"The victim's body was severely mutilated. The heart, liver, spleen, kidneys... all the internal organs were gone."
"Of course, it wasn't organ trafficking. That stuff requires a match; randomly killing people and harvesting organs is just a crapshoot. Besides, the crude methods made it look more like a sadistic murder."
At this point, Su Beiluo was utterly bewildered. After all, Zhengguo had long been at peace, a prosperous and stable nation. Where would so many depraved killers come from? With no leads whatsoever, everyone at the department was completely stumped.
But Su Zhou, thanks to the Snake Spirit's earlier warning, was beginning to have an inkling.
'Yara, were you saying that this case wasn't the work of a human, but a Monster?'
Su Zhou asked mentally, 'Isn't the entire world suppressed by the Great Array formed by the Order Spirits? How can Monsters still appear in the city?'
"It's highly likely. I smell a hint of something strange. Besides, no Array can ever be perfect." The Snake Spirit that had prompted Su Zhou to ask the question was hidden in the young man's sideburns. It replied telepathically, "The Order Array has its cracks. In deserted alleyways, in buildings isolated from the outside world, Evil Spirits and Monsters can fester—to use an analogy you might understand better, it's like dust in the cracks of a keyboard. The surface may look clean and tidy, but filth is inevitable."
"Likewise, the power projected onto Earth by the Sealing Sect can also create points of Spiritual Qi Gathering, breeding some special Evil Demons."
"Ordinary Evil Spirits, Monsters, and Demons don't matter. But Su Zhou, if you discover an 'Evil Demon,' you must kill it."
Su Zhou nodded slightly, though he didn't really understand what Yara meant. He decided he would ask for more details later. Just then, as Father Su was talking, his occupational habits kicked in.
"Look here, this is where the victim was killed—see this distribution? You think it's strange too, right? Even a layman would find it odd, so for us criminal investigators, it's even stranger."
Su Beiluo perked up the moment he started talking about the case, unable to stop. He even pulled out a pen and paper, ready to analyze the entire case process and its suspicious points for Su Zhou right there on the living room table.
The Su Family had been constables and Patrols for eight generations. Although the profession was indeed difficult—unbelievably so—he still hoped Su Zhou would become the ninth generation, living up to their ancestral teachings. That was why he was constantly training Su Zhou in this regard.
"Honey, our son is about to be a senior and needs to prepare for the college entrance exams."
Su Zhou himself actually wanted to see the case analysis, but just then, Ning Shiyu's flat voice drifted from the kitchen. "Everything can wait until after his exams. Don't interfere with his studies right now."
"...Your mother's right."
Heeding his wife's words, Su Beiluo put away his pen and paper with some regret. He said seriously, "Don't worry about these things right now. The most important thing is to get into a good Academy after your senior year... We all know you're smart, you just don't apply all of your focus to your studies. Look at Shao Qiming. With his grades, he can go wherever he wants. You should learn from him."
"By the way, those supernatural magazines of yours were cramming the mailbox, so I put them all on your bed. Go sort them out later."
The Su Family was quite open-minded.
Both his father and mother supported Su Zhou's hobbies. As long as his grades improved, they would buy him horror comics, supernatural magazines, or books related to Mysticism.
These magazines and books were all high-quality; so much so that for a while, Su Zhou thought his parents also liked Anomalies and Kaidan.
Meanwhile, Father Su was still rambling on, his expression a little self-reproachful. "Your mother and I won't interfere with your hobbies. After all, we're busy and don't have time to guide your education, so we don't force anything on you. The fact that you managed to get into a top high school on your own was already beyond our expectations."
"But this is your senior year, the final year before the 'Holy Ascension Selection Test.' We still hope you'll try your best to get into a better Academy."
'Sigh. The college entrance exams.'
Hearing his parents' earnest hopes, even Su Zhou couldn't help but sigh internally. 'Mom and Dad are right. Even with Extraordinary Power, as long as I want to live in Zhengguo society, I can't ignore the Holy Ascension Selection Test.'
The Holy Ascension Selection Test, also known as the college entrance exam.
Three hundred years ago, after the founding sages of Zhengguo ended the Divine Land's century of chaos and established order over the world, they abolished the Emperor System that had persisted for nearly two thousand years. It was replaced by the 'Supervision of All Saints,' a system of joint rule by the major Academies that continues to this day.
The so-called Supervision of All Saints involves selecting a group of the most brilliant scholars from the hundreds of Academies across the country to be the 'Saints,' and forming the core government around them.
And the most brilliant scholar among all the Saints is the 'First Saint,' who is the nominal supreme leader of the nation.
