CH 14

I was crouching beside the rundown Peace of Mind Inn with my hands clasped around my head. Despite my disheveled appearance, a sense of relief was evident on my face. Even the police officer who was guarding me could barely contain his surprise at my relaxed expression.

“Hey, be serious! We’re investigating a murder case here!” he warned.

“Okay, okay,”

To be honest, I owe my rescue to that fellow online friend who alerted the authorities. When I was cornered and in a desperate situation, two police officers investigating illegal sex trafficking swooped in like divine intervention.

Upon hearing the commotion, I yelled for help and, with the assistance of two police officers, managed to subdue the old man and the short, chubby woman.

I immediately reported the situation to the police, and due to the gravity of the situation, which involved four casualties, the local police department mobilized overnight and cordoned off the inn for a thorough investigation.

Forensic experts and criminal investigators were constantly in and out of the underground tunnel, collecting evidence and conducting their analysis until dawn.

It wasn’t until the isolation measures were lifted and the two elderly individuals were taken away in a police car that I finally basked in the morning sunlight, exclaiming: “That was one tough night!”

Ding!

As the sun rays beamed down on me, a new message appeared in the underworld show cell phone’s mailbox: “Live broadcast mission to check into Room 203 of the Peace of Mind Inn and survive until dawn has been completed. Evaluation is now underway…”

“Score breakdown: 1 point for completing the live broadcast mission; 1 point for reaching a peak viewership of over 100; 1 point for receiving gifts totaling over 100 ghost coins; and 1 bonus point for completing the underworld’s commission.”

“Final score: 4 redemption points earned for this live broadcast.”

“Underworld’s commission? Could it be to resolve the unjust case and dispel the ghost’s grudge?”

I thought back to the phone call from the woman at the start of the mission. “Was this live broadcast her request?“

Until now, I was still not sure whether ghosts really existed in this world. I’ve been trying to use other ways of thinking to make sense of everything that happened to me last night, but unfortunately, with my limited knowledge, I couldn’t explain anything clearly.

“The total number of points earned by the host is four. Would you like to exchange them for goods? The goods available for exchange now are: 100 grams of pure gold (authentic and pure, exchange requires one point), five drops of top-grade ox tears (when dropped into the corner of the eye, one can spot spirits and ghosts, exchange requires one point), votive amulet (although authentic, remember to wear it around your neck and not around your waist or in your pocket, exchange requires two points), luck talisman, and good fate talisman (small talisman papers, exchange requires one point), the General Outline of inner eye practice manual (inner eye Cultivation, which can be divided into several levels, such as eye chasing, eye judging, eye foresight, X-ray vision and remote vision, etc. exchange requires three points), incomplete book of plum blossom divination (three points), materials for making ancient voodoo dolls (four points)…”

There were many items available for exchange, but one thing immediately caught my interest—”The General Outline of Inner Eye practice manual”

Don’t ask me why; I will never tell you that it was because of the word ‘X-ray vision’. “If this thing is really as effective as the Thunder Talisman, then I can…hehehe”

“I choose to redeem “The General Outline of Inner Eye practice manual” and 100 grams of pure gold, which is a total of four points.”

This was my first time sending a message to the Underworld Show, and they replied quickly: “622843… Remember the card number; we have opened a personal account for you at the Central Bank of Jiangcheng, and all the redeemed items have been placed in your personal safe deposit box, and the password is your birthday.”

“The next live broadcast task will be announced in three days; please check your inbox.” Thus, the first live broadcast of the Underworld Show came to an end. Although there were still questions and bitterness in my mind and heart, staying alive was more important than anything else.

I gave my testimony last night, and logically speaking, I should be able to leave now that this matter is settled. However, the police officer guarding me showed no sign of letting me go.

“Officer, I’m just an ordinary civilian. If there’s nothing wrong, can I leave?”

“Team leader Tie instructed us not to release you without her permission. You’ll have to stay put for now.”

“Team leader Tie? Isn’t the head of the Criminal Investigation Division Team Leader Zhang? We even drank together before. We’re colleague;, there’s no need to make this so formal.” Due to my unique profession, I was quite familiar with the people from the district’s Criminal Investigation Division, and drinking together was not an uncommon occurrence.

“Zhang, the team leader, has been reassigned, and the one who took over the criminal investigation team is Team Leader Tie. You better behave yourself. Team Leader Tie isn’t as easy to talk to as Team Leader Zhang, and you might end up back at the station if you’re not careful.” The special policeman guarding me was only in his twenties, but his face was filled with respect when he mentioned this team leader Tie.

