With that, Lu Ding was satisfied.
"Alright, someone take her to the hospital. The rest of you, clean up the battlefield, cooperate with the cleanup team when they arrive, and maintain order at the scene."
He wasn’t staying here a second longer.
His body was covered in monster blood and battle grime. The stench was unbearable—he needed to get back to the Public Security Bureau for a shower ASAP.
With that, he turned and soared into the dark sky.
Once again, the onlookers' shock deepened.
When they had seen him hovering earlier, they assumed it was some minor Qi-manipulation trick that allowed him to ride the wind. No one had imagined he could actually fly.
One of the reasons ghosts were notorious in the 749 Bureau was their bizarre abilities—especially their natural ability to float. The stronger they got, the faster they flew. If a fight turned south, they could just zip away, vanishing into the sky.
If Cultivators of Qi could also fly, ghosts wouldn’t be such a problem compared to the endless variety of bizarre monsters out there.
Unfortunately, flight techniques were incredibly rare. Most people never even got the chance to learn them, let alone develop the sheer Qi reserves needed to sustain flight for long periods.
But Lu Ding could fly.
This realization hit them like a tidal wave.
As the dust settled behind them, Fang Du's corpse was finally exposed.
Even though he was dead, his rapidly decaying remains still exuded a chilling aura.
Just getting close made them shiver.
"This... This thing was the monster behind the Yin Domain expansion?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, yeah. There’s no way there was something even stronger, right? If there was..."
The speaker paused, glancing around nervously before continuing, "If there was, this whole complex would've been leveled before Investigator Lu even got here."
They chatted in low voices, still shaken.
Before long, the Cleanup Department arrived.
Each member was dressed in black, wearing gas masks and carrying heavy gear.
Some took photos. Others started the cleanup.
Then, when they entered Apartment 1911 and saw the battlefield on the 19th floor, every single one of them had the same thought—
This must be what hell looks like.
Pools of festering blood.
The deep slash marks carving through walls, floors, and ceilings told the story of an unimaginable battle.
"Did... did a single person do all this?"
An Intern Investigator doing this alone?
They couldn’t believe it.
But they had to believe it.
Because aside from Lu Ding, there was no one else.
The battle scars told the truth—this was all his doing.
Someone stepped into Apartment 1911.
Their boot sank into the rotting flesh, pulling up strands of sticky gore.
That was why Lu Ding had floated instead of walking during the fight.
Sure, it looked cool, but more importantly—
It was disgusting as hell.
Photos of the battlefield were immediately sent back to 749 Bureau Headquarters, triggering an uproar.
749 didn’t hide post-battle reports—they made them public.
To motivate weaker investigators.
To send a message to enemies—
"Don’t mess with us. The 749 Bureau is filled with monsters of our own."
But today, as Lu Ding’s battlefield photos were posted—
Every investigator who had joined in the past year started asking the same question.
"Are we even doing the Year-One Combat Trials this year?"
"F*** that, who the hell is gonna fight Lu Ding? You? Me? Him?"
"If I face him, I’m not even gonna pretend. Just gonna surrender immediately. Hesitating for a second would be disrespecting his kill count and title."
"How the hell is this guy still an Intern Investigator? That’s just bullying. Hurry up and get promoted. We were having a good time pecking at each other as weaklings!"
"First, we had Bai Hemen, then Wen Ruchu, and finally Tantai Xianyue forming a three-way dominance. Everyone basically expected them to be the top three in this year’s trials."
"Now, this Corpse-Shattering Taishui Lu Ding just pops up out of nowhere?"
"Sure, we’re not ranking anywhere near them, but at least we get a front-row seat to the bloodbath."
"The top three get elite training. Now that there are four of them, one is definitely getting knocked out. They're gonna be at each other's throats."
A sweet voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"Gege, what’s the Year-One Combat Trials?"
A girl in a white dress stood under the light, smiling softly—like a first love from youth.
For those who had never had such a first love—
Well, congratulations.
If Lu Ding were here, he’d immediately recognize her—
Ji Yanshuang, the Second Miss of the Ji Family.
After the Ling Gu Incident, Ji Yanshuang had awakened her Cultivator of Qi talent.
During her debriefing with the Cleanup Department, they had discovered her potential.
She volunteered to join 749 Bureau shortly after.
Today, she had just finished picking up a request form to take a trip home to visit her sister and father.
Then she overheard someone mention Lu Ding, which piqued her curiosity.
With just one polite ‘Gege’, the investigators rushed to answer her question.
"The Year-One Combat Trials is a tournament for investigators who've been in 749 for less than a year."
Another added, "New recruits from the past month can also join the next year's tournament since they wouldn't have had enough time to train for this one."
A third chimed in, "There are ten prize slots. The fourth to seventh-place rewards are all solid, but nothing game-changing. But the top three get to enter 749 Bureau’s elite training programs."
"It’s a way to identify and nurture high-potential investigators."
Ji Yanshuang tilted her head, thinking. "So this year’s competition is intense?"
"Intense? That’s an understatement."
"Let me put it this way—those three we just mentioned? They’re all monsters."
"Tantai Xianyue—also known as Jade Guanyin—has awakened the Great Guanyin Light Form. She’s a total powerhouse. Just recently, she fought a serpent spirit in Ninglong City, one that was on the verge of evolving into a flood dragon."
"She fought so fiercely that she destroyed a dam in the process."
"And she held it off until reinforcements arrived, forcing the serpent to flee. That spirit was at the level of a Linghai Ninth Realm Cultivator of Qi. If it had successfully evolved, it would have rivaled a Divine Palace Realm expert."
"Think about that. She went up against something that strong and held her ground. You still think she’s not a monster?"
Ji Yanshuang nodded. "But... didn’t Lu Ding already kill a veteran Linghai Realm Cultivator while still in the Zhaoxuan Realm?"