Chapter 75

Chapter 75 Si Zhaohua didn’t answer, pondering the connections. The grandfather fell ill first, and his room was turned into a game room—a coincidence that seemed odd upon reflection. Though most people today weren’t superstitious, a room where someone died warranted caution. With so many rooms turned into storage, why was this one a game room? He glanced at Su Bei, eyes questioning. Su Bei didn’t respond, nodding at the phone to signal hanging up. Lost in thought, Si Zhaohua had forgotten he was still on the call. The father’s silence was considerate. He coughed: “We’re still investigating...” “One more thing,” Su Bei interjected. “Ask if his daughter’s condition improved.” Si Zhaohua instantly understood. The couple said they improved after leaving, contradicting the documents, which said the daughter only stabilized, not improved. As expected, the father’s voice carried helplessness, saying his daughter hadn’t improved and couldn’t even attend school. “Interesting,” Si Zhaohua said, hanging up and sitting elegantly on the sofa. Lacking tea, he clicked his tongue before continuing: “Why did Sister Wang’s condition improve after leaving?” Knowing Su Bei’s nature, he didn’t expect an answer, musing: “Because they stayed shorter? Or did the first family’s death boost the Nightmare Beast’s influence on them?” With the Destiny Compass, Su Bei knew more: the dead man’s room turned game room, the swapped main bedroom, the compass’s shifts, the couple’s relative health—all pointed to one answer. But he didn’t plan to tell them. After playing his role so long, he enjoyed watching the show. Si Zhaohua would figure it out eventually; no need to speak now. A minor highlight wasn’t worth it. From their time together, Si Zhaohua knew Su Bei’s personality. Seeing his relaxed look, he sensed something: “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?” Su Bei feigned innocence: “Nope.” Si Zhaohua, PTSD’d by that look, sneered: “Then take Zhao Xiaoyu’s place and pitch in.” As leader, his words were fair, especially since Su Bei slacked during cleaning. Seeing Si Zhaohua genuinely annoyed, Su Bei coughed and went upstairs obediently. In the room, Zhao Xiaoyu had finished Si Zhaohua’s questions, asking which rooms they frequented, especially in the first three months before falling ill, when excessive exposure likely caused it. The first family’s answers confirmed this: the grandfather fell ill first, followed by the daughter, who frequented his room after his death. Su Bei figured the illness order was largely due to physical resilience—elders and kids were weaker. But that didn’t mean the grandfather’s room was fine. Resilience was a perfect cover, masking the room’s issue. Seeing Su Bei, Zhao Xiaoyu summarized her findings. The couple said they mostly stayed in their room, the living room, and the balcony, rarely elsewhere. Su Bei smiled: “I thought they’d frequent the game room. It looks drool-worthy.” His playful, boyish tone contrasted with Zhao Xiaoyu’s mature demeanor. Sister Wang relaxed, laughing: “Someone died there, so we renovated and barely went. If you want to play, come back when the house is fine. It’s powerless now; the game machines don’t work.” With no residents, no one paid the electric bill, so power-hungry equipment was useless. But Su Bei’s interest didn’t wane: “No worries. Aren’t there a couple of non-electric games? I’m not familiar with the setup. Why don’t you show us around?” Sister Wang’s expression stiffened. Brother Liu cut in: “That place was under renovation, so we rarely went. After this mess, we had no mood. It’s just standard arcade stuff. If you’re curious, check it out yourselves.” Sister Wang nodded, rubbing her temples, looking frail: “Maybe it’s the monster, but I’m often drained. I need a quick rest. So...” “Rest well, Sister Wang,” Su Bei said, sensing her intent, and left with Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Jin without pressing. Closing the door, Zhao Xiaoyu asked, puzzled: “You suspect them?” She saw the difference: her questions sought the Nightmare Beast; Su Bei’s probed the couple. “Don’t their reactions seem interesting?” Su Bei said casually. Zhao Xiaoyu felt the couple was off but lacked a starting point. Su Bei’s questions made her realize the game room might be key. It made sense. Avoiding a death-tainted room by making it storage was one thing, but a game room? That was jarring. As she pondered, Wu Mingbai, Li Shu, and Lan Subing emerged from the largest bedroom, excited. Spotting Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu, Wu Mingbai announced: “We found something!” Glancing