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Chapter 241 Clues (4000-word medium chapter)
"Name."

"Travel around".

"age."

"twenty-three."

Ancestral home.

"Katsumi City."

Current residence

Wait a minute, why does this scene look so familiar?

Ignoring Zhou You's helpless expression, the person on the other end continued to ask.

"Work."

"Officer, I'm not a criminal, you don't need to interrogate me like this."

"I'm asking you about work."

Zhou You slumped his shoulders helplessly and replied.

"Unemployed."

"Alright." Having made the final note, the old acquaintance before him—the same policeman who had warned Zhou You in the alley—said coldly. "Then explain to me what exactly happened."

Zhou You spread his hands, his expression completely innocent.

"Officer, I don't know what happened either. Last night, I finished scrolling through my phone and had just lain down in bed. I hadn't even fallen asleep for a short while when I was suddenly woken up by a noise. When I opened my eyes, I saw these three people sneaking around, doing something suspicious. I thought they were burglars, so I tried to call the police, but one of them spotted me and we started fighting. Then the neighbors heard the noise and called the police..."

"You mean," the policeman's expression grew colder, "that you fought three against one during the brawl, and then somehow knocked them all unconscious?"

That's about it.

"—Do you fucking think I'm stupid?!"

The middle-aged policeman slammed his hand on the table so hard that it made the water glass shake violently.

"Those people all tested positive for that new drug, and now you're telling me that three high-drug addicts were wandering around at night, accidentally found your house, unexpectedly decided to break in, and unexpectedly got all beaten up by you?"

Zhou You wanted to sincerely say that it was true—but to be honest, even with his thick skin, he couldn't bring himself to say it in front of the furious policeman.

However, he wasn't too worried.

Anyway, we're completely innocent. We haven't participated in any criminal activities from beginning to end. We're just victims. You can't arrest us on the grounds of coincidence, can you?
Faced with Zhou You's blatant disregard for reason, the middle-aged policeman took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and tried a different approach, gently offering words of comfort.

"Xiao Zhou, you're still young, you just graduated from university not long ago, and a bright future awaits you. The saying goes, 'Those who confess will be treated leniently, those who resist will be punished severely.' As long as you can turn over a new leaf and start anew, the government will be lenient with you, and the people will forgive you."

"But the Imperial Army will kill me. No, pretend I didn't say anything."

Zhou You, who was about to deliver his lines, coughed a few times without thinking, then put on an expression that couldn't be more sincere, and said.

"The problem is, officer, I really don't know anything. What am I supposed to confess?"

"...So you're not going to listen to reason, are you?" The middle-aged policeman slammed his fist on the table again. "Let me tell you, that drug addict you met a while ago suddenly died. Although the autopsy showed a sudden heart attack, I have reason to suspect you might have some connection to him. If this continues..."

Zhou You didn't listen to the rest of what was said; his expression simply froze.

That person is dead? Was it done by the Ascension Cult?

—An awkward silence fell between the two sides once again.

However, just as the middle-aged policeman's expression grew increasingly grim, seemingly about to make Zhou You move from the reception room to sit in the "regret chair,"

A phone suddenly rang.

The two men exchanged a glance. Then the policeman pulled out his phone.

"I'm going out to take this call. Think about it carefully yourself."

After saying that, the middle-aged policeman pressed the answer button.

"Captain? It's been a long time since you contacted me. The old guys in the team really miss you. Yes, yes, I really am here."

Watching that figure walk out the door, Zhou You's expression remained unchanged. Instead, it was as if he had already anticipated the outcome. He crossed his arms and waited quietly.

Not long.

The middle-aged policeman pushed the door open and entered again.

This time, he looked Zhou You up and down for a while, unable to discern his emotions, before waving his hand.

"...Alright, that's all, you can go now."

His words were calm, a stark contrast to his earlier and later statements.

At this point, Zhou You was no longer in a hurry.

"Officer, you thought I was a suspect just now, but after this phone call you just let me go?"

The middle-aged policeman's expression remained unchanged, and even his words returned to their usual calm.

"Putting aside the fact that there's really no evidence pointing to you, even if we hold out until the end, I'll have no choice but to release him. And since Captain Han says you're innocent, then you are definitely innocent."

Hearing this, Zhou You, who had just lifted his buttocks, became somewhat curious.

"The captain you're talking about must be Han Ruiming, right? As far as I know, he left the company more than 20 years ago. How can you still trust him so much?"

The middle-aged policeman remained expressionless, but for some reason, his voice was unwavering.

