Chapter 69: How Could You Know the Star Stone Is Here?

Looking at the several corpses, Jiang Changkong really wanted to say, “What a bunch of paupers.”

Fang Chenggong had 360, Zhuang Xuanqing and Song Jun each had 43, while Zhang Tao and Li He each had 10.

If not for the mindset that even a mosquito’s leg is still meat, Jiang Changkong wouldn’t have bothered extracting them.

As for Zhou Wen’s surveillance, he had already told her to turn it off the moment the bomb exploded, so nothing would be recorded.

Flames rose in his palm, then blazed fiercely, incinerating the corpses.

Jiang Changkong stepped on fire, transforming into a streak of light as he left the area.

Arriving near the Martial Market, Cao Ye hadn’t arrived yet, but he wasn’t in a hurry.

Using the Starlight Monitoring Instrument, he kept an eye on Cao Ye’s every move.

By the time Cao Ye reached the Martial Market, it was already around seven or eight o’clock.

He found a man in black and headed to the location Jiang Changkong had specified.

As for Jiang Changkong, after waiting for them to leave for a while, he checked the time, changed into a black robe, knocked out a random man in black, and stole his phone.

He dialed a number, and a deep voice answered from the other end, “Who is this?”

“Liu Feng, the whereabouts of one hundred Star Stones are here.”

Jiang Changkong sent an address over and hung up.

He disappeared into the weeds, and once he was out of the surveillance range, he took the monitoring instrument and stepped on fire, streaking through the night like a flame.

Not long after leaving, Jiang Changkong noticed a group of men in black following him.

Were they from the military?

Jiang Changkong wasn’t sure, so he quickened his pace.

Before long, Jiang Changkong arrived first at the spot where the Star Stones were buried, while Cao Ye and the other man had just arrived.

“Ouch, my stomach hurts. Boss, I need to relieve myself.”

Upon reaching the location, Cao Ye clutched his stomach and groaned in pain.

“What’s wrong with you?” the man in black asked coldly.

“Sorry, I must have eaten something bad. Five minutes, just five minutes.”

Cao Ye said this, then clutched his stomach and disappeared into the weeds. Once he was far enough away, he hurried off.

Jiang Changkong watched all of this, knowing the group of men in black was about to arrive.

Glancing at Cao Ye, who was walking faster and faster, Jiang Changkong moved swiftly, appearing beside him and grabbing him by the neck. “Don’t make a sound.”

Cao Ye recognized his voice and immediately relaxed.

Carrying Cao Ye, Jiang Changkong used the Mystical Fire Step to move a kilometer away before stopping.

He turned on the instrument, and the screen displayed the man in black waiting where he was.

Cao Ye watched too, confused about what Jiang Changkong was planning.

Suddenly, a group of men in black rushed over and surrounded the lone man in black.

Without any unnecessary words, they attacked immediately.

Starlight shone, long spears swept, and sword gleams intertwined, forming a net of blades.

The man in black brought by Cao Ye couldn’t even withstand three moves before being subdued.

“Star Sea late stage.”

Jiang Changkong looked at the leader of the men in black—a Martial Artist at the Star Sea late stage.

The mask was removed, revealing a rugged face and an identification document.

In the footage, the document wasn’t very clear, but it was still recognizable.

Behind him, Cao Ye’s pupils contracted as he stared in horror at the document. “Military personnel?”

Jiang Changkong didn’t respond, continuing to watch.

The monitoring instrument could only show the visuals, not capture any sound.

They couldn’t hear what the military personnel were saying, but it was easy to guess they were interrogating the man in black.

Soon, two men in black dug up a backpack containing one hundred Star Stones from the ground.

The backpack was military-issued, with special markings.

The military personnel began counting the Star Stones—exactly one hundred!

These were the Star Stones stolen from the military!

Cao Ye’s body trembled, and his back was drenched in cold sweat without him even realizing it.

The gaze directed at Jiang Changkong was filled with terror: “You… how could you know the Star Stone is here?”

The person who snatched the Star Stone, a skilled blade user, Mid Star Sea Stage…

If one disregarded martial arts, Jiang Changkong fit the description perfectly!

“Hey, what are you thinking? I’m a proper Martial Artist.”

Jiang Changkong stood up, turned around, and smiled at him.

Cao Ye retreated several steps in panic, completely flustered: “You… don’t come any closer… help…”

By now, even if he were foolish, he would realize that Jiang Changkong could not possibly let him live.

If he were left alive, the matter of snatching the Star Stone would likely be exposed!

The one who achieved fifteen consecutive victories in the Life-and-death Arena was also Jiang Changkong.

In an instant, he understood everything, but understanding meant death had arrived.

Swoosh

A flash of Blade Qi passed by, and before his words could finish, he had already become a corpse.

