After returning to his school dormitory, Chen Chuan called the Patrol Bureau to report the incident with the crossbow arrow. After all, someone had shot one at him, which was quite rude.

He washed up and went to bed.

The next day, it was only after he finished training that he called Cheng Zitong to discuss the Skull Splitting Demon. However, their conversation didn’t answer any of his questions; instead, it left him with even more.

That evening, a little after nine o’clock, the phone suddenly rang.

He walked over and picked up the receiver. It was Ren Shu’s voice. "Expert Chen, the Blood Mark Gang got in touch again. They say another one of their bosses had his brain removed by the Skull Splitting Demon and they want us to take a look at the scene."

Chen Chuan’s interest was piqued. "Where is it?"

"It’s an underground arena run by the Blood Mark Gang, located on the border of Bao Feng District and Daping District. It’s not far from Wuyi."

That sounded a bit familiar to Chen Chuan. "What’s the dead boss’s name?"

"Fu Shouxin."

’So it’s him.’

Chen Chuan nodded. He had actually met the man before. Back when he and Ren Xiaotian were on an assignment to retrieve a rich man’s daughter, it was at this very venue that he watched Ren Xiaotian pull out a gun, forcing Fu Shouxin to hand the girl over. He never expected the Skull Splitting Demon would target this man too.

After a moment’s thought, he said, "I’ll go take a look." After hanging up, he thought for a bit more, then made another call to the Baofeng District Patrol Bureau. Only then did he grab his Snow Monarch Blade and leave the school.

When he reached the entrance, Master Xiaowei was already waiting. Chen Chuan got in the car, and just over ten minutes later, they arrived near the underground arena.

Although it was only nine-thirty, the area outside the venue was brightly lit. The square was densely packed with hundreds of cars, surrounded by members of the Blood Mark Gang, some sitting, some standing. Each wore clothing with five blood-red slash marks on the chest, and they had various daggers and weapons tucked into their belts or held in their hands.

Master Xiaowei was alarmed. He looked back and asked, "Expert Chen?"

Chen Chuan was perfectly calm. "It’s fine. Drive on."

Master Xiaowei agreed and slowed the car slightly, driving toward the square. When the Blood Mark Gang members saw them, a few of the ones nearby started to swarm the car, but they were quickly shouted back. A burly man stepped forward, his chest bare. The hair around his temples was shaved, leaving just a patch on top.

Chen Chuan waited for the car to stop before getting out. The burly man walked up, looked him up and down, and jutted his chin at him. "Expert Chen?"

Chen Chuan said, "I am."

"My boss has been waiting a long time for you. Follow me." The man beckoned to him and headed into the venue first.

Chen Chuan turned to Xiaowei in the car. "Master Xiaowei, you can head back for now. I’ll call you when I’m done."

Driver Xiaowei didn’t try to act tough. "Alright, Expert Chen."

Chen Chuan strode forward, carrying the Snow Monarch Blade, and followed the man into the venue. It was also full of Blood Mark Gang members, but they seemed to be divided into two groups. One group was squatting in a corner, while the other was guarding them, occasionally walking over to deliver a kick.

He asked, "Who is your boss?"

The man said, "Ever heard of the Blood Mark Gang’s Five Claws?"

Chen Chuan replied, "I’ve heard of them."

The Blood Mark Gang was a gang. Although they ran legitimate businesses, their public image was ultimately one of violence. The so-called Five Claws were their five best fighters. It was said that one of them had even been an instructor at Wuyi.

The man jerked his thumb upstairs. "My boss is one of the Five Claws, Zhuo Bao."

Chen Chuan had only heard of the Five Claws and hadn’t looked into who the members were, so he just grunted in acknowledgment. The man seemed displeased by his flat reaction, muttered something under his breath, and quickened his pace up the stairs. He led him directly to the room where Fu Shouxin had met Ren Xiaotian last time.

The man told him, "He’s inside." He pushed open the door and called out, "Boss, he’s here."

Inside, a man in his thirties was slouched on the sofa to the left. He leaned casually, his elbow on the armrest, the web of his hand held open just below his nose.

He was wearing an unbuttoned shirt that revealed a muscular chest scarred with five red gashes. When he heard the call from outside, his head didn’t turn, but his gaze shifted instantly to Chen Chuan. The cold light in his eyes felt extremely dangerous.

He watched him for a moment before speaking. "Since you’re here, take a look."

The subordinate turned back. "Expert Chen, my boss said to take a look. Please, go ahead."

Chen Chuan walked over, glancing at the corner where several more Blood Mark Gang members were squatting. He paid them no mind and continued forward. In an armchair directly opposite, a person was still sitting.

The man’s hands were resting on the armrests, his head lolled back, and his mouth was wide open. As Chen Chuan approached, he could see clearly that the upper half of the man’s skull had been split in two.

This was the very same Fu Shouxin he had met before. He was still dressed in a respectable imported suit, his leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine, and his fingernails were specially manicured.

After a glance, he walked behind the armchair. Looking down, he could see clearly that the inside of the head was completely empty, yet there were no bloodstains, almost identical to what he had seen in the photos.

