The meeting was still in progress.
The image on the projector changed to Cai Zetao, who was covered in vines and resembled a dried corpse.
“This is a victim of another supernatural incident. He mutated into a plant-type supernatural creature after being contaminated. The day after the Investigation Bureau arrested him, a heart covered in bluish-black tentacles appeared in his room. What are everyone's thoughts on this?” Pei Yue looked around at the group.
“Just because a ‘heart’ appeared, does it necessarily have to be related to the Heart Thief?” Zhong Mo raised a doubt.
“After comparison and confirmation, the heart that appeared in Cai Zetao's home perfectly matches one of the victims of the Heart Thief incident. This intelligence was leaked from the Investigation Bureau,” a woman with long black hair responded.
She was Bai Qingyu, an employee of the company's Investigation Group, dressed in professional attire and looking youthful and beautiful.
“Is it possible it's just a simple coincidence? That Cai Zetao's mutation has no connection to that heart, and the two just happened to appear in the same location one after the other...” Zhao Lin offered his own insight.
“It's a possibility,” Zhou Zhiheng said. “But when multiple low-probability events collide, it's worth paying attention to. Until we obtain other valid leads, this is our best direction for investigation.”
Pei Yue nodded. “Xiao Zhou makes a good point. Currently, we know the Heart Thief might possess the characteristic of ‘bluish-black tentacles’ and may be closely linked to the Bee Woman and a certain unknown plant-type supernatural creature.”
“Looking at it this way, the Heart Thief case is indeed very troublesome. Everyone must maintain sufficient vigilance during the investigation. Don't try to be a hero in an emergency—if things look bad, retreat. Prioritize your own safety first.”
“Understood,” the group responded one after another.
It wasn't that Pei Yue was particularly compassionate, but rather... as employees of a private organization, they were there to make a profit. There was no obligation to save people or resolve supernatural incidents at all costs.
When faced with unmanageable danger, employees would naturally prioritize a tactical retreat. Pei Yue was merely saying what they wanted to hear. Whether it actually increased favorability, bought loyalty, or strengthened team cohesion didn't matter; it was just a matter of paying lip service.
After a few more brief instructions, the meeting was adjourned.
The Investigation Group members were led by Zhou Zhiheng, accompanied by special Action Group employees Zhong Mo and Yue Shi.
Perhaps influenced by Cai Zetao's sudden mutation and attack at the isolation center, Zhou Zhiheng decided they would move as a single unit rather than splitting up, to avoid any unnecessary complications.
Their target this time was the only witness in the Heart Thief case—a six-year-old girl.
The group boarded two business vans. Yue Shi and Zhong Mo were relatively idle, sitting in the back row on opposite sides.
Yue Shi looked down at his phone while Zhong Mo closed his eyes to rest.
One of Bai Qingyu's wireless earbuds fell out. As she stood up to pick it up, the van suddenly took a sharp turn. She let out a cry as she lost her balance, her body falling toward Zhong Mo.
Zhong Mo snapped his eyes open and caught her.
However, Bai Qingyu still couldn't find her footing and fell straight onto Zhong Mo.
“I'm so sorry!” she apologized hastily, struggling to steady herself, only to accidentally stumble again. It took her quite a while to frantically get back on her feet.
“It's fine,” Zhong Mo said with a cold, aloof expression.
Bai Qingyu tucked her long hair behind her ear, desperately trying to suppress the upward curve of her lips, to the point that her expression became slightly distorted. She quickly picked up her earbud and sat back in her seat.
The others saw this and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Thirty minutes later, the van stopped outside a dilapidated residential building.
“Move out!” Zhou Zhiheng ordered. Zhao Lin was the first to step out, simultaneously activating the supernatural detector.
According to the files, the Heart Thief had struck several times, always committing its crimes without a sound. No one had seen its true appearance, no one knew its whereabouts, and no one knew how it killed.
There was only one exception.
A divorced female victim was murdered while her daughter was hiding in a closet, narrowly escaping death.
Reasonably, as the only witness, this girl named Niu Xiaohui should have been given high priority.
But... she was simply too young. Having suffered severe shock and stimulation, her mental state had deteriorated, and she had become completely withdrawn and unresponsive, making it impossible to get any useful information from her.
Leaving two people outside to provide backup, the rest of the group headed straight for the fourth floor.
After Niu Xiaohui's mother died, her father had been forced to take over the responsibility of raising her.
Zhou Zhiheng knocked gently on the target's door, but there was no response. He increased the force of his knocking. After a long pause, an impatient voice came from inside: “Who is it?”
“Mr. Niu, hello. We're here to investigate the murder of your ex-wife. Please open the door.”
“Coming!” A series of hurried footsteps sounded from within the apartment.
The door opened to reveal a sallow-faced, slovenly middle-aged man standing before them.
He was very thin, with scruffy stubble and greasy, clumped hair. It looked as if he hadn't washed in a long time—he was oily, dirty, and utterly decadent.
“You're here for my daughter, aren't you?”
“Yes,” Zhou Zhiheng said.
“Come in, then.” The man's face was written with reluctance; he clearly didn't welcome them.
Zhao Lin entered the room carrying the supernatural detector. The indicator light was green, showing it was safe.
The apartment wasn't large, about sixty square meters with two bedrooms. The living room was small and emitted an unpleasant odor. At a glance, the place was a total mess.
Piles of takeout boxes and empty beer bottles, discarded tissues everywhere, household trash that had been sitting for who knows how long, and sticky stains all over the floor.
Yue Shi's expression remained unchanged, but he noticed Zhong Mo beside him was holding his breath. Bai Qingyu stood hesitantly at the doorway, as if she couldn't find a clean place to step.
After entering, Yue Shi looked around. Despite it being daytime, the surroundings were very dim. The door to the second bedroom was tightly shut, while the master bedroom door was half-open, with a tub of half-eaten instant noodles sitting on the bedside table.
It was clear that this divorced single man had, by his own efforts, made his living environment quite wretched.
“Mr. Niu, where is your daughter? Would it be convenient for her to come out so we can talk?” Zhou Zhiheng asked, getting straight to the point.
“No!” Mr. Niu refused bluntly.
He sat on the sofa, leaning back with his legs crossed, his tone unfriendly. “Xiaohui isn't in a good state. She can't handle any stimulation, yet you people keep coming to disturb us time and again. As a father, I don't want my daughter to suffer secondary trauma. I hope you can understand.”
A cold smirk played on Zhou Zhiheng's lips. He stood over Mr. Niu, looking down at him while maintaining the stiff, formal posture of a subordinate reporting to a superior.
It wasn't that he wanted to be like this, but he simply refused to sit down. Not just him—the others who had come with him remained standing as well. None of them were willing to go anywhere near that sofa covered in unknown filth.
Rate on N.U.
