“Do you think that thing was really a Monster?”
When Zhang Feng turned around, all he saw was a flash of crimson eyes.
If it weren’t for Jiang Yin’s gloomy expression, he would have thought he was seeing things.
“Most likely not.”
Jiang Yin shook her head.
It wasn’t until she was halfway down the stairs that she realized her bracelet hadn’t given any prior warning at all.
At this distance, her Magic Bracelet should have reacted long ago.
Of course, it could be due to the Monster’s special ability—after all, the bracelet is still a Magical Girl’s Magical Construct, and even Magical Girls themselves can fail against Monsters, let alone mere Magical Devices.
But she still felt it was more likely that thing wasn’t a Monster.
Just now, she had two ordinary people with her as baggage; otherwise, Jiang Yin would have charged straight up with her Magical Shield activated.
She wanted to see what was pretending to be a ghost here.
“I think so too. If it really was a Monster, and it managed to evade the Bureau’s patrols and hide until now, it would have to be either extremely smart to avoid daily patrols, or extremely powerful, able to evade the Tianwang System.”
“If it was the former, it definitely wouldn’t show up in front of us. If it was the latter, then…”
Zhang Feng didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
If it was really a high-risk Monster above B-rank that could evade the Tianwang System, none of them would have any chance of escape.
“Call someone to check the Surveillance.”
“Okay.”
After briefly exchanging thoughts with Zhang Feng, Jiang Yin turned and went directly to stand next to Wen Ling, who was staring blankly at the rooftop in silence.
“Ling Ling.”
“Hmm?”
Hearing the girl’s call, Wen Ling turned her head instinctively, a lingering fear on her face.
“Ugh~ That was really scary just now.”
“How did you even get by in the Yingshi Circle with acting skills like that… Forget it, I guess in today’s Yingshi Circle, that’s good enough.”
“Wha… what do you mean?”
Wen Ling’s big eyes darted around, but she still tried to act calm in her reply.
“Ugh, don’t look down on me, I’m a professional actress!”
“Yes, yes.”
Jiang Yin squatted beside her, tugging her closer as a gesture.
“Can you tell me what’s really going on now?”
Wen Ling: “….”
***
To be honest, if the black shadow that flashed on the sixth floor just now was really a Monster, Jiang Yin probably still wouldn’t have felt anything was wrong.
She might have even thought her brow pencil was at fault rather than suspecting this silly girl was hiding something.
After all, she’s a Magical Girl.
The probability of a Magical Girl encountering a Monster incident is already high.
According to Ning Rong, back when the Tianwang System wasn’t so advanced and the Bureau was still a secretive organization, with wild Magical Girls existing in the wild, many Magical Girls felt like they had crossed into another world after awakening.
Encountering something weird every three days, meeting a Monster every half month—it felt like stepping into the Liworld.
Calling the program group’s brow pencil was just a joke.
Out of habit, Jiang Yin would certainly blame herself, but the shadow that appeared just now was most likely someone pretending to be a ghost.
Being a Magical Girl doesn’t increase the chance of running into man-made incidents.
Thinking back to last night when Wen Ling was the first to offer her a jujube, was the first “victim” in the two ‘Ghost-chasing’ live broadcasts, and was so interested in the Guairen Bar, the situation instantly felt wrong.
“…Jiang Yin, you’re really smart.”
The moment Wen Ling lowered her gaze and called out her real name, Jiang Yin felt chills run down her back.
The magic inside her gathered in her fists, ready to erupt in the next second—then she heard…
“No wonder Ning Jie told me I could rely on you more.”
“…Ning Jie?”
“Ning Rong Jiejie~”
Wen Ling looked up, her eyes still clearer than a university student’s.
“She told me you two are close, isn’t that right?”
“…Yes.”
The gathered magic instantly dispersed.
Jiang Yin rolled her eyes in annoyance and amusement.
“So it was her tricking me!?”
“Mm!”
The silly girl smiled slyly.
“Ning Jie told me that I could see a beautiful girl with pure white long hair there, and if I acted cute with you, you’d definitely protect me!”
“So what’s your relationship with her?”
“Kind of… childhood friends?”
Wen Ling tilted her head.
“Even though Ning Jie moved away early, we never lost contact. And Ning Jiejie is a senior Investigator in the Bureau!”
