Pei Yue continued, “After some discussion, our group unanimously decided to use a high school girl, a certain Student Zhang, as our breakthrough point among the many suspects.”
“Underage students lack social experience, making it easier to extract information from them.”
“Due to some facial imperfections, Zhang was frequently subjected to ridicule and cold violence from her classmates, which made her very quiet and introverted.”
“But not long ago, she suddenly became beautiful. In just a few days, her looks improved rapidly.”
“We found the school administration and, after stating our purpose, entered the school under various identities to get close to her.”
“Jiang Cifei looks young and has a lively personality, so he simply disguised himself as a transfer student and joined Zhang’s class.”
“But once we officially began our investigation at the school, we realized the situation was far more complex and dire than expected.”
Pei Yue paused, his expression growing more solemn. “Student Zhang isn't the only high school girl who suddenly became beautiful; she’s just the leader!”
“Her sudden transformation naturally drew a lot of attention. It couldn't have been plastic surgery because she went to school every day, changing her face gradually in front of everyone.”
“Some girls asked her for advice, even forcing her to reveal the secret to becoming beautiful. Even though it might involve unsafe factors like the supernatural or anomalies, people still flocked to it.”
“I was wondering why the principal allowed us to enter the school so easily for an investigation; perhaps he had also sensed something was wrong.”
“Later, I found out the principal had already notified the Investigation Bureau. Before us, the Bureau had already sent people to intervene, and on top of that, a private organization called ‘Dawn’ also got involved.”
“The three parties aren't exactly getting along,” Pei Yue sighed deeply.
“At the time, we each had our roles and acted separately. Jiang Cifei went deep behind enemy lines as a transfer student to get close to Zhang and the others. We didn't dare contact him easily for fear of alerting the enemy and revealing a flaw.”
“As a result, Jiang Cifei has been missing since yesterday afternoon. His phone is unreachable, and no one is at his home.”
A transcendent had vanished just like that. The three other transcendents present had varying expressions.
Yue Shi kept his eyes lowered, seemingly zoning out. A card appeared in Zhong Mo's hand at some point, flipping back and forth between his fingers. Fang Jianxin kept her head down, admiring her nails.
After a moment of strange silence, Zhou Zhiheng couldn't help but ask Pei Yue, “There should be surveillance in the school. Have you checked it?”
Pei Yue nodded. “We did. During the break after the third period yesterday morning, Jiang Cifei went to the restroom and never came out.”
“If something happened to him then, he’s been missing for nearly twenty-four hours. He might have already been killed by a Bee Woman...”
“How can you be sure Jiang Cifei’s disappearance was definitely the work of a Bee Woman?” Yue Shi spoke up abruptly, catching everyone off guard.
Pei Yue blinked rapidly and said, “In this situation, the Bee Woman is the most likely suspect. I really can’t think of any other possibility.”
Yue Shi said nothing more, as if he had just asked a casual question.
Judging others by himself, he personally enjoyed fishing in troubled waters when major incidents occurred—imitating murders, framing others, and adding names to the victim list.
Was there a possibility that someone else killed Jiang Cifei and pinned the blame on the Bee Woman?
After explaining everything that needed to be said, Pei Yue stated his position. “The investigation into the Bee Woman can be put on hold for now. The current priority is to find Jiang Cifei’s whereabouts. Whether he's alive or dead, we need to find him. The company will absolutely take full responsibility for every employee!”
It sounded nice, but unfortunately, most of the people present were already immune to corporate fluff. they merely put on the appropriate expressions to play along.
The morning meeting ended, and the company employees got busy with their respective tasks. This time, Pei Yue arranged for all three transcendents to head out, specifically instructing them to avoid being alone as much as possible.
The group drove to Amber City First Middle School.
High school students in this world didn't face as much pressure regarding academic subjects, but their compulsory education included courses on identifying and preventing supernatural incidents, as well as standard response measures. They were even tested for the awakening of supernatural powers upon graduation.
The car moved smoothly along the road. The streets gradually grew deserted, and the closer they got to the school, the quieter it became. Not a single soul was seen on the road.
Upon arriving at the school, Pei Yue first took the team to the principal's office.
The principal was a very stern, thin middle-aged man with a face clouded by worry. After a few polite words, he earnestly pleaded with them to resolve the abnormal phenomena in the school as soon as possible.
Pei Yue only said they would do their best.
Right then, Zhong Mo acted stealthily. While Pei Yue was talking to the principal, he quietly used a card.
In an instant, two small flames seemed to ignite in his eyes. He scrutinized the principal with a burning gaze for a few seconds before nonchalantly lowering his head.
The principal seemed to have noticed his actions but didn't call him out in public.
Pei Yue’s lips twitched in slight embarrassment. It wasn't until they left the office and reached the stairwell corner that he impatiently asked Zhong Mo, “What did you just do?”
“Nothing much, just checking if that principal has any issues,” Zhong Mo said truthfully.
“You have a probing ability!” Pei Yue’s voice quickened slightly, his nostrils flaring unconsciously. “Your ability... to what extent can it probe specifically? Can you see through everything?”
Zhong Mo glanced at Pei Yue suspiciously. “The card I just used is an attack card, but it carries a slight ‘peeking’ attribute. It can see a bit of a target’s background, but only a tiny bit. It’s not that useful.”
Zhou Zhiheng asked curiously, “Is that how you identified the Heart Thief’s true identity last time?”
Zhong Mo paused, then nodded hesitantly.
Pei Yue quietly took out his phone and quickly sent a message. When he looked up and saw everyone watching him, he hurried to explain, “I’m using some connections to help locate Jiang Cifei’s phone.”
“What’s the result?” Fang Jianxin asked with concern.
“His phone might be completely destroyed; it can’t be located.” Pei Yue looked regretful, then immediately changed the subject, looking at Zhong Mo.
“Why did you suddenly think to probe the principal? Did you find any issues with him?”
Zhong Mo said, “It was just a whim. With something like this happening in the school, it’s hard not to think of the school leadership’s complicity or inaction. My probing ability is limited, and I didn't find anything unusual about the principal.”
Pei Yue unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good then.”
The bell rang, and the quiet school building gradually became bustling.
In just that short moment, several dazzling female students appeared in the crowd, so beautiful they seemed to belong to a different world compared to those around them.
“So beautiful,” Zhou Zhiheng whispered in admiration, but after a moment of being stunned, he quickly snapped out of it.
As an investigator who frequently dealt with the supernatural, he soon realized something was wrong.
“They... do they all share the same face?”
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