Life Game In Other World
Chapter 656: Flames (Super Long - for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 656: Chapter 656: Flames (Super Long Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"Under normal circumstances, cases like these end when the person dies,"

He Ao put down the fried chicken in his hands, "So you’re investigating a case that’s already been closed? A private investigation? Why?"

"Well... you might not believe it if I tell you,"

YiXiya smiled slightly, stirring her cup of coffee with a small plastic stirrer, "I think there’s more to this case than meets the eye."

"Why?"

He Ao asked again in a low voice.

"About three years ago,"

YiXiya looked down at the coffee in the cup, now swirling into a chaotic vortex,

"Night Hawk was in Twilight City for official business, and I had a brief contact with him. During that short period, I got to know his character,"

She paused, seemingly lost in thought, "He was very persistent and harbored great hatred towards the Polluted Monsters. He was always dedicated to eradicating all Polluted Monsters. Such a person, I might believe if you said he defected, but that he was breeding Polluted Monsters, I find it hard to believe.

"Yet, the investigative team came up with solid evidence. They found many living Polluted Monsters in a warehouse rented by Night Hawk, and they also discovered numerous belongings of missing people nearby, as well as traces of Night Hawk ’kidnapping’ homeless people and individuals from South City.

"All clues pointed to Night Hawk abducting ordinary people and secretly breeding Polluted Monsters.

"What about Night Hawk himself," He Ao said softly, "didn’t he have anything to say about this?"

No matter what the truth is, the person involved should have an explanation for their actions.

"No,"

YiXiya shook her head,

"He disappeared, about a month ago.

"According to the investigative team, they had evidence of Night Hawk secretly breeding Polluted Monsters for quite a while, but when they tried to apprehend him, Night Hawk realized their intentions, injured members of the team, and then fled in fear of punishment.

"Since that time, up until the director took action and killed him, he never showed up again, nor did he leave behind any words or clues."

"So this is a ’conviction’ where the ’suspect’ didn’t get to testify?"

He Ao summarized quietly.

"Yes,"

YiXiya nodded, "And after Night Hawk ’fled in fear of punishment,’ the investigative team sealed his residence, destroyed all his personal belongings, and completely demolished the warehouse where ’Night Hawk’ was said to have bred Polluted Monsters.

"The reason given by the investigative team for these actions was that Night Hawk was conducting an evil experiment with intense pollution and that it was necessary to destroy everything he left behind.

"Moreover, aside from a simple report explaining how the case progressed, most evidence pertaining to the Night Hawk case was either sealed or destroyed."

"If he really was conducting an experiment involving a Higher Being,"

He Ao glanced out at the dimly lit street outside the window, "then such actions would indeed be correct, as any leak of information or knowledge about Higher Beings could lead to terrible consequences."

"Yeah,"

YiXiya nodded gently, agreeing with He Ao’s statement, "In fact, there are no logical gaps in the investigation report provided by the investigative team, but..."

"But this report is missing a critical component, which is a statement from ’Night Hawk’ himself,"

He Ao picked up where she left off, "There was no confession, nor defense, just as if he were always maintaining silence, or perhaps, someone needed him to ’maintain silence.’

"Yes!"

YiXiya looked at He Ao, the old restaurant’s lights reflecting in her brown eyes, shimmering brightly,

"And I have always felt that Night Hawk wouldn’t engage in breeding Polluted Monsters and conducting evil rituals. There must be more to this case."

"So you started an investigation into this case on your own?"

He Ao looked at her.

"Yeah,"

YiXiya’s coffee, which had been swirling continuously in the cup, began to settle back to its normal calm, and she sat up slightly,

"Although I can’t access the files related to the Night Hawk case, I can start from the periphery of this case. In the final report by the investigative team, it was stated that some delivery workers were killed by Night Hawk.

"Although the report didn’t specify which company’s delivery workers, there aren’t many delivery companies in Saint Joen City. I started by looking near the warehouse, investigating one by one, and I’m bound to find some clues."

"Have you found anything?"

He Ao asked.

"I haven’t found much information so far, but I’ve discovered that cases of missing delivery workers in Saint Joen City are actually very rare. According to the few delivery companies I’ve interviewed, there were almost no missing cases among delivery workers while Night Hawk was still around,

"And most of the newly reported missing cases occurred after Night Hawk ’fled due to fearing punishment’,"

YiXiya said slowly, "With fewer cases, it means that the missing deliveryman cases related to Night Hawk mentioned in the investigation report are easier to follow up on. Then I visited the Saint Joen City police station and acquired some reports from the period when Night Hawk was still around. However, I haven’t had the chance to comb through that information because I got caught up in last night’s incident."

"This proves that your direction of investigation is correct, and because you’re on the right path, you’ve drawn danger upon yourself,"

He Ao said quietly, then he looked at YiXiya, "If you stop now, before you’ve found out anything significant, you might still have time. Maybe none of Night Hawk’s former subordinates ever thought of proving his innocence,

"And now that Night Hawk is already dead, you, as someone called from another place who only had brief contact with Night Hawk, is it worth it to do all this?"

