Only I Cultivate
Chapter 38: A Ridiculous Amount of Luck

Chapter 38: A Ridiculous Amount of Luck

"Good morning, Luo Li!" Feng Fan greeted her with a bright smile. After a month of intense training, he was pumped to take on his first mission in a while and show off his new skills.

Luo Li frowned at his enthusiasm. "What are you so eager about?"

Feng Fan didn’t let her reaction dampen his mood. He casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We’re going ghost hunting again, of course! This time, I’m no longer a rookie!"

Luo Li quickly pushed his arm away and hurried toward Director Mao’s office, a faint blush coloring her cheeks—something Feng Fan didn’t notice.

He followed right behind her and found Wu Yunru and Liang Mingxia already waiting inside.

"Good morning, everyone," Feng Fan greeted with a warm smile.

Like Luo Li, Wu Yunru gave him a sour look. "Mornings are meant for sleeping. Don’t spread your excitement around, please."

Feng Fan ignored him and focused on Director Mao, who was holding a document.

"First of all, congratulations to Feng Fan for shedding his rookie status," Director Mao said with a faint smile. "Both Zheng Tao and Yao Biya were impressed by your progress. They believe you’ll become an excellent Hunter soon."

Feng Fan straightened with pride, his excitement growing even more.

"As for today’s mission, the four of you will work together again," Director Mao continued, handing the document to Luo Li. She took it but didn’t read it right away.

"We need you to investigate a series of murders that occurred over the past few days. Be cautious—we don’t know the exact strength of this ghost. Our experts could only narrow it down to somewhere between a Lingering Spirit and a Baleful Ghost."

Luo Li nodded, knowing how crucial accurate information about ghosts was. Even low-level ghosts could be deadly if they had unique abilities or if the team lacked information.

"We’ll try to gather more intel before engaging," she said, walking out of the office while scanning the document. The others followed silently behind her.

After a few minutes, Luo Li glanced at Liang Mingxia. "What do you think about this one?"

Liang Mingxia, in charge of intelligence gathering, didn’t hesitate. "Leader, as you saw, all five victims were prostitutes, so we’ve nicknamed the ghost the ’Prostitute Killer.’ His method is consistent—he strangles his victims, makes a small cut on the neck, and removes an organ. If it weren’t for the ghostly energy detected at the crime scenes, we might’ve thought it was a human serial killer."

She paused to make sure everyone was keeping up, then continued.

"The problem is predicting his next target. So far, he’s attacked in four different neighborhoods across the city. There’s no clear pattern, except that he strikes at night—all the victims died between midnight and one o’clock."

Feng Fan’s face grew thoughtful as he listened. His mind raced, trying to piece together the clues. Then it hit him, and his eyes widened.

"Liang Mingxia, were all the victims drunk or heavy drinkers?" he asked.

Liang Mingxia frowned, considering it. "I’m not sure... but I can check the reports before midnight."

Feng Fan nodded, his expression serious. "If that’s the case, we can narrow down the next targets. We should focus on areas where prostitutes gather near places that sell alcohol."

Determination sparked in Liang Mingxia’s eyes. "I’ll get on it right away!" She hurried off, fully aware of how important her role was. Even if she couldn’t fight ghosts, her work could make all the difference in catching one.

"Let’s go check the places where the victims died," Luo Li said right after Liang Mingxia left.

"Huh?" Feng Fan asked in surprise. "Aren’t we going to wait for her?"

"What for? We don’t have time to waste," Luo Li replied, pulling a key from her pocket and handing it to him. "You drive."

Feng Fan smiled bitterly. "Did you miss me as a person or as your chauffeur, Lady Li?"

He didn’t wait for an answer—he knew he wouldn’t get one. Following Luo Li’s directions, they soon arrived at Linshuo Street.

If anyone asked where nightlife was the most active in Green Vine City, Linshuo Street would be the obvious answer. The street was always buzzing, and since two of the five murders had happened there, it was the first location to investigate.

As the trio moved toward one of the crime scenes, Feng Fan couldn’t shake off a strange feeling. "This place is so lively. I doubt it’s much different at night, given how popular it is. How could the Prostitute Killer kill someone here without anyone noticing?"

"That’s not unusual," Wu Yunru answered. "Many ghosts have abilities to hide themselves or create distortions around them. This one probably did something like that."

Luo Li nodded. "He’s right. The body was only discovered an hour after death. This pattern repeated across all five attacks, which led the cops to suspect it was a ghost-related incident and call SIF for help."

Feng Fan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see..."

Suddenly, Luo Li’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered, it was from Liang Mingxia.

"Luo Li, Feng Fan was right," Liang Mingxia spoke hurriedly. "All the victims were heavily intoxicated with alcohol. The last one wasn’t drunk at the time of death, but there’s evidence that she was a heavy drinker."

She didn’t give Luo Li a chance to respond before continuing. "Also, all the crime scenes are close to places with plenty of alcohol, but I can’t be sure whether that’s just a coincidence. I’ll keep digging and see what else I can find."

"Okay, thanks," Luo Li said briefly before hanging up the phone. She turned to Wu Yunru and Feng Fan.

"Feng Fan was right—all the victims were heavy drinkers. But drawing a profile for the next target is nearly impossible with just this information... We’d need a ridiculous amount of luck to guess it right."

Feng Fan’s smile widened at her words. "Well, then I believe we have the perfect solution right under our noses."

He shot a mischievous grin at Wu Yunru.