Chapter 221: 221, Hushuo's strength

The scene by the bonfire in front of the outpost was too peculiar to behold—one side filled with laughter and barbecue, the other five kneeling in a row, too terrified to move an inch.

Too tragic, these five people were truly too tragic...

When Ren Xiaosu stepped out of the car, it was exactly as he had suspected: each of the five wore the small emblem of a spark on their garments.

The Huoyuan Company’s line of inquiry was not flawed—they had reasoned that the two missing Nano Warriors might have been slain by supernaturals, so they came here hoping for a stroke of luck. Their deduction was remarkably precise.

Ren Xiaosu had done nothing wrong either. After Li Shen Tai recounted the Huoyuan Company’s circumstances, Ren feared they might harm the students at the outpost, so he hurried back overnight. That was not an issue.

The sole surprise was that neither Huoyuan nor Ren had anticipated that this old man, Hu Shuo, was far more formidable than they had imagined...

Hu Shuo’s expression of surprise stemmed from the fact that upon Ren’s return, he would have to lecture Ren again, much like a salaryman who finally secures a weekend off only for his boss to demand overtime. His mood darkened instantly.

Ren Xiaosu explained, “I came back because I missed you all. I rushed here overnight—what’s the meaning of this?”

From the outset, Ren had known Hu Shuo was no ordinary elder. How could a common old man venture alone into the mountains to investigate a case in the dead of night without fear of being slain by bandits on the spot?

There had to be some hidden reliance.

Moreover, Chen Wu Di had already declared that this was the Earthly Elder. Based on Ren’s inference, Chen’s words likely meant: this man possessed supernatural abilities...

Perhaps it was the unique perspective of a mental patient, allowing Chen Wu Di to perceive the essence through phenomena, striking the heart of the matter with uncanny accuracy...

Hu Shuo glanced at Ren and chuckled, “Come eat the meat.”

The five from Huoyuan turned to stare at Ren, but none dared speak. Hu Shuo added, “These are people from the Huoyuan Company. I’ve been searching for them these past days, but they hid well, and there were meddlers, so I couldn’t locate them. Who would have thought I’d come here to spend the New Year, and they’d deliver themselves right to my doorstep...”

Ren thought, *So you really did come here for the New Year!*

*You’re not even taking yourself seriously!*

But now was not the time to dwell on such matters.

Ren noticed that ordinary people usually regarded the Huoyuan Company with dread or disdain, yet Hu Shuo’s reaction to their five-member squad carried a faint undercurrent of excitement.

“What are they doing here?” Ren asked.

At this, Hu Shuo smiled without mirth: “Perhaps they are the very culprits behind the murder of the Li family’s two officers.”

The Huoyuan operatives panicked at this: “We’re here to investigate that very matter! We didn’t kill anyone!”

“Did I ask you to speak?” Hu Shuo glared.

The five fell silent, and Ren whispered to the person beside him, “Who saw what happened during the fight?”

The students shook their heads: “Chen Wu Di was the only one outside at the time. We were all inside studying.”

Thus, Ren questioned Chen Wu Di: “What exactly transpired between them? Describe it to me.”

He asked this to gauge Hu Shuo’s true capabilities through the battle’s details.

Chen Wu Di recalled the clash and muttered, “Fuck!”

Ren: “???”

At that moment, Ren was still waiting for more, only to find Chen Wu Di had already lowered his head to eat meat again.

So Chen Wu Di’s entire account of the fight was just “Fuck”?!

*You’ve got to supplement your cultural education!*

Ren felt a pang of melancholy—how could he assess Hu Shuo’s strength through such a description? Still, he gleaned one thing: when Hu Shuo struck, even Chen Wu Di had been taken aback by his prowess.

“Is he stronger than you?” Ren asked Chen Wu Di.

Chen Wu Di considered: “Not quite.”

“You’re quite confident...” Ren sighed. Asking Chen about serious matters would only muddle his mind further.

During this time, he had often seen Hu Shuo practicing boxing at dawn. Could his martial arts be exceptional?

At this point, Ren turned to Hu Shuo and asked, “Are they the ones who killed those two officers?”

Hu Shuo replied gravely, “Yes. Tomorrow marks the final deadline Li Shen Tai gave me to solve this case. We’ve been searching tirelessly, but found nothing. They must be the culprits.”

Ren was stunned—*Where have you been tirelessly searching? You’ve been vacationing and eating meat this whole time, haven’t you? You’ve never truly pursued the culprits, have you, old man?*

Yet Ren was more than pleased to see the Huoyuan Company’s squad framed as scapegoats. After all, as long as they weren’t caught, it didn’t matter.

Still, Ren sensed that Hu Shuo had uncovered something. No one was foolish—merely the fact that on their first day here, Ren had been absent for six hours due to illness, and the wolf king had been sending prey their way, made it clear even to a fool that the outpost and the wolves shared an inexplicable connection.

Ren held no illusions; they all understood each other without words.

But as Ren pondered this, he suddenly wondered—what was Hu Shuo’s true purpose? Was it merely to eat in peace? Impossible!

“But surely there will be an interrogation process,” Ren mused. “What if they refuse to confess?”

“If they’re dead, they can’t refuse,” Hu Shuo replied calmly. “Isn’t that the essence of dying without confession?”

The Huoyuan operatives grasped the implication—they were doomed!

How could they, with abilities beyond ordinary humans, resign themselves to death?

In an instant, all five rose and fled downhill. They had no intention of confronting Ren and Hu Shuo—Hu Shuo alone was beyond their capacity to defeat, and now Ren had joined the fray. Their only hope lay in escape.

As the Huoyuan team fled, Hu Shuo remained seated, motionless. Seeing this, Ren stayed still as well.

Ren laughed, “Aren’t you going to chase them?”

Hu Shuo chuckled, “My old limbs can’t keep up. Why don’t you chase them?”

“The Huoyuan are supernaturals—I’m just an ordinary man. How dare I chase them?” Ren said with a forced smile.

As the Huoyuan Company’s figures grew distant...

The two sat in place, neither pursuing. When the Huoyuan operatives glanced back and saw this, they rejoiced inwardly—they hadn’t expected no one to give chase!

By the time they reached the mountain’s midsection, a patch of grass stirred. From the concealed position below, gunfire erupted. In the blink of an eye, shadows in the forest surged forth as a fully organized tactical squad emerged, catching the already exhausted five off guard!

Ren heard the gunfire at the mountain’s slope and wondered when these people had been lying in wait.