Inside Chen Ye’s café, Yang Yan and a fellow officer shook off their umbrellas.
"This damn weather—raining every day. The field teams are really suffering lately."
Yang Yan scanned the sparse crowd: a raincoat-clad college student with a black-dressed girl, Wang Haonan in the corner, and a suited man behind the counter.
Wang Haonan waved. "Inspector Yang! Any leads on the killer?"
"Not yet," Yang Yan replied, eyeing him. "Heard you quit your job?"
Wang Haonan chuckled. "Old bones can’t handle AC repairs anymore. Thinking of retiring to fish in my hometown."
The fish-man snorted. "Careful, or a fish might drag you underwater."
"Depends on the fish’s size," Wang Haonan grinned.
Yang Yan sniffed. "Smells... fishy here."
Wang Haonan lifted a plastic bag. "Fresh catch from the market. Want to inspect?"
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
At the counter, a silver-skinned barista—the Wall-Walker—ground beans. "The master’s resting. I’m the new hire."
Beside him, the Hive Queen sipped coffee, her gloved hands drawing Yang Yan’s gaze.
"Staring so boldly, sir? How embarrassing~"
Yang Yan snapped back, uneasy. *Why does she feel... hypnotic?*
As coffee was served, Yang Yan’s neck prickled—an unseen intensity burned behind him. He glanced subtly: no one.
The fish-man stood. "Let’s go." The raven-girl followed.
Wang Haonan grabbed his fish bag. "Till next time, Inspector."
"Wait—let me see that fish."
Wang Haonan hesitated. "It’s... not pretty." Inside flopped an ugly deep-sea creature.
"Black叉齿鱼. Rare here. Tastes awful. Why buy it?"
"Maybe I’ve eccentric tastes," Wang Haonan shrugged, leaving.
Outside, Wang Haonan tossed the fish to the fish-man. "You think Master Os needs this?"
"Worth testing. That cop’s onto you."
"Killing him would raise more suspicion."
...
Upstairs, Chen Ye watered a bizarre plant—a sunflower with eyeball-filled blooms and vine-like leaves that snapped at insects.
"Mosquito-free summer. Flytrap Plus."
He mused over the Hive Queen’s cryptic "gift" invitation. *South Dam tomorrow... troublesome, but necessary.*
...
**Designation No.003: The Invisible One (Third Party)**