Chapter 181: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Crime Scene

Mo Chen thought those Nikke assassins had targeted Rapi and the others, but when he rushed into the lobby, he found the area outside crowded with people.

Not just a few—there were tons of people holding signs and banners.

The crowd was mostly made up of young girls and women, with a few younger girls and middle-aged women mixed in. The number of men was minimal, but those present acted oddly, with some behaving effeminately and even wearing women's clothing—an eye-catching sight, to say the least.

Several squads of mass-produced Nikkes were trying to maintain order, urging people to disperse and not block the streets, but it wasn't working.

From the shoulder insignias on their uniforms, Mo Chen identified them as members of Triangle Squad.

The moment the crowd saw Mo Chen emerge from inside, they erupted in cheers, like oil splashing into boiling water. The noise was deafening as people surged forward, trying to get closer to him.

What the hell is going on?

Mo Chen was stunned.

Spotting someone familiar—Privaty from Triangle Squad—he approached her to find out what was happening.

"What's going on?" he asked.

The moment Privaty saw Mo Chen, her irritation flared. She shoved him back inside, grumbling, "You're seriously asking that? Playing dumb now? And why are you just standing here? The whole street is jammed because of you. Can't you be a little more low-key?"

Does this guy even realize how popular he is?

He glanced at the crowd, their fanatic eyes gleaming as if they'd devour him whole, and got a faint sense of what was happening.

It probably had to do with his recent collaboration with Mustang.

Still, he hadn't expected his influence to be this big.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Worried about Rapi and the others, he quickly called Anis, fearing they might've been attacked.

The call connected almost immediately.

"Huh? Commander, you're calling me? This is a first! I'm honored—you've never been this proactive before," came Anis's exaggerated voice, unmistakably her.

Mo Chen didn't have time to banter. Concerned for their safety, he cut to the chase, "Are you guys okay?"

"Huh? Okay? What do you mean?" Anis sounded genuinely puzzled. "Oh, by the way, what's up with all the fans outside? It's so packed you can't even move."

Mo Chen pressed on, "Did anything happen earlier? Like an attack or something?"

"An attack?" Anis perked up, intrigued. "Wait—don't tell me you've got a stalker fan trying to kill you out of love?"

"…Ridiculous. No way!"

Relieved by her lighthearted tone, he figured they were fine. Then it hit him—he was calling Rapi's phone.

"Wait, isn't this Rapi's phone?"

"Yep! She went to change clothes, so I'm holding it," Anis replied before suddenly sounding more serious. "Commander, you weren't really attacked, were you? Hang on—I'm coming over."

"No need, you guys—"

Beep. Beep.

She'd already hung up.

Privaty, having overheard the conversation, stepped closer with a stern expression.

"You're saying you were just attacked?"

"Yeah."

Mo Chen nodded and recounted the incident to her.

Privaty immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation and contacted her squad without delay.

"An armed assault has occurred near the hotel. Requesting immediate reinforcements. Secure the area completely—no one in or out. Any suspicious individuals are to be detained on sight. If they resist, you are authorized to use lethal force!"

Just then, Anis came running down the corridor, with Rapi, Neon, and Marian following closely behind. The moment Marian saw Mo Chen, she threw her arms wide and rushed toward him like an excited child.

"Commander!"

Mo Chen caught Marian, noticing she was wearing an oversized shirt—his shirt, in fact.

Rapi quickly scanned Mo Chen up and down, visibly relieved when she confirmed he wasn't injured. 

Anis did the same, then joked, "Good, all your parts are still intact."

Mo Chen sighed, "…Thanks for your concern."

"Hehe."

Triangle Squad's response was swift. Within minutes, mass-produced Nikkes had surrounded the hotel, securing the perimeter.

"Commander, please take us to the crime scene," Privaty said.

Mo Chen nodded. "Sure."

Leading the group, he brought them to the room where the attack had taken place.

However, when they arrived, something strange happened—there were no bodies.

Mo Chen froze.

Not only were the Nikke assassins' corpses missing, but there were no signs of a struggle either. The room looked pristine, as if nothing had happened. Even the wooden floor, which should've shown damage from the fight, was flawless.

"Search the area!" Privaty ordered with a wave of her hand.

The mass-produced Nikkes fanned out, combing every inch of the room, the balcony, and even neighboring rooms.

After a thorough search, one of them returned to report, saluting Privaty. "Ma'am, nothing found!"

Privaty dismissed them and turned to Mo Chen, eyeing him suspiciously.

"So, where are the suspects? And the bodies?"

Mo Chen frowned deeply.

It didn't make sense.

He scanned the room again, checking every corner, but there was no sign of the battle—no corpses, no blood, not even a scratch on the walls or floors.

Yet he was absolutely certain the fight had happened. There was no way he had imagined it.

"How could there be nothing?" Privaty muttered, clearly skeptical.

Mo Chen remained silent, lost in thought.

Whoever was behind this had to be highly skilled—not just anyone could erase all evidence so thoroughly in such a short time. Even the assassins themselves hinted at something bigger.

Seeing Mo Chen's silence, Privaty's suspicion grew.

"Don't tell me you're still bitter about last time."

She was referring to the time she'd been ordered to arrest Aria.

Privaty felt a bit wronged—after all, it wasn't her idea to go after Aria; she was just following orders from above.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Anis snapped, stepping right up to Privaty with an angry glare. "Are you saying our Commander's lying and filed a false report?"

Privaty was startled by Anis's sudden outburst, instinctively taking a step back, though her irritation flared just as quickly.

"There's nothing at the scene, and he's claiming it was an assassination attempt. Who would believe that?"

Anis puffed out her chest proudly, her voice firm and unyielding.

"I do!"