The wounds on his body were too deep. It was only because he was an atavist with a tough life that he was still holding on. An ordinary person would have died long ago. Wen Yuxian drove the car, cold sweat covering his forehead without him noticing. The muscles in his hands on the steering wheel were trembling.

“It’s okay. Once we reach a safe place, I’ll get some medicine and treat it properly. Don’t worry.” He spoke in a low voice to comfort the shadow in the back seat, keeping the car steady.

…

Jing Pei had just lain down when she suddenly sat up again.

She remembered Chen Mo. His obsessive habits might become a new variable.

So she took out her phone and found his number.

After they became a team, they had exchanged numbers for convenience.

Chen Mo was a bit surprised to receive Jing Pei’s call, but he still saw them as a team. He had also found an important clue and was very excited, so he told her without holding back that the homeless man had recognized the car by its sound, and invited her to continue the investigation with him.

Jing Pei: …

“Bye.” Jing Pei hung up with a tap and rubbed her forehead.

Chen Mo stayed busy at the traffic police department until dawn. By tracking the time the car crossed the river bridge, he identified the vehicle carrying suspects in a case even more serious than the human bone case.

The car was an ordinary Volkswagen model. The license plate was fake. From multiple surveillance angles, through the windshield, they could see a middle-aged man of average build driving, but his face was unclear. In the back seat sat a woman with long hair, also with an unclear face.

However, after comparing multiple videos, they found something even more suspicious—no matter the angle or the intersection, the man and the woman never changed posture or movement. It was as if they were fixed mannequins.

“Wow, that’s fake, right? Probably that kind of film people use. In recent years it’s been popular. Single women living alone stick that kind of film on their windows to make it look like there are other people at home, to scare off anyone with bad intentions. If there wasn’t some huge secret, why be this careful?”

The investigation made major progress tonight. Chen Mo was very excited. The nagging feeling in his chest finally eased a bit, so he decided to go home and sleep and continue tomorrow.

At first, he just wanted to finish what he had planned but hadn’t done. But with this unexpected gain, even if he started watching a boring TV show, he would have to finish the whole series to feel satisfied. Now that the case had reached this point, he couldn’t stop until he found the result.

The river was too large, so three robots were left at the bottom to continue searching. He would check again tomorrow for any findings.

…

A one-eyed boy with his eye covered in bandage returned home in the night, like many who had waited all day at the Twelve Zodiac Academy for a slim hope.

He rented a small storage shed in a kind person’s yard for a very cheap price, living in a space barely bigger than a doghouse.

Starting today, he felt something strange.

“I really like that bag. Buy it for me…”

“These earrings are so pretty…”

“Hello? The signal is bad, I can’t hear…”

“…”

As he walked, it felt like a layer of water covered his ears. The voices he heard seemed to come from far away. He shouldn’t have been able to hear people that far away, but he did, even if he couldn’t hear clearly.

The same thing happened in the morning. He heard Long Ling’s half-sister talking on the phone, mentioning fate and change.

What’s wrong with my ears? And not just my ears—his vision felt strange too. This eye used to be slightly nearsighted, but today it suddenly shifted between blur and clarity.

But soon, he had no mood to think about these changes.

He looked at the giant LED billboard on a high building. A lipstick advertisement featuring a popular actress known as the “Goddess’s Daughter” was playing. Passersby stopped to watch, their faces filled with awe and fascination.

How could such beauty exist in this world? Not only her looks, but one of her eyes was like something from a novel—a multicolored crystal eye, as if it didn’t belong in this world, yet it was real. And that wasn’t all—she also had a voice like a deep-sea mermaid. When she spoke, it sounded enchanting, as if it could seize a person’s soul.

So when she first appeared on a talent show, her dominance was already certain. As expected, from the start to the end of the show, it became her solo stage. No one remembered the names of the other girls. She became famous overnight, even abroad.

