Monster Lurking

Jiang Yue watched as Director Luo's pep talk got San Gou all fired up. He, however, was unimpressed and poured cold water on the situation.

"Director Luo, no matter how nice your words sound, they're useless. When it comes to minors, you still need to get the guardian's consent."

"Little Jiang, I have to criticize you here. You need to raise your awareness. Someone like San Gou is desperately needed by the country!"

"Even if he's desperately needed, shouldn't we wait until he's an adult? Will Great Zhang Country grind to a halt without him? Director Luo, our country's laws clearly state that employing child labor is illegal."

It's just a battle of wits, who's afraid of whom.

"Second Brother..." San Gou weakly tried to express his thoughts.

"San Gou, shut up! They're abusing child labor," Jiang Yue snapped.

"You... you're practicing feudal paternalism," Director Luo said, annoyed.

"His parents aren't around, so I'll play the feudal parent for now," Jiang Yue retorted, playing stubborn.

Han Yiming tried to mediate, "Alright, alright, we're getting off track. We're discussing these murder cases now."

Director Luo patiently explained, "Little Jiang, you've actually misunderstood. My interest in San Gou is to cultivate him fully, not to make him a child laborer. There's a clear distinction."

"Take these current cases, for example. Why can San Gou distinguish between the same person within a two to three-minute interval? That's his talent. We need to tap into these talents and let him unleash his potential infinitely."

"Although you're his cousin, you can't selfishly decide his fate, can you? What makes you think it's wrong for him to receive a better education?"

"That's right, Little Jiang, aren't you trying to clear your Homeroom Teacher Sun Bin's name? Personally, I believe these murderers are innocent now, but procedurally, we still can't let them go. Why? Because there isn't enough reason, not enough evidence to support it."

"The situation is critical right now. People are dying every day. These serial rape-murders have become a nightmare for the Star City police department. San Gou's ability is exactly what's needed to shine in this series of cases!"

Of all the people, Han Yiming was the most anxious about this string of bizarre rape-murders, even more so than Director Luo.

Each killer seemed to be caught easily, but the easier it was, the greater the pressure in his heart. In the past few days, he probably slept less than ten hours in total.

Anxious and on edge.

If it weren't for his meritorious service in the Year Eater incident, Han Yiming would likely have been replaced long ago. Even so, he was still under immense pressure every day.

Therefore, upon learning that San Gou had such a special ability, it would be a lie to say Han Yiming wasn't tempted.

Jiang Yue actually saw things clearly. They couldn't avoid these matters; they couldn't remain detached.

Especially since he was a resident of this neighborhood. With these bizarre cases happening one after another, it was hard to guarantee that the next victim wouldn't be his own family.

He had his reasons for his firm opposition.

Director Luo's interest in San Gou stemmed from two concerns: first, he worried they might use San Gou and then discard him; second, although the brothers were from the same lineage, Jiang Yue wasn't San Gou's guardian, so he couldn't make the decision.

Of course, there was one more crucial reason: he was deliberately playing hard to get.

It was obvious that because of the Year Eater incident, both Old Han and Director Luo now considered the brothers as unofficial firefighters.

It wasn't that Jiang Yue didn't want to contribute, but simply contributing wasn't a sustainable path.

If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it, right?

If they truly wanted to recruit San Gou, they had to offer convincing conditions, didn't they?

Who couldn't get something for nothing?

"Little Jiang, just give us a straight answer," Han Yiming urged, seeing Jiang Yue's lack of a decision.

"Old Han, it's not that San Gou can't help with this case. But we can't always help for free, can we? Count it yourself, haven't we helped enough? You can't just come running to my house every time there's a problem from now on, can you?"

"To put it bluntly, what if one day you attract monsters to our home? My family would have to take risks too, wouldn't they? Can any of you guarantee that and take responsibility for it?"

This was the honest truth, and he felt no guilt.

Old Han and Director Luo exchanged glances. Although their expressions didn't change, they felt a little embarrassed inside.

The Year Eater and the vengeful spirits of the Su family had, after all, been of great help to them without any compensation.

They visited them every few days and sought their help with every problem; it was indeed a bit much.

They weren't eating the government's rice or receiving any salary. Why should they always risk their lives for them for free?

"Little Jiang, that's true, we didn't consider that thoroughly. If you have any requests, just state them. Director Luo already mentioned it earlier, cultivating San Gou is essentially a benefit. Think about it, the Special Department, so many people dream of joining but can't. That job security is stronger than iron, with good benefits, high status, and great authority..."

Jiang Yue knew very well that the Special Department offered good treatment, high status, and great authority.

The problem was, how old was San Gou? Did he have enough wisdom and depth to handle all that?

"Little Jiang, as long as you ask, I can make it happen, no questions asked," Director Luo said concisely.

"I personally have no demands."

Jiang Yue first distanced himself, stating he had no selfish motives.

"But I do have a few conditions."

"Go ahead and speak," Director Luo and Old Han said in unison.

"First, before San Gou turns 18, he must attend school properly. No matter how much you admire him, he can only be a reserve member. You cannot fool him into going to the front lines to risk his life. His safety must be guaranteed at all times. Most importantly, this matter must be approved by his parents."

"Second, I don't care about others, but my Homeroom Teacher Sun Bin must be released immediately. Old Han, don't tell me you don't have the authority, don't talk to me about evidence or anything. You already have evidence of his alibi. No matter how difficult the procedures are, you figure it out."

"Third, I must be fully involved in this matter."

