Return to Reality, Surveillance

After pulling the handle of the Private Space door inward, a massive stream of white information instantly engulfed Bai Cangshu.

When his senses returned to his body, he was already sitting in the dormitory chair again.

His body felt slightly stiff, and the clothing on him had automatically switched from Mercenary Tao's robe back to the shirt he had been wearing before.

Bai Cangshu looked at the back of his right hand. The Infinite Dimensional Space's Backpack was still accessible at any time.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. With a thought from Bai Cangshu, his breathing rhythm returned to normal, and Hamon automatically deactivated.

He stood and opened the dormitory door, and sure enough, Officer Song appeared again, his weathered complexion making him look as though he had endured many hardships.

"Hehe, Student Bai, sorry about that. I forgot a few things just now, and only remembered after a colleague reminded me. Would it be convenient to talk again?"

Song Xian had worked as a criminal detective for more than a decade, and through that plan, he had become someone from that space. Whether in bodily control or interpersonal experience, he was exceptionally capable.

At that moment, his apologetic manner did not seem unnatural in the slightest.

He truly seemed like nothing more than a police officer asking a university student to cooperate with an investigation.

With the dormitory door open, wind blew in through the window behind Bai Cangshu, making his white shirt and short black hair flap violently in the gusts.

He also scratched his head and revealed an embarrassed smile. Even Song Xian himself did not notice that the angle of Bai Cangshu's smile, his movements, and the timing of his lips and facial muscles were exactly the same as his own.

"It's fine, Officer Song. Actually... I just remembered something too. There were some things I didn't explain clearly earlier."

Looking at the young man before him, whose handsome features were almost unreal, Song Xian suddenly had a premonition that today's operation would not go smoothly.

As soon as Song Xian sat down, Bai Cangshu took out a phone and handed it to him.

"Officer Song, I'm really sorry. Actually, I received a few rather strange text messages yesterday. They were all from online numbers..."

He scratched his hair and continued.

"I originally thought they were some new kind of scam messages, but later I guessed they were probably from Chu Qi. When you questioned me today, I was scared, so I didn't say anything immediately."

Bai Cangshu lowered his head, as though sincerely admitting his mistake.

As Song Xian looked at the messages on the phone, he confirmed inwardly that Chu Qi had indeed contacted Bai Cangshu. And the "hot potato" mentioned in the messages, the one so many people were fighting over, was clearly the card mentioned in the intelligence report!

Song Xian's expression turned serious, and he no longer bothered with superficial pleasantries.

Song Xian tensed his legs, his body half-rising but not quite standing. This stance required considerable effort, but it was an excellent starting posture.

Not only was the movement extremely subtle, it also made it impossible for others to judge what he would do next.

As if he had not noticed Song Xian's change, Bai Cangshu continued speaking.

"Officer Song, I actually sneaked out of school last night and went to the old street where Chu Qi and I often played in middle school to look around. But I didn't find the thing he mentioned. I don't know what happened..."

Song Xian stared into Bai Cangshu's eyes, but there was still not the slightest flaw in the latter's gaze.

Not only that—his heartbeat, breathing, and even pulse were completely without flaw.

Song Xian stared into Bai Cangshu's eyes for nearly five seconds. Bai Cangshu's face then turned slightly pale as if at a loss, and his breathing became faintly disordered.

Every reaction matched how a student should behave when suspected by the police.

Yet Song Xian began to find it difficult to distinguish whether the other man's emotions were real or fake.

He nodded, rose while holding Bai Cangshu's phone, and said, "Student Bai, the information you provided is very important. How about this? I'll contact my colleagues at the station first and confirm the situation over at the old street."

With that, he turned around and began taking out his phone to make a call, leaving his back completely exposed to Bai Cangshu.

Sitting in his chair, Bai Cangshu watched Song Xian's back. The other man's muscles had actually relaxed all over, as though he were prey that had let down all its guard.

Song Xian suddenly felt a chill on the skin of his neck. A gust of wind blew past, and goosebumps instantly rose across his skin.

He instinctively spun around in an instant, both hands turning black.

Bai Cangshu's file flashed through his mind like a movie.

He had been isolated by all his classmates since his youth and was nicknamed "Monster." In middle school, he had clashed with street thugs for unknown reasons, ultimately sending several adults to the hospital.

He seemed to have restrained himself considerably in high school. Feared within the school because of the name "Monster," he had nevertheless never been involved in any serious incidents.

Over four years of university, this young man seemed to have studied a great deal of law. Every conflict had ultimately ended as "self-defense," yet among so many self-defense cases, he had never once been hospitalized.

Even with Song Xian's experience as a veteran criminal detective and a Reincarnator, he had seen few young people as abnormal as this.

He was practically like a special talent raised amid the endless shootings and chaos of an overly turbulent place.

When Song Xian turned around, his pupils contracted. The young man he had internally judged to be an anomaly was sitting properly in his chair, still lowering his head without moving.

Like a student who had done something wrong...

No, the other party was a student to begin with.

In that instant, Song Xian began to doubt his previous judgment.

Had he been influenced by preconceived notions? At his core, this young man had no criminal record or disciplinary history whatsoever.

Strictly speaking, he was a "good person."

Had Song Xian set his stance in advance because of personal prejudice?

Song Xian found himself torn. After thinking for a moment, he really made a call.

"Hello, Lao Yang, help me look into last night..."

"Yes, confirm whether any suspicious individuals appeared around Old Street before that."

Song Xian made several calls, and the intelligence he received was equally complicated. Several unidentified individuals had indeed appeared in the Old Street area, and Bai Cangshu had indeed shown up on the surveillance footage, but he had displayed nothing unusual.

The suspicion could not be dispelled, but neither could it be proven.

After his little "fishing expedition" just now, Song Xian had ultimately developed a measure of trust in Bai Cangshu, along with a small sense of guilt over his earlier suspicions.

So, he made a decision.

"Student Bai, this is a serious matter. I hope you listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

"I am now formally informing you, in the name of the East Xia Special Affairs Bureau, that for the foreseeable future, you will be monitored by our bureau under Observation Level: Dangerous."

"During the monitoring period, you must remain within the designated area and may not leave. Otherwise, our bureau will employ coercive measures."

Song Xian looked solemn, while Bai Cangshu nodded repeatedly. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Officer Song, I still have classes. It should be fine if I move around within the university grounds, right...?"

Song Xian nodded. He did not explain what kind of organization the East Xia Special Affairs Bureau was, nor did he explain how they would monitor him.

Yet this student, Bai Cangshu, seemed unconcerned with any of that and displayed considerable cooperation.

After giving him a few precautions, Song Xian hurriedly left Binhai University.

Not long after Song Xian left, someone else knocked on Bai Cangshu's dormitory door.

"Brother Bai, someone was asking about you on the bar street in University Town just now. Want the brothers to give him a little welcome?"

The newcomer had dyed yellow hair and a black rose tattoo on his neck. His delinquent air stood starkly at odds with the students of Binhai University.

But he was extremely polite toward Bai Cangshu. He kept his head lowered as he spoke and even covered his mouth with one hand to keep the smell of smoke from entering Bai Cangshu's dorm room.

Upon hearing the news, Bai Cangshu revealed a knowing smile.

"Xiao Ning, give me a phone. Send me his location and photo later. I'll let you know what to do."

The yellow-haired man nodded and handed over his brand-new Fruit phone without hesitation. Seeing the smile on Bai Cangshu's face, he instinctively shivered.

He knew that the true monster of this region's underworld was about to make a move...