In front of the bustling commercial street, girls in cool, fashionable clothes hurried past. On the holographic billboards, an advertisement for "Smart technology leading the progress of a new era" played on a loop, each frame offering a surreal visual experience, yet not a single person looked up to watch.
Drained commuters quickened their pace as the traffic lights changed, like grains of dust scattered and vanished into the crowd by the city winds.
"Your presence makes the city more prosperous."
Through the glass of the parking zone, numerous unmanned taxis could be seen on the hoverlanes, weaving through the city, rushing to passengers’ locations upon receiving system instructions, day after day, tireless.
Sparse raindrops fell, and in the mist, the city's silhouette gradually blurred.
People sought shelter from the rain, but a young girl in a black hoodie seemed indifferent to the falling drops. She simply pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt and kept her gaze fixed ahead.
Until several figures appeared, blocking her path.
"Little girl, wandering around the city all by yourself isn't very safe, is it?" a pig-man said.
"The animal community is just ahead. It's dangerous for one person to go there... how about this, follow us, and we'll take you somewhere fun, okay?"
"Hand over the money you have on you. Don't worry, we'll be gentle." The pig-man's companion beside him wore a lecherous expression.
"Third Brother, what's the rush? Let me play first. Tsk tsk, she looks so tender~"
The three pig-men’s predatory gazes wandered over the girl, eventually settling on her expressionless face.
The girl kept her hands in her pockets, standing there in silence. The three pig-men were pinned by her stare, feeling an inexplicable sense of dread. One of the pig-men's face turned fierce as he reached out toward her: "Why bother talking to her? Just—"
BANG—
A gunshot rang out, and blood splattered.
The pig-man’s face went instantly pale. He clutched his crotch, the fat on his brow contorting into a hideous mask of agony.
"AAAHHH!"
His two companions felt a phantom chill in their own crotches, horrified by the girl's decisive and ruthless strike.
Amidst the pained howls, Xu Xiaoyou tilted her head and pointed the barrel at the second pig-man, aiming for the exact same spot.
"Run, she has a gun!"
The remaining two pig-men squealed like pigs about to be slaughtered for the New Year, scurrying away into the distance. Xu Xiaoyou held her aim for a moment before finally lowering the weapon.
It wasn't worth wasting another bullet on scum like them.
These three pig-men were certainly not first-time offenders. There was no telling how many girls had been cruelly murdered after falling into their hands.
"Human scum."
She glanced at the pig-man writhing on the ground, wailing in agony. At the thought that her gunshot must have caused a significant commotion, Xu Xiaoyou felt a surge of irritation. She delivered a kick to the pig-man's face, leaving him bloodied and missing several teeth, before quickly departing, leaving him to fend for himself.
However, making a scene wasn't without its benefits; at the very least, it served as a warning to those lurking in the shadows with ill intentions.
After firing the shot, Xu Xiaoyou felt the number of gazes following her significantly decrease.
Such was the law of survival in this city.
Before long, Xu Xiaoyou returned to the house that the pig-faced woman had occupied. After confirming the house number, she looked at the brand-new iron door and the cracks in the wall around its edges. That familiar sense of unease surged back.
"Whew..."
Xu Xiaoyou took a deep breath, unwrapped a pomelo candy, and popped it into her mouth. The sweet flavor spread across her tongue, and her inner anxiety gradually receded.
She had come here to confirm one thing.
Holding a pizza box in her hands, Xu Xiaoyou lightly rang the doorbell.
"Hello! Fresh Meat Restaurant delivery. Sir, your takeout has arrived~"
Xu Xiaoyou pitched her voice higher, trying to sound as sweet and natural as possible.
No one responded.
After ringing the bell three times with no answer, Xu Xiaoyou confirmed it: that investigator named Bai Youyou had definitely been here.
Looking at the cracks by the door frame, she was certain that something had happened here.
She just needed to make one final confirmation...
With that thought, she took out her phone and dialed a number using a virtual ID.
Meanwhile, in the Sector 10 guard bureau.
In the dim interrogation room, the fluorescent lights flickered. Two figures in uniform were kicking a rabbit-faced youth who was sprawled on the ground, begging for mercy.
"Are you going to talk? Talk, damn it!"
"You're playing hardball? Are you going to talk or not!"
It wasn't until the two figures grew tired that they crouched down, panting. One looked at his companion in frustration.
