Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 228 - 148: Case Focus

Chapter 228: Chapter 148: Case Focus

Li Hua, classmate Tang Qianqian’s companion demon, a peer of Jiuyue, is a Li Hua cat monster. Since joining everyone at Yunhai Academy, she has taken up the role of teaching assistant for the "Magical Monsters" course and has been quite adept at coordinating issues between monsters and humans. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe her as an ambassador for monster-human communication.

The above sums up all of Duan Mingyuan’s knowledge about Li Hua.

Seemingly influenced by her fated partner, Li Hua also became very "content and happy," liking to sprawl out on the rocks in the back mountain to bask in the sun after finishing her regular duties.

"Among cat demons, Li Hua has beautiful fur, belonging to the rather pretty category,"

noted the renowned detective Jiuyue, who believed this to be a very important clue, "Therefore, this might be a case of abduction for beauty."

"An abduction for beauty case? You think the abductor might be the monster on the mountain."

Duan Mingyuan asked.

"No, it is humans."

The case grew more and more perplexing.

Duan Mingyuan couldn’t help but follow up, "During the time I was away on a business trip, did Li Hua learn to transform into a human?"

With Jiuyue as an example, it seemed teachers and students at Yunhai Academy held high hopes for the transformation of monsters into humans. Although the Companion Demon Plan was in full swing on the mountain, he felt that at least half of those eagerly signing up had impure motives.

As an avid online surfer, Duan Mingyuan knew that love had gradually evolved into a legendary-level quest over the years, with human relationships filled with deception and manipulation. Only a very few who possessed both wisdom and luck could carve out a bloody path through it, while those lost in the process often suffered massive losses of time and money.

Some even died in the midst of completing the quest.

Therefore, Duan Mingyuan had heard of many people seeking alternatives and discovering the beauty of monsters.

Most monsters in the back mountain were naïve and simple in nature; as long as you treated them well, they would remember it and stay by your side.

And this was precisely the charm of the Companion Demon Plan.

You might very well encounter your future bride in the back mountain.

Everyone was back to the same starting line, assured of a stable return as long as they invested time and effort, widely preferred over the legendary quests fraught with risks and uncertainties.

"Many people like Li Hua. She ranked in the top three in the last popularity poll,"

"There are polls for this sort of thing?"

"Yes, it’s to help people better understand the ecology of the monsters and, correspondingly, there is also a ’Human Popularity Ranking’ among the monsters."

Jiuyue paused, "Worth mentioning, my popularity rank is first, by a wide margin."

Both inside and outside the academy, people dream of forming connections with fox demons. Unfortunately, fox demons are extremely rare and the entire species lives reclusively in deep mountains and forests, making it very hard to find their kind in the outside world.

Whenever Teacher Jiuyue is mentioned, the teachers and students at the academy can’t help but sigh.

Teacher Jiuyue is perfect in every way, except for the small pity that she became someone’s wife at a young age, which also made them realize the importance of acting first.

Duan Mingyuan wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

That’s the fox demon for you; he hasn’t met anyone who doesn’t like fox demons to this day.

Even the company executives see fox demons as prized possessions.

Duan Mingyuan re-examined the case based on the clues provided by detective Jiuyue, "Li Hua is very popular on the mountain, and due to her personality, she likes to stay on the giant rocks in the back mountain to sunbathe, she would never leave without notice, which is why you suspect this is an abduction case, and the motive might very well be for her beauty."

"Exactly."

Jiuyue nodded, his gaze serious.

Fortunately, Li Hua couldn’t transform into a human yet, so the kidnappers couldn’t harm her for the time being.

"Who reported the case first?"

"It was Tang Qianqian. She has already reported the matter to the student council and initiated an investigation from within the school."

Although Tang Qianqian usually appeared to be a lazy person without much ambition in life, she was extremely attentive to her Companion Demon and vowed to severely punish the kidnappers.

Jiuyue, however, suspected that the school’s internal investigation was unlikely to yield any results, "I suspect that the kidnapper might be an outsider who roams around, and in the worst-case scenario, they might have already taken Li Hua out of the school."

Li Hua was not adept at fighting; she claimed to be on the intelligence track.

If it came to physical confrontation, any kidnapper with a middle-level title could easily overpower Li Hua.

"Since the school opened its doors to the public, many outsiders have come to Qing Chi Peak, and among these people, there seems to be a mysterious organization particularly interested in the monsters from the back mountain. This organization has been growing rapidly within the school, and many students have joined it."

An organization founded by outsiders...

Duan Mingyuan silently noted this important clue in his mind.

Indeed, since his return, there were many new faces around the school.

Now at the base of Qing Chi Mountain, the Hunter Association had set up a contact station, which facilitated direct recruitment from the school. The members of the Yunhai Five led by the Elder Princess had already registered with the association; whenever Yunlong City experienced a supernatural event, the students from the school would be given priority for practical experience.

Jiuyue said, "Its name is, Pervert Club."

"Pervert Club? Are you sure that’s the name?"

The name hardly sounded like a serious organization’s, and it was hard to imagine people being willing to join such a group.

If you were a member of this organization, you couldn’t possibly introduce yourself to others when out and about.

While others could boast being honorary members of highly regarded organizations like the Hunter Association, Chess Player Association, or Musicians Association, the moment you spoke up, the mood would shift as you declared affiliation with the Pervert Club.

If your family found out about this membership during the holidays, you’d probably be in for a few smacks.

"That’s the name, and they chose it themselves; we didn’t stigmatize them."

Before seeking out Duan Mingyuan, Jiuyue had also conducted her own investigation into the organization.

Again, never underestimate her information network.

"The organization’s daily activities involve studying the monsters on the back mountain and maintaining good relations with them. I’ve noticed many students from outside the school sneaking into my classes and bringing lots of food and gifts to cultivate goodwill with the monsters."

The monsters of the back mountain were mostly of simple nature; if you fed them, they would consider you their best friend.

As a Fox Demon researcher, Duan Mingyuan also noticed that the monsters had little resistance to "feeding."

It seemed to be in their nature; among monsters, sharing food symbolized friendship.

"Then let’s start the investigation from within the school," he declared immediately.

With the previous examples set by the Life Science Department, these clues pointing to monster trafficking were enough to draw his serious attention.