Suspicion

This was Li Yèlái's first time wearing a suit. His already handsome features, paired with a crisp black suit, made him look refined and charming.

At home, even Li Yúnyān, who never had anything nice to say, gave what counted as a positive assessment: "As expected of my brother. His looks are second only to mine."

But such a handsome guy carrying a huge black sun umbrella looked strange no matter how one saw it.

It made even passersby who wanted to strike up a conversation hesitate and retreat.

When the old butler saw that peculiar outfit, a storm surged through his heart.

But his professional composure was excellent, and he nearly immediately returned his expression to normal.

Then he said gently, "Detective Zhou, your companion's attire is quite unique."

The Detective noticed the fleeting change in the butler's expression and filed it away, while also guessing what Li Yèlái was thinking.

This bastard was planning to bring his Psychic Weapon inside as well!

So the Detective decisively spun a lie. "He's rather delicate and can't be exposed to sunlight. You've dealt with psychics before, so you should know that every psychic's condition is different."

Li Yèlái could only nod at that. "That's right. I'm delicate!"

The old butler smiled and nodded, seemingly accepting their explanation. After all, psychics could have curses and all sorts of other issues.

He then invited Li Yèlái and the Detective into the car, personally stepping forward to close Li Yèlái's umbrella as he got in.

After that, the black sedan sped onward, quickly passing through the Old City District and Ring District. As evening approached, they arrived at the New City District.

The eastern side of the Border City was divided into four districts.

From the outside in, they were the Old City District, Ring District, New City District, and Upper City District.

Li Yèlái lived in the Old City District, the area closest to the high walls. That was the only rent he could afford.

After becoming a psychic and joining the authorities, his goal had been to buy a home in the Ring District. At present, he had saved up one-twentieth of the money required.

The New City District was far from the high walls. It had mountains and water, yet it was not desolate.

Unlike the Upper City District, where high-rises stood in clusters, this place had beautiful scenery and was favored by the wealthy. Most of its buildings were estates or villas. Some were even surviving structures from the Pre-Calamity Era.

Li Yèlái did not even dare think about housing prices here. They had to start at seven figures in Mega City Coins.

In truth, surviving inside the Mega City was not difficult. Improving one's quality of life was what was difficult.

Take Li Yèlái before this. Though life had been hard, he could still rely on his parents' inheritance and his own efforts to support his Younger sister's education, pay the rent, and cover daily expenses.

But saving any money was difficult. Buying a house or a car was even further out of reach.

Soon, the vehicle entered a sprawling estate and came to a smooth stop before a three-story Gothic mansion. Many vehicles were already parked nearby. Most were sedans, with a few sports cars among them. Clearly, there were many guests, and all of them were wealthy.

Li Yèlái could not help grumbling inwardly. They could only drive these things inside the Mega City. Taking them outside would wreck them!

This was the location of their side job.

It was said to be a building from the Pre-Calamity Era, with annual maintenance and repair costs reaching six figures.

No wonder they could afford to hire psychics at such a high price.

Thinking that, Li Yèlái took his Large Black Umbrella, checked the Jet Axe hidden behind him beneath his suit jacket, and only then followed the Detective out of the car.

"The banquet has already begun. You two should get something to eat first. Today is the Patriarch's birthday, and there are many guests. The Patriarch likely will not be able to meet you until later," the old butler said with a smile. "This is also an opportunity for the two of you."

"Alright, thank you. We'll manage on our own. Please go ahead and attend to your work," the Detective replied with a smile.

He then pulled Li Yèlái into the first-floor hall and leaned Li Yèlái's black umbrella against a wall nearby.

"What opportunity was he talking about?" Li Yèlái did not object. A banquet was underway in the hall, with elegantly dressed guests drinking and chatting amid lively conversation. Carrying a black umbrella around would indeed have made him stand out.

"Oh, he meant that everyone who can come here has a certain level of status. If we intend to keep taking side jobs, these people are all potential clients," the Detective explained.

"I see." Li Yèlái nodded. Following the Detective's example, he took a plate and began serving himself from the long table while listening to the Detective explain the commission.

"The Patriarch's name is Wang De. He was once quite a notable figure in the Mega City. He was originally a Scavenger."

"A Scavenger? He managed to reach this point?" Li Yèlái was surprised.

