Zhou Yu's Hardcore Search: Using a Cannon to Kill a Mosquito

At the very bottom was the chin of the lion-head mask, from which a thin needle sprang out, grazing Lingyang's long braid and piercing the frame of the bronze mirror, with half a piece of blackened talisman paper hanging from the end of the needle.

The one who deflected Lingyang behind her with a horizontal sword was Chisa. The scabbard struck the mask mechanism, and the entire lion face flipped onto the table. Sigelica then picked up the thin needle, a wisp of black ash the same as the threshold talisman paper remaining on the needle tip.

"Someone tampered with that amulet; damn it, they even turned this place into a trap."

The animal ears clung to the brim of his hat, and Lingyang touched the end of his braid.

"That amulet... all it contained was the little lock my mother gave me. What do they need that broken thing for?"

Zhou Yu pressed the fragments from the canvas bag onto the table. The two black talismans heated up together through the tissue, and the ink lines veered toward the broken rope on Lingyang's chest. He casually tapped the corner of the table with the megaphone, and a black rivet the size of a grain of rice fell out from inside the lion head mask.

"Let's seal off this shabby room tonight. Nobody is allowed to touch anything. Keep the personnel list; catching thieves during our vacation counts as extra work. We'll talk about it tomorrow morning."

Sigelica pointed to the needle, which was still emitting black smoke.

"Seriously? They've practically installed this ridiculous gadget on their face, and you're still thinking about taking a vacation?"

"Checking things in the middle of the night makes it easy to miss something, and it also disturbs Dania's sleep."

Zhou Yu handed the last roasted chestnut to Dania, and then he spoke.

"Besides, they left so many traces; they're clearly trying to lead us by the nose. Whoever's in a rush to work overtime right now will fall into their trap first."

Early in the morning, the long table in the front hall of Clear Radiance Courtyard was covered with maps.

Zhou Yu, wearing a white vest and floral shorts, pushed six walkie-talkies forward one by one. A red megaphone was placed in the center of the square map. The map marked four areas: the dressing room, the rehearsal area, the shops, and the drainage ditch. Breakfast stalls and lunch spots were marked next to each area.

"The special task force for finding the talisman has been temporarily formed. The working hours are until 1 PM. If it goes over, it will automatically be converted to a pre-holiday rest period. Linnai and Aimis will go and ask those merchants. Chisaki will check the monitoring array. Sigelica, you will check the drainage ditch. Qiu Yuan will be in charge of the grass and trees outside."

Sigelica stared at the dirtiest part of the map.

"No... why should I be the one checking the drainage ditch?"

Zhou Yu pushed a pack of dust wipes towards her.

"You have a shield, that manhole cover won't hurt you."

"What do these two things... have in common?"

"Yes, that's called an equipment adaptation position."

Aimis had already pulled Linnai out the door, and the two of them asked their way along the stalls near the dressing room. Aimis song for the flower-selling old woman, Linnai casually wrote a signboard for the dessert stall. Before long, the osmanthus cake, ice cream, and three statements delivered by the vendors filled the table.

"Yesterday afternoon... a handyman carrying masks did indeed pass by."

Aimis pressed the button on the walkie-talkie.

He was wearing a gray coat and a straw hat, and his left leg was dragging as he walked. He headed towards the west end of the alley.

Chisaki sat beside the central array of the Festival Department, two temporary wires connected to a tablet, and the image of Lingyang was divided into hundreds of small squares.

"The surveillance array at the west alley entrance... is missing seven breaths of footage. The other side used black talismans to cover it up. I'm comparing the shadows of passersby frame by frame right now."

Zhou Yu brought Dania back to the cabin. An old-fashioned digital watch was pasted on the exterior wall, and the hands had reversed half a increment.

[Region model display: semi-transparent].

The walls within a hundred meters of the dressing room had faded to a light gray, revealing layers of beams, pillars, hidden compartments, and underground pipes. Dania, holding a bubble tea, leaned close to Zhou Yu's arm. Three Patrol Department guards crouching behind the equipment room were clearly seen through two walls. One of them was smoking a pipe, another had half a roast chicken hidden in his arms, and the one at the very back was using official documents to hold dice.

Zhou Yu raised the walkie-talkie.

"Qiu Yuan, three suspicious people have been found in the northwest corner of the wall, carrying tobacco, cooked food, and gambling paraphernalia."

A loud crashing sound came from the equipment room, and the three guards rushed out, their faces covered in dust. When they saw Qiu Yuan's pipe-smoking fellow, they hurriedly stuffed the pipe into their sleeves, and a wisp of white smoke quickly emerged from their cuffs.

Qiu Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword; his expression was even more weary than when he had captured the members of the Fractsidus.

"You have left your posts without authorization during your duty period. Go back and accept your punishment."

"Lord Qiu... well, we're just patrolling in a different area."

Zhou Yu peeked out from behind the transparent wall.

"What, you consider this roast chicken part of your patrol equipment?"

The three of them all bowed their heads. The roadside vendors had already gathered around to watch the commotion. The old man selling candy even recognized the half-eaten roast chicken and demanded that they pay for the bamboo skewers.

The X-ray vision continued to extend underground, but the amulet was still nowhere to be found. However, two privately stored wine jars and an illegally expanded small warehouse were revealed. Upon hearing the news, the Festival Department immediately posted a rectification notice, and Zhou Yu quickly turned off his electronic watch.

"If this keeps going, this lousy lost-and-found task is going to turn into Jinzhou City survey."

Sigelica emerged from the drain in the afternoon, her hair covered in dust. A frog was still perched on her riot shield. She slammed a tattered bag onto the table, containing three brass buttons, two hairpins, and a bunch of rusty keys.

"I couldn't find the lucky charm. Damn, I even found the loose change that fell in two years ago. Next time, for this so-called easy job... you'll have to do it yourself."

While squatting in the flowerbed, turning over the last clump of roses, was Qiu Yuan on the other side. A few withered leaves hung on the hem of his clothes. Chisaki, who had replayed the entire scene, could only confirm that the servant had crossed the alleyway in the missing seven breaths and then disappeared from any array records.

Squatting behind the wooden box on the high platform was Lingyang. He had drawn more than a dozen crooked circles on the ground with a twig. In the distance, the drummer had already begun testing the sound. With each drumbeat, his tail pressed closer to his leg.

"If we mess up the grand finale tomorrow night, Liondance Troupe's preparations this year will be for nothing. The children are all waiting for the lion to bring them good fortune, and right now... I don't even know where to put my feet."

Zhou Yu glanced at his digital watch; there was only half a quarter of an hour left in the search period. He slowly walked over and patted Lingyang on the shoulder.

"Let me tell you, the ultimate skill in finding something is when you give up looking for it, and it just pops up on its own."

Lingyang looked up.

"No... it can walk by itself too?"

"That black talisman can locate objects. The other party took your talisman most likely to see when you need it the most."

Zhou Yu took the half-finished bubble tea from Dania and casually shoved the cup into Lingyang's palm.

"Hurry up, drink it now, and get on stage for rehearsal."

Dania stared at the last remaining pearls at the bottom of the cup, and reluctantly pushed the straw towards Lingyang.

"Here... you can drink this. But you have to jump high after you finish it!"

The drumbeats rang out again from the center of the platform, and Lingyang, who was holding a milk tea, slowly perked up his drooping animal ears.

Zhou Yu raised his old-fashioned digital watch, the hands pointing directly at the lion dance platform.

"Just go up on stage and jump. I'll use a bug to make sure you don't fall."