Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 317 - 301: Above the Abyss, or...

Gong Qi burst into hearty laughter, then expressed slight concern:

"But if you do this, I’m afraid the warden might have a hard time. If he can’t withstand it and gets pulled down from his chair, what will you do?"

Although Gong Qi still didn’t understand what his junior apprentice was scheming, he could see clearly that the junior was currently on the warden’s side.

If the junior apprentice doesn’t solve the case, it would be like undermining the warden all the time.

Gong Qi naturally wasn’t worried about the warden himself. He was worried that if the junior apprentice played it too dangerously, he might end up getting burned.

Feng Mu shrugged with a smile: "Senior brother’s worries are not without reason. So, in a few days, I’ll throw out the murderer to boost our warden’s morale."

Gong Qi was stunned: "Wouldn’t throwing out the murderer mean solving the case?"

The smile on Feng Mu’s lips broadened further. He quickened his pace and answered his senior brother’s doubt with ease:

"Who said this case can only have one murderer? For such a serious crime, how could one person carry it alone? It must be a group crime to make sense.

So, catching one murderer doesn’t solve the case; it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The real show is just beginning."

Gong Qi’s eyes shone brighter, feeling glad he volunteered like a clingy bandaid to stick with the junior apprentice. The coming days were about to get interesting.

What Gong Qi didn’t know was that his junior only told him half of what he intended, leaving the other half unsaid.

The half left unsaid was: Just encouraging isn’t enough; he still needs to pour fuel on the warden, the kind that ignites instantly and explodes with a bang!!!

In Feng Mu’s eyes, Warden Qian Huan was truly pushed to the brink this time.

After all, the entire Death Row was to be erased. This scapegoat carried hundreds of lives, not something that can be shrugged off or cleaned with a few words.

And even if Feng Mu solved the case and caught one, no, even if he caught ten murderers, it might still not be enough.

To resolve this deadlock, one must really... "die" once!

Feng Mu withdrew his thoughts, walked over to a group of "Wang Congs," and before they could speak, he greeted each of them warmly and calmly.

He accurately called out each person’s name, meticulously smoothing out the wrinkles in their clothes, just as he did with Wang Cong back then.

"I am Feng Mu. For a long period to come, you’ll be working under me, and I kindly ask for your cooperation and guidance."

"Perhaps you don’t know me well yet, but I have an understanding of each of you."

"I know your time in the Second Prison hasn’t been easy. Your superiors and colleagues haven’t treated you well, and some even see you as useless wastrels."

Feng Mu continued to tidy the group’s attire, casually delivering his opening remarks.

His speech was neither too fast nor too slow, absent of a ringing passion, nor laced with mockery or sarcasm; it was simply stating facts calmly.

For someone who has been suppressed for too long, harboring pent-up resentment, hype or ridicule would only backfire. Conversely, calmness is the strength they need most.

Just as a cold person would instinctively gravitate toward a fire, what you’re lacking is what you most desire. For these people, it’s the same. They become unknowingly drawn to calmness.

At first, they might simply look over, but gradually, they might try to approach until, like moths to a flame, they become deeply attracted to that calmness, unable to extricate themselves.

Feng Mu was well-experienced in this. He had already created a successful example. What he needed to do now was to disseminate and popularize this successful experience to more people in need.

Amid Feng Mu’s calm statements, a group of "Wang Congs" naturally focused their gaze on him.

In the Second Prison, they were just suppressed and ostracized, but they weren’t deaf or blind, so they recognized Feng Mu as the new prison guard, who quickly became someone the warden, Qian Huan, valued highly.

Unlike their marginal status, Feng Mu was practically the celebrated "star" of the Second Prison.

Feng Mu welcomed their cold and numb gazes with warmth, with no trace of displeasure in his heart. Instead, he smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth gently lifted, his voice even more calm and warm:

"But I don’t think you’re useless. Each of you possesses unique talents that they don’t have."

"That’s why I’ve gathered you here to help me solve this case."

Feng Mu smiled at everyone, deliberately leaving a suspense as he used the art of words to stir up these people’s curiosity and desire deep within.

Question:

How much brightness and strength does a despairing and numb person need, who has been kicked into a bottomless chasm, to disperse the darkness?

Feng Mu’s answer was: A rope and a bit of candlelight, and they will find their way to climb out on their own.

Disperse darkness? Not needed!

They were already accustomed to the darkness. All they needed was a guide who could lead them in the dark.

Sure enough, after a few seconds of silence from Feng Mu, someone in the group let out a scoff, the sound with a hint of doubt: "Us, have any talent?"

Gong Qi frowned, casting a cold and dark glance at that person, silently memorizing his face:

"Mock my junior, and you’re mocking me; mock me, and you’re mocking the Ronggui Sect. This cannot be forgiven!"

However, Feng Mu found the scoff particularly pleasing to the ear, as it indicated that someone dimwitted was being drawn to the candlelight.

Language was Feng Mu’s most enticing candlelight, first looking at the person who asked, smiling naturally, then slowly sweeping his gaze over everyone present, his eyes lingering on each face for a second, having a brief yet profound eye contact with each person.

There were thirteen people present, and so he met each one’s gaze for thirteen seconds before Feng Mu finally spoke slowly:

"This talent, you each possess, and only you have, is...."

Feng Mu paused for another second, and within that second, everyone’s breath was instinctively held. With lv3 dynamic vision, Feng Mu could see the reflection of his face in their pupils.

"You have the talent to relentlessly monitor them for me!!!"

A few voices echoed together in unison, asking: "Them?"

Feng Mu answered warmly:

"Them, those who look down on you, bully you, suppress and ostracize you. From now on, in the Second Prison, your job is to keep a constant watch over them for me. Who better to do this than you, who have suffered under them?"

Solving a case relies on eyes, but Feng Mu only has one pair of eyes, so he needs more eyes to help him watch the entire Second Prison, just like guards need to keep watch over prisoners; guards should also be watched all the time.

What Feng Mu intends to do isn’t only to solve the case. During this process, he also intends to form a new department in the Second Prison. Of course, if possible, he hopes this department won’t be limited to the Second Prison in the future but can expand to all prisons in Zone 9 and even... Zone 9!

More voices emerged from the questions, becoming four or five asking.

They asked: "Watch them, and then what?"

Feng Mu’s lips curled into a smile, projecting an angelic appearance in their eyes, he said with a smile:

"I suspect some among them are involved in the Death Row riot, so at an opportune moment, I’ll give you a rope to strangle them." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The rope that they would use to strangle them is the rope Feng Mu tossed them to climb out of the abyss.

However, the end of the abyss may not necessarily be brightness, perhaps a deeper abyss, but do you guess if they’ll climb up?