in one of the lavish three-seater sofas in the living room. Her captivating hourglass figure matched well with her breasts, which were as pointed as the peaks of Mount Everest. Everything about her was just alluring, and her nudeness had conjured a scene that could elicit fire in the belly of any male who cast her eyes upon her.
She was leaning back on the couch with her long legs spread apart, and between them was a young man in handcuffs licking away at the exposed sensitive spot at the center. She didn't let out any sound as she continued relishing the feeling of being eaten out by her slave until the holo-tab on the table beside her started ringing.
"Who's disturbing my relaxation time?" She mumbled in annoyance and kicked the young male slave away. She then draped a gown around her gorgeous body before picking up the holo-tab and glancing at the screen.
The person calling was one of her subordinates. It was the person she had entrusted with an important task only a day ago. So, she readily pressed the accept button and allowed the hologram of the middle-aged man with a prominent beard to flicker into existence from the holo-tab.
"Your eminence, Crimson Blaze," the man spoke first without daring to look directly at the woman. "I found the information you requested."
Crimson Blaze nodded and motioned for her subordinate to continue.
"Both Red Stalker and Mystic Snake had gone to the Yunfu Residential Zone to capture some new recruits. But the information floating around is that they were unlucky to encounter a powerful vigilante psionic, who ended them before they could put up a fight."
Crimson Blaze's pretty face creased into a frown. "Who's this vigilante, and how dare he interrupt our business?"
"We're still trying to unearth the vigilante's identity," the man replied. "We have even activated all our spies in the Federal Mercenary Guild and the police to find out who the person is."
"Good," Crimson Blaze nodded. "If you discover any clues, activate all our personnel in the 4th district to corner the vigilante. I want to see the person dead or alive here before me. And don't forget to investigate the details of all those recruits that Red Stalker and Mystic Snake had gone out to capture. The vigilante could be related to one of them."
"Yes, your eminence," the man said with a deep bow. His holographic image then flickered out of existence, leaving the whole place in silence.
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