As the name implied, Scavengers were people who left the Mega City and searched abandoned cities in the wilderness for valuables.

When the calamity had suddenly descended, many people in those cities had been swallowed by calamity mist. The entire cities became uninhabited zones, and the wealth within became the targets of Scavengers.

Countless Scavengers rushed forward one after another, all hoping to find valuable goods and rise to prominence overnight.

But the wilderness was far from safe. Leaving the Mega City was equivalent to leaving civilized society.

Dangerous beasts, vicious bandits, and even Scavenger teammates with bad intentions could all pose a threat!

Those with poor luck might even be swallowed by wandering calamity mist.

Now that Li Yèlái knew the truth about the calamity, he knew that Scavengers might also encounter those Suffering Ones or creatures from the Spirit Realm.

So, being a Scavenger was extremely risky.

Very, very few truly managed to gain great profits and turn their lives around.

It seemed this employer was one of those rare few.

To have reached this point, he had to admit Wang De's luck was excellent.

If Li Yèlái became a Scavenger... heh. He would not have been surprised if calamity mist suddenly appeared right in his face.

Luck. Luck.

Li Yèlái envied him as he reached for a piece of roasted meat, only for someone to take it first. He only caught sight of the other person's slender arm from the corner of his eye.

Li Yèlái did not care and instead reached for a chicken leg.

The Detective continued, "His luck was very good. With the resources he brought back and certain technical blueprints, he made a massive leap in social standing. After that, he settled in Border City No. 3 and began doing business. From then on, he developed rapidly, becoming one of the Border City's wealthiest businessmen. His family also grew and prospered, becoming a powerful household."

The chicken leg Li Yèlái had chosen was taken before he could get it, so he had no choice but to move a few steps away and reach for a steak.

"But it seems that everything changed. Starting ten years ago, around this time every year—roughly late September—a member of their family would..." The Detective gestured toward Li Yèlái with his chin.

Only after having the steak taken again did Li Yèlái finally look up.

He saw a short-haired girl in a dark red strapless evening gown standing beside him with the steak in her tongs.

The gown outlined her stunning figure. Her bare shoulders and arms looked even fairer against the fabric, while the gauzy layers of her skirt concealed her legs.

The light makeup on her exquisite face could not hide the teasing smile there.

"So you finally looked up." The girl smiled and handed her plate to Li Yèlái. "How many times did I have to steal your food before you reacted?"

Li Yèlái studied her for a moment before recognizing her as Cheese.

Cheese usually wore oversized hoodies, claiming they made her look slimmer.

But now, dressed in an evening gown, she displayed a breathtaking charm. The gazes of many male guests lingered on her from time to time.

The contrast had nearly made Li Yèlái fail to recognize her.

"What are you doing here?" Li Yèlái was surprised. Had Cheese not said she did not plan to take side jobs?

"My uncle has business dealings with this place, so he brought me along to freeload a meal." Cheese looked Li Yèlái over and nodded approvingly. "You look quite handsome in that."

Li Yèlái teased, "No wonder you looked like some rich woman checking out male models before. So you really are a rich woman?"

Cheese lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing her calves. "Now that you know, do you want to cling to my thigh?"

At that moment, a middle-aged man approached and asked, "Xiǎo Yǎ, are these your... friends?"

As he spoke, he looked over Li Yèlái and the Detective before finally focusing on Li Yèlái with a scrutinizing gaze.

This had to be Cheese's uncle.

"They're my colleagues. This one is even my teammate," Cheese said calmly. The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly. He clearly understood what Cheese's colleagues represented.

Yet a sorrowful expression appeared on his face. "Teammates... Then come visit me sometime when you have the time..."

Cheese suddenly seemed to remember something and immediately said to him, "Uncle, hurry and park our car farther away."

The middle-aged man froze. "Why? Are you afraid it'll be stolen?"

Cheese looked completely serious. "It might explode!"

The uncertain middle-aged man quickly left the hall.

Li Yèlái fell silent for a moment. He felt Cheese was implying something!

That was too much!

"Ahem!" Cheese changed the subject. "I didn't expect your side job to be here. Where were we?"

"Do you want to join the commission?" the Detective asked.

"No, but I do want to hear about it." Cheese replied, "I really didn't know Wang Corporation had this going on internally."

