Divine Oracle [Transmigration] (ORACLE)
The scene was cordoned off with police tape, and the shopping mall had closed early. The victim had already been transported by ambulance to the hospital to confirm whether they were dead. Only bloodstains and outlines drawn in white chalk remained on the ground. Beyond the cordon, a few onlookers stood at a distance, some recording with their phones.
Lin Zheng, who served as both the medical examiner and support staff, had driven directly to the hospital with the body. Yu Yiming remained at the Special Investigation Bureau to handle any emergencies. The rest of the team changed into regular police uniforms and rushed to Xingsheng Mall as quickly as possible.
Aside from their Special Investigation Bureau personnel, the criminal investigation team had also dispatched officers. Many police were at the scene taking photos and collecting blood samples. Chu Mingyi stood at the mall entrance, speaking with an officer who appeared to be the captain.
Tian Li parked the car downstairs. Xu Xinxin, with his hypersensitivity of the five senses, overheard the criminal investigation captain saying: "Why did they bother getting you involved? The victim was live-streaming their own suicide before death. With guardrails as high as the fifth floor, what could possibly be suspicious here?"
Xu Xinxin pricked up his ears, curious to hear what brilliant insight their section chief would offer. Instead, he heard Chu Mingyi lower his voice and start spinning a story: "The case has already blown up, and it's become a sensitive topic recently. Captain Liu, you know how it is."
"Oh, right," the captain said, though it wasn't clear what exactly he understood, "Got it. Thanks for your hard work."
Chu Mingyi smiled. "Just doing our job."
As the team approached him, Tian Li handed him an earpiece.
Chu Mingyi put on the earpiece, connecting to Section Three's internal channel, and turned to them. "Xinxin, Xiao Li, assist Yiming with accessing the surveillance footage and transferring the scene data... Why did Song Si come?"
"I'm an important eyewitness," Song Si said. "Of course I had to come."
Chu Mingyi: "..."
Song Si took the initiative. "Let's go check the rooftop together."
Chu Mingyi sighed in resignation, signaling for Xu Xinxin and Tian Li to get to their positions. He retrieved a device resembling an iPad from the car and said, "Fine, let's investigate together."
Song Si followed behind him, squinting slightly as he surveyed the surroundings. The ability particles he could sense had already dissipated. After awakening the Twin Butterflies, the scene had turned completely dim, with even the dried bloodstains losing their energy fluctuations.
Chu Mingyi grabbed his wrist.
The moment their skin made contact, Song Si felt his ability being sealed.
He turned to look at his section chief. Chu Mingyi waved the device in his hand and said, "You can't sense anything. At times like this, we have to trust technology."
Song Si watched as he turned on the device and began moving around the crime scene. When he approached the bloodstains, the device suddenly started beeping. Chu Mingyi crouched down and remained in that position for two minutes.
When the device fell silent, Chu Mingyi stood up, looked toward the rooftop, and took Song Si up to the fifth floor via elevator.
The fifth floor had also been cordoned off. The two stepped over the police tape and entered.
Just as Chu Mingyi had mentioned earlier, the rooftop was simply a flat concrete surface with no cover whatsoever. The surveillance camera was installed at the edge of the eaves, just aimed in the direction the victim had fallen. The guardrails around the perimeter were even higher than Yu Yiming had estimated—so high they reached Song Si's collarbone.
The guardrail was mesh-style with very fine openings, offering no footholds. Moreover, these were woven from thin iron wires that easily bent and deformed, further increasing the difficulty of climbing over. Even for Song Si, scaling this would likely require considerable effort.
The deceased had a large build and suffered from a severe illness, yet in the live broadcast, he had spent very little time climbing over.
Song Si asked over the channel, "Yiming, how long did it take him to climb the guardrail?"
A moment later, Yu Yiming replied, "19 seconds."
Song Si walked over to the bent section of the guardrail, left as traces from the deceased's climb.
Several mesh openings had been forcefully stretched apart, likely used as footholds, and the entire section of the guardrail showed obvious deformation. Frowning, he moved to an intact part of the guardrail and tried to pry open the mesh with his hands.
