Chapter v14c9

**Ashes**

“Tsk, too late!”

An Myung-hu, the Nine-Foot Iron Eye, clicked his tongue, surveying the scene.

Desolation. Emptiness. Blackness.

Those were the only emotions he could muster.

Everything had been reduced to ashes, scattered by the wind. What else could he feel? But there was another emotion simmering beneath the surface: anger.

“Inspector An, we’ve searched every room, but we found nothing.”

The rooms were nothing but charred timbers and crumbling walls. His deputy, Yi Myung, reported the expected, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating.

“Of course there’s nothing left! It burned to the ground!”

He kicked a piece of debris, venting his frustration.

He was the Special Inspector of the Justice League’s Shaanxi Branch.

“Tsk, I rushed here as soon as I received the Red Letter, but it seems I was too late…”

A messenger hawk had arrived, its arrival heralded by the urgent clanging of the emergency bell. It was the first Red Letter he had received since being assigned to the Shaanxi Branch.

He had assembled his team and raced through the night, only to find a raging inferno and hundreds of people scrambling to put it out. There was nothing he could do but watch.

The manor had been completely destroyed, leaving nothing but a vast expanse of ashes, mocking him.

‘They cut off the tail as soon as it was exposed…’

Their decisiveness was chilling.

It had been a while since he had seen his old friend. They kept in touch through letters, but he didn’t know his friend’s whereabouts or activities.

“Haven’t you found any secret passages or hidden chambers?”

“The search team is combing the entire building, but…”

Yi Myung trailed off, his tone suggesting that they weren’t having much luck.

“…It seems we need your expertise, sir.”

“My turn again?”

An Myung-hu’s displeasure was evident.

“I apologize.”

Yi Myung quickly apologized. If they were more competent, they wouldn’t need his help. But his apology only made An Myung-hu feel worse.

“It’s fine! I’m here to do my job. But I hope it doesn’t come to this next time. I want to brag about my competent subordinates!”

“I’m sorry.”

An Myung-hu had become the Inspector of the Shaanxi Branch at the young age of thirty, thanks to a special ability. It was his defining skill, his raison d’être.

“Well, let’s see what I can do…”

He drew a short iron rod from his belt. It was only as thick as a finger, but…

Snap!

Whirr!

With a flick of his wrist, it transformed into a nine-foot-long iron needle.

“Let’s go!”

He strolled casually, probing the ground with his needle.

Swish! Thud! Thud!

The needle sank into the ground effortlessly, as if it were piercing cotton candy. Even a swamp wouldn’t be this easy to penetrate.

“Pebbles… sand… Nothing here.”

Yi Myung followed behind him, his eyes gleaming with admiration.

**Nine-Foot Iron Needle Spirit Vision Exploration Technique**

**Earth Observation**

It was an amazing technique, Yi Myung thought. It wasn’t just about sticking a needle into the ground. In the brief moment between insertion and extraction, his superior could see what lay beneath the surface, as if he had X-ray vision.

That’s why those who knew An Myung-hu called him the Nine-Foot Iron Eye. And the nine-foot-long, black iron needle was his trademark, the tool that had made him famous.

He was so skilled that his colleagues often joked that he would have made an excellent grave robber if he hadn’t joined the Justice League.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Nine-Foot Iron Needle pierced through more than just earth. It effortlessly drilled through the charred stone walls, as if they were made of tofu. And yet, there wasn’t a single crack or fissure around the holes. It looked effortless, a testament to his mastery of internal energy.

**Nine-Foot Iron Needle Spirit Vision Exploration Technique**

**Stone Penetration**

It was a technique that allowed him to see through stone walls and floors, revealing what lay beyond.

“This place was a maze of traps!”

An Myung-hu, peering through the stone with his needle, found remnants of various mechanisms.

“Even with the chaos of the fire, they couldn’t have all disappeared without a trace, not with so many people involved! There must be something left behind.”

It had only been three days since the incident that had shaken the entire county. There wasn’t enough time for them to erase all evidence and disappear completely! There had to be a secret passage somewhere.

He didn’t expect it to be open, of course. He knew from experience that these people were too meticulous to make such a rookie mistake. He had to find another clue, another thread to unravel.

“According to the reports, a large shipment was delivered here. The contents are unknown, but they must have been stored somewhere. And then they were moved…”

His instincts told him that the key to this case lay in the contents of that shipment.

“Find it! Even if you have to dig up the entire ground and tear down every building! I won’t rest until we find it!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Should we investigate the Central Plains Courier Service? But they wouldn’t have transported something so suspicious openly, would they?”

The biggest problem was the confidentiality agreement between the courier service and their clients. It was an optional clause, but it was standard practice for sensitive shipments. And the Central Plains Courier Service was known for its discretion. They wouldn’t reveal their clients’ secrets, not even to the Justice League.

(Batman: hold my belt)

“This is going to be a headache…”

The Central Plains Courier Service was the largest and most reputable courier service in the martial world. They were not to be trifled with.

Click!

An Myung-hu felt it after probing the ground for half an hour with his iron needle. It was a faint sensation, transmitted through the needle, a fleeting moment of contact. But his senses, honed through years of training, didn’t miss it.

The needle was currently embedded in a patch of overgrown grass, about five zhang away from the ruins of the manor’s old warehouse.

A thrill shot up his spine. He was sure he had found it.

“I found it!”

He whispered, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

The opening mechanism was conveniently broken. It took him and his men half an hour of digging to gain access.

It was a stone chamber, its walls made of massive stone blocks, the craftsmanship exquisite.

“As expected!”

The chamber was empty, as he had anticipated. And it was larger than he had expected. Now he had to find what they had left behind.

“Bring in the sniffer dog!”

He ordered.