Chapter 16: Willingly Deceived [4K]
“What? The true form of the X Celestial God has descended upon Shancheng? Such important information, why didn’t you notify us earlier?”
Near the long-closed fire escape of CHARMCLUB, the safety exit sign in the stairwell emitted a ghostly green glow, illuminating Lin Kule’s serious expression.
As soon as she spoke, realizing that her emotions had gotten the better of her and that she had shouted, she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands and glanced around warily. After confirming that there was no one nearby, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Standing opposite Lin Kule was a young man dressed in a leopard-print shirt, with his hair dyed a golden hue and a somewhat delicate appearance. He was a informant of the Shancheng Siye Society, placed in this Solar Eclipse Society stronghold.
Upon hearing Lin Kule’s question, the young informant’s face showed a helpless smile as he explained, “I wanted to inform you earlier too! But I hadn’t confirmed the authenticity of the news before, I couldn’t just say anything carelessly.”
“Sister Kule, you know my status here is low; even if I can gather core secrets, there’s going to be a delay.” Lin Kule opened her mouth, repeatedly wanting to say something but stopping short, finally letting out a silent sigh. “Alright, I’ll trust you for now!”
“Can we continue? Besides the X Celestial God’s true form descending, you must have other information, right?”
“Also, recently, there have been constant reports of people going missing in and around Shancheng, actually instigated by the Solar Eclipse Society.”
“We already knew that!” Lin Kule interjected, “Last night, I captured a member of the Solar Eclipse Society who was extracting the source spirit from human bodies.”
“Then, is there anything else?”
When asked by Lin Kule, the informant quickly replied, “Yes, that Zhang Shuisheng guy met with a certain fanatic of the X Celestial God once, but I don’t know what they discussed. I was on duty at the door, and after their meeting, Zhang Shuisheng left the conference room looking quite grim.”
Zhang Shuisheng is Zhang Yi’s father and the founder of Shancheng Sunrise Biotechnology, likely the mastermind behind Wang Han’s sudden d*ath at the train station.
Lin Kule’s curiosity was piqued. “You mean to say they had a falling out?”
She had assumed that the Solar Eclipse Society and the X Celestial God had a cooperative relationship, but from the informant’s remarks, it seemed their partnership was not very stable.
“It’s possible they had a falling out,” the informant clarified, “after all, those big shots are very theatrical…”
Lin Kule grew somewhat impatient with yet another piece of less-than-useful information and pursed her lips, asking, “Is there anything else?”
“There is more,” the informant’s brows furrowed as he scratched the back of his head, evidently racking his brain for any useful information.
“Right! That unknown fanatic of the X Celestial God somehow bought the Laoshui Cave coal mine, which had previously had fatalities a few years ago and has been temporarily shut down.”
As soon as she heard that, Lin Kule’s eyes lit up, eagerly pressing on, “What did they buy it for?”
She felt that she had found the key to crack the case! Perhaps this was the intuition that led her to this nightclub tonight!
The coal mine was notoriously polluted, emitting large amounts of harmful substances during coal mining and rough processing, with sulfides and inhalable dust being major components of smog.
A fanatic of the X Celestial God buying a coal mine that emits materials known to contribute to smog surely had ulterior motives!
“Rehabilitation, re-extraction, and re-cultivation,” the informant said weakly.
“Ah?”
Lin Kule suddenly felt her brain short-circuiting.
“A fanatic of the X Celestial God buys a coal mine that helps their master enhance their powers and plans to garner big news while starting an environmental initiative?”
“That would be like someone caught embezzling and saying they haven’t dared to spend a penny. Do you believe that?”
“Although,” the informant stammered for a bit and then quietly replied, “personally, I don’t believe it, but it’s not the first time fans of the X Celestial God have done such things.”
“Just two years ago, Guanghui Electric, uh, another fanatic of the X Celestial God, bought a thermal power plant and transformed it into a micro-biological power plant. Last year, another fanatic shut down their oil refinery without any warning. By the way, I heard there’s also a reforestation initiative in the northwest.”
“Stop, stop!” Lin Kule felt the absurdity of it all, unable to resist interjecting, “Are you saying that the X Celestial God is planning to renounce their evil ways and turn from pollution urban legends to environmental legends?”
This contrast was too large and not cute at all!
