Chapter 123

The girl wore a white shirt and wide-legged jeans, looking inadequately dressed for such a cold autumn night.

Taking a second glance at the girl, Jun Zishu found that the girl looked better than any celebrity she had seen on TV. Then, after pausing for a moment, she walked over and stood beside the girl, saying, "It's late, little girl. You should go home quickly."

Jun Zishu knew that the girl wasn't the convenience store owner's daughter since she had never seen this girl before.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Jun Zishu's words, the girl lifted her head and looked at Jun Zishu in surprise. As to what she was surprised about, that remained unknown to Jun Zishu.

Afterward, Jun Zishu entered the convenience store and bought herself some drinks and bread. She also microwaved a bottle of milk.

"Officer Jun, here to buy food at such a late hour?"

"Mhm, I got hungry. By the way, do you know the girl at the door?" Jun Zishu asked the proprietress.

"Huh? What girl?"

The proprietress glanced at the entrance and shook her head in confusion.

"Nevermind."

Jun Zishu picked up the plastic bag holding her food and drinks in one hand and took the microwaved milk with her other hand. Then, she walked out of the convenience store.

The girl still sat on the store's doorsteps, though her sitting posture had changed.

"Here, for you. Take care of yourself at night. Make sure to call the police for help if something happens," Jun Zishu said as she put the hot milk in front of the girl. However, the girl simply stared at her without reaching for the milk.

Weird.

Jun Zishu put the milk next to the girl and wondered if she should give the jacket she was wearing to the girl.

Jun Zishu had never been such a caring person. However, probably because she was playing the role of a police officer now, her sense of justice was somewhat bursting right now. Not to mention, it was a cold night, and the girl was very beautiful. Good-looking people could often arouse the protective feelings in others. Though, even if the girl wasn't good-looking, Jun Zishu would still help her.

The little girl remained silent the entire time. Feeling helpless over the situation, Jun Zishu put the plastic bag aside and took off her jacket. Then, she draped it over the little girl's body.

"Goodnight."

After saying so, Jun Zishu picked up the plastic bag and turned around to leave.

However, the moment Jun Zishu took her first step, she heard the little girl speaking:

"I don't have a home."

Jun Zishu turned around. She was in her pajamas right now, and there was even the cute image of Pikachu on her chest. Her long hair was also haphazardly draped across her shoulders, and she looked nothing like a police officer at all. Even so, she still stopped walking and dutifully asked, "Are you lost? Or did you argue with your family?

"If it's the former, I suggest you go to the police station and ask for help there. If it's the latter, find a hotel to stay in first. Arguments can always be resolved."

"No."

The girl shook her head, her eyes giving off a bright glow under the dim street light.

"I don't remember who I am, where I live, or why I'm here. I only remember that my name is Jiang Yinsheng. The Jiang(江) in river water(江水), the Yin(吟) in chanting(吟诵), and the Xiang(霜) in frost(霜雪)," the girl explained. Then, she asked, "Can I go home with you?"

Jiang Yinsheng was still wearing Jun Zishu's jacket as she extended a hand to Jun Zishu, her eyes strangely colorful.

The hand that reached out was snowy-white, and it was as beautiful as its owner.

Jiang Yinsheng's voice sounded a little cold. Though, she gave off a hint of softness when she uttered those words.

After speaking, Jiang Yinsheng stared at Jun Zishu with a smile on her face.

Jun Zishu's body stiffened for a moment when she heard Jiang Yinsheng's voice, her instincts crying out for danger. It was an instinct the original owner had developed after dealing with numerous criminals.

Danger. The girl in front of you is dangerous—was what her instincts were telling her.

Jun Zishu silently observed the girl. Then, she finally noticed something amiss.

Under the light in front of the convenience store, Jun Zishu's shadow stretched out across the pavement. However, behind Jiang Yinsheng, no such shadow existed. The pavement was bright and clean.

What's going on, Little Fairy? Does this division have ghosts?

[I'll check.]

