"What's the plan, Kane?" Jake trailed behind Kane as they hailed a taxi on the street. Kane looked uneasy.
"Head to the precinct first. We'll wait for someone to come out, then tail her." Kane gave Jake a rough outline of the situation. He frowned. If last night hadn't been so dangerous, Kane would never have dragged someone else into this. Paying Jake was one thing; dragging an innocent person into danger was another. Seeing the fervent look in Jake's eyes, he was already starting to regret it.
*Dealing with ghosts is one thing; I've got the apron for some confidence. But facing a potential killer… Ugh. No choice. Jake probably understands the risks.*
Kane sighed, loud enough for Jake to hear. Jake, ever earnest, sensed Kane's hesitation. "Don't sweat it, man! Besides, it's our complex's case. I'm the security guard there—it's kinda my job! Don't feel bad!"
Jake's warm, guileless smile eased Kane's worries considerably.
They got into the taxi. Though Kane was still wearing the apron, Jake's presence reassured the driver enough that they weren't refused service. The ride from Fuyuan Community to the precinct was short, only about fifteen minutes.
They hid behind pillars outside the station, waiting for Su Xueqing to emerge. It had only been an hour since she arrived, and Kane was certain she was still inside—he could even hear her shouting. Her agitated cries carried outside, allowing Kane to piece together some details.
Su Xueqing was there to defend Alan. She claimed he wasn't the killer. The dismembered remains, she insisted, had been mailed to him. She knew about it, even received them *with* Alan back then.
"D*mn, that's messed up," Jake muttered, swallowing hard. The phrase "dismembered remains" clearly unsettled him; this was the first time he'd been so close to something that felt like it belonged only in the news. "How can things this cruel and terrifying happen? It's like a TV drama."
"Hmph. Where do you think TV writers get their ideas?" Kane sighed. "Human depravity has no logic, only imagination. Whatever you can imagine, someone's already done it, is doing it, or is planning to do it." Having lived two lives and seen countless bizarre news stories—including memes about outlaws like 'Zhang San' in his past life—Kane knew no crime was too outrageous. Some were downright laughable.
They waited outside for a long time. Su Xueqing seemed to realize she was being hysterical and lowered her voice, making it impossible to hear anything further. Kane's biggest question now was: why had Alan kept the remains instead of reporting them? Was he truly that obsessively infatuated that he'd lost his mind?
"Mm! This boxed lunch actually tastes better the longer it sits! Where'd you get it, man?" They waited outside all the way into the afternoon. Su Xueqing still hadn't emerged. Hungry but afraid to leave and miss their chance, Kane's pilfered station meals proved invaluable. They squatted on the ground, sharing a single pair of chopsticks as they devoured the food, neither bothered by the arrangement.
"Who cares? Good food's good food." Finally, twenty minutes after finishing their meal, they saw Su Xueqing storm out, her face a mask of fury. Clearly, her mission had failed.
*Cough… cough!*
She looked terrible. Without makeup, her face was deathly pale. She coughed incessantly, and dark, purplish-brown patches marred her neck, giving her a gaunt, almost sinister appearance.
"Hide! Don't let her see us!" Kane yanked Jake behind cover, watching Su Xueqing covertly. She looked unwell—still beautiful, but in a sickly way, lacking the natural vitality Kane had glimpsed through the peephole yesterday.
"Whoa, that's a sweet ride! It's *hers*?!" Jake gasped as Su Xueqing climbed into a luxury car parked by the curb, easily worth millions. So she wasn't just beautiful; she was wealthy too. No wonder she dared shout in the precinct—though her money clearly bought her no special favors.
"Let's go. Follow her." Kane frowned, signaling Jake into their waiting taxi. They trailed Su Xueqing's car, keeping a careful distance to avoid suspicion.
The pursuit lasted twenty minutes. Kane watched as Su Xueqing's car turned into the city's renowned affluent district on the outskirts, an area dotted with sprawling mansions. Knowing they risked discovery if they followed the car deeper, Kane had the taxi stop well back. They'd proceed on foot, scaling the wall onto Su Xueqing's property.
"D*mn… Didn't expect that. Pretty *and* a rich beauty…" Kane stood on the street, staring at Su Xueqing's imposing mansion. A wave of bitter envy washed over him. *Here I am, a dimensional traveler, scraping by so pathetically. Illegally breaking into places last night, and now doing it again today.*
"Let's go. We're climbing over." Kane moved without hesitation. Jake felt some reluctance, but they'd come this far, and the target was a highly suspicious potential danger. That thought made it easier.
The mansion's wall was nearly ten feet high. Kane was grateful he'd brought Jake. He'd never have managed alone. Jake boosted Kane's considerable backside up the wall. Kane tossed his backpack over first, then reached down to pull Jake up—only to find the younger man scrambling up the wall with surprising agility, far more deftly than Kane.
"Got some moves there, Jiang!" Kane whispered as he landed somewhat clumsily, almost twisting his ankle, genuinely impressed.
"Haha, don't laugh, man!" Jake rubbed his head, embarrassed. "I loved wuxia novels as a kid. Used to run off into the mountains to practice. Never mastered the Dragon-Subduing Palms, but I sure built up some solid muscles!"
Kane liked this earnest young man more and more.
They carefully skirted surveillance cameras, moving through blind spots to the mansion's rear. There, a landscaped garden for strolling, a swimming pool, and a garage came into view—Su Xueqing's car was parked inside.
"So this is how the rich live…" Jake felt another pang of envy. Kane wasn't faring much better.
"People say money can't buy happiness? Nah. *Our* money just can't buy *this* kind." Swallowing their envy, they looked for a way inside. French doors leading from the garden stood open, but they dared not enter recklessly. They were here for evidence. Getting caught before finding it meant arrest—a minor concern compared to the possibility that if Su Xueqing *was* dangerous, they might never leave.
"Huh?" Kane suddenly sensed something familiar. He followed the feeling and spotted it: a section of the garden cordoned off, dedicated to cultivating those strange blue flowers. The nether energy radiating from there was intensely thick; even from a distance, it made Kane dizzy.
"Jake, can you feel anything here?"
"Huh? Like what? No?" Unsurprisingly, Jake showed no reaction to the dense nether energy. Only those with awakened spiritual senses could perceive it—why ordinary people never saw spirits.
"Not enough. This isn't proof. Just means she happens to grow these flowers too." Kane frowned. The nether energy meant yesterday's supernatural entity could appear here. Caution was paramount.
The thought made Kane sigh heavily. Reluctantly, he pulled out his phone and dialed Leo.
"Teacher! What's up? Calling now?" Leo's young voice sounded excited. Shy and idolizing Kane, he rarely initiated contact. Kane calling him was a huge thrill.
"Can you get out? If so, I'll send you an address. Come help your teacher out, and I'll teach you how to make friends!" Kane remembered an app task involved helping the shy Leo find friends. The kid must be lonely; this bait should work.
"Ah… but I haven't finished my homework…" Leo hesitated.
"Girl friends."
"Ah… Friends… with girls? Really?" Though his words were hesitant, his actions spoke volumes. He dropped his homework, told his family he was going out, and prepared to leave. "I'm on my way!"
Kane sent his location, instructing Leo to wait for his signal. But if Kane couldn't be reached within two hours, Leo was to call the police, come find them, and—this time only—use his abilities!