“As for his height and build, he was about the same as me.”
“His voice was a bit raspy, like he was deliberately lowering it.”
“I couldn't tell the accent; it just sounded like normal speech.”
Captain Zhang frowned. The clues Yin Yang was providing were essentially worthless.
“There was one scent, though. He had a bit of a bird-like musk on him.”
Captain Zhang's eyes lit up. He grabbed his notebook and began recording.
“Be specific. What kind of bird? And how do you know what a bird smells like?”
Yin Yang leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment before speaking.
“It was probably like the smell of a duck or a goose. I only know because I buy canned cat food for my cat all the time, and the main ingredient is usually duck.”
Captain Zhang nodded, thinking that they finally had something to work with.
“And then?”
“And then...”
Bang.
The door was pushed open from the outside, and a burly old man walked in.
The moment Captain Zhang saw him, he stood up straight.
“Bureau Chief, you're back!”
“Mhm.”
The newcomer was the chief of the Meng City Security Bureau.
The Demigod, Wang Gen!
Wang Gen glanced at Yin Yang and sat down with a commanding presence directly opposite him. Seeing this, Captain Zhang could only stand behind the chief.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Bureau Chief of the Security Bureau, Wang Gen.”
“In my years, I've interrogated at least five thousand people. I can tell truth from lies with a single glance.”
Yin Yang was taken aback, then spoke with a hint of annoyance.
“What is that supposed to mean? Am I a criminal?”
“I just came here to deliver some flowers, and then I was hauled in here and forced to cooperate. Now you're interrogating me like a suspect?”
Wang Gen narrowed his eyes, leaning forward to increase the pressure.
“I'm sure you understand that a life is at stake here.”
“I won't hide it from you. The man who went to your shop to buy flowers yesterday is a transcendent, and a high-sequence one at that!”
“Last night, he murdered the brother of our Captain Li—Li Jianwen!”
He stared at Yin Yang the entire time he spoke, his body emitting a faint, indiscernible aura.
Yin Yang looked shocked at first, then fearful, and finally reached a realization.
“No wonder Captain Li was so agitated earlier. Sigh.”
His transition of emotions was incredibly smooth, not looking like an act at all.
Wang Gen, however, did not lower his guard. He sneered.
“We just checked the surveillance footage near your shop. We didn't see the raincoat man you described at all!”
“Speak! Who is he really? What is your relationship with him?”
Yin Yang looked utterly bewildered.
“Not there? Impossible! There must be something wrong with your surveillance. Why don't you just check my shop's cameras?”
“Besides, I am not your prisoner!”
“If you keep threatening me like this, I'm going to call a lawyer.”
Wang Gen turned back and glanced at Captain Zhang. Captain Zhang nodded, and the two of them shared a silent exchange of looks.
“Please wait a moment.”
Captain Zhang's attitude was slightly better. The good cop, bad cop routine was an old tradition.
Yin Yang's expression was impatient.
“I've been cooperating from the start, and yet you treat me like a criminal!”
Wang Gen stood up.
“When this is over, I'll issue you a Good Citizen Award. It might help your flower shop pay a bit less in taxes.”
Upon hearing this, Yin Yang immediately quieted down.
Wang Gen and Captain Zhang walked out of the breakroom.
“Hey, is lunch provided?”
Yin Yang called out. Captain Zhang gestured with his hand for him to stay put, indicating they wouldn't let him go hungry.
Once the two had left, Yin Yang inconspicuously turned his ring.
...
“Jianwu, I just heard about your brother. Don't worry. Regardless of whether the perpetrator is a Demigod or not, I will find the killer!”
Wang Gen patted Li Jianwu's shoulder. The latter looked moved.
“Thank you, Bureau Chief!”
“Captain Li, that man said you performed surgery on him fifteen years ago, and that's how he was able to become a transcendent. Do you have any memory of that?”
Li Jianwu gave a bitter smile.
“Fifteen years ago, my brother and I were both surgeons at the hospital. We did an average of three surgeries a day. How could I remember every single person?”
Captain Zhang narrowed his eyes.
“Could it be a case of medical malpractice? Is he seeking revenge?”
Li Jianwu shook his head decisively.
“Impossible. My brother and I never had a single case of malpractice. It was precisely because of that record that my brother was able to become the surgical director of Meng City Hospital.”
Captain Zhang frowned, contemplating for a moment before speaking again.
“The flower shop owner said the raincoat man smelled like a bird—specifically, a duck.”
“Where would someone get the scent of ducks on them? A breeding farm in the suburbs?”
“But according to our deductions, that person should be a powerhouse of Sequence 5 or higher. Why would someone of that level be at a breeding farm?”
Wang Gen waved his hand.
“Nothing is absolute. Although no residual spirituality was found at the scene, it doesn't necessarily mean the opponent is a Demigod. As far as I know, some transcendent items can achieve that effect.”
Captain Zhang nodded.
“If that's the case, then it wouldn't be strange for them to be at a breeding farm.”
“After all, low-sequence transcendents are only slightly stronger than ordinary people. If they're a Sequence 9, they'd still have all sorts of weaknesses.”
“Bureau Chief, I suggest we investigate the breeding farms in the suburbs.”
“Mhm.”
Li Jianwu was about to speak when his entire body suddenly stiffened. Then, his frame began to shake uncontrollably, as if he were having a seizure.
“Hmm?”
Wang Gen rushed to his side. His Demigod pressure radiated outward, and he quickly sensed that something was wrong.
He pried open Li Jianwu's clenched fist and saw a brand etched into his palm!
“A Sacrifice Brand?”
Wang Gen's voice was filled with surprise. He had just seen this thing a few days ago; he hadn't expected to see it again so soon!
“Who have you been in contact with lately?”
Li Jianwu was shaking as if he had stepped on a live wire. His teeth were clamped shut, making it impossible for him to answer.
Seeing this, Captain Zhang hurriedly spoke up.
“The flower shop owner! He just grabbed the owner's arm earlier! That florist is suspicious!”
As he spoke, Wang Gen had already charged out of the room, sprinting toward the breakroom.
When he arrived, he saw Yin Yang casually flipping through a legal awareness manual on the table.
Wang Gen lunged forward and grabbed Yin Yang's wrist. His Demigod presence crashed down like a vast ocean.
Yin Yang struggled to breathe, his lips gradually losing their color.
He tried to say something but found himself unable to open his mouth. It wasn't until he was on the verge of fainting that Wang Gen finally stopped exerting his aura.
“You're not a transcendent?”
Yin Yang clutched his chest, unable to speak for a long while. It took a full ten seconds before he could manage a sentence.
“Is this... an interrogation under torture?”
Wang Gen turned and left immediately. Just as he stepped out, he encountered medical personnel rushing past, carrying Li Jianwu on a stretcher.
Captain Zhang was helping out, looking anxious as he asked, “Bureau Chief, was it him?”
“No, he's just an ordinary person! That raincoat man might still be nearby. Find him!”
“Yes, sir!”
Captain Zhang acknowledged the order and pressed his intercom to start calling for reinforcements.
Inside the breakroom, Yin Yang slowly raised his head. With his back to the surveillance camera, a smile spread across his face.
‘The show begins.’
Rate on N.U.
