Chapter Five: Inquiry

Crimson moonlight streamed through the window, bathing the bedroom in its glow. Lin Lei’s eyes flickered; he raised an eyebrow, then bent down and retrieved a metal box from beneath the bed.

It was the very box containing the “Ever-burning Feather,” a Tier-Three breakthrough material. The box itself blocked all traces of source energy, so Lin Lei had kept it hidden under his bed before venturing into the forbidden zone. It wasn’t truly safe, but he had nowhere better to conceal it.

He had only just unlocked his second source quality; though his source energy had increased rapidly, he was still a fair distance from full saturation. The reason he took out the box now was not for advancement. In fact, he couldn’t directly use the unprocessed “Ever-burning Feather.” He brought it out for an experiment.

When he first acquired the feather, even “consuming” it required sixty units of gluttony energy—a staggering amount, making “plundering” impossible. But now, holding the box again and attempting to “consume,” he discovered the gluttony energy requirement had dropped by nearly tenfold; less than ten units sufficed.

His eyes shone.

“This Ever-burning Feather is rare, but as a Tier-Three material, its value isn’t necessarily greater than the Night Walker’s boots. The earlier requirement for so much gluttony energy was abnormal—there must have been a special restriction.

“With my blessing’s level raised, ‘Gluttony’ not only has a broader trigger range, but also mitigates those special restrictions.”

He even speculated that once his source energy grew further, he might bypass the Investigation Bureau’s “Sealing” constraints and forcibly “devour” their source artifacts.

Lin Lei toyed with the box, his eyes narrowing.

“With the forbidden zone mission’s investigation points granted, I should have considerable gains. I wonder if it’ll be enough for the Bureau to help cleanse the Ever-burning Feather of its aberrant energy…”

Now that he’d reached the second stage, it was time to plan for his third-stage advancement.

…

His emotions unsettled, Lin Lei stayed home for several days. Perhaps because he’d just finished a special assignment, Li Xueshu didn’t give him any new tasks in that period.

The following week, it was once again time for physical training, prompting Lin Lei to return to the Investigation Bureau.

Upon meeting Wen Xiang, the man seemed like a mouse before a cat—gone was his former sharpness. The boast that he’d surpass Lin Lei in close combat within a month had become a joke.

This surprised Master Jiang, who taught the class.

After the lesson, Lin Lei lingered at the training ground to continue his exercises. His strength had grown so much, he found himself slightly unaccustomed to it.

“Investigator Lin.”

Not long after, a shy young girl entered, holding a file folder. She hurried to Lin Lei’s side.

“Qiao’er,” Lin Lei paused his workout, wiping sweat from his brow with a towel and smiling at the petite girl.

Hong Qiuqiao raised her hands, speaking softly, “This… is the Gao family dossier. Leader Li asked me to bring it to you.”

Lin Lei nodded and took the folder.

It contained the results of the investigation into the Gao family, enemies of Gao Yue.

Lin Lei skimmed the contents and shook his head.

As a prominent commercial clan, the Gao family certainly had rivals, but none were mortal enemies. Gao Yue herself had even fewer adversaries; she lived quietly. Although favored among Gao Yi’s children, as a daughter her position in the inheritance was not high.

Lin Lei shook his head again. The attacker was dead; tracing the mastermind now would be much more complicated.

“Still, since I disposed of the body so thoroughly, the mastermind might not be able to confirm I was the one who struck. If they truly targeted me, they may try again…”

“I just have to wait by the tree for the rabbit; sooner or later, they’ll come knocking.”

Lin Lei licked his lips.

With Source Energy Sense, he was now confident; even if someone targeted him, he would sense it in advance. The fact that only a first-stage source energy user was sent indicated their intelligence on Lin Lei was lacking—they’d never dispatch a stronger agent.

With his current strength, anyone below third stage held no threat. Even against a third-stage opponent, he felt he could fight evenly. If the moment was right, aided by the Night Walker, he even believed he could assassinate a third-stage opponent.

