Investigation

Luo's dumplings

"Our Chinese food is still the best! It's absolutely delicious!"

Yu Ze took off his sunglasses and put them on the table, then used his chopsticks to eat the last bit of dumpling seasoning.

Anna was also very curious, feeling that the other person seemed to have not eaten in a long time. "There's no Chinese food in the capital?"

"Of course! The capital is a diverse city, so there are all kinds of restaurants, and the food is delicious."

"It's just that I don't really like going out. When I order takeout, if it's noodles, they're always either burnt or not hot enough to taste good. For lunch, I have to eat it fresh out of the pot."

"Oh."

"So Miss Anna isn't my fellow villager's girlfriend after all?"

Well, to be honest, I basically set off from the capital as soon as I received the news that my fellow villager had been discharged from the hospital. When I arrived, you two were shopping together, so it's inevitable that I would have some wild thoughts.

"And who are you?"

Anna explained, "We're friends; we went through simulations together when we were in school."

"I see. It seems you've had a very profound experience. By the way, Miss Anna, have you had injections to improve your physique?"

"Our family members are all this size. Compared to my dad and brother, I'm not that big."

"Family genes?"

Yu Ze seemed to have noticed something, a smile flashing across his face, seemingly very satisfied with this hastily assembled team.

Just as the two were chatting about everyday things, Luo Di had put down his chopsticks, suddenly interrupted:

From what angle should we follow up on the current event?

Yu Ze was essentially brought in as a formal investigator, and given his extensive experience, he should theoretically be the team leader.

To everyone's surprise, he simply raised his right hand and said, "Boss, another 50g of spicy dumplings and another 50g of noodles with minced meat sauce."

After confirming that the boss had received the message, Yu Ze turned around and slowly replied, "Oh, wasn't this event chosen by you guys? I was just temporarily added in to make up the numbers."

It would be better to leave the team leader position and decision-making power to you, fellow villager.

Although you've just become a trainee investigator, judging from your background, you should be quite experienced.

Let me explain briefly.

I don't like dealing with Stagnant Event that have few clues and little hope, and I don't particularly enjoy thinking about problems. However, if we really encounter Anomaly Event or face danger, I will definitely give it my all.

I'll leave the preliminary investigation to you!

Luo Di didn't say much. He knew very well that the other party's willingness to relinquish the captaincy and decision-making power was simply for one reason: to test his abilities in this area.

On the other hand, the decision to conduct this incident was made by Luo Di alone, so it was perfectly reasonable to entrust him with the preliminary investigation.

Luo Di immediately offered a preliminary investigation plan. "After we finish eating, we'll take the bus to visit a few nursing homes nearby. During the process, we should try to keep a pure mindset and completely put aside the idea of dealing with Anomaly Event, treating it as if we're applying for a job or looking for someone at a nursing home."

"Mm." Anna immediately began to immerse herself in the role.

Yu Ze, however, seemed somewhat indifferent, saying, "As long as they provide meals, I'll stay with them."

However, it's important to state this upfront: if we still don't have any leads within 48 hours, we should just let this matter go; time is very precious to us.

"Hey~ my noodles are here."

Yu Ze took the noodles, blew on them twice, and then began to suck on them, nodding repeatedly as he did so.

Lunch is over.

An investigation into "non-existent nursing homes" has officially begun.

Because different nursing homes are located in different areas of the city, there will be a relatively long travel time.

During this time, Luo Di and Anna were not idle at all. They accessed the database as investigators, searching for information on missing persons who were suspected to be related to the 'nursing home'.

Carefully compare the differences in information among different missing persons in an attempt to find commonalities.

Of course, other investigators had already done this work.

These missing persons are scattered throughout the city, ranging in age from 25 to 50, and come from all walks of life. There are differences in their routes to nursing homes, their daily lives, their commutes, and their routines.

There is absolutely no commonality between them.