’I remember what he said last time we parted... something about never wanting to see us again? Hmm, in a way, he kept his promise. He lived up to his name.’

He returned his attention to the back of Fu Shouxin’s head, staring into the empty skull for a moment before asking, "When was he discovered?"

The man snapped to attention and yelled at the gang members squatting in the corner, "He’s asking you! When was he discovered?"

One of the members said, "It was, uh, it was two hours ago."

The man repeated to Chen Chuan, "Two hours ago."

Chen Chuan observed the state of Fu Shouxin’s body; not much time had passed, indeed. He checked his Second Self, but there were no signs of it fading.

’Every supernatural phenomenon I’ve encountered so far has involved a unique type of encroachment, which more or less caused my Second Self to show signs of fading. But I don’t see that here. Is it because the phenomenon itself is already gone?’

However, last time he had only seen photos. This time, upon closer inspection, he discovered from the marks that the skull seemed to have been broken open from the *inside*, not from the outside as he’d previously thought. It was as if the brain had simply run out on its own. That, on the other hand, did resemble the unique signs of a supernatural phenomenon—something hard to explain with common sense.

He asked, "Where had he been before this?"

The man yelled at the underlings below, "He’s asking you!"

"Nowhere. The boss has been here all month. He hasn’t gone out."

Chen Chuan asked again, "Then has anyone come to visit in the last month?"

Before the man could yell at him again, the underling rushed to answer, "Yes, yes! Several of the gang’s bosses came by. They drank together and watched the matches."

At that moment, Zhuo Bao, who was still on the sofa, suddenly spoke up. "Which ones?"

"Boss Han, Tie Boss, and, uh, Boss Xiao. Right, and Boss Liu..." With help from the other underlings, he ended up naming six or seven people.

Chen Chuan asked for more details and discovered that three of the names mentioned were the very same Blood Mark Gang bosses previously "visited" by the Skull Splitting Demon. ’A coincidence? Or is there another reason?’

’Did they encounter someone during their gathering? If so, does that mean the remaining survivors are next?’

’Although he thought this, he didn’t offer a warning.’ 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

’It’s hard to be sure, and it’s not like the Blood Mark Gang members wouldn’t figure it out themselves. Besides, while not every single one of them is scum, none of them are good people. Especially the bosses. If you lined them all up and shot them, you wouldn’t be punishing a single innocent man.’

He stared at the skull for a while longer. He didn’t know why, but he had a gut feeling this wasn’t a supernatural phenomenon. He couldn’t explain it, but the feeling was there.

But he had another way to verify it.

When it came to supernatural phenomena, or people and objects affected by them, as long as not too much time had passed, you could bring out a Lost Object from another phenomenon. If there was a faint reaction upon contact, you could basically confirm you were dealing with a supernatural event.

This was especially true for items left behind by more powerful phenomena.

This method had been developed by those who dealt with supernatural phenomena in the past. After all, they didn’t have a Second Self and could only rely on such means. While not one hundred percent accurate, it had been proven to be effective.

He had brought something with him for this very purpose.

He took a lock of hair out of his pocket. It was from the Flying Head Monster. He wrapped it around his fingers a few times, then reached out and probed the inside of Fu Shouxin’s head.

Seeing this, the subordinate involuntarily grimaced. The underlings’ eyes went wide. Only Zhuo Bao, still sitting on the sofa, showed no reaction.

Chen Chuan held his hand there for a moment. When he pulled it out, there had been no reaction whatsoever.

Now he could be almost certain: this had little to do with a supernatural phenomenon. Trying to find the culprit using methods for dealing with such things would be impossible.

In that case, this matter was no longer within his jurisdiction.

He quickly put the lock of hair away and said, "This was likely not caused by a supernatural phenomenon. If you want to find the killer, you should think about who you might have offended recently."

With that, he picked up his Snow Monarch Blade and walked straight toward the exit. The subordinate was at a loss. He looked left and right, then scratched his head. "He’s just leaving?"

Just as Chen Chuan was about to reach the door, Zhuo Bao’s voice came from behind him. "Wait."

Zhuo Bao stood up from the sofa. It wasn’t obvious when he was sitting, but once on his feet, he was about the same height as Chen Chuan. He stood there and said, "My brothers waited for you all this time, and you just drop a line and walk out? Are you looking down on the Blood Mark Gang?"

Chen Chuan said, "I’ve already given you an answer. This was not caused by a supernatural phenomenon."

Zhuo Bao gestured with his hand, and the man beside him immediately handed him a cigarette and lit it. Zhuo Bao took a drag, then exhaled a long plume of smoke. "Who the fuck cares if it’s the Skull Splitting Demon or something else? Since you’re the expert, you have to find the killer for me!"

Hearing this, Chen Chuan turned around. His voice was calm as he said, "I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood something. I didn’t come here to solve your problems, nor did I come to find your killer. I was only interested in the supernatural phenomenon itself. As for the Blood Mark Gang’s affairs, they have nothing to do with me."

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