"What an ugly way to die," said Humming Crane, squatting down.

The afternoon sunlight streamed into the front hall, like a golden banner spread over Bai Yu's corpse. His body was wrapped in a body bag, with only the head exposed, but it was enough to terrify: half was a normal face of flesh and blood, while the other half was corroded into pale white bones. The shocking contrast between life and death startled every witness.

Even the Statistical Department agents, after their initial morbid curiosity, instinctively turned away in fear, as if afraid Bai Yu might jump up and kiss them.

Only Humming Crane still pulled open the body bag, glancing at Bai Yu's body that was almost melted, clicking his tongue as he observed, "When I ran into him a few days ago, he seemed to have a lot on his mind. I thought maybe he was in trouble, and now look at him, gone just like that. So, always think optimistically, maybe it'll come true?"

Suddenly someone beside him commented, "That joke isn't funny, and everyone thinks your jokes about the dead are particularly disrespectful."

"What do you know about jokes, you cat-hugging person?!" Humming Crane scolded. "Do you know the most important things about jokes are wit and timing? If you're so good, tell a joke and lighten the mood!"

The woman from the Statistical Department, holding a cat behind Humming Crane, said, "Inspector, your movements were too big just now, it seems you touched the corpse fluid."

"Wipe? Wipe, wipe, wipe?!" Humming Crane jumped back like a startled cat, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping frantically, until he heard faint laughter from others and realized he'd been tricked.

"Funny, is it?"

The agents fell silent. The woman with the cat stepped in front of Humming Crane, blocking his 'destructive gaze' from the agents, and instructed, "Go investigate the surroundings, find the assassin's entry route."

"Yes!"

After all the agents left the front hall, Humming Crane looked darkly at the cat-hugging woman, "Zhao Yebai, don't think you can disrespect me just because the Director supports you... Why are you squatting down?"

"Didn't you say not to disrespect you? I felt it's too impolite to have the Inspector look up while speaking to me, so I should obviously squat down, to spare your neck from getting tired."

Zhao Yebai blinked, her chubby orange cat also let out a timely meow, as if in agreement.

"Fine, fine," Humming Crane said, anger turning into laughter, "I can't do anything to you for now. I don't care if the Director sent you to monitor or restrain me, but you'd better hope you stay under his protection, otherwise—"

"The Director only sent me to assist you as Humming Crane's assistant," Zhao Yebai shrugged, "no monitoring, no restraint. I'm just here to help. You told me to hold a cat, so I did. What else do you want from me? Fatty, what do you think he wants?"

Zhao Yebai patted the chubby orange cat's butt, and its tail stiffened as it squinted contentedly.

"Really?" Humming Crane sneered, "I don't believe it."

After failing to frame Qin Le Yin, Humming Crane also paid a hefty price—he saw it as punishment for an attempted frame-up failure. If it had succeeded, perhaps he'd have been rewarded. Besides being forbidden to act against the Ritual Guard again, the Director assigned him an assistant.

After all, whenever Humming Crane wanted to cause trouble, he almost always needed the Statistical Department's power. With an assistant as a constraint, if Humming Crane wanted to frame others again, the assistant could directly cause a 'frame-up halt', preventing it from reaching the embarrassing 'frame-up failed' stage.

Humming Crane's attitude was also direct. He never gave Zhao Yebai any work, just had her hold the cat, which was convenient because the chubby orange was getting too big for him to carry.

Want to divide authority? Monitor me? No way!

In response to Humming Crane's childish attitude, Zhao Yebai didn't seem to mind. She proactively asked, "Should I step out for a bit, let you have some alone time with the deceased?"

"Why?"

"I thought you might have some words for a friend. My presence might affect your emotional expression..."

"Friend?" Humming Crane raised a brow, mocking, "Among us four guards, is there even such a thing as a friend?"

Zhao Yebai didn't argue about the definition of friendship, instead said, "But I've noticed you never care about the deceased before, let alone look at them, yet you've spent quite some time on this one..."

