Chapter 178: Home Visit Investigation

This was a wondrous experience Yu Sheng had never encountered before—traveling alongside a pack of wolves through the chaotic reflections of the city.

Illusory building silhouettes raced backward in the field of vision; within this shadow world, the entire Boundary City seemed to fracture into countless drifting shards, with skyscrapers and streets haphazardly piled and interwoven—distant districts might connect at the next intersection, while once-adjacent houses were severed into different fragments—as the lithe wolf darted through this inverted, chaotic urban lattice, tracing invisible paths to leap across intersections.

A red shadow approached from the edge of his vision; Little Red Riding Hood wore a cheerful smile on her face as she turned to look at Yu Sheng: "Isn't it amazing!"

"It is amazing," Yu Sheng sighed from the bottom of his heart. "Is this the scenery you usually see when you 'go out'?"

"I only use it when traveling long distances," Little Red Riding Hood said happily. "Sometimes I also use the wolf pack to take other members of the organization out on missions—you are the first 'outsider' to receive an invitation."

"Then I am quite honored—by the way, do you usually have to be responsible for picking up and dropping off others?"

Little Red Riding Hood waved her hand: "No choice, the orphanage has no one who can drive, and taking a taxi is very expensive."

Yu Sheng looked at the girl riding a wolf beside him, pressed his lips together, and suddenly spoke loudly: "You can take your driver's license test next month."

"Ah?! Already cremated?!" Little Red Riding Hood's eyes widened, "So..."

At once, at a glance''

Little Red Riding Hood opened her mouth, but in the end couldn't think of anything else to say, and could only turn her head to look at Yu Sheng.

The shadows receded, and figures coalesced within the darkness; under the twilight sky gradually approaching, Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood stepped out from the shadow of a certain building.

"... Where is Old Zheng... now?" Little Red Riding Hood pressed her lips together, and after a slight hesitation, broke the silence, "Can we 'look' at him?"

Yu Sheng cooperatively filled in a few simple pieces of information on the form, then casually glanced at the form Little Red Riding Hood had filled out, and suddenly froze.

Yu Sheng took out his phone to check the time, discovering that from leaving Wutong Road to arriving here, it had taken just a little over ten minutes—indeed quite fast.

And except for that portrait, there was almost nothing in the house related to "death" and "funerals."

After finishing the form, and after the security guard checked it against the registered information and allowed them to pass, Yu Sheng looked around to ensure no one was nearby, then leaned close to the girl and whispered: "Who is Wang Jiajia?"

"Uncle said before he passed that he didn't like grand ceremonies," the young man, whose face bore traces of fatigue, walked over from the side and poured a cup of water for each of Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood, "and he also specifically instructed not to hold a funeral, but to be buried as soon as possible."

"Which way should we go?" He raised his head, looking at the towering buildings before him; this area already belonged to the bustling district of the city, where skyscrapers were everywhere, very different from the old city district he was familiar with.

"Your 'conversation with the deceased'..." The girl lowered her voice, leaning close to Yu Sheng's ear, "Can it still be used in this situation?"

As Yu Sheng spoke, he turned his head to glance at the portrait on the table.

At this moment, Yu Sheng himself was completely bewildered: "That only works upon contact with blood... I never expected this situation!"

But that "false commission" which had nearly caused Little Red Riding Hood to lose control... was it really a trap specifically created by this "client"? The suspicion that should have been natural suddenly wavered at this moment, solely because the few words left by the client before his death, as relayed by the young man, contained far too many suspicious points.

Old Zheng was the "contact" known to Little Red Riding Hood.

Yu Sheng noted the things the girl had instructed, then followed her through the small paths of the apartment complex, entering a high-rise apartment building that looked expensive; before reaching the access gate of the elevator lobby, Yu Sheng saw the security guard Little Red Riding Hood had mentioned—a expressionless young man sitting in a small booth, handing out two visitor registration forms through a small window.

"I know what you are here to investigate," the young man interrupted Yu Sheng's words, sighed, and sat on the sofa opposite, "I won't hide it from you either—before my uncle's incident, he seemed to have a premonition; at least half a month ago, he called me and instructed me on many things, but regarding the specifics, he always refused to reveal them, only saying that no one harmed him, and everything was as it should be..."

Little Red Riding Hood: "...?"

The furnishings in the room were nothing special, and the layout was very simple; passing through the entrance hall led to the living room, on one side of which was a semi-open kitchen, and on the other side led to the bedroom and bathroom, plus a small balcony where the green plants were still growing well, seemingly showing the careful care of its owner before his death.

Little Red Riding Hood stepped forward and pressed the doorbell; after a moment, the door opened, and a young man with a faint look of fatigue on his face, slightly messy black hair, wearing a T-shirt and long pants, and of ordinary appearance appeared at the doorway.

After withdrawing his gaze, Yu Sheng began to look around.

