Special Affairs Prosecutor Committee, Song Shiyi

Isabelle stepped out of the car, but didn't move immediately.

Her gaze fixed on the lamppost.

Following her line of sight, Lu Yao looked at the top of the streetlight—a sparrow perched on the lampshade.

It was three-thirty in the afternoon, yet the streetlamp in the alley was lit, which was somewhat strange.

"My lord, I've detected a Demon Apostle."

Isabelle's eyes locked firmly onto the sparrow: "To avoid exposing your position, I'll need to take a detour."

Lu Yao's heart tightened.

An Apostle?

Could that Prayer God be here?

Isabelle was more alert than ever, staring at the sparrow on the lamppost.

"Withdraw."

Lu Yao ordered immediately: "Safety first."

"My lord, they've already arrived."

The moment Isabelle finished speaking, a figure appeared at the alley's entrance.

The newcomer had short, silver-gray hair, wore a blue-and-white JK uniform with long sleeves and a short skirt, brown leather shoes over black stockings, and carried a small white bag slung over one shoulder.

She looked under twenty, with moist, spirited peach-blossom eyes. Her lips were pressed together like a kitten's, giving her a somewhat serious expression, but it couldn't hide the vitality and energy unique to her age.

As soon as the girl appeared, the sparrow in the air fluttered down and landed on her shoulder.

"Pleased to meet you."

The girl looked at Isabelle: "Hello, I'm Song Shiyi, a prosecutor from the Special Affairs Prosecutor Committee."

Her voice was light, with a rising tone.

At the same time, a halo of light emerged behind Song Shiyi, like a star ring encircling her, within which seemed to hide a miniature universe twinkling with stars.

From the star ring behind her, a silver shield materialized, its surface bearing a burning campfire.

These wonders appeared only for an instant, then vanished without a trace.

"If you could spare a moment to give a statement and record... the Committee would greatly appreciate your cooperation and assistance."

Song Shiyi looked past Isabelle, her gaze locking onto the vehicle involved in the accident.

"It seems you've already dealt with the criminal I was pursuing."

Isabelle remained silent.

From a distance, Lu Yao's mind raced: "Agree to it. Let's see what this Committee is all about."

Seeing that Isabelle didn't refuse, Song Shiyi said thanks, opened her bag, pulled out her phone, and started recording.

"Standard procedure, just recording."

"May I ask your name?"

"Mary."

"Mm. Miss Mary, that member of the Donghai Clan named 'Yu Yao,' who illegally crossed over from the lower-dimensional realm, had previously murdered two innocent civilians. She's also a major fugitive the Committee has been hunting everywhere, and recently she's been drifting through this area. Please tell me about your encounter with her..."

"What about the Prayer God? Has that mastermind been captured?" Isabelle countered.

These were all words she was relaying from Lu Yao.

"Prayer God?"

A hint of surprise crossed Song Shiyi's face: "He was arrested two years ago. It seems you haven't been keeping up with the announcements."

She explained briefly.

"Prayer God, for his involvement in multiple serious crimes, has been sentenced to 180 years of imprisonment. Unless a miracle occurs, he'll be living in a confinement cell for a long time."

Lu Yao thought to himself, that's good news.

At least it removes the risk of a real fight.

In the Pixel World, he'd already destroyed two of the Prayer God's totems. As it stood, if they met again, he'd likely repeat that move.

Lu Yao spoke through Isabelle: "Since the Prayer God is already arrested, what's the deal with Yu Yao?"

"I'll explain further to you later. But first, I need to ask about some on-site details."

Song Shiyi carefully questioned her about Yu Yao.

Isabelle said she knew nothing—she'd only detected Yu Yao's identity as a lower-dimensional individual, noticed some abnormal behavior, and stopped her to ask. The other party, guilty and paranoid, tried to ambush her instead, and was killed in self-defense.

"I see."

Song Shiyi blinked as she listened, which seemed to be some kind of habitual tic.

Lu Yao felt that when Song Shiyi blinked, she reminded him of someone from his memory... and the more he looked, the more she resembled that person. The name was right on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't say it.

The questioning process was nearly over, and Song Shiyi pressed the stop button on her phone.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

She placed her phone back in her bag. "This next part is a personal conversation. Miss Apostle, you're the one who caught that 'Jack' nearby last time, right?"

Isabelle didn't respond.

But Lu Yao, listening remotely, felt a jolt of surprise.

"No need to be nervous. This is purely a personal exchange."

"Miss Mary, allow me to introduce myself once more."

Song Shiyi pointed at herself. "I'm an inspector for the Committee, but because I have a mental illness, a lot of people are willing to stay in touch with me."

"Have you heard of anterograde amnesia? Mine is a bit more severe than that."

"To put it simply, my memory only lasts for a very short time. Skills, knowledge, and experience stay in my head, but memories self-destruct within twenty-four hours. Everything I remember only goes back to before I was fourteen."

"Besides that, I can also choose to erase my own memories. In other words, I can wipe my memory, but I can't retain it."

"That's a good thing for my work. I don't have to remember too much, and I don't have too many worries. Everyone is willing to cooperate with me because I don't pry into their privacy."

"The Committee did suggest I wear something like a recorder, but I refused. That would just strip me of my advantage."

"And waking up every day to remember so many things would be a huge burden. Every day is a fresh start—that's much easier."

She stroked the sparrow on her shoulder. "This is Mingzai. Its ability is appraisal—it's an expert in that field."

"That's how I could see through your identity at a glance."

"Of course, you can find out everything I've said with a little asking around."

"Here's my card. If you need help, or if you have any leads to share with me, call this number."

She pulled a white business card from her bag and politely offered it with both hands.

"I look forward to your call, Miss Mary."

Lu Yao understood.

Song Shiyi was laying out her situation, revealing her identity and personal traits, extending an olive branch in hopes that Isabelle would become a potential informant.

Isabelle accepted the card politely.

"Well then, I should head back to report. Give my regards to the friend you follow."

Song Shiyi took a small plastic case from her bag, pinched out a capsule, and gestured to the other woman. "Like I said, when the need arises, memories can disappear ahead of time."

She swallowed the capsule, then pulled out a bottle of spring water and took a sip.

A moment later, Song Shiyi's eyes went a little dazed, as if she'd just woken up. She looked down at her skirt and stockings with a puzzled expression.

"Why am I not at home?"

"Huh, what happened again?"

"I remember I was supposed to shoot an outdoor scene today... Is this the place..."

She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her notes.

The sparrow on her shoulder seemed used to this, simply preening its wing feathers with its beak.

Isabelle walked past Song Shiyi, who showed no reaction at all.

That was when Lu Yao finally remembered.

Song Lingyun—member of the girl idol group SUH!

She was Song Lingyun!

Lu Yao remembered Song Lingyun because two of his college friends were obsessed with her. They thought she was lively and cute, sometimes a little scatterbrained, and occasionally would suddenly burst out with sharp, clever insights like a little explosion. Those two were a mix of husband fans and dad fans.

He quickly searched online.

The cat-like mouth and the way she blinked—it wasn't just similar, it was identical.

Song Lingyun was Song Shiyi.

A girl idol who was actually a special agency inspector... This plot reminded him of some weird tokusatsu shows.

Continuing his search online, Lu Yao found that Song Lingyun had suddenly retired from the group three years ago due to health issues. After that, she completely vanished from the public eye, with online rumors saying she went abroad for treatment.

Lu Yao frowned.

So the question was—

Was it a girl inspector infiltrating an idol group to investigate a case?

Or was it that being an idol couldn't save the world, so she had to become an inspector?