AITAMITB Chapter 89

In an empty warehouse, a pitch-black expanse, with only a half-meter-wide window allows in a faint trace of moonlight.

The blood on the ground had congealed into dark stains. A woman, her hands and feet bound together, struggled in the center.

It was dark, very dark.

Guan Huimin opened her eyes and realized she was trapped in this darkness. Her hands and feet were tightly bound with hemp rope, and her mouth was taped shut. She emitted muffled cries but received no response—only the sound of her clothes scraping against the floor.

Where was she?

…

“I think there’s something off about this Fan Ying.”

Zhao Xiaokui suddenly proposed, drawing everyone’s attention.

Curious, Lin Bai asked, “Why do you suspect her out of everyone here?”

“…A woman’s intuition?” In truth, Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t quite explain why she felt that the person named Fan Ying was suspicious. It was just in that instant when she saw the woman’s photo that a thought surged in her mind: It’s her, it’s definitely her.

Unaccountably, she recalled the words the malevolent deity once said about her “particular authority granted by the world.”

Could this be the so-called authority at work?

Of course, she didn’t rashly voice this idea. Even if she did possess some form of authority, she wouldn’t overly rely on it until she understood how to wield it correctly.

Zhao Xiaokui’s proposal, though abrupt, made sense. Everyone was essentially searching for a needle in a haystack¹which means, they’re finding something hard to find or with no clue. Having a specific target was better than aimlessly investigating. After all, no matter where they started, they’d eventually have to trace back to the person with issues.

The team set aside their materials and focused on the file labeled “Fan Ying”. They read through the details:

Fan Ying, female, thirty-eight years old, unmarried…

Gou Rixin exclaimed, “Wow, this woman has been chasing Nie Fu for twenty years! When she was eighteen, she boldly confessed her feelings backstage to Nie Fu, and it even made local news. Quite bold!”

Zhao Xiaokui added, “Money certainly helps. Twenty years ago, she was willing to spend big bucks to chase after a celebrity. She even managed to get past Nie Fu’s entourage and into the backstage area.”

Gou Rixin continued, marveling at the frenzy of star-chasing fans. “Every year, she buys a day’s worth of advertising space at Times Square to celebrate Nie Fu’s birthday. That’s some serious commitment. Xiaokui, do you have fans this extravagant?”

Zhao Xiaokui replied, “Me? Sure, haven’t you met my devoted fan? My girlfriend Zhifei—she’s quite the high roller.”

Gou Rixin fell silent.

Lin Bai interjected, “Focus on the information, you two.”

Zhao Xiaokui and Gou Rixin exchanged a knowing glance, then buried themselves in the files. Soon, Gou Rixin couldn’t contain his curiosity. “Wait a minute, didn’t it say that Nie Fu hasn’t seen her in five years?”

Zhao Xiaokui retorted, “Just because Nie Fu hasn’t seen her doesn’t mean she hasn’t seen him. If she truly stopped being a fan, who paid for the birthday ad at Times Square this year? Nie Fu can’t exactly inflate his own ego, can he?”

Gou Rixin countered, “Nie Fu has been a famous singer for over twenty years. Surely he’s allowed to have a few wealthy fans, right?”

Zhao Xiaokui cast a glance at Gou Rixin.

Brother Gou felt immensely aggrieved; he believed that Zhao Xiaokui was mocking him with her eyes.

“This year, the person who purchased the Times Square advertisement is the same account holder as in previous years,” Lin Bai continued. “And that account belongs to Fan Ying.”

Gou Rixin: “…”

Lin Bai went on, “Fan Ying hasn’t appeared in front of Nie Fu for five years, not because she gave up on being a fan, but because she was ill.”

He produced a stack of photos. “She suffered from severe systemic lupus erythematosus, which eventually led to kidney failure. She had to lie in bed, relying on an external circulation machine to sustain her life. But two months ago, the Fan family found a suitable donor, and she successfully underwent a kidney transplant.”

Zhao Xiaokui suddenly chuckled.

The others in the room understood what amused her. A patient who had been suffering from kidney failure for years, with her immune system nearly destroyed, had recovered at an astonishing rate after the kidney transplant. There was usually only one explanation: an extraordinary force beyond the ordinary had intervened.

Zhang Hongyi asked, “Has anyone officially registered as an extraordinary individual contacted the Fan family?”

Lin Bai was clear on this point. “No.” If they had, he would have known.

The Fan family were ordinary people. Before Fan Ying fell ill, they had never come into contact with anyone possessing special abilities. Moreover, any registered extraordinary individual, before interacting with ordinary people, had to report it. Otherwise, it would be considered a voluntary disclosure of the existence of the extraordinary world, and they would face significant consequences if discovered.

Don’t say that secretly contacting someone won’t be detected. As long as you’re in the city, even the slightest fluctuation of extraordinary power will be sensed by the Nightwalkers. Not everyone is like Zhao Xiaokui, who can precisely control their use of extraordinary abilities within a certain range.