"Damn, this guy..."
"We can't get a word out of him..."
The rabbit-faced youth had been beaten black and blue, his swollen bruises nearly covering his eyes. He sat up sobbing and roared at the top of his lungs:
"Then ask something! I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"
"You bastards haven't even asked me a question, you've just been beating the hell out of me! Damn it..."
"It hurts so much, waaaah..."
The two officers looked at each other, both seeing the same confusion in the other's eyes.
"Did you not ask him?"
"You didn't say we were asking yet. I thought you already did."
"I'm going to file a complaint! I'm complaining about police brutality!"
"I'm telling you, everyone here, I won't miss a single one of you. I'll file complaints against you one by one!"
Just as the rabbit-faced youth was about to explode in rage, the figure of a girl in white pushed open the iron door of the cell and walked in.
The moment he saw the girl in white, it was like a mouse seeing a cat. His puffed-out chest immediately deflated, and he curled into the corner in fear.
"What did you say you were going to complain about?"
The curved horns among Bai Youyou's black hair twitched slightly as she crouched down to look at the rabbit-faced youth.
"Nothing, nothing, Investigator Bai."
Bai Youyou asked sharply, "Why were you in that house?"
"I already told you, it was a coincidence! Someone set me up! That guy must have killed the owner, and I just bought the place for cheap. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have been so greedy for a bargain."
"What do you think, Investigator Bai?" one of the men asked.
"He doesn't seem to be lying." Bai Youyou fell silent.
If it wasn't this guy, she would have to trace the network trails bit by bit.
Unfortunately, conducting such investigations in this hive city was extremely troublesome. Just as the girl was lost in thought, the rabbit-faced youth's phone began to ring.
Everyone present sensed something was up. The rabbit-faced youth, looking like he had found a lifeline, reached for the phone with trembling hands.
"Answer it," Bai Youyou commanded.
As the call connected, a synthesized voice came through:
"Hello."
"Who is this?" the rabbit-faced youth asked cautiously.
The person on the other end seemed to let out a faint, cold chuckle.
"I'm the one who sold you the house today. Let me guess... you're at the guard bureau right now, aren't you?"
"Fuck! You..." Just as the rabbit-faced youth was about to start swearing, the girl in white snatched the phone directly from his hand.
Bai Youyou took the phone, her expression colder than ever before. "You criminal!"
"Investigator Bai, really? You're the little princess of Oasis; is it necessary to keep chasing me like this?"
Hearing the word 'Oasis,' Bai Youyou's eyes flickered, and her expression became solemn.
"How do you know..."
"That's not important."
Being interrupted, a fire of frustration burned in Bai Youyou's heart. She questioned loudly, "If you've committed a crime, shouldn't you accept the punishment? Acts that violate order are intolerable!"
In the silence, she heard a light sigh from the other end of the line.
"It seems your world is strictly black and white, Investigator Bai. Can you guarantee those three fixers were good people? In this city, so many people vanish every day, violent crimes happen every day, and even fixers often die mysteriously during their missions. The corp-dogs use every means to make even a breath of fresh air a luxury for those at the bottom."
"Do you really intend to investigate all of these things and bring every criminal to justice?"
Bai Youyou was momentarily at a loss for words.
"That's just sophistry. I will do what is in front of me, and I will catch them..."
A sneer came from the other end, as if mocking her naivety.
Under the pale lights, the blonde girl's face was buried in the shadow of her hood as she leaned against a wall. The sweet coating of the pomelo candy melted slowly in her mouth.
Xu Xiaoyou looked up, a slight arch to her lips. Moonlight pierced through the strands of her hair, illuminating half of her face.
"You're actually quite cute. I actually like this kind of personality; the world always needs a few idealists."
Bai Youyou froze for a second. In all her life, no one had ever said such a thing to her. She couldn't help but feel her ears grow hot.
"So, you're set on hounding me?"
In the dim interrogation room, the black-haired girl was like a hunter who had been repeatedly provoked. Facing a wicked and cunning prey, a certain emotion was about to break through its shell. It was as if her gaze had already locked onto her target; Bai Youyou's entire body was trembling with excitement.
"Yes! I promise, I will catch you. I will make you understand what it feels like to wish you were dead. Before I send you to the execution ground, I will use every means possible to break you, I will..."
Without waiting for the girl to finish, Xu Xiaoyou hung up the phone.
Rate on N.U.
