Chapter 38 - Mind Judge

"Hmm?""Right and wrong are always relative. When the crimes people currently perceive disappear, and moral standards are infinitely elevated, the standard definition of crime will be lowered."

"In a society where no one’s driven to robbery or murder for survival, where harmony prevails, tossing away a piece of trash becomes a crime, and spitting on the ground becomes an unforgivable mistake."

Bai Youyou nodded with a vague understanding, "So we just catch everyone?"

Xu Xiaoyou couldn’t help but chuckle.

Bai Youyou felt a bit embarrassed being laughed at, "What’s so funny?"

"You’re quite cute."

Hearing this from the girl, Bai Youyou felt a buzzing in her mind, as if there’s a swirling halo spinning above:

"So what does it mean?"

"The original meaning of that sentence is, crime itself will not disappear, criminals will never be completely caught."

Seeing the black-haired girl getting bewildered by her words, Xu Xiaoyou continued:

"But this has nothing to do with Miss Bai’s ideals. At least trying to catch every criminal in the world is pretty cool."

"Hmm." Bai Youyou felt her mind inexplicably jumbled.

This feeling of being acknowledged was really strange.

A bit happy, yet not quite entirely happy.

It’s like eating less rice at lunch, unable to figure things out.

The strands of hair near her ears were brushed aside, the slender fingertips gently rubbing against her ear, bringing a slightly ticklish sensation.

"What’s wrong, is the hairdryer’s temperature too high?"

The girl’s eyes slightly curved at the corners, her face soft, her eyes as deep and serene as a lake, her lips constantly carrying a polite smile.

How did I never notice before that her eyelashes are actually quite long? Bai Youyou thought.

"I’m fine."

"Speaking of, why did you suddenly move into this employee apartment?" Xu Xiaoyou asked nonchalantly.

"It’s because of the investigation about those three First Tier Cleaners." Bai Youyou replied.

"Those three First Tier Cleaners seemed to have accepted a commission before they died, and that commission seemed to be issued by higher-ups within Cosmic Heavy Industries. So I think that the criminal might very well be related to the commission itself, perhaps living in this area."

"Commission?" Xu Xiaoyou sensed something amiss.

"Yeah, it feels like everyone at the Security Department is hiding something from me, saying the commission’s details were wiped clean, no trace at all when I ask."

Bai Youyou hugged her knees, venting her inner frustrations to Xu Xiaoyou.

"They all say they’ll cooperate with me, but everyone has their own little agenda."

"It should be an easy case to solve, yet even now there’s no progress."

Xu Xiaoyou breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

"I still don’t know where the bodies of those three First Tier Cleaners are," Bai Youyou said.

"The technology in this Nest City is so backward, it doesn’t even have something like the Celestial Eye."

Of course Xu Xiaoyou was aware of Corrupt Nest City’s situation.

Technological gap is severe; some factories can produce mechanical prosthetics but can’t even mass-produce bullets.

It’s not excluded that Cosmic Heavy Industries might be doing this deliberately.

Although, fighting with troublesome guys, things like handguns are almost useless.

For instance, that Catwoman encountered during the day.

"That criminal is quite cunning."

"Yes!" Bai Youyou seemed to recall something, with an angry expression, "You know, they even deliberately called to taunt me!"

"If I catch her, if I catch her."

"Catch her and then what?" Xu Xiaoyou asked.

"I’d bite her to death before sending her to court!"

Seeing Bai Youyou seemed serious, Xu Xiaoyou felt a chill in her heart, swallowing hard.

"Dealing with others is so troublesome, I don’t even want to meet those people at the Security Department! Who knows, they might be laughing at me behind my back."

Like opening a floodgate, Bai Youyou kept venting her complaints to Xu Xiaoyou.

Xu Xiaoyou was exhausted handling it, mostly appeasing the girl, agreeing with her viewpoints.

Gradually, Bai Youyou’s long hair was dried; she stood up, looking at Xu Xiaoyou, who listened patiently to her venting for so long, feeling a bit embarrassed:

"If everyone could get along with me like you, that would be great. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave first."

Xu Xiaoyou didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if the other found out she chatted with the very murderer for half the day.

"Next time when visiting others, don’t just wrap yourself in a bath towel. What if today I wasn’t the one who opened the door, and unnecessary trouble arose?" Xu Xiaoyou advised.

Bai Youyou seriously thought for a moment and felt it made a lot of sense, "Got it."

Just as Xu Xiaoyou sighed with relief, the girl turned back.

"What’s wrong?"

"Let’s exchange contact info. If you encounter something troublesome, you can find me."

Geez, sister, doing this kind of thing is quite scary, you know, my little heart can’t take it.

After adding friends, Xu Xiaoyou finally relaxed her tense spirit, but then a pair of hands pushed her shoulders, driving her back until she slammed against the wall.

The girl’s sudden bold move caught Xu Xiaoyou off guard, causing her eyes to widen.

Bai Youyou stared coldly at her, with a slight smile on her lips, her body gradually pressing close. The warm breath lingered at Xu Xiaoyou’s ear, tickling, yet the whispered words sent chills through her.

"You’re the murderer, aren’t you?"

The forceful hand gripped her throat, veins bulging, as if saying one wrong word would twist her neck.

She calmed down instantly.

Something’s amiss,

The situation before her was not right.

Why, in the blink of an eye, did the other party seem to become a different person?

Based on her character judgment, the other party doesn’t seem like someone who would do such a thing.

If she truly knew Xu Xiaoyou was a criminal, there’s no way she’d hold off confessing until now.

A person who shares investigation details just for a bit of acknowledgment wouldn’t possibly chat patiently if she knew Xu Xiaoyou was the criminal.

The facial expressions during the chat didn’t look disguised either.

There’s only one possibility.

The situation before her was a product of the other party’s ability.

A Three-winged Investigator must possess special abilities.

Xu Xiaoyou cautiously observed the surroundings, and finally, she found a flaw in a mirror.

At this moment, Anya, who should be on the left side based on Bai Youyou’s send-off memory, appeared on the right side in the mirror.

Is it an illusion?

With that thought, she felt at ease, "No, I’m not a criminal."

After she uttered those words, the girl before her, the hallway scene, and the mirror all faded like a melting oil painting.

The next time she opened her eyes, everything was back to normal, and Bai Youyou was watching her with a worried face, maintaining the previous normal social distance, waving her hand in front of her eyes:

"Are you okay?"

"Miss Bai, why are you so wary of me?" Xu Xiaoyou said with a helpless smile.

"Ah, what wariness?" Bai Youyou was puzzled.

The atmosphere fell into a brief silence.

"It’s probably my Mind Judge ability, right? This ability is somewhat beyond my control; it often surfaces automatically when my thoughts scatter."

"If you saw something inappropriate just now, don’t think too much about it," Bai Youyou said earnestly after pondering.