Chapter 349: Plan Succeeds!

"Thank you, Li Ang."

After watching her daughter, who had been running around with William and Melanie all day, barely swallowed two bites of cake before her eyelids started drooping and her little head bobbed up and down, Emma tenderly picked her up, pressing her cheek gently against the top of Little Ellie's head.

"Ellie loved the fireworks you gave her—this wasn't just her happiest birthday ever, it was also the happiest day I've had in years. Ending it this way leaves me with no regrets."

"It's nothing. Ellie is a very lovely child—I truly like her."

Facing Emma's farewell-like words, Li Ang, who had already made up his mind, did not urge her further, but asked quietly with a calm expression:

"Senior Emma, are you ready? Even if the Bureau exiles you to the Dead Realm, will you still go with him to your mutual destruction?"

"Mm…"

After a glance of guilt at Li Ang, Emma nodded slightly, her eyes filled with solemn determination:

"All my clan are in the Dead Realm—Father, Mother, Grandfather… they're still in Remorse City. I should've joined them six years ago. Now I'm just going to the place I should've been all along."

"I see… Since you've decided, I won't stop you."

After glancing at William, still forcing himself to eat cake but shoving his fork into his nose, and Melanie, curled up in Anna's arms, snoring with a wrinkled little nose, Li Ang switched out the 【Master of Performance】, sighed dramatically as if playing a full role, and said farewell with a haunting tone:

"Senior Emma… goodbye."

Seeing Li Ang's eyes—four parts desolation, three parts solitude, three parts unspeakable regret—as if bidding eternal farewell to something profoundly precious, Emma's heart clenched painfully, and the words to beg him to stay nearly slipped out.

But six years of pain and regret—nearly two thousand nights of torment—and the hatred sharpened by that agony, held fast to her reason, turning her near-spoken promise into an equally dry, low whisper of farewell.

"Goodbye."

After hearing her reply, the last glimmer of hope in Li Ang's eyes faded. He gave a soft "hmm," offered a bitter smile, then rose from the table and took Melanie from Anna's arms.

"Anna, let's go."

"Alright, I'll go call the carriage."

After a full day together, though Li Ang and Emma had avoided speaking directly to her, the perceptive Anna had already sensed something was off between her brother and Senior Emma. To spare their emotions, she took the initiative to lead William out of the little cottage early.

After tucking Ellie back into her room and gently smoothing the blankets over her, Emma silently walked Li Ang out of the cottage, then wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a soft, warm embrace, her gentle eyes brimming with apology as she whispered:

"I won't see you off… Li Ang, I… if only I'd met you sooner."

"…"

It's not too late—not yet!

After gazing at her deeply, Li Ang said nothing, only waved his hand, then carried the still-snoring Melanie slowly down the garden's pebble path.

"Since you're awake, get down and walk yourself."

"..."

"Stop pretending."

After walking a little further, Li Ang stopped and patted Melanie's tense little bottom, exasperated:

"Who sleeps with their legs stiff? And snoring faster than breathing? Even faking it, you could try harder."

"Oh…"

After her act was exposed, Melanie, who had been scrunching her face to hold back, relaxed instantly. Her big, darting eyes opened, she cautiously glanced at Li Ang, then clung around his neck like a spoiled child and whispered mischievously:

"Big brother, is Aunt Emma… I mean… are we not allowed to come play with Ellie anymore?"

You're such a clever little devil!

Seeing his sister clearly understood—perhaps even guessed that Emma was saying a permanent goodbye—Li Ang couldn't help pinching her tiny nose, exasperated:

"Stop guessing! Your Aunt Emma won't be harmed. When you and William aren't in school, you can still come play with Ellie anytime!"

"Oh…"

Still doubtful, Melanie blinked her big, watery eyes and asked curiously:

"Then… what just happened between you two…?"

"Your Aunt Emma thanked me for helping Ellie celebrate her birthday, so she hugged me out of excitement. What's there to read into? Oh, by the way!"