"I don't know how you met the captain, but you'll know once you spend more time with him that he's always upright and incorruptible. No matter how much pressure he's under, he's never shown any mercy to criminals. Alright, stop talking nonsense. Those drug addicts haven't woken up yet. If their families come looking for you, you'll be in trouble again. You'd better get away from them."

Seeing that the other party was already making a move to kick him out, Zhou You could only shrug and leave.

but
The old man the villagers described as mentally ill turned out to be a vengeful and eccentric individual, while the police described him as an upright and incorruptible captain who hated evil.
Which one is the old man's true identity?
As Zhou You was leaving the police station, his phone rang.

When I took it out, I saw it was an unfamiliar number.

But now that things have come to this point, Zhou You probably knows who this person is.

I picked it up casually, and sure enough, an old voice came from inside.

"Are you out?"

It was Han Ruiming's voice.

As a former captain of the criminal investigation team, and one who still held considerable prestige in the eyes of his veteran team members, Zhou You didn't doubt how he got his phone number; he just thought...
Even now, how can this person still act so normally?
Zhou You sighed softly, and then said.

"I'm out, but hey old man, you've been scheming against me for so long, and even got me arrested once. Aren't you afraid I'll get really angry and kill you?"

"If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't have been tracking this down for revenge all this time," the person on the other end of the phone said casually. "Now that you're out and know that the cult is determined to kill you, let's arrange a meeting place. Let's set the location..."

Han Ruiming whispered an address, and then said...

"Remember to come alone, don't bring your partner, what's coming next might be a little dangerous for it."

—This guy discovered the little ghost girl a long time ago, but he just didn't say anything?
Damn, this behavior... Could this old man be the real villain?
-
The next day.

This time, the old man wasn't talking about his old house in the village, but rather a cluster of unfinished buildings on the outskirts of the city.

This area broke ground more than ten years ago and was touted as a luxury residential area comparable to international commercial districts. However, it was abandoned at lightning speed after only two years of construction. The developer simply ran away with the money and disappeared, leaving behind a bunch of half-built buildings swaying in the wind and rain.

Those who were cheated made a fuss and shouted several times, but ultimately got no results. In the end, most of them were too exhausted to keep going and could only swallow their anger and accept the loss, continuing to work twice as hard to make up for the losses of that year.

After more than ten years of wind and rain, this place has basically become a ghost town, with no human traces to be seen except for stray dogs and various animals that forage for food at night.

Under the driver's disapproving look, Zhou You got out of the taxi and looked up. All he could see was a desolate and ruined landscape.

The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, and although the reinforced concrete buildings hadn't collapsed, they were full of damage and disrepair. All sorts of trash were scattered everywhere, suggesting that many idlers had used this place as a site for ghostly adventures, but after their antics, no one had bothered to clean up the mess they left behind.
I didn't bring the little ghost girl with me on this trip.

After all, this little girl herself has no fighting ability. Since someone can see her, it would be more dangerous to take her with him. But if he put her at home, it would be easy for someone to break into the house. So after thinking for a long time, Zhou You could only move the table out of the house first and then temporarily return the little ghost's possession to its rightful owner.

—That is, to return it to Li Sanli.

The moment Li Sanli saw the table, his expression was priceless. However, he owed Zhou You a lot of favors, so he had no choice but to accept it reluctantly, and solemnly promised to hide it in a place so well that no one could find it.

Of course, a television is necessary.

With no worries left, Zhou You felt much more relaxed. He strolled through the weeds as if taking a walk, carefully trying to make out the blurry number plates on the building.

A few moments.

He then arrived at the place Han Ruiming had mentioned.

It was an ordinary building, only half-built like the surrounding ones. However, perhaps due to foundation subsidence, the entire building was tilted and looked quite dangerous.

Zhou You didn't care. He went to the second floor, found room 204, and again didn't knock, but just pushed the door open.

—In an instant, the sound of the television and the smell of spicy food flooded my senses.

Zhou You looked around and realized that the old man was watching TV and eating hot pot.

Where did he get the electricity and signal from in this godforsaken place?
However, Zhou You didn't dwell on it. He walked up to the old man, plopped down opposite him, picked up the bowl and chopsticks that were obviously prepared in advance, scooped a piece of mutton directly from the pot, dipped it in the sauce, and then stuffed it into his mouth.

"It was a little overcooked, but the taste was still okay."

Han Ruiming slowly turned his gaze away from the celebrity interviews on the screen and glanced at Zhou You.