warily at the couple’s room, he led everyone downstairs before explaining: “The largest room was initially renovated as the couple’s bedroom, but for some reason, they switched to the smaller one next door.” After Su Bei flagged that room, though logically debunked, Wu Mingbai stayed focused. He knew Su Bei didn’t speak carelessly; there was a reason. Later, noting the couple didn’t use the largest room but a smaller one, despite a reasonable explanation, he sensed a link. While Zhao Xiaoyu questioned, he checked the largest room, now a cluttered storage space, tough to find clues in. But he found an unmoved low cabinet with the couple’s photo. Why would a storage room have that? An undamaged photo belonged in the living room or bedroom. This led Wu Mingbai to hypothesize, and with a goal, he quickly confirmed the room was originally their bedroom. They’d known the main bedroom was the prior couple’s and lived there initially, so they didn’t mind “another couple’s room.” Their reason for not staying was a lie! Knowing the couple wasn’t honest, Li Shu smiled: “Why not apply to the Ability Government? Making two ordinary people talk is easy.” Li Shu’s [Illusion], Lan Subing’s [Word Spirit], or Wu Jin’s [Charm Demon] could easily make them spill, with minimal effort. Mental attacks were countered by Mental Energy, and ordinary people’s was too weak against Ability users. But using Abilities on civilians required prior approval, especially for mission-takers, to avoid future mission bans. This was normal. Unrestrained Ability use on civilians would cause chaos. Special powers needed limits to prevent disasters, and strict rules benefited everyone. Zhao Xiaoyu, well-versed in Ability Government rules, shook her head: “Not enough justification. We can prove they’re hiding something, but to use Abilities, we need proof of harmful actions.” That was tricky. They knew the couple was concealing something but not what, let alone harmful acts. “Maybe we can bait them,” Wu Mingbai suggested, eyes gleaming. “Pretend we’ve cracked the case and see how they react?” It was feasible but flawed: “We’d need one or two solid pieces of evidence to rattle them, right?” “Easy,” Su Bei said. “The game room.” The game room was clearly off, evident from the couple’s reactions. Before Su Bei could explain, Zhao Xiaoyu did it for him. “Let’s check the game room,” Si Zhaohua decided, leading them in. It was daytime, the room colorful and vibrant. But oddly, no one felt excited. At fifteen or sixteen, despite their experiences, an arcade should spark some joy. Yet, they felt irritable. With keen Mental Energy, they sensed the oddity. Si Zhaohua called the first family again, asking about the grandfather’s state after moving in, emphasizing sudden bad tempers. The father vividly recalled the grandfather’s final days, reflecting: “Now that you mention it, it was odd. After moving here, his temper worsened. He was still kind to the kids but stayed in more.” On speaker, everyone understood. The game room was likely the Nightmare Beast’s hideout, but without knowing its form, they couldn’t destroy the room yet. It was enough to test the couple, though. Recalling earlier, Wu Mingbai huffed: “They wouldn’t come here, pushing us instead. Isn’t that harmful? No need to test—just report our findings to the Ability Government. They’ll deduce the rest.” Zhao Xiaoyu shook her head, troubled: “How do we explain? We have no solid evidence. To the Ability Government, we’re a unit. Our word alone, without proof, can’t convict them.” Only now did she realize her mistake. On a mission, she hadn’t gathered evidence, so despite knowing the full story, they had to re-probe, wasting time. With no cameras, neither the couple’s game room nudge nor their concealment had recorded proof. Their statements alone wouldn’t hold. She’d studied the Ability Government’s strict rules on using Abilities on civilians but thought their foe was a Nightmare Beast, overlooking this. Only now did she see her oversight. A lesson learned. She knew spotting a key issue on her first mission was good. It was minor; time could fix it. If she’d missed it until a critical moment, it’d be too late. The others shared her view—learn for next time. They were good-natured, not dumping responsibility on Zhao Xiaoyu just because she seemed mature. They didn’t think it was solely her fault; forgetting evidence was everyone’s oversight. Except Su Bei. Hearing Zhao Xiaoyu, he raised an eyebrow, pulled out his phone, opened the recording app, and hit play: “Who said we lack solid evidence?” As his words landed, the couple’s voices played: “Call me