Here, Li Ang narrowed his eyes in his 【Director-style】 manner and, with no trace of brotherly dignity, threatened:

"When we get back, if Anna asks you… about what you heard or saw just now…"

"Hear what?"

Melanie blinked her big eyes.

"I was just dreaming—I dreamed Big Brother bought me a new doll, and when I woke up, I was already in the carriage!"

You little sneak—you're blackmailing me now!

Li Ang stared at Melanie, torn between laughter and annoyance, and grumbled:

"Fine, I'll buy you one! But no next time! You're really…"

"Big brother is the best~"

With a cheerful kiss on Li Ang's cheek, exhausted from the day's play, Melanie yawned, closed her big eyes, curled up like a kitten in his arms, and murmured sleepily:

"Aunt Emma is nice, and Ellie is nice too… but Big Brother, you have to take care of yourself, okay? You still have to buy me… haaa… the doll… hhh… and keep taking care of me… don't you dare break your promise…"

"..."

Indeed, the 【Master of Performance】 ability, though powerful, didn't work well on those who knew him too well—it was too easy to spot the difference from his usual self.

Watching his sister, who was snoring again but clutching his shirt tightly in her tiny hand, Li Ang shook his head, then smiled faintly.

"Mm. I promise you, Big Brother."

…

"Clip-clop, clip-clop"

"Duuu…"

With the clip-clop of hooves and a long, shrill whistle, a carriage with a boiler steaming white vapor slowly pulled over to the roadside.

"No. 35 Bridge Street, Happy Apartments."

After handing the driver the pre-paid fare, Li Ang stepped onto the carriage's footstep, placed the deeply sleeping Melanie on the seat, then lifted William—who had been leaning against his leg—onto the carriage. He turned, slightly apologetic:

"Anna, I'll just…"

"I know."

Anna climbed in, pulling the handle shut, then took the sleeping Melanie onto her lap, interrupting him as she bit her lip slightly:

"Aunt Emma is a good person… but you're my only brother. I won't stop you from doing what you want—but promise me you'll stay safe."

"..."

So you noticed too…

Looking at Anna's eyes—half encouragement, half worry—and then at Melanie, sleeping with a furrowed brow in her arms, Li Ang felt warmth spread through his chest and gave a quiet, thoughtful "hmm."

It seemed that even if the 【Master of Performance】 could deceive a true god, it could never fool family—those who knew his habits, his every mannerism—because to them, it was always a clumsy, easily pierced performance.

"Huh?"

At that moment, William, slumped against the seatback, forced his heavy eyelids open, his face blank with sleepiness:

"What's going on? What's Big Brother going to do?"

"..."

Hmm… but only if the family isn't half-asleep or emotionally clueless.

"Nothing."

Ruffling William's tousled little head, Li Ang smiled and replied:

"Big Brother won't be going home tonight. I'm going to do something—if I don't do it now, I'll regret it forever."

"I get it."

Nodding with solemn understanding, William forced his eyes open, his face earnest as he cheered Li Ang on:

"Go for it, Big Brother! In The Emperor's Biography, I read that a true man doesn't fear before acting—and never regrets after!"

What nonsense…

"Go to sleep!"

At William's sleep-deprived, off-topic pep talk, Li Ang couldn't help laughing and scolding him, then shut the carriage door, seeing off his brother and sister.

Looking up at the sky, Li Ang wiped the smile from his face, stepped off Red Cedar Avenue, and waved to another carriage waiting by the roadside.

"To the Municipal District—Police Department!"

"Got it!"

…

This carriage, also waiting at the Red Cedar Avenue intersection, had seen Li Ang's family preparing to hire a ride—but had arrived a moment too late, beaten by a closer carriage.

It had assumed the fare was lost—until it realized the family hadn't all boarded, leaving one passenger behind, who now needed a late-night ride all the way to the distant Municipal District. A lucky surprise.

"Fare: one silver wheel… Please get in!"

After receiving the silver wheel Li Ang prepaid, the driver, delighted to land a last-minute fare before quitting time, beamed and chatted:

"Sir, are you with the Police Department?"

Li Ang, walking with light steps, climbed in and nodded:

"Yes."

