Chapter 23: The Assassin from the Undead Clan
Things had become quite simple by now. The deaths of the little princess, the queen, and Legion Commander Karen were actually unimportant; they were merely the first link in the plan, at most three relatively significant chess pieces.
The entire plan was as follows: First, a murder occurs within the royal palace. The victim's identity must be sensitive enough to lure away the powerful Iron Hand, who guards the old king.
Once the Iron Hand is drawn away, the assassination plan officially begins. The detailed steps are temporarily unclear because the assassination failed before it even started.
This mission was never a reasoning-type task; it was a long-premeditated royal assassination. Thinking about it this way, the whole matter becomes much simpler and clearer.
The detective named Nonista Ford had also deduced what Su Xiao was thinking, and even in more detail. But he dared not write down all his deductions. Some things he had to take to his grave, unless he wanted to die.
The little princess being pregnant was nothing serious; at most, it was premarital pregnancy, a moral issue. But the queen being pregnant was a different matter entirely. It was equivalent to taking the iron crown off the old king's head and replacing it with a green jade crown of cuckoldry.
Some things must never be made public, such as the queen's pregnancy. That detective didn't want to die, so he only hinted at it implicitly in his investigation notes. This was his plea for help to Su Xiao—he helped Su Xiao deduce the whole matter, hoping that Su Xiao, the infamous Iron Hand, wouldn't silence him.
Su Xiao naturally intended to protect this detective. The guy's reasoning ability was top-tier in this world, and he would definitely be useful in the future.
The priority now was to find out where the Kingdom's Financial Officer, Rowan Harvey, was. He wasn't the most suspicious, but he could be the breakthrough point for the entire affair.
Just as Su Xiao walked out of the courtyard, a series of screams erupted from the nearby street. A palace guard, covered in blood, rushed straight toward Su Xiao.
With a clang, the fully black-armored palace guard collapsed to the ground. He had at least dozens of slash wounds on his body, and a piece of his skull had been chipped off.
The guard fell at Su Xiao's feet, raising one arm.
"G-Great... sir, N-Nonista... Ford... the detective, is... dead. Only one enemy, the weapon was..."
Every few words the guard spoke, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He was clearly on the verge of death; his heart had been pierced.
"Understood. The information you provided is valuable."
The moment Su Xiao finished speaking, the guard's arm dropped to the ground, and he lost all signs of life.
"Collect the body. Give him a proper burial."
Su Xiao glanced at the two royal city guards standing dumbfounded at the entrance. These guys had never been to the battlefield. They were fine for maintaining order in the royal capital, but sending them to fight on the front lines would be useless. The royal capital didn't need their protection anyway; they only needed to keep the peace.
"Y-Yes, sir."
Su Xiao walked into the crowd that was gradually gathering. As he had guessed, the enemy was already getting restless. Killing the detective was clearly an attempt to slow down Su Xiao's investigation, but they were a bit too late.
The detective was the primary target. So the second target would be...
Su Xiao moved quickly through the crowd, considering whether to first find the Kingdom's Financial Officer, Rowan Harvey, or to prevent a possible silencing.
The Kingdom's Financial Officer, Rowan Harvey, was only a suspect. He wasn't necessarily involved in this matter. But those who came to silence others were definitely connected.
If he wasn't mistaken, the second silencing target was likely the second princess. She had provided Su Xiao with the intelligence network in the royal capital.
Just then, Su Xiao paused mid-step. He suddenly recalled a very crucial point: a little mouse.
Before the purge began last night, Rowan Harvey had used a little mouse to contact Su Xiao. This wasn't the first time they had communicated this way, so Su Xiao hadn't been suspicious.
The content of Rowan Harvey's message last night was very simple, only three words: 'Am I on it?'
Earlier, Su Xiao thought Rowan Harvey was feeling self-preservation anxiety, which surprised him. As one of the old king's four most trusted men, why would Rowan Harvey feel threatened?
Su Xiao now faced a choice: go find Rowan Harvey, or go to the second princess's location to confront a possible assassin.
After a moment's consideration, Su Xiao made his decision. The second princess might not necessarily die if assassinated; he could send word to her in advance. But if Rowan Harvey was involved in this matter, he would definitely become extremely cautious. Given the current situation, he would likely try to flee the royal capital.
If Su Xiao's guess was correct, Rowan Harvey was definitely a big fish.
Su Xiao leaped across the rooftops of civilian houses. Finding Rowan Harvey in this vast royal capital wasn't easy. Fortunately, he had the intelligence channels of the capital.
Soon, Su Xiao arrived in front of a three-story building. This was a high-end entertainment establishment owned by the second princess. When the guards at the entrance saw Su Xiao, they immediately opened the door and welcomed him inside.
"Lord White Night, what brings you here today?"
A beautiful woman in her forties approached, her gaze ambiguous.
"Where is Rowan Harvey?"
Hearing the name Rowan Harvey, the beautiful woman's body trembled.
"Sir, this..."
The woman knew who Su Xiao was, and she also knew who Rowan Harvey was.
"Check immediately."
Su Xiao stared directly at the woman, who stumbled back a few steps.
"Y-Yes, sir."
The woman said this, but she secretly contacted the second princess through a private channel. The second princess's reply was simple: check immediately, but try to be discreet.
This world had no communication devices, so even though the second princess's intelligence network was extensive, finding where the Kingdom's Financial Officer, Rowan Harvey, was would take some time.
Half an hour later, the beautiful woman rushed over with hurried steps, her face somewhat pale.
"Lord Rowan Harvey... no, Rowan Harvey secretly left the royal capital at noon."
The woman had already guessed that something huge was about to happen.
"Cunning old bastard, slipped away so fast."
When Su Xiao suspected something was wrong with Rowan Harvey, the man had already fled the capital.
This was quite a mess. The Kingdom's Financial Officer, Rowan Harvey, had escaped. Remember, the kingdom's financial power had been in his hands. This guy had hidden himself far too deeply, and now he had accomplished his mission and was off to enjoy 'foreign' pleasures.
Rowan Harvey was one of the enemy's people—that was now certain. For the royal family, this was terrifying. How many years of planning and scheming would it take to install Rowan Harvey as the Kingdom's Financial Officer? Years? No, it required decades of planning.
Now, the kingdom's finances were a ticking time bomb. Who knew when it would explode? Once financial problems arose, the front lines would be hit the hardest.
The only ones on the Xiya Continent capable of such a feat, Su Xiao could only think of the Undead Clan.
It seemed the Undead Clan wasn't just launching a large-scale attack on the Divine Wall at the front lines; they were also internally dismantling the royal family's power structure, planting spies, and so on. The Undead were definitely not a simple-minded race; their intelligence was no less than that of humans.
The Undead Clan's plan, laid out over decades, was now being executed at this precise moment, clearly targeting the current power struggle.
"Sir, we..."
Just as the beautiful woman spoke, a line of blood appeared on her neck. Her head rolled to the ground, and blood splattered onto the ceiling.
"Kabakana (Undead language: Ninety-ninth)."
A figure draped in a red cloak and wearing a red hood crouched on the chandelier above. Its figure was slender, and it wore a white mask stained with blood.
"Uklachichi (Undead language: You are the hundredth)."
This slender, red-cloaked Undead stared at Su Xiao. Its eyes were emerald green.
"So the target wasn't the second princess, but me. What an unexpected gain."
Su Xiao stretched his muscles, and Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in his hand. From the newcomer's aura, he could tell that its strength was not weak. And this time, he needed to take a live prisoner; otherwise, the entire hidden side mission would have no clear breakthrough point.