Yi Shi didn't pay much attention to formalities, just as he had said.
Exchanging pleasantries was already his limit, and he got straight to the point: "If this case is confirmed to be the work of an S-level monster, we must be informed. The higher-ups said it must be reported immediately."
Shouldn't this kind of thing be kept confidential?
Qi Yuan couldn't understand Yi Shi's approach.
"...Are you sure it's okay to talk about this in public?"
Yi Shi didn't care: "Hmph, do you think those A-level superhumans can keep a secret? They walk around with long faces, afraid that others won't know."
He had a point, and Qi Yuan agreed wholeheartedly.
After their conversation, they refocused their attention on Ye Yuan's case.
Qi Yuan didn't understand investigation techniques, and it was impossible for him to find the truth by flipping through random things and shining a flashlight on it.
But he at least knew to look for commonalities.
Both of the missing individuals hoped to awaken their superhuman abilities, so it was definitely worth investigating in that direction.
After understanding the situation, the three of them left the residential building.
Qi Yuan looked at the darkening sky and spoke compassionately: "Let's stop here for today. You guys should pay attention to the chat group between Xu Yingxia and Ye Yuan."
Gao Changze was puzzled: "Aren't we going to find out about Gou Baling's situation?"
"Well..." Yin Qingran's tone was calm, "Gou Baling is only the origin of Ye Yuan's desire to awaken her abilities, but not the reason for her disappearance."
"Can you bring me along?"
"It's still a clue, better than us fishing in the sea of chat groups..." Gao Changze shrugged, then looked around, "Did I hear something just now?"
"It's me, Gao classmate."
Ji Jia's voice was like a mosquito, but the tone sounded as if she was shouting at the top of her lungs.
So it was Ji Jia.
Gao Changze was about to greet her as usual, but then he realized something was wrong.
How did she know it was me?
He felt a chill down his spine, and his body went numb. Why did he keep losing his disguises today?
Or maybe everyone knew, but just didn't say it...
Thinking of this possibility, Gao Changze wanted to find a hole to bury himself in.
Yin Qingran was surprised. If Qi Yuan noticed that they were being watched, it was expected, but the fact that this girl also knew shocked her.
Gao Changze was a bit reluctant and wanted to struggle a bit, trying to save his disguise.
But Qi Yuan didn't give him face and directly exposed him, "How do you know he's Gao Changze?"
Ji Jia covered her mouth with her finger, tugged at her clothes, making her already soft voice even softer.
"Intuition, and Gao classmate can't possess spirits."
Although the sentence was short, it completely sentenced Gao Changze to death.
He couldn't argue with that. Ever since he met Yin Qingran and the others, he carried a person with him every day.
Who goes out without a disguise?
In case they start a fight, he couldn't just say, "Wait for me to get a disguise and come back to fight you."
"Let's go, let's find another place to talk."
Although it was Gao Changze's disguise that was exposed, Yin Qingran was a bit worried and suggested changing the location for the conversation.
Ji Jia touched her bangs and said, "Okay... okay."
The four of them found a secluded corner,
Eight pairs of eyes glanced at each other, but none of them took the initiative to speak. In the end, all eyes focused on Qi Yuan.
Isn't this what you wanted to talk about?
Qi Yuan, the perplexed monk, realized that it was not feasible to remain in this deadlock.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, "Are you planning to investigate Ye Yuan's case?"
Seeing Ji Jia nod, Qi Yuan added, "You heard what Yi Shi said, it's not a low-risk endeavor."
Ji Jia continued nodding, but her nods became more pronounced, reflecting her determination.
"Then let's go together."
Since disagreeing wouldn't change anything, Ji Jia would investigate on her own, so Qi Yuan thought it would be better to have some extra help.
Without hesitation, Qi Yuan agreed.
With the matter settled, silence descended upon the atmosphere once again.
Yin Qingran and Gao Changze were caught off guard by Ji Jia's sudden "fellow student" remark, leaving them at a loss for words, much like an author struggling to find the right words and hesitating for a long time.
Ji Jia vaguely sensed their confusion but wasn't skilled in making small talk, so she also became entangled in her own thoughts.
Just as Qi Yuan was about to put an end to their awkward silence...
"Hey! This is our territory!"
The hooligans held steel pipes, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, and were only missing a big gold chain around their necks.
As they got a clear view of the situation in the alley, their mouths hung open, and their cigarettes dropped to the ground.
In the middle of the alley, an extraordinary young man protected a girl while facing off against two mysterious individuals.
When the mysterious individuals turned to look at them, a strong sense of danger overwhelmed them.
Their minds quickly flashed with words like "deal," "mysterious organization," "assassination," and "clash between two factions."
This was bad, they were in trouble!
"Big bros and sisters, sorry for the intrusion, we'll leave now."
However, it was already too late to leave at this point. They quickly scurried into the local security office, trembling in fear.
"Comrade security officer, I surrender!"
"What nonsense!"
...
After teaming up to beat up the hooligans, the three of them were no longer hesitant.
Gao Changze got straight to the point and asked Ji Jia to keep the matter confidential.
Ji Jia vigorously nodded in response, then hesitated before speaking up.
"... My intuition tells me that I should find her. My intuition has always been accurate..."
In the end, under Ji Jia's insistence, the four of them decided to go and find Gou Baling.
Since they had no leads and going wouldn't hurt, they immediately made up their minds to find Gou Baling.
It was already getting late, but they knocked on the door of Gou Baling's house.
The woman who opened the door had a tired expression, and the sound of mahjong tiles colliding could be heard from inside the house.
"She's not home, maybe she's out somewhere playing?"
"Can you tell us where she went?"
The woman's expression turned impatient, but upon seeing Qi Yuan's face, she calmed down. "She hasn't come back for a few days, how would I know?"
Shouldn't you be concerned if she hasn't returned for a few days?
Qi Yuan doubted whether the woman in front of him was truly Gou Baling's relative, as she seemed indifferent to whether Gou Baling was alive or dead.
"May I ask who you are?"
"I'm her mother. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to playing mahjong."
"... Alright."
The four of them exchanged glances, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Gao Changze tentatively suggested, "Should we go to her school tomorrow?"
"I guess that's the only option."
Yin Qingran stood with her arms crossed, showing little enthusiasm for the matter.
Hearing their conversation, Qi Yuan deleted the draft of the provocative message he had been writing. It was indeed inappropriate to make someone work overtime at night to gather information for him.
Ji Jia raised her hand, and her arm seemed uncertain about whether to go up or not. "Perhaps... I can rely on my intuition to find Gou Baling."
The others had never seen this method of finding someone before, so they looked puzzled.
With an attitude of wanting to broaden their horizons, the three of them followed Ji Jia as she turned left and right until they finally arrived in front of a private room in a KTV.
When they opened the door, they saw Gou Baling holding a microphone and singing a duet with a male student, filled with deep emotion.
Qi Yuan, who had always been dedicated to contributing to global warming, suddenly took in a breath of cool air.
You call this intuition?
What's the difference between this and cheating?
Suddenly, a few strange people burst in, and the students in the private room reflexively panicked.
It seemed like they had triggered their PTSD from being caught by their teachers and parents.
Even though they were caught, their panic remained.
Once they realized that the newcomers had no connection to their teachers or parents, they became arrogant and began clamoring.
"Who are you guys?"
"Why are you trespassing on someone else's territory?"
"It's so inexplicable."
Seeing these "kids" being so naive, Qi Yuan laughed.
Perhaps the word "consequences" didn't even exist in their minds. They acted on impulse without thinking about the repercussions.