Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 379 - 363: First Encounter

Bai Ye’s fingers trembled as they moved over Chen Yang’s charred corpse, the cold touch seeping through his gloves into his skin, as if the resentment of the dead was climbing up his fingertips, winding around his heart.

He forced himself to concentrate, carefully examining every wound, but in his mind the scene of Chen Yang seeking his help just a few days ago played endlessly.

That ambitious face, those resolute promises...

Now, all of it had turned to charcoal just like the report, a silent mockery, laughing at his stupidity and arrogance.

"Lungs pierced, doused in oil and burned..."

Bai Ye mumbled in a low voice, unable to conceal the panic in his tone.

"Why did I choose to help Chen Yang back then? Damn it, that’s not important anymore, what’s important is that everything has developed differently from what Chen Yang told me!"

Bai Ye didn’t know where things went wrong. He wanted to ask Chen Yang for clarity, but Chen Yang now lay on his mortuary slab, waiting for him to speak up and seek justice.

A forensic doctor, a profession that speaks for the dead?!!

"Damn it, damn it, Chen Yang you deserve to die, you really deserve to die, but how did you actually end up dead?"

Bai Ye’s mind was in chaos, his hand holding the pen kept trembling, sweat slid down his forehead, dripping onto the white pages, spreading into blurred water stains.

"Forensic Bai, when can the report be ready?"

Dong Ping entered, pinching his nose with a frown as he urged,

"The body still has to be taken to the crematorium later, better not delay the process."

Bai Ye barely managed to recollect himself, looked up at Dong Ping, and forced an awkward smile that even he found hard to muster:

"Very soon, very soon... just give me a little more time."

Dong Ping nodded, making a move to leave.

However, just as he turned around, Bai Ye suddenly grabbed his sleeve as if driven by some force.

His grip was terrifyingly strong, almost causing Dong Ping to stumble.

"Constable Dong, wait a moment. Can you tell me what exactly is going on, how did Chen Yang end up dead, and who exactly is this person named Feng Mu?"

Bai Ye asked quickly, his voice filled with urgency and unease.

Dong Ping turned back, his face showing a complex expression.

He stared at Bai Ye for a few seconds, his gaze seemingly filled with some pity, and perhaps a hint of mockery.

He chuckled, shaking his head: "You didn’t know? Feng Mu is Captain Feng’s son? Yet you still dared to help Chen Yang, Oh right, it was me earlier who got it wrong, Chen Yang was a fool too."

Bai Ye’s face instantly froze, the color draining away. He choked up, stammering:

"Captain... Captain Feng? So, was it Captain Feng who helped Feng Mu overturn the case and get rid of the charges?"

Dong Ping meaningfully patted Bai Ye’s shoulder, as if already seeing the scenario of him and Chen Yang lying together in the morgue. His lips curved into an amused smirk, not explaining further, only saying quietly:

"No, it was Li Shang, Captain Li, who exposed Chen Yang’s tricks."

Bai Ye’s face turned pale green instantly, a series of question marks flooded his mind as he looked down, meeting the charred hollow eyes of Chen Yang, his body shivering vigorously.

Forensic doctor, to speak for the dead? Or Tearing fib~

Bai Ye, drenched in sweat, took out his pen and began to write vigorously on the autopsy report; soon, a thousand-word report brimmed with reasoning and matches the evidence in a complete logic describing Chen Yang’s self-immolation out of guilt.

Looking at the report in his hand, Dong Ping’s face twitched slightly; even with his senior constable experience, he couldn’t find any flaw in this autopsy report.

Turning murder into suicide, and suicide into murder, Forensic Bai Ye, truly terrifying!

Dong Ping couldn’t help but admire, giving Bai Ye a thumbs up: "This report is very good, very well done."

Bai Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead, barely pulling out a bitter smile, humbly replying: "Not at all, it’s just my professional duty..."

After a pause, he forced down a gulp, finally looking up with eyes carrying a hint of expectancy, a bit of bitterness, and a complete sense of despair:

"So, Constable Dong... do you think, is there still a chance to save myself?"

.......

At five in the morning, Bai Ye dragged his exhausted body out of the Patrol Office, the morning chill like an invisible hand gently tapping on his face.

His mind was still in a daze, unable to brush off Chen Yang’s charred face from his thoughts, pressing on him like a curse and leaving him breathless.

He mechanically sat in his car, started the engine, and the car rolled out of the parking lot, slowly merging onto the empty street.

At this hour, the city seemed like it was still sleeping, the streets deserted, only a few streetlights were shining faintly in Upper City, rendering Lower City’s night even darker.

Bai Ye’s gaze was vacant, the grip on the steering wheel fluctuating, his mind replaying the scene of Chen Yang’s death and that fabricated autopsy report. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Every word on the report was like a scalpel, slicing bit by bit into his nerves.

The name Feng Mu, whom he had never met, was like a sword hanging over his head, ready to descend at any moment.

He could even imagine himself only a step away from lying on the dissection table he loved the most.

The car drove into the underground garage, the lighting dim, the silence so thick you could hear a pin drop.

The car’s headlights swept across the walls, casting fragmented shadows, like torn black fabric, swaying and twisting with the car’s movement.

Bai Ye parked the car, pushed open the door, and dragged his heavy steps toward the apartment building.

Just as he reached for the doorknob, he caught a glimpse of something unusual from the corner of his eye.

In the dim light, a shadow appeared at his feet.

That shadow wasn’t his own.

Bai Ye’s movement abruptly halted, his whole body stiffening like a rock, his fingers still clinging to the door handle, suspended in the air, even his breath caught in his throat.

"Don’t move."

A deep voice sounded in his ear, cold as if freshly drawn from an icehouse, and before the words even fell, a cold muzzle pressed against his lower back.

Bai Ye’s pupils contracted sharply, the heartbeat in his chest spiraled out of control.

He felt like he was plunged into an ice cave, the cold sweat on his back soaking through his shirt in an instant.

The cold touch of the gun felt like the knife in the autopsy report that pierced through Chen Yang’s lungs.

"Come with me obediently, the Minister wants to see you."

The voice sounded again, like a death sentence being declared, cold and indisputable.

Bai Ye swallowed, his throat parched as if scorched by flames. He slowly released the doorknob, raised his hands, his movements stiff and deliberate.

Bai Ye did not resist, he knew that resistance would only lead to quicker death, he was merely a forensic doctor, one who only knew how to kill on paper, not a move of Martial Arts in real life.

He was led at gunpoint to a black sedan, the door was opened, and he bent low to sit inside.

Inside the car, Feng Mu sat in the rear seat, his expression calm, gaze gentle, as if merely waiting for an old friend.

"Forensic Bai, you’ve worked hard; nice to meet you, I’m Feng Mu. I came unannounced, I hope you don’t mind."

....