"How long have you known me to say you understand me, speculate about me, judge me?!" Humming Crane mocked, "Do you think you can know what I'm thinking? Just because you have long hair? Just because you're tall?"

"I've known you for fifteen days, work hours are ten hours a day, that's one hundred and fifty hours, and we had lunch together eight times. From my experience, that's enough time to become friends..."

"Your experience? With girlfriends, perhaps? With classmates?" Humming Crane coldly said, "I'm the boss, you're the subordinate. Know the hierarchy! No talking back, understand?!"

"Yes, Inspector," Zhao Yebai said obediently, "Then why have you spent so long looking at this body? Is it because he's finally shorter than you?"

Humming Crane inhaled sharply, clenching his left hand tightly with his right.

Zhao Yebai's innocent expression delivered such a piercing remark, it felt like it set his internal organs ablaze. In recent years, very few dared to humiliate him with such witty words—he almost wanted to immediately perform surgery on Zhao Yebai's legs to save her from squatting down in future to speak to him at eye level!

Endurance!

He took several deep breaths to calm himself, turned to look at Bai Yu, and suddenly sneered, "You kind of have a point."

"Huh?"

"He once suggested to me that I wear stilts to increase my height. I thought he was teasing me, so I fought him. Later, he recommended some leather boot stores, and I realized he was on a business route."

"Business route?"

"It was a route that was once popular... Most of the four guards were on a practical route, completing tasks by wearing the appropriate mask, using the quickest, most ruthless means to achieve results. But more than a decade ago, the four guards followed a strategy called 'business identity', doing good deeds, making friends, weaving a network, exchanging information..."

"Doesn't that sound good?"

"Because everyone found that killing was just more satisfying," Humming Crane maliciously eyed Zhao Yebai, "With threats and incentives, you can extract information easily. Why bother pleasing those you can't stand?"

"Inspector, you shouldn't say that," Zhao Yebai shook her head, "I haven't felt like I was begrudging myself."

Humming Crane pressed his right hand on his left wrist, his left hand on his right wrist.

Endurance!

Zhao Yebai asked, "So, was Mr. Bai Yu on the business route? Incidentally, I've heard Mr. Bai Yu from the Royal Academy was a well-respected teacher..."

"Sort of, but he hasn't had much achievement in recent years, that's the scope of the Ritual Guard..." Humming Crane snorted, "That's why he died so horribly."

"These two things don't seem related causally, do they?"

"When he wanted to walk the good man's path, he was already sunk in benevolent delusion, losing vigilance, losing wildness, losing the intent to kill, losing everything... Hmph, such people are too few. If the Imperial Court had more of them, our Statistical Department would've taken over long ago."

Zhao Yebai pondered and said, "So, Inspector, you're feeling a slight regret for Mr. Bai Yu's death but are too embarrassed to say it, so you mock his kindness?"

Humming Crane widened his eyes, wanting to retort, but felt it was pointless, so he held back.

"You two."

A voice came from the door, and they saw a young man in a black cross and white coat outside, clasping his hands, "Young Master Qin and Young Master Shi are waiting for you."

"Lead the way," Humming Crane said, raising his head. "And you are...?"

"He is my brother, my name is Qin Yueyang."

"Hmph, you have a bit more manners than he does."

"My brother is also very polite," Qin Yueyang replied with a courteous smile.

Polite? Ha.

This time, Bai Yu's death was really tragic, and Qin Le Yin was seriously injured. Humming Crane had already planned how to humiliate Qin Le Yin.

Yes, he wasn't allowed to hit Qin Le Yin, but if Qin Le Yin struck first, wouldn't he have a reason to retaliate? At that time, accidentally breaking Qin Le Yin's five limbs while fighting back would be perfectly reasonable, right?

The group walked into the main hall at the back. As soon as Humming Crane entered, he saw Qin Yueyin lazily lying on a bench and waving him over:

"Hey, Raccoon Slave, it's been over half a month. Come and let your friend pat your head so we can see if you've grown taller."

Humming Crane felt blood rush to his head. His fists clenched, hardened, again!

Endure... I can't... take it!