Three corpses.
Compared to the nearly two hundred dead in the mining district, the hundred-odd from the prison ambush, or even the one hundred and twenty-eight bodies from moments ago—
An incident with only three fatalities would hardly spark an uproar, nor would it draw unwanted scrutiny.
Matters had returned to square one.
All he needed to do was bring these three corpses back, exactly as he had reported over the phone earlier.
Still—
Ye Huan finished his cigarette, slowly rose to his feet, and walked over to the mouth of the alley.
The hitmen who had disguised themselves as police officers were still sprawled dead in the street.
Hitmen.
Cultists.
Neither group was large in number.
Yet their presence was enough to prop up the narrative and make the sequence of events coherent and believable.
—Fortunately, this world wasn't blanketed in surveillance cameras.
Ye Huan let out a weary sigh, feeling exhausted to his very bones.
Just then, Song Fushan suddenly appeared down the street.
He had made it after all.
"I received your message earlier," Song Fushan said as he walked up. "We set out right away, but ran into a pack of Black Tide cultists ambushing us along the way."
Ye Huan gave a slight nod.
When he had been besieged in the alley earlier, he had indeed fired off a message to Song Fushan.
It seemed now that his dear childhood friend had truly spared no expense, going so far as to deploy people to intercept Song Fushan directly.
To go to such lengths just to kill him?
"Whoa, are those police? You killed cops?"
Song Fushan glanced at the patrol car and the bodies on the ground.
"They opened fire on me," Ye Huan said.
"Must be impostors. The investigation section will look into it and get to the bottom of this," Song Fushan murmured thoughtfully.
Several investigators from other sections had followed Song Fushan. They were already jogging toward the bodies to begin processing the scene.
Song Fushan patted Ye Huan's shoulder.
"You look completely drained. Go sit aside and rest. Leave the forensics to the professionals. All you need to do is wait to write your report."
"Understood. Section Chief, you need to be careful as well," Ye Huan cautioned. "The Black Tide Cult's retaliation might not be limited to me. You're the one who killed that mutated martial artist last night."
"Don't worry," Song Fushan laughed. "You think a Jiuyao-rank assassin would bother coming to a backwater like Lantie City?"
Ye Huan's heart settled slightly.
In truth, he knew enough about the world to understand that.
—Song Fushan was proof enough of how monstrously formidable a Jiuyao-rank expert truly was.
Figures of that caliber had no shortage of status, prestige, or wealth.
Unless an astronomical price was paid, a Jiuyao-rank assassin would never take the field.
Killers of that grade rarely stepped foot into a borderland of the empire like Lantie City.
Even so, he couldn't afford to drop his guard.
"I'm starving. Awaiting orders, Section Chief," Ye Huan said.
"Third storefront on your left down this street—a local eatery called 'Haozailai.' Order the dishes marked with a thumbs-up on the menu. Off you go," Song Fushan waved a hand.
Ye Huan headed over.
He placed his order.
The dishes were brought out piping hot.
He took a bite.
As expected of the Section Chief's recommendation!
Ye Huan instinctively swept his gaze across the diner.
He sat in a corner, with hardly anyone around.
Safe.
Time to eat.
Ye Huan devoured three main courses, polished off five bowls of rice, and downed a canned drink before his tension finally ebbed away.
***
Out on the main street.
Seeing that Ye Huan had gone inside to eat, Song Fushan pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Little Ye killed a few people over here. We're running on-site forensics right now. As for the rest of the checks, I'll need Director Xia to decide who to assign."
"Killed people? Who?" Xia Li's voice came through the receiver.
"Cultists and hitmen, plain as day," Song Fushan said.
"Where is Little Ye right now?"
"Gone to eat."
"Heh, that kid's certainly got some nerve. Does he take the Bureau of Investigation's background checks for new hires as a joke?" Xia Li scoffed.
"He was the one targeted for an ambush. What does he have to be afraid of?" Song Fushan replied.
"Fine, understood," Xia Li acknowledged, then hung up.
Sitting in the General Affairs Office, she lapsed into thought.
Ye Huan...
He was someone the Bureau Director had personally ordered transferred in.
Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
On top of that, several Black Tide cultists had recently been ferreted out within Investigation Section One, unleashing thunderous fury from the higher-ups.
Ye Huan...
Every piece of paperwork concerning him passed through her hands. If any problem arose, the blame would fall squarely on her.
