Bai Ci stopped there. She had no conventional way of explaining how she knew the truth she had seen on the Rain's Message panel—that Wa Yeyao was a cult believer who had sacrificed his own wife and child.
In any case, the man was about to die, meaning his threat would soon end without any further consequences. Keeping it to herself wouldn't cause any harm.
The guilt and unease on Mother Bai's face grew increasingly obvious.
She remained silent for a long time. It wasn't until they stepped out of the elevator and entered their apartment that she defended herself in a low voice. “A'ci, Mom didn't do it on purpose.”
“I just thought that Mr. Wa's circumstances were so good. If you two got along well, maybe you could really build a life together. You wouldn't have to settle for a temporary marriage or compromise your happiness... That's what I was thinking.”
Bai Ci put on a touched expression and gently patted Mother Bai's shoulder.
“Mom, I know what you meant, and I understand you only want the best for me. But you can't force these things.”
“I'll still go to blind dates in the future, but I will make my own judgments and won't just agree to anything. Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to survive the curse, and I'll live a good life so you don't have to worry.”
It seemed like a step back, but it was actually a step forward.
Hearing Bai Ci's words, Mother Bai's eyes grew slightly red.
“Okay, okay. Mom won't make decisions for you anymore. I'll listen to you from now on, as long as you know what you're doing. As long as you're safe and sound, I won't ask for anything else.”
In an instant, the relationship between mother and daughter returned to its original closeness, perhaps even slightly more harmonious than before.
That night, when Bai Ci opened her Rain's Message panel before going to sleep, it had already reset to its initial state.
Rain's Message NPC: Unmatched
(Based on the special circumstances of the instance, the binding mechanism is disabled, and the special mechanism is enabled)
Early the next morning, Mother Bai received a call from Cheng Yin.
She truly lived up to her reputation as a star matchmaker. Even though Bai Ci's matches had fallen through three times in such a short period, she had already found a fourth candidate.
The fourth match was a preschool teacher named Zhai Laiyi.
This time, just like the first time, Mother Bai waited until Bai Ci nodded before agreeing to Cheng Yin's suggestion. They scheduled a meeting for the usual time and place.
While Bai Ci was enjoying a leisurely morning, the Bureau of Investigation's Special Investigation Unit, Unit One, was experiencing a tense and busy morning.
The captain received a notification and immediately mobilized the investigation team.
“The urban anomalous energy fluctuation monitoring device has detected a strong wave of anomalous energy. The location is in the western villa area, and the coordinates have been sent to your phones.”
This time they were fully geared up. Any energy fluctuation strong enough to trigger the alarm was not to be underestimated.
He picked up his combat suit from the side, quickly put it on, and said while adjusting his gear, “An Shu, retrieve the information for these coordinates immediately. Find out who owns the property and check for any past monitoring records.”
“Everyone else, get your gear ready. We head out on field duty in three minutes.”
“Yes, sir!”
The team answered in unison and quickly went to work.
Three minutes later, fully armed and equipped, they boarded the field vehicle and sped toward the western villa area.
Inside the vehicle, An Shu held a tablet, quickly skimming through the retrieved information before briefing the team.
“Captain, everyone, the location where the anomalous energy was detected is a detached villa in the Guanlan Villa District in the west of the city. The owner is Wa Yeyao, the proprietor of a local construction materials company.”
An Shu paused before adding, “According to our internal monitoring system records, Wa Yeyao was registered as a suspected cult contact six months ago.”
“However, the Bureau never found any concrete evidence linking him to a cult, so he was only placed under low-level monitoring, and no further action was taken.”
Sitting in the front passenger seat, the young investigator twisted his body around to look back the moment he heard the word 'cult', his mouth running non-stop.
“A cult? In that case, could he be holding a cult ritual in the villa, and something went wrong with the ritual, triggering the anomalous energy fluctuation?”
The mentor investigator chimed in and nodded. “It's possible.”
“Cult rituals are often accompanied by anomalous energy fluctuations, and accidents happen very easily. Besides, Wa Yeyao is already suspected of having ties to a cult.”
“Everyone, be careful,” the captain warned with emphasis. “Cult rituals can carry unknown dangers, and there might be residual evil power.”
“Once inside the villa, do not touch any suspicious objects. Stay alert, follow orders, and do not act on your own.”
The latter half of his warning was mainly directed at the young investigator. The others were experienced investigators who had been on field duty many times and wouldn't stumble over such basic precautions.
Cult-related cases were often far more dangerous than simple hauntings by resentful spirits. A single misstep could cost them their lives.
Half an hour later, the field vehicle arrived at Guanlan Villa District.
The villa district had tight security, lush green trees, and a quiet, peaceful environment. The investigation team's original plan was an infiltration.
Leading by example, the captain took the glasses-wearing investigator and scaled the villa's perimeter wall first, slipping inside.
To their surprise, however, there was no chaos or anomalous phenomena inside the villa. Instead, it was completely peaceful.
In the villa's courtyard, a gardener was meticulously mowing the lawn. The living room windows were wide open, and a nanny could be seen cleaning inside. The security guard at the gate was also still at his post, looking highly focused.
All the staff members were working normally, seemingly completely unaffected.
After a brief moment of thought, the captain adjusted the plan. He gave the glasses-wearing investigator a few keywords, and the latter immediately understood, contacting the remaining three who were preparing to scale the wall.
They didn't need to climb the wall anymore. They would go straight to the front gate instead. The original plan of a full-team forced entry was changed to a dual-pronged approach, with one group acting openly and the other in secret.
As An Shu and the others approached the main gate, the security guard spotted them immediately.
Seeing their combat suits and fully armed gear, the guard became as cooperative as could be once their identities were verified.
Security guards, cleaners, and other service staff working in high-end villa districts had long since received training from their companies on what to do if the Bureau of Investigation came looking for their employers—whether in plain clothes or fully armed.
To sum it up in one sentence: if you run into investigators, especially fully armed ones, just behave, do absolutely nothing extra, and answer whatever they ask.
You were hired to do a job, not to lay down your life. If the employer broke the law, what did it have to do with you?
The guard notified the others. Everyone quickly put down their work and voluntarily lined up in a quiet row, waiting for the investigators' questioning.
The mentor investigator stepped forward and asked them, “Where is Wa Yeyao?”
The staff looked at each other. The employer's whereabouts wasn't something everyone was privy to.
An older nanny stepped forward of her own accord and said, “Officers, are you here for the master? He's in the basement and hasn't come out yet. I can take you there.”
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