Chapter 180: Reunion

The cruise ship was locked down. After Jing Du sent Jin Shaoyu and Ling Wu away, he turned and headed to the monitoring room. The victims' rooms were 6012, 6004, and 6071, respectively, and the corridor surveillance footage was quickly retrieved.

Jing Du asked the assistant beside him: "What is the situation?"

The assistant nodded slightly and said: "After discovering the bodies in the rooms, we immediately notified the forensic examiner to board the ship. Based on the changes in body temperature, livor mortis, and rigor mortis, it can be inferred that the time of death for the victims was around 9:30 last night."

"We just checked the corridor surveillance and found that the footage from around 9:30 last night had been stolen and deleted. Our technical staff is currently recovering it. Combining these two points, it is certain that the killer struck at around 9:30."

Jing Du sat in the swivel chair, interlaced his fingers, and his eyes were deeply profound: "The other party came prepared."

"That's right," the assistant said respectfully. "There are no signs of forced entry on the room doors. The other party opened them using room cards. The person in charge of room card management is named Zhang Fengping, but we have searched the entire cruise ship and have not found this person."

"It is reasonable to suspect a group operation; someone was covering for the killer."

Jing Du curled his lips: "Vanished into thin air?"

He looked at the calm, waveless sea: "Truly capable."

The assistant continued to report: "In addition, there are no fingerprints of the killer in the rooms, but footprints of two people were found in all of them. According to the identification report, comparing the footprint characteristics in the three rooms, the killer is the same person, with a height of approximately 180."

Silence for several seconds.

As if remembering something, the assistant said: "The interval between the victims' deaths was very short."

Jing Du's gaze swept over the three victim photos on the desk, his fingers turning to pick up the photo of the crime scene room. Jing Huai had been posed in a kneeling posture of atonement, and the word "Repentance" was written beside him: "Vendetta."

This killer is not very calm, having been blinded by impulse, daring to leave such a striking and powerful clue, but it could also be that he is overconfident, or perhaps... he has nothing to fear?

He turned the photo face down: "Investigate what common enemies they have."

The assistant said: "Yes."

Jing Du pulled the technician beside him out of the chair, sat down himself, and his slender fingers tapped on the keyboard.

The malicious code written by the other party was like a cunning little mouse, while the cleanup program acted as a diligent cleaner, wiping away all temporary files, operation logs, and the like that might expose them...

The technique was skillful and clean; Jing Du felt the other party's modus operandi was very familiar.

He pondered for a moment.

Magician!

He had studied the Magician's various modus operandi internationally, and the Dark Web had even nicknamed the operating style of this top hacker, such as "Locust Swarm Passing" and "Cat Catching Mouse"... The former was violent and clean, without any dragging, just like a locust swarm passing, leaving not even a shred of usable data behind.

Jing Du released the keyboard and leaned back in the chair.

What exactly does the Magician want to do?

Coming to the Empire, first helping Huo Xi, then killing three people in a row—there must be some connection.

In a daze, Jing Du remembered that day in the VIP room, when Jin Shaoyu saw that painting of Yin Huaiyu, his panicked expression as if he recognized the eyes of the person in the painting.

He took out his phone and clicked into the album; that painting of Yin Huaiyu was still lying there quietly.

Jing Du stared at it for a long while.

Assistant: "Then, will the noble families provide an explanation?"

Jing Du stood up, rubbed his temples, and took off his glasses with one hand, placing them under the sunlight. The lenses refracted a dazzling light, his expression unfathomable: "People died at my engagement banquet; for such an ominous matter, shouldn't they give me an explanation?"

Even though a gag order was issued, news of the events on the cruise ship still leaked out. The deaths of three people caused panic, but the Jing Family clarified that the Tarot Organization was responsible. The ripples stirred among the noble families gradually subsided; no one was willing to make an enemy of the Magician, that King of Hell and Rakshasa. Just like that, Beidu City ushered in December amidst the vastness.

December 1st.

That evening, Ling Wu was called to the Fu Family by Chu Yi under the pretext of discussing important matters. Xi Huaizhi and Shi Yu also went along, and they hurriedly set out in a car.