Abroad, this form of government is called the 'Science Council' or the 'Technology Committee System.' Some nations criticize it as an Academic Oligarchic Politics, while others secretly imitate it.
In the final year of 'Higher Education College,' all seniors participate in a 'college entrance selection' jointly held by all the Academies, which is the 'Holy Ascension Selection Test.'
Those who pass the assessment become Formal students of the major Academies and are considered future Saint candidates. Those who fail, while they can still try to enter an Academy later through various means, will find it thousands of times more difficult than the Holy Ascension Selection Test.
'I wouldn't really call myself "smart." At best, I have a bit of Talent for fighting.'
Su Zhou was rather speechless at his parents' inexplicable confidence in him. Although his teachers and parents all said he was smart, he knew that when it came to academics, he was just average. He was completely incapable of memorizing anything that didn't interest him.
His grades were entirely the result of his good physical constitution, allowing him to pull all-nighters through sheer willpower, grinding away with time. Otherwise, his performance would be just so-so; it was a real weakness.
'This is a problem that needs solving.' Su Zhou lowered his head, biting his nails as he thought seriously. 'I wonder if a Superpower can increase my Intelligence or help me cheat... In any case, it's time to get serious.'
"Stop spacing out and biting your nails. Have some soup." As Su Zhou was thinking, the fresh aroma of lotus root wafted from the kitchen. Ning Shiyu brought over a pot of lotus root soup and placed it with a bowl in front of Su Zhou. The family began to eat their late breakfast together.
"Remember to open the windows for ventilation. Breathing fresh air is good for you."
"But Mom, it's all smoggy outside," Su Zhou retorted reflexively after gulping down a large bowl.
"Then let some fresh smog in. Be good."
The hospital was indeed very busy. After finishing a bowl of soup and confirming Su Zhou was fine, Ning Shiyu pinched her son's cheek, urged him with a few more words, and then left in a hurry.
Su Beiluo wasn't much better off. He got a call from his chief saying they'd found an important clue, and he rushed out the door without even having time to shave.
"You're probably tired, so take a shower, get some sleep, and rest well. We might both be very busy lately. If you need anything, go to your Uncle Shao's. Aunt Wen is worried about you too."
With that one last instruction, the man's hurried footsteps faded away toward the elevator in the hallway.
Su Zhou was long used to this. He finished the entire pot of soup, washed the bowl and chopsticks, and then headed to the bathroom with a change of clothes.
WHOOSH.
In truth, there was nothing on Su Zhou's body that needed cleaning. When the Snake Spirit Yara reshaped his body, it had already cleansed his muscles and marrow, giving him a complete Rebirth. His entire body, inside and out, was more flawless than a newborn baby's. In comparison, the shower water was probably the dirty thing.
But as the water washed over him, Su Zhou could feel a sense of tranquility. The little red snake also shot out from the top of his head. It stood up straight like a stubborn cowlick, swaying back and forth and blissfully enjoying the impact of the water.
"...Yara, you like water?"
"No, I am merely feeling the world."
Reveling in the water, the Snake Spirit had a look of pure intoxication. "Ah, only now do I truly, tangibly feel it... I have finally returned to the mortal world! HAHAHA, those losers would never have guessed that I'd be the first one to escape the cage!"
Although there were many things he didn't understand, like who 'those losers' were, since Yara had no intention of explaining, Su Zhou didn't ask. This was the tacit understanding he had with the Snake Spirit.
After drying himself off and getting dressed, Su Zhou was about to toss his old clothes into the washing machine when he was startled by his own reflection in the mirror opposite it.
"Whoa! Who is that?!"
For a moment, Su Zhou felt like he was looking at a stranger. The person in the mirror had fair skin, red lips, and white teeth. If not for the madman-like Evil Qi contained between his brows from having killed too many, and the terrifyingly sharp glint in his eyes, he could definitely be called a classic pretty boy.
Although the general features were the same as his original self, every little detail had been upgraded by several levels. No wonder Su Zhou didn't recognize himself for a second.
'So this is the effect of the Body of Perfection? No wonder Mom and Dad were looking at me so strangely... Good thing they work so much overtime and don't see me often, or they would've definitely gotten suspicious.'
He pinched his own cheek and bared his teeth. Su Zhou saw that even his teeth seemed to have been replaced, now like white jade—smooth yet solid. He tapped them twice and couldn't help but click his tongue. "Well, with this, maybe I can finally make a living off my looks."
"Of course!"
By Su Zhou's ear, Yara flicked its tail with considerable pride. "I have no taste for ugliness. The Body of Perfection, created from my blood, is naturally perfect in every aspect."
"Su Zhou, you should test it out. See what's so divine about your new body."