Before the Storm

When Yu Xing opened his eyes again, he was still sitting in the big chair in his bedroom, relaxed and slouched.

Investigator-type deductions didn't consume any real-world time. It was still a cloudy evening, and when he remembered how he'd barely eaten anything on the second day in the game, his stomach growled.

It was about dinnertime anyway. Yu Xing ran a hand through his hair, stood up, and stretched his back before leaving the bedroom for the kitchen.

The fridge was well stocked. He checked the ingredients and decided to make sweet-and-sour ribs, kung pao chicken, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and a bowl of seaweed and egg soup... all in small portions.

After being single for so long, his cooking skills had steadily improved. Yu Xing often thought that even without his looks, he could still use his cooking to seduce—no, capture plenty of girls.

He deftly put on an apron. While chopping up different ingredients with various knives, he checked the changes on his Persona Mask in his mind.

In fact, after Coffin Village, his stats hadn't changed much. His deduction points had risen from 233 to 934, leaving him just 66 points short of becoming an Intermediate Deducer. Apart from that, Tears of the Underworld Candle had appeared in the offering slot.

Before entering Coffin Village, Qu Xuanqing had explained the rules governing offerings' abilities to him. The same offering could take on different forms and abilities when fused with different Persona Masks.

He'd only just learned this. Before becoming a Deducer, all he could hear from them was general information about the [Deduction]. The rules prevented Deducers from telling ordinary people the specifics.

Now, he wanted to see what the candlestick had turned into.

After Yu Xing obtained Tears of the Underworld Candle, it had automatically equipped itself to his Persona Mask. A small black, prism-shaped mark had appeared on the mask's left cheekbone, with a flame made only of light and shadow burning above it.

He wiped his hands on his apron, then focused his thoughts. The offering detached from the mask, and his hand suddenly grew heavy.

An elegant, old-fashioned, six-sided Chinese-style Handheld Candlestick appeared in his hand. He pinched the sturdy ring at its top between two fingers and lifted it.

How to put it... The candlestick had changed so much. It looked like an exquisitely crafted revolving lantern. Each of its six sides was carved with a different, intricate pattern. He couldn't tell what it was made of. It was black, and looked like bamboo, wood, or even iron.

It felt slightly heavy in his hand. Through the fine latticework between the patterns, he could see a candle inside. Perhaps it was the lighting, but Yu Xing couldn't tell at a glance whether it was red or white.

He focused his mind on it, and the information about the offering came to him easily.

[Offering: Tears of the Underworld Candle]

[Form: Chinese-style Handheld Candlestick]

[This offering has fused with "Persona Mask? Xing." Fusion abilities: ① Light the white candle, and the holder will enter a pseudo-Ghostification state. In this state, their aura will be equivalent to that of a zombie-type ghost (able to deceive low-intelligence ghosts), their body will become stiff and putrefied, and their attack power will increase slightly. No time limit. Can be used at most once per deduction. ② Light the red candle, and all thinking beings within the light's range will indiscriminately enter a state of gradual decay and mental disorientation for ten seconds. Can be used at most once per deduction. ② The abilities can be used separately.]

[Description: After fusing with Deducer Yu Xing's Persona, this offering took the form of an antique carved handheld candlestick. There is always a candle inside, whose color changes with the ability used. Extremely powerful.]

[Note: Though it has gained a great deal of prestige, please don't wear white and carry it at night, or people might think they've seen the most handsome ghost constable in history. You'll be trending the next day.]

Yu Xing: "Oh, come on~" I know I'm handsome, but there's no need to compliment me in the notes, too.

His attention was fixed on the abilities. Pseudo-Ghostification and having no time limit had caught his interest.

So, if he wanted, he could use the ability as soon as he entered a game, then complete the entire deduction with a body like a corpse?

That sounded pretty interesting...

Besides, Yu Xing had another thought.

If the white candle was lit, would his body still suffer those negative effects? After all...

A loud thud jolted him out of his thoughts.

He looked down. He was holding a kitchen knife in his right hand and the candlestick in his left. At some point, he'd slammed the knife hard into the chopping board, its blade deeply embedded in the wood.

He put the candlestick away with a thought, then touched his nose with his now-free left hand. "Sorry, chopping board. I just don't like you and wanted to buy a new one."

Chopping board: wdnmd.

"I'm willing to take on your commission."

After spending two hours making and eating dinner, Yu Xing took out his phone and played around for a while. As soon as he exited the game, he got a voice call from Zhao Mou.

Over the phone, Zhao Mou's voice sounded calm and warm. Anyone who didn't know him well would never associate him with the "comedy duo partner" he became around Zhao Yijiu.

"Mr. Zhao Mou, you sound to be in a good mood?" Yu Xing sat at the desk in his study, a book open in front of him. Of course, he'd been playing on his phone just now, so the book was only open for show.

"Mm. I've made some headway on something. My family wants me back in Tianjin. As for Yijiu, he's already completed his mask assessment. You promised me, so don't go back on your word."

Yu Xing could hear background noise around Zhao Mou. He seemed to be at an airport, and apparently had something urgent enough to make him fly out overnight.

"I won't."

He only had to look out for Zhao Yijiu during the beginner and intermediate stages. He believed that with their abilities, they'd be able to advance to the advanced level after completing the Main Quest and one more deduction.

