ASER – Chapter 17

The other person, also a customer, stopped the elevator just as it was about to close. He smiled apologetically at A’Diao, then swiped his ID card.

He was going to the second-floor restaurant.

Right, it was almost dinnertime.

A’Diao didn’t keep staring at him, as it would be impolite. She merely sighed inwardly: A city is a city, truly different from a small county town. This person’s demeanor was even better than Officer Feng Ting’s.

Then… should she try to win his favor?

What A’Diao didn’t know was that at this moment, Zhang Cheng was also thinking: Such a coincidence, should I kill her now? Cleaning up traces in the hotel would be a bit troublesome, but after obtaining the Spiritual Vessel and leaving immediately, it would be clean and efficient. However… there were surveillance cameras in the elevator.

The numbers on the elevator display descended floor by floor. When it reached the third floor, Zhang Cheng prepared to make his move. He had just lowered his head, so the surveillance camera hadn’t captured his face. And from the height of the 3rd floor, as long as he succeeded, he could immediately jump from the side window into the backyard and escape. Moreover, he was using a fake identity this time; even if the Authorities (Government Office) checked the hotel system, it would be useless.

Since it was so… Zhang Cheng was about to slide out the sharp nail clipper hidden in his sleeve.

His prey suddenly spoke.

“Uncle, is your fly unzipped?”

“!”

【Mental Energy from Zhang Cheng +1.】

Huh, this person was called Zhang Cheng?

But she had just accidentally glimpsed the name recorded on his room card registration—it was clearly Li Si.

She suddenly understood a toilet ability that could verify the truth of someone’s identity.

However, this person was clearly a low-level target, yet his caliber was higher than all the previous ones. Under her sudden “attack,” he only yielded +1.

The system’s judgment wouldn’t be wrong. It could only mean the other person’s mental state was incredibly stable.

This was no ordinary person.

A’Diao suddenly became suspicious. Her expression remained unchanged, a little awkward and shy, but she observed his reaction…

Zhang Cheng was indeed surprised, but not by what she said. Rather, it was that she suddenly… He was surprised, but merely surprised.

From Jiang Chun’s description, he could roughly tell what kind of person this girl was.

Either truly naive, or truly cunning.

Could it be that she had seen through him?

“Uh, no, what nonsense are you talking?!” Zhang Cheng looked down at his fly, feigning anger.

A’Diao, however, was even more alarmed.

For someone rated higher than Feng Ting, what did a +1 fluctuation in emotional Mental Energy even count for? It was almost nothing.

Clearly, his emotions hadn’t fluctuated much, yet he could feign such anger. Was it necessary to be so cautious with an ordinary person like her?

This man was not right; he must be after something!

A sense of crisis welled up in A’Diao. Their eyes met. The atmosphere in the elevator suddenly turned strange. There was a faint… hair-trigger… killing intent?

Her palms inexplicably started to sweat.

Ding… The elevator suddenly stopped.

The second floor had arrived.

A swarm of people who had just finished eating squeezed in.

Watching A’Diao get pushed into a corner by the crowd, because she was short, even her head couldn’t be seen.

Zhang Cheng’s expression was calm. He avoided the crowded people, lowered his head, and rubbed his fingernail with the nail clipper in his hand, his expression unruffled.

The first floor arrived. Everyone exited the elevator. Zhang Cheng had expected A’Diao to flee, but she didn’t. She even came over to apologize to him, blushing, “I’m sorry, Big Brother. I just… thought you were really handsome and wanted to say a few words to you, haha.”

People were coming and going around them. After speaking, she shyly walked away. She even went to the lobby to register that she was going out and requested that no cleaning staff enter to clean.

Then, without looking back, she headed out of the hotel.

Zhang Cheng’s suspicion lessened. After all, if she had truly seen through his identity, she wouldn’t be so bold, would she?

He also went out. He saw A’Diao swipe a card and ride away on a shared bicycle from outside the hotel.

After A’Diao rode the bicycle away from the hotel, while calculating the increase or decrease in personnel indicated by the toilet’s reminder, she noted the other party was moving further away.

He didn’t follow?

Gave up so easily? That shouldn’t be right. Could it be she was overthinking things?

A’Diao temporarily dismissed this thought, concentrating on riding along the previously calculated route.

The reason she was cycling was because she was using the toilet’s senses to monitor for suspicious individuals hidden within the area she had predicted.

Although she had previously guessed the source of the disaster was human rather than Demonic Spirits, these people were undoubtedly disguising themselves as Demonic Spirits to commit their crimes, thereby concealing their identities. So their attack range would still be encompassed within this circle.

When A’Diao cycled to the target area, the toilet quickly gave her a reminder: there were actually seven low-level conquerable targets!

Right in the small shop ahead, where many customers were eating.

So densely packed? Could they be the culprits?

No, they could also be disguised government officers.

They were naturally also on guard against Demonic Spirits reappearing to abduct children.

And the incidents mostly occurred at night, so now was the time for them to be in position.

“Then I’ll have to rule out these official personnel. But how can I tell if they are criminals or government officers?”

After careful thought, A’Diao felt this kind of task should still be left to that old dog Chen Ran.

That old dog Chen Ran had just finished one round of contacts, but this current call was clearly different. His tone was also different.

Seemingly more assertive, but also more intimate. There was less calculation in his eyes and expression.

The specific reason could probably be discerned from the other person’s words.

