Fish bait and fish hook

Qin Ming, carrying a crossbody bag, stood at the high-speed rail entrance and walked through the crowded throng. Not far away, a tall, thin man with a head of white hair held up a small sign that read "Welcome Qin Ming".

He waved, and the white-haired boy ran over happily, "Qin Ming! Long time no see!"

In response, Qin Ming patted him on the shoulder and joked, "Ren Quan? Your hair color is different every time I see you. Do you support all the barbershops in Xiangzhou?"

Ren Quan is the person in charge of Xiangzhou Twelfth Street.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "I haven't changed my hair color for a month."

Qin Ming was in a hurry and followed him to the Xiangzhou branch on 12th Street without even having dinner. The two arrived at the crayfish restaurant, passed through the kitchen, and took the elevator to the basement.

Ren Quan said, "If you don't stay overnight, you won't be able to have lobster tonight?"

"Sigh." Qin Ming said, feigning concern, "You know there are only three of us in Jiazhou. With such a big incident, how could the other two handle it without me there to oversee things?"

Ren Quan exposed him, "If Qian Fei hears this, he'll start arguing with you again."

Because of the large number of people with supernatural abilities in Xiangzhou, there are a total of 6 people in charge of managing the Twelfth Street.

They stepped out of the elevator, walked through a long, dimly lit corridor, opened the iron door at the end, and found several people eagerly waiting in a bright and spacious office.

Ren Quan: "This isn't the first time we've worked together, so I won't go into introductions."

They nodded to each other in greeting and quickly got into work mode.

Ren Quan displayed several photos of the crime scene on the LED screen.

A young man lay on the filthy ground, his stomach area torn open like Li Chao's, with remnants of organs scattered everywhere, some of which were covered with swarms of white worms.

Ren Quan: "The deceased was named Shi Zan. He died in a dilapidated temple in Ziwei Village on the border of Xiangzhou and Jiazhou. The preliminary time of death was determined to be in the early morning of April 20. He was discovered by villagers on May 10 because of the strong stench. After the police were notified, they found that his body was very similar to the May 5 murder case in Lichao. The case was transferred to Twelfth Street. We found residual traces of the supernatural power of the knife scar on his body."

Qin Ming: "Why did you find out so late?"

Ren Quan explained: "Because Ziwei Village is too remote and backward, it cannot retain young people. Therefore, there are only 15 households of middle-aged and elderly people living in the village. Secondly, Shi Zan lost both parents when he was young and was raised by his grandmother. He dropped out of school before he was an adult and went to work in the county town. He was also cheated out of all his money. He just came back this year to pay respects to his grandmother."

This backstory sounded so familiar; Qin Ming felt like he'd heard it somewhere before.

He continued, "Is Shi Zan a superhuman?"

Ren Quan opened the information on the big screen. "Shi Zan is not a superhuman. Strangely, in addition to Scarface's superhuman ability, there is also an unknown superhuman ability left in his body. This ability is confirmed to be the same as the one that Kong Yue from your department uploaded to the information network called 'Jiangchuan Valley'."

Qin Ming: "Jiangchuan Valley?"

I remembered that a few days ago Kong Yue took Jiang Chuan Gu back to the department for a physical examination.

He asked in confusion, "But the victim in our case is Le Chieu?"

Ren Quan understood his confusion: "So there is another issue to discuss today: is Scarface's target Li Chao or Jiangchuan Valley? At the same time, should the 4.20 case in Ziwei Village and the 5.5 case in Jiazhou be investigated together?"

Qin Ming sighed, looking very worried. "We've been urgently searching for Scarface's whereabouts lately, and we thought this was his second murder scene. It turns out your case dates back even further. He might still be in Jiazhou..."

Ren Quan: "You guys are definitely short-handed lately, how about I send two people over for you?"

Qin Ming shook his head and refused, saying, "I recently recruited two civilian helpers, one smart and one rich."

Ren Quan said with dissatisfaction, "They weren't trained by the Twelfth Street either. Their combat strength is nowhere near that of the headquarters. We know very little about the Ghost Gate. Don't expect that after decades of peace, it turns out their hideout is in Jiaozhou."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—" Qin Ming hurriedly tried to cover his mouth, "Don't say those unlucky things."