Zhao Mou was sitting comfortably in the airport lounge in a suit, listening to the flight announcements. "By the way, I have some information about the matter you asked me to keep an eye on."

Yu Xing's pupils contracted, and his fingers tightened around the phone. But only for a moment; he quickly recovered. "Is it about Single Prism?"

"That's right. I haven't been able to get any information on Lingren yet, but I did receive a rather interesting revelation this morning."

Zhao Mou had recently become well known not only for his intelligence and scheming, but also for a very important reason: one of his offerings had given him the ability to divine.

No one could be sure which offering had granted Zhao Mou this rare ability. It wasn't just divination; he seemed to have some knack for premonitions and fortune, too. Some people even suspected that he had more than one offering related to these abilities—otherwise, he wouldn't be so powerful in that area.

Yu Xing had learned this from Qu Xuanqing, which was why he'd chosen Zhao Mou as his partner. In terms of investigation, Yu Xing was no worse than anyone else, and he also had Zhu Yan to help him. Divination, however, was a special power he lacked.

"What kind of revelation?" he asked.

Zhao Mou idly fiddled with the doll charm tied to his suitcase handle. "Tomorrow, there'll be a celebration in the southwest of Mijin City. A member of Single Prism you're looking for will leave traces there."

"I'll remember that." Yu Xing thanked him and hung up.

The southwest... A celebration...

He raised an eyebrow.

Wasn't that Ruibo University?

A member of Single Prism would show up at Ruibo University tomorrow?

At the thought, his gaze turned cold.

Every member of Single Prism was a lunatic. Antisocial and misanthropic personalities were everywhere among them, and nearly all of them belonged to the Fallen Path. Wherever they appeared, death and disaster were sure to follow.

Zhu Yan was at Ruibo University...

It looked like he'd have to get there as early as possible tomorrow, in case something happened and Zhu Yan got caught up in it.

After all, she was just an ordinary person.

Ruibo University's anniversary celebration.

As an annual event, Ruibo's anniversary celebration was always popular.

Every year on that day, Ruibo set up sightseeing areas and game zones all around campus, and opened the university to visitors. The celebration had practically become a huge exhibition.

Apparently, the original purpose of the celebration had been to promote Ruibo's campus culture. But the university was so large that the organizers couldn't manage everything, so they handed the right to run activities over to the various clubs. That was when things got out of hand. It turned out you could never underestimate how creative college students could get.

After a few years of events, Ruibo's anniversary celebration had become a small festival for the people of Mijin City. Plenty of visitors came to join in the fun, and the campus was packed.

Yu Xing wasn't especially fond of crowds, particularly in summer and winter. In summer, a big crowd could make you feel like you were melting; in winter, everyone was crammed together like a bunch of balls. And he could never escape people hitting on him or asking for his number.

Originally, he'd planned to spend the whole day accompanying Zhu Yan as she wandered around and played games, and to help her impress her classmates. He just had to make sure not to lose her. But now it seemed he also had to investigate Single Prism's movements.

Early the next morning, after confirming the time with Zhu Yan, Yu Xing took special care getting ready.

He wore an oversized white graphic T-shirt. Its full name online was "Five-Point Sleeve Korean-Style Men's Trendy Loose-Fit Academy-Style T-Shirt." He couldn't understand what all those prefixes and suffixes were for, but the name was off-putting. The shirt itself was pretty nice. Paired with knee-length denim shorts and a chunky sports bracelet, it made for a pleasing look that even made him feel younger.

Well... Zhu Yan had bought it for him online based on her personal taste. Yu Xing figured the outfit was probably in line with what young people liked these days.

At least Zhu Yan ought to be happy with it, just like she'd been when he attended her parent-teacher meetings back in the day.

Yu Xing put on a baseball cap, left his apartment complex, bought four buns, and rented a shared bike by the roadside. He pedaled leisurely toward Ruibo University.

When he reached the school gates, Zhu Yan was talking with a few friends in the shade, apparently waiting for him.

Yu Xing parked his bike and saw that it wasn't even nine yet, but there were already plenty of people around. Ignoring the various looks he was getting, he walked lightly toward Zhu Yan.

"So he really is your brother, not your boyfriend? Didn't you say your family aren't in Mijin City?" he heard the lightly made-up girl beside Zhu Yan tease. His hearing was good.

"Quit it." Zhu Yan had tied her hair in a ponytail. She wore a stylish off-the-shoulder T-shirt and high-waisted shorts, with the hem tucked into her waistband to show off her slender waist.

Just hearing the question gave her a headache. It wasn't easy to explain, so she let her classmates keep guessing. "You're always showing off your relationship. Don't assume everyone else is coupled up, too."

"Hey, I don't show off that much," the lightly made-up girl said, wrapping an arm around her boyfriend's.

Zhu Yan rolled her eyes at her.

They were all members of her music club. They had nothing to do that morning, so they'd come over to see who she'd invited.

But why was Yu Xing taking so long?

Just as she was wondering, she could tell from the sudden change in her clubmates' expressions that he'd arrived.

The next moment, a plastic bag greasy from the buns was looped over her fingers, and a familiar voice said with a smile, "Breakfast. Vermicelli filling. Eat up."