Chapter 32 Part 2
Xiao Liu screamed, stumbling back, but invisible hands grabbed his ankles, dragging him into the room.
“No… I don’t want to!”
He didn’t want to die!
His life flashed before his eyes. He knew what awaited him inside.
He clung to the doorframe, but the grip was too strong. Exhausted from struggling, he was dragged inside, the door slamming shut, cutting off his desperate gaze.
Even after a full night’s rest, Shi Xu’s sleep remained light.
At 2 am, his phone woke him. Seeing Qi Yu’s name, he thought he was still working at the Anomaly Management Bureau.
This was common. Qi Yu often called him in the middle of the night, reporting incidents, summoning him to the scene.
“Shi Xu, you’re working at Jinzhu Bay, right?” Qi Yu said without preamble.
Still half-asleep, Shi Xu didn’t immediately register the name.
“What are you talking about?”
Qi Yu: “There’s been a murder at Jinzhu Bay. The victim’s name is Liu Qiang.”
Shi Xu’s mind cleared, remembering the name and the place.
…
Not wearing his bureau uniform, his former subordinates, out of habit, greeted him, making way for him.
By the time they realized he was no longer their captain, he was gone.
This was the first time they saw him out of uniform at a crime scene. They stared at their changed former captain.
Just a simple white sweater instead of his usual uniform, yet his entire demeanor was different.
The sweater was warm, but he seemed cold.
Having confronted Shi Yan and left the bureau, he no longer bothered with pretense, his usual gentle mask gone, not even offering a perfunctory smile.
Sensing the change, they didn’t approach him. The situation was too serious for idle chatter.
Qi Yu, spotting him from afar, excused himself from his subordinates, rushing over, his face apologetic. “Sorry for calling you so late.”
Shi Xu was no longer their captain. Lin Quan should be handling this. This was the first case since Shi Xu’s resignation, yet Qi Yu instinctively contacted him, not Lin Quan.
He regretted the call the moment he made it, his subordinate informing him that the victim was Shi Xu’s colleague, forcing him to involve Shi Xu.
“It’s fine.” Shi Xu wasn’t bothered, especially since it was Qi Yu. “What happened?”
The commanding tone was familiar, not offensive to Qi Yu, even strangely nostalgic.
“The witness is a man named Cheng Fan. He was on night duty, patrolling the dormitory, when he smelled something foul. He found Liu Qiang’s body in his room…”
The scene was gruesome. The body wasn’t intact. The limbs were missing, only the torso and head remaining, eyes wide open in a death stare.
Qi Yu led Shi Xu to Liu Qiang’s room. Aside from the removal of the body, the scene was undisturbed.
Ordinary humans couldn’t smell or sense pollutants, but espers could, and so could Shi Xu, with his enhanced senses.
Even before entering the room, he detected the stench of a high-level pollutant amidst the strong smell of blood, its level easily discernible.
The Anomaly Management Bureau classified pollutants from SSS-class, the highest, to S, then A, B, C, and D.
The lowest level was N, easily crushed and eliminated.
The pollutant that killed Liu Qiang was high-level, between A and S. After consuming a few more low-level pollutants or humans, it would evolve into S-class, becoming even more dangerous.
“Didn’t you notice anything unusual during your shift today?” Qi Yu asked.
Shi Xu: “I didn’t go to the dormitory.”
He had spent his shift in the security room, his lunch break at the fast food restaurant.
High-level pollutants were adept at masking their presence. If the security room had been closer to the dormitory, he might have sensed something.
Shi Xu: “Where’s Cheng Fan?”
Qi Yu sighed. “He was in shock when we arrived, mumbling incoherently, then he fainted. I sent him to rest. He hasn’t woken up yet.”
Shi Xu: “It was my first day too. I don’t know them well.”
“I know.” Qi Yu smiled. “I didn’t expect you to. I can have someone investigate. I called you here for this.”
