Chapter 45 - Mental Judgment

Li Xu’s mind was in turmoil, but he forced himself to appear calm."Hmm, this is the Raven Office. What can I do for you?"

Bai Youyou took out a photo of three people together:

"Do you recognize them?"

"A few days ago, the vital signs of these three Cleaners disappeared. According to a preliminary investigation, the association concluded that they were murdered.

"Every life of a Cleaner is protected by the association. In the event of misfortune while executing a commission, rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this matter."

Li Xu was about to speak but recalled what that person had said to him earlier.

Living for years in chaotic areas, he had a sensitivity different from ordinary people.

This affair was not that simple; it even involved a Three-winged Investigator.

That was a Three-winged Investigator!

Even in a more advanced Nest City, they were a presence that stood above most.

Aside from this matter being truly connected to the power players at the top of the power pyramid in Corrupt Nest City, he couldn’t think of any other possibility that would interest a Three-winged Investigator so much.

For a small figure like him to survive, he needed to follow the urban survival rules, recognizing the approaching crisis in the air.

No matter what, he must not be drawn into the vortex; otherwise, he would just end up shattered to pieces.

With this in mind, he maintained a calm expression: "I know them, but only in passing. They used to live in this alley, but I haven’t seen them for a few days."

Bai Youyou was a bit surprised: "Is that so..."

"Were they killed?"

"However, Investigator Miss, those three Cleaners were not good people."

"In this slum, they often engaged in illegal organ trade and human trafficking; many children fell victim to their hands."

"For people like them, it’s actually better if they’re dead."

"Is that so?" Bai Youyou nodded. "Then they indeed died well."

"If it were me, knowing they did such things, I certainly wouldn’t let them off, either."

It seemed this investigator was communicative.

Li Xu secretly let out a breath of relief.

"But that has nothing to do with my investigation of the criminal who killed them," Bai Youyou said. "Can a criminal be forgiven just because they did one right thing?"

"But..."

"I only know that those criminals are an unstable time bomb. If ignored, they will explode."

"Maybe today they’re ’punishing evil and promoting good,’ doing the right thing, but can they continue doing the right thing every day?"

"Heh." Li Xu suddenly let out a cold laugh.

He looked around the alley he had lived in for so many years. On the top of the entire slum, where sunlight could reach directly, countless corners were still shrouded in shadows.

Illegal smuggling and organ trading happened every moment in the shadows. Going down a few steps, a starving corpse could easily be seen.

Gangs ran rampant, various forces were intertwined, and gangs, government, companies, and associations used countless unlawful means to forcibly extract wealth, like mountains pressing down on every person at the bottom, draining their backbone.

Kneeling in the black market, people dug out their own body parts just for a meal.

Those living in the darkest areas lived worse than livestock; male slaves and the girls in the Moon Store may never see sunlight in their lives.

This was just what he could see as someone living in the upper slum.

He most despised idealists like this.

Full of empty talk, yet never having experienced any hardship.

"With so many crimes in the world, Investigator Miss should just arrest those power players too."

"I have no time to talk to you," Bai Youyou said. "I investigated your office before coming. Those three Cleaners have received commissions from you more than once."

"Whatever your reason for wanting to hide the facts, I don’t have time to waste with you."

"I’ll give you one last chance, Li Xu, director of Raven Office, what is the actual relation between you and those three First Tier Cleaners?"

"I don’t want to use unnecessary means." Bai Youyou’s eyes changed.

"I’ll say it again, I’m not familiar with them..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Xu felt as if his heart skipped a beat, his body trembled violently, and countless purple tentacles seemed to climb from the edges of his iris, shifting unpredictably.

The girl’s outline became bizarre, the world spun.

In no time, he was on the ground, hallucinations filling his vision with a blood-red sky, clouds racing across the horizon as if set ablaze.

Bai Youyou’s face was shrouded in shadow, cold as ice.

The girl seemed to turn into a monster, countless cracks appeared on her body, and when opened, they were sinister eyeballs!

A giant cross descended from the sky, piercing Li Xu’s chest, pinning him to the ground.

Before he could figure out what was happening, blistering flames rose from the cross as if they could scorch his soul. The indescribable burning pain tore at his gaze:

"Aaaaahhhhhh!!"

Countless chains pierced his body, tearing his skin inch by inch, staining him crimson, leaving no part intact.

"I’ll say!!! I’ll say!!!"

He shouted loudly.

"Those three Cleaners were part of my Raven Office before!"

The scene before him returned to normal, he remained standing there, the soul-burning pain faded away, and Bai Youyou appeared before him.

He hurriedly checked his body, confirming he hadn’t suffered any substantial injury, only then realizing it was all just an illusion.

No, it was the ability of this Three-winged Investigator!

"What did you do?" Li Xu asked pale.

"My profession, Mind Judge," Bai Youyou said. "If you don’t want to experience that pain again, you’d better tell everything you know."

Li Xu swallowed hard, terror of the girl before him engulfed him.

After what happened just now, he dismissed his previous thoughts; this girl investigator was totally uncommunicative! She’s just an obsessive lunatic!

He never wanted to experience that kind of soul-burning pain again in his life.

That feeling was like having all the tortures in history imposed on him, with his senses amplified ten thousand times, each second felt like a year.

It’s impossible to withstand such pain; in less than ten seconds, one’s spirit would collapse, they’d go mad.

"I’ll speak..." Li Xu struggled to verbalize, "Just now, a person, about 1.9 meters tall, male, very sturdy."

"Mm, go on."

"He came to find me, said you’d come to find me later to ask about them, and told me to definitely deny any relation to them..."

"That’s all I know."

Like a sudden realization, Li Xu fumbled with his clothes, finally extracting a yellowed note, handing it to Bai Youyou.

"Oh right, that person gave me a contact! Said, said to call him if needed."

Suspiciously, Bai Youyou took the note. Seeing the handwriting, her fingers clenched it tightly, veins bulging in her hand.

’Investigator Bai, what a coincidence, at this moment isn’t it time to say’

’Good afternoon?’