Fuji reminded him from the side, “Remember, you haven’t seen Song Xu.”

“The surveillance cameras inside the apartment were already broken, and you and Bai Zhenzhen had both disguised your appearances, so there won’t be any footage of your true faces in the nearby streets.”

“Additionally, these evil god cultists are highly secretive, fearing ritual backlash, so they wouldn’t keep any information related to evil gods in their personal belongings.”

“The patrol team surely hasn’t found any intelligence on the evil gods from them yet, which means they won’t know that Song Xu and his group were coming for us.”

Zhang Yu was a cautious person who always prepared in advance for any situation. Just as he would prepare containers and tissues well before shipping seeds, he wasn’t one to panic at the last minute like some inexperienced youngsters.

He had, of course, already discussed the potential questioning about this incident with Fuji and Bai Zhenzhen. Fuji’s reminder was not new to him.

Listening to Yun Ni’s question, Zhang Yu replied with a bewildered expression, “Song Xu? I know he’s a top student at Bailong High School, but I don’t know him and have never spoken to him.”

Yun Ni, standing nearby, nodded slightly at Zhang Yu’s words as information about Song Xu surfaced in her mind.

Because the death of six evil god cultists due to ritual backlash was witnessed and even recorded by many citizens, the incident quickly caught the attention of the patrol team, who classified it as a suspected evil god-related event.

During the multi-faceted data comparison, Song Xu was the first among the six deceased to be identified. As a top student at Bailong High School, his data was the most comprehensive and readily available to the authorities. The investigation of Song Xu’s personal belongings, including his phone and computer, also exposed the organization he had secretly established to the patrol team.

“An organization made up of poor geniuses, aiming to break through limitations and ascend to the second level…”

“Hmph, are these kinds of scams still popular?”

However, Yun Ni was not concerned by this. In her experience, the poorer people were in Kunxu, the more easily they were exploited by the wealthy, simply due to the vast information asymmetry. Such fraud cases were also not her jurisdiction.

As the captain of the patrol team, Yun Ni’s primary concern remained the evil gods. However, the spontaneous combustion of just six individuals was not yet sufficient evidence to confirm an evil god incident, as many methods could produce such an effect. Moreover, no information related to evil gods was found among the various clues and items left by the deceased.

As for Li Quan and the other person who had been living in the apartment and were taken away by the company that day, they were currently working to pay off the fines for their pirated cultivation methods. The patrol team found no clues about evil gods from them either.

The entire incident appeared to be a straightforward murder case, which prevented Yun Ni from escalating her operational authority to employ more aggressive, harsher, or even divine methods. Nevertheless, from the ruined building, the chaotic scene, and the damaged surveillance systems, Yun Ni detected a faint trace of an evil god.

Yun Ni questioned Zhang Yu because she had found information about him in some of the materials left by Song Xu.

“Has this guy been collecting information on Zhang Yu recently?”

“Is Zhang Yu their target?”

“Did Song Xu want to recruit him, thinking Zhang Yu was also poor, and then swindle money from him?”

“Perhaps some useful information can be gleaned from Zhang Yu.”

As they spoke, Yun Ni and Zhang Yu entered an empty classroom, while the other patrol team members stood guard outside the door. The two sat behind separate desks, and Yun Ni began, “Has Mo Tianyi contacted you?”

Zhang Yu paused for a moment. Fuji had already reminded him: “There’s no need to deny this. Firstly, you don’t have much connection to the Paupers’ Alliance, and the patrol team operates independently from Songyang’s local influential families.”

“They won’t be concerned about an organization like the Paupers’ Alliance. Just tell them honestly about your interactions with Mo Tianyi.”

“Lying about this would only arouse suspicion.”

So, Zhang Yu truthfully recounted his few contacts with Mo Tianyi.

After listening, a hint of disappointment flashed in Yun Ni’s eyes. “No useful information,” she muttered. “Like Mo Tianyi and those other poor students, do none of them know if an evil god is behind Song Xu?”

Just then, Zhang Yu asked with a curious expression, “Did something happen to them?”

Seeing Zhang Yu’s puzzled and curious expression, Yun Ni wasn’t surprised but chose not to reveal more, simply stating casually, “Well… they’re involved in a case concerning pirated cultivation methods.”

“If you remember anything else about them, you can call me anytime.”

Meanwhile, more details about the incident flashed through Yun Ni’s mind.

“This is troublesome; all valuable items at the scene were destroyed.”

“Almost all surveillance cameras in the apartment were malfunctioning…”

“No suspects were found in the surveillance footage from the surrounding streets…”

“And the delivery person who went to the scene… it appears the order was placed using a stolen phone, and the original owner of the phone isn’t a suspect…”

The more Yun Ni investigated, the fewer useful clues she found for the entire incident, with almost no elements pointing to evil gods. Yet, this very lack of evidence fueled a strong feeling within her: “If those six truly died from ritual backlash, then this was likely carried out by an experienced and decisive evil god cultist… or perhaps a senior evil god was directly orchestrating it.”

“In that case, this is an internal struggle among evil gods.”

“Could it be the evil god that previously appeared near Songyang High School?”

About a year ago, traces of an evil god had appeared near Songyang High School. To track this entity, the patrol team invested significant manpower and resources, investigating the corporate group and families connected to the high school, and maintaining long-term surveillance. Unfortunately, the evil god seemed like a phantom, leaving no further traces. Many patrol team members even began to believe that an evil god had merely passed through the area back then.

