Cui Renwang initially wanted to refuse, but considering that a refusal might only lead to Captain Xie poking him in the forehead and asking why he was not eating properly, he gave a vague hum of agreement. He said, “I will go to the convenience store to buy some water.”
“Then I will go buy food,” Xie Chongyang said, looking around. “Do you want fried noodles?”
Cui Renwang considered it for a moment. “Okay. Is there a small portion?”
“You need to eat more,” Xie Chongyang said earnestly. “A chaotic schedule and not eating well will only make your health worse and worse! Do not pretend you did not hear me!”
Cui Renwang quickened his pace toward the convenience store without looking back.
A few minutes later, the two met back at the car. Xie Chongyang brought two boxes of fried noodles plus two large meat skewers. Cui Renwang glanced at them and pulled a bottle of strawberry milk out of his shopping bag.
Xie Chongyang stuffed a meat skewer into his hand without a word, took a bottle of sports drink from him, and asked, “You bought that many? Eat while it is hot; I added spicy seasoning for you.”
Cui Renwang watched Xie Chongyang. He seemed accustomed to eating in the car; his eating speed was fast, but his manners were decent. His expression was so focused it made one feel he truly respected the food in his hands, which somehow stirred Cui Renwang’s own appetite.
Following the Captain’s good appetite, Cui Renwang took a bite. The taste was indeed quite good. He leaned back in the car seat and ate slowly, as if he were turning street food into a fine dining experience.
Holding his meat skewer, Cui Renwang looked across the street at the City God Temple. Surrounded by the shouting of vendors in the night, the temple did not seem majestic; instead, it felt more approachable. Occasionally, a soul-reaper who lingered in the human world would pass by the stalls, taking a deep breath of the aroma and showing a look of intoxication.
Cui Renwang could not help but let out a laugh.
Xie Chongyang leaned over, following his gaze to look outside. “What is it? What are you laughing at?”
Cui Renwang nudged him back. “I am laughing because the civil servants in the underworld are not as strictly managed as you are.” They could even collect gold ingots.
Xie Chongyang did not understand. “Huh?”
Cui Renwang gave a low laugh. “I am praising how well you all follow the five prohibitions.”
“Of course,” Xie Chongyang said quite proudly. “Our City Bureau never engages in that kind of thing! We”
Just then, Xiao Tao’s call came in, and Xie Chongyang immediately shut his mouth. Cui Renwang answered on speakerphone. Xiao Tao’s voice was filled with excitement. “Boss! I found a lead!”
“The three people you sent over have records in the public security system. They were detained before for brawling, but at that time, there were five of them.”
Cui Renwang was surprised. “Five?”
“Yes. Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Purple. It is like they have their own fandom colors; they have always been grouped like that.” Xiao Tao’s voice was accompanied by the pitter-patter of typing on a keyboard. “Right now, Little Red, Little Green, and Little Yellow are unconscious in the hospital with officers watching them. The person possessed by the ‘wife’ is either Little Blue or Little Purple. I cannot reach them by phone, and I have not found them on surveillance yet. That very handsome policewoman said you two should go check things out offline. I sent the address to you. The one closest to the City God Temple should be Little Purple.”
“Understood. We are going there now. You keep watching the surveillance,” Cui Renwang promised. “Have you eaten?”
Hearing Cui Renwang concern himself with whether someone else had eaten, Xie Chongyang could not help but steal another glance at him. It turned out this man was not completely lacking in life skills; he just simply did not care about himself.
“I ate. I ate with everyone,” Xiao Tao said quietly. “Captain Xie’s colleagues are still helping out. They said they cannot take a free meal, so they are working overtime with us today.”
Cui Renwang laughed. Xie Chongyang was a bit confused. “What free meal?”
Hearing his voice, Xiao Tao’s tone instantly became shy. “Well, Boss ordered takeout for me. I heard the others had not left yet, so we ordered together.”
Cui Renwang looked back lazily. “I am one of the City Bureau’s people now. There is no suspicion of bribery this time, right?”
Xie Chongyang hesitated. “I suppose not.”
Cui Renwang opened the navigation. “Here. Let us check Little Purple’s house first.”
“Alright.” Xie Chongyang quickly finished cleaning up the trash. “Take a few more bites!”
The car parked at the City God Temple turned around, merged into the evening peak traffic, and drove toward the next target.
A Street in Fengcheng
A drunkard stumbled along a small path, humming an out-of-tune tune and gesturing from time to time, looking very much intoxicated. As he walked past a dark alley, a sudden thud echoed out.
The tune stopped instantly. The drunkard’s blurry eyes widened, and he shouted with forced courage, “Who is there!”
In a narrow alley beside him, clutter was piled up, making it almost impossible to pass. The noise just now seemed to have come from somewhere in there. He craned his neck to look, suspecting it was either a stray cat or a rat.
Just as his heart began to settle, there was another thud. A somewhat distorted shadow suddenly stood up in the darkness of the narrow alley.
