Tanuki Prince

"What's the difference between that and a cockroach?" Lin Chaoying's analogy was very vivid. "It might seem like one has suddenly appeared in the house, but in reality, the whole house is a cockroach nest."

Qian Fei laughed and said, "It's not that exaggerated. According to statistics from the Twelfth Street, there are fewer than a thousand people with superpowers nationwide."

Jiang Chuan Gu retorted, "A thousand people is too few? Every single one of them is extraordinary. What if there are even more people from the Ghost Gate?"

Kong Yue slowly explained: "Actually, we also have a kind of genealogy-like medium to record the families of superhumans from our ancestors. We can deduce the approximate number of Ghost Gate believers, and Ghost Gate can also estimate the approximate number of people in Twelve Streets. It's just that we don't know each other's specific situation."

"It's alright," Qian Fei reassured her. "I've already shared information with my colleagues at the information network regarding Chai Yan's specific situation and whether there are any superhumans in her family. They're investigating, and we should have new results in about three days."

Qin Ming began assigning tasks: "Next, our direction is as follows: First, the higher-ups are searching the entire network for Scarface's whereabouts by retrieving surveillance records. Second, besides confirming whether Chai Yan has the possibility of being a superhuman, Qian Fei needs to be tracked down in the next two days. If anything seems amiss, bring him back. We just applied for an arrest warrant today. I need to stay here and keep watch over the dawn. Finally, Kong Yue should take Lin Chaoying and Jiang Chuan Gu back to Twelfth Street for a physical examination."

Jiang Chuan Gu asked, puzzled, "Why do I need a medical checkup?"

Qin Ming said, "You are the only one who can see Lin Chaoying's ghost, which is very strange. I'll take you to check if you have any supernatural abilities."

Lin Chaoying instructed Linlin and Zhou Pei to keep a close watch on the house.

Kong Yue fed the two lemon candies. After eating them, they only remembered that these people were Lin Chaoying's friends, and completely forgot the scene of the supernatural battle they had witnessed that night.

==

The office area of ​​Twelfth Street is located in the most prosperous and bustling area of ​​every city. Downstairs in Jiaozhou's Twelfth Street is a fragrant hot pot restaurant.

Jiang Chuan Gu asked curiously, "Putting everything else aside, I'm just curious whether Qin Ming's personality is enough to make him the boss?"

After a few days of observation, Qin Ming appeared carefree, blindly optimistic, and both serious and unserious.

Kong Yue laughed out loud: "Each leader of the Twelfth Street must have at least two superpowers, one of which must be offensive. Secondly, we have an assessment."

"Two?" Jiang Chuan Gu looked at Lin Chao Ying. "Then you can!"

"She's no good!" Before Lin Chaoying could reply, Kong Yue interrupted, "First of all, neither of Aying's two abilities are offensive. Moreover, the eldest brother's family has had abilities since birth, so they are naturally skilled at controlling them. Aying can't even control them; her body is rejecting their existence. Otherwise, I wouldn't be giving you suppressants and painkillers every day."

"Painkillers?" Jiang Chuan Gu had no idea about this.

Lin Chaoying said with feigned pride, "Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon this person. What do you know? It means that I am burdened with the mission of saving the world!"

"Heh." Kong Yue sneered, "Your chuunibyou is almost as bad as the boss's."

The three walked through the restaurant and into the kitchen. There was an elevator hidden away. Kong Yue stood in front of a small display screen. With a "beep," the elevator doors opened, and Kong Yue said, "Come in."

About 5 seconds later, the elevator doors opened again.

The room that came into view was no different from an ordinary office, with several tables in the middle and normal room doors labeled "Records Room" and "Meeting Room" on the side.

Jiangchuan Valley looked slightly disappointed. "So that's how it is?"

"Am I mistaken?" Lin Chaoying chuckled softly. "When I first arrived, I also thought it would be like the post-apocalyptic mechanical world in science fiction movies. I didn't expect it to be so ordinary."

Kong Yue continued to lead them through a long corridor, at the end of which was a metal door.

After she covered her fingerprints, she pushed open the door. The white walls were covered with test tubes, and there were several rooms separated by glass doors.

Kong Yue said to Lin Chaoying, "Go to room number 2 and wait a moment while I draw your blood." Turning to Jiang Chuangu, she said, "Go to room number 1, take off your coat and any metal objects, stand under the machine, and I'll scan you first."

After saying that, he changed his coat into a white lab coat.