These three conditions weren't really excessive demands.

Especially the third point, Old Han and Director Luo couldn't have asked for more.

Director Luo spoke first, "I can agree to the first and third points right now. Even if I face an irresistible life-or-death crisis, I, Director Luo, will die before your cousin."

When carrying out missions, the Special Department rarely returned completely unharmed every single time.

All he could guarantee was that if they truly encountered an irresistible crisis, he would do his utmost to protect them and would never let San Gou die before him.

Even if they all had to die, it would be he, Director Luo, who sacrificed himself first.

With words to this effect, Jiang Yue had to agree.

"For the second point, Old Han, I'll bite the bullet and ask for approval from higher-ups. If it doesn't work out, I'll just quit!"

Old Han was always a steady and reliable guy. Since he had made such a strong statement, Jiang Yue had to acknowledge it.

Between men, there was no need to spell everything out clearly and explicitly.

It was understood; they were on the same page.

The topic returned to the case.

Although Jiang Yue had been running between school and home these past few days, whether in class or after, he had been pondering these matters. He had already formed some basic judgments in his mind.

"Old Han, Director Luo. I have a prediction. Responsibly speaking, after considering all aspects, this prediction of mine should be quite well-developed."

"We're all ears." Director Luo had been waiting for this.

"Starting with the case involving my Homeroom Teacher Sun Bin, I suspect there's a monster lurking in New Moon Bay that can not only imitate others' appearances but also replicate their genes. Otherwise, these cases would be inexplicable."

Jiang Yue's guess was truly bold. Although Director Luo and Old Han had vaguely considered this direction, they lacked any evidence and had information asymmetry, making in-depth deduction impossible.

"Let me explain my reasoning."

"Firstly, San Gou mentioned before that he saw the same person in two different locations and directions within two to three minutes. And yet, this person became the killer in the latest case. This is direct evidence."

"Secondly, Teacher Sun had a solid alibi. You can't deny that, Old Han, right? Think about it, with so many consecutive rape-murder cases, does the killer have no counter-surveillance skills at all?"

"So many clues were left at the scene, and the surveillance cameras captured them so easily. It feels like they committed the crime specifically to be caught by you."

"If it were just one case, perhaps a hot-headed criminal might be that foolish. But for several consecutive cases, the killer is such a fool? This coincidence is absolutely abnormal."

These reasons were clearly convincing.

"Director Luo, at first, it looked like a rape-murder case, just a normal criminal case. Now that your Special Department is involved, I believe you've accepted the possibility of a non-human perpetrator, right?"

Director Luo gave a wry smile, "Little Jiang, I can hardly believe you're only 18. Many veterans in our department pale in comparison to you."

"Little Jiang, this case is now being jointly handled by the Special Department and our police force," Old Han quickly emphasized.

He felt bitter!

Because he sadly realized that their police force was increasingly becoming like errand boys for the Special Department.

"Your police force really knows how to make yourselves known," Director Luo scoffed.

"Your Special Department isn't bad at snatching credit either. The Year Eater incident, was that solved by the police or the Special Department?" Old Han retorted.

"You're really good at taking credit. That was Little Jiang's achievement."

"Yes, it was Little Jiang. But who was it that dug up the clues for Little Jiang?" Director Luo chuckled.

"You guys were on the front lines, the first to encounter all the evidence. What's so surprising about you finding Little Jiang? Someone as precious as Little Jiang, no matter how deeply buried, will eventually be unearthed. You were just lucky to get there first."

Jiang Yue was dumbfounded. Why were these two guys arguing?

"Gentlemen, if you want to argue, do it after the real killer is caught. If you keep this up, the real killer might target the next victim."

"Little Jiang still understands the bigger picture! Unlike some people who have a bad attitude and can't put themselves in the right place," Director Luo continued his sharp remarks.

"That's right, some people rely on their positions and are the most eager to snatch credit," Old Han wouldn't back down.

"Both of you, shut up! Do you still want to solve the case?" Jiang Yue was furious.

"We'll solve it!" The two idiots spoke in unison.

"I need all the surveillance footage. From the moment Teacher Sun entered the residential complex to the latest movements of the current killer."

"We've already gathered it today," Old Han said, patting the tablet computer he carried.

"Let's see who they interacted with along the way, and preferably, if they had any common contacts."

This was a completely new line of thought, reminding Director Luo and Old Han.

Before, they hadn't known about the situation San Gou described and hadn't had this information, so they naturally wouldn't have considered this approach.

Now, having learned that the killer in the new case had appeared in different places and directions within two to three minutes.

Jiang Yue's guess naturally became more convincing.

If a monster capable of imitating appearances and replicating genes truly existed, where was this monster lurking? Where did it come into contact with Sun Bin and the others?

This was a crucial lead!

Despite their childish bickering, these two were truly competent in their work.

In less than half an hour, they had actually compiled quite a few clues.

There was indeed one person who had brushed past Sun Bin and also had contact within three to five meters of another killer.

"Xiao Wang, look at your phone. I sent you a photo. You have five minutes to find all the information on this person and send it to me." Director Luo made a call.

Actually, Old Han's department could have handled this, but Director Luo came from the Special Department, so he had higher authority and didn't get bogged down in as much red tape, making him more efficient.

Before five minutes were up, the phone call came back.

"Director Luo, I ran a comparison through the highest-level system, and the person you sent is nowhere to be found in the system!"

"What did you say?" Director Luo's surprise was completely undisguised.