She was called the “Goddess’s Daughter.” If she wasn’t the child of a god, how could someone be born like this?

He stared with a dark expression, fist clenched tightly, as he walked back to his home.

…

The next day.

Jing Pei woke up early for once.

But she had asked for leave from school and didn’t plan to go.

She went to find Mei Yanlan, but didn’t expect to witness a dramatic scene on the spot.

Fang Bihe had been having a hard time these past few days. Just a few days ago, she had been pleased with herself for finding such a suitable and easy target—Mei Yanlan—to be her surrogate, and looked down on her for being so focused on Xiao Cheng that she noticed nothing.

However, she did not expect that after Mei Yanlan married Xiao Cheng, things seemed to be getting out of control.

For some reason, Xiao Cheng had started to avoid getting close to her. Since she was temporarily paralyzed, their “closeness” was limited to things like kissing and hugging. But in the past two days, even when she took the initiative, he seemed unwilling, and even a little afraid. Afraid of what? Afraid of kissing her? She was the goddess he had longed for for years!

Xiao Cheng defended himself nervously. “I’ve been eating too much spicy food lately. Mouth ulcers.”

In truth, it was because Mei Yanlan kept pressing him down and kissing him over and over. His lips and tongue were swollen and numb, and he was already too satisfied. Now that he finally had a chance to rest and catch his breath, he had no interest in kissing anyone else.

So, he settled for something less—just a hug.

But then he realized that Xiao Cheng’s body carried a strong scent of Mei Yanlan! That sweet, fruity peach smell was completely different from her own pure jasmine scent.

Why? Weren’t the clothes he wore to work in the morning freshly changed? Why was the smell so strong? What were they doing so early in the morning?

Faced with Fang Bihe’s tearful and fragile eyes, Xiao Cheng felt heartbroken and troubled. Could he really tell her that if he stayed in the same space as Mei Yanlan long enough, she would practically cling to him?

He had even tried pretending to work late and not go home, but that shameless woman followed him anyway! She stayed with him in the office all night. The next day, she walked away carefree, while he had to drag his exhausted body to clean up. He had never even held a broom in his life; back in school, others had always cleaned the classroom for him.

Damn it, that woman Mei Yanlan loved him too much—she was almost insane! Before marriage, she restrained herself well and seemed like just a love-struck fool. After marriage, she became completely unrestrained, constantly seeking affection and showing her extreme side.

“You love me, right?” Fang Bihe asked him for confirmation.

“Of course I love you,” Xiao Cheng answered without hesitation.

“You’ll follow the original plan and divorce her, right?”

“…Yes.”

“You’ve been sharing a bed for so many days. She should already be pregnant. How about we go on a trip together? I don’t want you sleeping with her anymore.”

Xiao Cheng swallowed. He should have agreed, but for some reason, an image of Mei Yanlan shamelessly following them on their trip appeared in his mind. The word “yes” stuck in his throat.

It had to be because he was worried about losing face in front of Fang Bihe. After all, as a man, he couldn’t let the woman he loved find out that he was actually weaker than his own wife!

Fang Bihe’s expression changed instantly.

Although Xiao Cheng quickly explained that he couldn’t leave work for the time being, a woman’s intuition still made Fang Bihe sense a crisis.

So, carrying a hint of provocation, wanting to assert her claim, and also to see what trick Mei Yanlan had used to change Xiao Cheng like this, she suddenly went to their marital home last night and asked to stay over.

Xiao Cheng hadn’t expected this. Before he could even respond, the “honest” Mei Yanlan had already happily welcomed her in, showing no discomfort over another woman coming to stay in her home just days after marriage.

“Go tidy up the guest room for Bihe,” Mei Yanlan even told him to prepare a room for the other woman.

Fang Bihe carefully observed Mei Yanlan and found nothing different from before—still wearing those stiff black-framed glasses, still not as pretty as her, and still dressed in plain home clothes.

