Chapter 9

Her eyelashes fluttered like tiny brushes, stirring He Qiting back to his senses.

He had intended to act directly, fearing Ye Xiyin might be scared, but his mind wandered into inappropriate thoughts.

Suppressing those unwelcome imaginations, He Qiting shifted his focus.

“If you’re afraid, then don’t look,” he said, turning Ye Xiyin around before removing his hand from her eyes.

Where his palm had covered, a faint blush spread across her cheeks, and Ye Xiyin quickly lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.

Meanwhile, the forensic examiner continued his autopsy. Many players were encountering such a situation for the first time. Thanks to the pixelated censorship, they weren’t alarmed but rather intrigued, watching eagerly.

Occasional murmurs floated through the air.

“The fatal wound seems to be a large stab wound to the chest.”

“Did you hear what the examiner said? The victim was apparently poisoned before death, though the substance is unknown. Sounds like someone familiar did it, doesn’t it?”

“That’s impossible. One corpse might indicate a crime of passion, but with so many here, it must be a premeditated crime—and not a one-time affair.”

“Are they really going to examine the body like this? Isn’t this a bit careless?”

“Who cares? Maybe it’s a game setting, meant to give us clues. Otherwise, once the body is taken away, we wouldn’t get any leads.”

That made sense to the others, who refocused their attention, ears perked for the examiner’s reports. Indeed, as the forensic expert spoke, the group’s mission logs began to update.

Those who had already accepted the task saw their progress bars shift as well.

Ye Xiyin and his companions were no exception.

To his surprise, Ye Xiyin found that, like other players, he could receive missions.

His heart fluttered slightly at the sight of rewards and experience points listed after the task.

The rewards didn’t matter much to him, but experience points meant he could level up. Gaining levels might help restore his body somewhat.

Compared to that, the missions seemed less thrilling, especially since they involved cooperation with NPCs and differed from typical player quests.

With this incentive, Ye Xiyin overcame his initial discomfort and grew somewhat curious.

Still, being inexperienced but eager, he was also wary of the potentially graphic scenes, so he hid slightly behind He Qiting, peeking out just enough to see. Whenever the examiner revealed more disturbing images, he would quietly retreat behind him.

As expected from past mission experiences, progress was swift.

The examiner opened the victim’s mouth and carefully extracted a small bundle.

This had to be a clue!

Almost instantly, all players fixed their gaze on the object.

From a distance, it appeared as a small, rolled-up bundle. The exact material was unclear, but before anyone could get a closer look, the examiner placed it on a tray, and a respectful constable hurriedly delivered it to Gu Qing.

Gu Qing showed no disgust and immediately pinched it up to inspect closely. Although the smell was unpleasant, his expression remained unchanged.

With the nearby light, Ye Xiyin and the two others could clearly see what it was.

Indeed, it was a rolled piece of fabric, smooth in texture, resembling silk or satin. To identify it further, they would have to wait until the surface dirt was cleaned.

Soon, the item was carefully stored away, prompting disappointed sighs from the players.

This was clearly an important clue, one that might lead to the mastermind behind the crimes.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t compete with the officials for evidence.

Players with relevant skills eyed the clue, attempting to stealthily steal it using the “Sleight of Hand” skill, but before they could approach, a chain snapped onto a wrist.

A player dressed in dark official robes, a member of the Hidden Guard, smiled.

“You’re caught stealing, buddy. A trip to the county jail awaits.”

The caught player looked utterly hopeless.

Why did he have to run into this group?

As members of the Hidden Guard, closely connected with the government, these players delighted in catching rule-breaking players and sending them to jail.

This was why many players resented them, accusing them of being government lackeys—a grudge long held.

But what did it matter? Their enjoyment was all that counted.

They loved seeing other players dislike them but unable to defeat them.

Jail time meant a player couldn’t participate in missions or fight monsters to level up for a while, forced to silently lament behind bars.

Regret came too late for the unlucky thief who had targeted the Hidden Guard.

Meanwhile, the rest of the players were thrilled.

Why? Because the involvement of the Hidden Guard indicated this mission was no ordinary murder case.

Data miners had noted that tasks involving major factions rarely had low levels or poor rewards.

Their presence confirmed a deeper, more complex power struggle behind the scenes.

In short—if the Hidden Guard is involved, this mission is definitely worth tackling.

Interest in the mission surged among players.

Ye Xiyin and his two companions, having caused some commotion, only made others more frustrated.

They were so troublesome that many wanted to blacklist them immediately.

But their anger had no effect; the trio, due to the official report, were escorted to the government office.

Taking advantage of this, Ye Xiyin and company finally learned what the victim had held in their mouth.

“A piece of cloth?”

The three huddled together, staring at the cleaned clue on the tray.

The fabric looked ordinary; time had faded its pattern.

Yet Ye Xiyin felt a strange familiarity.

He dragged his chin, furrowing his brows, struggling to recall.

“Have you seen this fabric before?” Gu Qing asked, tapping the tray, his gaze occasionally lingering on Ye Xiyin.

Normally, since the trio’s loyalties were unclear, Gu Qing shouldn’t reveal too much about the case.

But perhaps his instincts as a Hidden Guard made him more lenient toward these young people—so long as it didn’t interfere with his duties.

Recalling information he had gathered last night, Gu Qing looked at the three once more.

A young genius swordsman, a cunning poison doctor, and... the child of the former top master.

Their identities were clean, nothing suspicious.

As for Ye Junyan’s son, Gu Qing found little interest in his lineage.

He wasn’t sure if Ye Junyan possessed the legendary ultimate martial arts methods, but if he did, it was somewhat pathetic that he couldn’t protect his own child in danger.

Of course, if such information was reported higher up and deemed necessary, that was another matter.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiyin finally remembered where he had seen the pattern.

“In the guest room,” Ye Xiyin said with growing certainty. “At the Joyful Inn. When I escaped from there, I used the room’s fabric as a rope. I was panicked and grabbed whatever I could. Now that I think about it, inside the bed canopy where it was concealed, there was a piece with this exact pattern.”

As he spoke, Ye Xiyin dipped his finger into a nearby cup of water and recreated the pattern on the fabric from his memory.

His impression remained vivid because the design was quite distinctive.

It was a cloud motif.

But unlike ordinary cloud patterns, this one was a vivid bluish-green and shaped like a winding little dragon.

Though he wasn’t entirely certain—after all, ordinary people wouldn’t use dragon patterns.

Thanks to Ye Xiyin’s decent drawing skills, the cloud-dragon motif was fairly accurate.

“Are you sure this is the pattern?” Gu Qing suddenly stepped closer, staring intently at the cloud design. His previous calm vanished, replaced by a grave seriousness.

His presence now exuded a subtle but dangerous aura, like a fierce dog caged and ready to strike.

Ye Xiyin edged closer to He Qiting, seeking safety in his presence. Once reassured, he nodded and described the color of the cloud pattern carefully.

Gu Qing sneered coldly.

Indeed, the expression was intimidating.

Yet, as one of the rare few whom Gu Qing treated kindly, Ye Xiyin took the initiative to inquire further.

“Deputy Commander Gu, that inn must be suspicious, right? Should we investigate inside for more clues?” Thinking of the arrogant crowd at the inn, Ye Xiyin clenched his fists quietly.

If only they could get some justice.

“Investigate? Of course not,” Gu Qing said, holding the silk fabric firmly. “What we’re going to do is catch the turtle in the jar.”