To blindly believe that the X Celestial God and their followers genuinely cared about environmental causes would lead to disaster.
Being whipped, like a top being spun.
“I wouldn’t know! My position only allows me to access this level of information,” the informant said, pulling out his phone to check the time, his face slightly changing, “Oh no, I’ve delayed too long. If I don’t go back now, they might start becoming suspicious.”
Saying this, without waiting for Lin Kule to speak, he hurriedly ran back into the nightclub.
Watching the informant’s departing figure, Lin Kule let out a soft sigh, noticing he didn’t seem inclined to stop. Eventually, she fell silent, pouting and casting a resentful glance toward the dance floor.
Why did it feel like that guy still had some important information he hadn’t disclosed?
If Sister Li were here, she could determine whether this kid was lying.
She wondered just what Li had seen.
Three minutes ago, while she and Jiang Li entered CHARMCLUB, she had been searching for the informant’s figure when Jiang Li suddenly hurried off without saying a word.
By the time she reacted, only Jiang Li’s departing figure remained.
She had intended to chase after and call Jiang Li back, but at that critical moment, her intuitive sense told her not to pursue Jiang Li as it would be beneficial for the case investigation.
As a loyal believer of the “Intuitive Religion,” she chose to trust her instincts and sought out the informant on her own.
However, she hadn’t gained any significant information.
Could I be wrong about my intuition?
It shouldn’t be!
Could it be that my intuition guided me here tonight not to meet the informant and gain information from him? Lin Kule pondered.
After five waves of suitors being turned away, many who considered themselves the “most special one” intending to continue trying to approach Lu Yibei.
However, upon seeing Lu Yibei dancing to the rhythm of the music with another girl in the dance floor, they immediately understood that they had no chance.
At the same time, a few others suddenly felt like they had a chance, but soon realized they didn’t.
The two people on the dance floor locked eyes deeply, as if immersed in their own little world, the surrounding noise gradually quieting down, the dazzling lights softening, and the alcohol-scented air slowly taking on a faint floral fragrance.
Even those who were usually unromantic could see that in this moment, only each other existed in their eyes, their tender gazes intertwining in an intoxicating embrace.
If someone were to disrupt their solitude at this moment, they would either be psychologically troubled or a believer of some extremist sect!
After all, which normal person wouldn’t enjoy watching beautiful girls stick close together?
The music resonated, and under the hazy and dreamy lights, Jiang Li’s cold eyes stared into Lu Yibei’s, silently conveying a message.
[I remember that bomb rolled to the left; if you get a bit closer, you should be able to locate it, right?]
She had seen the power of Lu Yibei’s alchemical dirty bomb more than once and was very clear about what could result from that bomb exploding unexpectedly. If it wasn’t dealt with promptly, it could lead to unnecessary troubles for Lu Yibei.
Upon understanding the message conveyed in Jiang Li’s eyes, Lu Yibei paused in surprise.
Does she not ask me why I’m here? Or what I intended to do by pulling out a bomb in a nightclub? Lu Yibei thought.
Jiang Li’s reaction surprised her, but it was also a bit heartwarming.
It was heartwarming because that feeling resembled a time when she fought with a classmate, and the teacher called her parents to school. When her father saw her, he didn’t ask her why she fought but rather whether she was hurt.
The implicit message was simple, “There must be a reason you did this; I don’t want to ask but only care whether you’re hurt.”
It was strange because it reminded her of her father.
Generally speaking, shouldn’t Jiang Li’s identity be regarded as a girlfriend?
But why did this suddenly feel so much like a “fatherly” vibe?
Lu Yibei secretly thought until Jiang Li’s hand resting on her shoulder gently tightened, making her remember that she needed to respond.
[I can locate it.]
Jiang Li: [Hm, then let’s move left, slowly, so as not to draw unnecessary attention.]
Stepping forward, inching closer to the direction where the alchemical dirty bomb had rolled.
Lu Yibei furrowed her brows, staring deeply at Jiang Li, hesitating for a long time, and finally unable to hold back, conveyed a message with her eyes.
Like a child who did something wrong, feeling guilty and trying to admit to their parent to seek leniency.
[Don’t you want to ask me why I’m here?]
Without any hesitation, Jiang Li immediately answered.
[If you want to tell me, you will naturally say it. If I ask too much, you might find it annoying.]