Lin Chaoying sat in room number 2, recalling the first time. She had fainted on the roadside and was picked up by Qian Fei. She underwent a full-body scan and blood tests, which took a whole day, and the final conclusion was that she was not an ordinary person.

To appease her, Qian Fei took her downstairs to eat hot pot.

Fresh ingredients are neatly arranged in the pot, constantly stir-fried and fried in oil, and served with a special dipping sauce. The taste is fragrant, sour and spicy, which is very pleasant.

Qian Fei said, "We need to eat and sleep just like everyone else. We have emotions too. We are no different from other people. The extra part is a blessing from God."

During those two months, Lin Chaoying was in very poor physical and mental condition. She had just woken up from the dream of carefree companionship with Jiang Chuan Gu, had to accept the truth of the changes in her family, and had to face the difference that she was a superhuman.

It was only after Qian Fei kept "harassing" her that things gradually got back on track.

Kong Yue pushed open the door and entered. "Come on, let's draw blood."

Lin Chaoying asked curiously, "Is Jiang Chuan Gu a superhuman?"

“It’s strange.” Kong Yue looked troubled. She turned on the computer in the room and retrieved the scan data from earlier. “He’s not a superhuman, but there are remnants of superpowers in him.”

"Residue?" Lin Chaoying asked in surprise, "What do you mean by residual superpowers?"

Kong Yue explained: "For example, Linlin and Liming were brainwashed, and there will be traces of superpowers on their bodies."

Lin Chaoying: "Was Jiangchuan Valley controlled by a superhuman's abilities?"

“Yes.” Kong Yue clicked on the next page, where the conclusion read: No results found. She patiently explained, “Usually, if a normal person has residual supernatural abilities, even if the instruments can’t find the source, they can still detect the suspected type. For example, in Linlin and Liming’s reports, the conclusion would say: mental type.”

Lin Chaoying fell into deep thought and asked seriously, "Do you think it could be a remnant of my special ability?"

Kong Yue retorted, "It shouldn't be. Your special ability is in the Twelfth Street archives. If the magnetic field matches, the conclusion can directly include your name and special ability."

"There's one more thing." Kong Yue frowned, her round face showing a serious expression, and asked, "You're the person here who knows Jiang Chuan Valley best. I just noticed he has a birthmark behind his ear? Has he always had it? Do many people know about it?"

“Yes.” Lin Chaoying explained frankly, “It’s a red petal-shaped birthmark. It even went viral before. Many fans called him Little Red Flower and joked that he was a petal in his past life. He’s so spiritual and was reincarnated in this life. He’s very famous.”

Seeing that she didn't speak and her expression grew increasingly serious, Lin Chaoying asked in confusion, "Isn't this normal? Someone with over 100 million followers on Weibo, let alone a birthmark, would have a much larger following than a normal celebrity just by saying a few words, right?"

Kong Yue reminded him, "Do you remember the injury behind Li Chao's ear?"

Behind Le Chao's ear? Behind Jiangchuan Valley's ear?

Lin Chaoying: "Could it be related to the birthmark behind the ear?"

She quickly took out her phone, opened her chat with Jiang Xu, and made a voice call. Less than three seconds later, a familiar voice came from the other end, "Is Jiang Chuan Gu something wrong?"

Without mincing words, Lin Chaoying asked directly, "Does Li Chao have a birthmark behind his ear?"

"Birthmark?" Jiang Xu said, bewildered. "What birthmark? Jiang Chuangu is the only one with a birthmark behind his ear, right? Li Chao? Maybe on his calf? I saw it when I was practicing dance before, I think it was..."

Lin Chaoying: "Okay, got it." She hung up the phone decisively.

Kong Yuejiao waited patiently for an answer, asking, "Is there?"

Lin Chaoying shook her head, "Li Chao doesn't have a birthmark behind his ear."

Kong Yue was instantly deflated. She put it aside for now, stood up, washed her hands, and took out a test tube, saying, "Let's draw blood first. We mainly want to see how well you're recovering. You've taken painkillers and taken inhibitors in the past two weeks. Although you feel better now, I'm worried about potential complications."

A thick, dark brown rubber band was tightly wrapped around her upper arm, causing her arm to sag and her flesh to be squeezed together. Lin Chaoying stared intently, her mind a complete mess.

She always felt that she had overlooked something, which prevented the clues from being fully connected.

The 12th Street Police Department has always been known for its simple and brutal approach: determine the crime, arrest the person, and enforce the law.

Lin Chaoying, however, felt that if the clues could be connected completely, she could analyze the Ghost Gate's motives and reasons for targeting Jiangchuan Valley and make preparations in advance.

