Two Liu Qians!

"Liu Qian?"

Bai Xuan looked puzzled. What was she doing here?

She was supposed to be in the Safe House with Bai Yu right now.

"You... how do you know my name?!"

Liu Qian looked just as confused. The man in the Slime Mask had called her by name!

And her reaction was exactly like the Liu Qian Bai Xuan remembered.

Apart from appearing in the wrong place and wearing different clothes, she looked and acted exactly the same!

"It's nothing."

Bai Xuan shook his head. Without another word, he turned and left with Xilin.

Watching them go, Liu Qian tilted her head in confusion.

Then a coworker called from a distance, "Liu Qian, all the injured are in the ambulance. We should go!"

"Okay, coming!"

After returning home, Bai Xuan turned in two quests first.

[World Quest: Rock Golem (Completed)]

[Quest Reward: Equipment—Rock Core Pendant (Green)]

[Rock Core Pendant (Green): Generates a shield that blocks one instance of damage.]

"A defensive item? Pretty useful." Bai Xuan nodded, satisfied enough.

[World Quest: Venomous Giant Rat (Completed)]

[Quest Reward: Item—Venomous Potion ×1 (Green)]

[Venomous Potion (Green): A highly toxic potion.]

But the quest rewards weren't what concerned him most. Why had Liu Qian appeared in White Sea City?

And she hadn't looked like a Police Officer. She'd looked more like medical staff...

If the woman he'd just seen really was Liu Qian, then who was the "Liu Qian" who'd been staying with Bai Yu?

A twin sister?

Or... had someone disguised themselves as her?

Bai Xuan wanted to investigate further, but he'd noticed that the uniform Liu Qian wore wasn't ordinary hospital attire. It belonged to the Investigation Bureau's medical staff.

Could Liu Qian actually work for the White Sea City Investigation Bureau?

"There's just too little information..."

Bai Xuan frowned. Those clues alone weren't enough to draw any conclusions.

What was her goal?

Who was she really?

Why had she suddenly appeared in Ninghang City, hundreds of kilometers from White Sea City?

And why had she joined the Ninghang City Public Security Bureau as a Police Officer?

One thing was certain: since Liu Qian had joined the Investigation Bureau's medical team, her personal records would have been encrypted and sealed.

Everyone connected to the Investigation Bureau had their identity protected, even if they weren't a formal Investigator.

In other words, Liu Qian could only have joined the Public Security Bureau with the Investigation Bureau's permission.

"A little scheme by the White Sea City Investigation Bureau?"

Bai Xuan suspected this might be a move the White Sea City Investigation Bureau had planned: use Liu Qian as bait to draw out a target.

As for the "Liu Qian" with Bai Yu now, Espers capable of changing their appearance did exist in this world.

But if he wanted more information, he would probably have to start with the Liu Qian in Ninghang City.

As for the Liu Qian far away in White Sea City, her innocent face made Bai Xuan want to believe she knew nothing about any of this.

"Master, I've finished bathing."

Xilin stepped out of the bathroom and spoke softly.

Ever since moving into Bai Xuan's home, she had grown to love baths.

It wasn't the feeling of hot water running over her body that she loved, though. It was the quiet time afterward, when she changed into her pajamas and had a moment entirely to herself.

It felt as though she could finally let down her guard and relax, body and mind.

Now, her Holy Robe felt more like a shackle binding her.

Bai Xuan glanced at the time. It was already eleven at night.

"Forget it. I'll think about it tomorrow."

At that moment, inside a building in Ninghang City.

A middle-aged man in a suit sat in an executive chair, slowly turning two peculiarly patterned beads in his hand, his expression grave.

On the desk beside him, his phone was still connected to a call.

"Wang Ling, haven't you caught her yet? The biological experiment urgently needs a sample from her."

"Are you sure it's her?" the middle-aged man asked in a low voice.

"She's Liu Mufei's niece. The blood tests show that aside from Liu Mufei, only her blood can activate the experiment," the voice on the phone continued. "She's indispensable to the Life Vessel research!"

"The Investigation Bureau still hasn't realized our true purpose. They think we only want to use Liu Qian to threaten Liu Mufei. We have to bring her back while we can!"

"This is our only chance."

"Do not fail."

"Fine. I understand." Wang Ling hung up and looked at a document on his desk.

According to the report, Liu Qian had been moved to the Military Base in northern Ninghang City, and the Public Security Bureau had recently tightened its security arrangements.

However...

He pulled out another file: the medical examination report from when Liu Qian joined the Public Security Bureau.

They had singled out Liu Qian because a blood sample taken during her employment physical a month earlier had unexpectedly revealed her unusual bloodline.

She shared a bloodline with Liu Mufei, the Deputy Director of the White Sea City Investigation Bureau. His organization was using Liu Mufei's blood to advance a project called "Life Vessel," which aimed to grant humanity immortality.

But Wang Ling still had two doubts:

First, why had Liu Qian's records been blank for so long, only to appear recently?

Second, what exactly was Liu Mufei's Superpower? Why had she become the Deputy Director in White Sea City, and why was she the key sample for "Life Vessel"?

Despite all his doubts, he had to obey the organization's orders.

"The Corpse Army is still in the testing phase... but deploy everyone. Bring her back to me!"

"Bai Xuan, were you sick yesterday?" Zhao Fan asked curiously.

Bai Xuan nodded. "Yeah, a bit of a cold."

"That's a shame." Zhao Fan patted him on the shoulder, sounding regretful. "You missed the desserts that transfer student treated the whole school to."

"?"

Bai Xuan froze for a moment. "The whole school? Is she that rich?"

"She sure is. I heard her family is the richest in Ninghang City," Zhao Fan said. "She's beautiful and comes from a wealthy family. I can't imagine who in this world could be good enough for her."

"The richest?" Bai Xuan raised an eyebrow. That was quite a distinction.

As they spoke, the bell rang.

A teacher entered the classroom and smiled at everyone. "Students, I have some good news today."

"The policy for Ideal City's second group of residents has changed. Anyone who places in the city's top thirty on this year's selection exam will have a chance to study in Ideal City as an outstanding student..."

Bai Xuan listened closely.

Ideal City was the only S-Rank City currently under construction. Built jointly by the world's five major nations, it was seen as humanity's future and the final line of defense against Anomalous Calamities.

Of course, no S-Rank Calamity had appeared so far.

The worst had been three A-Rank Anomalous Calamities.

One had occurred in China. Several Advanced Investigators had sacrificed their lives to seal that A-Rank Anomalous Calamity.

But that had been years ago.