“Father, the clues provided by this person are beneficial to you. They can be kept. There’s no need for excessive probing. Given the current situation, Prefect Zhao Yu is overwhelmed. No matter how foolish he is, he wouldn’t be distracted enough to send such a person to set a trap for you. After all, if he truly can’t handle it, he already has the ability to push you to the forefront to bear the greatest responsibility.”

Prefect Zhao Yu had backing; otherwise, Chen Ran wouldn’t have been suppressed and schemed against. For years, he had been dealing with him through petty maneuvers. If not for Chen Ran’s cunning, the Chen family would have already fallen.

“Since this person is willing to seek benefits, they are, on the contrary, trustworthy. This crisis still depends on you, Father, to turn the tide. Your son is studying at the academy, utterly useless. You’ve worked hard, Father.”

Chen Ran highly valued his eldest son. Hearing this, he said, “Your good studies are already the greatest help to me.”

After the two ended the call, in a single dormitory of an academy in Jinling, a 19-year-old young gentleman placed his phone aside. He did not reopen his books. Instead, he picked up a booklet, took up a pen, and wrote. Afterwards, he sealed the volume and had his study attendant deliver the thick booklet.

“Young Master…”

“Deliver it. For the sake of camaraderie among classmates, helping with review and exam preparation is only right.”

After the study attendant left, the young gentleman glanced at another map he had drawn, which was beside him. It was surprisingly similar to the one Chen Ran had shown him. But he hadn’t told his father that he had also just drawn one.

He stood up and opened the window, looking at the night sky that had already fallen. A cool, light breeze came in. His fingers tapped on the window frame.

“Although it’s a source of disaster, it’s also an opportunity.”

He was confident in his father’s abilities. His earlier words were a reminder to himself—that within this school, he actually had many connections he could use.

So his review booklet was sent to the only son of a certain influential high official in Jinling.

But would this make the other party lend a hand?

Not necessarily.

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Chen Ran ended the call. Just as he was about to deploy his men, a text message arrived on his phone. He immediately picked it up to check.

As expected, it was that person again.

The other party had sent a distribution map.

Dense red dots.

At first glance, he thought it indicated multiple incident locations. But Chen Ran knew every crime scene by heart. He immediately knew these red dots weren’t marking incidents, but rather… the locations where government officers were disguised.

Some of these points were where his own men were stationed. As for the other, more numerous locations, they were likely government officers arranged by the Prefect’s office.

Chen Ran had initially thought this person was intelligent and cunning. As an outsider, they could step outside the strange circle of his struggle with the Prefect and investigate this case from a higher perspective, making them worth using.

But at this moment, Chen Ran’s heart was in turmoil: What methods did this person have, to so accurately perceive the deployment details of all the official experts in Lingcheng! These were all elites, yet she had found them all!

Before he could think deeply, the other party sent the following message.

—You should have realized, these red dots are your and the Prefect’s office’s deployment points. But I have to tell you, I’m not familiar with your men.

A glint flashed in Chen Ran’s eyes. He quickly understood the intent of this message.

Not familiar, yet found them all. This meant she was only detecting experts.

Experts. They were his men, and also the Prefect’s office’s men. But they could also be…

Moreover, the area surrounded by these red dots was the 8th outer ring of the Jiannan Community. This was the sector they predicted for the next wave of attacks.

“You’re telling me to investigate the personnel from both sides, remove these individuals, and what’s left will be the real culprit gang?”

The old dog was indeed sharp.

—Yes.

Chen Ran: “Are you sure? Can you really detect one hundred percent of all the experts hidden in that area?”

Either this person’s own strength far surpassed these experts, or this person possessed a high-end Forbidden Item or a special Spiritual Vessel with relevant powers.

—Can you one hundred percent identify all the experts under the Prefect’s office?

What a damn sharp retort.

Chen Ran’s expression darkened. He had no intention of probing further. “What’s the price this time?”

—Wait until Official Chen (Chen Daren) gets out of this, then we’ll settle the bill.

Chen Ran was somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood the other party’s meaning. Not asking for money now meant the other party was firm about their deal with him. It was taking a stance, and also a reminder that he didn’t need to probe further. But it was also an investment.

Once he escaped this crisis, the reward then wouldn’t be the current price.

This didn’t matter. If he could truly escape, he wouldn’t be stingy.

Chen Ran began to investigate these red dots. But he felt a slight unease in his heart: The other party seemed to have guessed that he definitely had a confidant in the Prefect’s office.

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A’Diao was all too familiar with Chen Ran’s cunning and insidiousness. To be able to fight with the Prefect’s office for so many years without defeat, to be able to foresee Prefect Zhao Yu’s underhanded moves each time, he must have a confidant hidden in Zhao Yu’s team.

In other words, within the Prefect’s office, there was currently one of Chen Ran’s moles, and also a mole from the real culprit gang.

A’Diao glanced at the 13 deployment points she had noted on her map. The real culprit gang was most likely lurking among them.

However, she had carefully investigated them using the toilet’s senses, and only sent the data to Chen Ran after confirming it was correct.

After finishing these tasks, she prepared to return to the hotel for dinner. Calculating the time, it was already past seven o’clock.

A’Diao didn’t want any unexpected complications. Just as she was about to leave, suddenly… the system sent a reminder: “Attention, a low-level conquerable target is currently on its way.”

Strange. Had a government officer moved? Rashly moving a deployment point at this time was not a wise move. Or was it a deployment change from the Prefect’s office or Chen Ran’s side?

A’Diao casually glanced back. The result almost scared her out of her wits.

Damn, Zhang Cheng!

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