Chapter 00036: The Killer is Ding Huan
# The Killer is Ding Huan
Chapter 36
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 36: The Killer is Ding Huan
Pearl Tower, Puhai.
This was the tallest building in Puhai, and even in all of China.
It was a landmark of the city.
When people talked about the Pearl Tower, they usually thought of its height and fame.
Few realized that the top-floor conference room of the Pearl Tower was actually the most luxurious in the world.
At this moment, in the top-floor conference room of the Pearl Tower, the deans of the top ten academies of Blue Star were almost all present.
In addition, there were also Qu Weimin, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, his deputy Yan Xia, and Shi Changqian, the leader of the Gene Alliance.
Shi Changqian was originally from America, with the name Francis.
But now, China was the world's leader.
Just as everyone had learned English decades ago, having a Chinese name was now a trend.
Of course, it wasn’t just a trend—having a Chinese name made things easier.
Of the top ten academies on Blue Star, four were in China.
Nearly 90% of the major martial arts sects were also in China.
In the field of genetics, China was also leading the way.
The person presiding over this meeting was Qian Chen, the head of admissions for the top ten academies of Blue Star and also the director of the Gene Safety Department of the Gene Alliance.
"Everyone, this year's admissions assessment for the top ten academies of Blue Star has revealed many geniuses. Their emergence will inject new blood into our future and safeguard the safety of Earth and the continuation of humanity," Qian Chen spoke with a firm and resolute tone, his words filled with concern for the future of humanity.
"Tomorrow marks the beginning of the second round of assessments. I believe and look forward to the second round bringing us even greater surprises…" Qian Chen slowed his speech toward the end, as if waiting for someone to interrupt.
Sure enough, a portly white man suddenly spoke up, "Director Qian, I have a question."
Qian Chen immediately stopped and smiled, "Please go ahead, Deputy Leader Gu."
The chubby man was Gu Xian, the deputy leader of the Gene Alliance.
He was European, and while his Chinese wasn’t great, he loved showing it off.
His original name was Edward, but to flaunt his Chinese skills, he had given himself the Chinese name Gu Xian.
In his mind, Gu Xian meant "ancient virtue."
However, he had mistakenly used the character for "idle" instead of "virtue."
No matter how much he tried to explain, everyone just accepted the name Gu Xian.
In the end, he had no choice but to accept it as well.
Gu Xian cleared his throat, "As Director Qian mentioned, yesterday did indeed reveal many talented students. However, there were also a few students who defied normal logic, such as Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi from Yujiang University…"
The conference room fell silent.
Almost everyone knew that the real purpose of this meeting was actually about these three students.
Or rather, it wasn’t about the students themselves, but about the teacher behind them who had trained them.
"What’s so unusual about that? Six years ago, during our admissions assessment, there was a student with a gene fusion rate close to 99%," a displeased voice chimed in.
The room grew quiet.
The speaker was Zhang Yongcheng, the dean of the Great Han Yi Academy, with white hair and a stern expression.
Zhang Yongcheng had always looked down on the Gene Alliance’s actions over the years.
Two months ago, when the Gene Alliance caused chaos in Puhai, he was the first to oppose them.
He also suspected that the Gene Alliance was involved in the disappearance of the student with the 99% gene fusion rate six years ago in the Amazon.
Qian Chen nodded, "Deputy Leader Gu is right, and Dean Zhang isn’t wrong either. However, this situation is different from six years ago. This time, three students simultaneously reached S-level, and all three were trained by the same mentor."
Gu Xian spoke loudly, "Exactly, that’s my point. If this mentor can train such outstanding talents, why don’t we invite him to join the top ten academies of Blue Star or the Gene Alliance to contribute to Earth’s future?"
A woman stepped forward and said, "Haha, Deputy Leader Gu, you might not know this, but the person who trained these outstanding students is named Ding Huan…"
Before she could finish, someone immediately retorted, "Qin Qiang, you shouldn’t speak carelessly. We’ve heard that the three students were trained by two teachers, with Teacher Geng as the main mentor and Ding Huan only assisting."
The woman who spoke was Qin Qiang, the dean of the eighth-ranked Wumai Mountain Academy, one of the top ten academies of Blue Star.
The person who countered her was Li Chuan, the dean of the fourth-ranked Guardian Academy.
Qin Qiang replied calmly, "Dean Li, I won’t hold it against you for not understanding the situation. I’m just reminding you that in a meeting like this, it’s best to know the facts before speaking."
"Mr. Li, the mentor of the three Yujiang University candidates is indeed primarily Ding Huan, with Geng Qianxing assisting," An Niao, the dean of the Planetary Academy, stepped in to support Qin Qiang.
Li Chuan frowned slightly but didn’t say anything.
He was very displeased with Qin Qiang.
She was Chinese and the dean of Wumai Mountain Academy, yet she sided with the Gene Alliance and eventually became a member of it.
