AITAMITB Chapter 25

Thank you to chamana_digital for the ko-fi~

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“Let’s go, not now.” Su Mingyue decisively rejected her proposal and added when she saw her pale, “You need to follow us back to the office and register first.”

“Do I need to have my blood drawn?” Zhao Xiaokui asked.

Su Mingyue responded with a question, “How did you have a physical examination during the college entrance exam?”

Confused, Zhao Xiaokui asked, “Huh?”

Su Mingyue explained, “How you had a physical examination during the college entrance exam is how we’ll conduct the registration.”

After hearing this, Zhao Xiaokui sighed with relief, letting out a long breath. Su Mingyue chuckled and handed the detector to Lin Bai, asking him to put it away. Su Mingyue patted Zhao Xiaokui’s shoulder, saying, “Alright, since we’ve bumped into each other, come back to the office with us, register, and we’ll see what happens later.”

Zhao Xiaokui was still a bit hesitant. “Aren’t you going to check first?”

Su Mingyue smiled and didn’t reveal their true purpose for now. She said, “Don’t worry. We have other colleagues nearby, and it’s not like we won’t come back after registering you. After the registration, we’ll continue our work.”

The young girl finally relaxed.

The Night Watcher’s car was parked on the other side. Zhao Xiaokui followed them through the small paths between the buildings, heading towards where their car was parked.

There was a makeshift snack stall on the way, using wooden boards and benches. Inside the wooden frame were various snacks, surrounded by circles of snacks, including spicy snacks that children loved and various desserts.

A few children holding coins in their hands were hesitating in front of the stall.

Squinting, Gou Rixin searched his pockets but didn’t find any candy. He walked towards the snack stall, suddenly remembering what Su Mingyue had mentioned earlier. When they met Zhao Xiaokui today, she ate a bunch of snacks in front of her and Lin Bai. So, he called out, “Xiaokui, come over and see if there’s something you like. My treat!”

Zhao Xiaokui approached like an eager rabbit without saying a word.

“Wow, they have this chicken skewer! I used to buy it every day in high school. And this… I haven’t seen it in the supermarket; I thought it was no longer available!”

The snacks sold at the stall were the kind Zhao Xiaokui often saw in the school store during her high school days.

“Feel free to pick whatever you want; I’ll pay for it,” Gou Rixin generously said, holding a bag of White Rabbit milk candies.

“No need, no need. Thanks, Uncle Gou. I have money,” Zhao Xiaokui took out her phone to indicate.

‘Uncle’ Gou: “…”

Lin Bai smirked, and Su Mingyue burst into laughter without holding back.

Although Gou Rixin looked old, he was actually the youngest in the entire squad, at the age of twenty-five. He just joined the military early and was exposed to the wind and sun all year round, making him appear older.

Looking at the variety of snacks, Zhao Xiaokui wanted this and that. However, thinking about the potential consequences if Shen Zhifei found out she was eating such obviously chemical snacks, she restrained herself from buying everything. She just took a pack of each item that reminded her of her childhood memories, and the shopkeeper used a well-worn plastic bag to pack them up for her.

Holding her phone, Zhao Xiaokui asked, “Boss, where’s the QR code for payment?”

“QR code? I don’t have one. I only accept cash here,” the shopkeeper, an elderly and thin man, replied when he heard Zhao Xiaokui’s question.

From head to toe, Zhao Xiaokui had nothing but her phone and a hat. Gou Rixin, teased as “Uncle Gou” for a while, grinned, “Let Uncle Gou treat you. How much is it, boss? I’ll pay for this girl.”

“I have money!” Zhao Xiaokui huffily removed the phone case, revealing a hundred yuan bill inside, and said, “Shen Zhifei gave me cash.”

Seeing the crimson banknote, the shopkeeper waved his hands hastily, “I don’t have a change, I don’t…”

The snacks and drinks on his stall probably added up to around a hundred yuan.

Gou Rixin chuckled and took out his wallet, causing Zhao Xiaokui to look disheartened. With all the snacks packed and her hesitation to refuse, coupled with her genuine desire to eat them, she mumbled, “I’ll transfer the money to you later.”

As she was halfway through her sentence, she suddenly paused, and tilted her head upward, as if listening to something.

While Su Mingyue was enjoying the lively scene between them, Lin Bai, being observant, noticed Zhao Xiaokui’s unusual reaction. He nudged Su Mingyue with his elbow, prompting her to inquire about the situation.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Didn’t you hear?” Zhao Xiaokui’s face showed confusion. “A woman is crying and screaming.”

She glanced around and then realized that she and Su Mingyue’s group had unconsciously walked to the building where she found Bai Jingru.

Lin Bai and Gou Rixin, the two supernaturals, exchanged a glance, held their breath, and listened carefully for a moment. Afterward, Lin Bai addressed Su Mingyue, “Indeed, we can hear the sounds she mentioned, but they’re very vague and faint. Almost inaudible if you don’t listen carefully.”

Su Mingyue asked Zhao Xiaokui, “Do you want to go and check it out?”

Zhao Xiaokui hesitated for a moment before nodding, “The woman’s voice sounds painful and desperate.”

Lin Bai and Gou Rixin, who had come today for Zhao Xiaokui’s sake, didn’t consider accompanying the young girl a big deal, given that she wasn’t a threat.

However, Zhao Xiaokui felt a bit embarrassed on her own account, “Am I causing too much trouble?”

“How could that be?” Su Mingyue smiled gently, radiating a reassuring presence. “If that woman is truly in such a dire situation, we, as law enforcement officers, can’t just turn a blind eye. It’s our duty to intervene when something bad is happening.”

