Jing Pei opened the email and saw the message from the client.

【I heard you can buy any kind of information here.】

Jing Pei replied:

【There’s only information you can’t afford. There’s no such thing as information I don’t have.】

Well, businesspeople always exaggerated a little and painted beautiful dreams for customers.

【Can you guarantee that customer privacy won’t leak in the slightest?】

This was a very cautious client.

Jing Pei believed in conducting business honestly, so she opened her computer and tapped away at the keyboard, hiding both the email route and access path. That way, the people lurking outside would lose the ability to trace customer addresses or peek into private matters.

【Yes.】

A while later, after Mei Yanlan finished preparing the soup ingredients and came out after washing her hands, a new email finally arrived.

【Do you only sell each piece of information once, or can you sell the same information multiple times? Can I buy exclusive rights?】

Now Jing Pei had grown curious about this client.

Wanting exclusive rights meant wanting secrecy. That made it highly likely the client wanted information about themselves—or about someone very important to them.

She glanced at the email address.

A temporary mailbox. The kind that required no real-name verification.

Most likely created just for this exchange.

So she replied that exclusive purchase was possible.

“What are you doing? Class has started. Put down the phone and close the computer.”

Mei Yanlan spoke sternly.

“Okay.”

Jing Pei could only suppress her curiosity for the moment.

Only around noon, when Mei Yanlan prepared to deliver nourishing soup to Xiao Cheng, who was working overtime alone at the company, did lessons finally pause.

Mei Yanlan asked whether she wanted some soup too.

Jing Pei politely declined.

Better save it for the future pregnant husband.

Only after Mei Yanlan left did Jing Pei reopen the mailbox.

The client had already sent over the requested subject matter.

The death notice incident involving Madam Ouyang of Hujing Prefecture.

Jing Pei raised an eyebrow and searched online.

Sure enough, the entire internet buzzed with discussion. After all, the victim was the wife of a famous luxury-goods tycoon.

And the couple themselves were extremely famous.

The husband had once been an unloved child expelled from a wealthy family together with his mother.

The wife, meanwhile, had been a once-famous national goddess-level actress. Rumor claimed even atavist family heads had pursued her.

Yet in the end, she chose the penniless Mr. Ouyang.

After marriage, she fully supported her husband, funding his startup, bringing him onto variety shows, and promoting his products for free, allowing him to rise from nothing.

Eventually he returned to the wealthy family, defeated numerous competitors, and inherited the family business.

The husband and wife shared perfect harmony and deep affection.

They even appeared together on a couples’ reality show, gathering countless fans who worshipped their relationship. To the public, they resembled the protagonists of a perfect romantic CEO novel.

They also owned a wildly popular luxury brand supposedly inspired by their love story. Every product came in matching couple sets. Every Valentine’s Day and similar holiday, the merchandise sold out completely.

Even their household staff claimed Family Head Ouyang loved his wife so much he couldn’t go a single hour without seeing her. If she vanished from sight for even a short time, he would run around the estate calling for his wife.

People cried real tears over their romance.

So the moment news broke that Madam Ouyang received a death notice, both the massive ship fandom and ordinary fans exploded.

Was this psychopath some bitter single person jealous of loving couples?!

“Mmm…”

Jing Pei ate the food Mei Yanlan prepared while thinking.

In the original story, this death-notice killer had never targeted the Ouyang couple.

But now that the worlds had fused together, it wasn’t impossible that things changed.

Still—

Jing Pei knew the standards this killer used when selecting victims.

And Madam Ouyang did not seem to fit them.

Because she and her husband had no children.

Now this was getting interesting.

Even more interesting—

Another email entered Jing Pei’s inbox at that exact moment.

This client was also asking about Madam Ouyang’s death notice case.

Jing Pei froze briefly before revealing an amused smile.

【Sorry, this information has already been bought exclusively by another client. However, I recommend purchasing information regarding the Death Notice Serial Killer instead.】

【Fine. Name your price.】

The other side replied immediately.

