Chapter 105: The Bargaining Chip
Chen Yu’s analysis, delivered with the omniscience of a god, struck every mind in the hall like a thunderclap.
All the agents looked at him with eyes utterly transformed.
It was no longer mere astonishment.
It was reverence—an awed veneration, as if mortals gazed up at a deity!
Especially the young forensic doctor who had once been on the receiving end of Chen Yu’s sharp tongue at the Fat Cat case scene. Now, he stared at Chen Yu with a fervent, almost fanatical worship, his gaze glued to him.
When Chen Yu’s eyes swept over, the young man’s face flushed in excitement, and he offered Chen Yu an earnest, almost ingratiating smile.
What the hell!
A shiver ran down Chen Yu’s spine; goosebumps rose across his skin.
This guy’s looking at me all wrong!
The adoration of young ladies I’ll gladly accept, but from young men? Sorry, that’s not my thing!
No sooner had he finished grumbling inwardly than the familiar voice of the system sounded, fashionably late, in his mind.
[Ding! Side mission detected as complete!]
[Mission Name: The Vanished Secretary!]
[Mission Content: Solve the disappearance of Zeng Chen, number eight on the Detective Star Rankings!]
[Mission Status: Completed!]
[Mission Reward: 500 skill points! Credited!]
[Current Skill Point Balance: 2295]
Done!
A sharp gleam flashed in Chen Yu’s eyes.
Over two thousand skill points—enough to learn or upgrade passive skills, or even to push “Retrospect” up another level!
But right now, he had no time to dwell on these rewards.
For with the surge of joy came a seething, near-boiling anger.
That mysterious figure!
Did you really think yourself a god?
You lay a trap, and I’m supposed to obediently follow your breadcrumbs?
You draw a line, and I’m expected to play my part in your script?
Why should I?!
To hell with that!
Taking blows passively has never been my style!
You like to play games? Fine!
I won’t play your riddles anymore—I’ll flip the table!
I’ll bring the fight to you!
Let’s face off, you and I!
This violent resolve spread through him like wildfire, every vein ablaze.
“Captain Yan, Deputy Captain Su.”
Chen Yu suddenly turned, his voice calm again, but within his eyes burned a fire no one could fathom.
“The body’s been found. The rest is up to you professionals.”
Su Qingzhu looked at him, lips moving, but the question—“How did you do it?”—never made it past her tongue.
She knew, even if she asked, this man would only cut her off with a single “I guessed.”
Yan Zheng simply fixed Chen Yu with a long, deep look, his square-jawed face full of complex emotion.
He nodded heavily.
“Alright.”
A single word, but it carried the stubborn old detective’s complete recognition of Chen Yu.
Chen Yu said no more and strode toward the villa’s front door.
To those watching, his departing figure seemed dashing and decisive, exuding a faint but undeniable sense of pressure.
He was like a king having just finished a warm-up match, too lazy even to wipe his brow, already striding toward the next battlefield—one he alone had chosen.
Exiting the villa, a gentle breeze cooled his face, instantly calming the fever in his blood.
Without pausing, Chen Yu pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.
Ring... ring...
It rang for a long time before it was answered.
“Hello...”
On the other end, a frail, trembling female voice came through, thick with congestion.
It was Bubble Girl.
“It’s me,” Chen Yu said quietly, his tone uncommonly steady.
“Ch—Chen Yu?”
Her voice was laden with terror and despair.
“I... I saw... I saw the news... Zeng Chen he... he’s dead... I’m next... I’m next, aren’t I?”
She was already sobbing; her voice sounded wretched.
“I don’t want to die... I really don’t want to die... but what can I do... sob... maybe... maybe if I do it myself... it’ll be quicker...”
This woman really was contemplating suicide!
Chen Yu’s brow furrowed at once.
“Where are you?” He wasted no words.
“I’m... at a hotel...”
“3... 3106...”
“Stay in your room. Lock the door. Don’t go anywhere. Wait for me.”
His tone brooked no argument. He hung up, hailed a taxi, and climbed in.
