Chapter 32: A Single Stone Stirs a Thousand Ripples

"Squeak, screeech...!"

Before the three off-road vehicles had even come to a complete stop, Ren Ye had already pushed the door open and rushed out, his expression frantic as he bolted toward the police station.

Close behind, Huang Weicai and over a dozen Watchmen stepped out of the vehicles and quickly climbed the stairs.

"Bang!"

Ren Ye shoved the glass door open with great force, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His eyes scanned the station lobby rapidly, and only upon spotting Ren Qingning did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

At the entrance of the hallway, Ren Qingning sat on a bench, questioning a Watchman with a fierce scowl. "What exactly does my brother do for your organization? We live in a harmonious society, so why is he involved in solving cases that lead criminals to kidnap me?! Don't lie to me... or I’ll start recording with my phone."

The young Watchman looked as if his head were about to split. This girl was not easy to fool; she kept pressing for details on Ren Ye's current "job" and threatened to start a livestream at every turn.

"Smack!"

In the middle of her questioning, a pair of warm, large hands grabbed Ren Qingning’s slender arms. She looked up and saw her "ex-convict" brother’s face.

"Are you okay?" Ren Ye asked, his face pale.

Ren Qingning froze for a moment, her eyes filled with resentment. "Are you okay? What on earth are you doing?!"

Ren Ye didn’t answer. He quickly looked his sister over, his eyes finally locking onto the wound at her waist. "...You’re hurt?"

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch." Ren Qingning didn’t whine or act pitiful; she simply pulled her brother’s arm and dragged him to the side.

The siblings locked eyes. Ren Ye’s expression was a mixture of guilt, lingering fear, and a hint of anxiety.

"What kind of work are you actually doing?" Ren Qingning asked softly. "If this hadn't happened today, I wouldn't even have known there were police following me."

"I...!" Ren Ye frowned slightly and could only lie. "It’s still that matter at the border. There’s a case that hasn't been closed, and I can't go into the details."

Upon hearing this, Ren Qingning didn't fly into a rage. Instead, she asked very earnestly, "Are... are you in great danger? Can we choose not to do it?"

Ren Ye was silent for a long time. "How about we go to the hospital and get that checked out?"

Hearing this, Ren Qingning stopped pressing him. She gently loosened the gauze at her waist, revealing a wound that had already stopped bleeding. "See? I'm tough as nails, I'm fine."

As they were talking, Huang Wei, who had just been in the director's office, walked out quickly. "Ren Ye, come with me for a second."

"Qingning is still here," Ren Ye reminded him with a somber expression.

Huang Wei nodded heavily. "I just finished talking to the director. I'll have someone take her back to the unit immediately."

"Go back to the unit with them," Ren Ye instructed his sister. "I'll be back soon."

"Stay safe, then," Ren Qingning nodded slightly, not blocking his path.

...

Tongren Road, Fight to the End Mahjong Parlor.

Old Yin, whose rear was still stinging, stood at a second-story window, holding his phone with his right hand. "Mm, mm, alright, I understand, boss...!"

Soon, the call ended.

Old Yin immediately opened a player communication group and saw that there were indeed many new messages.

"Did you hear? A few Chaotic-aligned players got into it with the Watchmen over in the University Town."

"Chaotic-aligned players are all mad dogs and scumbags. They should all die!"

"To the guy above, look at my lips: F*** your mother!"

"Friendly discussion only. Whoever swears will be kicked out immediately."

"I heard the commotion at the University Town was quite big. Two of my friends felt a violent surge of Star Source energy."

...

Old Yin quickly scrolled through over a hundred messages and sighed instinctively, "Heh, this 'Little Young Master' is truly fierce. He actually dared to snatch someone right under the noses of the Watchmen."

...

On the outskirts of the city, in an apartment.

"Whoosh!"

The sound of a toilet flushing echoed. Old Dad Ren Daguo walked out of the bathroom, muttering in a daze, "Must bury the long threads; that’s the only way to create the feeling of grass snakes and hidden trails, the only way to make people’s scalps tingle..."

At the dining table in the living room, the editor, Old Xu, was eating a hamburger while touching a bruised eye socket that hadn't faded yet. "...Come over here and blow on this for me, then put some oil on it. It hurts too much."

"Mm, writing it like that is fine. It has a vibe." Ren Daguo walked to the dining table with a vacant expression, his mind racing. Subconsciously, he picked up a cola bottle that Old Xu had thrown two cigarette butts into and took a gulp.

"Holy shit!"

Old Xu froze for a second and shouted, "What are you doing? Drinking cigarette ash?!"

"Huh?"

Ren Daguo was jolted back to reality by the roar. He reached up to touch his mouth, and a cigarette butt, soaked to the point of disintegration by the cola, hung from his lip. "Damn it, why didn't you warn me?! I was wondering why this cola tasted like Liqun cigarettes."

"...If I hadn't warned you, you probably would have eaten sh*t." Old Xu covered his bruised eye and rolled his eyes. "Well, have you figured it out?"

"I'm checking the story arcs I saved on my phone. Let me organize my thoughts, don't nag." Ren Daguo wiped his mouth haphazardly, leaned down into his chair, and reached for his phone.

The old man was a very hardworking failure. He was used to recording things on his phone—whether he was in the bathroom, eating, or at a gathering. As long as he had inspiration, he would jot it down in his notes.

The screen lit up. The battery indicator had dropped to the lowest level, but the old man was thinking about other things and didn't notice at all.