He added, "Actually, we've been looking at some leads lately. Besides Scarface, we've also found a nurse named Chai Yan. She looks like an ordinary person, but she's connected to two brainwashed witnesses. Qian Fei is keeping an eye on her. You can keep an eye on things for me too."

Ren Quan: "A follower of the Ghost Gate?"

Qin Ming: "I don't know. Qian Fei couldn't detect her special ability using a compass."

"Heh." Ren Quan scoffed, "How many years has it been since you updated your equipment? Maybe the ghost gate shielding device could have handled that by now!"

Qin Ming waved his hand guiltily and impatiently: "I know, I know, I'll submit the report and go through the upgrade process today!"

He recalled Lin Chaoying's instructions, "Do you know how the Ghost Gate finds people with superpowers? How come they know about people with superpowers before us? It feels like we're relying on instruments? Are they just waiting for us to come to them?"

After pondering for a long time, Ren Quan suddenly remembered something, "Do you remember when we took the written test, there was a question: What is the origin of the New Human Handbook?"

Qin Ming nodded: "I know. To put it simply, it's the original family tree of Twelfth Street. During the war, the ancestors of several families had to be scattered. This book records all the information of people with superpowers. You can trace them back to the direct line of the family and the collateral relatives. Later, the genes of people with superpowers became unstable, and there were often gaps in the lineage. There were no descendants who did not inherit the superpowers and began to return to normal life. No one cared about the manual anymore."

Ren Quan: "Could there be a Ghost Gate as well?"

"But that happened hundreds of years ago?" Qin Ming asked in surprise. "Could it be that they've been watching over it generation after generation?"

After a moment of silence, Qin Ming suddenly said, "I really don't have time lately. Could you help me investigate this manual?"

Ren Quan: "Okay. It's about time, let's start the meeting."

Qin Ming's visit this time was mainly to discuss the case, report progress to his superiors, and whether to arrange for a combined investigation and increase personnel arrangements in Jiazhou Twelfth Street.

==

As evening falls and the sun sets, the mountains are shrouded in mist, and the moonlight casts dappled shadows, making the night in Hoh Xil even more alluring.

After Jiang Chuan Gu and the courier checked the order at the door, Jiang Chuan Gu took five new mobile phones into the guesthouse, giving one each to Li Ming, Lin Chao Ying, and Lin Lin, keeping one for himself, and keeping one for the front desk as a spare.

Lin Chaoying exclaimed in surprise, "Why buy so many phones?"

He honestly said, "Everyone's been losing or breaking their phones lately, so I bought one."

After thanking him, Leon Lai said, "I'll transfer the money to you later?"

Jiang Chuan Gu waved his hand, refusing: "No need."

Zhou Pei was green with envy, hating that his phone was so durable.

While they were chatting, Qian Fei and Kong Yue came arguing noisily from the doorway.

Qian Fei complained, "That woman is a nurse, she's incredibly vigilant, and I've managed to prevent so many accidents!"

Kong Yue exclaimed, "Not only did you not get it, but you also hurt the child?"

"Kong Yue!" Qian Fei shouted angrily, "I told you I didn't do it on purpose! It was because you said you wanted Chai Yan's blood that I was so focused on it that I didn't notice the child running over!"

Lin Chaoying rushed over and opened the courtyard gate. "What happened? You two are arguing?"

Kong Yue tried to pull Qian Fei away, but she wasn't strong enough and was pushed away by her buttocks. "You!"

Qian Fei: "Lin Chaoying! You be my judge! She texted me first thing this morning, saying she'd find a chance to get Chai Yan's blood. I didn't do anything all day except set traps for Chai Yan! Wow, who would have thought Chai Yan is so agile! She dodged every single one. My eyes and head are so sore and throbbing. In the evening, I watched Chai Yan play with the child, and I can't keep an eye on everything! Who knew that the child would bump into the trap I was planning to set for Chai Yan! I couldn't go empty-handed! That's why I collected the child's blood first, just in case it's useful! She said I was reckless and hurt the child!"

She spoke at length until her throat was dry.

Lin Chaoying reminded him, "Li Ming, Jiang Xu, Lin Lin and Zhou Pei are all here, you two stop arguing."

Qian Fei strode into the guesthouse and said nonchalantly, "I don't care! I want water!"

Lin Chaoying patted Kong Yue's arm, "Don't you know Qian Fei's personality? Stop arguing. What did you gain today?"