The Fu Family.

Compared to the first time they came to the Fu Family, they seemed much more familiar with the path. They entered the study, and the old butler Chen stood guard for them. But strangely, the head of the family, Fu Zichen, was not there. There were only two young men in the study. If seeing Chu Yi was expected, then when Ming Tan turned around, things became extraordinary.

Ling Wu stood at the doorway, his gaze fixed on that Host under the 001 system, the person who had once declared he would cooperate with him, finally appearing after disappearing for nearly two months.

The scales of fate seemed to be tilting in the dark.

Chu Yi spoke to Ling Wu first: "Sit wherever you like."

Compared to before, Ming Tan was still that high-spirited self, with small dimples on both sides of his cheeks when he smiled, which were very infectious. Unfortunately, the scar around his neck added a touch of ferocity. He walked up to Ling Wu in his crisp suit and extended his hand: "Ling Wu, long time no see. I didn't expect that the future I was waiting for is right before my eyes."

In the study, several people frowned in unison.

Ming Tan maintained the gesture of extending his hand, seeing him not move: "What, are you not Ling Wu?"

Both Shi Yu and Xi Huaizhi were full of vigilance.

Xi Huaizhi: "Your Highness, shouldn't you explain to us who this person is?"

Ling Wu pondered for a long while, and after weighing the pros and cons, he suddenly became enlightened. He shook hands with Ming Tan and answered his previous question: "It is me."

He sized Ming Tan up: "It seems you have already found what you wanted. I should congratulate you."

The two spoke in riddles, conversing harmoniously. Chu Yi frowned slightly, feeling that there was an unspeakable secret between them.

Ming Tan had been found by the Xiao family half a month ago. It was truly the irony of fate; he turned out to be the child born to Madam Xiao to replace the Crown Prince, who had been lost all those years ago.

Chu Yi was deep and sensitive; after only half a month of contact, he could perceive that the Ming Tan before him was worlds apart from the old Ming Tan... No! It was as if he were a completely different person!

He had only felt such strong dissonance with Ling Wu, that day at Darkness when he knelt, when Ling Wu burned a cigarette scar onto his collarbone. Since then, the lines had been clearly drawn, and all he perceived from Ling Wu was goodwill.

In the past, he hadn't actually felt such severe dissonance.

When in Class A, Chu Yi was not close to Ling Wu to begin with. If it weren't for the fact that the matter regarding Jing Du had come to light and he had been taken to Darkness, he might not have even spoken to Ling Wu, so this dissonance had been minimized. (PS: Chapter 1)

Until the arrival of Ming Tan, like a rebirth from the ashes, a complete transformation, it instantly ignited and exploded his sealed memories, leaving him suspicious and contemplative.

Moreover, now that the two had buried the hatchet, Ming Tan's hostility toward Ling Wu had vanished completely. This was not a pretense, but genuine, and even vaguely trending in another direction...

After Chu Yi briefly explained Ming Tan's identity, Xi Huaizhi and Shi Yu let down their guard, and the group sat down one after another.

Chu Yi poured a glass of water for Ling Wu and handed it to him, saying straight to the point: "Ling Wu, the reason I suddenly called you over is because we have the defense layout map of the Jing Family's troops in Beidu City."

The Jing Family's defense map?

Shi Yu's gaze fell on the blueprint Ming Tan had taken out. Their own people hadn't succeeded, yet this person had actually gotten ahead of them.

Ming Tan looked at Ling Wu and said: "You know this blueprint is real, I don't need to explain, right?"

Ling Wu nodded. With Ming Tan's identity, he must have made a deal with the 001 system to get the Jing Family's defense map, just like the Protagonist Luck he had mentioned before.

He unfolded the blueprint, looked at it carefully for a few moments, then rolled it up and returned it to Ming Tan: "The Yu Family's defense map, I will get my hands on it within two months."

Chu Yi said, "You must not take the risk."

"No," Ling Wu raised their eyes to look at him, "Quite the contrary, it is very safe."

Very safe?

Chu Yi clearly did not realize what their plan was at this moment, to the extent that it would later make him scream until he was hoarse and nearly drive him mad...