And after Jing Pei quoted a price, the payment arrived very quickly.

Clearly another wealthy person.

Originally, Jing Pei might have needed to investigate further.

But with two clients purchasing information simultaneously, and both conversations accidentally revealing traces of their identities, she arrived at a bold guess.

So she first sent the requested information to the first client.

The other side did not send angry emails accusing her of being a fraud.

Which meant either Jing Pei guessed correctly—

Or the client saw incorrect information, confirmed that the truth remained known only between heaven, earth, themselves, and the broker, then relaxed and no longer cared about being cheated.

The more Jing Pei acted as an intelligence broker, the more fascinating she found it.

Walking among endless secrets.

Competing invisibly against the intelligence of others.

Peering into the good and evil hidden within human nature.

Thrilling.

Afterward, Jing Pei sent a completely different report to the second client.

The two reports did not conflict in the slightest.

She had not violated the exclusive-purchase agreement with the first client at all.

…

Hujing Prefecture. Ouyang Estate.

All staff members had been gathered into the front courtyard and instructed to identify the people standing beside them, checking whether everyone truly belonged there or whether strangers had infiltrated the estate.

After all, the psychopath must have entered the Ouyang residence personally in order to place the death notice beside the couple’s bed.

That meant the only identity he could have disguised himself as was one of the staff members.

“Captain Zhang, we checked the surveillance footage. From seven o’clock last night until now, nobody left the estate, and nobody entered from outside,” a young officer reported.

Which meant the killer might truly still be hiding inside the estate.

The police had already begun searching every corner of the manor to see whether the murderer hid somewhere within the grounds. After the staff finished identifying one another, they had to step forward one by one while officers squeezed and rubbed their faces and heads.

Because the criminal profile they built for this killer suggested he excelled at disguise and makeup.

Every victim had gathered with numerous relatives and friends the day before receiving the death notice. That meant the killer must have disguised himself as one of those people, yet nobody recognized him.

Inside the manor, the Ouyang family gathered in the living room. Anxiety thickened the air. Mr. Ouyang crouched in a corner with reddened eyes while Madam Ouyang crouched beside him comforting him. Madam Ouyang’s younger sister, who rushed over not long ago, crouched beside her older sister to comfort her as well.

The three of them huddled together in the corner like hamsters.

“How could this happen? If he wants money, we can give him any amount! Why does he want to kill you, wife?!” Mr. Ouyang buried his face into his wife’s neck and cried like a child.

“It’s fine. I won’t die.” Madam Ouyang patted his head.

“Exactly! Brother-in-law, my sister won’t die. If that killer dares show up, I’ll kick his balls apart and stomp them into mush!” the younger sister declared furiously, clenching her fists.

“That’s enough. Stop crouching there. What kind of sight is that? Get up already.”

Old Madam Ouyang sat on the sofa drinking tea while speaking in annoyance.

Only then did the three leave the corner and return to their seats.

At that moment, a maid whom both the police and the Ouyang couple had already verified as trustworthy brought lunch over. The family moved to the dining room.

The maid had worked at the Ouyang estate for several years. Around thirty years old, with plain looks, she nevertheless won favor through her obedient personality, efficiency, and understanding nature. The couple trusted her deeply, and during holidays she often received larger red envelopes and gifts from the mistress than the other staff members.

“We’ll probably need to dismiss most of the staff temporarily afterward. We can’t keep so many people in the house. It’ll be hard on you then,” Madam Ouyang said.

The maid hesitated slightly, looking troubled.

“What is it? Is that inconvenient for you?” Mr. Ouyang asked.

The maid glanced at him and said, “Well… I’m pregnant. I probably won’t be able to handle too much work. I’m very sorry.”

“Pregnant? But I remember you aren’t married,” Madam Ouyang said in confusion.

“That’s true. But we’ll get married afterward. Since there’s a baby now, the child should grow up with a complete family.” The maid revealed a shy, hopeful expression.