Even with both hands exerting force, he could only barely widen the openings a little, the iron wires already leaving deep marks on his fingers. Song Si looked down at the guardrail, gripped the top, and attempted to hoist himself over.
Just as he lifted his body, someone from behind wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him down.
Song Si turned around to see Chu Mingyi wearing an expression that said, "What are you doing?" "Why are you climbing the guardrail out of the blue? You scared me!"
Song Si explained, "The deceased was ill and had a large build. Unless he was professionally trained, it would be hard to climb over in just over ten seconds. I wanted to see if there was some quick method."
Chu Mingyi said, "I've already tried. Step back and take a look at this with me."
Song Si walked back to his side, and the two stood about two meters behind the spot where the deceased had fallen. Chu Mingyi operated the instrument, and slowly, it began beeping again. In front of them, a faint image gradually materialized.
"This device was invented based on my brother's ability. We call it a projector," Chu Mingyi briefly explained. "The lingering attachments left by the deceased before death can remain at the scene for 5 to 5,000 hours. The deeper the attachment, the longer it lasts. The instrument captures and reconstructs it into an image."
As he spoke, the image grew increasingly vivid, and the deceased, who had already been taken to the hospital, reappeared before them.
In the residual image of himself, he wasn't wearing a mask, nor the "Return My Lifesaving Medicine" T-shirt. He wasn't even facing the guardrail but had his back to the ground below, pressed tightly against the railing. Dressed in casual home clothes, he clutched his head with both hands.
The moment the imaging fully formed, he began screaming in terror and despair.
"Save me!" He stared straight ahead, his face completely contorted, looking particularly ferocious in the sunlight. "Save me!!"
The fully formed image was indistinguishable from what the human eye would see in reality—the sound, physique, appearance, even the shadow on the ground were perfectly replicated. It was so real that Song Si felt goosebumps rise on his arms.
Chu Mingyi gripped his hand.
Just as they were observing the residual image, from behind them came the sound of unhurried footsteps, accompanied by the dragging of something metallic on the ground.
The sound was sharp and ominous, growing increasingly closer.
The deceased's screams ceased. His eyes widened to their limits, staring blankly at what was behind Chu Mingyi and Song Si. His mouth hung open as if fear had stolen his voice. He curled up beneath the guardrail, as though trying desperately to hide himself, while beads of cold sweat fell to the ground, landing in his own shadow.
"He's here," he murmured soundlessly. "He's here, he's here, he's here..."
Song Si turned to follow his gaze—footsteps fell behind them—
There stood another person who looked exactly like the deceased!
Under the blazing sun, a chill shot up to the crown of his head.
Chu Mingyi gripped his hand tightly. "It's fake. Don't be afraid."
Every inch of the man's skin, every single hair was rendered in perfect detail. Even the clothes he wore were identical to those of the person by the railing. The only difference was his cold expression, his eyes radiating a terrifying mix of madness and murderous intent, his right hand dragging a long axe.
His gaze locked onto his other self by the railing, his lips curling into an exaggerated grin. The axe, scraping against the ground, began to move again, its icy, grating sound echoing across the rooftop. The person by the railing trembled like a sieve, desperate to escape, rattling the railing violently.
The axe-dragging figure passed between Chu Mingyi and Song Si, stopping before the railing.
He let out a soft chuckle and raised the axe high.
"No, please," the other him knelt on the ground, begging incessantly. "Please, I'll give you everything, don't kill me, don't, don't... Ah!!!"
The axe fell mercilessly. A piercing scream erupted as a fresh head rolled away from the railing, tumbling like a ball all the way to Song Si's feet, leaving a long trail of blood.
The head's eyes were wide open, its lips still moving as if it had more to say.
Song Si's heart pounded wildly as he stared at the thing at his feet, sweat beading on his temples.
The next moment, something blocked his vision, plunging him into darkness.
Chu Mingyi had covered his eyes again.
