When he arrived home, Yue Shi collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion. He rubbed his temples and summoned two ravens from his shadow to stand guard. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep almost instantly.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed before the vibration of his phone woke him. He glanced out the window; it was already evening.
The caller ID showed an unknown number. Yue Shi pretended not to see it. Despite his hunger, he went straight to the kitchen and boiled a bowl of noodles.
After filling his stomach, the phone rang again. It was the same unknown number. Yue Shi refused to answer, but the caller was persistent. Only after he hung up for the fourth time did the other party switch to sending a message.
—It was from an organization called "Dawn," offering a decent deal to headhunt him.
A pity the offer wasn't high enough. Yue Shi dismissed it as spam.
...
The next day, the weather was clear and the morning sun was bright.
Zhou Zhiheng sent a message early on, saying there would be a meeting at the company at 8:30 AM to discuss the ongoing investigation into the "Heart Thief."
Yue Shi quickly finished his breakfast, washed up, changed his clothes, and headed out.
Tulip Security Company was located on the top floor of an office building in the eastern part of the city. By 8:30, everyone involved in the operation, including Yue Shi, had gathered in a spacious conference room.
The meeting was chaired by the company's second-in-command, Pei Yue.
Boss Lü, the founder of Tulip Security, was a very mysterious figure whom Yue Shi had yet to meet.
Pei Yue was not tall, with a prominent belly and a receding hairline. He wore a loose-fitting shirt and always had a smile on his face, making him appear very approachable.
A projector screen hung on the wall behind him. It hummed to life, projecting several photographs.
“These are the victims killed by the Heart Thief, along with records of the crime scenes,” Pei Yue said.
Yue Shi sat toward the back of the conference table. As a member of the Action Group, he usually didn't have to strain his brain like the Intelligence or Investigation Groups; he only needed to provide the necessary muscle.
However, he had no desire to be a mindless thug. Prolonged mental idleness would only make him dull. Besides, the "Heart Thief" case seemed to have some connection to him, so he listened intently.
Aside from Yue Shi, there was another transcendent present. Sitting to his left was Zhong Mo, who had clean-cut short hair and was dressed like a stiff, old-fashioned bureaucrat.
It was unclear how Zhong Mo had managed it, but the wounds from the toxic bee stings had already healed. He sat perfectly upright, radiating a stern aura that warned others to keep their distance.
Unfortunately, he possessed strikingly handsome features with sharp, dark eyes and well-defined brows. No matter how much he tried to look serious, his good looks tended to undermine the atmosphere.
“Yue Shi, you found a human heart near a trash can the first time, and the second time, a mutated human heart appeared in the room next to yours and showed aggression. This suggests the Heart Thief might have targeted you. Can you provide any useful clues? Is it possible you overlooked some detail that led the Heart Thief to target you?”
Pei Yue looked at Yue Shi and asked.
Yue Shi thought carefully and shook his head. He hadn't been in Amber City for long, and his recent routine had been very regular. He wouldn't go around pillaging or causing mayhem before he was familiar with the local environment.
Without overwhelming strength, one could only follow the rules and understand them first; only then could one selectively break or trample upon them.
At this point, Zhou Zhiheng raised a point: “Could the fact that the ‘Heart Thief’ targeted Yue Shi for no apparent reason be related to other supernatural entities?”
“Some supernatural entities cooperate with each other, especially those with high intelligence. I suspect the ‘Heart Thief’ and the ‘Bee Woman’ might be in league. Not long ago, Yue Shi killed two ‘Bee Women.’ During the second incident at Rose Manor, I vaguely heard her shouting about ‘revenge’ or something before she died.”
Those present felt his words held some weight.
Pei Yue said, “We can't rule out that possibility. Regarding the ‘Bee Woman,’ the company’s Investigation Group has already uncovered some leads.”
The projector then displayed two photos. They were of two women—one was plain and ordinary, while the other was stunningly beautiful.
“I assume you all recognize her. This is the second ‘Bee Woman’ that appeared in Rose Manor,” Pei Yue said, pointing to the beautiful woman’s photo.
He then pointed to the photo of the plain woman. “Interestingly, this was what she looked like two months ago!”
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Their eyes moved back and forth between the two photos, unable to find the slightest resemblance.
Pei Yue continued, “Her original name was Bao Moli. Although modern cosmetic surgery or certain special transcendents could make her beautiful, subsequent developments show that her beauty was not obtained through these legitimate channels.”
“In the two months since she became beautiful, her husband, her child, and two single men she was close to have all gone missing. Meanwhile, her best friend was gradually becoming more beautiful herself...”
“?!” Everyone was slightly shocked. It seemed this Bao Moli was a major problem.
Pei Yue tapped the table lightly. “The information we can confirm is that Bao Moli used to be a normal person. In addition, the Investigation Group has found several other women in Amber City who suddenly became exceptionally beautiful, with various degrees of male disappearances occurring around them.”
“Since the missing persons were all friends or relatives of those beautiful women, or were single and lived alone with few social ties, few people noticed or reported them missing. The company's Investigation Group only found these clues by following the trail starting from Bao Moli.”
Yue Shi’s expression turned serious. When dealing with the second Bee Woman that day, she had mentioned terms like “King” and “Worker Bee,” and spoke of revenge. He wasn't sure how much the others had heard; Zhou Zhiheng seemed to have only caught the part about revenge.
The “King” should be the source of the contamination, capable of spreading it and turning human women into “Worker Bees.”
If the “King” shared similar habits with common bees, it was likely to stay in its “Hive.” How could they find it?
Pei Yue: “A very powerful transcendent has just joined the company. The ‘Bee Woman’ case has been handed over to another team, so you don't need to worry about it. Just focus on investigating the ‘Heart Thief.’ If there is a connection between the two, we will merge the cases then.”
Another transcendent had joined?!
Yue Shi instinctively turned his head and met Zhong Mo’s gaze. Their eyes met, both reflecting confusion.
Tulip Security Company had not been established for long. Just how much capital had been invested for them to recruit transcendents one after another in such a short time?
Could there be a much larger power supporting them from behind?
Yue Shi only wanted to find a springboard he could discard later; he had no desire to get caught up in trouble...
Rate on N.U.
