Chapter 85 Juglas

Xia Ping’s head was forced down by Li Changqing, his face pressed tightly to the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“Are you joking with me?”

Xia Ping couldn’t understand why Li Changqing was acting this way. There was no conflict between them—unless, perhaps, it was because he wanted to pursue Li Changqing’s sister, which had aroused Li’s displeasure?

At that moment, Kelly also ran into the alley. Seeing the scene before him, he let out a faint sigh of relief.

He was well aware that Li Changqing had become a zombie.

“Let’s move him somewhere else.”

Everyone here knew both Li Changqing and Xia Ping. If they were spotted, taking Xia Ping away smoothly would be impossible.

Li Changqing gripped Xia Ping’s neck tightly, while Kelly covered his mouth to prevent him from shouting. The two swiftly dragged him away.

Relying on his memory, Li Changqing knew there was a cluster of soon-to-be-demolished buildings nearby.

The residents had already received compensation from the Federal Government and moved out, leaving several buildings vacant.

They brought Xia Ping into one at random. The doors were unlocked, and most belongings had already been taken. Only a few worthless pieces of old furniture remained—dusty sofas, wooden chairs.

The room was thick with dust.

Li Changqing shoved Xia Ping forcefully onto a sofa. Xia Ping rubbed his reddened neck, his anger flaring as he shouted, “Li Changqing, what do you want?”

“I hear you’re a detective now. Then you should know what you’re doing right now is kidnapping—blatant kidnapping!”

“I’ll see you in court!”

Li Changqing pulled up a chair and sat across from him. “Let’s talk. Where are the two girls you deceived? And why are you getting close to my sister?”

Such kidnappings and scams happened constantly. As a detective, Li Changqing had seen plenty.

He wasn’t someone who liked to meddle in others’ affairs.

But this person had deliberately approached Li Lin.

The anger on Xia Ping’s face vanished instantly, replaced with a look of fear.

How did Li Changqing know about this?

His eyes flickered; he was just about to deny everything when Li Changqing cut him off. “We’ve been investigating you for days. If you like making excuses, you can explain yourself to the federal police later.”

“Changqing, I’m the victim here.” Xia Ping calmed down a little, his voice steady. “Those two girls lied to me, tricked me out of a lot of money…”

“Nonsense,” Kelly Losetti couldn’t hold back. This guy was shameless—deceiving his feelings? He was nothing special in appearance. Did he think he was irresistible?

Kelly took out an investigation file and tossed it in front of Xia Ping. “Take a good look for yourself. Your experiences in the Lamella Empire and after returning to the Vermilion Bird Federation are all here.”

“The first girl, Qin Xue, came from a poor family. She worked hard to get into Nánlín City University, worked part-time to save money, and was about to graduate when she met you—the so-called imperial exchange student.”

“She gave you all her savings from part-time work, hoping to start a business with you and settle in Nánlín City.”

“And then you took her money, went to the casino, and lost it all.”

“The second girl’s name is Zhao Li…”

After Kelly finished, his eyes were full of contempt. “Neither of them were wealthy. Do you have any conscience, doing this?”

Xia Ping stood up from the sofa and dusted off his clothes. “Listen, if they wanted to spend money on me, that was their choice. What’s it to you? Is this why you brought me to such a place?”

“They disappeared at the same time. That makes you the primary suspect.” Li Changqing’s gaze was fixed squarely on Xia Ping’s expression. When he mentioned the disappearance, he caught a strange flicker in Xia Ping’s eyes.

“You’re crazy. How should I know where they are?” Xia Ping replied irritably, making to leave.

Li Changqing, of course, wasn’t about to let him walk out. When Xia Ping was blocked, he clenched his fists. “This is kidnapping! If I call the federal police, you two—”

A phone was thrust in front of him. Li Changqing nodded at the device. “Go ahead. Call the police.”

“You…”

Xia Ping’s voice shook, and his eyes flashed with hostility. “Looks like you two won’t listen to reason.”

Just then, Li Changqing sensed a chill emanating from Xia Ping’s body.

He focused his spiritual energy into his eyes. Within Xia Ping, he saw a faint aura of sinister energy—not strong, but present nonetheless.

The look Xia Ping gave Li Changqing and Kelly was almost one of pity, as if he was watching two fools.

Did these two really think a little muscle made them invincible?

Naive. Didn’t they realize there were mysterious powers in this world?

Xia Ping folded his arms across his chest, his gaze reverent, and began to speak slowly:

“Great Dog God Juglas, your faithful servant Xia Ping calls upon you once more. Bestow upon me your mighty power, that I may—”

Bang!

Li Changqing knocked him to the ground with a punch, following up with several sharp kicks to his face.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Xia Ping was dazed, blood pouring from his nose.

Some people, before they could even begin to show off, were already finished.

“You bastard, the great Juglas won’t let you off so easily. I curse you—”

Li Changqing kicked him hard in the stomach. “Your Juglas can’t save you now. Tell us honestly—where are the two girls?”

Xia Ping looked utterly wretched, his face smeared with dust and blood as he lay sprawled on the ground.

“I—I’ll talk…” Xia Ping forced down the pain and spoke slowly. “They’re being kept outside the city, in the suburbs.”

“Why did you take them?” Li Changqing narrowed his eyes.

Xia Ping hesitated, but seeing the malice in Li Changqing’s eyes, he relented. “I know the federal police were about to investigate me, and the two of them had evidence. I was afraid they’d rat me out.”

The so-called Dog God Juglas he worshipped was clearly a heretical deity, not a proper god at all. No wonder he was afraid of being targeted by authorities like the Thirty-Sixth Bureau.

“Let’s call the police,” Kelly Losetti suggested.

Li Changqing shook his head and instead dialed Hu Xiong. “Hello, Mr. Hu. Interested in a little performance bonus?”

Soon, Hu Xiong and Bai Chuan arrived by car. Staring at Xia Ping, battered and filthy on the ground, they listened as Li Changqing explained what had happened.

“Heretic Juglas? The one from the Lamella Empire?” Hu Xiong frowned after hearing everything and shot Xia Ping a glare. What kind of fool would get involved with something like that?