Song Si tried to pull his hand away, but Chu Mingyi didn't let go. After a moment, he removed his palm. The rooftop was still bathed in sunlight, empty and silent—no two identical people, no axe, no head.
Song Si's voice was still tight. "Was this invented based on Chu Mingxiao's ability?"
Chu Mingyi hummed in agreement. "What we just saw was the deepest fear and obsession left by the deceased before his death. The projector materialized it—it's not a scene that actually happened."
Song Si recalled the sessions when Chu Mingxiao had treated him—he had seen Tian Li and Lin Zheng dying before him... then watched them come back to life. They were things buried deep in his subconscious, things he hadn't even pondered deeply.
The director's ability is truly terrifying.
Chu Mingyi walked to the railing and looked down.
After a moment, he moved to another spot, patted the railing, and said, "From the projection just now, the one who ultimately killed him was another version of himself. Symbolically, it aligns with suicide, but the deceased himself was deeply afraid of death, completely opposite to what he outwardly displayed. I have two theories. First, the deceased had been taking Ninghai medicine long-term, developing a split personality. The original personality lost control of the body, and it was the secondary personality that climbed over the railing and jumped. Second, someone with a special ability controlled him, causing hallucinations and making him lose self-awareness for a period, controlled by those illusions."
As he spoke, Chu Mingyi turned to look at Song Si. "When you treated patients with Ninghai medicine side effects in the first department, did you encounter similar symptoms?"
Song Si said, "There are many. Zhang Qi, who claims to need to struggle with himself, has severe self-harm tendencies. And there's a middle-aged woman who says something has sprouted in her brain, and what grew out keeps talking in her ear, threatening her."
At this point, Song Si paused: "Looking at it this way, the first speculation seems very likely."
Chu Mingyi waved him over: "Come take a look."
Song Si moved closer. Chu Mingyi was looking at the street scene below and asked, "When you crossed the road earlier, where approximately was that powerful esper standing?"
Song Si's gaze swept across the entire block, recalling the people and scenery he had seen, then pointed toward a shower gel billboard.
"Near the billboard. I couldn't clearly see his height or appearance at the time, only remember he was wearing a baseball cap."
From that position, one could clearly see the rooftop, while also being clearly visible to anyone on the rooftop.
Chu Mingyi frowned and spoke into the comms: "Yiming, are the surveillance feeds connected yet?"
Yu Yiming's voice came through the earpiece: "Connected. Chief, what do you need to see?"
"When Song Si rushed out this morning, was there anyone wearing a baseball cap near the billboard downstairs at Xingsheng Mall?"
A few minutes later, Yu Yiming replied: "The billboard is too large—it's a blind spot for surveillance. No one matching that description was captured."
Song Si and Chu Mingyi exchanged glances, both thinking the same three words: "Something's wrong."
In the evening, they changed shifts. Chu Mingyi and Song Si returned to eat, while Tian Li and Yu Yiming took the night train to investigate the deceased's residence.
Having missed two meals, Chu Mingyi was starving. He sat at his workstation, shoveling fried rice into his mouth while looking at the materials Lin Zheng had projected on the wall.
"The deceased is named Hong Yi, 28 years old, unemployed. He had been suffering from chronic leukemia for six years. Since diagnosis, he had been taking the special methotrexate medication released by Ninghai Group. For the first three years, relevant follow-up records could be found at the hospital periodically, but he hadn't visited any hospital in the past three years."
"The autopsy shows that the deceased had comminuted fractures in both arms, some degree of internal organ rupture, no signs of asphyxiation, no toxic reactions. The direct cause of death was severe craniocerebral injury from the high fall. Blood analysis showed no drug residues, leading to the inference that the deceased had been off medication for over three days before death."
The gruesome photos didn't affect Chief Chu's appetite. He quickly finished his fried rice, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Severe fractures in both arms indicate he still had the will to survive during the fall, instinctively using his hands to protect vital areas."
Yu Yiming chimed in through the earpiece: "Yes, I analyzed the surveillance footage of his fall frame by frame. After he started falling, his expression turned panicked, and he used both hands to protect his head."
