The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Ryu Seung-kyun did not respect or love his father, but that did not mean he wanted him to die immediately.

Liu Feiyu was also stunned, watching his father, whom he had once feared, die before his eyes. In addition to shock, there was also a hint of indescribable pleasure in his eyes.

A crucial link in the plan has been broken.

An Changqing's face instantly darkened.

"Everyone, cordon off the area! No one is allowed to approach!"

He immediately issued the order.

Long Ao and Hong Yuan automatically guarded the doorway, stopping the guards who rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

"How could this happen..."

Hongyuan muttered to herself, looking at the tragic scene inside.

Long Ao's brows furrowed into a knot.

An Changqing strode into the study, quickly checked the locked alloy windows and walls, and finally returned to the doorway.

"There were no signs of a struggle, the windows were sealed from the inside, and the ventilation system had only tiny vents."

He looked at everyone and said, word by word, "It was a locked-room murder."

Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Chen Guan slowly walked to Liu Tiancheng's body.

He closed his eyes.

"Hehehe."

A gloating voice echoed in his mind.

"Yes, it smells like Astaroth, very clean."

"After killing someone, he promptly erased all traces and evidence of himself; he was a meticulous killer."

Chen Guan asked himself, "How did he leave?"

"Who knows?"

Baal replied nonchalantly, "Maybe it can walk through walls, maybe it can dig tunnels, maybe it can teleport. Who knows? We're all superhumans now, why bother with all this nonsense?"

At this point, almost everyone came to the same conclusion.

An Changqing first revealed the note on the coffin, and then his voice echoed in the hall, carrying a calm analysis.

"Based on the note that Chen Guan received, we can deduce..."

"Liu Tiancheng discovered that Liu Xiao was an imposter, the one who was called Qianmian. He wanted to confront Qianmian alone, so he took him into the secret room."

"As a result, he was killed by Thousand Faces in the secret room."

"In his final moments, Liu Tiancheng used his last strength to slip a note with clues through the ventilation shaft, which was then discovered by Chen Guan."

This reasoning sounds reasonable.

The bloodstained note and Liu Tiancheng's death together form an irrefutable chain of evidence pointing to Qianmian.

"A thousand faces!"

As if grasping at a straw, Liu Chengjun turned around abruptly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the human-shaped hole being guarded by the guards in the distance.

"Bring me that fake!"

His voice was distorted with anger.

"Interrogate him! Use every means at your disposal to interrogate him!"

"I need to know how he killed my father and how he escaped from this damned secret room!"

The original stalemate was broken by Liu Tiancheng's death, which allowed Liu Chengjun to regain the initiative.

The spearhead was aimed directly at the Thousand Faces who was still in a coma.

As Chen Guan watched Liu Chengjun's performance, he felt something was off.

He was certain that when he received the note, Liu Tiancheng's heart was still beating, albeit weakly, but it had not stopped.

If the killer is a mastermind, and he has achieved his goal by killing someone, why didn't he leave immediately and instead gave Liu Tiancheng time to write a note for help?

Would a level nine assassin, capable of perfectly erasing all traces of himself, make such a basic mistake? Not even finishing off the attack?

And that note.

He recalled the scene when he found the note; it had been pushed out of the vent by a force.

How could a person who has been pierced through the heart by a long sword and is about to die have the strength to send a note through the complicated ventilation ducts to his own room door?

There must be another exit or mechanism in this secret room.

Chen Guan's gaze fell on the blood-written note in An Changqing's hand, which served as evidence.

In the dim light, the words "Save me! He's not Liu Xiao!" stood out starkly.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Chen Guan.

Bloodstains.

He stared at the pattern of bloodstains on those words.

The state of blood coagulation, the shape of the drops, and the distribution of blood when writing...

Those who frequently experience near-death experiences can tell that this handwriting doesn't resemble what a severely injured, dying person could write with their finger dipped in blood from their chest.

If that's the case, then this is neither a last will and testament nor a plea for help before death.

This is a meticulously forged whistleblower letter used to frame someone!

The real culprit is not Qianmian; there is someone else.

Moreover, he is very likely right next to them.

……

The main hall of the Liu family mansion was cleared out and temporarily converted into an interrogation room.

Two guards dragged Qianmian in and threw him directly onto the center of the floor.

He looked utterly miserable. His severed arm hung limply at an odd angle, and two dry, bloody tears streamed from his eyes, which were injured by the mental shock. He lay limp on the ground, lifeless.

He looked up, a strange smile on his unfamiliar face.

Liu Chengjun looked down at him from his superior position and said, "Speak."

His voice was cold, echoing in the hall.

"How did you kill my father, and how did you escape from that secret room?"

A strange, guttural laugh escaped from Qianmian's throat, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He propped himself up with his intact hand, looked up at Ryu Seung-jun, his eyes filled with naked mockery.

"I killed him?"

"Young Master Liu, haven't you been hoping for his death all along?"

"Aren't you tired of putting on this act of being a dutiful son and grandson?"

Liu Chengjun's face turned ashen.

"You're asking for it!"

Flames erupted from his body, and a scorching pressure swept over Qianmian, threatening to burn him to ashes instantly.

"Young Master Liu, please calm down."

An Changqing reached out and blocked Liu Chengjun's path, his face still bearing a gentle smile.

"He is mentally traumatized and confused; you won't get any results by asking him questions like this."

Liu Chengjun's chest heaved violently, but he ultimately suppressed his anger and withdrew his supernatural power.

An Changqing then turned around, squatted down in front of Qianmian, and spoke in a guiding tone.

"We all know that the person who hired you is not Young Master Liu."

"In your memory, Chen Guan saw a person dressed in a black robe."

An Changqing stared into Qianmian's eyes and slowly said, "Tell us who that man in black robes is, and perhaps we can give you a quick death."

Upon hearing the words "man in black robes," the maniacal laughter on Thousand Faces' face subsided, and his eyes became vacant.

"The man in black robes..."

He muttered to himself, as if recalling something.

"He gave me strength... He is Lord Astaroth's messenger..."

"Hehehe." In Chen Guan's mind, Baal let out a joyful laugh.

"See? He just admitted it himself. What an idiot."

An Changqing and Liu Feiyu exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Astaroth.

Those are the names of the seventy-two demon gods in legend.

One of the demons alongside Baal, ranked third among the four supreme pillars.

Liu Feiyu stepped forward, his voice grim as he pressed, "What is his purpose?"

Stimulated by the question, Qianmian refocused his gaze, scanning everyone present before finally settling on Liu Feiyu, a twisted smile returning to his face.

"Purpose……"