Shaonian You.
“Tsk, how tragic.”
Shaonian You had already been taken over by the Police Department.
Yun Guang looked at the scene, specifically at the young girl’s petite corpse, and couldn’t help but shake her head.
“Based on the tear marks on the corpse, the preliminary assessment suggests Zerg mouthparts.”
A voice came from behind her.
It was Shao Hua.
She handed Yun Guang a stack of documents, her expression somewhat apologetic.
“I’m sorry. I was too impatient this morning.”
She had indeed wanted to force Su Ling to reveal her true form.
If Su Ling were a Zerg — a Zerg with such perfect mimicry — the only way to expose her was to make her break down. There was no other way.
However, she was mostly acting on a lucky hunch.
Deep down, she knew that her insistence on Su Ling being a Zerg was nothing more than her own personal grudges being projected onto that poor girl.
She despised deserters.
And the status of Su Ling’s mother, Bai Wei, as a deserter had stirred up some unpleasant memories.
“Senior, we need to rely on evidence. If that little cutie wasn’t our friend…”
Yun Guang sighed.
She knew some of the reasons why Shao Hua had acted that way.
It was a psychological scar, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Shao Hua fell into silence.
Fortunately, the two did not linger on the subject for long.
“What’s the current progress?”
“The main suspects are still Su Ling’s family.”
The topic shifted back to the case.
“There was friction with Shaonian You. The deceased, Dalian, once dispatched thugs to Su Ling’s home to violently collect a debt. The testimony of the lead thug clearly mentions that Dalian wanted Su Ling to sign an indenture contract with Shaonian You to become an Oiran.”
“Furthermore, the killer is suspected to be a Zerg, and Su Ling’s mother allegedly brought back a Zerg egg twenty years ago.”
The motive was there, and the logic was sound.
Looking at it this way, Su Ling’s suspicion was indeed very high.
“Unfortunately, the killer isn’t Su Ling.”
Yun Guang crouched down to examine the young girl, whose body was torn in half.
“Look at her corpse. It was violently torn apart by that Zerg. This indicates that the Zerg hadn’t fully mimicked its target; it’s currently in a state of half-mimicry.”
Once a Zerg enters mimicry, it is difficult to withdraw.
While mimicking, their psyche changes as well.
Sometimes, a Zerg might even forget its own identity and truly believe it is a real Witch.
“If Su Ling were the killer, she couldn’t have re-entered a mimicry state within one day.”
Shao Hua remained silent.
What Yun Guang said made perfect sense.
“Most importantly, this Zerg is very likely in an injured state.”
“Why?”
“Dalian was an Extraordinary Witch, wasn’t she? I looked at her file. She was a senior from the graduating classes within the last ten years. An ordinary Zerg wouldn’t be her match.”
“Only a member of the Royal Family or the Imperial Guard could do it, though I’m leaning toward the Imperial Guard. It only ate half of Dalian’s body — not because it didn’t want to finish, but because its physical condition didn’t allow it to stay here any longer. It couldn’t even afford to stay for a moment.”
Yun Guang paced the scene, and images of the previous night began to surface in her mind.
A half-human, half-insect monster killed Dalian in an instant.
However, this quickly attracted the attention of Dalian’s security personnel.
The creature hurriedly devoured half of Dalian’s body to regain some energy before making a hasty escape.
But soon, Yun Guang’s brow furrowed.
She felt like something was missing.
“Tsk, if only we had a Light-Tracing Mirror.”
**[Magic Artifact — Tier 1: Light-Tracing Mirror]**
A time-attribute magic artifact that can replay scenes from the past 24 hours.
It is the most commonly used artifact for investigations by the Police Department.
“There is only one Light-Tracing Mirror in our district. It’s being used by Group Two for a major case. I can’t do anything about it.”
Shao Hua looked helpless.
The so-called major case was nothing more than the wife of some big shot in the Upper City having an affair.
For such a trivial matter, the Police Department had deployed their most elite Group Two and occupied the only Light-Tracing Mirror.
There was no helping it.
That big shot was the Police Department’s benefactor, and their Commissioner was someone they had personally promoted.
They couldn’t afford to offend them.
‘It’s just a bug in the Lower City. Once she’s full, she’ll settle down. What’s the rush? We’ll give it to you once we’re done with this major case.’
Those were the exact words given to her when she applied for the Light-Tracing Mirror last night.
The Zerg had appeared in the Lower City, and in their eyes, the Witches of the Lower City were nowhere near as important as pleasing their superiors.
Yun Guang, however, frowned deeply.
“Senior, is there any news from Fengdu?”
“Yes. Just as you expected, Fengdu hasn’t received Dalian’s soul.”
Last night, when Shao Hua found Yun Guang and described the scene, Yun Guang had vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
Therefore, she had told Shao Hua to forget about the Light-Tracing Mirror and quickly contact Fengdu to see if Dalian’s soul had arrived.