"That works." The Detective nodded. After looking around and confirming that no one was approaching, he lowered his voice. "Starting ten years ago, every late September, one member of this family has inevitably died."

"Every year? Didn't they try reporting it to the police?" Li Yèlái asked while eating roasted meat.

"They did, but there were no leads." The Detective shook his head. "The killer left no clues. Many of the cases also looked more like accidents. A driver forgot to engage the handbrake and lost control, running someone over. An ice spike falling from above pierced through someone's skull. An ascending elevator suddenly crashed down."

"That sounds a little like my bad luck." Li Yèlái frowned. If that was the case, could the thing killing them be misfortune itself?

"But they really did spot the killer before. No matter what they tried, though, they could never catch them."

"Didn't they contact the Disaster Management Department?" Cheese took a sip of juice as she spoke.

"No. They seem to have some sort of secret they do not want outsiders to know about," the Detective said. "And now, it is already the tenth year. There are very few important members of the family left. To find the real culprit quickly, they finally decided to hire psychics."

Cheese nodded slightly. Wealthy families always had one or two things they could not let see the light of day. Privately hiring psychics was more discreet than directly asking the Processing Department to intervene.

But once Forbidden Items, psychics, or related incidents were involved, the authorities would learn of it even if psychics were hired privately.

Li Yèlái asked, "So our task is to find the culprit before they act? Capture them?"

"If we can solve the problem, they are willing to pay additional compensation. If we fail, a family member dies, and we do not catch anyone, then we can only keep the deposit—one hundred thousand Mega City Coins," the Detective replied. "We cannot rule out the possibility that they have hired other independent psychics as well."

"The deposit alone is that generous. They really are lavish." Li Yèlái nodded.

"Did they reveal the secret they're hiding to you?" Cheese asked.

"No, but I learned some things through conversations with several family members. Apparently, the reason their family rose so quickly and developed to this point was because they once received someone's help. The two sides reached some sort of agreement. But after the family rose to power, they unilaterally broke that agreement. They suspect that person is taking revenge on them." The Detective continued, "Also, judging from the old butler's reaction when he first saw the Night General, that person may share some similarities with the Night General."

As he spoke, he explained the old butler's fleeting expression from earlier.

As a Detective, his professional abilities were beyond question.

"With me?" Li Yèlái considered it. "You mean the black umbrella?"

"Yes. My analysis is that the person who made the deal with the Old Patriarch also carried a black umbrella, or some other kind of umbrella." The Detective nodded. "So we need to keep an eye out for anyone nearby carrying an umbrella."

"At present, there are five important members remaining in the family. The killer's target will be one of them." As he spoke, the Detective pointed to a middle-aged man in the distance.

The man was dressed elegantly and had a ruddy complexion. He did not look like someone being hunted at all. He was currently drinking and clinking glasses with several others.

"That is Wang De's second son," the Detective said. "Come to think of it, he has benefited the most from all these incidents. His older brother, the eldest son, went missing in the wilderness a few years ago. By the time they found him, only half of him remained. The other capable family members have also mostly died. Once Wang De himself dies, he will become the family's next heir."

"Oh, then it could also be an internal family power struggle." Cheese replied. "That is one possibility, right?"

"Indeed. So aside from Wang De himself, the other four are all potential suspects." The Detective replied. "I even think there may be more than one killer."

"It suddenly went from a mystery story to palace intrigue. Fight, then. They can all fight!" Cheese grumbled.

At that moment, the middle-aged man seemed to notice Li Yèlái and the others—or rather, perhaps he noticed Cheese?

In any case, his eyes lit up. Holding a drink, he walked over with a smile.

"Oh, damn. Is the classic flirting scene about to begin?" Li Yèlái chuckled softly.

Cheese smiled instead. "He goes for both men and women. Are you sure he came for me?"

Cheese was not afraid of being hit on. As someone on the Whisper Path, she only needed one sentence to make him strip and run naked on the spot.

Li Yèlái's smile instantly froze.

Because the middle-aged man raised his glass toward him from afar and said, "Little brother, you—"

However, in the next second, a strange sensation suddenly came from overhead.

The two bodyguards behind the middle-aged man stiffened, while Li Yèlái slightly raised his head.

He saw the antique chandelier on the ceiling suddenly crash down toward the middle-aged man!

Damn it, this really feels familiar.