However, this still wasn't enough to prove he was controlled rather than having committed suicide.
Song Si asked: "Were there any abnormalities in the brain structure?"
Lin Zheng shook his head: "None."
The office fell silent as everyone studied the materials, searching for a breakthrough.
Chu Mingyi clapped his hands: "Alright, let's get ready for the most labor-intensive task. We'll split into four teams and thoroughly review all surveillance footage from two hours before and after the incident time, covering the entire nearby area. Target: find a man wearing a baseball cap."
Xu Xinxin asked: "Just 'wearing a baseball cap'? How are we supposed to find him with that? Any other information?"
Chu Mingyi looked at Song Si.
When Song Si discerned Exotic Energy, he entered a special state where normal vision became limited. He couldn't clearly perceive superficial details like appearance, physique, or attire, but instead, his sensitivity to energy waves intensified. Simply put, he functioned like a special ability version of an infrared scanner.
Moreover, with the crowded scene at the time, his first glance only caught the brightest energy point.
"Take your time," Chu Mingyi said. "No rush."
After pondering for a moment, Song Si added, "He was wearing a baseball cap, male, relatively short in height, probably no taller than 1.7 meters. Before the incident, he was standing near the billboard downstairs in the mall. I sensed malice, awakened the Twin Butterflies, spotted him in the crowd, and he saw me too. Then he immediately ran off. I chased him to the mall entrance when the victim fell, and the team leader pulled me back."
Chu Mingyi said, "Focus on reviewing all surveillance footage from around Xing Sheng Mall before and after the incident. I refuse to believe he could evade every camera while fleeing."
Everyone acknowledged and returned to their workstations to begin the task.
Reviewing surveillance footage was a massive and tedious job. Even in the Special Investigation Bureau's criminal investigations, solving cases relied heavily on extensive groundwork. The lights in the third division stayed on until late at night, the office filled with the bitter scent of instant coffee, everyone kept alert by the occasional joke from Xu Xinxin.
Song Si's eyes grew sore from staring at the screen. After hours with no results, he couldn't help but rub his eyes, switched folders, and decided to re-examine the rooftop surveillance footage from Xing Sheng Mall.
They had all seen this segment before, but during the morning review outdoors, there hadn't been time for careful analysis. Song Si took a sip of coffee, tapped his head to stay awake, enlarged the screen, and set the playback to 0.5x speed.
In the black-and-white surveillance footage, Hong Yi emerged from the stairwell, panting heavily.
Hong Yi hadn't taken the elevator; climbing the stairs seemed quite strenuous for him. After reaching the top, he walked to the guardrail, leaned against it gasping for breath, rested for a while, then turned and leaned over the rail to look down.
Then he took out his phone and started a live stream.
Wait.
Song Si straightened up, rewound the footage to when Hong Yi entered the rooftop, and zoomed in to the maximum.
Hong Yi's face was drenched in sweat. After entering, he nervously glanced around, shoulders slightly hunched. When he leaned against the guardrail, he wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants, as if anxious.
Rewinding further to when he began the live stream.
The person in the footage had changed in demeanor.
His back straightened, he smiled relaxedly at the camera, even fiddled with his hair casually, chatting calmly with the viewers. After some small talk, still holding the phone in his right hand, he effortlessly pried open a gap in the lower guardrail mesh, then gripped the top of the rail with his left hand and nimbly climbed over.
The more closely he watched, the more it seemed the victim had transformed before and after, and this shift occurred—after the victim had observed the area below.
Song Si rewound again to the scenes where Hong Yi looked down from the rooftop. He wasn't fixated on one spot but moved slowly around the rooftop, as if searching for something, finally stopping at the section where he intended to jump.
Which was directly above the billboard.
Song Si replayed these segments for half an hour, then pressed pause.
Regardless of whether Hong Yi had a split personality, one thing was certain: it was his own will that brought him to the rooftop.
