Apocalypse Forecast

In front of Huai Shi lay a corpse.

To be exact, a corpse whose neck had been nearly chopped in half. Based on Huai Shi’s experience, the weapon should have been a knife. The perpetrator’s technique was quite skilled.

Like a butcher, calmly and adeptly using the simplest method to sever the flexible muscles and even the hard bones, snapping the victim’s neck in an instant.

The only flaw was that a strip of skin and flesh remained connected, which did not seem quite clean-cut. But no matter how one looked at it, it seemed deliberately so.

Not a beheading, but… a kaishaku?

With a skewer of oden in hand, nibbling away, Huai Shi fell into deep thought. The more he observed the scene, the more familiar it felt, the more it seemed to trigger a sense of déjà vu.

Even with his rudimentary knowledge of trace evidence, Huai Shi could imagine how the murderer had gradually cornered the victim in an alley, then brutally tortured them, leaving wounds all over the body. Finally, as despair set in, the killer had coldly and efficiently chopped off their head.

Perfect!

Wait, why did it feel as though I were the one who had done it? This was exactly like my own signature show!

Huai Shi instantly became alert.

Someone is trying to frame me!

However, he quickly calmed down.

First off, only a handful of people knew that he, as Huaizhi Sushi, had come to Yingzhou in disguise. Luo Su might have a cruel sense of humor but wouldn’t kill just to torment him. Tong Ji was even less likely; she had a hundred thousand ways to arrange things for him and had no need to overcomplicate matters.

Among the weapons similar to the murder weapon, Huai Shi only had the Divine Sword Resentment. Not many knew about it: his two students, Mr. Ping the manager of the alchemy lab, and Raymond, whom he’d pulled in to test the sword. They wouldn’t spread this kind of information around.

So, the most likely suspect...

He turned around and looked at Amber with a serious gaze.

What are you scheming, you little rascal?

”It wasn’t me…” Amber rolled her eyes and lit a Seven Star at the corner of her mouth. ”The easiest way to harm you would be to lift your skirt in public. Moreover, these kinds of murders were already happening before you arrived; it can’t be connected to you.”

”Then who is it?”

”How would I know?”

Amber shrugged and glanced outside. ”But that guy has been going too far lately… Over there, just one more street, and you’re at the Nara City Government’s gates. It’s clear provocation.”

As long as it doesn’t involve me, it’s fine.

Huai Shi finished the last meatball and tossed the bamboo skewer into a small receptacle, then casually emptied it into the trash can in the corner. He had finished his late-night snack at the murder scene. He then pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands and mouth, which made Amber’s eyelid twitch.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the head that still held a look of panic and despair.

”Who’s the victim? They look somewhat familiar.”

Huai Shi thought for a while but couldn’t remember. ”An acquaintance?”

”I guess you could say one of my distant cousins… His name is… Well, you’re too lazy to remember anyway. He’s dead, so call him whatever you like. Weren’t you in a Chef Demon duel with his proxy last night?”

Huai Shi frowned.

”Shenjin Qing?”

He finally recalled the unlucky fellow; he remembered him sitting in a chair, watching, not long before.

”How did he end up here?”

”Who knows? After his Chef Demon was disqualified, he lost his chance to compete. He probably despaired and went out to drown his sorrows, right? I heard there are quite a few places nearby where one can seek pleasure—speaking of which, while your ’colleagues’ are working hard to make a living, you were sleeping. Don’t you feel any shame?”

”Sorry, not at all. In fact, I was so happy I ate an extra bowl for my late-night snack,” Huai Shi retorted without mercy. ”That cousin of yours died, shouldn’t you be happy? Why so serious? Or did you call me all the way out here just to share this joyous occasion with me?”

”That’s exactly where the problem lies.”

Amber sighed deeply. ”An hour ago, your former colleague, once a retainer of the Li Jian family—Kiyoshi Kusaki—was spotted at the crime scene.”

Huai Shi froze, slowly turning his head in disbelief.

”What?”

He asked in astonishment, ”Kusaki? Didn’t he make it to the Li Jian family?”

”He was supposedly in touch before and even considered joining my side. But unfortunately, on the day he arrived in Nara when we were supposed to meet, he stood me up and then vanished.”

Amber sighed. ”Although that fellow is simple-minded, inflexible, and his head is full of untimely, stubborn ideas, he generally takes his word quite seriously. I originally thought something had happened to him, that perhaps he’d died, but I didn’t expect something worse than death.”

”But even so, I just can’t believe he would turn into some kind of murderer... That idiot would rather die than be so disgraced.”

From the phone Amber handed him, Huai Shi watched the surveillance footage from the intersection at that time.

In a paused frame, he gazed at the man hurrying through the night. Only a silhouette was visible.

He was still draped in an Yingzhou-style long robe, wearing wooden clogs, and carrying an out-of-place long knife at his side… Yet, on his head, he sported an absurdly pink motorcycle helmet, as if attempting a disguise, but it only made him more conspicuous.

