Chapter 2638: The Assassin Clan
Xu Huo mentioned Shi Qing's name, and the old lady soon came out trembling. She enthusiastically invited him in, "Professor Shi, I know him. He lives on the tenth floor. I'll take you up."
"Are you relatives of Professor Shi? We haven't had young people come here in a long time. If you're here to find family, you must have made it big. You can take Professor Shi to enjoy life." The old lady chattered on, "It's too inconvenient living here. No one maintains the building. It took two years of reporting to the government just to get the elevator fixed. The water pipes and electrical wires often break too. Sometimes we can't even get a meal. A few days ago, Old Baldy on the thirty-second floor died. The day before, I saw him out for a walk... Luckily, it was from illness."
The elevator reached the tenth floor. The old lady stepped out first, cleared the trash from the hallway, and then knocked on the door.
Professor Shi opened the door wearing a ragged vest. He was quite surprised to see Xu Huo and the Painting Woman. "Sister Zhao, are these your relatives?"
The old lady waved her hand, "My relatives died out long ago, you know that. They're here for you."
"For me?" Professor Shi carefully studied Xu Huo and the Painting Woman, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Do you need something from me?"
"Can we talk inside?" Xu Huo glanced into the room.
"Sister Zhao, you go back first. I'll give you a couple of vegetables later." Professor Shi said to the old lady, then invited Xu Huo and the other inside.
Professor Shi also lived alone. Though he was unkempt, the room was very clean. The furniture was all in place, and he even brewed a pot of strong tea.
"Tea leaves are hard to come by these days. I usually can't bear to drink it." He chuckled as he poured three cups.
Xu Huo explained his purpose. Professor Shi wasn't surprised, "You're not the first to come to me about the instance. But most people don't really believe the 'National Heirloom Treasure' is connected to the Assassin Clan, so not many players find their way to me."
"I can tell you, but I've already posted all the origins of the Assassin Clan and the National Heirloom Treasure theory on the Message Collection Terminal. Is there anything else you want to know?"
"Are there any members of that Assassin Clan with more detailed records?" Xu Huo asked.
"The most historical records are about the first supervisor. Although no portraits remain, there are many accounts of his deeds." Professor Shi picked a few famous ones to talk about.
That supervisor's surname was Peng, known as Officer Peng. His full name was unclear, likely erased from historical records later. Even the surname might be fake. But he was a close friend who shared life-and-death experiences with the ruler of that time. His presence marked every important turning point in the ruler's life, and he had once saved the ruler's life. There was a clear record that he was severely injured saving the ruler. An ordinary person injured to that extent would basically not survive, but that man pulled through. Two days later, he fought another great battle, successfully covering the ruler's escape from danger.
Because there were many witnesses, it caused a great stir at the time. To promote the idea that heaven's way was on the ruler's side, Officer Peng's deeds were once mythologized.
Mythologizing was certainly an exaggeration, but the event itself must have been real. At the very least, it showed that members of this Assassin Clan indeed possessed some innate abilities different from ordinary people.
This incident demonstrated Officer Peng's abilities, while another incident showed the bond between Officer Peng and the ruler.
When the nation was first established, the ruler once sent Officer Peng on a secret mission. After he disappeared for three months, a small group of remnants from a faction that had once competed with the ruler for power were found dead in a remote farmhouse.
However, one child had escaped to a neighboring country. Someone had seen a man in green clothes sending the child away, and Officer Peng's usual attire was green clothes.
At the time, many believed Officer Peng had betrayed him. Under pressure, the ruler publicly issued a recall order—a recall, not a warrant. He also stated that if Officer Peng could not return to the capital alive, everyone responsible for finding him would be killed.
Half a month after the recall order was issued, Officer Peng returned. What the two close friends discussed was unknown to outsiders, but afterward, Officer Peng produced specially treated eyeballs and ears.
One eyeball, one ear—belonging to the child who had escaped. With such physical disabilities, even if that child still lived, it would be difficult for anyone to use him to stir up trouble again.
After that, throughout the ruler's nearly fifty-year reign, Officer Peng stayed by his side until the ruler died without an heir. Three successive successors were killed in quick succession, and only then did Officer Peng and his clan disappear from the scene.
Of course, Officer Peng's clan also suffered massacres. Clear historical records show that Officer Peng's three brothers and their families, totaling forty-seven people, were wiped out in a single night. Other individuals who seemed to have blood relations with Officer Peng fled before their identities could be confirmed.
"However, it's worth noting that Officer Peng was not close to his family," Professor Shi said. "Records indicate he stayed by the ruler's side almost year-round. Officials from all over could see him every day. The rare times he went home were considered such a novelty that news would spread throughout the capital."
"Based on this, some say the three Peng brothers were not actually Officer Peng's real relatives. But I believe that with Officer Peng's skills and power, he could easily conceal any family reunions."
"Officer Peng also had support from members of the same clan when he fought alongside the ruler. The shadow of the assassin runs through this entire history. He couldn't have done it alone."
Xu Huo listened silently, then asked, "Where do you think Officer Peng was most likely to go after he disappeared?"
At this, Professor Shi became somewhat excited. "The bond between Officer Peng and the ruler was unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated—a special case. But this Assassin Clan was not completely invisible throughout history. They appeared many times. They seemed to uphold a special philosophy, only assassinating corrupt rulers during times of chaos. Except for Officer Peng, almost no one in other periods clearly revealed their identity."
"I believe their descendants are actually hidden within the capital city. They must have been involved in the expulsion of the previous Grand Archon twenty years ago. Several powerful and famous players around the Grand Archon at that time died inexplicably, and no one claimed responsibility."
"Although the 'National Heirloom Treasure' started as a joke, the actions of this Assassin Clan throughout various periods of history truly embody the meaning of 'passing down the nation.'"
Professor Shi brought out some newspapers. "These are ones I collected over the years. They document players from major player organizations in Isle Country who suddenly vanished. At least a third of them died suddenly within the country. There were witnesses. They were all trying to compete for the Grand Archon seat. Once someone was killed, the rest behaved themselves."
Xu Huo quickly scanned the newspapers and picked out one. It carried a story from six months ago about an A-class player who died in public in the capital city. The headless corpse lay in a pool of blood, with the shocked expressions of the surrounding people frozen in the photograph.