In the days that followed, Yu Ling and Guan Xiujie became incredibly diligent for some reason. Whenever they encountered a new case, they would immediately ask Chen Yang about the details of the case and insist on helping to solve it together.

This made Chen Yang even more suspicious that Yu Ling was working so hard because she felt guilty towards him. Could it be that he was the serial killer? Otherwise, why would he be so eager to help him?

—In fact, it was Yu Ling who flattered the young detective so much that he lost his bearings, which made Guan Xiujie, who was eager to show off, wish he could spend every 24 hours of the day showing off.

However, Yu Ling was a really nice person. After getting to know the police, her reputation was surprisingly good. So, whether it was true or false, Chen Yang was happy to cooperate.

A month later, all seven remaining cases in the side story were finally solved, and all the murderers were brought to justice. As for the process... Yu Ling had acted in 'self-defense' to some extent.

Of course, Chen Yang wasn't the only one working on the backlog of cases at the police station, but after he took on the vast majority of the workload, they were all successfully completed. Thanks to their outstanding performance, the anger from higher-ups regarding the serial murder cases was finally completely suppressed.

Although it was suppressed, Guan Xiujie, with Yu Ling's undisguised attitude and the two spending so much time together, was always able to discover many suspicious points.

Every wrongdoing leaves a trace. No matter how perfectly you handle it, it can't compensate for the many things the original owner did!

Yu Ling dealt with each case she discovered through the exploitation system, but Guan Xiujie always managed to find a few. The clues of the serial killer pointed directly to Yu Ling, but after she finished dealing with the side cases, Yu Ling also completely gave up after realizing that she had been exposed. Not only did she not help solve the cases, she just stayed at home and waited to die.

Aside from the systems he kicked out and ignored that would occasionally come back to send some money, only Guan Xiujie would come to deliver meals every day without fail.

A month passed, then another month passed, and soon Yu Ling will be able to complete the main storyline and gloriously exit the game.

But on this very day...

Guan Xiujie, still carrying the food he had prepared at home, opened the door as naturally as if he were entering his own home, went to the kitchen to heat up the food, and plated it all in one smooth motion. Finally, he pulled Yu Ling, who was lying on the bed, to the table to serve the food and began his daily question, which had started ever since Yu Ling completed her side quest:

"You really don't want to continue being my assistant?"

"I'm done. One excellent detective like you is enough."

Yu Ling didn't even bother to change her lines.

No matter how Guan Xiujie tried to ask, he would always brush him off with the same answer.

This time, however, Guan Xiujie didn't laugh it off like before, and afterwards he seemed to have no appetite while eating.

He remained silent for a while, making Yu Ling feel embarrassed as she ate, so she stopped and waited for him to continue.

Guan Xiujie lowered his head and asked, "Are you... afraid of implicating me?"

"Huh?" Yu Ling's mind raced, but she still couldn't understand. "Damaged you? How could that be!"

He was arrested, but that was because Detective Guan put aside his own family for the greater good, solved a serial murder case, and gained both fame and fortune. What did that implicate?

Guan Xiujie sighed again: "I'm sorry."

"ah?"

Why apologize for nothing?

Yu Ling is confused again.

When problems arise, Yu Ling never lets them affect her mood. When Guan Xiujie wanted to be the riddle teller, she insisted that he speak normally. She put down her chopsticks, put on a serious face, and smiled dangerously.

"You know, I don't like it when you look so heavy-hearted."

Since you're going to be so serious, then let's not eat! With that thought, Yu Ling stood up from her chair, deliberately making a lot of noise, and approached step by step, as if she wanted to 'teach' someone a lesson, and roughly pulled the person up from the chair.

Then, as Guan Xiujie looked up at his complicated self, he pinched the detective's cheeks with both hands and pulled them apart. (Pinch cheeks.JPG)

Guan Xiujie didn't feel any pain. He silently covered his hand with his own and said, "Aren't you angry?"

"I thought there was nothing that could stump a renowned detective like you," Yu Ling chuckled.

After exploiting this detective like a system for so long, making him do missions with her, and considering that the guy has been quite nice to her and has a bit of a sense of obligation as a meal ticket, there's still some camaraderie between them.

So even if Guan Xiujie keeps investigating his case and finds evidence, it doesn't matter. He'll be exposed sooner or later because he's not the kind of person who hides for a lifetime over trivial matters!

"Okay, I'm not angry anymore, but you suddenly said that today, are you planning to arrest me?"

"No, believe me, I never intended to do that! You've been with me for so long, of course I know you. You wouldn't do something like that for no reason. I've investigated those people; they're all scum who deserve to die!"

Guan Xiujie became increasingly frustrated as he spoke.

"Yes... Chen Yang, he also found out about you... Our talks broke down, and he said he would definitely not protect you."

"What does it matter? Once you gather enough evidence, you can arrest me alone. It won't implicate you." Yu Ling patted the detective like she was comforting a child, saying, "Chen Yang is a policeman, so I understand why he did this. After all, no matter how scum those people are, it's wrong for me to resort to 'vigilance'."

"How can you say that so casually? Do you know you'll die?!"

The two of them chatted for a whole day with completely different feelings.

That night, Guan Xiujie cried even more than Yu Ling, the person involved.

Chen Yang arrived the next morning.

He was dressed in plain clothes and knocked on Yu Ling's door.

Yu Ling opened the door, her smile as gentle and harmless as when they first met: "Good morning, Officer Chen, please make yourself at home."

Having witnessed his fighting prowess, Chen Yang still dared to come alone? He's got guts.

"Even though it's not my first time here, your decorating style still really catches my eye." Chen Yang said, entering the house with complete nonchalance, as if he wasn't the one arresting people.

After the two were seated on the sofa, Yu Ling, holding a cup of tea, replied, "Yes, after all, there are too many places in this house that need to be dealt with. It's better to make it a little more chaotic, which would be quite interesting."

"Are you turning yourself in?" Chen Yang didn't drink the tea, not because he was worried that Yu Ling had drugged him, but because he genuinely wasn't in the mood. He had truly believed Yu Ling's innocence at first, but the evidence was right in front of him...

"Yes, but not today."

Yu Ling opened the calendar on her phone and tossed it to Chen Yang.

"Okay, I believe you... So, see you in seven days?"

See you at the police station.

Seven days later, the system announcement sounded precisely as Yu Ling stepped into Chen Yang's office.

[Ding dong! Main Quest: Survive! (Completed). Side Quest: Stop all criminal activities as defined in this world and assist the protagonist Chen Yang in solving ten major cases. (Completed). This is a cumulative quest. You will gain 100 survival points each year you survive; surviving less than a year will not count towards the total reward. Hehe, host, you're awesome!]

Hmm, it would be even better if I didn't always neglect the system~