Chapter 16

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Qi glanced at the nearly untouched Snow Robe and said, "The sky is growing dark. I have no spare beds here, nor do I sell coffin boards. Why not go back and rest?"

"No need. I am resting right now."

Snow Robe answered quickly, seeming unwilling to say more, as if something troubled her, making her reluctant to speak.

Lin Qi glanced at her a few more times, then realized, "You haven't caught her yet, have you?"

"..."

"Don't tell me you haven't even found her? Then you are truly terrible." Lin Qi said without any courtesy.

"We found her!" Snow Robe suddenly raised her tone, but quickly deflated, "It's just... she escaped again."

"What did I say? You can't catch Qingque."

Lin Qi wore an expression of no surprise and continued, "You must have noted what strange item she used, right? Tell me, and I will analyze it for you to see how difficult the capture still is."

Snow Robe's first reaction was that she could not say.

Because this involved secrets.

But on second thought, the information they possessed might not be as much as the man before her.

"A flying device for rapid movement, light and swift to carry, capable of taking off at any moment. A teleportation device of unknown form, seemingly without teleportation limits; one moment in the center of the Star Raft Sea, the next at the Alchemy Commission, and a while later at the Armory Commission. An invisibility device comparable to the Cloud-Chant Art of the Vidyadhara."

"Just these three? They are the bamboo dragonfly, the Anywhere Door, and the invisibility cloak."

Lin Qi listed them as if reciting family heirlooms and gave a brief introduction to these devices.

Snow Robe listened quietly. Because she was a puppet, she showed no reaction on the surface, but in her heart, she was far from calm.

The bamboo dragonfly and the invisibility cloak, she could understand.

The Xianzhou also had means to achieve such things.

Perhaps not so convenient, but not beyond comprehension.

But this Anywhere Door, isn't that a bit too unfair?

How does this door know what I am thinking?

And it goes wherever I think of?

Also.

She was also surprised by Lin Qi's candor; he revealed the intelligence so easily. Was he not afraid of losing the bet?

Lin Qi did not even need to ask; seeing Snow Robe's silence, he knew her thoughts.

"I know what you are thinking. But since I dare to tell you the information about the strange items, naturally I fear no leakage of secrets. Anyway, I still say the same thing: unless Qingque surrenders voluntarily, you cannot catch her."

"Also, are there only these three devices?"

Snow Robe hesitated for a moment and said, "My colleagues did not provide information on a fourth strange item, but I believe Qingque may have used another strange item capable of altering cognition."

"Why do you think so?" Lin Qi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Because this was purely speculation; Snow Robe had not even been present at the capture scene.

"Although my colleagues cannot compare to the Cloud Knights who fight for their lives against the Abundance abominations on the front lines, they are all skilled at capture. Previously, with unclear information, failing to catch Qingque was understandable. Now that the effects of the three strange items are exposed, yet we still cannot even see the hem of her clothes, it is truly... incredible. Therefore, I have this thought."

"Impressive."

Lin Qi clapped his hands, making no attempt to hide it, and stated plainly, "She indeed possesses a strange item that alters cognition."

"It is truly so?"

Snow Robe's tone was surprised, and expectation shone in her eyes.

"There is no harm in telling you. This strange item is named 'Blind Spot Star'. After my improvement, as long as it is attached to any part of the body, it renders the user invisible. Unlike an invisibility cloak, which can be detected since sound is not eliminated, the Blind Spot Star is different; it causes you to directly overlook the user, meaning... their presence drops to zero."

"This..."

Snow Robe was completely stunned, having no idea what to say.

If their presence dropped to zero, even if Qingque stood before them and danced the Gokuraku Jodo, they would never notice.

How can they catch her then?

No wonder Lin Qi was so confident.

"Do not be too pessimistic; you still have a chance." Lin Qi comforted her. "The Blind Spot Star works for only one system hour at a time; after it fails, it must be recharged."

"I see."

Snow Robe nodded and immediately reported this intelligence.

Lin Qi watched this scene and advised, "I see you are here with me, but your heart is constantly worrying about the Bird-Catching Squad. If you are truly uneasy, why not go see for yourself? That way, you can completely give up hope and avoid feeling resentful if you lose later."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. It is late, and I should rest too."

Lin Qi issued an order for her to leave.

Snow Robe hesitated for a moment, but the second half of her sentence ultimately remained unspoken.

Earlier, she did not want to leave because of orders.

Now, not wanting to be here was entirely because she wanted to extract more intelligence.

However, Lin Qi was very right; if she did not participate in capturing Qingque, even if she won in the end, she would feel some regret.

"Then I shall take my leave first!"

Snow Robe hesitated no longer and left directly.

However, since the exact location of her colleagues was currently unclear, her first stop must be to return to the Ten Kings Office, and she must also report on matters regarding Lin Qi once more.

Returning to the Nether Court.

As Snow Robe was pondering how to catch Qingque, a figure she knew extremely well approached.

Then came a greeting carrying joy.

But halfway through the greeting, the tone suddenly shifted, adding much confusion and surprise.

"Sister, you're back... where are your pantyhose?"

Han Ya, unusually, perked up, her tone brimming with shock.

To say it without exaggeration, this was the most excited she had been since becoming a Judge.

"..."

Xue Yi looked down at her legs, seeing only bare skin; where were the white socks?

After a long silence, Xue Yi finally squeezed out an excuse.

"I lost them during a mission."

"???"

Hearing the reply, Han Ya was even more bewildered.

Is that something one can lose?

What kind of battle could strip away only tights while leaving the rest of the clothing intact?

Or did she do something and forget to put them on?

Sister's missions are no simple matter.

Begging for flowers, begging for reviews.

17. Another Strange Object! Judge: Did I see a ghost?

As a Judge of the "Inquiry" Division, Han Ya was not a puppet; she was flesh and blood.

Yet working daily in the form of dream divination required her to endure the scouring of massive amounts of karmic information from the Demonic Yin Body.

Thus, she found everything in the world utterly dull.

The only thing that could stir her emotions was her older sister, who appeared superior to her in every aspect.

In her own words, the Prison of Solitary Confinement was pitch black, with only a lamp hanging beside the Hellish Messenger bringing rare light.

And for her, the mortal world was the Prison of Solitary Confinement, while her sister was that lamp.

Therefore.

Even the slightest change on Xue Yi's person, she could keenly detect.

Let alone now.

But contrary to her usual nature, Xue Yi showed no intention of explaining in detail, her tone vague: "Mm, this mission's target was somewhat special."

"It must have been hard on you, Sister..."

Han Ya suddenly thought of many things: threats, bribes, all sorts of bizarre criminal scenes pouring out uncontrollably, most involving unspeakable actions and body parts below the neck that could not be described.

It was not that she wanted to think this way, but having served as a Judge for too long and seen too many criminals.

Even for the same type of criminal, there were different methods of committing crimes.