Chapter 74

Chapter 74 Su Bei didn’t speak, silently glancing at the Destiny Compass above his head in the mirror. Both large and small pointers undeniably tilted toward the right direction. Being with the protagonist team had this perk—rarely worrying about pointers veering badly. Besides, this was a minor case. If the two antagonists from yesterday—Skydome Ability Academy and Black Flash—didn’t interfere, major issues were unlikely. If this weren’t their first training, Su Bei doubted this plot would even make the comic. Would they interfere? Su Bei pondered. The training lasted a week, and today was only the second day. Logically, there was no need for them to act yet. Enough thinking. After wiping the coffee table, Su Bei sat on it, slacking. Wu Jin joined him. With his hair down, Wu Jin would never slack, as it might draw attention. But with it swept back, he just wished someone would do his chores for his beautiful face. No one else could see, but wasn’t there someone right here? Turning to Su Bei: “If we both slack, they’ll scold us when they come up. Can you bear to see me scolded?” Su Bei instinctively looked at his face, his mind briefly dazed. Such a beautiful face showing grievance would be a crime. But the next second, his mind snapped awake, like pricked by a needle, with a thought—come on, let him be aggrieved; better him than me. Su Bei shook his head, fully regaining control. His gaze sharpened like a sword, but he stayed silent. Wu Jin looked flustered, not daring to speak. Seeing Su Bei recover, he said joyfully: “You’re back! Great!” Su Bei asked: “What was that?” After hesitating, Wu Jin chose honesty: “My Ability isn’t [Silence Is Silence] but [Charm Demon]. My face is the ultimate charm tool, but I can’t fully control this bloodline Ability. It often charms people unintentionally, which is why I hide my face.” [Charm Demon]... Even Su Bei paused. What an odd Ability for a shonen comic! But Qingqing’s Cupid’s Arrow had already broadened his horizons, so he calmed quickly, recalling Wu Jin’s words and spotting something interesting: “Bloodline Ability? What’s that?” Wu Jin didn’t expect Su Bei to zero in, opening his mouth before explaining: “A type of Ability tied to bloodlines, like werewolf, elf, or Charm Demon bloodlines...” “Is Si Zhaohua’s [Angel] a bloodline Ability?” Su Bei asked curiously. He’d researched Si Zhaohua’s Ability, which never mentioned bloodlines. As expected, Wu Jin shook his head: “Bloodline Abilities can be hereditary, but [Angel] likely isn’t.” Hereditary? Thinking of Wu Jin’s nepotism and Principal Wu Di’s shared surname, Su Bei gave a strange look: “Then the principal is also—” “No!” Wu Jin interrupted frantically. “He’s not. If my dad heard that, I’d be done.” Wu Jin didn’t hide his tie to the principal. Having revealed so many secrets to Su Bei, one more didn’t matter. Knowing he wasn’t lying, Su Bei tilted his head: “So, from your mother...” “Ugh, stop asking. My Charm Demon bloodline is inherited,” Wu Jin said, his face pained but still striking. Su Bei raised an eyebrow, dropping it. But not asking didn’t stop him from thinking—Wu Jin’s reaction was off. If his mother or another relative had the [Charm Demon] Ability, Wu Jin wouldn’t act like this; he’d just say so. His behavior suggested no relatives had it, and his Ability had a twist. With current info, Su Bei’s deduction hit its limit. He planned to research bloodline Abilities later for potential surprises. His turn done, Wu Jin asked, curiosity on his pretty face: “How’d you shake off my charm so fast?” He quickly added: “Not prying. You don’t have to say. Just, I’ve rarely seen anyone break free so quickly unprepared, so I’m shocked.” Su Bei waved it off, answering: “Probably my high-level Mental Energy.” High-level Mental Energy was a wall against normal Mental Energy. Normal Ability users struggled to control high-level ones with mental Abilities. Honestly, Wu Jin charming him for two seconds with his Mental Energy was impressive. “High-level Mental Energy?” Wu Jin was surprised. With his family background, he knew how rare it was, especially at their age—a genius among geniuses. Su Bei nodded, not hiding it from Wu Jin. First, high-level Mental Energy wasn’t a secret; he’d misled Jiang Tianming, told Meng Huai, so telling Wu Jin was fine. Second, Su Bei knew friendship required give-and-take. If Wu Jin spilled secrets while he stayed mum, getting more from him later would be tough. As they chatted, Si Zhaohua’s group finished cleaning the first floor and headed up. Sensing them, Wu Jin lowered his hair, reverting to his unnoticeable state, and grabbed a rag to wipe windows, making up for lost time. Su Bei lounged, playing with an ordinary gear. The others arrived to see Wu Jin diligently wiping windows while Su Bei sat like a lord, toying with a gear. Instantly, Lan Subing blurted: “Cinderella and her wicked stepmother!” Everyone: “...” It did fit. Wu Mingbai snorted with