From Abyssal Invasion to Bursting Stars with a Single Sword

Mingqiong District Case 302 Hearing.

This hearing was attended by representative from the legislative, supervisory, and investigative bodies.

It was essentially equivalent to the Abyss Era's "Three Law Departments Tribunal."

However, the hearing was not a prosecutorial process, but rather a session to hear descriptions of objective facts and discuss whether to proceed to further prosecution.

Thus, this hearing did not involve judgment, but it would impact the direction of subsequent case handling.

That night, dozens of Fusang people died, and an explanation was undoubtedly necessary.

Therefore, Lu Heng sat calmly at the very center of the hearing, surrounded by people from the Three Law Departments.

Apart from the representatives of the Three Law Departments, one more person sat in the last row of seats, tucked away in the far corner.

Jian Qing, a lieutenant in the special forces.

Following the Liu River mist crisis, she had received a first-class merit award, no longer a second lieutenant but promoted to lieutenant.

She sat there carelessly, legs crossed, hands resting on her thighs, looking unconcerned as she watched the hearing.

The hearing began.

The prosecutor in charge of questioning started, "Where were you on the evening of the 2nd this month?"

Lu Heng was dissatisfied with the opening question, "On the evening of the 2nd, I was the one who encountered the Fusang assassins, no need to ask, I admit it."

Prosecutor, "Why did the conflict occur?"

The questioning had just started, but Lu Heng wasn't interested in answering one question after another.

So, Lu Heng decided to end the hearing with a single statement.

Lu Heng stood up, took out a piece of paper, and shook it as he said, "I suggest everyone look at what's written here. After reading it, I'll explain a bit more, and then we can end this boring meeting."

The officials of the Three Law Departments exchanged glances and took turns reading the paper's contents.

On the paper were details about the "Soul Capturing Monster," and the expressions on their faces varied as they read about this creature.

After they had all finished reading, Lu Heng continued, "This is an Abyss Demon controlled by a superpower user from Fusang, just as the information states, the Soul Capturing Monster can control anyone, including those present here..."

At this point, the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift, sending shivers down the spines of the officials seated there.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Heng went on, "Not only those present here but also those of higher ranks than yours, even the highest among them.

"If I've guessed correctly, the political figures in Fusang have already been controlled by the Soul Capturing Monster, and the unfolding events will certainly get more interesting.

"Among those who died on the night of the 2nd was a Fusang person named Sato Ichiro, whose class is 'Soul Reaper,' and he was the main person controlling the Soul Capturing Monster.

"As for whether there are other Fusang people who can control the Soul Capturing Monster, you all might want to guess for yourselves.

"Alright, I've laid out the information, can we conclude this hearing now?"

This statement completely unsettled the officials from the Three Law Departments.

If this intelligence was true, it was terrifying.

Currently, the event of the Soul Capturing Monster controlling Fusang political figures hadn't erupted, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened.

One year after the Abyss invasion, an incident involving the Soul Capturing Monster controlling Fusang political figures would burst into the open.

That moment would be when the event was exposed.

This means that the Soul Capturing Monster had already been controlling Fusang's political figures for some time, though it was unclear when it started.

But one thing was certain, Sato Ichiro had already acquired the ability to control the Soul Capturing Monster.

Perhaps, at this point in time, Fusang political figures were already under the control of the Soul Capturing Monster.

A nation's political figures being controlled could shake the foundations of its destiny.

Is there still the mood to hold a hearing now?

The officials of the Three Law Departments exchanged opinions and unanimously agreed to end the hearing.

The hearing had just started when it abruptly ended.

When the presiding officer announced the end of the hearing, Jian Qing stood up from the back row, clacking her boots down the steps of the auditorium, and approached Lu Heng.

She reached out to straighten Lu Heng's attire, then stepped back and said, "This occasion is a bit unique. However, I'm heading back soon, so let's handle this matter here. It's quite a formal occasion, anyway."

Officials from the Three Law Departments were still organizing documents and materials on the table, not leaving the meeting room yet, suddenly saw a lieutenant coming down, all somewhat perplexed.

Jian Qing flattened Lu Heng's clothes, stepped back, saluted with a "snap" and then produced a medal, announcing:

"Lu Heng, in the Liu River rescue operation, exhibited superior talent and selfless dedication, earning first-class merit for both the group and individually. I hereby award this medal to honor this merit, responsibility, and legacy, inspiring successors to pursue excellence and courageously accept responsibilities. Salute!"

Snap!

After the announcement, Jian Qing stepped forward again, placed a medal on Lu Heng's left chest, and said, "The group medal is with me, come over anytime if you want a photo together. Alright, I'm in a hurry, I'm off."

After handing out the medal, Jian Qing waved her hand and left.

This left the officials from the Three Law Departments somewhat dazed.

