Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 204 - 124: The Expert

Chapter 204: Chapter 124: The Expert

Jiuyue had great foresight in this matter. Before Duan Mingyuan set off on his business trip, she had admonished him that traveling alone, he might very well be targeted by those with ulterior motives. There could be people who would slip cards through the hotel room door, and she warned Duan Mingyuan not to trust these flyers, as they were very likely to be a "pitfall trap."

If he ever felt lonely and bored, he could video call her.

The company of a beautiful fox demon online would certainly be better than dealing with those women of unknown origin.

However, the current situation was a bit delicate.

Duan Mingyuan did indeed receive a card, but it wasn’t an invitation for a romantic encounter. Rather, it invited him to explore the meaning of life. He read the card over again and found that the four questions it raised hit directly at the sore spot of office workers who had fallen into a state of ennui.

The monotony of daily life, the endless overtime, traveling to a strange city for work, and the inevitable moments of confusion and melancholy after night falls in a lonely hotel room. Although he was well past the age of youthful fantasies filled with restless passion, he sometimes longed for a change in his life.

The only problem was that the card only mentioned going to "find them," but didn’t specify how to do so or by what means to find them.

Duan Mingyuan took out his phone, which didn’t have "YES" or "NO" options either.

Instead, Jiuyue had sent a goodnight message on WeChat before falling asleep, reminding him not to cheat.

Suppose the old hunter had also heard knocking on his door that night and received a card like this, the individuals it referred to were likely the culprits behind his disappearance.

Duan Mingyuan placed the card on the nightstand, washed up, and lay in bed waiting for a long time. Realizing that the person who left the card had no intention of engaging him in a deeper discussion, he pulled the covers over himself and fell asleep.

There was a myriad of mundane work tasks awaiting him tomorrow.

Such as, contacting the police in his capacity as an expert from the Royal Hunting Court.

He had only recently learned that police departments everywhere had established some form of cooperation with the Hunter Association. Whenever cases that defied common sense emerged, they would consult with experts from the Hunter Association for advice.

However, this tradition had been interrupted for nearly twenty years due to the downfall of the Royal Hunting Court, and most young officers were completely unaware of it.

He slept soundly that night.

Even the criminals and the evil spirits of Siyang City didn’t enter his dreams to disturb him, which left Duan Mingyuan feeling somewhat disappointed.

Compared to the experienced old hunter, he was clearly a rookie in the field, having been at it for only a few years, and even went as far as to book the room next to where the old hunter had disappeared, as if afraid others wouldn’t know he was there to investigate the missing cases.

Young, impulsive, and dressed like a business trip office worker.

Most likely a foolhardy soul who had joined the Association on a whim when boredom with work and life took its toll.

No matter what Wangxu and the potential murderers thought, Duan Mingyuan felt he was an easy target.

If he were a criminal, he surely would have struck that very night.

Having such a rookie survive an extra day in the hotel would be disrespectful to the entire criminal enterprise.

When the first light of dawn entered the room, and his phone on the nightstand began to vibrate, Duan Mingyuan realized he was sitting safely on his bed unharmed, and he couldn’t help but feel profoundly disappointed.

But Da Jiang had already sent a message, stating that the Siyang City police attached great importance to the case. They hoped to meet with him, the expert, as soon as possible and also hoped he would attend the case discussion meeting that morning.

...

Ever since the case occurred, the nerves of Siyang City’s officers had been on high alert.

But after countless meetings, large and small, they still had not a single clue.

How had the criminal managed to sneak into the conference room under the watchful eyes of the public?

And how did they brutally murder 13 company executives and leave without a trace?

Where had the bodies gone?

Well, the lab results had come in, and the bloodstains on the wall were indeed from the 13 missing individuals, which seemed to indicate their fate.

Every detail of the case that had been investigated made no sense to them, leading to a prevailing sentiment in the police department—this was not a crime committed by mere humans!

It was more like some kind of invisible ghost or monster that murdered people and then dragged their bodies into its own realm, creating the current situation.

Of course, that was something that could only be said in private.

The public would not accept such an explanation, and even if they were to blame it on some mythical creatures, they would need to explain clearly how the crime was committed, the motive, and exactly which mythic beast was responsible.

The vibration of his cell phone made Zheng Liu’s eyes narrow into a slit, this was his third day living at the police station, since the "13 Missing Persons Case" occurred, he hadn’t gone home at all.

As the youngest officer in the station, he had put all his effort into it, determined to be at the forefront of the investigation and to solve the case once and for all.

He made himself a cup of instant coffee, when suddenly the scent of breakfast wafted into the big office,

"Xiaolongbao, with beef filling."

The smell of the meat-filled buns made Zheng Liu’s mouth water. A veteran officer, nearly fifty years old, was the first to enter the office, carrying a plastic bag.

"Thanks, Master!"

Zheng Liu took the buns, savoring them deliciously.

This was probably one of the few good things to happen in the last few days.

"Got some good news: the higher-ups have called in an expert, apparently a very seasoned hunter,"

The veteran officer leaned towards Zheng Liu’s desk and shared the good news with him.

The young man’s efforts were obvious to all, and he was very optimistic about his apprentice.

"A seasoned... hunter?"

Obviously, this was not a profession commonly seen in modern society, and Zheng Liu’s entire impression of hunters was still stuck in the days when he and his classmates would team up to slay dragons at the police academy.

"Haven’t I told you before? A hunter is someone who specializes in dealing with cases like this one."

"Master, wait a minute, slow down!"

This sudden onslaught of information almost fried his CPU; the door to this new world was opening too fast, and he wasn’t ready at all.

"What do you mean ’cases like this one’? Are you saying this case wasn’t committed by humans?"

Could it be that the netizens who were eager to watch the debacle unfold had actually guessed it right?

From the first day the news spread, some people had suspected that this was a supernatural case.

"It’s normal that you wouldn’t know; our station almost hasn’t handled cases like this for about a decade. Last time I heard about a case of a malevolent spirit harming people, I was only a few years older than you."

"So, a hunter is a profession that deals specifically with malevolent spirits?"

"Yes, but I heard their organization encountered some misfortune and had vanished for many years, only recently becoming active again."

At this point, the veteran officer smiled slightly and changed the subject, "Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. The expert invited by the station will be arriving soon, and the higher-ups have agreed for you to liaise with him."

"Thank you, Master! But... what does this expert look like?"

"The higher-ups only mentioned that he is a very experienced hunter who has just returned from the Imperial Court; if nothing is unexpected, he should be a respected elderly gentleman. Don’t worry, a hunter’s demeanor is very different from ordinary people’s; you’ll recognize him the moment you see him."

"An elderly gentleman."

Zheng Liu quietly noted this critical piece of information.

This was indeed an important opportunity, not only to get acquainted with the expert—who, with his white hair, youthful face, and an air of immortal elegance—was likely to be an old gentleman, but also to inquire about many things related to hunters and malevolent spirits.

"The expert is about to arrive; once you’ve finished your buns, go downstairs to receive him."