The atmosphere inside the dining room turned strangely cold for a moment.

…

After lunch, Madam Ouyang went to rest in one of the guest rooms. She could no longer bear sleeping in the master bedroom after a psychopath had invaded it. Her younger sister accompanied her.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ouyang entered another guest room.

The maid sat at the edge of the bed.

The moment the door closed, the two embraced each other tightly.

“Careful, don’t get so emotional. Think about the baby!” Mr. Ouyang said nervously. He was already over fifty. A child at his age naturally made him anxious.

“I’m just really scared,” the maid said tearfully.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll handle everything. Nobody will discover anything.” Mr. Ouyang spoke reassuringly, yet the thought of the intelligence broker still made his heart twitch and his spine grow cold.

All this frantic calling for help also served another purpose—he wanted to test whether his plan contained any loopholes.

When his friend mentioned the Puzzle Intelligence Agency, he never truly believed anyone could know what he planned to do:

Kill his wife.

Marry his mistress.

And frame the murder on the serial killer.

Every surveillance camera in the estate belonged to him. No outsider installed them. Even a detective could not possibly uncover everything within such a short time.

So he had felt certain nobody could expose his trick.

Buying intelligence was merely a final confirmation to set his mind completely at ease.

【Mr. Ouyang intends to kill his wife and frame the serial killer.】

Just one short sentence.

It drenched him in cold sweat.

How did that person know?

Was this intelligence broker truly omniscient?

Terrifying…

Fortunately, he had purchased exclusive rights to the information.

If the broker wanted to stay in business long-term, then professional ethics should prevent him from spreading the information around or selling it again.

“I’ve endured enough after all these years. I’m sick of her.” For the first time, rage and hatred burst from his eyes—emotions he never showed in front of his wife. “In front of her, I never once felt like I could hold my head high. I hate being tied to her name. Everything I achieved today came from my own efforts!”

Once, he truly loved his wife.

When he had nothing, she loved him.

At one point, he genuinely believed she loved him for who he was and not for material things.

But as time passed, he grew more and more obsessed with how everyone claimed he only reached his current position because of his wife. Every time people saw him, they asked where his wife was, as though they cared more about seeing her than him.

As though she held greater status and influence than he ever could.

Then this cute little maid appeared.

She admired him.

Depended on him.

Like a parasitic vine that could not survive without him.

And she carried his child.

So at last, he made up his mind.

He would kill that woman.

Framing the psychopath killer truly was the perfect idea.

No matter what opportunity he used to murder his wife afterward, nobody would suspect him—because that killer behaved exactly this way.

That meant his reputation would remain untouched.

His business would remain untouched.

The perfect solution.

…

Yunjin Prefecture, coastal district.

The assistant to the Director of the Tribunal Division parked the car along the seaside highway.

After waiting a long while, he finally spotted the figure swimming toward shore from the distance.

Anyone who heard it would cry from pity.

The Director of the Tribunal Division had only fifty cents left in his account and couldn’t afford a spacecraft ticket, so he spent the entire night swimming back from Bohai Prefecture to Yunjin Prefecture.

Over a thousand nautical miles.

No—apparently he even got lost halfway and nearly swam into another country.

Qiu Fa climbed out of the sea bare-chested, shook the water from his hair, took the towel his assistant handed him, and wiped his hair while walking.

Then he heard the assistant speak.

“That intelligence broker hid the email route. We still haven’t located it. For the moment, tracing the sender’s information probably won’t be possible.”

“There’s another matter. The Jiangnan West District police believe a certain case involves an atavist offender. Even though no atavist energy residue was detected, they still requested transfer to the Tribunal Division. I read their analysis report. The possibility of atavist involvement does seem higher, so I approved it.”

While Qiu Fa was absent, the assistant naturally held authority to handle certain matters himself, so long as he reported them afterward.

“However, headquarters is short on personnel. This case will probably have to be assigned to students from Twelve Zodiac Academy.”