A person suffering from chronic leukemia, who had been unwilling to leave home for years and even refused to go to the hospital for follow-up appointments, was actually willing to take a train to a neighboring city to participate in a protest with slim hopes. Moreover, while the protest was taking place on the streets, he was wearing protest attire but had gone alone to the deserted fifth floor of a shopping mall. After arriving, he looked around cautiously. The most plausible explanation—
Someone had arranged to meet him here.
The protest was merely a cover. His real purpose in coming to M City was to meet someone on the top floor of the shopping mall.
According to Hong Yi's records, both of his parents had passed away, and he had few relatives or friends. He lived off his parents' inheritance, was unmarried, had no romantic partner, no bad habits, and his monthly bank card expenses were less than two thousand yuan, with one thousand of that spent on medication.
Who could he possibly need to meet so urgently?
Song Si called out, "Chu Mingyi!"
Chu Mingyi had just returned from washing his face in the restroom and let out a surprised "Oh!" before saying, "Using my full name, Dr. Song? What are your orders?"
Song Si beckoned him over, zoomed in on the surveillance footage, played it repeatedly, and shared his speculation.
Chu Mingyi rested his arm on Song Si's shoulder, leaning in to examine the details on the screen.
Water droplets from his face hadn't dried yet and rolled onto Song Si's eyelashes. Song Si blinked and reached up to wipe them away, only for another droplet to fall, this time landing on the bridge of his nose.
He pulled a tissue from the desk and handed it to Chu Mingyi.
Chu Mingyi snapped back to attention, glanced down, and wiped the droplet off Song Si's nose, asking, "What was the last question you mentioned?"
Song Si replied, "I said, if my speculation is correct, who would the deceased come here to meet? He was a socially anxious person who hadn't left home for months, with no family or close ties. It doesn't make sense logically for him to travel so far into a crowd."
Chu Mingyi didn't respond immediately. Standing behind Song Si, he replayed the surveillance footage several more times.
After a moment, he frowned and uttered two words: "Buying medicine."
Song Si quickly turned to look at him.
Chu Mingyi elaborated on Song Si's theory: "The appearance of the man in the baseball cap was no coincidence. Let's consider another angle—what if Hong Yi's death was a meticulously planned murder? The man in the baseball cap had Ninghai medicine. He contacted the deceased through the internet or some other channel, told him the time and place for the transaction, had him disguise himself as a protester, lured him to Xingsheng Mall, and used his special ability to control him into live-streaming his suicide..."
Song Si instinctively followed his train of thought: "...To create public pressure and reduce Liu Cenning's sentence?"
Chu Mingyi looked down and met his gaze: "Just a speculation. There's no unusual information in the deceased's phone; Yu Yiming has already checked it repeatedly."
The lead had gone cold again.
Hong Yi had started a live stream on his phone before his death, which to the outside world was undeniably a case of suicide.
If Song Si hadn't coincidentally encountered a malicious ability user, even the Special Investigation Bureau might have ruled Hong Yi's death as suicide, at most adding a note: suspected schizophrenia before death.
Without concrete evidence linking Hong Yi to a special ability user, they didn't even have proof of homicide.
Song Si wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.
Chu Mingyi placed his hand on top of Song Si's head, ruffling his hair into a mess.
"Wait until tomorrow when Yiming and Xiao Li go to the deceased's residence to see if there are any new leads," Chu Mingyi said. "Don't go back to the clinic tonight. I'm not comfortable with you staying there alone. Just make do and sleep at the bureau. We often stay here, so everything is fully stocked."
Song Si nodded. "I'll keep looking for a while."
By a little past one in the morning, Xu Xinxin couldn't hold out any longer. Yawning, he went to the personal restroom to sleep. Lin Zheng had already clocked out and driven home earlier. Only Song Si and Chu Mingyi remained in the office—one reviewing surveillance footage, the other organizing documents.
Song Si propped his chin on his hand, dozing off while staring at the monotonous surveillance footage, his head nodding bit by bit until he finally slumped onto the desk, cheek pressed against the surface, breathing deeply and evenly.