“Aaaah!” The drunkard let out a howl. The alcohol evaporated through his pores instantly. He stumbled back a few steps before he could see the true form of the shadow.
It was a thin young man. He was wearing a highly saturated blue tight-fitting shirt and equally tight pants. His walking posture had a subtle, strange quality that did not match his body.
The hazy lights made his shadow flicker like a monster. Once the drunkard confirmed the person opposite was not some non-human creature but just an ordinary, weak young man, his alcoholic vapor turned back into courage, and he started cursing immediately.
The sound of vulgarities echoed through the alley. Suddenly, that face burst into his vision. With bloodshot eyes and dark circles, the young man’s mouth opened and closed. “Have you seen my”
“Aaaah!” The drunkard shouted again, shoved him aside, and ran away, crawling and rolling.
The youth in blue fell to the ground. He sat there dazed for a long while before slowly standing up again. He let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky reflecting various lights with some fear.
Being possessed felt like a brief return to life, but the neon high-rises of the new era dazzled the ghost of the old era. He instinctively hid back in the dark alley, wandering through the city while leaning against the walls.
Little Blue’s soul, which had been squeezed out of his body, trailed behind him with a dull expression, drifting aimlessly. Behind him, the three souls of Red, Green, and Yellow followed as well. Just like they usually gathered in a group, they huddled together, confused but united.
He suddenly tilted his head and looked toward the end of the alley. A heavy Yin energy drifted vaguely from that direction. For ghosts and spirits, it was a rare delicacy, much like incense.
Like a person who had been hungry for a long time being attracted by the smell of food, like a fish taking the bait or a moth to a flame, his footsteps gradually became firm as he sought out the place with the heavier Yin energy.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, he stopped in front of an unfinished building. The overall structure of the building was complete, but the doors and windows were exposed like gaping black holes. He stood before the building, his gaze momentary confused.
The heavy Yin energy from before had vanished, leaving only a faint lingering scent in the air. Even if there had been a grand Yin feast here just now, the stall had already been packed up.
Tap, tap. Slow but rhythmic footsteps approached. Someone let out a slight “Huh” of surprise.
“Why is there another one here?” The man in a checkered suit was so refined he looked completely out of place in the unfinished building. He adjusted the fedora on his head and let out a low laugh. “A pity. He has already finished his meal.”
He lightly shook the snakeskin briefcase in his hand, which made a sound like things clashing inside. If that courier had been here, he would have found it familiar; although the voice had been altered, his tone had a unique cadence.
The youth in blue could not help but tremble. He seemed to want to run, but his body, or rather his soul, reacted more honestly with fear. He fell to his knees on the ground, curling up in terror and letting out a few whimpers.
“Hmm.” The man seemed to be thinking. Finally, he smiled. “Appearing only after he has finished his meal, perhaps this is your good luck. We must believe in the guidance of fate. Since that is the case, let me give you a gift.”
Fengcheng South, Jiahe Phase 3 Community
Xie Chongyang and Cui Renwang followed the address provided by Xiao Tao and knocked on the door of the young man codenamed “Little Purple.”
“Did I not leave a note saying to put it outside” The young man with messy hair, wearing a black hoodie and only a pair of large boxers, opened the door aggressively. After seeing the two adult men outside, especially Xie Chongyang, his anger instantly vanished and turned into shock. He seemed to sense something ominous, and his eyes darted around uneasily. “Who are you?”
Xie Chongyang showed his police identification, and the two managed to enter his home quite smoothly. Xie Chongyang looked at him and, surprisingly, his first question was, “Why are you not wearing purple clothes?”
“Huh?” Little Purple did not react.
Cui Renwang glanced at Little Purple and said, “Maybe he has gone dark.”
“Eh?” Little Purple was even more confused.
Xie Chongyang, however, showed a slight smile. Little Purple, not knowing what was going on, smiled along. “Officer, I have not done anything recently.”
Xie Chongyang stopped smiling, his eyes staring at the other man with pressure. “You have not done anything, but do you know what the others have done?”
Little Purple shook his head quickly, clutching his hands nervously. Clearly, without needing to say more, he knew who Xie Chongyang was referring to by “the others.” He asked cautiously, “What happened to them? Did they get into another fight with that Gray Snake Gang? Then you should catch them too! Officers, are you not supposed to sweep away black-hearted and evil forces? They are a gang now, so shouldn’t they be”
“I am not joking with you. Do you really not know what they did?” Xie Chongyang tapped the table heavily. “Just last night.”
Little Purple became visibly panicked. He shook his head repeatedly. “I really do not know!”
“What about you then?” Xie Chongyang kept a stiff face, continuing to apply pressure. “What were you doing last night?”
Little Purple pulled his neck in and said somewhat weakly, “At the internet cafe.”
“By yourself? Which internet cafe?” Xie Chongyang pressed. “We will go verify the records.”
“There might not be a record.” Little Purple lowered his head, his hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets, looking somewhat embarrassed.