As the entrance to the Third Universe, any wandering soul wishing to enter the Third Universe and step into Samsara must pass through Fengdu.
The Third Universe, as the starting point of Samsara, had another name: the Underworld.
“As expected. Someone who could establish Shaonian You in the Lower City wouldn’t die that easily.”
Yun Guang wasn’t surprised.
She had always felt that Dalian’s death was a bit too convenient.
“But… her corpse is right here. Where could her soul have gone? Could she be planning to possess someone? That’s a capital offense that would land her in the Witch Court.”
Possession by a wandering soul was a major taboo.
Once caught, it was a guaranteed death sentence, resulting in the soul being burned and completely dissipated.
When a Witch died, her soul was supposed to be escorted by a Soul Reaper to the Third Universe.
There, her memories would be erased before she stepped onto the path of Samsara.
Although one would lose all memories upon entering Samsara, at least they would still be considered alive.
Dalian was a smart person; she couldn’t possibly be ignorant of this.
“…”
Yun Guang didn’t answer.
She was also puzzled by this point.
She looked around the room repeatedly, certain she had missed something.
Finally, by the window, she spotted a faint cat paw print.
‘Tsk, what a sly old fox,’ Yun Guang thought as the realization hit her.
In an instant, all the information regarding Dalian became active in her mind.
“Senior, Dalian isn’t dead. She possessed the cat she had been keeping.”
“A primordial toenail… I see. That wasn’t an ordinary cat. That was a Flerken. It was the second life she had specifically raised!”
A Flerken was no different from an ordinary cat, but the species possessed an extremely rare talent: when they reached adulthood, their souls would automatically annihilate, leaving behind an empty shell.
Thanks to this talent, some Witches who feared death would specifically raise them.
Once the Flerken reached adulthood, the soulless body became a perfect vessel for possession.
A Flerken was not a Witch, and since this was a unique talent of their race, the adult shell would not reject any foreign soul.
This was a perfect life-saving measure.
Most importantly, it didn’t violate the law at all.
As a result, Flerkens were always highly sought after on the black market.
“Senior, Dalian must still be in the Lower City. If we find her, we can find that Zerg.”
A major breakthrough had occurred in the case, and Shao Hua’s spirits were greatly lifted.
“But the question is, where could she be now?”
***
“Miaomiao, I’m home! Look what I found. A Hajimi!”
‘You’re the Hajimi! Your whole family is a Hajimi!’
Dalian roared in her heart.
She felt like she had been plagued by the worst luck these past few days.
Not only had she been killed by a bug of unknown origin, but she had also been picked up by this young girl she had previously tried to trick into becoming an Oiran.
To make matters worse, she was being treated like a stray cat and given a brain-dead name.
Dalian felt as if life were no longer worth living.
“Meow!”
If Dalian weren’t heavily injured right now, she would have scratched Su Ling long ago.
“A cat? Sister, where did you pick this up? She smells so bad.”
Although Bai Miao couldn’t see, her sense of smell was very keen.
She looked on with an expression of pure disgust.
Dalian instantly felt her pride shatter.
‘Meow it! Who are you calling smelly?!’
“I picked her up downstairs. She doesn’t scratch, though. She’s probably a Hao Cat. She’ll be fine after a bath. I was just worried Miaomiao would be too bored at home, so I brought her back.”
Su Ling held the black cat up to her eyes.
She smelled a bit, but she was quite cute.
“If Miaomiao doesn’t like her, I can send her away.”
Dalian grew anxious upon hearing that.
There was a Zerg out there hunting her; she didn’t dare linger outside.
To prevent Su Ling from throwing her out, she hurriedly broke free from Su Ling’s grip and began circling Bai Miao, meowing continuously.
‘Dammit. I, Dalian, the Underground Queen of the Lower City and the big boss of Shaonian You, have actually been reduced to acting cute for a little brat.’
Dalian felt like dying.
“Since Sister brought her back, let’s keep her.”
Bai Miao crouched down and accurately stroked Dalian’s head.
However, Dalian suddenly trembled.
Just now… did she just smell the scent of a Zerg?
The scent came and went in an instant, almost as if it were a hallucination.
“Good Miaomiao. Since we’re keeping her, I’ll take Hajimi to be neutered tomorrow.”
Cats would go into heat if they weren’t neutered, and it wasn’t good for their health.
It just so happened that Doctor Li Ya seemed to have a program for free pet neutering.
If anyone asked why Li Ya knew how to do so much, the answer was simple: a doctor’s professional ethics.
Dalian’s fur stood on end at the suggestion, instantly making her forget the suspected Zerg scent.
She didn’t want to be neutered!
This Flerken body would likely be her body from now on.
In the future, as long as she followed the **[Life Sequence]**, she could transform back into human form and become a Witch.
If she got neutered now, how was she supposed to be intimate in the future?!
“It seems Hajimi is quite happy — ” Su Ling said cheerfully.
‘Happy, my foot!!’