Lu Yibei: [Me? How could that be? Is there a sound more pleasant than Jiang Li’s voice in this world? If there is, then that person must have a problem with their hearing. But speaking of which, why are you here?]
Jiang Li: [Work.]
Lu Yibei: [Oh, oh.]
And then,
Suddenly, their conversation fell into a stagnation, as if every topic that could be spoken dragged into an invisible monster, disappearing without a trace.
Lu Yibei thought, “No, this opportunity is rare; I must find something else to say!”
However, just as she was about to initiate another encrypted conversation with Jiang Li, as if anticipating what Lu Yibei wanted to say, Jiang Li was one step ahead, relaying information with her eyes.
[That girl at the train station today is the one you saved last time in Peach Source, right? I think her name is Jumeng, third on the Siye Society’s red warning list?]
[If you want to talk about her, I suggest you think it over first.]
You can choose not to explain, but you cannot lie.
Lu Yibei: [Uh, you still remember that? She came to travel; we just ran into each other. There’s nothing too strange about it. No, it’s not that simple. Actually, I was monitoring her, so to speak, I am also an excellent Siye Society operative, right? I certainly can’t let that vicious urban legend run rampant! So.]
Jiang Li: [Alright, I understand. [Heart-to-heart emoji]]
Sending a glance toward Lu Yibei, Jiang Li’s lips curled into a shallow smile, like the first peach blossom blooming at the beginning of spring when the ice melts.
Lu Yibei was momentarily lost in thought.
She rarely saw Jiang Li smile.
That feeling suddenly felt right! But why did it still feel strange?
Forget it; as long as she’s happy!
Lu Yibei: [By the way, Leader, since you are able to leave headquarters, you must have successfully advanced your spirit patterns, right? Have you gained any new abilities?]
After conveying the message with her eyes to Jiang Li, she saw Jiang Li squinting slightly, a rare sly look appearing on her face.
Jiang Li: [Yes!]
[For example, tracking a target, executing penalties, and distinguishing right from wrong, judging truth from falsehood. [Heart-to-heart emoji]]
You can choose not to explain, but you cannot lie to me, unless I am willingly deceived.
Judging truth and falsehood? This caused Lu Yibei’s heart to skip a beat, her complexion suddenly turning pale, and she heard in her ears, as if a hallucination, the pronouncement of a d*ath sentence.
Seeing this, Jiang Li’s smile grew thicker, as if triumphantly executing a cunning plan.
In fact, when she saw Lu Yibei, usually articulate and persuasive, struggling to weave a clumsy lie, desperately trying to explain—almost appearing flustered—there was no sense of unhappiness.
It showed that Lu Yibei cared.
Jiang Li: [So now, is there anything else you want to say?]
Lu Yibei dodged Jiang Li’s gaze, her brows lowered, pondering for a few seconds, and suddenly raised her head with determination.
[Yes! After hearing about your new ability, I suddenly had a bold idea.]
Jiang Li: [Let’s hear it.]
Lu Yibei: [I can say this!]
“I’m lying with this sentence,” she whispered to Jiang Li’s ear.
Accompanied by Lu Yibei’s words, she immediately felt her spirit patterns stirring restlessly, as if unable to hold back from breaking away from her body to strike, feeling a hint of potential loss of control.
Once she calmed the agitation of her spirit patterns, she looked at Lu Yibei again, secretly deciding that it would be better not to use her spirit pattern abilities on Lu Yibei unnecessarily in the future.
After all, she couldn’t be sure when Lu Yibei would blurt out something that would make it impossible for the spirit patterns to make a judgment, and even risk losing control.
Just as Lu Yibei was about to push Jiang Li toward potential spirit pattern loss, outside CHARMCLUB, on the bustling street, a girl in a faded hoodie with the hood pulled low caught the attention of passersby.
Shancheng was known as a furnace, and now it was summer. Wasn’t the girl hot in all those layers?
But the girl indeed did not seem to feel the summer heat, as she occasionally checked the wrinkled business card in her hand while moving forward, until she finally saw the door of CHARMCLUB, which seemed like a simplified version of Dream Come True Entertainment City, her eyes gradually filling with excitement.
“Finally found it; this must be the place. I should be able to learn a lot of new knowledge here, right?”