As she spoke, Su Mingyue was mentally prepared to deal with any scenario, whether it be a marital dispute or something more serious.

At the same time, she mentally labeled the young girl as kind-hearted. Not everyone was willing to get involved in others’ affairs.

While others might find it troublesome, as a Nightwalker agent accustomed to the indifference of the world, encountering someone like Zhao Xiaokui made Su Mingyue feel a warmth in her heart.

In this world, there were still good-hearted individuals.

Zhao Xiaokui, being the first to hear the sound, naturally led the way. Lin Bai and Gou Rixin, hearing a softer version of the sound, initially assumed it was coming from a considerable distance. However, to their surprise, Zhao Xiaokui directly guided them to the residential building behind the snack stall.

After climbing several floors, the four of them stopped in front of a brand-new, burgundy security door.

This door appeared recently installed, with a smooth paint finish and a gleaming golden doorknob. Zhao Xiaokui pressed her ear against the door, listened for a while, and then said, “This is the place.”

Gou Rixin, with his wealth of experience, suggested, “Let’s knock on the door first. Say that we’re investigating unusual occurrences in the vicinity to find out what’s going on.”

As he prepared to knock, Lin Bai, habitually glancing at his tablet computer, hastily said, “Wait!”

Gou Rixin asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Mingyue was the first to notice his screen. “The signal from the eraser?”

Her expression changed slightly, and she immediately grabbed Zhao Xiaokui’s hand, leading her away from the security door, and positioning themselves in the direction of descending the stairs.

“Do we need to call for backup?” Su Mingyue asked.

Looking at Zhao Xiaokui, Lin Bai inquired, “Can you hear how many people are inside?”

Zhao Xiaokui, looking bewildered as if not understanding why they suddenly turned serious, sought help with her eyes from Su Mingyue. Su Mingyue patted her hand and reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, just tell the truth.”

“I only heard two people,” Zhao Xiaokui replied. “One is a woman, and the other is a man. The man is cursing at the woman, using very harsh language. The woman has been crying and hasn’t been speaking.”

Su Mingyue glanced at her two teammates on this field mission, knowing that they had already made a decision. She approached Zhao Xiaokui and whispered to her, “Be good, let’s go down first. There’s a bit of an unexpected situation here.”

Zhao Xiaokui bit her lip and nodded. In her bright eyes, there was a mixture of fear and trust in them.

Su Mingyue didn’t know what stroke of luck Zhao Xiaokui had. She had only intended to intervene in a domestic violence situation, yet it led her to discover the memory eraser missing for over half a year.

She led Zhao Xiaokui down two floors and leaned against the wall, finding a spot where they could hear the commotion upstairs but wouldn’t be easily seen from the staircase crevices.

“Hush.”

Zhao Xiaokui nodded, indicating that she would stay quiet.

Gou Rixin and Lin Bai, each taking out their concealed weapons, stood ready. Lin Bai stepped forward and lightly knocked on the door.

“Is anyone there? Today, someone reported to the neighborhood committee that someone here threw garbage downstairs, and among the trash, they found a valuable item. It seems like a mistaken disposal. Is it yours?”

“What item?”

The security door opened a crack, revealing a man with a sharp face and monkey-like cheeks. He glanced at Lin Bai and then at the tall figure of Gou Rixin, skepticism evident in his eyes.

Lin Bai calmly asked, “Did you throw the garbage?”

The man said, “Tell me first what the item is.”

“No, you have to tell us if you lost something. If it’s something you dropped, we’ll bring it to you,” Lin Bai said. “It’s quite valuable, worth several hundred thousand.”

Under Lin Bai’s gaze, the man’s eyes noticeably lit up.

He opened the door wider, nearly standing at the door’s edge, and took out a cigarette, offering it to the two. With an air of familiarity, he said, “Indeed, I haven’t lost anything. But I’m curious, who could be so careless as to throw something so valuable in the trash? Brother, tell me, I’ve lived for so long and never seen something worth several hundred thousand. Can you enlighten me?”

Lin Bai shook his head and said, “Since you didn’t lose anything, we’ll go ask others. As for what was lost, I can’t disclose it. What if someone claims it falsely?.”

As he spoke, he seemingly casually touched the pocket of his pants.

The man glanced at the tall and sturdy Gou Rixin, thinking he understood his identity—a bodyguard brought along to handle any trouble, preventing the seemingly weak university student from the neighborhood committee from being robbed.

He smirked inwardly, taking advantage of the distraction, he reached into his pocket, feeling the elongated object inside.

Several hundred thousand worth of stuff…

This was like money falling into his lap.

He thought it would be a shame not to seize it.

“By the way, if you happen to know who lost the valuable item, tell them to come to the neighborhood committee to find us…”

Lin Bai seemed oblivious to his intentions, dutifully explaining, “We’re just doing our job.” However, as he spoke, he took a step towards the direction of going upstairs, as if preparing to inquire with others on the upper floors.

Su Mingyue and Zhao Xiaokui waited silently below, listening to the conversation above. Su Mingyue patted her cold hand and reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, everything will be fine.”

Zhao Xiaokui shook her head, her smile seeming a bit forced.

Su Mingyue sighed, clutching her phone tightly, ready to call for backup at any moment.

“Bang—”

Accompanied by the loud impact sound of the iron door hitting the wall, Zhao Xiaokui felt Su Mingyue’s grip on her hand tighten.

She returned the gesture, sensing a comforting smile from Su Mingyue.