When she deliberately showed closeness and intimacy with Xiao Cheng, even serving him food, Mei Yanlan seemed completely unaware and even looked pleased to hear it.

Instead, Xiao Cheng’s expression grew worse by the moment.

No matter what, Fang Bihe couldn’t figure out why Xiao Cheng had grown cold toward her.

Until bedtime came. She lay in the guest room, waiting for Xiao Cheng to come to her after Mei Yanlan fell asleep—when suddenly, she heard unexpected sounds coming from the master bedroom next door.

When Jing Pei arrived, Fang Bihe had not yet left, and Xiao Cheng had not gone to work. Both of them looked terrible, while Mei Yanlan looked radiant and happy as she served them breakfast delivery, even inviting Jing Pei to join.

Just from their expressions and the scent in the air, Jing Pei could already imagine how eventful the night had been.

“My student has something to see me about, so I’ll head out first. Husband, take your time eating with Bihe,” Mei Yanlan said cheerfully after breakfast, and left with Jing Pei.

…Amazing, Teacher Mei. They were clearly a cheating couple, yet you managed to turn them into a pair of pitiful lovers trapped in your palm.

After they got into the car, Mei Yanlan took off her glasses and looked at Jing Pei. “Go on, what do you need from me? I don’t have anything more to teach you about controlling atavist power.”

“Mm, this time it’s not about atavist power. I’d like to ask you for combat training.”

Mei Yanlan was a bit surprised. “Why the rush? If you push too hard, you’ll hurt your body.”

“Maybe it’s to make up for something. I hope that when necessary, I can be the last line of defense. I’ll be careful. I won’t let myself get hurt easily. Is that okay, Teacher Mei?”

Mei Yanlan looked at the girl in front of her with surprise. To be honest, she had never been able to figure out this young head of the Long family. From the moment she first appeared in public, she had always carried an air of mystery, as if surrounded by a layer of mist, almost detached from the world.

Clearly a rural girl, yet she carried herself with calm confidence. Even Long Yiming often found himself at a loss against her.

Was she really that Long Jin?

Many people had likely had this same doubt. However, her identity as a Dragon clan atavist could not be faked. The Long family was the only family in the world with dragon blood. So if she were not Long Jin, she would not need to pretend—she could still become the Young Master of the Long family.

And now, she said she wanted to become the last line of defense. Mei Yanlan did not fully understand what she meant, yet it made her feel that the girl had become a bit more real.

“Since I’m on marriage leave anyway, I don’t have much to do during the day except study tonic soups. So it’s fine. But I can’t always control my strength, so be careful yourself. I don’t want Wen Yuxian nagging me about it,” Mei Yanlan said in the end.

“Okay.” Jing Pei smiled.

The car drove toward the training ground Jing Pei had chosen. Traffic gradually became heavier.

While waiting at a red light, Jing Pei suddenly asked, “Teacher Mei, you and Teacher Wen seem close. How did you meet?”

“Hm? Through Zhang Simiao.”

“Who’s that?”

“Wen Yuxian’s ex-girlfriend.”

…

Like Jing Pei, another student had also taken leave.

Early in the morning, Chen Mo went back to the traffic police department to track the car they discovered last night. After tracing it through a large number of surveillance feeds, he finally found where the car had stopped.

He immediately drove there and called Officer Huang and the Tribunal Division, asking them to send people over.

Officer Huang did not expect him to keep pursuing the case, but still brought his team. Even though Chen Mo was an atavist, he was still just a newly adult kid—he could not be left unchecked.

Chen Mo arrived at the foot of a remote mountain. The place was hard to find. If he hadn’t first narrowed down the area through surveillance and then asked along the way, he might not have found it at all.

The car recognized by the homeless man was parked in front of a mud house at the mountain’s base. Through the car window, the shadow of the woman could still be seen sitting in the back seat, and a middle-aged man sat in the driver’s seat.