“Jiang Yin, don’t be mad at me, okay? Ning Jie told me not to tell you until after the live broadcast ended.”
Great!
By now, Jiang Yin understood what was going on.
This silly girl didn’t even know about Ning Rong’s identity as a Magical Girl!
Why?
Because there’s no such position as senior Investigator in the Bureau…
The Investigator ranks are only Trainee, Level 3, Level 2, and Level 1!
But in public perception, especially in entertainment works, the position of senior Investigator—which sounds really cool—shows up frequently.
Ning Rong, as a Magical Girl, definitely wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.
So, she must have said it to hide her own identity and mess with a dummy.
‘So, did she just dump extra work on me?’
‘Ning Rong shouldn’t be that wicked. Then what’s the reason? Or maybe she has a reason she can’t reveal…’
Jiang Yin didn’t think further, because if she followed that line of thought, things would get way too complicated.
It could involve internal issues within the Bureau.
So…
“Wait, I’m making a call.”
So she was going to call Ning Rong directly to confirm!
Jiang Yin didn’t trust her own judgment that much, and she’d only known Wen Ling for less than two days.
She wasn’t worth her full trust.
Rather than risking a trust crisis later, she might as well eliminate the possibility from the start.
“Hello.”
“Ling Ling already told you?”
Ning Rong’s voice was tinged with fatigue, but she knew Jiang Yin too well.
After reading a lot of material about her and with a bit of psychology knowledge, she could even guess Jiang Yin’s thoughts.
But this was normal.
After all, when Ning Rong couldn’t step forward and pushed the blame to Jiang Yin, everyone would think along those lines.
“You’re right.
There’s a traitor from the Bureau within the Yuan Ming Cult.
We don’t know if we can catch a big fish this time, but we can’t alert them directly either.”
“This isn’t the first time this organization, backed by foreign forces, has stirred up trouble domestically.
Especially with international tensions rising in recent years… you know, the frequency of dangerous events has increased a lot.”
Some things couldn’t be said clearly over the phone.
But she knew Jiang Yin liked to follow international news and enjoyed watching Golden Hair Milk Dragon’s antics.
With that personality, she’d definitely get the hint.
‘Why am I not surprised at all?’
Jiang Yin silently complained.
To be honest, there had long been speculation online that certain domestic organizations were supported by Eagle Sauce, just lacking hard evidence.
Now, it was just Ning Rong providing a roundabout confirmation.
Given the current situation between Rabbit and Eagle Sauce, with every form of warfare short of a hot war already in play, it’s not surprising that they’d resort to such dirty tactics.
“Mission objectives, overtime pay, and the equipment and technical support I need.”
People say men need clear instructions to act, but as a seasoned corporate drone, Jiang Yin was even more proactive.
She’d ask for orders, benefits, and support on her own.
A perfect man, except she didn’t have a girlfriend ()
“Mission objective is to investigate this case thoroughly without any casualties.
Overtime pay is triple the usual mission stipend.
For equipment, you’re allowed to pick two more Magical Devices.
That’s all for now; the rest haven’t recharged enough magic.
But you’re also allowed to use resources from the Investigation Bureau side.
Zhang Feng is a reliable comrade; just tell him what you need.”
At this, Ning Rong pressed her lips together.
“This time, the enemy isn’t a Monster, but humans.
Jiang Yin, be careful.”
“Don’t worry.”
The girl laughed softly.
“I have no experience dealing with Monsters, but when it comes to outsmarting people, this thirty-year-old seasoned rogue isn’t afraid of them at all.”
She hung up the phone and walked back to Wen Ling.
The moment she squatted down, she heard Wen Ling’s dissatisfied voice.
“Finished confirming?”
“You really don’t trust me that much…”
Her big eyes blinked, as if about to cry, trying to prove her acting skills weren’t the problem.
She just hadn’t acted in crime dramas before—no experience.
But Jiang Yin only rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“I’m just following proper reporting procedures.”
“You actors and celebrities wouldn’t understand.
Us corporate drones don’t work for free.
Gotta find an excuse to ask for overtime pay!”
“Pfft~”
Wen Ling, who had been acting all along, instantly broke into laughter.
“Jiang Yin, you’re so funny.”
“Thanks for the compliment.
So, what’s really going on?”
