Divine Oracle [Transmigration] (ORACLE)
Song Si calmed down amidst Chu Mingyi's words, feeling a wet sensation on his lips. Unconsciously, he reached up to touch it and felt a sticky liquid. Tian Li's trembling voice came from beside him: "Brother Sisi, you scared me to death! Chief, this..."
Yu Yiming said, "The fall lasted 3.5 seconds. The mall's floor height is 2.5 meters—he fell from the fifth-floor rooftop. The fifth-floor guardrail is visibly over 1.5 meters tall. It's unlikely to be an accidental fall. Either suicide or he was pushed."
Chu Mingyi added, "If it's homicide, a 1.5-meter guardrail wouldn't be enough to push someone over. Judging by the victim's weight, it would take one or two people to lift and throw him down. If he struggled or screamed during the process, the crowd below would've noticed. Also, I've been to the mall's fifth floor before—it's a flat rooftop with no cover and surveillance cameras. The perpetrator wouldn't be that bold."
He paused here, deciding not to continue, and said, "You two take Song Si back first. Song Si, are you okay? Why did you suddenly rush over here just now?"
Song Si tried to pull away Chu Mingyi's hand covering his eyes, but Chu Mingyi refused to let go, firmly shielding his vision while half-embracing him to lead him away. Song Si held his hand and asked, "Have you always hidden Song Si behind everyone like this?"
Hearing him refer to himself in the third person as "Song Si," Chu Mingyi was startled, recalling Chu Mingxiao's warning about early-stage dissociation.
After a brief silence, he guided Song Si back two steps and said, "The scene isn't pleasant. Brace yourself."
Song Si nodded, and Chu Mingyi released his hand.
The sunlight made Song Si squint. His vision had only halfway recovered, and the surrounding crowd appeared as varying shades of energy waves—the bright red Ability user he'd locked onto earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Where Chu Mingyi had pulled him away from lay a corpse.
The deceased was a large-framed male, over 1.8 meters tall and weighing approximately 90 kilograms. He wore ordinary white T-shirt and jeans, his face covered by a mask. The T-shirt bore five large red characters: "Return My Life-Saving Medicine." Having fallen from the fifth floor, all his limbs were broken, twisted in limp, unnatural angles. The ground was splattered with blood and brain matter—a gruesome sight that had some unfortunate passersby vomiting into nearby trash cans.
In his right hand, he still clutched a phone, its screen completely shattered.
Song Si frowned uncomfortably, carefully examining the body.
The dull coloration around the heart and lungs confirmed instantaneous death.
But in his brain, faint traces of bright color remained—extremely weak, dissipating within a minute.
With the crowd growing larger due to the incident—onlookers and reporters arriving while the police station was just across the street—the noise already carried faint sirens. Police would arrive shortly.
As Special Investigation Bureau personnel with classified identities, they couldn't risk being photographed by reporters. Chu Mingyi wrapped an arm around Song Si's shoulders. "Let's get back to the car first."
Song Si whispered, "This person had brain mutations before death. I don't know if it was from medication or if he was a natural ability user. Also, while crossing the street, I suddenly sensed killing intent. I spotted a powerful esper in the crowd, in that direction." He pointed, "He ran as soon as I turned my head. In my special state, I couldn't clearly see his height or features."
Chu Mingyi's expression grew serious.
He led the team members into the car first, instructing Tian Li to take the driver's seat. Checking his watch, he said, "Encountering an ability-related case just going to work—this probably isn't simple. I'll go negotiate case jurisdiction with the police now. You all head back first and wait for updates."
Yu Yiming said, "Be careful."
Chu Mingyi waved his hand, "You too. Watch out for Song Si—this might be targeting him."
Tian Li said "Don't worry" and rolled up the car window.
The close encounter early in the morning left the car in silence for a while.
Yu Yiming pulled out a tissue and pressed it to Song Si's nose. Only then did Song Si realize his nose was still bleeding.
Tilting his head back with the tissue stuffed in his nose, he asked indistinctly, "How do I usually get to work?"
Tian Li replied, "You always walk since the clinic is nearby. Today was just because Brother Yiming and I happened to run into the Chief while out for breakfast, and we spontaneously decided to pick you up."
Song Si pondered, "Walking to work... I wouldn't pass by here."
Yu Yiming caught his implication, saying, "If the Chief hadn't pulled you aside just now, the victim would've landed right on you. Xiao Li and I are still sweating cold sweat. What are the odds?"
"Hard to say," Song Si said. "You came spontaneously—no one could've predicted I'd pass Xing Sheng Mall today. Unless they could monitor me undetected and track my movements in real time."
The other two fell silent. As ability users familiar with Song Si's powers, they knew even they couldn't surveil him unnoticed.
Even if they could evade Song Si, they couldn't escape the Twin Butterflies in his mind.