“These cockroaches in the gutter are truly masters of concealment.”

A myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind. Yun Ni looked at Zhang Yu and smiled faintly. “Before Pian Pian left, she asked me to look after you,” she said. “But your sister here is quite poor; I don’t have money to lend you.”

“I just have some pull within the patrol team… Speaking of which, would you be interested in advancing your career with the patrol team?”

“For instance, becoming an official member? Not only would your salary increase, but your medical insurance would be fully covered, you’d receive daily meal and transportation subsidies, tax exemptions, access to more talismans, and even have the chance to contact Pian Pian.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered slightly as he asked curiously, “Contact… Zhang Pianpian? Aren’t the different layers of Kunxu not easily accessible for communication?”

Yun Ni explained, “Of course, ordinary people cannot easily communicate across layers. But the Eight Divine Departments oversee the world and control all layers of Kunxu. If they couldn’t communicate up and down, how would they manage? How would they interact?”

“As long as you become an official employee under the Eight Divine Departments, you can naturally use this to communicate across layers.”

Fuji chimed in, “The girl’s right. If both you and your sister become official employees under the Divine Department, you’ll have opportunities for inter-layer communication. Additionally, cross-layer corporate trade also allows relevant personnel to communicate across layers.”

“However, becoming an official employee under the Divine Department… that path comes with too many restrictions. Given all your secrets, it’s best to avoid it.”

Even without Fuji’s reminder, Zhang Yu, mindful of Zhang Pianpian’s warning, had no intention of becoming an official employee and politely declined on the spot.

Yun Ni smiled dismissively, simply telling Zhang Yu that he could come to her anytime if he changed his mind.

Shortly after Zhang Yu left, the patrol team members from outside the door entered. One young man looked at Yun Ni and said, “Captain, I just had someone check Zhang Yu’s records. This guy recently purchased a batch of antiques worth over a hundred thousand.”

“The antique business isn’t an easy investment, much like archaeology… Too many people try to uncover ancient cultivation secrets or gather information and knowledge about extinct sects and fallen evil gods through it, making the competition incredibly fierce. Countless individuals and companies engage in transactions daily.”

“Does a high school student like him understand any of this?”

“Also, I found records of him and Bai Zhenzhen leaving Songyang City twice in the past six months…”

Yun Ni cast a glance at him; she was no less knowledgeable than he was about archaeology and antiques. She was particularly aware that the Ten Great Sects and their affiliated companies constantly collected information and knowledge about various historical sects, forming a vast market largely unknown to most urban dwellers. She also knew that beyond investment and archaeology, many antiques were used in worship. For instance, many powerful individuals who trod the path of the gods had personal shrines in their homes, including Yun Ni’s parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and even her great-great-great-grandparents, all with private shrines for their worship. Naturally, these could be used to worship not only righteous gods but also evil gods. But Zhang Pianpian’s brother worshipping evil gods?

Yun Ni shook her head. “How could someone like Zhang Pianpian, who is under the direct scrutiny of the righteous gods, with her entire family being subjects of official review, possibly be linked to evil gods?”

A rapid succession of thoughts flashed through her mind. Yun Ni offered no explanation, simply looking at the man and asking calmly, “Who told you to investigate him?”

The man paused, slightly taken aback. “Captain, weren’t you asking him about Song Xu? Didn’t you suspect he might also have connections with evil god cultists?”

Yun Ni retorted coldly, “When did I ever say I suspected him? I was merely gathering information from him. Don’t take initiative without my orders.” Although she reprimanded him, Yun Ni took no further action, knowing that his family had served as patrol officers for seven generations.

In Yun Ni’s view, the patrol team was like an exquisitely decorated house. While it had many walls, only two or three were load-bearing; the others merely appeared to be. Yet, even those non-load-bearing walls would be costly and difficult to demolish and rebuild if one wished to redecorate.

Next, Yun Ni asked, “When did he leave Songyang City those two times?” As the dates were reported, Yun Ni’s eyebrows raised slightly. These two dates might seem perfectly ordinary to others, but to her, a tenth-generation patrol officer, they were highly unusual.

“Are those the dates of the high school Foundation Establishment exam?”

“Did they go to take the Foundation Establishment exam?”

At first, Yun Ni, realizing this, thought her judgment was mistaken. However, upon reconsideration and remembering Zhang Pianpian, Yun Ni immediately felt it wasn’t impossible that she had guided her younger brother to take the Foundation Establishment exam.

“Alright,” Yun Ni said, looking at the young man. “Zhang Yu is a colleague, after all. Don’t go investigating him without cause in the future.”

“Especially concerning his trips outside Songyang — if anyone wants to lose their job, then go ahead and investigate.”

Yun Ni sternly warned her subordinates, “If you actually uncover something, I’m afraid no one in Songyang City will be able to protect you.”

Yun Ni thought to herself, “Given the confidentiality level of the Foundation Establishment exam, if we really keep investigating what Zhang Yu was doing outside… it could stir up a hornet’s nest and implicate countless people.”

The other patrol team members were slightly stunned to hear this, wondering just how influential Zhang Yu’s background was for merely investigating him to be career-ending, with no one capable of protecting them.