I Have Infinite Skill Points

"Is this the first crime scene?" Wang Lan looked at the clover patch and immediately understood why Xu Shiyun had come here.

"It should be. The clover, combined with Xu Donghai's identity and the absence of clover in Star Sea Park, are enough to make me suspect that the first crime scene was here at the school. Wang Lan, look at this spot. There are obvious signs of trampling."

"Any bloodstains?"

"None! And tests have confirmed the blood that almost dyed the pond red was indeed Xu Donghai's. But even if Xu Donghai was killed in Star Sea Park, it doesn't prove that it wasn't a staged scene. Traces of Star Power Binding were found on Xu Donghai's body, which means he was immobilized and at someone else's mercy before he died."

Hearing Xu Shiyun's words, a solemn expression appeared on Wang Lan's face. "Is the killer someone from the school?"

"Correct. Hu Qing told me you made a hypothesis? That the killer did it to make you miss the academy selection? If so, that narrows the range of suspects down to twenty people. Wang Lan, is there anyone who really didn't want you to participate in today's competition?"

Instantly, the eyes of the head teacher and other school leaders all turned towards Wang Lan in unison.

"This morning, I only made a preliminary speculation. In fact, there are many aspects of this speculation that are inconsistent. For instance, not many people in the school know my true strength. Even if I defeated Zhuang Haotian with a single move yesterday, most people still think it was a fluke. After all, my apparent Star Shine Stage strength is there for all to see."

That damn Star Shine Stage strength! Xu Shiyun almost wished she could slap this guy to death. Remembering how Wang Lan had sent her soaring into the sky with a single blow just a few days ago, Xu Shiyun felt a knot of frustration. Although being limited to one Star Martial Skill restricted the display of her true strength, she could at least use one, right? As an elite of the Star Cloud Stage, it was shameful enough not to be able to instantly defeat a Star Shine Stage opponent, let alone be defeated by Wang Lan! In those days, Xu Shiyun felt that even the way the men under her command looked at her felt a bit off. Wang Lan's Star Shine Stage was too damn deceptive. In Xu Shiyun's view, Wang Lan's overall strength had already reached the Star Cloud Stage, and given the right conditions, he could exhibit the strength of an elite Star Cloud Stage expert.

Wang Lan, arms crossed, faced the wind and fell into deep thought. "There are only seven or eight people in the school who know my real strength. They are all people I trust and have no reason to stop me from competing. The other competitors don't know my true strength, so they wouldn't be wary of me. Though the scope of suspicion seems small, I have an intuition that perhaps none of them is the one."

"What about Duan Ziqi? Is that possible?" Hu Qing suddenly interjected. "You just defeated him. He is very strong, also an expert of the Star Cloud Stage. If he hadn't encountered you, he should have been a shoo-in for the Suzhou City team. Plus, I learned something not long ago. Xu Donghai left the Commoner Genius Association a week ago. Could a conflict have arisen from that?"

"That's possible! But before today, I had no conflict with Duan Ziqi. Moreover, he wasn't aware of my strength. Even if my attribute could counter his, as a Star Cloud Stage expert, he wouldn't need to be afraid of me. Compared to Duan Ziqi, I have another suspect in mind," Wang Lan said, an idea flashing in his mind.

"Who?"

"Zhuang Haotian."

"Zhuang Haotian lost to me yesterday, so he must bear a grudge against me. And with Xu Donghai dead, the person who benefits the most is also Zhuang Haotian." As Wang Lan spoke, he was completely immersed in deduction mode, totally oblivious to the head teacher's face turning as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Zhuang Haotian is my nephew! How dare he suspect my nephew right in front of me? Is he doing this on purpose?

"No!" Wang Lan suddenly shook his head again. "Zhuang Haotian's attribute is lightning. If Xu Donghai's fatal injury was caused by a Star Martial Skill, there should be signs of scorching. Could there be an accomplice?"

"AHEM. AHEM. AHEM... Wang Lan, uh, can I interrupt for a moment?" the head teacher asked, forcing a smile.

If Wang Lan were just an ordinary student, the head teacher would have started scolding him already. But besides being his student, Wang Lan was also an elite agent of the Tianjian Bureau.

Damn it! That status was definitely something he could only look up to. What did it mean to win at the starting line? Wang Lan wasn't just at the starting line; he was already at the finish line that others strived their entire lives to reach! Who could possibly claim that, even by retirement, they could join the Tianjian Bureau and attain the rank of an elite captain? A captain in the Tianjian Bureau could hold nominal posts nationwide, be treated like family wherever they went, and enjoy benefits so good they'd make ordinary people green with envy.

"Wang Lan, I can assure you it's not Zhuang Haotian. He spent the whole night at my house yesterday, and my house wasn't empty – it was my son's wedding. Many people can attest to that."

"Oh, is that so? Hu Qing, once the evidence chain is complete, we can eliminate him from the list of suspects."

"Alright."

RING RING RING— At that moment, Hu Qing's phone rang.

"Hello? What? Are you sure?" Shortly after, Hu Qing hung up and looked at Wang Lan and Xu Shiyun with a serious face.

"The men just called to confirm that Xu Donghai's parents have disappeared, and their house has been searched."

"Let's go! To Xu Donghai's house," Xu Shiyun immediately ordered.

"I'll come too..." Wang Lan blurted out instinctively but paused mid-step. "Damn, there's still the challenge match this afternoon."