Little Fairy, who had kept silent ever since arriving in this world and giving Jun Zishu the mission details, spoke up and hurriedly went to check for the relevant information.

"Did I get found out?" Jiang Yinsheng muttered, not particularly surprised to see Jun Zishu's reaction.

"Who are you?"

Or rather, what are you?

If the girl was a ghost, how could she drape her jacket over the other party?

The original owner couldn't see ghosts. If she could, she wouldn't have had to put so much effort into solving her cases. She could simply ask the corpse and be done with it.

"I don't know who I am. I already said it before," Jiang Yinsheng said as she looked at Jun Zishu somewhat helplessly. "You are the first person who could see me and touch me."

Jiang Yinsheng retracted her hand and caressed Jun Zishu's jacket with her fingers, her actions making it seem as if she was caressing a precious treasure.

"I probably died. I don't know when I died, but nobody can see me in this state. I won't disappear, either."

Jiang Yinsheng couldn't remember who she was. The only thing she knew was her name. Meanwhile, during these days, she had been wandering aimlessly and leisurely in the human world. She had neither a place to return to nor a goal to travel to.

Until today, only one person had managed to see her and talk to her.

Although this person's smile looked perfunctory, the smile had a magically soothing effect.

This person also bought milk for her and gave her a jacket.

Thus, Jiang Yinsheng decided that she would follow this person.

"I don't have a home. Can you take me home, please? Just think of it as keeping me company or something."

If a ghost were to ask you to take her home with you, would you agree to the request?

The answer had to be a no.

"I'm sorry."

After apologizing, Jun Zishu turned around and walked back home with her plastic bag in hand.

Jiang Yinsheng looked at the milk on the ground hesitantly and tried to pick it up. Then, to her surprise, she managed to pick it up. Afterward, she held the bottle in her embrace and happily followed after Jun Zishu.

Jun Zishu didn't hear any footsteps behind her, but she could tell that Jiang Yinsheng was following her.

Jun Zishu's heart sank. However, she maintained her pace as she made her way back home.

[Host, I found it. Supernatural events do occur in Area 11. However, your body shouldn't have the ability to see ghosts.]

What's up with her, then?

[Her existence is reasonable.]

Speak clearly.

[...I don't know, either. Maybe it's a sudden event?]

Little Fairy could sense Lord's energy coming from Jiang Yinsheng. However, she couldn't understand why Lord had decided to appear in such a form this time.

Little Fairy also wasn't sure if Jiang Yinsheng's appearance was Lord's true appearance.

Lord was a mysterious existence who had never allowed others to see her true appearance. Even the various division chiefs had to converse with her through obscured data streams.

Little Fairy didn't have any recorded data on Lord, so she was just as confused by this situation as Jun Zishu. Although she had contacted Division Chief Liang Yi just now, the other party had told her not to meddle in the situation and just let things proceed naturally.

Thus, Little Fairy had no choice but to tell Jun Zishu that she didn't know about anything, which was indeed the case in reality.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu frowned when she heard Little Fairy's answer. Did this mean that she couldn't rely on the system this time?

Jun Zishu opened the door and leaned against it. Then, she looked at Jiang Yinsheng, who had stopped outside her house.

"May I come in?" Jiang Yinsheng asked in a slightly formal tone. The way she clutched the bottled milk in her embrace made her look a little pitiful.

However, when Jun Zishu thought about how the being in front of her wasn't human, she had the urge to just close the door, which she did.

When Jiang Yinsheng saw the tightly-shut door, she sat by the nearby staircase, feeling slightly aggrieved. Even so, she kept on wearing Jun Zishu's jacket as she stared at Jun Zishu's front door expectantly, as if doing so would allow her to look inside.

After returning home, Jun Zishu sat on the sofa and ate her bread while she thought about the unexpected situation she faced.

She had only gone down for a stroll to buy some supper, yet she had ended up bringing back a ghost? No, she didn't bring back a ghost. The ghost was still locked outside.