And leaving the city… Registered extraordinary individuals must report when leaving the city, providing detailed information about their whereabouts.

This is also why Zhao Xiaokui has never allowed Shen Zhifei to register with the Nightwalkers.

The existence of the evil god makes her hesitant to place full trust in the Nightwalkers. If Shen Zhifei were officially registered, her every move would be exposed to the authorities. Zhao Xiaokui herself can handle exposure, but Shen Zhifei, as a Star Seer with limited combat abilities, might struggle in a battle between extraordinary individuals. Although Zhao Xiaokui has used her points to equip Shen Zhifei with life-saving weapons and secured special permissions due to her status as a second-level extraordinary, facing combat among extraordinary beings is still uncertain for Shen Zhifei.

“This person indeed has significant issues. Let’s investigate her first.”

Finally, Zhang Hongyi made a decisive decision.

…

Hunger, cold, pain.

Suddenly, the warehouse door swung open, and the glaring light forced her to squint. Yet, she couldn’t suppress her instinct to chase after the brightness, turning her gaze toward the entrance.

“Mmm… Mmm…”

Who are you? What do you want? Let me out…

A gentle female voice echoed in Guan Huimin’s ears. It was as if she heard a delicate snake slithering across damp moss, its tongue hissing. “How pitiable,” the woman said, her words dripping with venom. “Do you realize what you look like now? Like a dead dog pulled from the muck. Do you think Nie Fu would still like you in this state?”

After a while, Guan Huimin’s eyes adjusted to the light, and she gradually discerned the woman who had entered the warehouse.

The woman was petite, standing at around five feet, with a baby face. Her eyes were as round as her face, and her short stature didn’t hide her ample hips. Oddly, she didn’t seem to play to her strengths. She wore tight, vintage purple leather pants, revealing her wide hips—a somewhat comical sight.

Despite the scars marring both sides of her face, Guan Huimin immediately recognized her—Fan Ying.

Fan Ying squatted down, paying no mind to how her black windbreaker had become stained with blood on the ground. She lifted Guan Huimin’s face with her hand, scrutinizing the features that, even in disarray, couldn’t conceal their beauty. Her eyes gleamed with intense jealousy.

“Look at this face, just look at it! It’s the face that appears by my brother’s side every day, ensnaring him. If it weren’t for this face, would Nie Fu still like you?” She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “You know what? I’ve seen through your true nature. You’re here by my brother’s side to seduce him. He’s merely bewitched by your looks. He’s young and doesn’t realize that the prettier a woman is, the more wicked her heart tends to be… I’ll help him. I’ll correct him… He’s such a good boy; he’ll listen to me.”

“Mmm…”

Guan Huimin couldn’t speak; she could only stare at the woman with wide eyes.

Her eyes were round and large, beautifully shaped. Even when filled with anger, they exuded a burning allure.

Fan Ying wished she could pluck those eyes out of Guan Huimin’s sockets and transplant them onto herself.

Her hands reached out, almost touching Guan Huimin’s eyes. But in the end, she stopped short, merely hovering in front of her face. Gently, she brushed Guan Huimin’s eyelashes and said, “Do you know? You’re incredibly lucky. The higher-ups have declared you the most suitable sacrificial offering. Not a single scratch is allowed…”

Her expression was full of regret, and Guan Huimin shuddered.

…

After thoroughly investigating Fan Ying, the team quickly noticed something amiss in her recent movements.

“Look at the places she visited these past few days. What do they resemble when connected?”

What do they resemble?

For a moment, everyone was puzzled by what Zhao Xiaokui was saying.

Finally, Zhao Xiaokui asked Lin Bai, found drawing tools, and directly connected the three locations Fan Ying frequented on the display screen. It formed an equilateral triangle.

“Is there anything unusual?” Zhao Xiaokui asked.

Lin Bai replied, “Show the markings for all the warehouses owned by the Fan family.”

She marked a pentagon on the map. Three corners corresponded to the recent locations Fan Ying visited, while the other two belonged to warehouses under the Fan family. The Fan family made their fortune in supermarkets and owned several such warehouses.

Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t quite explain why she suddenly thought of this pattern, but when she saw the three points on the map, the pentagram shape naturally emerged in her mind.

“Look, doesn’t this resemble a formation?”

“What kind of formation is this massive? It practically covers the entire S City. If it’s really the work of a cult, could they be planning to sacrifice the entire city?” Gou Rixin initially spoke casually, but seeing the serious expressions around him, he swallowed nervously and said, “No way…”

“These people have some nerve, don’t they?”

“Similar incidents have happened before.” Zhang Hongyi wore a stern expression. “In X City, something similar occurred, but it was discovered early and was stopped.”

His face grew serious. “Regardless of whether it’s true or not, as long as the possibility exists, we can’t take it lightly.”

Zhao Xiaokui looked up at the pentagram she had drawn on the map, and suddenly, her heart started pounding intensely.

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  which means, they’re finding something hard to find or with no clue