Chapter 52: Judge Cui of the Underworld Laws

The sequence of events surrounding the case was straightforward.

Yet, there were two suspicious points.

The first was the weapon used by the killer. Wu Xian could not determine the exact type, but he could roughly deduce that it was a sharp edged tool.

The second was the manner of death.

The way the parents, wife, and daughter met their ends bore a striking resemblance to the modus operandi described by the prisoner undergoing the psychological evaluation this morning. This was by no means a coincidence; it was deliberately orchestrated.

And just before leaving work, Wu Xian had happened to learn that the prisoner had broken out of prison and was on the run.

Could this be a coincidence?

Was the murderer the very same prisoner he had interrogated that morning?

"No, not necessarily. It might be a copycat crime."

However, regardless of the truth, Wu Xian had to find a way to obtain information from the authorities; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for him to swiftly avenge the doctor's family.

Thus, Wu Xian chose a clean sofa and sat down.

He dialed 333, the emergency number of this blessed realm.

He did not have to wait long.

Several police cruisers drove up. Officers in black uniforms hauled away all the corpses, after which the technical investigation department began taking photographs, gathering fingerprints, and collecting evidence.

As the bodies were covered with white sheets, Wu Xian felt a significant sense of physical relief. It seemed that Xu Ming's family members did not wish to have their corpses left lying on the floor either.

He watched the investigators' operational procedures with keen interest.

Their investigation methods were completely different from those in the real world. Many operations did not resemble professional work at all; rather, they looked like investigative methods dreamed up on the spur of the moment by an amateur author.

Merely observing these people's handling of the case gave Wu Xian a sense of professional superiority.

A short while later.

A senior detective with a protruding belly and silver stars pinned to his uniform walked in. He must have been the leader of these officers. In any orderly society, the slaughter of a family of four was a major case.

Wu Xian secretly rubbed his eyes with an onion, approached the veteran detective, and tearfully recounted his tragic encounter.

The detective patted Wu Xian's shoulder pityingly.

"Don't worry, Doctor. We will help you catch the killer."

With red-rimmed eyes, Wu Xian inquired about the primary suspect: "I heard that the prisoner I evaluated this morning broke out of prison. Can you tell me his name?"

The veteran detective shook his head.

Wu Xian frowned. Why was this world protective of criminal information to such an excessive degree?

Unwilling to give up, he continued to ask: "Then what about the detective from this morning? Can I speak with him?"

The veteran detective's expression shifted slightly: "He... he has gone missing."

Wu Xian dismissed the thought of asking any further.

It seemed that nothing useful could be extracted from this old detective. He would need to find an opportunity to "borrow" some files to read.

As the investigation concluded, the investigators left one after another, evacuating completely under Wu Xian's bewildered gaze.

"Just like that?"

Wu Xian did not even know how to complain. Which law enforcement department would simply leave the survivor of a family annihilation case alone at a crime scene and walk away?

Moments later.

The veteran detective turned back and said to Wu Xian earnestly, "I've seen that look in your eyes before. I know you won't let the killer go... If you are willing to give up your current life, I can give you a chance for revenge."

Wu Xian's gaze flickered.

Feigning a sorrowful expression, he pointed at the blood-drenched room, bit his lip, and growled in a low voice, "What kind of life do I have left now?"

The veteran detective took a deep breath, as if making a difficult decision.

"Since it's like this, come to the Bureau of Investigation. I will appoint you as a detective and put you in charge of this case."

"What on earth?"

This time, Wu Xian was utterly dumbfounded.

Making the family member of a victim a detective—in Wu Xian's view, this defied all logic. It was an absurd farce, an incomprehensible fantasy.

The veteran detective soon provided an explanation.

The laws of this world advocated conducting investigations from the perspective of the victims, and the ones who could empathize most deeply with the victims were the victims themselves. Therefore, victims were often encouraged to participate in the manhunts.

That was the legal explanation.

The practical reality was that the Bureau of Investigation was currently suffering from a severe shortage of personnel, and the detective originally in charge of this case had gone missing. They urgently needed manpower to handle the case. If Wu Xian did not get involved, the case might have to be shelved indefinitely.

Because Wu Xian had long assisted in evaluating psychiatric patients, he was already considered half-insider, and everyone in the bureau felt profound sympathy for him. Thus, the veteran detective used his authority to help Wu Xian out.

Yet, even after hearing the explanation, Wu Xian still found it far-fetched.

Just as he was hesitating, a message suddenly flashed across his vision.

[You have found a clue to avenging your family and decided to accept the detective's invitation. You will report to the Bureau of Investigation tomorrow morning, vowing to apprehend the true culprit as soon as possible.]

"Fine, I will report for duty tomorrow morning!"

Compelled by circumstances, Wu Xian had no choice but to agree, watching the chubby veteran detective drive away.

It was only at this moment that Wu Xian realized where the lingering sense of incongruity he had felt all along came from.

Previously, he had assumed this blessed realm was extremely free, unlike the previous one where movement was restricted to a very small area.

But now it seemed that this blessed realm was not free at all!

Behind all his actions, there seemed to be a giant invisible hand pushing him along a predetermined route. He appeared to have many choices, but in truth, every single step had been arranged for him.

Whether it was the hospital, the home, or the Bureau of Investigation and the bustling streets—everything in this blessed realm did not develop naturally. It felt more like a virtual world forcibly generated by an amateur who provided some basic settings!

This amateur knew nothing about medicine, nothing about how to investigate a case, and nothing about the various facets of the world.

"That's why the streets are so monotonous..."

"No, that's not right either."

"According to my investigative findings in the real world, the world within the blessed realm should also be real, as real as the actual world..."

Wu Xian stood at the doorway, pondering for quite a while, yet he arrived at no conclusion.

He decided to tidy up the room first; without cleaning up this crime scene, it would be difficult for him to get a good night's sleep.

But as soon as he turned around, he caught sight of three divine statues!

In the center of the living room, a sandalwood table had appeared out of nowhere. Atop the long table sat three divine statues, accompanied by three sticks of deity-worshiping incense, red candles, an incense burner, and even a lighter to ensure Wu Xian would not struggle to light the ghost incense.

All three divine statues looked identical.

Wearing black gauze caps on their heads and rhinoceros-horn girdles around their waists, holding ivory tablets and dressed in embroidered robes, they possessed dark complexions and long beards. In one hand, they held the Book of Life and Death, and in the other, a soul-reaping brush. Beneath their feet trampled a tangled mass of bones and flesh.

This was the Earth Official - Judge Cui of the Underworld.

"Judge Cui..."

Judge Cui was not among the commonly known sixteen divine statues, which reminded Wu Xian of the notes Qi Zhiyong had given him.

The notes stated that outside of the sixteen deities, statues were extremely rare and mostly associated with the special rules of specific blessed realms.

Did the appearance of Judge Cui indicate that the rules of this blessed realm differed significantly from those of others?