"Someone has to present the hidden truth,"

YiXiya returned He Ao’s gaze, "A distorted truth will not revert to its original form simply because the events have passed."

He Ao watched YiXiya, watched her resolute eyes.

He vaguely saw familiar shadows in YiXiya.

There are always people in this world who cling to their beliefs and act upon them.

The entire dining table fell into a brief silence, with only the crisp sound of Jia Xi crunching on fried chicken.

"Sorry..."

YiXiya seemed to realize that she had been a bit too impassioned just now, her body hunching as she slightly opened her mouth, ready to end the topic.

But at that moment, He Ao began to speak slowly, his calm and aged voice resonating in YiXiya’s ear, "I’ve seen many people like you."

"How are they doing now?"

YiXiya couldn’t help but ask.

"Although the road is hard, fortunately, they are still persisting in the direction they chose."

He Ao said, each word deliberate and slow.

"Thank you."

YiXiya’s previously hunched figure once again straightened slowly.

She knew that He Ao was affirming her choice.

Even in the deepest, darkest nights, there are always those who light torches, and those who brave the night’s cold winds to shield the fragile flames.

After this conversation, the initial estrangement between the two gradually dissolved into the dim light.

YiXiya lifted her cup of coffee, finished the remaining coffee in one gulp, and the light foam lingered on her lips as she watched He Ao, finally asking the question she had been wondering about,

"Elderly gentleman, why did you go to find Vite last night?"

In a world without He Ao, YiXiya’s flame and life would have been extinguished forever in the profound dark of last night.

"You must have heard some of the conversation between Vite and me last night,"

He Ao looked at YiXiya’s somewhat embarrassed face and smiled, "My reason for finding Vite is simple; he set fire to my son’s house, nearly burning my granddaughter and me to death inside. So I went to ask him why he set my son’s house on fire."

"Ah?"

YiXiya didn’t immediately catch up with He Ao’s concise narrative but soon clarified the logic after a moment of reflection and asked softly, "Then have you found any clues on your side?"

"The clue I’ve gotten so far is that he accepted a ’task’ from the black market,"

He Ao spoke softly, "The task was to set fire to my son’s house, but my investigation is stuck at this point because I don’t have a black market account."

"A black market account?"

YiXiya was briefly taken aback. She was not unfamiliar with the black market and said thoughtfully, "A black market account can only contact ’Drawer’ to purchase a registration code. I also don’t have a way to contact Drawer, however,"

She looked up at He Ao, "I once got a two-tier black market account from a lone traveler in Twilight City. I don’t know if it will be of any use."

Then she realized that what she was saying might sound a bit off and further explained,

"I think our encounter last night wasn’t entirely coincidental. It is unlikely that Vite would do two unrelated tasks simultaneously, so maybe both our ’incidents’ have the same ’client’."

Right now, she was gradually coming to realize that the elderly gentleman was not only a confidant who could affirm her beliefs but also potentially someone with a shared goal on some level.

She watched He Ao and continued, "I didn’t bring the device that’s bonded to the black market account. I can only bring it to you the next time we meet."

She was in a good mood.

Through her interaction with He Ao, she felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. Things that had been clueless began to take shape through He Ao’s guidance and conversation.

He Ao watched her excited cheeks and finally nodded gently, "Alright."

"By the way,"

At this point, YiXiya seemed to remember something, she glanced at He Ao, "Elderly gentleman, you just mentioned that it was your son’s house that was set on fire. Do you live with your son now? Is your accommodation okay?"

"I live with my granddaughter, and I have my own little house on the northwest side,"

He Ao shook his head.

"Then did your son find his own place to live?"

YiXiya was somewhat puzzled.

"No,"

He Ao shook his head, and after a brief pause, he picked up the suitcase that had been leaning against the chair, "They’re here, my son and daughter-in-law."

YiXiya was momentarily baffled, failing to comprehend immediately.

She looked at the suitcase, observed the star pattern on it, and the funeral home’s emblem branded onto it, and gradually realized something.

She lowered her head, looking towards He Ao, "I’m sorry..."

"It’s okay,"

He Ao shook his head, "You didn’t know in advance, and you meant well."

"Was it last night’s fire?"

YiXiya asked in a low, probing voice.

"It was a car accident, before the fire,"

He Ao looked at her, "Speaking of which, there is something I would like to ask of you."

"Please go ahead."

YiXiya straightened up.

"My son’s body was discovered by a Scavenger, and some personal effects were sealed as evidence in the Saint Joen City Police Department."

He Ao slowly began.

"I can borrow those items," YiXiya carefully chose her words, "but they can’t be ’borrowed’ indefinitely, they must be returned."

"No need, I don’t want those personal effects,"

He Ao shook his head, "Usually, the police department should have photos of these items, as well as the autopsy report the coroner made for my son and daughter-in-law, could you help me ’copy’ a set?"

"That won’t be a problem."

YiXiya nodded, "Do you suspect there was something wrong with that car accident?"