"You're going so late… on overtime?"

"Yes."

"Oh my, still working on cases this late? Your department must be so hardworking!"

The talkative driver glanced sideways at the passenger behind him—calm-faced, shadowed in the night—and pulled up the carriage lamp a little brighter, then continued in full "taxi driver" mode, eager to chat:

"Speaking of cases, the Sun Newspaper just released a special on unsolved mysteries. A reporter named Nicole dug up every unsolved case in the kingdom, one by one, and it's caused a huge stir. Are you going back because of her?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Ahahaha, she's really put you through it! I heard from other Police Department passengers I've driven before…"

"Duuu…"

The sharp, lingering whistle sounded again, momentarily drowning out the coachman's noisy chatter; the enclosed steam carriage carried Li Ang away from the roadside, heading toward the municipal district.

The other Li Ang, left behind on the roadside, glanced at the "himself" sitting upright inside the carriage, returning to work overtime, and nodded with great satisfaction.

To outdo the Taurus Director, the Third-Generation Director had truly poured all his strength into crafting this anomaly, and with the material upgraded from a Holy Spirit shard to a true god's weapon, the new primary anomaly's effects were comprehensively enhanced.

Compared to the 【Holy Spirit Pendant】, which genuinely altered matter through spiritual force, the 【Desire-Dream Invader】, which used the Dream Realm to erode reality, required a "dreamer" as a stepping stone to unleash its power—but its energy cost was vastly, vastly lower.

When it was still the 【Holy Spirit Pendant】, merely briefly turning solid stone bricks into mud had nearly drained its power, and it could only maintain the effect for a few fleeting seconds before reality reverted.

Now, after merely exchanging a few words with the coachman and expending about 1. Contamination Points, he had successfully used the coachman's soul as a stepping stone to pull a dream-figure named "Li Ang Returning to the Bureau for Overtime" from the Dream Realm.

This "Dream Li Ang" could be clearly seen only by the coachman; to others, he appeared as a hazy shadow—but he was undeniably real, and would genuinely disembark at the Police Bureau to work through the entire night, vanishing only when the coachman awoke the next day.

The 【Desire-Dream Invader】, which had created "Dream Li Ang" with just a few words, not only triggered subtly and consumed minimal energy, but also maintained its effect for an exceptionally long duration… Even if its lethal potential had slightly decreased, its functionality far surpassed the Taurus Director's 【Holy Spirit Pendant】.

No wonder he's the second-best anomaly smith—the Third-Generation Director truly has skills!

After silently giving the bald-headed old man a thumbs-up in his mind, Li Ang turned with a light step and walked in the opposite direction of the steam carriage, pondering how best to proceed.

One might act out of anger, but before acting, one must first think through the consequences—otherwise, one is truly foolish!

For one thing, if the long-overdue Marquis Jin Juan suddenly died, the General Bureau's first reaction would surely be to investigate Senior Emma, and very likely to turn its attention toward him as well.

The General Bureau's investigators would be unable to detect the 【Desire-Dream Invader】, forged from a true god's weapon and possessing such a high ontological rank. After all, if they could handle something like this, they wouldn't be investigators.

At best, these average-level internal investigators might detect a slight disturbance in the coachman's soul—but they would obtain no concrete evidence.

These ambiguous clues would give him room to argue with the Bureau; the "himself" who had left with the carriage and genuinely worked overtime at the Bureau could help him pass basic lie-detection methods.

Once he cleared all that, all he needed to do was hold firm.

With the Director's and the Taurus Director's trust, plus the major achievement of exposing the Aquarius Conspiracy and saving the Watch Palace, he now had a "halo" protecting him—if no concrete evidence was found, mere suspicions wouldn't be enough for anyone to press the matter.

And if someone still insisted on digging, he'd find a reason to turn the tables and drag that person down with him to be licked raw by a Divine Brain-Eater!

As for what reason… isn't it right there?

Whoever dares suspect me did it is a spy who took bribes from the Aquarius Director and tried to frame a hero!

Plan complete!