laughter. “Can’t you at least pretend to work?” Si Zhaohua said, exasperated. “Is it fair to let Wu Jin do everything?” Sighing, he directed his driver to do Su Bei’s share, then checked the coffee table, confirming it was clean, and sat beside Su Bei: “Don’t tell me you only wiped this table?” He guessed right. Su Bei coughed, dodging the question, and shifted gears: “Who said I did nothing? I found a clue.” “What clue?” Si Zhaohua asked, others looking over. Su Bei pointed to a room near the stairs: “That’s the couple’s room, originally the brother’s. In this entire villa, only this room and the two bathrooms haven’t changed function.” The villa had two floors, six rooms—three per floor. Each floor had a bathroom; the first had a kitchen. The original family, except the grandfather who lived downstairs for mobility, occupied the second-floor rooms. The other two first-floor rooms were a guest room and storage. Since the couple moved in recently, many traces remained, so Su Bei figured it out with one tour. Now, the brother’s room was the couple’s bedroom. Other rooms became storage or guest rooms, and the grandfather’s was turned into a game room. As Su Bei said, only the bathrooms and this bedroom hadn’t changed. Zhao Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up, catching on: “You’re saying this room’s the issue?” Bathrooms couldn’t easily change, so they didn’t count. Su Bei didn’t confirm, urging them to check the three rooms. After they went in, Wu Jin whispered accusingly: “You set me up.” Seeing Su Bei slack brazenly, Wu Jin had joined him, thinking they were accomplices. Only now did he realize Su Bei had a clue, fearless, while he was the only one slacking earnestly. Su Bei rolled his eyes: “When they came up, you stood and pretended to work. I didn’t call you out.” Wu Jin had tried dragging him to act, but Su Bei ignored him. Soon, they checked the rooms. Si Zhaohua first noticed: “Why don’t they live in the largest middle bedroom?” A tour showed the middle second-floor room was the biggest. “Maybe because it was the original couple’s, and they didn’t want to live where another couple did?” Zhao Xiaoyu guessed uncertainly. Some couples avoided such rooms. Li Shu looked at Su Bei, smiling gently: “Is this what you wanted us to see? How’s it tied to what you said?” Si Zhaohua sat back, following up: “You think this room’s the problem? But if I recall, the brother who lived here was fine.” If it were the sister’s or grandfather’s room, he might share Su Bei’s suspicion. But the brother’s room ruled out that guess. Su Bei blinked, not arguing. He didn’t mention that whenever he neared this bedroom, the small pointer shifted left slightly. Undoubtedly, the room had an issue, but as Si Zhaohua said, Su Bei couldn’t pinpoint what yet. “I noticed something odd too,” Lan Subing raised her hand quietly. “They renovated the house?” She realized this after Su Bei’s words. As he said, most rooms in the villa had been heavily altered. But per the original purchase contract, if the Ability Government resolved the issue, the house would revert to its original price. Though the purchase money would be refunded, renovation costs wouldn’t. Why would the couple renovate so boldly? Weren’t they afraid of regret? It was a valid question. Si Zhaohua mused: “Ask them when they arrive.” “Wu Jin, have you sensed the Nightmare Beast?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked, recalling his earlier claim. Wu Jin shook his head: “Not yet. I need it to appear or use its Ability.” No one was surprised. Li Shu said softly: “Should we call the first family to ask more?” Si Zhaohua considered, then declined: “Their info in the documents is detailed enough. We wouldn’t know what else to ask.” As they spoke, noise came from downstairs. Zhao Xiaoyu smiled, standing: “Sounds like the couple’s here. I’ll greet them.” Everyone followed, seeing a man and woman. The woman was pale, with shoulder-length hair, wrapped in a thick down jacket and scarf. The man, also pale, wore a matching couple’s outfit but no scarf. A faint bluish spot marked his neck, likely from the Nightmare Beast. Surprisingly, Su Bei thought, the documents said they sought the Ability Government only when desperate. But they seemed spirited enough, pale but not in mortal danger. Others shared this doubt. Zhao Xiaoyu asked with concern: “Miss Wang, are you both okay? I heard the Nightmare Beast in the house forced you to move out.” The woman smiled, shaking her head: “Call me Sister Wang. He’s Brother Liu. We’re fine, not that bad. We just felt the house was weird and didn’t dare stay. We got better after moving out.” No one bought it. If they were that foresighted, they wouldn’t have bought such a steeply discounted house. Perhaps the issue wasn’t as severe, and someone in the Ability Government, annoyed with them, badmouthed them. Where there were people, there was drama. As they sized up the couple, the couple eyed them. At