Did Le Chieu really pick at the wound behind his ear?

Why specifically behind the ear?

Is there anything special about the area behind Le Chao's ears?

It just so happens that Egawa has a birthmark behind his ear? And it's a birthmark that everyone knows about?

Is it really related to birthmarks?

The cold needle pierced the intact skin, penetrated the blood vessels within the flesh, causing a thin, elongated bulge. Dark red blood trickled from the transparent needle, flowing into the transparent tube and slowly filling the serum tube.

The moment the needle left her skin, her arm relaxed. Lin Chaoying took the cotton swab Kong Yue handed her, pressed it a couple of times, and the slight pain brought her back to her senses.

The phone rang, and a bloodstained cotton swab was thrown into the yellow trash can.

Lin Chaoying answered the phone, "Hello?"

Jiang Xu's voice was filled with resentment: "Lin Chaoying, you just asked so many questions, but you didn't answer me at all!"

Lin Chaoying was puzzled: "Answer what?"

Jiang Xu: "So, what do you think of Jiangchuan Valley?"

Lin Chaoying: "Mother Hen, your baby Jiang Chuan Valley is perfectly fine. What could possibly happen to him here?"

Jiang Xu: "I've realized you really have a problem with me. What did I do to offend you? Why are you talking so rudely?"

How so? Because you were cowardly, hesitant, indecisive, and ran away, Jiangchuan Valley suffered the most difficult two years, being bullied by his own group and with no one helping him?

To be honest, during those years together, Lin Chaoying not only had grievances against Jiang Xu, but also against the other six members of ATW-7.

To put it simply, she is a die-hard fan of Jiangchuan Valley.

Lin Chaoying tried to make a joke, wanting to hang up quickly, "No, no, is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up."

Jiang Xu: "Yes! I'll be at your guesthouse in half an hour. You still have my room saved for me, right?"

Lin Chaoying asked impatiently, "Why are you here again?"

Her guesthouse is now a mess, with one after another almost fully booked.

Jiang Xu: "I'll give some things to Gu Zi in person. Do you think I want to stay at your place? I can't sleep when I think about Li Chao being killed in the room above me. I don't even know if Gu Zi is getting enough rest. So, has the police given any updates on the case in the past two weeks?"

Lin Chaoying: "No. The relationship between the three of you has improved a lot in the past few years, hasn't it?"

Jiang Xu said regretfully, "We haven't met many times. Gu Zi was too busy to get away. The only time we had contact with Li Chao was when the three of us bumped into each other at a party. I still remember the reason they started talking to each other was because of illegitimate children. Life is truly unpredictable..."

Lin Chaoying casually asked, "Are there stalkers at the party?"

Jiang Xu: "Yes, Gu Zi's illegitimate children are very arrogant. Who knows how they got the room key that time? They went straight to Gu Zi's room. Luckily, Li Chao and I saw a few people acting suspiciously first. Li Chao pulled a switcheroo on them, and that's how they got caught."

A switcheroo?!

Lin Chaoying's mind went blank. "What did you say?!"

Jiang Xu: "A switcheroo! Didn't you notice that although Li Chao and Gu Zi look completely different, their height and build are completely different! I remember when they were trainees, I often mistook them by their backs. That time, Li Chao took the initiative to switch clothes with Gu Zi..."

Yes, a case of a cat replacing the prince? The tangled threads, like a ball of hemp, suddenly loosened and quietly became orderly.

What if Scar's initial target was Egawa Valley?

Or rather, Scarface didn't know who Jiangchuan Valley was or who Li Chao was, nor did he know that there was another man in 402?

For some reason, the only way he could identify Jiangchuan Valley was by the red birthmark behind his ear.

Li Chao must have heard the contents of his phone call before he died. He tore the flesh behind his ear to make the other party believe that he had killed Jiang Chuan Gu.

Lin Chaoying got goosebumps all over her body and stood stiffly in place.

So those few fragmented sentences in Scarface's phone call...

"...Killed...but couldn't find..."

Does that mean they couldn't find the thing inside the stomach?

"Of course... I know..."

So you're saying the one who was killed was Jiangchuan Valley?

"Shut up..."

Did the other side point out that he couldn't recognize Jiang Chuan Gu's face?

"...Let's compare..."

Does that mean he'll compare the birthmark behind his ear?

"Kong Yue!" Lin Chaoying asked, "Can you find out if Scarface has a condition similar to face blindness?"