"This was also instructed by Uncle, to be cremated as soon as possible," the young man spoke slowly, raising his head to look at Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood, "I am not a person from 'your world', so I don't quite understand the rules or taboos in this regard, but I know what my uncle did; he dealt with those strange and weird things, and those things are very dangerous, so I dare not delay the things he instructed." He truly never expected this matter; mainly because on the first day he got to know the girl beside him, he only knew her name was "Little Red Riding Hood", then they acted together several times, going to explore museums and fighting in the Black Forest, and there was never any situation requiring the disclosure of a real name; instead, the name "Little Red Riding Hood" became increasingly memorable and natural, and he simply didn't realize for such a long time that she shouldn't have the surname "Xiao..."

Yu Sheng instinctively exchanged a glance with Little Red Riding Hood.

The young man raised his hand and pointed to a low cabinet not far away—a porcelain urn sat on the cabinet.

This "client" indeed had problems!

It was understandable for an elderly person to arrange their affairs after death, but according to the situation Little Red Riding Hood revealed on the way here, this contact was not even fifty years old this year, and had always been in good health; how could such a person... suddenly arrange affairs for the afterlife with relatives?

Little Red Riding Hood's steps halted; she raised her head and looked at Yu Sheng with a bewildered yet clear gaze, and after a long time managed to blurt out: "I am Wang Jiajia."

Yu Sheng expressed his confusion as a matter of course.

A member of the Strange Objects Association, the contact known to two generations of Little Red Riding Hoods, looked like an ordinary middle-aged man in the portrait.

"Then what should we do?" Little Red Riding Hood's tone was subtle. "The person has already been burned... do you still want to try?"

Yu Sheng: "...?"

"Little Red Riding Hood is just a codename!" The girl's eyes almost popped out. "Who is actually named Little Red Riding Hood? I have a real name!"

Then she suddenly laughed, also in a very loud voice: "Yes, I can take my driver's license test next month!!"

Little Red Riding Hood instinctively frowned, sensing something suspicious, but before she could speak, Yu Sheng asked a question first: "Specifically instructed before death? He..."

The two of them stared at each other, both clear and bewildered, for several seconds, until Little Red Riding Hood was the first to react: "You wouldn't think my surname is 'Xiao', would you?!"

"Not as good as your 'Gate' and the Special Operations Bureau's 'Shortcut', but at least faster than taking a taxi, right?" Little Red Riding Hood turned her head back and said to Yu Sheng with a smile.

Yu Sheng immediately saw the black-and-white portrait placed on the living room table. A man who looked to be in his forties or fifties, with neatly combed hair, a slightly chubby face, with a slight resemblance in his eyebrows and eyes to the young man who had just opened the door, and a faint smile on the corners of his mouth.

This awkwardness continued for quite a while, until the two of them walked out of the elevator and arrived at the door of the house where the client had lived.

"It's right over here," Little Red Riding Hood raised her hand and pointed to a building ahead. "Old Zheng lived alone in a high-rise here before he passed; this place is very close to the office of the Strange Objects Association. This building has strict management; when entering the building later, you need to register with the security guard. I have already contacted Old Zheng's nephew to report our arrival; when we go in later, just say you are also a friend of Old Zheng from before his death, and came together."

Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood were stunned right then and there.

Yu Sheng opened his mouth for a long time, finally turning it into an awkward smile, making light of the situation while trying to pretend nothing had happened as he walked forward.

Little Red Riding Hood paused for a moment.

Yu Sheng's eye twitched; looking at the deceased's family member sitting opposite, he managed to blurt out a sentence after a long time: "Taking out the deceased's ashes and rubbing them into a hand right in front of the deceased's family?"

Yu Sheng strained his face hard, his expression gradually twisting between holding it together and losing control: "... For that instant, I even thought Wang Jiajia was your alias codename for external operations..."

The young man spoke little; after briefly conversing with Little Red Riding Hood, he stepped back half a pace and ushered Yu Sheng and the other person into the room.

Little Red Riding Hood immediately fell silent: "..."

The young man sitting opposite seemed not to notice the whispering of the two "visitors" before him; he just sat there with his head down, as if thinking about something; after a long while, he suddenly stood up: "I'm going out to buy some things; make yourselves at home here."

Yu Sheng was slightly startled, then saw that the other person had already stood up and walked to the entrance hall, and before pushing the door open to go out, suddenly stopped, turned his head slightly, and said: "I previously sorted through the things my uncle left behind; the books he usually read, as well as the notes and sticky notes he wrote, are all on the desk in the bedroom. If you are interested, you can look through them, but don't make too much of a mess; there are some things inside that I will take with me in the future."

"Uh... okay," Yu Sheng said instinctively, then nodded very seriously, "Thank you."

"You're welcome; I hope you can really find something out... Also, I will be leaving in a few days, so hurry up."

(End of this chapter)