The group stared at the pile of bones. For a moment, no one spoke.

Jing Pei was the first to break the silence. She looked at Chen Mo. “Are we still investigating?”

Chen Mo looked conflicted. His curiosity and his obsessive tendencies both pushed him to find the answer. But things had taken a strange turn. His investigation had led to Wen Yuxian—someone they knew well and liked, their own teacher. And these bones were only animal bones, not human remains. That meant there was no proof that Wen Yuxian was a murderer.

There was also no evidence that he had killed those two people and the Mutant.

Still, the situation was strange. Why dispose of animal bones in secret, like getting rid of a body? And why were there so many? One person would only eat one pig a year at most, yet based on the state of decomposition, these bones must have been discarded within two years. It made no sense.

But if they continued, it would no longer be an investigation. It would be prying into someone’s private life.

Chen Mo looked to Feng Yilian for help. “Lianhua, what do you think?”

“Forget it. Everyone has secrets,” Feng Yilian said, tossing aside the shovel.

Tao Ying spoke slowly. “I think Teacher Wen isn’t a bad person.”

The expressionless boy beside her added, “Maybe he just eats a lot?”

“…Alright. Let’s stop here,” Chen Mo said, finally giving up. Deep down, he didn’t want to continue either. The small remaining urge from his obsessive tendencies could still be suppressed.

“Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll treat you all to dinner. Thanks for coming with me today. You guys are great friends,” Chen Mo said loudly, throwing down the shovel. He suddenly looked much more relaxed.

Everyone felt the heavy weight in their hearts lift. They decided to treat today as if nothing had happened. No one needed to know that Wen Yuxian might just have a huge appetite.

“I’m tired. Don’t want to walk. Sweetie, carry me,” Tao Ying said, standing still like a child with her arms raised.

The boy with hair ties on his wrist turned red and quietly crouched in front of her. Tao Ying immediately leaned onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her.

Jing Pei slowly moved away from Feng Yilian and Chen Mo and walked over to the couple, watching them with interest. She didn’t like birds with sharp beaks—one phoenix and one chicken? No thanks.

Still, even though Chen Mo had stopped digging for answers, could things really end like this? Jing Pei lowered her eyes.

After parting ways, she stretched her sore neck and called Tao Ze.

“Boss?”

“How have you been resting these past few days?” she asked gently.

Tao Ze glanced at the boy behind him, who was using the chance to stuff his face with ice cream while he was on the phone. He rubbed his temples. “Not bad.”

Then he heard his boss chuckle softly before saying, “There’s a job for you. Take Mo Weiwei with you.”

Tao Ze’s expression turned serious.

“There will be a jewelry theft tonight at the Liuyun Prefecture Museum. The item is called the ‘Heart of the Emerald Red Bird.’ I need you to take Mo Weiwei there, find the thief in advance, and tell me who it is.”

“Yes.”

Tao Ze didn’t ask questions. After receiving the task, he walked back to the table, grabbed the ice cream from Mo Weiwei, and pulled him back. “Too much and you’ll get sick.”

The child had been locked up by his parents before, often going hungry. His stomach was weak. If he ate freely, he would get sick right away.

After a few days with Tao Ze—eating properly, dressing well, exercising, and getting some sun—Mo Weiwei looked much healthier. The dark circles under his eyes had faded. At least now, he didn’t look like he was about to die.

Mo Weiwei stared at the ice cream being taken away, unwilling to accept it. Then his expression quickly turned sly. He lowered his voice and said, “See that couple over there? That man is a scammer. If you go threaten him and say you’ll report him, he’ll immediately give you thirty thousand.”

Tao Ze glanced at the couple, who looked loving on the surface, then took out his phone and reported them immediately.

Mo Weiwei continued, “Or that old man—he’s going to get tricked tonight by that young woman and her partner. If you warn him ahead of time, he’ll give you a big reward.”

After spending a few days with Mo Weiwei, Tao Ze finally understood why Jing Pei wanted him, and why his parents had feared him so much they locked him away.

A mind too advanced to understand could easily seem like that of a monster—especially for someone like Mo Weiwei, who had grown up without proper guidance and had little sense of right and wrong.

His brain was like a precise machine. With just a glance, he could gather details others wouldn’t notice, then analyze who a person was, where they came from, where they were going, and what they planned to do.

A child like this, raised properly, could save many lives. But in the wrong hands, he could become a disaster.

Tao Ze wiped his face and hands with a wet tissue, then took his hand and led him out of the restaurant and into a taxi.