Tian Li murmured, "Maybe it really was just coincidence..."
Song Si stared at the car ceiling, residual throbbing in his head making further thought impossible. He closed his eyes in discomfort.
Special Investigation Bureau.
After Liu Cenning's case concluded, Section Three finally caught a breather. Lin Zheng and Xu Xinxin were playing Gomoku in the office when the group entered. Xu Xinxin called out, "Si Si, Section One's Chief came looking for you earlier, asking if you're still going over to help... Ah! Why so much blood?!"
He tossed the game piece and sprang up, rushing to Song Si. Lin Zheng also stood, looking over anxiously.
Clutching his nose, Song Si said nasally, "It's nothing. I'll wash up."
"How is this nothing? So much blood! It's all over your chin!" Xu Xinxin looked utterly horrified, trailing after Song Si. "What happened? Where's the Chief? Is he late too?"
Yu Yiming grabbed him, preventing him from following Song Si into the restroom. "No more games. We're getting a case soon."
Xu Xinxin wailed, "No way! We just got two days of peace, and now another case?"
Song Si washed off the blood and rummaged through his desk drawer from memory, finding painkillers. He swallowed one with cold water.
His eyes had completely returned to normal, and only then did he truly feel the reality of having walked the line between life and death. A belated cold sweat began to seep through.
"Are you okay?"
Song Si looked up to see Lin Zheng gazing at him with concern.
Lin Zheng's left hand wasn't wearing a glove today, his fingers trembling slightly as he raised it to gently brush against Song Si's cheek.
Song Si grasped that left hand, subtly scanning both Lin Zheng and his left hand for any abnormalities but finding none.
"I'm fine," Song Si smiled at him. "Brother Zheng, do you have anything to eat?"
The left hand immediately sprang up, reaching toward the neighboring workstation to grab something, only to be pulled back by Lin Zheng. "What Xinxin bought has gone cold. What would you like? I'll get something from the cafeteria for you."
"Don't trouble yourself. Anything is fine," Song Si replied.
Lin Zheng's left hand extended to Xu Xinxin's workstation and handed him two steamed buns.
Song Si patted his palm in thanks, and the left hand spun happily on the table.
Yu Yiming called out, "Song Si, Brother Zheng, come take a look."
Song Si walked over to where Yu Yiming was seated at his computer, with Xin Xin and Tian Li gathered behind him.
On the screen was a familiar street scene, seemingly filmed from atop a building. The streets were packed with crowds, the noise of cars and people clamorous. From just outside the frame, someone spoke up close: "Hello everyone, I'm currently on the rooftop of Xingsheng Mall. As you can clearly see, protesters are still gathered outside the police station. It's been a full day and night now."
The camera began to shake, the street scene rapidly disappearing as a pair of eyes filled the screen.
The owner of those eyes clearly wasn't familiar with selfies, leaning in too close to inspect the lens before realizing and pulling back.
The camera now captured a full face.
It was a young-looking man wearing a mask—a standard-sized one that barely covered half his face. He uncomfortably twisted his thick neck and tugged at his collar, as if struggling to breathe.
"This is my first time going out this month because I ran out of medication. At the pharmacy, the clerk told me the medicine I take has been classified as a Forbidden Drug. They suggested I switch to some imported alternative—four thousand a box, lasting half a month."
The camera panned down, revealing five large characters written on his T-shirt:
"Give Back My Lifesaving Medicine."
Song Si's pupils constricted sharply!
The man on screen leaned in again, chuckling. "Oh, someone tipped me? Thank you, thank you. Let me check... 23 viewers now. Not bad, not bad."
The camera switched to the front-facing lens, refocusing on the street scene. In the crowded masses, Song Si could even spot his own figure suddenly stopping in the middle of the road.
"Since I've got an audience, how about a performance of the flying technique?" The man laughed again. "Can't afford medicine, wallet's empty. Last month my mom died of a brain hemorrhage too. A useless waste like me might as well contribute to society today."
The camera switched once more. His eye twitched nervously as he flashed a peace sign at the lens. Then the image began violently shaking side to side. After about ten seconds, the view plunged downward at terrifying speed before smashing into the ground—then black.
Song Si's heart raced violently. Tian Li hugged him from behind, patting his shoulder like comforting a child.
Yu Yiming said, "From the looks of it, it should be sui—"
Before he could finish, the office phone rang.
Lin Zheng picked up the receiver with a "Hello," listened for a few words, then said "Understood" before switching to speakerphone.
All members of Section Three turned their heads as they heard their section chief's voice coming through the line: "The live-streamed suicide case at Xingsheng Shopping Mall is suspected to be homicide. Ability particles have been collected at the scene. The case is being transferred to our Section Three. Everyone pack up and prepare to mobilize."
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