Whether to protect him or to thoroughly vet his background, she had to take this with utmost seriousness.
With that in mind, Xia Li pushed aside all other tasks, logged into the Bureau's proprietary system, and began digging into everything Ye Huan had done recently.
Auditing personal records was tedious work, but Ye Huan's profile wasn't complicated. His digital footprint was sparse and straightforward.
His day-to-day tracks were mundane and normal.
He had only visited a few residential compounds, perhaps to...
There it was.
A rental agreement popped up.
Xia Li's eyes scanned the screen. He had toured three different properties, one of which was in her own residential community.
Yet he hadn't chosen that one.
*No taste at all,*
Xia Li grumbled inwardly, opening the lease documents to inspect them further.
He had rented two apartments.
And he had purchased a large quantity of household supplies.
—Was it for the colleagues of his deceased parents who had taken him in?
The mining district did carry certain hazards.
That had to be it.
A little more observation over time would verify whether that was the case.
Xia Li's fingers flew across the keyboard, entering commands to pull up every scrap of information related to Ye Huan.
Suddenly, her hands froze.
A fund transfer of 3,500 credits...
To whom?
She tapped the keys rapidly, pulling up the recipient's account details.
Luosha.
Assistant librarian at the municipal library.
Credited with seven research accomplishments, and two papers published in top-tier academic journals.
Quite a capable young woman.
Was she his girlfriend?
They were close in age.
Emerald-green eyes like polished jewels; even her registry photo carried a striking, breathtaking elegance.
*Whatever. I have no interest in my colleagues' love lives.*
Xia Li resumed typing, preparing to move on, when her fingers abruptly halted once more.
A line of text in the transaction memo caught her eye:
*"The Cardinal wants to kill you."*
The office plunged into dead silence.
Xia Li's gaze wavered slightly as she sank deep into thought.
As the Director of the General Affairs Office, Xia Li knew more than anyone else.
From the highest echelons down to the grassroots, every angle, every minute detail.
There were perhaps many things that even the Bureau Director himself didn't know—because Xia Li filtered the intelligence beforehand, leaving only what was essential for his decision-making.
Yet Xia Li knew it all.
So...
How could such an exceptional young woman be a member of the Black Tide Cult—and go so far as to leak a warning to Ye Huan?
What kind of situation was this?
A transfer...
3,500 credits.
Ye Huan had sent her 3,500 credits, and in return received her warning.
What about before that?
The sound of typing rattled on, but no further records appeared on the monitor.
Before this, the two had shared no overlap, no contact whatsoever.
In other words, Ye Huan had only established contact with this Luosha after entering the Bureau of Investigation.
Credits.
A warning.
Without a doubt, this was a transaction.
Yet—
Why would a Black Tide cultist defy the Cardinal's will just to warn an investigator in advance?
Xia Li fell into contemplation.
She swiftly pulled up Luosha's personal file and began tracing her cash flow.
She even hacked straight into Luosha's mobile phone.
***
Soft music drifted through the public hall.
It was closing time.
Luosha slung her backpack over her shoulder, hurried out of the library, waited briefly at the stop, and boarded a bus.
The moment she stepped onto the bus, numerous eyes turned toward her.
Though plainly dressed, her emerald-green eyes, delicate features, and graceful figure drew far too much attention.
Luosha paid it no mind, keeping her head lowered as she made her way down the aisle.
"There's an empty seat over here,"
a young woman's voice called out.
"Ah, thank you." Luosha stepped over, pausing slightly in surprise.
It was a pretty young girl who looked a bit younger than herself.
"Come on, sit."
The girl smiled brightly, gesturing to the vacant seat beside her.
For some inexplicable reason, she seemed to exude a natural aura, or perhaps an intangible presence; despite her astonishing beauty, none of the surrounding passengers dared draw near.
They didn't even dare glance in her direction.
Luosha was normally exceptionally sharp, but in this moment, swayed by some unknown influence, she acted just like an ordinary commuter, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
"Thank you," Luosha said with a warm smile.
The bus rumbled forward.
Luosha instinctively took out her phone and began checking her messages.
"Big Sister, your screen is all cracked. Why haven't you gotten it replaced?" the girl beside her asked curiously.
Luosha chuckled. "Screen replacements are far too expensive. I'll just make do for now and worry about it later."
