“Do you all understand?” Su Wan asked.
“Understood!” they chorused.
Su Wan looked at Lei Lie and Scarface. “The two of you will enter the Inner City. Your primary objective is to investigate the Deep Blue Research Institute.”
“See how they react after the Shadow-Stalker Beast is handed over—who receives it, and what their next moves are...”
Lei Lie and Scarface exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. “Yes, ma'am!”
Su Wan nodded and waved them off. “Very well, go and get ready.”
The group turned to leave, their steps much lighter than before.
Su Wan withdrew her gaze and turned toward Room 102.
Her timing was perfect; only one minute remained.
With a thought, she commanded, “Return to Blue Star.”
The familiar sensation of weightlessness washed over her as the scene before her eyes began to warp and blur.
A second later, she opened her eyes to see the familiar concrete ceiling of Room 102 in Jinxiu Garden.
Outside the window, the afternoon sun of Blue Star shone down.
...
Unbeknownst to Su Wan, an elderly scavenger had discovered the crime scene the morning after Old K’s death.
An hour later, the area outside the Hongguang Machinery Factory was swarming with police cars and onlookers.
Forensic investigators moved in and out, taking photos, gathering evidence, and making records.
Outside the police line, media reporters who had rushed to the scene craned their necks, trying to capture any valuable footage.
After investigating and collecting evidence, the police quickly confirmed that the crazed woman at the scene was none other than Bai Ruochu, the youngest granddaughter of Old Master Bai, the chairman of the Bai Corporation!
Soon, Old K’s identity and his connection to Bai Ruochu also came to light.
The captain of the criminal investigation team knitted his brows into a tight knot.
A wealthy heiress, a mercenary, an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night, one dead and one driven mad...
This case was going to be a massive headache.
News of the case spread as if it had grown wings, hitting the headlines of every major news platform by that afternoon.
【Exclusive: High Society Bloodbath! Bai Heiress Found at Abandoned Warehouse Late at Night; Mercenary Companion Dead Under Bizarre Circumstances!】
【Bai Ruochu Suspected of Mental Breakdown; Deceased’s Identity Shocking—Former Southeast Asian Mercenary!】
【Exclusive Reveal: Deceased Known as Old K, Formerly Active in Northern Myanmar; Relationship with Bai Ruochu Shrouded in Mystery!】
Independent media outlets let their imaginations run wild, churning out endless melodramatic stories of “high society feuds,” “mercenary lovers turned enemies,” and “heiress commits midnight murder.”
Some posted blurry photos of the scene, while others analyzed the pair's “secret relationship” with mock gravity, sending the comment sections into a frenzy.
“Oh my god, the little princess of the Bai family? She always seemed so glamorous, and now she’s a murderer?”
“A mercenary and a wealthy heiress—this plot is more intense than a TV drama!”
“I heard she went crazy? Is she just faking it to escape the law?”
“The Bai family is in deep trouble now. Their stock hit the floor the moment the market opened!”
As expected, the Bai Corporation's stock began a vertical plunge the moment the news broke.
Investor confidence collapsed, partners called incessantly, and the public relations department was in a state of utter chaos.
Even more fatally, sharp-eyed media outlets began linking Bai Ruochu’s case to the Xu Tianlin scandal that had broken a few days prior.
The Xu, Bai, and Gu families were already a tight-knit alliance in Jiangcheng's business world.
With scandals hitting one after another, it was impossible not to speculate.
“High Society Chain Reaction” and “Jiangcheng’s Three Great Families Mired in Scandal” began to appear, fanning the flames of public discourse.
Inside the study of the Bai family’s ancestral home.
Old Master Bai slammed his tablet onto the desk, the screen shattering on impact.
His aged face was ashen with rage, his chest heaving as his eyes swirled with monstrous anger and deep heartache.
“Ruochu... How could Ruochu do such a thing?! How could she possibly kill someone?! Especially a mercenary!!”
The middle-aged man beside him, Bai Ruochu’s father, Bai Chengye, looked equally grim but had no choice but to speak up.
“Father, the current situation... the police’s preliminary investigation found Ruochu’s fingerprints on the murder weapon, and her blood was found on the deceased. Furthermore...”
“...surveillance footage shows that Ruochu did indeed drive to that warehouse by herself last night.”
“Nonsense!” Old Master Bai roared. “Ruochu is a fragile girl! Who was this Old K? A mercenary! A man who has seen blood! How could Ruochu possibly kill him?! This is clearly a frame-up!”
Bai Chengye gave a bitter smile. “But Father, no trace of a third party was found at the scene... and in Ruochu’s current state, she is completely unable to defend herself...”
Old Master Bai took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He walked to the window and stared at the familiar courtyard for a long time before speaking in a low voice.
“First, pressure the police. Demand a thorough investigation; they must not close the case hastily! Tell them the Bai family will spare no expense to uncover the truth!”
“Second, control the narrative. Delete what needs to be deleted, suppress what needs to be suppressed. Hire the best PR team to steer the public opinion toward ‘mental breakdown’ or ‘being manipulated.’ We must frame Ruochu as the victim, no matter what!”
“Third...” He turned around, his eyes becoming deep and sinister. “Use our hidden channels. Commission the people from ‘over there’ to investigate... There are many things the police can’t find, but they can.”
“I want to know exactly what happened in that warehouse that night, what Ruochu went through, and how that Old K... really died.”
Bai Chengye’s eyelid twitched at the mention of “over there.” He whispered,
“Father, you want... those people to get involved? But they’ve always kept a low profile and never interfere with our family’s private affairs...”
“Private affairs?” Old Master Bai sneered. “Do you really think this is just a private matter?”
“Ruochu is just a frail young lady. She absolutely lacked the ability and the courage to kill Old K!”
“Someone who can kill a mercenary like Old K, drive Ruochu insane, and clean up the scene so thoroughly that even the police can’t find a single clue...”
“Do you think anyone who can do all that is simple?”
“And yesterday, that boy from the Xu family was taken in... supposedly after confessing his own crimes and surrendering!”
“Hmph, you know what kind of person the Xu boy is. Unless something extraordinary happened, why would he ever do such a thing?”
“Combine that with what happened to our Ruochu... Don't you think it’s too much of a coincidence? Don’t you think there’s a mysterious hand pulling the strings behind all this?”
“The Bai family has always conducted legitimate business. If there is anything that would draw the attention of such mysterious figures or forces, it would only be that project!”
“For that project, we joined forces with the Gu family to deal with the Su family and seize that land. Those were the orders given to us by ‘over there’!”
“Ruochu might not know the specifics, but she is my granddaughter. If someone is investigating this matter and follows the trail...”
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