He appeared in just two brief frames, but that was enough to identify him. Because even with a helmet covering his head, that guy… forgot to disguise his sword. Whether one had seen it before or not, just by taking a photo to a weaponsmith for inquiry, his identity would be impossible to hide.

It’s just too clumsy.

Huai Shi looked at the screenshot, shaking his head and lamenting, ”Honestly, I’ve never seen a murderer with such a punk style.”

After a long silence, Amber glanced at the oblivious Beheading King of Jinling beside her and finally conceded defeat in terms of thick-skinnedness.

Huai Shi also didn’t believe that Kusaki could be some kind of beheading murderer.

Seriously, don’t I know Kusaki’s beheading skills? Are they even that good? Moreover, with his temperament, if he truly wanted to retaliate against society, he would probably have strapped explosives to himself and stormed Deer’s Sing Hall by now. Why would he bother with this?

But even though it’s none of his business, he just had to barge straight into the crime scene like that. And with such coincidences, trying to hide yet giving himself away… no matter how you look at it, he’s highly suspicious.

”How long have similar cases been occurring?”

”For over half a month now.”

Amber said, ”This is also why the Li Jian family hasn’t announced Kusaki as the culprit yet. He only came here a week ago... The timeline doesn’t match up, but we can’t rule out the suspicion of a copycat crime.”

”It’s been that long?” Huai Shi was astonished. ”The local Inspectors in Nara haven’t taken any action? How utterly useless can they be?”

Amber retorted, ”In Dongxia, would the Social Security Bureau entrust Jinling’s security to the Astronomical Society?”

Alright then...

After pondering for a while, Huai Shi asked, ”Is Deer’s Sing Hall in charge now?”

”Deer’s Sing Hall? At this critical juncture of selecting the family head, they’d love for the Li Jian family to embarrass themselves. When a wall is falling, everyone gives it a push; this is a time when everyone wants to come and kick them while they’re down. Those guys, apart from coming to clean up the mess and then putting on a show of apologizing afterwards, won’t lift a finger to manage a thing.”

With an eye roll, Amber said, ”To avoid damage to the Li Jian family’s reputation, the elders decided to offer a bounty to all candidates for family head. You’re probably the last one to know.”

”I see.”

Huai Shi realized. ”Whoever catches that guy gets to be the family head?”

”Ha, what are you thinking? Would Deer’s Sing Hall allow that? Those guys are useless at getting things done but excel at messing things up.” Amber sneered twice. ”The reward is only a direct pass to the final round, and you also get to pick any one Border Relic from the Li Jian family’s treasury.”

”That’s it?”

Huai Shi scornfully curled his lip. ”Even when tricking country bumpkins, there should be some limits, right?”

Choosing any Border Relic from the Li Jian family’s treasury sounds nice, but in reality, by the time it’s my turn to pick, the good items will probably have been taken. I’d be left with nothing but duds to choose from, like picking through trash. It’d be a pain no matter which I picked. Besides, I don’t care for typical Border Relics anyway. Sword of Virtue, Axe of Anger, Spear of Compassion, Divine Sword Resentment… Never mind Beelzebub; even the shoulder bag I carry is a Divine Artifact-level item. And with a Tong Ji at home who’s like a wish-granting Doraemon, why would I care about this stuff?

Compared to that, the promise of going straight to the final round held more sincerity. This was especially true for Huai Shi.

I’m no Professional Chef Demon with a belly full of recipes; I’m just a part-timer. Sneaking a win here and there is fine, but I’d feel a bit shaky in a real battle against professionals. Being able to skip the intermediate rounds and jump directly to the finals is undoubtedly a great opportunity for me. When the time comes, I just have to sit back, wait for Amber’s annoying little sister’s proxy to make it through, then bow my head, admit defeat, and take the money home. It couldn’t be easier or simpler.

”However...” Huai Shi curiously asked, ”With such a good deal, could the other candidates really agree to it?”

”Of course, why wouldn’t they agree? This is a perfect opportunity to flex their muscles.” Amber snorted. ”As long as they can prove their ability, they can gain something of even greater value. It’s also a legitimate chance to eliminate competitors…”

She continued, ”That old man from Inu River saw through it all long ago. He seized the opportunity to start making a fuss. He’s completely unafraid of being ordered to commit seppuku after the family head selection is over, openly defying the Emperor and the Shogun.”

Turning ’solving the serial murder cases’ into a condition incorporated into the family head selection gave all candidates ample room to maneuver.

From this moment on, the struggle would spread beyond the confines of the ’Imperial Chef Demon Tournament.’ It wouldn’t be strange if, in the end, several groups started street brawls under the pretext of investigating the murderer.

’You say you’re not the murderer? Then why are you wandering the streets at night? Enough, stop talking! Come with me, or I won’t be polite!’ … The excuses for picking a fight would be endless.

The mere thought made Huai Shi’s teeth ache.

No way, this is too much trouble. It’s outside the scope of the Chef Demon contest…

After ceasing his foot-picking under the guise of Miss Huaizhi, he slapped his knee resoundingly and declared, ”They’ve got to pay extra for this!”