Yu Ze was in a completely different state from the other two. He would either sleep in the car or read novels, and would even laugh out loud in public when he saw certain parts of the story.

The afternoon passed quickly.

The team visited a total of four nursing homes.

Whether walking, cycling, taking the bus, or using a ride-hailing service, or even fully entering the nursing home building and exploring every area inside, there were absolutely no abnormal reactions.

Everything is normal.

Moreover, because of the country's focus on special groups, these elderly people in nursing homes are living high-quality lives and are in good mental condition. At least on the surface, there is no abuse.

After dinner Luo Di continued to try to visit nearby nursing homes at night. He even tried to sneak into one nursing home by climbing over the wall, but he still came up empty-handed.

[22:10]

The First Day of the investigation was forced to end.

Not only did they fail to find the non-existent nursing home, they also failed to discover even the slightest clue.

Although Yu Ze had been reading a novel the whole time, he put it away now, adjusted his Round Frame Glasses, and said:

"I've always been curious, fellow villager, you're not the kind of person who's easygoing."

"The Investigation Bureau had so many cases to choose from, why did you specifically pick this one—a Stagnant Event?"

"Intuition."

"A man's intuition? But let me remind you, if we still don't have any leads by tomorrow, how about we switch to another case?"

"Um."

"By the way, you're probably staying at the Mercury Hotel tonight, right? The benefits in Pluto City are really good. The Investigation Bureau has a deep partnership with the Mercury Group, and you get VIP status as soon as you join."

"I have my own apartment, which isn't far away."

"What about Miss Anna? Could it be..." Yu Ze noticed Anna's evasive gaze and immediately understood the problem. "Then I'll head out first. You all need to get some rest tonight and not stay up too late, as we'll be out all day tomorrow."

Yu Ze left.

Even at night, he would project the novel pages onto the screen with 50% transparency using his wristband, reading as he walked.

"Anna, let's go."

"Good."

Back in the apartment, I closed the doors and windows.

Luo Di immediately took the class monitor, who had been cooped up all day, out of his backpack and watched TV to rest for a bit.

Anna, who had come out of the bathroom, was completely used to the bizarre scene before her. Leaning against the wall, she asked, "Luo Di, I'm also wondering why you chose this event? I saw you were about to turn the page."

"Wu Wen chose it."

"No wonder... I seemed to have a feeling about it at the time, I didn't expect it to be true."

Luo Di crossed his hands and pressed them against the bridge of his nose. "Try a different approach tomorrow. If we still don't have a clue, we'll try a different event."

"Hmm. There's one more thing. Do you think Yu Ze might find out that I put the class monitor in my backpack?"

"Even if they find out, it doesn't matter. This is my spoils of war, and how I use it is my own business."

Sensing something was off, Anna stopped talking. "I'm going to sleep now. Let's try something else tomorrow."

After Anna returned to the inner room,

Luo Di got up and turned off all the lights in the living room, leaving only the television on, to watch a late-night movie program.

As he watched the movie unfold, Luo Di spoke softly, his voice almost completely drowned out by the television, only audible to the class monitor who was sitting on a tissue nearby.

"Since it was your choice, could you offer some advice?"

Despite Luo Di's question, the head, covered in stitches, remained motionless.

Only the light from the television screen shone on her face, constantly shifting with the changing images.

The next morning.

Anna got up before seven o'clock this time, thinking that was early enough for a graduate, but when she came out, the living room was already empty.

When the call was made via the wristband, Luo Di had already gone for half an hour of jogging and arranged to meet at the breakfast shop.

Anna, who was taking a big bite of a meat pie, asked first, "Have you thought of any different ways to conduct the investigation?"

"No." Luo Di shook his head, completely clueless.

"Shall we meet up with Yu Ze later? His hotel seems to be quite far away. Should we take a taxi or the bus?"

Just as Anna posed this question, Luo Di hesitated to put the fried dough stick covered in soy milk into his mouth, completely stunned.

"Why didn't I think of something so simple before!?"