Sister Wang. He’s Brother Liu...” It was their initial meeting. Su Bei had started recording then! Everyone was stunned, unaware Su Bei had meticulously covered a gap they’d missed. “How’d you think to record?” Lan Subing asked, eyes wide, social anxiety forgotten in her delight. It was family habit. His police officer mother always recorded on missions, influencing his father. Helping his father, Su Bei picked it up. When his parents died, greedy relatives caused trouble, and this habit saved him, thwarting their schemes without suffering. No need to share that. He lowered his eyes, smiling: “You’ll think of it too, I’m sure.” Smart as they were, this lesson would ensure they’d record evidence on future missions. Recording was a great habit, clutch in key moments. He’d planned to check the game room, then vaguely hint at the bedroom issue to rattle them. But the game room’s Nightmare Beast was obvious, making that unnecessary. With the couple’s recorded dialogue and Si Zhaohua’s call proving the game room’s issue, they could show the couple’s deceit. The Ability Government was cautious with civilian issues, avoiding escalation. But with solid evidence, they wouldn’t let Ability users be pushed around. Ability users were stronger but fewer, and only they could fight beasts, protecting the nation. They shouldn’t always yield. After sending the recording and info, the Ability Government’s mission contact replied that they were reporting it up. It needed discussion and filing but wouldn’t take long—likely resolved by evening. Unhurried, they bid the couple farewell. Sister Wang asked kindly: “Want me to order takeout? We’re tight on cash, but we can afford that.” Leaving the bedroom, she’d donned her thick jacket and scarf. Noticing their scrutiny, she smiled: “We’re heading out to eat, so we’re bundling up.” Her explanation was flawless, but no one trusted her easily now. Outside, Li Shu looked at Su Bei thoughtfully: “Looks like their bedroom does have an issue.” Their odd behavior—light clothes inside, bundled outside despite similar temperatures—suggested the room had a problem, likely a beneficial one. How did Su Bei know so early? So curious! Li Shu’s smile grew gentler, eyes gleaming with obsession: “Let’s spar when we’re back. I really want to test your strength.” “Focus on Jiang Tianming,” Su Bei deflected without hesitation. Li Shu sighed. He was most intrigued by Jiang Tianming’s blatant secrets: “But he’s not in our group, so I’ll switch targets for now.” Relentless, he pressed, coaxing: “Just one spar. Why not? We’re classmates; we’ll fight eventually. Sooner’s better.” “Fine,” Su Bei agreed, surprising everyone. Li Shu paused, then quickly set a time, fearing Su Bei might back out. Later, Si Zhaohua approached, eyeing Li Shu’s back curiously: “Why’d you agree?” He knew Li Shu had asked Su Bei repeatedly, always refused. Su Bei twirled his fist, smiling kindly: “If he wants a fight, I’ll give him one. After so many rejections, he’s finally getting his wish. I’m sure the teachers won’t let him down.” As long as life wasn’t at stake, even if he beat Li Shu to a pulp, the teachers wouldn’t interfere. Li Shu asked for it. But that wasn’t why Su Bei agreed. Wu Jin’s incident woke him up. His high-level Mental Energy, gained instantly via the comic, felt unreal despite heavy use. Only after breaking Wu Jin’s charm did Su Bei realize his high-level Mental Energy made him immune to most mental Abilities from regular Ability users. Unless they had high-level Mental Energy, controlling him mentally was a pipe dream. Li Shu’s pure mental attacks were nothing; even Lan Subing’s [Word Spirit] would struggle to control him. He’d avoided sparring with Li Shu, fearing, like Jiang Tianming, his secrets might be probed, entangling him. Now, realizing his fears were baseless, he wouldn’t let Li Shu keep jumping around. This time, he’d show him what raw power meant! Si Zhaohua didn’t know the details but caught Su Bei’s undertone. Meeting his gaze, he laughed brightly: “Good. He’ll probably settle down after.” They ate at a nearby diner. During the meal, Lan Subing asked Jiang Tianming about their group’s progress. Though the groups were nominally separate, their youthful competitiveness sparked a subtle rivalry. Lan Subing and Wu Mingbai, Jiang Tianming’s close friends, didn’t mind vying with him on small matters. Wu Mingbai even seemed eager. As Lan Subing gathered intel, everyone perked up. Their mission was nearly done; if the Ability Government approved Ability use on the couple, they might finish today. If Jiang Tianming’s group lagged, their team would win this round.