“Driver, please hurry!”
...
Twenty minutes later.
Chen Yu stood outside room 3106 and knocked.
Inside, there was a rustling, then after a long pause, the door was cautiously pulled ajar.
A wave of decadence, thick with cigarette smoke and alcohol, washed over him.
Behind the door appeared a face drawn with exhaustion.
Once, Bubble Girl had worn exaggerated smoky makeup, dressed like a clownish punk. Now, her heavy makeup was a smeared ruin from tears, black eyeliner and mascara streaking her cheeks in a pitiful, ragged mess.
She saw Chen Yu, and it was as if all the strength left her. She slumped against the doorframe.
Chen Yu sighed, slipped into the room, closed and locked the door behind him.
Anyone, faced with the knowledge that in three days a madman would kill them in some unknown, brutal fashion, would look much the same.
He glanced around the room.
Just as he had suspected.
It was as if an invisible line split the space into two utterly different worlds.
To the left: studded accessories, skull motifs, scattered leather jackets, ripped fishnets, and walls plastered with dark, rebellious band posters—a haven of punk and defiance.
To the right: a completely different picture.
Cute stuffed animals neatly arranged on the headboard, a pink diary and a crystal music box on the desk, a few white lace-trimmed dresses hanging from the rack.
Pure, sweet, brimming with girlish innocence.
Two extremes, coexisting in sharp contrast, each untouched by the other, yet the effect was bizarre.
“Have some water.”
Chen Yu poured a cup of warm water and handed it to her.
Bubble Girl took it with trembling hands, and her tears fell once more, splattering into the cup.
“It’s useless... Chen Yu... we can’t win against him... he’s a devil...”
She choked on her words, her body shaking like a leaf.
“I know you want to encourage me... Sure, we could take down Liu Gang... but this time... he’s a lunatic!”
“I’m next... I’m doomed...”
Despair engulfed her like a rising tide.
Chen Yu said nothing, only waited patiently as she wept.
When her sobs finally quieted and her emotions calmed, he crouched down, meeting her tear-soaked, hollow gaze.
His eyes were more serious than ever.
“Look at me.”
She instinctively lifted her head.
“Listen,” Chen Yu said softly, his voice carrying a power that pierced straight to the heart. “He’s no devil, and he’s certainly no god.”
“He’s just a would-be genius, a failure skulking in the shadows.”
“And me,” Chen Yu suddenly smiled, “I specialize in dealing with madmen.”
He reached out and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks, his touch exceptionally tender.
“Don’t worry. I will never let that monster lay a finger on you!”
His words, like a ray of angelic light, split apart the darkness in the dead waters of her heart!
She stared at the man before her in a daze.
At those deep eyes that seemed to pierce through everything, at the overbearing, unreasonable promise in his voice.
This man...
He actually said...
He would fight that nightmarish killer—for her sake?
“Waa—”
All the terror, grievance, and the sudden surge of emotion crashed through her defenses.
Bubble Girl could no longer hold back and threw herself into Chen Yu’s arms, bawling like a helpless child.
A soft, fragrant warmth suddenly filled his embrace.
Her body trembled violently, her scented hair brushing his chin, her hot tears soaking through his shirt.
Chen Yu stiffened for a moment, then relaxed, awkwardly patting her shaking back.
He could feel that beneath this rebellious exterior, the girl was fragile and lost.
“There, there, don’t cry.”
He soothed her gently, his voice carrying a tenderness even he didn’t notice.
“With me here, the sky won’t fall.”
Gradually, her sobs faded into quiet sniffles.
Bubble Girl buried her face in his chest, greedily absorbing this unexpected warmth.
Chen Yu comforted her for a while, waiting until she had fully calmed.
Then, out of her sight, his eyes turned razor sharp.
The warmth and comfort vanished, replaced by steely resolve.
He gently pushed Bubble Girl away, cupping her tear-stained face, and spoke, word by word:
“Before I face him head on, I need you to help me with something.”
“Help me find the leverage that will force him to accept my challenge!”