Everyone knew that the Gene Alliance was now dominated by Western forces, while the Martial Arts Alliance was the true representative of China.
However, with An Niao stepping in, he couldn’t continue to argue.
In fact, he hadn’t investigated the matter thoroughly, but he understood the implications.
The Gene Alliance had clearly called this meeting to target the mentor who had trained the three genius students from Yujiang University.
If they could confirm it, the despicable Gene Alliance would undoubtedly use a righteous excuse to invite this mentor to join them, but in reality, they would be trying to extract his secrets.
Over the years, the Gene Alliance had done many underhanded things under the guise of justice.
Others might not know, but the deans of the academies were aware of some of it.
But what could they do? An Niao, who had just spoken, was a member of the Gene Alliance, and Qin Qiang, this woman who had betrayed her own side, was also a member of the Gene Alliance.
At least four of the deans of the top ten academies of Blue Star were members of the Gene Alliance…
Thinking of this, Li Chuan felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
Had the Gene Alliance grown so powerful without anyone noticing?
Gu Xian smiled, "Dean Li, we mean no harm. On the contrary, we want to support and nurture talents like Teacher Ding Huan…"
Qin Qiang chuckled and suddenly said, "Deputy Leader Gu, if you knew that the two members of the Gene Alliance who were killed might be connected to this Teacher Ding Huan, you might not think that way."
"What?" Gu Xian’s smile faded, and his voice carried a hint of killing intent.
Zhang Yongcheng, the dean of the Great Han Yi Academy, said coldly, "Dean Qin, nowadays, you can’t even eat casually, let alone speak carelessly. Don’t say things without evidence."
A sharp voice interrupted Zhang Yongcheng, "Dean Qin, please explain the details. We do need talented individuals, but not those who kill innocents."
Zhang Yongcheng sighed and didn’t continue.
The speaker was Shi Changqian, a man known for his ruthlessness.
As the leader of the Gene Alliance, Shi Changqian had once used an entire town as bait to lure and kill gene beasts.
Although the operation was successful and eliminated a major gene beast threat in a mountain range, the town suffered heavy casualties.
As the mastermind, Shi Changqian claimed that sacrificing a few to save many was justified.
He even said he would willingly die if it meant protecting more people.
But everyone knew he was full of it—he valued his own life more than anyone else’s.
Even though it was just a small European town, Zhang Yongcheng couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
What was the purpose of the Gene Alliance, the Martial Arts Alliance, and even the top ten academies of Blue Star? It was to protect humanity and Earth.
How could they claim to be righteous when they used people as bait?
Qin Qiang ignored Zhang Yongcheng’s harsh words and continued speaking to Shi Changqian, "Leader Shi, I’m not certain if it was Ding Huan who did it, but I’ve uncovered a few points for your consideration. I only learned about Ding Huan because of Yujiang University’s outstanding performance. I did investigate Yujiang University, and what I found was quite revealing."
Li Chuan, the dean of the Guardian Academy, couldn’t help but interject, "Dean Qin, you should think carefully before speaking. Teacher Ding is innocent. If your words lead to an innocent person being implicated, could you live with yourself?"
Qin Qiang replied indifferently, "Dean Li, don’t worry. I, Qin Qiang, don’t need you to teach me these things. Everything I say is based on evidence. First, Ding Huan arrived in Puhai more than two months early. Before the two Gene Alliance members were killed, Ding Huan had visited the Hilton Hotel to scout the location, but he went a week earlier…"
Hearing this, Shi Changqian gritted his teeth in anger.
He wasn’t angry at Qin Qiang, but at the incompetence of the Gene Alliance.
How could they have missed such a simple detail, while Qin Qiang had uncovered it? He didn’t know that Qin Qiang, as one of the deans of the top ten academies of Blue Star, was not only skilled in other areas but also excelled in intelligence work.
A year ago, when it was confirmed that Puhai would be the location for the admissions assessment, she had secretly installed hidden surveillance devices in almost all the hotels around the Puhai Martial Arts Plaza.
These devices were hidden in various places, and unless someone specifically looked for them, they wouldn’t be discovered even during renovations.
She was certain that Ding Huan was involved because the surveillance footage showed him taking the elevator to the ninth floor and then walking up the stairs to the eleventh floor.
The idiots in the Gene Alliance, when reviewing the footage, had immediately ruled out anyone who didn’t take the elevator to the eleventh floor.
They reduced their workload, but it was useless.
When Qin Qiang first discovered this information, she hadn’t paid much attention to it.
To be honest, even though she was a member of the Gene Alliance, she didn’t feel much about the deaths of its members.
It wasn’t until a few days ago, when the three students from Yujiang University achieved S-level in the first round of testing, that she realized this was connected to Ding Huan and began to take it seriously.
(End of Chapter)