Unfortunately, I was no stranger to rough seas and had seen my fair share of adversity. How could I be frightened so easily?

I stretched my legs, which had been squatting for a while, and teased him with a sidelong glance. “Every time you mention Team Leader Tie, your eyelids blink faster, and your eyes roll up. It seems like you’re picturing what she looks like in your head. Let me guess, you have a crush on her, don’t you? Is your Team Leader Tie a woman?”

“You’re very observant. It’s a waste that you’re not a police officer,” a woman’s voice rang out from behind me, crisp and professional like a clear mountain stream.

“Good day, Team Leader Tie!”

I turned my head and first saw a pair of bright women’s police boots. As I was squatting on the ground, my gaze could only sweep up from the bottom and pass over the devilishly exaggerated figure before finally fixing on a stunning face with a smile that seemed not quite a smile.

“Who are you?”

“Gao Jian. Do you remember that love letter from five years ago?”

I racked my brains, and a name surfaced from the depths of my mind. “Tie… Tie Ningxiang?”

This woman was my senior back at the police academy and was widely recognized as the school belle. Her beauty could easily surpass that of Ye Bing.

As for the love letter she mentioned, it was actually a misunderstanding. When I was a freshman, I made a bet with some friends to write a love letter to Tie Ningxiang, who was the most popular girl in school at the time.

However, just as I finished writing the letter, it was confiscated by our military training instructor. To make matters worse, I had to publicly read the letter to the whole class.

To be honest, I never thought she would remember this incident. After all, in my eyes, it was just a joke.

“Hello, senior sister!” The way I addressed her as senior sister was not unwarranted. Back in the police academy, countless people stood in line just to talk to her but couldn’t even get a word out.

“Are you the one who discovered the body?”

“Yes, it was me.”

“I see.”

Tie Ningxiang asked nonchalantly, “But why did you come to this place in the middle of the night?”

“Live streaming has been very popular lately, and I wanted to follow the trend by making a paranormal horror show. This deserted area had the right atmosphere.”

Tie Ningxiang scrutinized me with her beautiful eyes and suddenly flashed a charming smile, “However, the report I received stated that someone reported about illegal sex trafficking, and that’s why we came here. Do you have an explanation for this?”

“I…”—was speechless for a moment. I hadn’t organized my thoughts yet when two policemen helped Xiao Feng, who was pale and weak all over, out of Room 203.

“Uncle Policeman, he was the one with me last night.” Xiao Feng, draped in a bed sheet, looked at me pitifully. “You’re so bad; you’ve made her so weak that she can’t even walk without someone’s help.”

“Holy sh*t, it’s a misunderstanding!” Surrounded by several sharp eyes, I was truly at a loss for words.

“Do you have anything else to say?” Jingling the handcuffs, Tie Ningxiang lifted my chin and very gently uttered two words, “Junior brother?”

“Well…” Tie Ningxiang had a strong aura, and under that unprecedented sense of oppression, I stuttered, “If I were to say that she was possessed by a ghost last night and we fought all night, would you believe me?”

“Cuff him! Handcuff them! And take them all back to the station!”

……

After recording two statements and undergoing assessment by relevant technical departments, it was confirmed that I did not engage in any inappropriate behavior last night before Tie Ningxiang released me.

As for the case of the hidden bodies at the Peace of Mind Hotel, the investigation was still ongoing. Due to the large time span, many clues have disappeared, making the investigation and evidence collection very difficult.

However, after preliminary investigation, it was found that the elderly couple seemed to only be responsible for disposing of the bodies, and the actual killer was someone else.

The prime suspect was their son, Lu, who went out to work a year ago. This deduction was initially proposed by me for a very simple reason. I had answered a similar question during the interview at the Underworld Show, where the killer was a psychopathic son.

In front of Tie Ningxiang and the detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department, I naturally wouldn’t reveal the existence of the Underworld Show. I talked about various irrelevant things, but it made sense and was very convincing.

As for when the son would face justice, it was not something I should be concerned about. After all, I was just a detective, not a police officer.

************

TN: It should be noted that in the original text, X ray vision could also be translated as “clairvoyance” which to my knowledge is a completely different ability….. I merely inferred from the story that he was talking about X ray vision or see through abilities……for any mistake you notice, feel free to point it out.