So it really was just a film. The owner should be inside the house now.

Who exactly was this person? Why had they been dumping bones since at least last year? The answer was finally about to be revealed!

He took a deep breath and activated his atavist power, pushing his speed and strength to the limit. Even though the owner seemed overly cautious and perhaps not that strong, it was better to stay careful.

He opened the car door and got out.

The mud house door was tightly shut. Chen Mo moved with surprising skill, silently slipping to the side of the door. He sniffed lightly. Atavists could tell whether someone was an ordinary person or an atavist—like sensing a strange aura. But he didn’t smell any atavist power. Was the person inside not an atavist?

Chen Mo felt something was off and frowned. Leaning against the wall, he reached out and knocked on the door.

Soon, footsteps sounded from inside. They stopped at the door, as if the person was being cautious and not opening it right away.

“Who is it?” a man’s voice came from inside.

When no one answered, the person inside carefully opened a small crack in the door. At that moment, Chen Mo moved.

The door was kicked open with force so strong that the man behind it was sent flying and hit the wall.

By the time Officer Huang and the others arrived, Chen Mo was sitting on top of several men he had piled together, drinking cola with a frustrated look.

“…What?” Officer Huang looked at him in confusion.

“Wrong target. These guys are trafficking protected animals. I’ll leave them to you,” Chen Mo said.

While waiting, Chen Mo had already forced the truth out of them.

The homeless man had heard correctly—the bone-dumping car was indeed this one. But the car had been sold at a very low price to an illegal second-hand dealership several days ago. It was then bought by these men, who liked the window film on it and thought it would be useful for committing crimes.

It could be guessed that the original owner had also bought it from such a place. There had been no official transfer, no registration in the vehicle system, so there was no way to trace the owner. And given how cautious this person was, they likely never showed up in person during the transaction, using some method that did not reveal any information. Continuing to track the car would probably lead nowhere.

“This person is really crafty… I was too optimistic,” Chen Mo said. Someone who hid this well would not be so easy to uncover.

Officer Huang said, “Your intentions are good. If there were more people like you who are determined to find the truth, it would be good for society. But this is too dangerous. What if you really find someone dangerous who is older and stronger than you? Have you thought about the consequences? Your family didn’t have it easy raising you—you should think about them too.”

And if something went wrong, it could worsen the already tense relationship between atavists and ordinary people. Young people like him were fearless and prone to acting on impulse.

Not long after, Teacher Cao rushed over angrily, grabbed him like a stray dog, dragged him back to school, and sent him to the principal’s office for a lecture before finally releasing him back to class.

When Chen Mo returned, his classmates laughed at him. He ignored them, lay on his desk, and thought hard. The clues had run out—what should he do now?

“You really have too much free time. That person probably isn’t bad, or they wouldn’t have called emergency services. Here, have a lollipop. Be good and pay attention in class. Don’t get Teacher Wen in trouble,” Tang Qiaoqiao said as she walked in carrying a package. She took out a lollipop and handed it to him.

“How is Teacher Wen doing?” Chen Mo asked as he took the candy. There was a reason he thought of Wen Yuxian whenever he saw sweets. The package Tang Qiaoqiao was holding had been ordered online by Wen Yuxian. He often bought candy to hand out to students. He believed that sweets could calm their tempers and help them focus better in class.

This box had probably been ordered before he went on sick leave.

“I don’t know.” Tang Qiaoqiao looked upset again. She couldn’t understand why no one knew where Wen Yuxian lived. He also refused to tell her. When she called him today, his voice was hoarse. It sounded like he was quite sick. She was really worried.

“He should be fine. He’s an adult—if he needs help, he’ll go to the hospital. You’re just worrying for nothing. You should think about whether calling him all the time might bother him.”

Chen Mo rested his chin on his hand, sucking on the lollipop. The sugar seemed to wake up his almost frozen brain. Suddenly, a new idea flashed through his mind.