Bai Hongyuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Letting that young man pose as a lawyer to see Ruochu?
He remembered the way the young man had looked at him earlier—that cold, slithering sensation of being watched by a venomous snake still made his skin crawl.
But then he thought better of it. This was the solution Mr. Fang had proposed, and...
It seemed to be the only way to see Ruochu right now.
For Ruochu’s sake, and for the sake of the Bai family, he had to take this gamble.
“Fine,” Bai Hongyuan gritted his teeth and nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements. Tomorrow morning, I’ll send Mr. Liu to meet with Bai Ruochu.”
Fang Yingshan gave a slight nod, pushed the car door open, and stepped out, walking toward the black business van behind them.
Bai Hongyuan sat alone in the car, staring out at the thick darkness of the night, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
The next morning, at the Jiangcheng Detention Center.
A black Mercedes business van was parked by the roadside. Bai Hongyuan sat in the driver’s seat, his fingers tapping the steering wheel unconsciously.
In the back seat, Liu Junnan was dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit with a white shirt and a deep blue tie. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.
He was already naturally fair and delicate-featured; with this outfit, his entire temperament shifted dramatically.
He looked every bit the part of a young, promising, and refined elite lawyer.
Who could have imagined what kind of perverse and ruthless soul was hidden within this seemingly frail body?
Bai Hongyuan caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror and was secretly amazed.
However, he didn't dare look for long. He spoke cautiously, “Mr. Liu, all the materials are ready. Your identity is a practicing lawyer from ‘Mingcheng Law Firm’ named Liu Mingyuan, the defense lawyer commissioned by Bai Ruochu’s family.”
Liu Junnan gave a lazy “mm,” his voice devoid of any emotion.
Bai Hongyuan took a deep breath and continued, “Once you’re inside, the meeting will last about thirty minutes.”
“Ruochu’s mental state is very poor right now. She might... might not be able to communicate normally. You...”
“I know. Shut up,” Liu Junnan interrupted. His voice remained sluggish, yet it sent a chill through Bai Hongyuan’s body.
Bai Hongyuan wisely closed his mouth.
A few minutes later, the gates of the detention center opened. A staff member stepped out, verified Liu Junnan’s identification materials, and led him through the imposing iron gates.
The meeting room was small, barely over ten square meters, divided in half by a thick pane of glass.
A fixed metal chair sat on each side of the glass. A surveillance camera hung on the wall, its red indicator light blinking silently.
Liu Junnan sat in the chair and placed his briefcase by his feet. His gaze pierced through the glass, looking toward the closed iron door on the other side.
Minutes later, the iron door opened. Two female officers entered, supporting a woman wearing an orange vest.
It was Bai Ruochu.
Liu Junnan’s gaze fell upon her, his pupils constricting almost imperceptibly.
This was the socialite of the Bai family who had supposedly lost her mind?
The Bai Ruochu before him didn't look like a wealthy young lady at all.
Her hair was a tangled mess over her shoulders, her face haggard and pale, and her eyes were sunken deep into her sockets.
Her gaze was vacant and scattered, as if her soul had been ripped from her body, leaving behind nothing but a human-shaped shell.
The officers guided her into the chair. She didn't resist; in fact, she didn't react at all, looking like a ragdoll at the mercy of others.
The two female officers retreated to the doorway, watching the room with vigilant eyes.
Bai Ruochu sat in the chair, her head drooping slightly, completely unresponsive to her surroundings.
Liu Junnan picked up the telephone receiver on the table and spoke to the person behind the glass. “Miss Bai, I am your defense lawyer. My name is Liu. Can you hear me?”
Bai Ruochu did not respond.
Liu Junnan repeated himself.
Still, there was no reaction.
Liu Junnan’s gaze gradually grew sharp.
He stopped speaking. Instead, he closed his eyes and pushed his sensing ability to its limit, reaching through the thick glass toward Bai Ruochu’s head.
His ability was unique. Not only could he sense special energy, but he could also perceive human mental states and consciousness fluctuations to a certain extent—he could even peer into memory fragments.
His perception acted like invisible tentacles, cautiously probing into Bai Ruochu’s cerebral cortex.
However, the moment he made contact, Liu Junnan’s brow furrowed tightly.
Chaos.
Pure chaos.
Bai Ruochu’s cerebral cortex looked as if it had been violently stirred by someone.
The neural connections responsible for memory, thought, and consciousness were severed, tangled, and shattered into pieces.
This was absolutely not a natural case of mental illness, nor was it simple stress disorder.
This was...
Liu Junnan withdrew his perception and opened his eyes. He looked at the hollow-eyed woman behind the glass, his gaze becoming deep and unfathomable.
He thought back to the target he had lost the previous night, the special energy that had vanished near the unfinished building, and the complete lack of evidence at the crime scene...
Now, Bai Ruochu’s brain had been violently destroyed like this without any physical trauma. This was clearly the work of a Mental-type Ability User!
And to be able to do it to this degree, that person’s strength...
Liu Junnan stood up, grabbed his briefcase, and left the meeting room without looking back.
Behind him, Bai Ruochu remained in her chair, staring blankly ahead, completely oblivious to everything around her.
Outside the detention center, Bai Hongyuan was waiting anxiously.
Seeing Liu Junnan walk out, he rushed to meet him. “Mr. Liu, how was it? Ruochu, she...”
Liu Junnan didn't look at him, walking straight toward the black business van.
Bai Hongyuan stood frozen in place, his face turning blue and then white with humiliation.
As the head of the Bai family, Bai Hongyuan was a prominent figure in Jiangcheng. Who didn't treat him with the utmost respect?
Yet he had been repeatedly slighted and insulted by this brat. It was unbearable.
But considering the kid’s background, he could only suppress his inner resentment.
Qin Zhong’an followed quickly, opening the car door for Liu Junnan before sliding in himself.
The car door closed, cutting off the outside world.
Bai Hongyuan stood where he was, watching the black business van speed away, a sense of unease gnawing at him.
Inside the van, Qin Zhong’an looked at Liu Junnan and asked cautiously, “Young Master Liu, how was it?”
Liu Junnan leaned back against the seat, watching the city scenery flash by the window. The corners of his mouth slowly curled into an arc.
That smile carried a hint of coldness, a trace of excitement, and the absolute certainty of a hunter who had finally found his prey.
“Interesting,” he said softly. His voice was lazy, yet it possessed a chilling quality that made the heart tremble.
“It seems there really is a big fish hiding in Jiangcheng.”
Qin Zhong’an’s heart skipped a beat as he pressed, “What do you mean, Young Master Liu?”
Liu Junnan didn't answer directly. He simply closed his eyes slowly.
In his mind, he was replaying the images he had just sensed.
Bai Ruochu’s violently scrambled brain, the method of precise destruction while maintaining life signs...
It was too familiar.
That was clearly the most classic hallmark of a Mental-type Ability User!
Rate on N.U.