Kong Yue crossed her arms and said, "Master Long said that only blood doesn't lie. The machine is outdated and may not be accurate. We need to draw blood from Chai Yan for testing to examine her more closely."

"Don't you think the progress is too slow right now?" Lin Chaoying scratched her head. "If we keep dragging this out, will we miss the scar? I've been getting anxious staying at the guesthouse all day."

Of the entire team, Kong Yue only liked to discuss problems and new directions with Lin Chaoying.

She asked, "Do you have any thoughts?"

Lin Chaoying: "Is it possible to bring Chai Yan back first? Spread some information out there? See if Scarface takes the bait. Regardless of whether Chai Yan is involved or not, Scarface is the most important one."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Ming pushed open the courtyard gate.

Lin Chaoying smiled and said sarcastically, "Boss Qin Ming? My place is practically becoming a 12th Street stronghold?"

Qin Ming's expression was grave as he said seriously, "Let's have a meeting first."

Seeing this, Lin Chaoying stopped smiling, instructed Linlin to take good care of Liming, and told Zhou Pei to keep an eye on Jiang Xu and not to go up to the fourth floor.

The group arrived at the room opposite the murder scene on the 4th floor.

Kong Yue said, "Next time, let's go to 12th Street. There are more and more ordinary people staying at the guesthouses there."

Lin Chaoying agreed: "Indeed."

"It's too late today," Qin Ming said. "We were keeping an eye on Li Ming earlier, but the rest of the operation should be carried out on 12th Street."

Everyone sat around the living room table, and Qin Ming briefly explained the results of his discussion with Ren Quan that day, the New Human Handbook, and information about the April 20th murder case.

Qin Ming: "Have you noticed that Shi Zan's experience is very similar to someone else's?"

Jiang Chuan Gu and Lin Chao Ying reacted immediately and exchanged glances.

Jiangchuan Valley said, "The same experience as mine?"

Qin Ming: "Yes, I was born in a remote mountain area, both my parents died, I went out to work when I was a minor, and my friends swindled all my money from me..."

Qian Fei exclaimed, "This setting? The plagiarism rate is so high?"

Lin Chaoying finally said, "You mean, Scarface originally intended to kill Jiang Chuan Gu?"

Qin Ming nodded, "The main basis for the conclusion is that the two of them have similar but unknown residual supernatural abilities."

Kong Yue took the initiative to bring up the question she had been discussing with Lin Chaoying: whether the scar could cause prosopagnosia (face blindness).

Qin Ming: "We already lack information about the Ghost Gate. Today we can confirm that the Ghost Gate is systematically and deliberately killing a group of people who have suffered the same fate. We can only find out their specific purpose by capturing Scarface."

"Scarface is too well hidden now. The only breakthrough is Chai Yan. Anyway, the arrest warrant has been issued for a long time. Let's try anything. Instead of guessing, let's throw out the bait and see if we can make a new breakthrough?"

The crowd silently agreed.

Qian Fei slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Let's do it tomorrow!"

"I think the bait needs to be bigger!" Lin Chaoying suggested. "Can you announce to the public that the murderer is Chai Yan?"

Kong Yue said worriedly, "What if Chai Yan is just a pawn discarded by the Ghost Gate?"

Lin Chaoying: "Scarface will lower his guard and come back to kill Jiang Chuan Valley, thus exposing his whereabouts. If Chai Yan is an important figure in the Ghost Gate, Scarface might try to save her."

“That’s right.” Qin Ming: “We need people on Twelfth Street, and we also need people to guard Hoh Xil.”

Qian Fei: "Tomorrow morning, after Chai Yan takes the child to school, I'll drag her to Twelfth Street..."

"No!" Qin Ming objected. "Tonight at midnight, I will release a fake announcement stamped with the official seal of Twelfth Street and post it on various platforms. I will keep watch near Chai Yan. If there is no movement, I will make a normal arrest and bring her back to Twelfth Street for routine questioning. The key is that we must prepare for the worst. We may clash with Scarface at midnight, or they may chase us to Twelfth Street tomorrow."

Qian Fei: "Boss, I'm with you!"

Qin Ming said, "You need to guard Jiangchuan Valley. Everyone knows that Li Chao died, and Scarface is very likely to target him. Qian Fei and I will each guard one side, Kong Yue will assist me, and Lin Chaoying will go with Qian Fei."

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.