Obviously, the Heavenly Gang wasn't easy to deal with.
This world was full of weird ways. Who knew if the Heavenly Gang had a way to recreate the fight scene?
Bruno calmed down and realized he had made a mistake.
He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on the Heavenly Gang by himself.
"I need a protector," Bruno rubbed his chin. "The martial arts academy is a good place."
At that moment, Fabian shouted from outside: "Master, the food is ready."
"Okay, I'm coming right away." Bruno shook his head. "Well, there's nothing to do now. Let's eat first."
Someone reported the crime.
A murder couldn't be hidden.
The sheriff arrived and saw the bloody scene. He was shocked.
"The face is clear. Identify the body." The sheriff captain shouted to someone next to him.
A deputy said in surprise: "This guy looks like he was from the Heavenly Gang."
The captain's heart skipped a beat. "Are you sure?"
The sheriff pointed at Kent's wing tattoo on his arm and said, "This looks like the symbol of the Heavenly Gang."
"Damn!" the leader muttered under his breath. "Send a message to the Heavenly Gang. Let them come claim their own."
The news spread like ink in still water, spreading fast and wide.
Heavenly Gang, Mountain Division branch.
The head of the branch, Tarnison, was as big as a tower, with a rugged face. Right now, he was staring intently at the two bodies laid side by side on the ground.
One body had a sunken chest, blue face, and dark red blood clots frozen at the mouth. The other had a ruptured throat, wide eyes, and a face frozen in terror.
One was his son. The other was his most trusted man.
The air was so thick it felt like it could drip water. It was suffocating.
The gang members standing around all stayed silent, not daring to even breathe.
Tarnison's body was shaking, not from fear, but from a burning rage and unbearable sorrow.
He knelt down, ran his rough fingers over Kaiden's cold face, and his eyes turned blood-red.
"Who did this?" His voice was low and rough, like a wounded beast growling.
An old man stepped forward cautiously and said, "Lord Tarnison, we've checked. Kaiden's ribs were all broken, and his heart was torn apart. He was hit by a very strong force straight on.
Kent... his arm was broken, and his throat was crushed by sharp claws. Both of them showed clear signs of mental trauma. Their pupils were wide, and their muscles were frozen at the moment of death. This was a powerful Meditation Technique. It scared their minds so much they couldn't even fight back."
He was the alchemist doctor of the Mountain Division. After all, injuries were common in a gang, and they always needed a doctor on hand.
And in this world, alchemist doctors had a big say.
Tarnison suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp as knives, and stared at the old man. "What's this Meditation Technique?"
The old man broke out in a cold sweat and quickly lowered his head. "From the remaining mental traces, we can't tell exactly which one it was. But whoever did this must be at a very high level. They could scare two people with 1st stage Arcane Power, making them almost defenseless. The person's Meditation Technique must be at least High Rank."
"High Rank Meditation Technique!" Tarnison repeated the words, and his eyes lost some of their anger. Wait, High Rank Meditation Technique usually took seven or eight stages. Did the Heavenly Gang get into a fight with someone that strong?
He quickly asked again, "What about the fighting style? Did you figure it out?"
"The punch mark on Kaiden's chest and the broken arm of Kent suggest the attacker used a style that's strong and violent, but also tricky. It looks a lot like the Tiger-Wolf Combat Technique. And the person must be really good at it," the alchemist said.
That was an easy one. If he couldn't figure out the fighting style, he wouldn't be here in the first place.
"Tiger-Wolf Combat Technique?" Tarnison's eyebrows furrowed. "That's all you got? A possible High Rank Meditation Technique and a possible Tiger-Wolf Combat Technique? There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of people in Bloom City who use that style! How the hell am I supposed to find him?!"
He got angrier and angrier, and by the end, he was practically screaming, his voice shaking the dust off the ceiling.
The old man in the gray robe flinched, and quickly said, "Lord Tarnison, please calm down! Just checking the bodies isn't enough.
We need someone who has some real skill in Meditation Technique. They can connect to the boy's mind and see what happened when that technique hit him. We have to hurry, or when the boy's mental strength is completely gone, even the gods won't be able to find the killer."
Tarnison's brow knitted tighter, and he looked frustrated.
Finding someone with real skill in Meditation Technique wasn't cheap, and it would hurt even him. But the killer had gone too far. For his son, he'd try anything.
"Then go get him!" Tarnison roared, his voice echoing through the whole branch. "I don't care if we turn the whole city upside down, I want that coward found! I'll rip him apart and make him die with my son!"
You see, killing his son was one thing. He had more kids. But damaging the reputation of the Heavenly Gang? That was a big deal.
What was the Mountain Division going to do in Bloom City's underworld after that?
The next day, Bruno told Fabian not to go out for a while and went to the martial arts school.
He had made up his mind. He needed to find a reliable ally. He couldn't ignore the power of the Heavenly Gang. If he got caught, he needed a backup plan.
At the school, he ran into Barry. The big guy looked completely out of it, like he wasn't even paying attention.
"Barry." Bruno greeted him.
Barry saw a familiar face. His eyes twitched. He stepped closer and asked, "You know Kaiden is dead, right?"
"???" Bruno's heart jumped.
What the hell, in just one night, the news had spread so fast?
Even Barry knew about it already.
He pretended to be confused, then widened his eyes and said, "Kaiden is dead?"
"Shh," Barry pulled Bruno's arm and looked around. "I was surprised too."
Something's wrong. Bruno felt a little confused in his mind.
The Heavenly Gang found out the news in one night. He wasn't surprised. After all, everyone on the street was their people. But Barry knowing it was a little strange.
Was Barry also one of Kaiden's men?
That explained why Barry had been following Kaiden all along.
"How did Kaiden die?" Barry whispered to himself. His tone was complicated, like he felt relieved but also heavy.
Bruno looked around and asked carefully, "Who killed Kaiden? He seemed like a nice guy."
"Nice?" Barry's lips curled, but he didn't say more. "I don't know, but it was a really strong person. His Meditation Technique was close to High Rank."
Bruno took a sharp breath in.
No way, the level of the Meditation Technique had already been figured out.
Suddenly, a sense of urgency came over him.
Bruno had no more time for small talk. He said, "I have something to do. I'm going now."
"Okay." Barry nodded, then went back to his seat, looking distracted again.
At the martial arts academy, the students were quietly training.
Bruno stood at the stairs leading to the fourth floor. He hesitated for a second, then walked up confidently.
This was the fourth floor, only accessible to the master's disciples. It looked the same as the third floor. A few training rooms, some small rooms, and the only difference was that the floor was made of metal.
Now the fourth floor was silent and dark.
Bruno muttered, "The master's disciples are pretty lazy."
Maybe going to the fifth floor directly would be better?
He looked at the stairs leading up and got lost in thought.
"This isn't a place for you." A clear, sharp voice said.
Bruno turned around, surprised. Oh! A little girl was standing in the hallway, looking at him with her head tilted. She looked about seven or eight years old.
There was a little kid in the martial arts academy?
"Little girl, do you know where the master is?" Bruno forced a friendly smile and asked.
The girl said, "The master isn't here." Her tone was calm, and it didn't match her age.
Bruno frowned and asked again, "Where is he then?"
"Who are you?" The girl was very cautious.
Bruno pulled out a candy from his pocket and showed it to her. "I'm not a bad guy..."
"But you look like a bad guy who tries to kidnap kids." The girl said with a sneer.
"..." Bruno had no words. How could he talk to her? But the kid was kind of interesting. She talked like an adult.