She remembered then that it was He Ao’s son’s house that Vite had burned, not He Ao’s.

"I don’t know," He Ao shook his head, telling the truth, "Perhaps there might be some clues."

"I’ll get it done as quickly as possible."

YiXiya nodded slightly, then she raised her hand and suggested, "Elderly sir, let’s exchange contact information so I can send you the information once I find it."

"Thank you for the trouble."

He Ao raised his hand, and exchanged information with YiXiya.

"Aside from everything else, you saved me last night,"

YiXiya shook her head, "This is what I should do,"

As she spoke, she looked somewhat embarrassedly at He Ao, "I haven’t asked for your name..."

"Cito,"

He Ao replied softly, then spelled out the name Cito, meanwhile, something else came to his mind, and he asked in a low voice, "Have you seen that ’Night Hawk’? Do you have his photo?"

"No,"

YiXiya shook her head, "Night Hawk always wears an iron mask, he hardly ever shows his true face. According to him, he experienced a disaster as a child that left him disfigured, so he always wears a mask."

"All right."

He Ao nodded thoughtfully.

"Speaking of which, Elderly sir, you’ve been in Saint Joen City for so many years, have you never encountered Polluted Monsters or come into contact with Night Hawk?"

YiXiya, while saving He Ao’s electronic business card, asked curiously.

Judging from the strength He Ao revealed twice, this ’elderly sir’ was considered particularly powerful even among C-level Transcendents, yet despite such might, he had never exposed himself before the Pollution Cleaning Department of Saint Joen City, sparking her curiosity.

Hearing her question, He Ao looked up at the now empty street outside the window, "If possible, I would rather not get involved in this conflict."

YiXiya’s gaze fell on He Ao, then on the suitcase tightly pressed against him.

She looked at He Ao’s aging, desolate figure, and his mottled white hair.

If possible, this elderly man could have quietly enjoyed his twilight years in the company of his son and granddaughter, leading a simple yet blissful life, rather than being here, keeping company with conspiracy, monsters, and madness.

The restaurant fell into a dim silence; a customer opened the door to leave, and an unexpected gust of wind blew into the old establishment, disturbing the quiet under the lamp and lifting the white hairs at the elderly man’s temples.

Just then, Jia Xi took off her plastic gloves and raised her hands high, "Grandpa, I’m done eating!"

The childlike voice broke through the aged sound of the wind.

He Ao turned his head, smiled at a glance towards Jia Xi, and reached out to rub her little head, "Are you full?"

"Mm-hmm,"

Jia Xi nodded furiously and then she looked towards YiXiya and said politely, "Thank you, sister!"

The somewhat oppressive and awkward atmosphere was dissolved by the little girl’s adorable voice.

"If you’d like, sister can take you here often, and I can also take you to eat even tastier things!"

YiXiya bent down, smiling as she looked at her.

"Sister, you look like the bad person in books who wants to kidnap kids,"

Jia Xi blinked her eyes.

YiXiya was momentarily taken aback, then let out a laugh, "You’re quite the character."

"My name is Jia Xi, not ’quite the character.’

Jia Xi held up her little hand.

"Alright," He Ao rubbed Jia Xi’s little head again, looking at YiXiya, "Do we need to order anything else?"

"I’m good,"

YiXiya shook her head quickly.

"Shall we go out for a walk to digest our food?"

He Ao asked softly.

"Okay."

YiXiya and Jia Xi nodded at the same time.

The three of them tidied up the table a little and got up to leave the restaurant.

By now, there were already much fewer pedestrians on the streets, which appeared unusually vacant. The afternoon sun had passed, and the entire street grew dimmer, as if dusk was turning into night.

The trio walked slowly on the pedestrian pathway, beside which many alleys had already turned as dark as night.

After leaving the restaurant, the atmosphere among the three grew quiet, with only Jia Xi occasionally looking around curiously.

On the other hand, YiXiya seemed to be pondering something.

Not until they had walked a good distance from the restaurant did she raise her head and look at He Ao, "Sir... "

It was at this instant that He Ao abruptly raised his walking stick.

Bang—

A forceful collision, accompanied by a huge cloud of dust and a gale, blew YiXiya’s brown-gold hair around.

It wasn’t until the dust had settled that YiXiya could see clearly what had brought the fierce wind.

It was a four-legged monster, about four to five meters long, with a pointed cone on its head and scales on its back. It had charged out of the dark alleyway behind them and suddenly attacked the trio.

However, it failed to achieve its goal.

At this moment, the spike on the monster’s head was stuck by He Ao’s walking stick, halting its entire body’s momentum and preventing it from moving forward any further.

But the terrifying sense of twisted oppression still emanated from the body of the monster.

C-level!

This was a C-level Polluted Monster.

YiXiya watched the scene in stupefaction.

Why are there so many C-level monsters here.

"Wait a moment."

He Ao glanced at YiXiya and forcefully pushed with his arm that was blocking the monster, sending the creature flying back into the shadows of the alley from where it had emerged.