…

Night.

A glitzy karaoke palace.

Inside a lavish suite on the third floor.

“Brother Tian, I’ve dealt with Hao’s side cleanly…” A bald man stood respectfully before an unremarkable young man.

“Mm.” The young man fiddled with a fingertip puzzle, nodded, and yawned. “Has Cheng not returned yet? It’s been over three days, hasn’t it?”

Cold sweat beaded on the bald man’s head. “Brother Tian, don’t worry. Cheng was placed under a ‘seal of silence’—he can’t divulge our secrets…”

Brother Tian sighed.

“The seal of silence isn’t foolproof. Cheng wouldn’t dare run, so he probably met with an accident… He’s been missing so long, and no one’s found us, which means our secret hasn’t leaked.”

“The Fourth Young Master is already pressing me. In recent days, oversight in the Upper District has relaxed again. We’ll proceed with our operations…”

“And about the ‘shadow girl’… With Cheng gone, you’ll handle follow-up. I want results as soon as possible!”

He stood, grabbed the bald man’s chin. “Can you do it?”

The bald man swallowed and nodded earnestly. “Rest assured, Brother Tian!”

…

Investigation Bureau.

A room resembling an office.

Lin Lei and Huo Qi sat across from each other.

Huo Qi clicked his tongue, holding two documents.

“Lin Lei, the Xiajiang Forbidden Zone is now fully under Bureau control. Mission review is complete, and your investigation points are in—one thousand points! That’s more than most level-three tasks; you’ve hit the jackpot!”

“Heh.” Lin Lei’s smile was forced.

In truth, the danger he faced in the forbidden zone exceeded his expectations. Without Gluttony, he might not have survived. Trading his life for a thousand points wasn’t exactly a windfall.

Of course, the risks yielded considerable rewards: his own power increased, the breakthrough material, and two thousand units of gluttony energy—absolutely worthwhile. The thousand investigation points were a bonus.

He licked his lips and asked, “Is this enough to register for the level-two investigator advancement exam?”

Huo Qi paused, then nodded. “The fee for the level-three exam is only a hundred, but you need to have accumulated a thousand points. You’ve met the requirement with just this mission. But you’ve only just advanced to second stage… Isn’t it a bit early to sign up?”

Lin Lei shook his head, raising an eyebrow. “There are still nearly two months left.”

“And…” He paused. “I remember you said most who pass the level-three exam are third-stage source energy users. But that means some second-stage users can succeed too, right?”

Advancing investigator rank greatly enhanced benefits and authority. As a level-four investigator, even with sufficient points, many items were still out of reach! He wanted higher-tier breakthrough materials, and the Bureau was a prime channel. Without advancing rank, he’d face too many limitations.

Huo Qi chuckled, sizing Lin Lei up with a smile.

“You’re right. Most level-three investigators are third-stage, but occasionally there’s a second-stage who makes it. In Qinghe Prefecture, over the past decade, out of a hundred promoted to level-three, only four were second-stage. Though not third-stage, they were all near saturation or at the peak of second stage.”

“Of those four, three had A-grade blessings. The sole B-grade, rare as it is, was a Material Manipulation type—a combat genius, masterful with their abilities.”

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow. Material Manipulation sounded prestigious; such abilities were never weak. And B-grade blessings were already quite high.

Huo Qi continued, “I won’t deny you’re a genius, but you’ve been a source energy user for too short a time.”

“The level-three exam isn’t a mere test—it’s a trial of life and death. There’s a death quota!”

“Death quota?” Lin Lei licked his lips and asked, “With Wen Xiang’s abilities, could he meet the level-three standard?”

Huo Qi’s expression turned subtle. “You want to compare yourself to an A-grade Elemental blessing? Aren’t you overreaching?”

Lin Lei snorted. “So that’s how it is. I understand.”

Huo Qi was speechless. “What exactly do you understand?”