He pointed at the room. The pollutant was hiding somewhere. He had sent people to search, but after half an hour, they found nothing. He could have left this to the new captain, Lin Quan, but he contacted Shi Xu first, then informed Lin Quan as a formality.
Having already called Shi Xu, he trusted him implicitly, certain Shi Xu would help him.
Shi Xu looked at him, his expression complex. “That’s not the only reason, is it?”
“You can’t fool me. Some people, hearing that you’re working as a security guard, are saying you were severely injured by Lin Zhi, that you’re no longer as capable as before, that’s why you resigned.” Qi Yu scoffed. “They need to be reminded of who you are.”
“It’s not necessary. Let them say what they want.”
Shi Xu never cared about praise or criticism, but Qi Yu did.
He knew Qi Yu cared about him, so even if he didn’t understand, he wouldn’t stop him from defending him.
“Captain Lin!” Voices echoed from outside.
Shi Xu turned, seeing Lin Quan through the window.
Lin Quan’s lack of hostility felt strange. He looked away, saying casually, “I can’t handle this. Let your Captain Lin deal with it. I don’t care, but you’ll have a hard time if you offend him.”
Qi Yu saw Lin Quan too. He leaned closer, whispering, “He won’t be angry with you anymore.”
Shi Xu: “Why are you so sure?”
Qi Yu: “Haven’t you noticed he’s changed?”
Shi Xu: “I have.”
Qi Yu: “You’re amazing. You defeated him so easily. He understands your pain now. He feels guilty.”
Shi Xu remained unmoved, his voice almost indifferent. “Even if he feels guilty, so what? His brother is dead. He can’t apologize to me. I don’t need his guilt. Unless his brother comes back to apologize personally.”
Qi Yu: “…” Asking for an apology from a dead person, how cruel.
After Lin Zhi’s funeral, Lin Quan finally recovered. Seeing Shi Xu again, his emotions were complex.
He didn’t want to see Shi Xu, the sight of him a reminder of his and Lin Zhi’s actions, and of Shi Xu’s casual acceptance of his apology.
He still felt guilty, knowing an apology wasn’t enough.
So, he wasn’t angry that Qi Yu contacted Shi Xu first, that Qi Yu and the others trusted Shi Xu more.
He hesitated, unable to move.
Qi Yu, seeing his hesitation, knew this couldn’t continue.
He realized Lin Quan was rather… obtuse, lacking social skills. If not for his abilities, he would have been replaced as captain already.
Qi Yu sighed, approaching him, explaining the situation professionally.
After he finished, Lin Quan seemed to have recovered, his gaze occasionally drifting towards Shi Xu.
“Should we let Shi Xu handle this?”
Qi Yu rolled his eyes. “Captain Lin, you’re our captain now.”
Lin Quan: “Shi Xu is more capable.”
Qi Yu: “…”
If you had realized this sooner, none of this would have happened.
He emphasized, “Shi Xu has resigned.”
Lin Quan: “Then why is he here?”
Qi Yu: “…The victim was his colleague. I called him here for routine questioning.”
He had explained clearly. Was Lin Quan even listening?
Lin Quan hummed, looking down, lost in thought.
Having said what he needed to say, Qi Yu didn’t bother trying to understand Lin Quan’s thoughts, returning to Shi Xu’s side. Shi Xu was on his phone, a strange smile on his face.
“Messaging your partner?” Qi Yu leaned closer, pretending to peek at his phone.
He wasn’t actually trying to read the messages, just teasing him. To his surprise, Shi Xu didn’t hide his phone.
Seeing his openness, Qi Yu didn’t pry, chuckling. “Your partner’s still awake at this hour? Must be worried about you. You two are so…”
Shi Xu didn’t respond. Qi Yu continued, “When can I meet your partner? Still keeping him a secret?”
A new message popped up on Shi Xu’s phone. He didn’t hide it. Qi Yu accidentally glimpsed the message: [51 minutes and 3 seconds without Wife, miss Wife~]
Qi Yu: “…”
Huh?
Wife???