Jiang Changkong put away the monitoring device and carried Cao Ye’s body away.

After moving to a distant location, he extracted the Essence, and pure golden flames burned, reducing the body to a pile of ashes.

Jiang Changkong turned and left, heading to the underground Life-and-death Arena in the Martial Market.

As for those one hundred Star Stones, even if he used them, he had a way to prevent the military from tracing them.

But one must take things with proper justification.

He decided to give them as a favor to Liu Feng and the others—these three could be considered his friends.

It would also serve to further smear Lu Wuhai’s reputation.

Arriving at the underground Life-and-death Arena, Jiang Changkong blended into the crowd without drawing attention.

He stayed until midnight, waiting for the crowd to thin out before leaving with the others.

The next day, he did not return to the city, instead wandering around the Martial Market for half a day.

He also sent a message to Zhou Wen, informing her that Zhang Hua was about to be released and asking her to keep an eye on him.

In the evening, he continued watching the Life-and-death Arena and noticed that more and more people were flooding into it recently.

These people did not step onto the arena themselves but merely shouted in the crowd, occasionally placing bets.

At midnight, he left with the crowd as usual and continued wandering around the Martial Market at night.

For several days in a row, the number of people in the underground Life-and-death Arena increased, but the arena itself grew increasingly deserted.

During these days, his teacher Chu Jun, the vice-principal, and two senior female students all called him, but he did not answer a single call.

That night, all three arenas stood empty, with no one competing.

A group of black-clad individuals crowded the underground space. Without any fights, there were no roars or screams—only a deathly silence, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Thud, thud

Heavy footsteps echoed as a man with half-gray hair and a sinister gaze slowly descended from the staircase entrance.

“I was unaware of Commander Cheng’s arrival. He Long failed to welcome you properly and begs for forgiveness.”

The man spoke loudly, a thick smile spreading across his face.

“He Long, Boss He.”

A black-clad figure stood up from the crowd, removed his cloak, and revealed a rugged face:

“The military has never interfered in Jiangcheng’s affairs. Any illegal activities are handled by the law enforcement bureau.

But this time, targeting the military’s Star Stone—does Boss He intend to replace the army in protecting Jiangcheng?”

Jiang Changkong hid in the crowd, watching this Commander Cheng—the very man who led the team to retrieve the Star Stone last night.

The military ranks were divided into Ten-man Commander, Hundred-man Commander, Thousand-man Commander, Ten-thousand-man Commander, Minor Commander, and Major Commander.

A Ten-man Commander led ten soldiers, a Hundred-man Commander led ten Ten-man Commanders, and a Thousand-man Commander led ten Hundred-man Commanders.

A Minor Commander led ten Ten-thousand-man Commanders.

A Major Commander led ten Minor Commanders.

Jiangcheng was a small place, with no Minor Commander stationed there. It only had one Ten-thousand-man Commander and ten Thousand-man Commanders.

The military’s main force was focused on clearing Star Demons, with the sole responsibility of guarding Jiangcheng.

He then sized up He Long, who was old but vigorous and possessed formidable strength. His aura was far stronger than that of Commander Cheng, who was at the late stage of the Star Sea.

Star Sea Peak!

“What are you saying, Commander? How would I dare to touch the military’s belongings?”

He Long put on a flattering smile and said, “It’s all rumors. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me, nothing at all.”

“Nothing to do with you? Caught red-handed, and you dare say it has nothing to do with you?”

Commander Cheng roared angrily, “Today, if you don’t hand over the person who acted that day, this place will cease to exist!”

He Long’s expression changed, and he hurriedly said, “Commander, please calm your anger. I truly know nothing about this matter. Please give me a few days to investigate and clarify the situation.”

“A few days?” Commander Cheng stared at him coldly.

He Long looked terrified, sweat beading on his forehead. “Five days… no, three days. Within three days, I will definitely give you an explanation.”

“Then this place will remain closed until you hand over the person in three days.”

Commander Cheng snorted coldly and shouted, “Men, seal this place! All unrelated personnel, leave immediately!”

A group of men in black robes removed their cloaks, revealing their identification, and began driving the other black-robed individuals away.

Jiang Changkong, hidden among the crowd, obediently left without causing any disturbance.

“Stealing the military’s Star Stones—is He Long trying to get himself killed?”

After leaving the underground space, the men in black robes grew bolder and began discussing the matter.

“No wonder I felt something was off about the martial market recently. There have been too many people flooding in.”

“I happened to see Qin Hai the other day. It’s possible that all six of Jiangcheng’s big shots have gathered.”

Listening to the crowd’s discussions, Jiang Changkong turned and walked away.

With such a major incident, it wouldn’t be surprising if all six big shots were here.