Chapter 20 Qin Chuan's Little Trouble

Seeing this, even those who weren't from the criminal investigation department had realized that something was definitely off with this guy in the duckbill cap.

Sure enough, it must have been him who had covertly intercepted Zhang Zhe.

"Keep tabs on him," Zhou Zixiu said, staring at the image of Qin Chuan that had paused on the screen. "We need to identify him."

"Um, Zixiu," the young man who had spoken earlier couldn't help but speak up, "Shouldn't this be considered acting bravely for a just cause? Why does it feel like you're treating him like a criminal?"

"When I was in the criminal investigation department, I came across a case," Zhou Zixiu said calmly. "Someone secretly helped us find the culprit, but they turned out to be an even deeper hidden criminal themselves, merely sacrificing a pawn to save a chess piece."

"Because we wrongly excluded him from our suspects, we almost let him get away, which could have been disastrous."

"Since then, I've approached everyone related to a case with suspicion, to confirm their identity and purpose."

"We've lost him," the short-haired girl suddenly said. "That area of the school district is part of the old town, with many blind spots in the surveillance."

"He probably changed clothes in one of the blind spots, and since he wore a duckbill cap, we never saw his face."

"Can we track him through the duckbill cap?" Zhou Zixiu asked.

"Difficult," another member shook their head. "Those caps are just street market goods; you can find stands selling the exact same style all over that area."

Zhou Zixiu was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "In that case, I personally will..."

"Hold on," Lan Cheng said with a deep voice, interrupting Zhou Zixiu. "Zixiu, what do you think are the chances that this person is an accomplice of Zhang Zhe?"

Zixiu pondered for a moment. "There were no signs of an accomplice at the scene of Zhang Zhe's homicide. The probability should be less than ten percent."

"Then let it go for now," Lan Cheng stood up and patted Zhou Zixiu's shoulder. "In these troubled times, you have more important tasks at hand, and we cannot let a bit of suspicion divert us."

"Besides, don't forget our stance in the Special Affairs Group at this stage," Lan Cheng said solemnly. "We should try to win over as many Transcendents as possible to our side."

"If he was just being courageous for justice, but becomes antagonistic toward the Special Affairs Group, or even the officials because of your suspicions, that would be against our original intention."

Zixiu looked moved, "You're right."

"If you really want to know, I'll allow you to investigate in your spare time without disturbing the person," Lan Cheng patted Zhou Zixiu's shoulder. "After all, this is not the criminal investigation department."

"I understand," Zhou Zixiu nodded, then suddenly said, "If he was acting bravely, what about the reward for the warrant..."

"He's keeping a low profile, probably doesn't plan on claiming the reward," Lan Cheng chuckled. "In that case, we might as well pretend we don't know about it."

"However... let's keep the reward for the time being, if he ever wants to join us and has the capability to do so, then the reward will go back to its rightful owner."

"...Got it," Zhou Zixiu's expression was somewhat peculiar.

"That's settled, you can go back to your tasks," Lan Cheng waved his hand. "Leave the credit claim to me, the administrator. You are my soldiers; just focus on earning the credits with your abilities."

"Yes!" resounded clearly in the office.

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[Player Name: Luo]

[Player Level: Apprentice Level]

[Contract Slot: 1/1][View]

[Item Equipment Bar: 7/10][View]

[Skill Carrying](Not set)

[02:37:25/08:00:00][00:00:09]

Glancing at the panel, Qin Chuan picked up the milky white fish soup boiling beside the stove and set it on the stone dining table.

It had been eight days since the completion of the shelter.

During these eight days, he had been improving the shelter, firing various clay vessels, and making some furniture from various materials.

The little shelter was gradually becoming more like a home.

A home for him and Water Flower.

"Dinner's up!"

"Woof!" (I'm so hungry!)

Water Flower jumped excitedly onto the chair, her nose twitching, and her eyes lighting up at the sight of the fish soup as the lid was removed.

The deliciousness of the rainbow fish stewed with various side dishes and seasonings far surpassed that of grilled fish.

After just one taste, Water Flower was completely enamored.

"Careful, it's hot." Qin Chuan filled a large, specially made dog food bowl for Water Flower and placed it in front of her, then served himself a bowl from another clay bowl.

The warm and delicious fish soup filled his belly, bringing an instant sense of satisfaction.

In the eight days since he had covertly tripped Zhang Zhe, his life in the real world had gradually returned to normal.

With the advent of the Transcendents, the special task force units around the world showed for the first time their sharp fangs against Transcendent criminals.

These special departments, temporarily assembled from various official units, demonstrated astounding efficiency in a short time, forming combat squads with different functions, each member choosing only the most suitable Spiritual Pet contracts.

If there was no fitting Spiritual Pet available in the Dream World to match their function, they only had one solution.

To deliberately delete their account and choose death.

Again and again, until they contracted the most suitable Spiritual Beast.

This act, something ordinary people couldn't fathom, allowed them to form the most efficient teams in the shortest time.

With successive triumphs in maintaining order, they proved that even starting from the same line, the Special Affairs Group was not something ordinary Transcendents could challenge.

Nine days ago, as soon as the update announcement was released, the Special Affairs Group issued the "Yanhuang Country Special Affairs Temporary Management Measures (First Edition)." Now it has been updated to the third edition, leaving no loopholes for Transcendent criminals.

In turbulent times, draconian measures are needed!

And so, the restlessness lurking in the shadows of various places subsided.

As time progressed, the matter of the high school entrance exam incorporating an Extraordinary Course, mentioned by the previous headteacher, had also become clear.

The implementation of the Extraordinary Course was inevitable and would be included in the entrance exam, but the enrollment of non-Transcendents wouldn't be affected.

Even now, there were very few non-Transcendents who had reached the age of 15.

The Extraordinary Course would start in two days.

The reason was related to the upcoming update.

The Special Affairs Group would adjust their plans flexibly based on the new content of the update.

Everything in the real world was changing for the better, but inside the Dream World, Qin Chuan and Water Flower had encountered a small problem.

During this time, they had scoured the surrounding area, finding many special fruits that could increase Experience Points, allowing Water Flower's Level to rise from Lv5 (8/100) to Lv7 (50/100), with its Race Value rising to 410, and its Affinity reaching 76%.

But they had exhausted the resources nearby.

To level up faster, they now needed to explore new areas of the Map.