She couldn't count on the system, either, so she had nobody but herself to depend on.

Eventually, Jun Zishu decided to sleep first instead of dwelling on this matter.

When Jun Zishu left home for work the next morning, she found that the little ghost was still sitting outside her home. Upon seeing her, the little ghost's eyes brightened immediately, and she approached her and returned her jacket. The bottled milk still sat on the floor with not a single drop missing, probably because the little ghost couldn't drink it.

"Are you going out?"

"Mhm. Can you walk through walls?" Jun Zishu asked, to which Jiang Yinsheng nodded in confusion. Although the little girl looked silly, the danger she sensed yesterday was real. "Go inside and put my jacket away."

"Are you letting me into your house?" Jiang Yinsheng asked in surprise.

"Go ahead."

Jun Zishu nodded. She was the one who picked up the ghost, so she decided that she might as well keep the ghost around for the time benign.

Not to mention, the little girl was quite the polite ghost. She knew not to enter other people's homes without receiving consent from the owner.

"You can have that milk. Although I want to drink it, I can't," Jiang Yinsheng said as she pointed at the milk by the staircase. Then, under Jun Zishu's gaze, Jiang Yinsheng phased through the door and disappeared into Jun Zishu's home.

What a supernatural world, Jun Zishu thought, shrugging. Then, she picked up the milk and left for work.

Feelings of fear did not exist in Jun Zishu. She didn't mind keeping the little ghost so long as the other party didn't get in her way.

…

After placing the jacket on the sofa, Jiang Yinsheng started scrutinizing the house with a curious gaze. Then, once she was done inspecting the living room, she walked into Jun Zishu's bedroom.

The sunlight that shone through the window brought with it a boiling aura.

When Jiang Yinsheng reached out to close the curtains, her hands briefly came under the sunlight. Even though it was only for an instant, her hands had turned slightly red and swollen.

After closing the windows, she shrank into a corner, lowered her head, and closed her eyes as she waited for night to come.

…

When Jun Zishu arrived at the police station, someone on her team had already bought breakfast and placed a set on her table.

While making her way to the desk, Jun Zishu casually handed the bottled milk to Yang Tianxiao. She didn't drink milk. She had only bought it yesterday for the little ghost.

"Chief, we found Chen Yin's other arm," Yang Tianxiao said as she accepted the milk.

"Where?"

"By the beach. Last night, someone went there for a stroll and saw a soaked arm stuck in a crevice. After testing it, the arm matches the torso."

"Is the head still unaccounted for?"

"Yes."

Jun Zishu guessed that Liu Qianqian and Sun Chenxin must've split up and dumped the severed body parts at separate places. One of them chose to bury the body parts on a mountain, while the other chose to throw the body parts into the ocean. However, despite reaching this conclusion, Jun Zishu still felt that something was amiss.

Jun Zishu never figured out why Chen Yin's arm and torso were buried so close to each other. Once both body parts were discovered, it wouldn't matter even if the rest were missing. There was still enough evidence to establish a case. Moreover, what puzzled her even more was why the torso and an arm were buried in the same place, but the other arm was thrown at an entirely different location?

"By the way, help me look up a person called Jiang Yinsheng," Jun Zishu said when she suddenly recalled the little ghost in her house.

"Jiang Yinsheng? The missing actress?" Wang Duoduo asked after overhearing Jun Zishu's request.

"What?"

Jun Zishu looked over to Wang Duoduo.

Immediately, Wang Duoduo opened up his phone and searched through his photo album. Then, he showed his phone to Jun Zishu.

"Here. She's my goddess. But she abruptly disappeared two years ago for no reason. It was as if she had evaporated from this world. Some people say that she fell ill, while others say she left the country. Nobody really knows, though."

On the screen was a young girl wearing a cold expression. The girl's expression was so cold that it felt like her face was covered in a layer of frost.

Jun Zishu's gaze sharpened when she saw this girl.

Wasn't this the little ghost in her house?