"Wang Lan, no worries. The challenge match for this afternoon has already been postponed. With an incident like this, we can't proceed without an investigation. Moreover, the provincial bureau has sent a notice for the principal to attend a meeting this afternoon, so the challenge match is postponed until the principal returns."

"Then that's perfect. Head Teacher, I'd like to request a leave of absence, if that's alright."

The head teacher's eyebrow twitched. My approval? With his status, does he even need to ask for leave? Could I possibly say no? He waved his hand. "Go on, go on. The sooner you find out what happened, the better."

Just as the three of them stepped out of the school gate, a police car came speeding over.

"Captain Hu."

Hu Qing invited Xu Shiyun and Wang Lan into the car, then took the passenger seat himself.

"Xu Donghai lived alone near No. 1 Middle School in a house his family rented for him. His parents live in Xiangyang District. We went to his parents' company first, and the company said they hadn't come to work today. Then we went to their house. The door was locked from the inside. The house was in complete disarray, but no valuables were missing. We suspect they were looking for something."

"Locked from the inside? No sign of the door being forced?"

"The door was intact before we broke it down."

"Does that mean the killer had a key?"

"Not necessarily. If the killer were an Earth Attribute Star Martial Warrior, they could have easily entered using the Earth Travel Skill."

The car sped through the city, running red lights, and in less than twenty minutes, they arrived at the home of Xu Donghai's parents. His parents' house was a rural dwelling. By now, police tape had been set up around it, and curious neighbors were peering from outside the cordoned-off area.

"I heard Xu Qingshan's house was burglarized? Wow, so many officers are here!"

"The police are getting much better these days. In the past, when you reported a crime, the officers would dilly-dally and take forever to arrive. Later, if you reported an incident, the officers would guarantee arrival within half an hour. Now it's even more impressive; officers show up even if you don't report anything."

"Are you stupid? How would the police come without a report? And even if something was stolen from the house, would it necessitate such a scene? Look at the officers standing guard inside—they're carrying guns!"

"So, what's going on? Didn't they say he was robbed?"

Amidst the townsfolk's chatter, a police car charged through the cordon and into the yard.

Four people got out of the car.

"Captain Hu, over here!"

Wang Lan entered the scene. From the living room to the kitchen, then up to the bedrooms, the storage closet, and even the adjacent shack full of junk—everything was tossed into disarray.

"The team is currently gathering fingerprint evidence. We can be certain the killer was searching for something, and that item might be related to Xu Donghai's murder."

"Did you check the surveillance cameras? Any trace of Xu Qingshan and his wife?"

"Xu Qingshan and his wife both work at a township enterprise five li away. Surveillance shows they got off work at eight o'clock yesterday and rode an electric scooter home. After that, they moved out of the surveillance area. Since then, they haven't been seen again. The citywide Skynet surveillance system just finished scanning. No, there's no sign of them."

"Are there any hidden spots nearby? Places where something could happen without anyone noticing?" Wang Lan quickly asked.

"What do you suspect?"

"Just because the house was ransacked like this doesn't necessarily mean the killer found what they were looking for. I guess the missing Xu Qingshan couple might have been kidnapped by the killer for interrogation. For convenience, the killer wouldn't have taken Xu Qingshan and his wife far. Perhaps... a nearby grove or something similar."

Xu Shiyun stepped into the yard and lightly stamped her foot.

Instantly, a cylindrical platform rose from under her feet, carrying Xu Shiyun dozens of meters into the air.

She surveyed her surroundings before slowly descending.

"Nothing. It's either villages, industrial zones, or residential areas."

Wang Lan walked through Xu Qingshan's bedroom, where officers were meticulously collecting every trace of evidence. Suddenly, Wang Lan stepped on a large photograph.

"Wait, Brother Hu, does Xu Donghai have any other immediate family besides his parents?"

"Sir," an officer replied, "he also has a sister who married five years ago and lives in Dongxing District. We just called her, and she picked up. When we told her about her parents, she initially thought it was a scam. After we called her from the station's official phone, she believed us and said she would arrive immediately. Then she hung up. We were about to offer to pick her up. Afterward, her phone rang, but no one answered. It might have been left at home in her haste."

"How long ago was that?"

"Approximately twenty minutes."

Suddenly, Wang Lan's expression changed dramatically.

"Hu Qing, quick! Let's go to Xu Donghai's sister's place! His sister might also be in trouble!"

Hu Qing quickly had one of his men bring a car around. Wang Lan and Hu Qing jumped into the vehicle, which took off with a roar.

"Hey, where are you going? Not waiting for me?" Xu Shiyun looked bewildered as she watched the taillights of the departing police car.

"Brother Hu, the Xu family photos are scattered all over the floor. I saw many of their family portraits.

"Xu Donghai has a sister; how could the killer not know that? If I were the killer and couldn't get the information I wanted, I would definitely expand the scope of my interrogation.

"Twenty minutes ago, when the officers called Xu Donghai's sister, she said she would be right there and then hung up.

"After that, her phone became unreachable. The men suspect she left it at home. But nowadays, especially for people from the '80s and '90s generation, who would forget their cell phone when going out? Especially if it was just in her hand?

"Twenty minutes is enough time to get here from Dongxing District, but she still hasn't arrived. I suspect that the person who answered the phone wasn't Xu Donghai's sister. It might have been the killer."