Chapter 105: The Invitation

How brutal was it?

First of all, these bodies were almost entirely stripped of intact skin, as if someone had painstakingly sliced them apart inch by inch, reminiscent of the ancient and gruesome "lingchi" torture.

Their skulls were sunken inward, as if a massive hammer had struck their faces directly.

But it was more than just a single blow. Their ears, noses, even mouths and teeth were either cut off or knocked out.

Just a glance made Fang Mu’s face twitch slightly, a surge of intense discomfort flooding his heart, and he instinctively looked away.

These were most likely the two men he had seen yesterday.

To have died so horribly...

What kind of hatred could drive someone to such cruelty?

Fang Mu pondered silently.

At that moment, Qin Hongyu approached the bodies, her expression remarkably calm and composed.

She first lowered her gaze to inspect the corpses, then after a moment’s thought, she squatted down and reached out to touch the mangled flesh of one face.

Fang Mu’s eyelid twitched, but then he saw a golden arc of light suddenly leap from her fingertips as they made contact with the mutilated face.

Like sparks of golden electricity.

This startled Fang Mu.

Then, Qin Hongyu’s calm voice broke the silence: “The bodies are saturated with a large amount of primordial genetic energy. Their genes have mutated, making it impossible to identify them through DNA analysis.”

Fang Mu was momentarily stunned. Before he could fully react, Qin Hongyu used her hand to pry open one of the corpse’s eyelids. A pitch-black void stared back at them...

The eyeball was missing!

She then flipped the corpse’s hand over; all ten fingers had large chunks deliberately severed.

“The eyeballs and fingerprints have been removed. It’s certain now—Chen Ting brought these people here to steal their identities,” Qin Hongyu said as she stood up.

At that moment, Heavy Blade stepped forward, pulling out a device and scanning the face of one corpse. A virtual screen flickered rapidly on the device, then emitted a red glow.

Heavy Blade shook his head. “The entire facial skeleton was shattered, the ears and nose cut off, teeth knocked out. It’s impossible to restore the original appearance in the short term.”

Hearing Qin Hongyu and Heavy Blade’s words, Fang Mu finally came to his senses, his face filled with astonishment.

So the reason for such horrific mutilation was to conceal and assume their identities?

Wait a moment, there were seven bodies here?

If he remembered correctly...

“It seemed that Chen Ting was followed by six people,” Fang Mu suddenly said.

When Chen Ting emerged from the jungle yesterday, five or six people were behind him!

Adding Chen Ting himself...

That made seven people exactly.

“Yes, Chen Ting is wanted. To enter the battlefield city, he must assume another’s identity. From what we’ve seen, these seven identities may not be ordinary,” Qin Hongyu mused.

Fang Mu frowned slightly but soon understood and nodded.

Indeed, it was quite possible these identities were special.

Otherwise, there would be no need for Heavy Blade to personally capture these people.

With Chen Ting’s abilities, if he only wanted to borrow someone’s identity, it wouldn’t have to be so complicated.

What was more puzzling was...

“Why do the six people behind him also need to borrow identities?”

Chen Ting was wanted and had no choice but to assume someone else’s identity. But what about the six companions?

Could they all be fugitives as well?

Fang Mu wondered silently.

As he thought, he glanced around and noticed Leng Xiran once again activating her silver eyes, scanning the surroundings. After a moment, her cold, clear voice rang out: “There’s no one within five kilometers. They left some time ago.”

“Damn bastards!” Luo Yu cursed angrily.

Clearly unsettled by the sight of the bodies, she stood at the edge without inspecting them closely. But upon hearing that Chen Ting and the others had already left, she clenched her fists, her eyes filled with frustration and unwillingness.

Heavy Blade scanned the remaining bodies with the device, completing the process before putting it away. He said to Qin Hongyu, “The data has been recorded, but whether it’s useful remains unknown for now.”

The bodies were severely damaged; many crucial details were missing. Attempting to reconstruct them through scanning was indeed a difficult task.

Qin Hongyu nodded thoughtfully and then looked at Fang Mu. “We arrived too late. It seems there won’t be much to gain from this. Still, thank you.”

Fang Mu shook his head silently.

After a pause, Qin Hongyu looked Fang Mu up and down and suddenly said, “Hatsune mentioned to me before that she hoped you would join the Immortal Palace. We never had the chance to meet until now. So, what do you say? Are you willing to join?”

She unexpectedly extended an invitation to Fang Mu.

He was momentarily taken aback and instinctively wanted to refuse.

“Don’t be so quick to decline,” Qin Hongyu interrupted before he could speak.

Fang Mu was stunned, then heard her continue, “I know your general situation and that you don’t want to owe Hatsune a favor. I actually admire that. So I must make it clear—this invitation to join the Immortal Palace is not because of Hatsune, but because of my own decision.”

While Fang Mu stood there, somewhat dazed, Qin Hongyu calmly added, “A bronze-ranked spear warrior, a lone wolf—talents like you are coveted by every legion. Even without Hatsune’s connection, I would still invite you. So if you join the Immortal Palace, it won’t be because of anyone else’s favor, but because of your own ability.”

“A lone wolf won’t get far on the battlefield. Joining the Immortal Palace will provide you with resources beyond your imagination. These resources aren’t given freely, but require exchange. So think carefully; there’s no need to rush your answer.”

Her tone was calm yet sincere.

Fang Mu found his refusal stuck in his throat, speechless.

“Great! Brother Fang, say yes and join the Immortal Palace! We’ll form a team—it’ll be so much fun!” Luo Yu cheered beside him.

This caught Fang Mu slightly off guard... This was their first meeting, wasn’t it? What did her excitement have to do with him joining? And calling him “Brother Fang” felt a bit too familiar.

He couldn’t recall when they had become so close.

Or perhaps she already knew it was him who saved them that day?

Fang Mu glanced at her, but her expression didn’t suggest she knew.

In the end, it probably just reflected her naturally enthusiastic personality.

After some thought, Fang Mu remained undecided and finally said, “I’ll think it over.”

“Alright. You have my contact; this invitation stands indefinitely. If you change your mind, feel free to reach out.”

Qin Hongyu didn’t press further, nodded, then looked around and said, “Well, since Chen Ting has left, let’s go.”

Fang Mu composed himself and left the jungle with the others.