"You just started eating like that? Without even saying goodbye?"

"You've been keeping me busy for two whole days. I even sent away the only person in the house who can cook—she almost scratched me to death before she left—can't you just let me have a couple of bites? Oh, and by the way, I don't mind if I take this bottle of beer, do I?"

Seeing Zhou You's unceremonious manner, as if he were at home, for some reason, the old man's deeply lined face softened slightly. He casually tossed over a can of Budweiser and said...

"Now that you're all this way, don't you have any questions for me?"

Zhou You swallowed a mouthful of mutton with difficulty, then opened a beer can and gulped it down before slowly speaking.

"I had quite a few questions when I came, but now I only have two left."

The old man nodded.

"Speak. I've schemed against you once, so as compensation, I'll answer whatever I can."

"First, how did you see my little one?"

"I wouldn't say I saw you. My master didn't teach me the ability to open my Yin Eyes. I could only sense a hazy wisp of smoke following you. At the time, I thought you were an assassin hired by the church, which is why I attacked you as soon as we met."

"Alright," Zhou You tentatively agreed with this answer. "Then, the second question..."

"—Why are you in such a hurry?"

There was no response this time.

Zhou You continued talking, only asking a very ordinary and vague question.

"To be honest, after the fight, you should have realized that I really wanted to get rid of this cult. Even if you still didn't believe me, you could have found out the general situation by testing the waters for a few days. Why did you specifically send me home to have a fight with the cult members, knowing that I was being watched?"

Han Ruiming looked at Zhou You for a long time before finally sighing.

"Because I don't have time."

".What's the meaning?"

“It’s very simple.” The old man lit a cigarette. “About three months ago, I fainted on the street and a kind person took me to the hospital for a checkup. After the doctor spent a whole day examining me, he only gave me one result.”

"Lung cancer, late stage, basically incurable. I can only move around now thanks to the skills my master passed down to me."

The old man exhaled a deep puff of smoke, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

“I’m not afraid of death, in fact, death would be a relief for me. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to avenge my daughter before I die. My chances of succeeding in dealing with that cult alone were very low, but then you came.”

Zhou You looked into those cold, almost cruel eyes, and then slowly uttered a sentence.

"That's quite a coincidence."

"Yes, I even feel that heaven has finally taken pity on this poor old man. So I must find out as quickly as possible whether you really have a grudge against the Ascension Sect and whether you can deal with them."

Then both sides fell into a long silence.

The old man waited quietly for Zhou You's reply, or rather, his rejection.

Finally, Zhou You chuckled and shook the wine jar.

"Any more?"

".What?"

"I said, give me another can, and you can also tell me what your plans are for the future."

At this point, Han Ruiming's body, which had been forcibly holding on, finally relaxed.

He stood up, took a slightly unsteady step, walked to the pile of boxes to the side, pulled out a can, and threw it to Zhou You.

Then came a soft sigh.

".Thank you."

"No need to thank me. After all, those flies are really annoying to me, so it's better to kill them as soon as possible."

Han Ruiming nodded silently, then finally stopped trying to hide his cough—after a while, he breathed heavily, looked up, and gestured to the television that was broadcasting the interview.

"Zhou, forget it, let's just call him kid—do you recognize that guy on TV?"

Why bring this up?
Zhou You turned his head to look at the screen.

Among them, a woman dressed in an exquisite and elegant dress, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a graceful demeanor, was being interviewed. She seemed to have come to this city specifically to promote her upcoming drama.

"I don't usually watch dramas, but this one looks familiar. What's wrong?"

Han Ruiming also stared at the screen, a slight sneer appearing on his lips.

"This person is named Xu Xin. Don't let her current appearance of being in her late teens fool you; she's actually over forty. Although she's not a top-tier star, she has acted in quite a few well-known movies and TV series."

"I didn't realize you were such a fan, old man!"

"I guess so. I have indeed been 'pursuing' her for a long time."

The old man's sneer grew increasingly mocking.

"After all, this woman was a baptized member of that church and also the closest mistress to the church leader."

"Okay, I understand. That's the goal from here on out—so what's your plan?"

Unexpectedly, the old man simply turned his head to look out the window at the setting sun, and then suddenly laughed.

"There's no time like the present, let's get this over with today."

What?
　My writing is back to normal, and I'm no longer experiencing writer's block. As I mentioned before, I will update as much as I can whenever possible, and I will finish the current story as soon as possible to move on to the next chapter.

　　I have read all the previous messages from Jiuyue. Thank you all for your support. I am very grateful.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)