"I know a shop that only charges two credits for a screen replacement. Mine shattered last time, and the replacement worked great," the girl said.
"Two credits?" Luosha hesitated.
"They're running a promotion right now—thirty percent off," the girl added, reading her expression.
Luosha finally replied, "My phone is an older model. I'm not sure if they can replace it."
"They can! I saw someone with the exact same phone getting a screen swapped there last time," the girl assured her.
Luosha debated for another moment before smiling gratefully. "Thank you so much. Could you give me the address of the shop?"
"Sure! Let's add each other as contacts, and I'll send it to you."
The girl beamed at her, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
Luosha smiled as well.
—What a sweet, lovely girl, and so helpful.
"All right. Here's my ID. Go ahead and add me."
Luosha held up her screen for the girl to see.
The girl glanced at it and began tapping away on her own device.
*She hesitates over even two credits.*
*And she has virtually no guard against strangers.*
*Could such a pure-hearted girl truly be a Black Tide cultist?*
The bus soon arrived at its destination.
By this point, the two of them were chatting comfortably.
"This is my stop. Let's keep in touch online—huh? You're getting off here too?" Luosha asked in surprise.
"Yep! I'm heading to the orphanage today. Are you getting off here as well?" the girl asked.
"Ah... yes," Luosha replied.
The two stepped off the bus and walked side by side toward the orphanage.
"How strange. I only came here on an errand. Why are you coming all the way out here?"
the girl asked.
"I grew up here... The uncles and aunties treated me so well. If not for them, I might not have survived to this day. That's why I come back regularly to visit," Luosha explained with a gentle smile.
"I see," the girl nodded in realization.
*More than just visit.*
*You poured every credit you had into this orphanage.*
*You even paid for someone's medical bills.*
*Yet you couldn't bring yourself to spend two credits to fix your own shattered screen.*
*Just how did Ye Huan manage to find someone like her?*
"By the way, why did you decide to visit the orphanage?" Luosha asked.
"I wanted to see what it was like, whether they truly care for the kids. If everything looks good, I plan to make a donation," the girl said.
"Really?! You're more than welcome! Come with me, I'll show you around," Luosha said excitedly.
She warmly took the girl's hand and led her toward the gates.
A few young children were standing by the entrance, braving the chill and rain as they waited expectantly.
The instant Luosha appeared, they came running over in excitement, shouting, "Sister Luosha!"
Half an hour later.
After touring the grounds and sharing a simple dinner, Luosha sat with the girl to pet a cat.
"When I found her near the library back then, I knew things looked terrible," Luosha murmured.
"Terrible how?" the girl asked.
"She was about to give birth, and winter was right around the corner. If I hadn't brought her back, she wouldn't have survived," Luosha said.
The girl pursed her lips slightly.
—This girl's soul was as pure as her heart, and the Ether power dwelling within her was remarkably uncorrupted.
This was no Black Tide cultist!
She had already checked the records.
A few days ago, Luosha had received two sums of money.
A hundred and twenty credits in total.
Prior to that, the balance in her bank account had been pitifully low.
She likely hadn't possessed the means to give back to the orphanage at all.
"You saved her life," the girl said softly, stroking the mother cat.
"Yes... but the orphanage is in desperate need of help too. Do you think you could..." Luosha asked tentatively.
The girl suddenly let out a soft laugh.
This girl...
She actually kept a 'Bucket List Before I Die' memo on her phone.
—In truth, she had seen far too many cases like this.
The more ordinary a person was, the more desperately they tried to cling to something, only to discover in the end that they had stepped into an intricately woven trap.
A hundred and twenty credits, to be repaid with body and soul.
This girl's fate had long been sealed.
She was merely one tragedy among countless human tragedies, one ordinary soul among millions.
And for her fate, she had already resigned herself.
The girl's gaze softened gradually.
Ye Huan...
He had transferred 3,500 credits to her.
And then turned her?
Recruited her as an informant?
Only a girl like this would turn her back on the Black Tide Cult to send a warning to an investigator.
Ye Huan had saved her and everything she cared about, pulling her out of the mire so that she could live like a human being again.
Tsk.
That kid actually had real style.
"All right. I'll make a donation."
The girl broke into a smile as bright as blooming flowers.
"That's wonderful!" Luosha cheered, throwing her arms around her in a tight hug. "Thank you, Xia Li!"
Chapter 21