As soon as he heard Tao Ze tell the driver they were heading to the museum, he figured things out.

“Your boss wants you to take me on a job? Someone is going to steal the ‘Heart of the Emerald Red Bird’?”

“She’s not just my boss. She’s yours too. Don’t forget—you agreed to work for her.”

Mo Weiwei scoffed inwardly. He only followed Tao Ze because it seemed interesting. Work for her? Not that easy.

He believed that as long as he met that boss, he could see through her at a glance.

“So this is how her studio operates? Even if no one places an order, she investigates in advance. Then when someone wants to buy information, she can sell it immediately and make herself look mysterious and capable.”

Tao Ze ignored him, like a monk chanting scriptures.

They arrived at the museum and bought tickets.

Even at night, there were quite a few visitors inside. Many were tourists, most drawn by the Heart of the Emerald Red Bird.

The Heart of the Emerald Red Bird was a world-famous ruby. It was crafted before the Great Cosmic Convergence and once hung around the neck of a legendary queen. Later, it was cherished by several kings and queens. During the Great Convergence, it was even worn by a powerful demon who founded a demon kingdom. This history gave it a strong legendary aura.

The gem weighed 56 carats. Whether in historical value, rarity, or craftsmanship, it was priceless. It was the treasure of Liuyun Prefecture and could even be called a national treasure of Hualan.

Its security level needed no explanation. Tao Ze couldn’t understand what kind of thief would dare target something like this. And why did the boss need to know in advance? Could it be that the thief would actually succeed instead of being caught on the spot?

Thinking this, he grew uneasy. He looked around. Entry required lining up, and the museum limited the number of visitors inside. It wasn’t crowded. The space felt open, soft music played, and people quietly admired the artifacts. Even with his twenty years of experience tracking criminals, he couldn’t spot anyone who looked like a master thief.

“See anything?” he asked in a low voice.

Mo Weiwei nodded and whispered in his ear, “See that man with the striped hat? It’s him. Hurry and tell the boss.”

There was no signal inside the museum, so Tao Ze quickly stepped outside to make the call. Mo Weiwei watched his back and showed a sly, mischievous smile.

Of course it wasn’t the man with the striped hat. He had lied—not just to Tao Ze, but to the boss. If someone bought information from her and got the wrong answer, her reputation would be ruined. She wouldn’t be able to act impressive anymore. Someone weaker than him wanted to be his boss? Keep dreaming.

Jing Pei received Tao Ze’s call and heard Mo Weiwei’s answer. A faint, unreadable smile appeared on her lips. “Oh? So he said it was that person…”

Just as expected.

…

Hujing Prefecture, inside the Ouyang Estate.

Since sending the request for help, Madam Ouyang had been waiting anxiously for a reply. She waited the whole day. During that time, the police must have found something, because before dinner, they came again. After glancing at her sister’s nails, they took her sister away.

The moment her sister was taken, Madam Ouyang’s composure broke. Tears poured down.

A wave of strong regret hit her. She wished she could turn back time and bring Mr. Ouyang back to life.

At first, she never suspected her husband. She trusted him completely, loved him, believed his heart was still the same as when they were young—until that morning.

When she received the death notice from the assassin, how could she not be afraid? But her husband looked even more frightened than she did, so she forced herself to stay calm and only sought help privately from her close friends.

Because of government suppression, the Puzzle Intelligence Agency wasn’t well known among ordinary people, but there were rumors about it among wealthy circles. That’s how she learned about it.

With a bit of hope, she sent an email—only to be told that the information had already been bought out, and she was instead recommended another piece of information.

Bought out? That was highly suspicious. Who would buy out this kind of information? Either the killer, or someone trying to hide the killer. But if it was the serial murderer, it made no sense to only buy out the information about her. Shouldn’t they also buy out the recommended one?

Smart as she was, she became suspicious right away—especially after receiving the so-called killer’s information and realizing she wasn’t even among the targets.

She quickly understood: the death notice wasn’t from that killer. It was a smokescreen. Someone else in the house wanted her dead. But who?

“There’s this Puzzle Intelligence Agency—they say they can get any information. Should we try it?” she suggested aloud in the living room, watching everyone’s reactions.

As a former award-winning actress, her acting was unmatched. She could also see through others’ poor acting—once she stopped viewing them through a filter.

Then she saw her husband’s strange reaction. He first looked startled, then relieved, and said, “Honey, I already tried it. It’s a scam. We should trust the police instead.”

