Zhao Jiong felt utterly deflated.

"Don't be too discouraged, Officer Zhao. Zhao Boshan is just incredibly cunning," Hu Li tried to comfort him. "But who exactly is this Li Xiao?"

Why did Zhao Boshan transfer the pharmaceutical factory to him? And why wasn't he angry about being cuckolded?

"Li Xiao is his brother-in-law," Zhao Jiong explained, recalling the details he'd uncovered about Zhao Boshan. "His wife’s maiden name was Li."

"The Li family initially built their wealth on herbal medicine. Later, they established a pharmaceutical factory, becoming one of Pengcheng’s major taxpayers."

"Unfortunately, the old man died young, leaving the vast estate for his two children. The daughter, Li Xuan, married Zhao Boshan right after college and became a devoted housewife, completely ignorant of business. The son, Li Xiao, despite studying business administration, was a wastrel, squandering the family fortune quickly."

"It was Zhao Boshan who stepped in to manage things, preserving the Li family's business while simultaneously building his own company from scratch."

It was a win-win situation for him.

"But since the company was under Li Xiao’s name, why didn’t you find this out earlier?" Xing Miao asked, her suspicions growing. "With your resources, you shouldn't have overlooked this detail."

Something didn't add up.

"The pharmaceutical factory was initially Li Xuan's," Zhao Jiong elaborated. "After her death, she left it to Zhao Boshan in her will. He later gave it to Li Xiao."

The problem was, this information hadn’t shown up in the documents he received.

Even if the transfer had been done quietly, the business records should have reflected it.

"The conclusion is obvious," Xing Miao said, folding her hands. "Either there’s a mole in the Special Management Bureau, or Zhao Boshan bribed someone at the business registry, giving you incomplete information."

Either scenario meant they had been played.

Business registry errors could be passed off as oversight, but a mole in the bureau was a far graver issue, casting a pall over the room.

"I have a question," Jin Hong suddenly raised her hand, breaking the silence. "Doesn't it seem like Zhao Boshan knew we were investigating him and set this all up?"

His smooth, premeditated demeanor seemed too convenient, too staged.

Indeed, Zhao Jiong and Xing Miao had the same feeling.

Xing Miao exchanged a look with Zhao Jiong, whose pale face and serious expression mirrored her own thoughts.

There was a mole in the Special Management Bureau.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Doesn't that make him even more suspicious?" Hu Li pointed out. "An innocent person wouldn't go to such lengths to cover their tracks."

Zhao Jiong: "..."

"You're right," Zhao Jiong slapped his face lightly to wake himself up. "Since he pointed us to Li Xiao, we should investigate him. Let's see what he’s hiding."

With steely resolve, Zhao Jiong called a colleague to check Li Xiao’s whereabouts five nights ago.

The colleague soon called back. "Zhao, Li Xiao was indeed at the pharmaceutical factory with Mo Baobao five nights ago. But... he just died."

"What?" Zhao Jiong stood up, his brow furrowing deeply. "How did he die? Murder or suicide?"

"Accident. A drunk driver speeding and ignoring traffic rules crashed into him. The car exploded due to a gas leak, and by the time firefighters arrived, he was burned to a crisp."

Zhao Jiong ended the call with a grim expression. "Li Xiao is dead. I need to visit the scene." He paused, then added, "We should split up. Ling Ji, come with me. Jin Hong, Xing Miao, and Hu Li, you go to Li Xiao’s house. I’ll arrange for a search warrant to be sent over."

Though Jin Hong was a koi spirit, Zhao Jiong instinctively wanted Ling Ji’s company, a gut feeling honed from countless cases.

Twenty minutes later, the pair arrived at the scene.

Police tape cordoned off the area, where a few onlookers lingered, some discreetly taking photos with their phones.

"Officer Zhao, the bodies are over here, but they’re unrecognizable," an officer greeted him, leading them to two covered corpses. "The other car is over there, also badly burned."

Any clues would likely be charred beyond recognition.

That was the unspoken implication.

Zhao Jiong inspected the scene, finding a burned-out van and a sports car, its hood adorned with the charred remnants of a winged figure.