They were increasingly unclear as to what this hearing was actually for.

A lieutenant personally came to award medals, and right off the bat, it was a first-class merit award for both group and individual.

To the officials from the Three Law Departments present, it was clear enough, a group first-class merit was one thing, but individual first-class was another.

For instance, a research team that made epoch-defining scientific achievements did not need to reach the level of "two bombs and one satellite"; results just a level or two lower could earn a group first-class merit.

Personal first-class merit was harder to achieve.

Even if someone had distinguished themselves in the military, it was very difficult to achieve first-class merit.

There was even a jesting saying that being alive made it hard to earn first-class merit; if someone died in the line of duty, the combination of the act and the sacrifice could increase the likelihood of a posthumous first-class merit award.

But now, Lu Heng was alive and well, without any injuries; what had he done to receive this individual first-class merit medal?

Lu Heng hadn't expected to wear the medal at such a "formal" event.

Just how rushed was she?

...

After the hearing, Iron Blood experienced some agitation.

The existence of the Soul Capturing Monster genuinely frightened some people.

The higher-ups issued a red-headed document, ordering Iron Blood to thoroughly investigate the Soul Capturing Monster incident.

Since the Soul Capturing Monster had come from Fusang, businesses, organizations, and forces related to Fusang were the main focus of the investigation.

In particular, Chunshang Group was almost hung out to dry.

Everyone who had come into contact with Sato Ichiro was detained and rigorously interrogated to uncover the origins of the Soul Capturing Monster.

Although Sato Ichiro had entered the country secretly, he had definitely made contact with some people once inside.

Under Iron Blood's intense investigation, clues were still uncovered.

This led to the discovery of incriminating evidence against Chunshang Group, and under the charges of endangering national security, all of Chunshang Group's companies within the borders of Da Xia were seized.

This multinational conglomerate, which once called the shots in the Coastal region, had finally reached its end.

However, since Chunshang Group was a multinational conglomerate, Da Xia could only seize the companies within its borders; it had no jurisdiction over foreign enterprises.

After this event, Chunshang Group completely withdrew from Da Xia.

Originally, to obstruct the development of Hengyu, Chunshang Group had used various legitimate and illegitimate competitive means, severely blocking Hengyu's development.

Now, with Chunshang Group out of the picture,

Hengyu officially dominated the Quenching market, leaving other competitors with no means to contend.

As the seven-month mark of the Abyss Descent approached, the mysterious mist continued to expand worldwide.

Not every region had the capability to clear the mist, compressing humanity's living space.

Da Xia began initiating the Base City plan in preparation for the future.

Without long-term considerations, there must be short-term anxieties, so the Base City plan was an essential move.

The sites for the Base Cities in major cities had not yet been determined; this news circulated only among the higher echelons.

Even so, it caused undercurrents in all the major cities.

Once the Base City plan was confirmed, it meant that the locations chosen for the Base Cities would become incredibly valuable.

...

Recently, Lin Zeyu encountered a peculiar situation.

Several groups that had partnerships with the Lin family approached him, hoping to purchase buildings at Qionghua Tianglu Lake.

Having listened to Lu Heng earlier, Lin Zeyu had acquired half of the Qionghua Tianglu District and also invested in several surrounding districts.

Lin Zeyu wasn't particularly attached to these properties and would sell them if there was a need for funds.

Moreover, the company did indeed need funding currently.

However, suddenly having several inquiries was somewhat unusual.

Thus, he decided on the spot to hold on to the properties for a while longer to see how things would unfold.

Besides, he didn't have the time to deal with this matter recently, as he was acquiring quenching materials to upgrade the weapons for the three-person team.

Lu Heng's Aurora Blade had already reached a Quenching Level of 9 and therefore did not require further quenching.

Both Su Muyu's crossbow and Lin Zeyu's sniper rifle were at Quenching Level 6.

As the number of high-level Superpower Users increased, so did the demand for weapon quenching.

The price of quenching materials had skyrocketed.

If it hadn't been for bringing their weapons to Quenching Level 6 quite early on, they would now find purchasing materials far more difficult, with costs several times higher.

Currently, 30% of Hengyu's shares belonged to the team, held by Su Muyu.

These 30% shares were dedicated to team development.

The team's weapon and equipment upgrades were primarily funded by the dividends from these shares.

This was critical for rapidly building the team's strength.

In addition to weapon quenching, Lin Zeyu was also on the lookout for suitable Skill Crystal Cores.

Last time in the Abyss Battlefield, he completed a World Task and acquired an additional Skill Slot, but he hadn't yet found a suitable skill.

Mainly because he wanted too much, it was a bit like being spoiled for choice.

He had acquired a few Skill Crystal Cores on the Crystal Core Dark Network, planning to bring them to Quenching Castle when he went, to have Lu Heng help him decide.