Nearby surveillance had already been destroyed in advance by the ravens Yue Shi had released. He checked the crime scene once more, searching for any unexpected witnesses and carefully scrutinizing the area for any potential loopholes.
After ensuring everything was handled properly, he cast a cautious glance at Old Man Qin’s corpse. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; it would likely take an autopsy to reveal the internal anomalies.
Old Man Qin had been right about one thing earlier: the area where Happiness Apartments was located was indeed plagued by poor public order. However, the old geezer seemed to have gotten one thing wrong—Yue Shi wasn’t some naive newbie who lived here only because he was short on cash. This was a "home" he had carefully selected!
For a good person, poor security was a drawback, but Yue Shi was no saint. He was liable to commit a crime or go on the run at any moment; such an environment suited him perfectly.
Old Man Qin’s scheme to frame him using his own life had been quite cunning, especially since it involved an enforcer with a deep-seated prejudice like Officer Liu. A normal person caught in such a situation might have found themselves in immense trouble.
Unfortunately, the greatest flaw in Old Man Qin’s plan was his assumption—he had presumed Yue Shi was a good person, a normal person.
A conspiracy woven on the premise that the target is a normal person who will provide a normal reaction is bound to fail.
A predicament in the eyes of a normal person might not even be worth a damn to a villain or a madman.
Yue Shi first called Zhou Zhiheng, stating only that he had encountered a supernatural attack related to the "Bee Woman" and the "Heart Thief."
Zhou Zhiheng hung up and rushed over with Zhao Lin and a team. He moved quickly, but when he arrived and saw the ground littered with the corpses of police officers, his vision nearly went black from shock.
“What on earth happened here?” His voice was trembling.
“There are venomous bees in the area.” Yue Shi looked around with a face full of vigilance, pretending to be on guard against a surprise attack.
The crime scene was further contaminated by the people Zhou Zhiheng had brought along, a development Yue Shi found quite satisfactory.
Zhou Zhiheng’s face was dark. “With so many officers dead in the line of duty, this has become too big for us to handle. We can’t take the responsibility for this; we must notify the Investigation Bureau immediately.”
Yue Shi nodded and dialed Ling Xun’s number even faster than Zhou Zhiheng could react.
Before long, Ling Xun arrived. Following behind him was a young woman with a long ponytail, whom Yue Shi had met once before at the isolation center.
Ling Xun was also stunned by the scene. He looked sternly at Zhou Zhiheng and asked, “What is going on here?”
Zhou Zhiheng quickly looked at Yue Shi. This should have been Yue Shi’s personal problem, but at this moment, in the eyes of the Investigation Bureau, it was a matter involving the entire Tulip Security Company.
Yue Shi shifted the personal risk onto the company, calmly describing the events of the incident—
“Last night, my colleague was attacked by the Heart Thief, so I stayed over at their place. When I returned this morning, I accidentally noticed several venomous bees landing on the back of the doorman, Old Man Qin.”
“Fearing that the venomous bees might be provoked into attacking people indiscriminately, I intended to handle them quietly. However, Old Man Qin saw my ravens and seemed to misunderstand something, so he called the police directly.”
“When Officer Liu arrived, he wouldn't listen to my explanation. He insisted that I, a transcendent, had harmed a civilian and tried to arrest me. I warned him there were venomous bees nearby, but he refused to believe me.”
“I saw the venomous bees and tried to use my supernatural power, but Officer Liu fired a shot directly at me, warning me not to move and even refusing to let me speak.”
“Then, they were unfortunately stung by the venomous bees. Old Man Qin was so overcome with shock that he collapsed and never got back up.”
This explanation was a bit hard to swallow, but Ling Xun didn’t immediately question it. The young woman with the high ponytail even let out a cold, disdainful snort and said, “Served them right!”
“Wei Siqi, watch your words,” Ling Xun said helplessly.
The woman named Wei Siqi didn't care. If the fallen officers had been anyone else, Yue Shi’s account would have seemed highly suspicious, but if the one who died was Officer Liu, then everything made sense.
“This Officer Liu... did he harbor a lot of hostility and prejudice toward transcendents?” Yue Shi asked tentatively.
Ignoring Ling Xun’s look, Wei Siqi spoke plainly. “His son chased after supernatural power, wanting to become a transcendent. In the end, he somehow drove himself mad, murdered his entire family, and then vanished without a trace.”
“Officer Liu was lucky to survive. Since then, he has deeply loathed everything related to the supernatural. Many people know about this.”
Yue Shi realized. “I see.”
A cordon was set up around Happiness Apartments. The nearby cameras were damaged and had captured nothing, and there were no eyewitnesses. Furthermore, Officer Liu had committed several procedural violations—he hadn't worn his body cam and had discharged his firearm in a non-emergency situation...
Yue Shi cooperated fully in giving his statement, and the investigation came to a temporary close by the afternoon. Before leaving, Ling Xun patted him on the shoulder.
“If there are new developments in this case, we’ll contact you again.”
“Amber City has been plagued by frequent disturbances lately, and we’re short-staffed. Are you really not considering joining the Investigation Bureau?”
Yue Shi shook his head again, politely declining.
Ling Xun looked disappointed and said meaningfully, “Transcendents in the Investigation Bureau are formal staff with a privileged status. In a situation like the one just now, you wouldn't even need to show up; a single word could settle it. Even if you accidentally ‘misjudged’ someone, it wouldn't be a big deal. The director of the Amber City branch is quite protective of his own.”
Several employees from Tulip Security Company had stayed with Yue Shi throughout the investigation. They all looked exhausted, especially Zhou Zhiheng, who had been busy since last night; the strain was plain to see on his face.
However, the moment they received the 2,000 credits Yue Shi transferred to each of them as compensation for their trouble, their resentment instantly vanished, replaced by beaming smiles.
On the way back, Zhao Lin whispered to Zhou Zhiheng, “Brother Zhou, did Yue Shi call us here on purpose so the company would share the responsibility? That’s not very honorable.”
Zhou Zhiheng teased, “Oh, look at you being the smart one. Then why didn’t you say that in front of Yue Shi and the Investigation Bureau? What’s the point of whispering behind his back?”
Zhao Lin choked on his words. “I wouldn't dare say anything. I don’t own the company; there’s no need to offend a transcendent.”
Zhou Zhiheng glanced at him. “As long as you understand. If you don’t dare to speak up, do you think I do?”
“Yue Shi is a special employee of the company. I have no reason to undermine him. If I did, he’d be fine at most—it would just be a bit of a hassle for him. But if he’s petty and holds a grudge, the company might blame me for having a big mouth and throw me under the bus. I’d just end up caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.”
Zhao Lin sighed softly. “It’s not easy being a working stiff...”
Zhou Zhiheng gave a bitter smile. There was one more thing he hadn’t said. In fact, the boss had secretly instructed him to treat the few transcendents the company had recruited like royalty. Even if they made unreasonable requests, he was to agree immediately. Whether they could actually fulfill the request was another matter; the point was to keep them steady and absolutely never let them get away!
Rate on N.U.
