Chapter 361

A while ago.

On Golden Hour Commercial Street, Heitiane was talking with a member of the Hound Clan.

Heitiane was talking with a member of the Hound Clan.

"In my opinion, this is undoubtedly a murder." Heitiane said firmly.

"Murder… that word is too foreign to us. Under the family's protection, Pinokangni couldn't possibly have any casualties." The woman said, "In a dream, even if someone were struck a thousand times with an iron hammer, at most they'd just wake up in the real‑world hotel."

Need to keep quotes. We'll produce: ""Murder… that word is too foreign to us. Under the family's protection, Pinokangni couldn't possibly have any casualties." The woman said, "In a dream, even if someone were struck a thousand times with an iron hammer, at most they'd just wake up in the real-world hotel.""

Sangbo came up from behind Heitiane: "You can't say that—even if the result doesn't constitute casualties, this criminal intent… is pretty obvious, right? You specially came to seal off the scene, isn't it because this case is heinous?"

"You're right. Even if no one would actually get hurt, just walking down the road and getting smashed with a hammer… that absolutely shouldn't happen in Pinokangni."

After saying that, the clan member left, leaving the scene to the two investigators.

Their gazes simultaneously fell on an exquisitely crafted, ornate large hammer by the roadside, with several purple Memory Bubbles scattered nearby.

After that person walked away, Sangbo rushed over like a puppy: "Older sister, just what trick did you use to make her instantly believe we're… 【investigators】……"

Heitiane truthfully replied: "Just some memory‑level suggestions. If something appears in everyone's memory… then it is 【fact】. If there were more time, making her believe I am 【Harmony】 incarnate wouldn't be impossible.

Note: need to keep brackets. We'll keep as is.

—— -> just output "——" as line? The line is just "——". We need to output 【11】 ——? Actually we need to output 【11】 and then the translation. The translation of "——" is just "——". So output: 【11】 ——

Black Robe Riot Squad.

As soon as he opened the apartment door, Hugh caught a whiff of strong old‑lady perfume and the pungent smell of burning leaves.

Damn.

Hugh couldn't help cursing under his breath.

In the living room, Shibing Nanhai lay reclined on the leather sofa, his bronzed chest bearing several lipstick marks. A white‑haired old lady whose three wrinkles could pinch a mosquito to death clung to him—it was clear they were going wild, and one of the old ladies had her dentures soaking in a champagne glass on the table.

Note: we decided to keep the pinyin "Shibing Nanhai" for the soldier boy, replacing "Soldier Boy" with it, and keeping the name consistent.

Note: we need to check if the soldier boy appears multiple times; we will consistently use pinyin.

"Are we interrupting your seniors' mixer?" Bu Che Er said.

"We really hit it off; you know what to do next." Shibing Nanhai winked at them.

"Wow, they're really cute."

"Of course, women are like fine wine—the older, the richer." Shibing Nanhai slapped one of the old ladies on the butt, making a crisp "pop," and said, "Hey, sweethearts, we need to talk about something serious—come see me another day so we can finish the rest."

The old ladies giggled, stood up, got dressed, and shuffled out, not forgetting to throw Hugh a flirtatious glance before leaving.

After the last old lady shut the door, Hugh finally exploded: "Heaven! Didn't we tell you to watch the Canopy and the Path? Instead you're flirting with a bunch of women who could be your grandma!"

"Let me correct you—if we go by age, they might have to call me Dad."

Compared to decades ago, Shibing Nanhai has hardly changed—no new wrinkles, no spinal curvature; in him, time is frozen.

Shibing Nanhai picked up a glass of champagne from the table: "I know what you're thinking—you want me to step onto the Path and become something like a 【Patrol】 or 【Preservation】… or some kind of Pathwalker, so I'll be sure to win against the homeland people."

Shibing Nanhai stood up and walked over to Bu Che Er: "Back when I landed at Normandy and fought bravely, I wasn't using any Path—I was using my fists… and courage. I've taken down tougher foes than the homeland people, and I've fought the Russians."

"It's not seventy years ago." Hugh couldn't help interjecting, "Now—"

"FUCKYOU!" Shibing Nanhai barked, jabbing a finger at Hugh's chest, "Do I need this sissy to teach me?"

He looked up at the Canopy, where Heitiane and Sangbo were chatting, his green eyes constantly scanning the Rememberer's beautiful curves.

"Damn… this is intense, even more intense than the German bunkers on Omaha Beach." Shibing Nanhai gulped his drink, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Which Path is she from?"

"Memory." Bu Che Er said.

"Oh, if I step onto the Memory Path, could I ask her out?" Shibing Nanhai asked.

"Maybe." Bu Che Er gave a smug grin, "Why don't you give it a try?"

—— -> output 【34】 ——

"So then… let's talk about your 【Companion】, shall we?"

Heitiane's words had barely faded when a mask suddenly appeared beside the two, emitting Huohuo's voice: "Rememberer of the Memory Court, I've been watching you for a long time."

"When you checked into the hotel, you were already peeping at me. In the dream, wherever I go, you follow; in the shop windows of the Commercial Street, beneath the waters of Eden Park, even in the reflection of a wine glass—you're everywhere."

"——Darling, are you secretly in love with me? Great, since you're so interested in me, let's play a game."

"I left a riddle for you near the Aodi Shopping Center—solve it to prove you can please me. If you can do that… we might actually have something to talk about."

"Don't make me wait too long, darling. Before Pinokangni is thrown into chaos, try to find me~ grab me~ stop me~"

The mask giggled, then flashed and vanished.

Heitiane's tone was somewhat resigned: "Actually, there's more than one Rememberer who's come to Pinokangni—she's mixed me up with others. But no matter… the address the mask mentioned is right here; I just didn't expect… Miss Huohuo's game would actually be a 'Massacre' on the streets of Pinokangni."

—— -> output 【43】 ——

Renya.

"Truly free, Masked Fool."

In the Tokugawa Family mansion, a black man over 190 cm tall and muscular was lightly tapping the ash from his cigar.

"If she dares to kill openly in the street, she must be 'the freest woman in Pinokangni,' right?" Aoliba let out a "hehe" chuckle, clearly appreciating the Foolish Lady's conduct.

"She's only killed unarmed ordinary people; if she dared to lay a hand on that Xingqiri kid and Yellow Spring, that would be true freedom." Gongben Wuzang grinned.

"Yellow Spring…" Aoliba exhaled a puff of smoke, "Gongben Wuzang, I've heard you're a great swordsman of Japan's Warring States—do you dare to lay a hand on Yellow Spring?"

"Ah… of course not—why ask such a boring question?"

Gongben Wuzang wore a puzzled expression: "If I drew my sword against that woman, I'd undoubtedly be cut down on the spot. Swordsmanship and killing techniques are merely stepping stones for wealth and fame; since coming to Pinokangni means you've already got those, why would you still draw your sword against her… and lose it all?"

Fanma Yongcilang snorted contemptuously: "The purity's too low."

"Purity… is it useful?" Miyamoto Musashi raised his head and looked at him, "Hanma Yujiro, I know that if you have this opportunity, you will definitely act. On Earth you can recklessly pursue what you call 'purity'… but in the world beyond Earth, if you overly pursue purity… you won't live long either."