The lingering heat from the fire still emitted wisps of smoke, mingling with the acrid smell of burnt metal and oil, a pungent reminder of the destruction.

Finding no useful clues, Zhao Jiong instructed the officers to send the bodies to the coroner. "Lady Ling Ji, did you notice anything unusual?"

"Everything seems normal," Ling Ji replied, watching the bodies being loaded into the police van. "Except their souls are missing."

"What do you mean, their souls are missing?" Zhao Jiong glanced at the departing van, now just a distant silhouette.

"You should ask a professional," Ling Ji suggested, nodding towards a seemingly empty space. "The reapers, Black and White Wuchang, are over there."

Zhao Jiong looked where she pointed, seeing nothing but trees. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his bag, put them on, and finally saw the ghosts.

"Old Black, why is the big boss here? Isn't she supposed to be in Fengchuan?" The reapers, alerted by their app, had arrived to collect the souls, only to spot a familiar and formidable figure. They ducked behind a tree in unison, peeking out nervously. "Did she see us?"

Black Wuchang: "..."

Tired, doesn't want to speak.

Now he understood why another team was so eager to trade shifts with them.

He should have realized there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

"Old Black, say something." White Wuchang tugged on his partner's chain, shrinking further behind the tree. "If we pretend not to see her and leave now, do you think we can get away with it?"

"What do you think?" Seeing the human approaching, Black Wuchang saw their reflection in the man's sunglasses. He yanked the soul chain from White Wuchang’s hand and stepped forward.

"You're from the Special Management Bureau?"

"Yes, Deputy Team Leader Zhao Jiong of Unit One," Zhao Jiong nodded slightly, mindful of the ordinary people around. "Are you here for the souls of Li Xiao and Li Zhuang?"

"Yes," Black Wuchang confirmed, glancing at the scene. Considering Zhao Jiong’s status, he explained, "We arrived shortly after notification, but their souls are missing."

"This isn't the first time."

In the past week alone, at least a dozen souls had vanished mysteriously.

Zhao Jiong's expression grew serious. "Do you have any leads?"

Black Wuchang looked at Ling Ji, then pulled out a compass from his sleeve. "In places where souls have disappeared, we've detected traces of dark cultivators."

"Dark cultivators?" Zhao Jiong's heart sank.

Dark cultivators and missing souls together spelled trouble.

"We'll report the soul disappearances to our superiors. As for the dark cultivators, we'll leave it to the Special Management Bureau."

Zhao Jiong nodded, his face somber. Black Wuchang softened slightly. "We'll take our leave now." He bowed to Ling Ji, then led the still bewildered White Wuchang away.

"My Lady..." Zhao Jiong returned to Ling Ji, troubled.

Ling Ji’s sharp senses picked up everything within ten miles. But she wasn't one to comfort others. After a long silence, she simply said, "Do your job well."

Zhao Jiong: "???"

"Why are you staring at me? That dark cultivator isn’t the one who killed Mo Baobao. I can't help for free." Remembering Xing Miao's talk of remuneration, Ling Ji straightened, speaking righteously, "My services are expensive. If it’s not about Mo Baobao, I don't work for free."

Zhao Jiong: "...!!!"

His budding plan to bribe her with food died instantly.

Who taught this pure demon about money’s importance, who?!

He soon found out.

"Did you find all this at Li Xiao's house?" Zhao Jiong asked, looking at the pile of items on the table, his tone grave.

"Yes, we found them in a safe," Jin Hong said proudly.

"Is this the drug we've been looking for?" Hu Li pointed to a small glass vial, half-filled with clear liquid.

Zhao Jiong picked up the vial, shook it, and watched the liquid ripple. "We need Lin to test it, but I suspect it’s the same poison found in Mo Baobao’s body."

The feeling of being led along a predetermined path grew stronger.

In a vast darkness, blood-red eyes slowly opened, cold, indifferent, and filled with mockery. Then they closed again.

Ling Ji, mid-bite, sensed something and looked towards the source of the red eyes, murmuring, "Hmm."

About to leave, Zhao Jiong turned back at the sound. "Lady Ling Ji?"

---