“Actually…”
From Wen Ling’s mouth, Jiang Yin heard a story that sounded like the background to a horror film.
Six years ago, just starting university and very interested in Monsters, Wen Ling joined a multi-campus Quail Research Society.
It was called a multi-campus alliance, but in reality, there were less than a dozen active members.
Usually, the club activities consisted of everyone watching Monster movies together, or scrolling through posts in the Guairen Bar and finding a ‘Ghost House’ for some Ghost-chasing adventure.
The club atmosphere was great, and the people were all interesting.
Wen Ling liked it a lot, so she stayed.
Until the end of freshman year, when the senior students were about to graduate, everyone agreed to have one last Ghost House adventure together.
This time, they chose a well-known ‘Abnormality Point’ in a neighboring province.
It was more like a trip than an adventure.
“You guys are as reckless as the main cast in a horror movie!”
Jiang Yin teased directly.
Wen Ling glared at her, then continued.
“Nothing happened during that event.
No one saw a Monster, and everyone had a great time.”
“Until…”
“Senior Zihan died during the graduation trip.”
At some point, Zhang Feng had moved closer, jotting down notes in a little book.
He asked, “Is that the owner of the house we visited yesterday?”
“Mm…”
Wen Ling looked up at the night sky, a sad expression on her youthful face.
“Senior Zihan was hardworking and persistent, great at her studies, generous in personality, often treating everyone to snacks even though she didn’t have much money, always working part-time…”
“Before that day, she smiled and said goodbye, saying she’d finally saved up enough money to enjoy life before becoming a corporate drone and slowly dying.”
“But she just died like that—in a car accident.”
“After Senior Zihan’s death, for some reason, the club atmosphere changed completely.
First, two seniors publicly accused each other in the group chat of causing her death.
Then several third-year students suddenly quit the club.”
“By the time I came to my senses, almost everyone from that Ghost House adventure had left, except for one senior who stayed in the group, reassuring us with a smile and saying everyone would return soon.”
“But they never did.”
As Wen Ling spoke, she gripped her arm so tightly that red marks appeared.
She tried not to cry, forcing herself to continue.
“At the time, we didn’t suspect anything to do with Monsters.
Senior Zihan’s death didn’t seem to be connected to anyone, and there was nothing suspicious about the whole incident.”
“Until after graduation, on a whim, I called Senior Zhuo Xun, the one who stayed in the group to comfort us.”
“He was dying, too.”
“Severe illness, completely bedridden.
Outside the ICU, I saw a few unfamiliar people who looked dangerous.
Only Senior Zhuo Xun’s mother was silently weeping outside.”
“She told me that after graduation, he suddenly came into some money, bought a car and a house, lived comfortably for two years, and then one day his body just collapsed.
Serious illness, acute… Ai… disease.”
Wen Ling didn’t say the full name of the disease, but both Jiang Yin and Zhang Feng understood.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling, tears finally falling.
“Senior Zhuo Xun wasn’t that kind of person!
He had a loving girlfriend!”
“Even then, I didn’t think anything was wrong, until this year when I suddenly got a call from his mother.
She said she found a strange notebook among his things, which recorded…”
She sniffled and went on.
“Recorded the process of Senior Zihan’s death.”
“But the details were bizarre—it said she was cursed to die in someone else’s place after her birth date and DNA were collected.”
“Senior Zhuo Xun’s mother didn’t believe it, but thought it might be related to his death, so she contacted me, since I’d visited him back then.”
“I didn’t have the ability to investigate, so I reached out to Ning Jie.”
“And then, taking advantage of this chance, tried to investigate…”
Wen Ling looked up, trying to smile at Jiang Yin, but it came out sadder than crying.
“Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have kept it from everyone.”
“I have a question.”
Zhang Feng, unfazed, simply asked out of curiosity.
“Who exactly is this Ning Jie you mention?”
“Why not go to the police, but instead rely on Ning Jie…”
Jiang Yin, who was still comforting Wen Ling, hurriedly tugged his sleeve.
Ning Rong had said Zhang Feng was reliable, and since they needed trust now, Jiang Yin simply handed over her own badge and made a hush gesture.
Zhang Feng: “….”
Although Wen Ling’s explanation suddenly made perfect sense, still…
So in the end, this Level 2 Investigator was the last one to be kept in the dark!?
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