The police present naturally agreed. To them, such an agency sounded like a gray-area business. They wouldn’t support citizens turning away from official institutions.

“I see,” she said, saying nothing more. But her grip on her phone tightened until it hurt.

No matter how unwilling she was to believe it, she could no longer deceive herself. The one who bought out that information was her husband. And even if it wasn’t him, he was helping someone who wanted her dead. That was no different from wanting to kill her himself.

She suddenly realized that none of this had been without signs. Someone had once hinted that her husband’s behavior toward a certain maid was strange, but she had dismissed it as misunderstanding or bias. Only today, when she finally looked at him without any filter, did her heart turn cold.

Her parents had once told her that, throughout history, women who married down rarely ended well. Most men could endure hardship with their first wives but could not share success with them. But like many others, she believed she was different—and that the man she chose was different too.

And now, like them, she had been proven painfully wrong.

“Sis, don’t drink the fruit tea tonight.” After she told her sister about her husband’s betrayal with the maid and his plan to kill her, her sister stayed silent for a long time. Then, after she woke from a nap, her sister suddenly said this.

“What are you going to do?” she grabbed her sister and asked in alarm.

“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t drink it,” her sister said. Madam Ouyang saw anger and hatred burning in her eyes.

At that moment, she should have guessed what her sister was planning to do. But perhaps she was also consumed by hatred from the betrayal. She lost her reason and did nothing. She watched as Mr. Ouyang brought out the fruit tea, and she watched as he drank it.

She had hoped the police would find nothing. But this morning, she saw that the police had found a small crystal in the storage room. There was no mistake—it must have come from her sister’s nail decoration.

This was what it meant when people said no crime leaves no trace.

Although she had already told her sister to remove the nail decoration, the damage to her nails was too obvious. The police were not fools. They would follow this tiny clue to something bigger.

What should she do now? She panicked. Just a few days ago, she had been a law-abiding citizen. The most rebellious thing she had ever done was marry Ouyang against her parents’ wishes. No matter how calm she usually was, when it came to her beloved sister, she lost control.

She could lose everything else—but she could not lose her sister. This was all her fault. She should have stopped her. How could she let hatred control her, only to lose something even more important? That man was nothing!

“Please reply… I’m begging you… show me a way out…” Madam Ouyang stared at her phone, still without a reply, crying in pain.

This case had become huge. People across the entire prefecture—even the whole country—were watching. If her sister was found guilty of murder, even if she avoided the death penalty, she would face years in prison. And for that man, even one year was too much.

Worse, Mr. Ouyang’s mother and the maid would do everything they could to drag her down as well, so they could take over the Ouyang family’s wealth.

Just like now, the maid and the old woman had begun stirring public opinion online, framing her as the reason Mr. Ouyang wanted to kill her.

“My son has been controlled by her in every way all these years. She made him report to her every hour, video call every three hours. Even when he went out for business, he had to report in detail, and return home immediately after. He had no freedom or rest. My son loves children, but she refused to have any and wouldn’t agree to adopt either because she’s too possessive—she couldn’t even tolerate his attention being divided… Do you know how hard it was for him to live with a woman like that?”

The old woman cried as she spoke. These were things her son had done on his own to maintain his image, but now they were twisted into demands from Madam Ouyang.

The maid added, “Mr. Ouyang was just overwhelmed in the moment. I tried to calm him down and told him to talk things out with his wife, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this…”

Public opinion was easily swayed. More and more people began to sympathize with Mr. Ouyang. After all, he hadn’t actually carried out the murder. While his success was partly due to Madam Ouyang, feelings couldn’t be controlled. If Madam Ouyang really had him killed, it would be going too far.

Supporters from both sides argued fiercely.

Watching this, the maid felt proud. With the support of the old lady, thanks to the child she carried, she had turned the situation around. If Madam Ouyang were found guilty, she would rise in status. Even if she wasn’t, she would still gain the old lady’s inheritance share, along with what belonged to the child. Either way, she would become wealthy enough to enter high society.

From a lowly maid to a rich woman in one step—it was the best decision she had ever made. It might not be moral, but morality couldn’t fill your stomach. Money could.

Madam Ouyang could easily imagine the maid’s smug expression. But she no longer cared about any of that. All she wanted was to save her sister.

She waited and waited, and finally, she received Jing Pei’s reply.

She opened the email at once. There was only a name and a phone number.

Xiang Hua… Gong? Who is that?