Chu Mingyi stood up to fetch water and happened to see Dr. Song collapsed on the desk, fast asleep in a disheveled state.
He raised an eyebrow, abandoned his plan to get water, picked up his phone, and quietly approached Song Si. Bending down, he scrutinized him closely, spotting a faint, damp trace at the corner of his lips. Then, he opened the camera, intending to record a video titled "Even the Beautiful Song Drools in His Sleep."
He positioned the lens right in front of Song Si's face. The phone screen clearly captured the fine hairs on his face, the small scar on his chin, his thin eyelids and long lashes, his tousled hair, and his soft, steady breaths.
As he recorded, Chu Mingyi suddenly lost the urge to share the video in the department group. He pressed the stop button and quietly saved it to his personal phone.
Song Si, unaware of what he was dreaming, twitched slightly, his pupils trembling beneath his eyelids, but he didn’t open his eyes.
Noticing the ring on Song Si’s hand, Chu Mingyi discreetly averted his gaze, turned off the computer on the desk, and then reached out to gently pinch his cheek.
He looked thin, but his cheek felt surprisingly soft.
Song Si hadn’t been in a deep sleep to begin with. With that pinch, he immediately woke up, straightening his back from the desk and instinctively grabbing a tissue to wipe his face.
Once the grogginess faded, he turned his red-rimmed eyes and saw Chu Mingyi sitting on his desk.
"Go to sleep," his superior ordered. "Now, immediately."
Song Si obediently replied, "Okay," and stood up as if sleepwalking, drifting toward the restroom to wash up.
After freshening up, he casually pulled open a restroom door and saw Xu Xinxin inside, hugging the blanket and sleeping like a log. Most of the blanket had slipped to the floor, his clothes had ridden up, exposing half his body, seemingly unconcerned about catching a chill.
Song Si casually pulled the blanket over Xu Xinxin and stepped out, only to bump into his superior again.
"Your restroom is on the right," Chu Mingyi pointed out. "I thought you were going to share a bed with Xin Xin."
From inside, Xu Xinxin mumbled in his sleep, "Si Si... I want some too..."
Chu Mingyi clicked his tongue and closed the door.
Song Si walked to the right and realized the office only had two restrooms with beds.
But after hours of staring at surveillance footage, his mind felt heavy as lead. Too tired to care, he pulled open the door, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep instantly, forgetting to say goodnight and unaware of who closed the door behind him.
The bed in the restroom was unexpectedly soft—the mattress, the pillow, the blanket, everything felt like a giant cotton puff. Song Si slept deeply, without a single dream, and woke up just as dawn broke. The clock on the desk showed exactly 7 a.m.
He opened the door and stretched.
The office was quiet, and there was no movement from Xu Xinxin next door.
Song Si planned to take a shower, grab a meal, and then return to continue reviewing the surveillance footage. As he passed by the restroom, he happened to see Chu Mingyi sleeping inside the office.
He had pushed a few chairs together to form a makeshift bed, covered himself with two simple jackets, and tucked a sweater under his neck. Despite his tall frame of over six feet, half of his legs dangled off the chairs.
Song Si stood by and watched for a while.
He tiptoed over, careful not to startle his superior, and gently patted him twice, whispering, "Go inside to sleep. It’s still early, only five o’clock."
Chu Mingyi's eyelids fluttered several times before opening. Seeing Song Si before him, he stared blankly for a few seconds, blinked a few more times, then sat up from the chair.
"Not sleeping anymore?" he asked groggily.
"Had enough sleep," Song Si replied. "The beds inside are all one-point-five meters wide. Squeezing in with anyone would be better than sleeping in a chair."
Chu Mingyi made a noncommittal sound, gathered himself and stood up. "Then I'll go get some more sleep."
Song Si entered the room first to remove the alarm clock. Chu Mingyi glanced at him but didn't ask anything in his drowsy state. He took off his clothes and collapsed into the bed Song Si had just vacated.
Song Si closed the door behind him.
