Murder Case

As Chen Shouyi returned, the streets were already patrolled by military police.

He saw many thugs taking advantage of the chaos to smash and loot, only to be swiftly subdued by the police and handcuffed without any resistance.

As a state apparatus of violence, the military police system had always placed great importance on recruiting Martial Apprentices from society.

A basic requirement for applying for many civil servant positions in the police system was to be a Martial Apprentice.

If one joined the army, they would immediately be treated as a warrant officer.

Moreover, many public institutions and state-owned enterprises would prioritize recruiting these individuals.

After all, even a mere Martial Apprentice was no different from a killing machine to ordinary civilians. If they were to turn to evil, they would possess a powerful destructive force against social stability. Naturally, the state would not let such power run wild.

In fact, even if you didn't go anywhere else, as soon as you registered as a Martial Apprentice, you automatically became a member of the local militia in your registered household location.

For example, his sister, Chen Xingyue, was currently a militia member in the armed forces department of their street.

Of course, this militia status was nominal.

Normally, there were no obligations to fulfill; people just went about their lives. However, if local unrest occurred, Barbarians appeared, they would need to assist in maintaining public order, or even go to the battlefield.

Of course, if it truly came to that, the situation would be extremely dire.

Pedestrians hurried along the streets, their hearts filled with anxiety.

Traffic on the streets remained completely gridlocked, with no sign of movement. Many drivers simply abandoned their cars and walked home.

Upon returning to the hotel, Chen Shouyi found the corridors still crowded. At this hour, it was clearly not bedtime for most people.

"I went to take a look, it was truly horrific. He was stabbed more than a dozen times all over his body, and the blood just flowed everywhere."

"With the power outage, we can't even use the surveillance cameras. I don't know if they'll catch him."

"Someone died here, it's really creepy. If it weren't for the power outage making it difficult to find other hotels, I would have gone somewhere else."

"Me too. I'm probably going to have nightmares tonight!"

Walking down the corridor, a group of people were chattering.

Chen Shouyi listened, his expression surprised.

No wonder he could smell a faint scent of blood when he came over.

"Brother, what are you talking about? Did someone die here?" Chen Shouyi asked a young man curiously as he approached his room.

"You didn't go see?"

"I just went out and came back!" Chen Shouyi explained.

Listening to the descriptions of the other guests, Chen Shouyi learned that someone had died here while he was out.

The deceased was also a guest on this floor, not far from Chen Shouyi's room.

After the power went out, while chatting in the corridor, the deceased inexplicably got into an argument with someone. It started with a fight, and perhaps fueled by anger, the assailant drew a knife. When the assailant realized the gravity of what they had done, they fled.

By the time the police arrived, the body had long since grown cold.

Darkness often amplified the evil in people's hearts.

It made them unusually bold, leading to impulsive actions.

Chen Shouyi merely sighed that the deceased had died for nothing, but he didn't pay much mind to it.

He had no relation to the deceased, nor did he even know them.

As for someone dying here, for Chen Shouyi, who had just killed over a dozen Barbarians today, it was of no concern whatsoever.

He walked into his room and closed the door.

Then, he released the Shell Girl and placed her beside the pillow.

She was truly angry this time, turning her head away and ignoring Chen Shouyi.

Normally, Chen Shouyi would have turned on the TV or used glass beads to appease her.

But today, he simply didn't have the mood.

He turned on his phone's flashlight and lay on his back on the bed, too exhausted to move.

Too many things had happened today, leaving him feeling mentally and physically drained.

Seeing that Chen Shouyi hadn't reacted after her prolonged sulking, the Shell Girl finally couldn't help herself.

She stood up, looked at the lying Chen Shouyi, had a sudden thought, then grabbed the corner of his clothes and jumped onto his chest.

She deliberately hopped around on him a few times and shouted loudly: "#@% Giant, Beiqi, I want Beiqi!"

The adjective before "Giant" was certainly not a kind one, likely meaning something like evil or detestable.

Chen Shouyi glanced at the increasingly bold Shell Girl and lazily said, "No Beiqi today!"

"Why no Beiqi?" the Shell Girl persisted.

"Beiqi also needs to rest, it's tired too!" Chen Shouyi gave a casual excuse.

The Shell Girl looked at him with a hint of disbelief:

"Then how long does it need to rest, a few sunrises and sunsets?"

"I don't know either."

As he said this, Chen Shouyi's heart grew heavy.

He could only hope things would be better tomorrow.

As if infected by the atmosphere, Shell Girl also quieted down. She looked at Chen Shouyi, blinked her eyes, and asked curiously, "Giant, are you unhappy?"

Chen Shouyi nodded slightly, not wanting to talk much.

"I'll dance for you!"

With that, she began to move her limbs.

Chen Shouyi was quickly amused. Her dance lacked much grace; it was just a wild flailing of arms and legs. It was less a dance and more like some kind of ritual.

He wondered where she had learned it.

Speaking of which, this was the second time he had seen her dance.

The first time was right after he captured her; she had inexplicably started dancing.

But back then, there were also specks of light dancing around, almost fooling him.

Seeing Chen Shouyi smile, Shell Girl immediately danced with more vigor.

At first, Chen Shouyi paid no mind, casually watching this exotic dance with a relaxed expression. But as he watched, his expression gradually turned serious.

As she danced, a mysterious atmosphere seemed to descend.

His heart stirred, and he suddenly turned off his phone's flashlight.

The next moment, he saw specks of light flickering around Shell Girl.

They would light up and then disappear.

Carrying a magical aura.

Of course, compared to the first time she danced, when the light was bright enough to be clearly visible even in daylight, these specks were so faint they were almost imperceptible.

Only in this completely dark room could they be vaguely seen.

But this was Earth.

Even though the mysterious energy field was gradually encroaching here, its concentration was still pitifully low.

This could be seen from the fact that his Natural Healing talent hadn't manifested.

Yet, in such an environment, she could still use some supernatural abilities, even if they were as weak as if they didn't exist.

"Where did you learn that?" Chen Shouyi couldn't help but ask.

"I've known it since I was born!" Shell Girl stopped, her small face showing a hint of pride.

Chen Shouyi was skeptical.

But thinking about it carefully, this Shell Girl was indeed quite mysterious.

He was no longer the naive person who had just entered the Otherworld island, thinking that everything there possessed supernatural abilities.

In fact, supernatural abilities were not common, even in the Otherworld.

At least, the Barbarians he encountered mostly had no supernatural abilities, or they died before they could even use them.

The only one with supernatural abilities was Shell Girl.

For example, she could fly, though not fast—slower than a fly.

For example, she could easily find Gold Sand buried in the sand, as if she inherently knew where it was.

And her eyesight was astonishing. Even in a torrential downpour, she could easily spot how many Barbarians were on a dugout canoe hundreds or even a thousand meters away.

If it weren't for her extremely small size...

She might have been the one captured back then, not him.

Thinking this, Chen Shouyi's anticipation grew, and he quickly asked:

"What's the use of this dance?"

"Don't you think it's pretty!" Shell Girl said with a cute, naive expression.

Pretty doesn't fill your stomach.

"Let's go to sleep!" Chen Shouyi said irritably, looking at the smug Shell Girl.