fifteen, Su Bei’s group looked youthful, but the couple showed no disdain, growing more enthusiastic. After small talk, Zhao Xiaoyu led them to the sofa and asked their earlier question: “There are three bedrooms upstairs. Why not live in the main bedroom? It’s bigger.” “Oh, that,” Sister Wang tucked her hair behind her ear. “The original owners lived there. I didn’t want to sleep in a couple’s old room.” The reason was reasonable, matching their guess. Zhao Xiaoyu continued: “We toured the house and noticed a lot of renovations.” She feigned indignation: “You even made a game room. That must’ve cost a lot. If you return the house and the original owners don’t cover renovation costs, won’t you lose big?” Sister Wang paused, then looked sad: “We didn’t think much of it. Before this, who’d believe in such things? We thought we got a deal, bought a big house cheap, and used the leftover money to renovate. But they weren’t lying—the house has issues...” Brother Liu handed her a tissue, taking over: “Our bad luck. Greed for a bargain bit us hard.” All explanations checked out, so they moved to Nightmare Beast questions: “Any strange incidents while living here, besides your symptoms?” Nightmare Beasts typically had physical forms. Living with one, they might’ve seen it. Both thought, then shook their heads: “No, the house was normal. Are you sure there’s a monster? Our issues feel more like radiation.” They still resisted believing in a Nightmare Beast. “When did you first notice the spots?” Si Zhaohua asked directly. “Where?” “Three months after moving in, as we told your people. The previous owners warned us, so we were alert when it appeared,” Sister Wang replied. “We went to the hospital, but they found nothing. Then we disinfected the house... didn’t help.” Brother Liu added: “She turned the house upside down, but we found nothing. We stayed longer, then couldn’t take it and moved out.” “Can we see the spots?” Ling You suddenly spoke. Her initiative surprised everyone, but it made sense. Her [Plague] Ability tied to diseases. Though she couldn’t diagnose everything, she could tell if it was a disease. Checking was necessary. Curse-type Abilities differed from disease or other types. Mid-level Nightmare Beasts varied in form, often tied to their Abilities—like a cooling beast looking like ice. Identifying the Ability could reveal the beast’s form. Sister Wang glanced at Brother Liu, standing with a smile: “Let’s go to our room. Showing in the living room feels awkward.” She tugged Brother Liu’s collar, chiding: “Told you to wear a scarf. You don’t care for yourself.” Brother Liu touched his neck, smiling sheepishly, and followed her upstairs quickly. “They’re so sweet,” Lan Subing, trailing behind, touched her scarf, whispering. “But is it that cold?” It was winter, but the desert Different Space raised nearby temperatures, feeling like a cool autumn, not harsh winter. Due to social anxiety, she wore a scarf, but even she felt warm. The others wore only sweaters, clearly not cold. “Maybe they’re frail,” Li Shu said softly, eyeing them. “After the Nightmare Beast’s harm, it’s normal to be weak.” In their room, Sister Wang and Brother Liu shed their jackets and scarves, revealing short-sleeve shirts. Sister Wang showed her arm, dotted with several bluish circular spots, quite eerie. Without their distinct shape, one might mistake them for abuse marks. “Check it out. Can this be cured?” Sister Wang looked at Ling You hopefully, not wanting such marks permanently. Ling You extended her Mental Energy, checking carefully, then nodded: “It’s a disease, but not contagious. I don’t know what specifically.” If contagious, she might’ve resolved it and countered the beast. Hearing she couldn’t help, they looked briefly disappointed but not overly so. Sister Wang smiled reassuringly: “Even hospitals couldn’t fix it. It’s normal you can’t.” Ling You said nothing, stepping back after checking. Zhao Xiaoyu revisited earlier questions: “When did each of you notice the spots?” “I noticed while bathing,” Sister Wang recalled. “He found his two days later, changing in the bedroom.” Unlike the first family’s sequential illness, the couple fell ill simultaneously. Si Zhaohua whispered to Zhao Xiaoyu, then stepped out. Su Bei followed, seeing Si Zhaohua review the documents, and asked knowingly: “Looking for the first family’s number?” “Yeah, I want to ask where their two sick members often went, to find commonalities,” Si Zhaohua replied, dialing the number from the documents. Su Bei smiled, shaking his head: “I’d ask where the little girl went after her grandfather died.” Si Zhaohua’s brow rose, catching on: “Good point.” The call connected. After introductions, Si Zhaohua asked Su Bei’s question directly. The father answered, too grief-stricken then to notice much. Asking his daughter, he soon replied: “She often went to my dad’s room...” His voice grew serious: “Is there something wrong with my dad’s room?”