The office was fully stocked with toothbrushes, towels, shower gel, and spare clothes—clearly a department accustomed to long hours of intense work. After taking a shower, Song Si went to the cafeteria to get some wontons. Just as he turned on his computer and Bluetooth earphones, Yu Yiming's voice came through:
"We're nearby, just finished breakfast. Estimated ten minutes to the victim's residence. Is everyone awake?"
Song Si said, "The section chief and Xin Xin are still sleeping."
Lin Zheng's voice came through the channel: "I'm on my way, arriving at the bureau soon."
Yu Yiming made a surprised sound. "Xin Xin sleeping in is one thing, but even the section chief hasn't gotten up today? I thought he'd pull another all-nighter for this kind of case."
Song Si declared righteously, "What terrible habits. As a doctor, I must remind you all—staying up late is extremely harmful to your health. No matter how strong your constitution, it can't withstand years of reversed sleep schedules. You should learn from Xin Xin."
Yu Yiming: "Mhm."
Tian Li: "Mhm."
Lin Zheng: "Mhm."
Song Si entered the "Third Section's Favorite Song Baby" communication room—a platform built by Yu Yiming that integrated functions from WeChat, QQ, YY, and various other chat applications, accessible 24/7.
He activated remote audio and video, projecting it onto the wall.
Yu Yiming hadn't turned on his camera yet, so the screen remained gray.
A short while later, after Song Si finished his wontons, Yu Yiming and the others arrived at the victim's residence. The camera activated, transmitting live footage to the office wall.
"We got a spare key from the property management," Tian Li said. "Hong Yi lived in a rather dated residential complex. Reminds me of my grandmother's place."
Surrounded by flat-roofed stairwell buildings, the exterior tiles had discolored with age. Most security grilles installed by residents were rusted, giving the entire area a dusty, gray appearance.
Yu Yiming and Tian Li traversed nearly the entire complex before reaching the innermost building—Unit 1, fourth floor.
Though daylight had fully broken outside, the stairwell remained dim with poor lighting. Their footsteps activated motion-sensor lights, but the illumination was weak, barely enough to see the steps.
Yu Yiming said through the channel, "Building 18, fourth floor, forty-four steps total. Not very auspicious."
Tian Li, beside him, retorted, "Superstitious nonsense! We're at the door now, preparing to unlock it."
Facing an old-style metal door, Tian Li used the spare key to open it, then turned the camera toward the interior.
"Deploy the AI camera, prepare to establish holographic projection," Yu Yiming instructed. "Tch, I can't stand this. Xiao Li, did you bring masks?"
The image vanished, replaced by the words "Switching..." projected on the wall. Moments later, a complete, scaled-down 3D holographic projection was transmitted into the office. Song Si moved the chairs and desks aside to clear a space for it.
Once the projection stabilized, Song Si couldn’t help but frown, suddenly understanding why Yu Yiming had asked for a mask.
Hong Yi’s apartment was practically a garbage dump.
The living room was piled with over a dozen bags of trash that had clearly been sitting there for ages. Five empty instant noodle cups lay scattered across the table. Clothes—innerwear and outerwear alike—were strewn across the sofa and floor. Every piece of furniture was coated in a thick layer of dust…
Field agent Tian Li, clearly experienced, had not only brought a mask but also gloves and shoe covers. She and Yu Yiming geared up at the entrance, steeling themselves as they stepped reluctantly into the room.
AI cameras flew into the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, gradually refining the holographic projection.
In stark contrast to the trash-filled living room, one of the bedrooms was surprisingly tidy—at least the desk was dust-free, and no garbage bags littered the floor. The room also featured a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf completely filled with books. Beside it stood a door leading to the balcony, which was closed.
Tian Li remained outside while Yu Yiming stepped further in. He opened the balcony door behind him, allowing the AI cameras to continue their sweep.
Not a single piece of clothing hung on the balcony.
The security window had been reinforced from the inside with an additional layer of metal mesh, completely sealing it shut.
Seeing that metal mesh, Song Si frowned. Something stirred vaguely in his mind, but the insight remained just out of reach.
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