In the sudden, deathly silence, everyone was stunned.
Not only had Yin Liangji, already dead, failed to react, but even Yin Ya and the Third Stage Sublimator secretly protecting Yin Liangji were completely taken by surprise.
While all overt and covert vigilance was locked onto Huai Shi, Ai Qing became a Sublimator, drew her gun, and pulled the trigger.
First blood.
The miracle within the Holy Grace was perfectly transformed into a brief burst of savage power, a miraculous force of life that passed through the skull, instantly tearing apart willpower, destroying any remnants of consciousness, and bringing about a perfect, flawless death.
Accompanying the gunshot and the spreading scent of blood was an ineffable sense of absurdity.
A heavyweight scene, enough to shock the mothers among the guests for an entire year, erupted unexpectedly.
Just like death itself.
From the Plasma dripping from her fingertips, Ai Qing lowered her dazzling eyes indifferently, gazing at the lifeless face of her great-grandfather.
Did he have any realization of his great-granddaughter's growth in that last moment?
Ever since that damned premonition arrived a month ago, she had been silently preparing for this moment. None of her countless plans had gone as smoothly and naturally as this; it was like flowing water.
It was as if she was born to do just that, fulfilling with exacting precision and without the slightest error the mission bestowed upon her since the day her mother passed away.
She finally had the courage that Huai Shi once envied.
In such a decisive and intense manner, she put an end to her dealings with the old ghost who had manipulated half her life.
It was all over.
Be it conspiracy or revenge, the feud between the Huai clan and the Yin Family was to end with this gunshot.
When she awoke from a calm so profound it had frightened even herself, she exhaled the last bit of unease from the depths of her being and finally experienced the relief and serenity Huai Shi had once spoken of.
"How blissful."
She murmured softly, her blood-stained cheeks forming a smile, genuinely from the heart, making her previously pale and sickly face come to life with vibrancy.
She felt her heartbeat and pulse, as well as the breathing that she reveled in.
She was still alive.
And finally, she could live for herself.
Then, she heard a roar that shattered the silence.
"Audacious!!!"
With a rage and shock that anyone who wasn't deaf could feel, a figure rushed forward abruptly, violently grabbed her hand, and pressed her to the ground.
Huai Shi's eyes widened with 'righteous indignation,' and he rebuked, "Utterly insane!"
"Before me, an Astronomical Association Action Officer, you actually dare to murder such a venerable old man!?"
Handcuffs, freshly made, clicked onto her wrists pinned behind her back. Before anyone else could react, Huai Shi had already subdued Ai Qing, declaring with a thunderous voice,
"Suspect, Xinhai Inspector Ai Qing from the Astronomical Society, you are under arrest!"
As he spoke, he lifted his head, flashed his Astronomical Society credentials, drew his sword, and glared furiously at the crowd. "Heaven's net is vast and lets nothing slip through! Are there any accomplices among you? Anyone who dares to resist the law, step forward now!"
After such a brutal murder, an Astronomical Association Action Officer who was passing by stepped forward and swiftly arrested the suspect Ai Qing, showcasing the Astronomical Society's terrifying efficiency and its majesty that should not be taken lightly!
It was truly awe-inspiring.
If it weren't for the fact that the faces of those from the Yin Family who had realized what was happening looked as if they had eaten shit.
"..."
In the midst of this unceasing assault, someone instinctively raised a hand and said, "Wait a minute, I think…"
CRASH!
An invisible Heavy Ax materialized from Huai Shi's hand and lodged itself deeply into the wall beside the man's head.
Huai Shi looked at him with cold eyes. "What, you want to turn yourself in?"
And so, that person immediately shut up.
In the dead silence, Cui Jing looked around in a daze, still not comprehending the situation. She opened her mouth to speak, but Cui Ping abruptly grasped her shoulder.
"Second Brother?"
"Don't talk. Don't get involved with the Astronomical Society's affairs."
In just a few seconds, this Cui Family thoroughbred had already seen through the whole situation and made a decision. Huai Shi had already displayed the Astronomical Society's authority to arrest its own criminal members. This meant the incident had effectively become an internal affair of the Astronomical Society; its only peculiarity was that the victim happened to be a member of the Yin Family.
To speak up and interject would require weighing whether one had the influence to please both sides. At this time, apart from the Yin Family, only the senior executives of the Astronomical Society could intervene.
But were there any from the Astronomical Society present?
There were.
There was the crime-busting star, Xinhai Inspector Ai Qing, who never turned a blind eye to injustice, and Huai Shi—the Xinhai Action Officer, Prince of Paradise, Disastrous Musician, Official Chef Demon, Legendary Investigator, and Gold Medal Cowherd...
No one could expose the facade behind which Huai Shi had cloaked himself.
After seizing control of Ai Qing's handling with the fastest reaction in the room, Huai Shi coldly surveyed his surroundings, violently yanked Ai Qing up with one hand, stepped back once, then again, stepping over the increasingly cold corpse on the floor.
All the Yin Family members present underwent a change in expression. At the round table, Yin Xing's eyes widened, her mouth opening as if she wanted to speak. Beside her, Yin Yan emotionlessly picked up a plate and suddenly smashed it into his cousin's face, stuffing her nonsensical words back down her throat.