Chapter 42: Unexpected Chaos on the Street

Inside the police car.

Xiao Yu was deep in thought.

According to the family’s account, from the moment the deceased’s body entered the funeral home until it was taken to the cremation chamber, a family member was present throughout the process.

After the cremation, workers retrieved the ashes and the family brought them home in an urn.

There was no instance of the ashes being swapped during this process.

The only potential issue could have occurred during the cremation.

Viewers are not allowed during the cremation.

It is quite possible a swap might have taken place at that stage.

The case files show that the investigators had reviewed the crematorium’s surveillance footage when the case was handled.

Indeed, there was no sign of any person or vehicle coming in or out, ruling out the possibility of body theft.

The original surveillance recordings are still archived in the file room.

What the hell?

Does a human body really turn into nothing but pig bone ashes after cremation?

Could a magician really pull that off?

Would any movie dare to depict such a thing?

Or is this some kind of supernatural event?

Just as Xiao Yu was fully absorbed in his thoughts about the case,

suddenly,

a scraping sound broke the silence.

The police car slammed on the brakes.

Xiao Yu looked at Guo Qiang in astonishment.

“Something’s happened,” Guo Qiang said gravely.

And indeed, something had.

Through the car window, Xiao Yu saw seven or eight burly men beating a man by the roadside.

This was a bustling street lined with many shops.

The incident occurred outside a fitness club.

The attackers, dressed in gym clothes, pummelled a man who lay on the ground clutching his head in pain…

Without hesitation, Xiao Yu pushed open the door and stepped out, with Guo Qiang close behind.

Both officers were in plain clothes—detectives rarely wear uniforms to make investigations easier.

“Stop this at once, police!”

Approaching quickly, Xiao Yu shouted sharply.

The eight gym-built men froze, glaring at him with fierce, puzzled expressions.

Police?

It wasn’t surprising they were suspicious.

Xiao Yu’s good looks were more akin to a movie star than a typical cop.

At just 22, he looked more like a college student.

Xiao Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated by it.

I mean, you can’t really fault your parents for blessing you with too much good looks, right?

After flashing his police credentials, the eight men’s expressions changed.

“What’s going on?”

Guo Qiang, exuding authority, asked coldly, “Why are you beating someone?”

No one replied as more onlookers began to gather.

People just love a good spectacle!

Xiao Yu crouched down to inspect the beaten man.

The man’s face was bloodied and, aside from that, he had lost consciousness from severe injuries.

Xiao Yu pulled out his phone and dialed 112 for an ambulance, his eyes fixed coldly on the eight burly men.

“What are you looking at? Think you’re something just because you’re police?”

One of the men glared at Xiao Yu.

Hmm?

Xiao Yu paused in surprise, then couldn’t help but smirk.

I haven’t even used my laxative yet, and you already show up?

Kid, you must’ve seen too many gangster flicks to dare talk back to a cop!

“Everyone, get down with your hands over your head!”

Without further ado, Xiao Yu barked at the group of gym-built men.

Guo Qiang pulled out his phone and called for backup.

“Get down, damn it,” Xiao Yu added.

Another burly man sneered, “Do you even have a gun?”

Xiao Yu was completely taken aback—it all felt fishy.

In this day and age, who in their right mind would dare insult a police officer?

Are you out of your mind?

Or do you think you have some kind of backup?

Things just got even stranger.

Suddenly,

“Police are beating people! Police are beating people!”

One of the burly men shouted as six others moved toward Xiao Yu and Guo Qiang.

Another man quietly backed away.

So that’s it!

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes and coldly glared at the man retreating.

It wasn’t that these guys were idiots—it was that the man was clearly hiding something.

Suddenly,

that very burly man who had been slipping away broke into a run.

“Stop right there,”

Xiao Yu shouted coldly, stepping off to give chase.

“Fuck you,”

a burly man swung a punch aimed straight at Xiao Yu’s face.

In response, Xiao Yu’s mind raced as the blow approached.

With the strict penalties in place for assaulting an officer,

the consequences for hitting a cop were extremely severe.

These guys actually had the nerve to attack?

Then the one fleeing must be guilty of something much worse.

At the very least, his crime should be more serious than assaulting an officer. What could it be?

His forehead tilted as the punch grazed past his cheek.

Ever since Xiao Yu had acquired the title ‘Combat Expert’ from the system, he’d been itching for a proper fight.

Unfortunately, he’d never had the chance—until now.

In an instant, countless combat techniques etched deep into his mind, body, and even his cells surged into action.

Dodging a punch, his body shot up like a leopard.

His legs whipped out like a lashing whip, resembling a sweeping axe.

Thwack!

His leather-shod foot struck the burly man’s cheek.

The man, who stood at least 1.85 meters tall and weighed over ninety kilograms,

fell like a log, crashing to the ground and becoming utterly still.

The scene seemed to freeze, leaving everyone stunned.

Just as Xiao Yu was about to give chase to the man who had fled four or five meters away,

the remaining burly men reacted and lunged at him with a flurry of punches and kicks.

Shit… Xiao Yu nearly cursed before quickly shouting to Guo Qiang, “Go after him—I’ll handle this!”

Guo Qiang hesitated briefly, then without a word, sprinted after the fleeing man.

Just as one of the burly men tried to block him, Xiao Yu struck even faster—like a furious leopard pouncing on its prey.

Raising his arm, he delivered a ruthless palm strike to the man’s throat.

Thwack!

The man clutched his throat and bent over.

Crunch… Xiao Yu’s knee collided with the burly man’s face.

With one powerful kick, the burly man flipped onto the ground, falling unconscious.

“This is your final warning,”

Xiao Yu’s gaze turned ice-cold as he addressed the remaining five burly men, “Get down with your hands over your head!”

The five exchanged glances, their expressions hardening as they charged at him.

“Something’s not right…” Xiao Yu muttered, his face set in a cold glare.

“Have they lost their minds?”