The hunched figure was very blurry, but it was clear enough to identify her. This was obviously the old lady seen in the surveillance footage earlier, the one who had traded with Liu Hong.
A slight smile appeared on Mr. Qian’s face. His divinity hadn't gone to waste; hadn't he found a clue?
His gaze was fixed on the slightly hunched back, watching as the figure moved slowly, as if she really were just an ordinary old lady.
The figure shuffled into the alley bit by bit. When she reached the middle, she even looked back, as if searching for any followers or cameras.
After confirming there was no one following her, her figure distorted for a moment and then vanished into thin air.
“Huh?”
At that moment, even Mr. Qian, a Sequence 4, found it incredibly eerie!
How could an old lady who wasn't a Demigod and possessed no transcendent items vanish in an instant?
Or rather, if she had this kind of ability, why hadn't she vanished earlier? Why did she have to come to this specific alley? Was there something special about this place?
Mr. Qian frowned deeply, unable to make head or tail of it.
...
Dormitory.
The three of them had finished their meal and were now each holding a book, reading with rapt attention.
Liu Hong didn't actually like reading, but he had no choice; the studious atmosphere in their dormitory was simply too heavy.
He already considered himself Zheng Yang’s best friend, but now someone with the same interests as Zheng Yang had arrived. If he didn't work hard, wouldn't his position as the number one best friend be usurped?
“I heard your grades were excellent. Why didn't you stay in Central City for university?”
Qin Ye suddenly closed his book and turned to ask Yin Yang.
Yin Yang was sitting on the sofa by the window. He didn't even look up when he heard the question.
“Why are there so many ‘whys’ in this world? Not everything has an answer.”
Qin Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You read Mr. Wan Tianqing’s books too?”
The reason he had this suspicion was that Yin Yang’s last sentence was the very quote found on the title page of Wan Tianqing’s books.
“Hmm?”
For the first time, Yin Yang put down his book and looked at him with a surprised expression.
“You read them too?”
“Of course. Which of Mr. Wan’s books is your favorite?”
“《Loathing Study》. And yours?”
“《Insatiable Learning》.”
The two looked at each other and smiled, then immediately went back to their respective books as if nothing had happened.
This left Liu Hong, who had just been about to join the conversation, looking completely bewildered. He had no choice but to continue reading.
“Gurgle~”
His stomach let out an untimely growl. When he noticed both of them looking at him, Liu Hong gave an embarrassed smile.
“Well, eating only vegetables really doesn't keep you full for long.”
Yin Yang pointed toward his room.
“I have a few boxes of biscuits in my cabinet. They’re yours.”
“Hehehe, I knew we were best friends~”
Liu Hong gave Qin Ye a casual glance as he spoke, but Qin Ye didn't look up at all, continuing to read quietly.
Liu Hong put down his book and went into the room to get the biscuits. Just as he was about to ask Yin Yang if he wanted any, Mr. Yu and Mr. Qian walked in from outside.
Mr. Yu pointed at Liu Hong and said, “This is the kid who traded canned food for human meat.”
Hearing this, Liu Hong looked down at the biscuits in his hand, then up at Mr. Yu, his expression on the verge of tears.
“Sir, these biscuits aren't made of human meat too, are they?”
“What nonsense. Mr. Qian has questions for you. Answer truthfully, understood?”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll definitely tell the whole truth.”
Mr. Qian nodded, then opened the bag he was carrying and took out a pen and paper.
“Tell me the general appearance of that old lady. Think carefully—were there any specific details?”
“Appearance? Just like what was in the surveillance footage.”
“Were there any other details? For example, a scent, an accent, or a tattoo?”
“Hmm, let me think.”
Liu Hong thought very seriously, because he really wanted to catch the person who had sold him human meat!
“Yes, that person had a fishy, raw smell on her. At the time, I didn't think much of it because she was selling raw meat, but thinking back now, that smell was a bit off.”
“I didn't see any tattoos, and her accent was from Wangnian City. As for other details... wait, there actually is something.”
Liu Hong suddenly looked excited as something occurred to him.
“What is it?”
“That old lady had a lot of little bright spots on her, like the confetti you see at a festival celebration that gets stuck on your clothes. Does that count as a clue?”
“It does!”
Mr. Qian answered decisively.
He recorded the clue Liu Hong provided on the paper and asked, “Anything else?”
“That’s all I can think of for now. If it’s convenient, could you leave me your contact information? I’ll reach out if I remember anything else.”
Mr. Qian shook his head.
“If you have new clues, just tell Old Yu. He’ll pass them on to me.”
“Alright.”
Liu Hong wasn't surprised at all. After all, he had known from the moment they first met that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to catch the eye of the man in front of him.
Only then did Mr. Qian turn his gaze to the others in the room.
He glanced at Qin Ye first, then his eyes settled on Yin Yang.
“Old Yuan has praised you to me more than once, and Old Yu also says you’re quick-witted with extraordinary insight.”
“So, let me test you. I was tracking that old woman, but her figure vanished inside an alleyway. There wasn't a single trace of spirituality left at the scene.”
“If she wasn't a Demigod, there would be spiritual residue.”
“If she were a Demigod, there would be no need for her to specifically enter an alleyway. If you were in charge of this case, what would be your line of thinking?”
Yin Yang closed his book and said, “I don’t have much of a lead, but if someone insists on going to a deserted place before teleporting, it reminds me of a certain rule.”
“What rule?”
“Sight Rules!”
Mr. Qian’s eyes lit up, instantly grasping Yin Yang’s point.
Sometimes, it was just like that—those involved were blind to what was obvious to an outsider.
A matter that had left him deeply confused was made clear by a single remark.
Anyone who has seen horror movies knows the trope: a ghost or monster that was right in front of you a second ago vanishes the moment you blink or turn your head.
This is one form of Sight Rules. For example:
To certain entities, a line of sight is like a physical thread.
When you look at them, your gaze ‘tethers’ them in place.
But when you blink or turn away, causing your line of sight to shift, they are ‘unbound’ and can thus disappear.
This is the most basic form of Sight Rules.
What Yin Yang wanted to tell Mr. Qian was that the reason the woman specifically entered the alley was likely to ‘unbind’ herself!
“If that’s the case, I can indeed think of a possibility.”
“She is using the sight of others to bind herself, thereby allowing herself to ‘exist.’ Once all surrounding gazes vanish, she vanishes along with them!”
Mr. Qian looked at Yin Yang with a face full of admiration.
“Your logical thinking is indeed impressive. It’s a pity you’re a doctor; why don’t you join the Security Bureau instead!”
Rate on N.U.