"Beep!"

A social media notification vibrated. He tapped on it habitually.

Under the lights, the old man’s slightly dim-witted eyes widened as he stared at the phone. His expression shifted from bewilderment to surprise, and finally, his brows furrowed, a flash of anger crossing his gaze.

"There’s not much time left. I’m really going crazy...!" Old Xu rubbed his face. "Come on, I’ll drink some cigarette ash too, to wake myself up. Hurry, hurry...!"

The old man slowly put down his phone, turned to look at the editor, and loosened his collar. "The air conditioning in this dump is broken again, it’s just blowing hot air. Let’s go down..."

...

Near the University Town, in a dimly lit shantytown.

After Ren Ye, Huang Wei, and the others arrived at the second crime scene, their expressions were incredibly grim.

The thin man’s corpse was hanging there, his arm broken, his chest ripped open, and his own heart stuffed in his mouth.

Not far away, Fat Dragon’s corpse lay on the ground, already completely stiff, surrounded by black filth. His head was still biting into his own severed neck—a death both horrific and bizarre.

Ren Ye had already learned from Huang Wei that these two were the culprits who had attempted to kidnap his sister. But as he looked at this terrifying, ritualistic crime scene, he felt no sense of vengeance. Instead, he felt only a deeper sense of terror and unease.

"Who... who killed them?" Ren Ye regained his composure and turned to look at Gu Nian.

"When I arrived, they were already dead. I didn't see the killer," Gu Nian replied, her voice crisp and her logic clear. "However, based on the scene and the Star Source fluctuations I felt, these two had almost no ability to fight back against the killer. From the start of the battle to the end, the time was very short. And the words the killer left on the ground are also very strange...!"

Ren Ye and Huang Wei looked toward the feet of the thin man.

"Dear player friends from afar, you’ve pissed me off. Don’t go anywhere!"

Gu Nian stood under the light, her brows furrowed as she analyzed, "Look here. Ren Ye’s sister was kidnapped in front of the police station, and we arrived in time to force these two Chaotic-aligned players to flee. Following that logic, the killer knew we Watchmen were nearby. Not only did he kill them, but he also left this message. Do you think... these words were just for the accomplices of these two?"

Ren Ye turned to her. "You’re right. There were Star Source fluctuations after the fight. The killer must have known that the Watchmen would arrive here first, so he knew we would see this message too."

"Is this a sign of goodwill?" Huang Wei interjected, following their line of thought. "Is he telling us that he has no malice toward the Watchmen, and that these two just pissed him off?"

"Yes," Ren Ye nodded. "Two possibilities: First, he already had a grudge against this group of Chaotic players, so the killing was revenge, and the message was to tell the Watchmen he had no hostile intent. Second, he killed them because my sister was kidnapped, since the two incidents happened very close together. But I don't know any other players besides the Watchmen, and I certainly don't have any relatives like that. That probability is very low."

"No, you do know other players," Gu Nian reacted quickly. She looked at Ren Ye and reminded him, "Players from the Qingliang Mansion Star Gate! Is it possible that a teammate from your own faction is protecting you from the shadows?!"

Ren Ye thought for a moment. "That’s also possible. Although the probability remains very low, considering I shouldn't have exposed my real-world identity in the Star Gate."

At this point, everyone fell silent. Gu Nian added, "Oh, right. Based on the Star Source fluctuations and the supernatural abilities of these two, they should be the murderers of that couple."

"Are they from the Bell Society?" Ren Ye asked with a trembling voice.

"I sent information to my superiors just now; it’s currently being verified," Gu Nian replied. "But my personal assessment is that there is a high probability they are members of the Bell Society."

Upon hearing this, Ren Ye walked to the side without hesitation and resolutely took out his phone to call his father’s number.

"Beep, beep~!"

"The number you have dialed is switched off. Please try again later."

The automated voice came through the receiver, and the call was cut off.

"Damn it."

That was the one thing about the old man that drove him crazy; whenever he was working, he either wouldn't answer the phone or he'd switch it off.

He turned to look at Huang Wei and asked immediately, "What’s the situation with my dad?"

Huang Wei looked at him and replied calmly, "On the way here, I already dispatched a second wave of people. They should have arrived by now. Look... should we bring him back to the unit as well? It would be safer."

As the words fell, Ren Ye was caught in a dilemma.

He was actually quite resistant to having the Watchmen place his father under surveillance, because if they did, his father would definitely worry about him, and might even be terrified.

What kind of case required even his family to be under constant personal protection?

However, when Ren Ye looked back at the thin man’s gruesome corpse, he decided to follow Huang Wei's advice.

"Notify the brothers guarding that location. Have them find my dad, then give me a call, and I’ll explain it to him," Ren Ye replied, frowning. "Bring him to the unit to stay for a couple of days."

"Alright," Huang Wei agreed and immediately took out his phone to notify the Watchmen guarding the old man’s location.

...

Late at night, past nine o'clock.

Two Watchmen arrived at the apartment building and knocked on the door of the room where the old man and the editor were staying.

"Knock, knock...!"

They knocked over a dozen times, but there was no response from inside.

One of the Watchmen called out softly, "Mr. Ren, are you there? We are friends of Ren Ye..."

Ten seconds later, there was still no movement inside.

"Smack!"

One of the Watchmen slapped his palm directly against the door lock. With a sharp crack, the lock mechanism shattered, and the door creaked open.

The two stepped inside one after the other, glanced around the room, and were instantly stunned.