As the soon-to-be-appointed Chief of the Investigation Division, Wu Letian should, at this very moment, be standing beside Baggage Carousel No. 9, calling in his team to collect evidence and begin the investigation immediately.

  But now, he could only anxiously remain a hidden observer—because the corpse lying there was himself. If he weren’t the central figure in all this, what an intriguing case it would have been!

  While struggling with his thoughts, Wu Letian noticed some movement over at Carousel No. 9. He quickly calmed himself and held his breath. Peering out from behind the pillar, he saw that the area where he had stood moments ago was now crowded with people.

  Though they were dressed casually like any other passerby, they clearly weren’t passengers returning for forgotten luggage. All travelers had already been corralled to a distant area by airport security, awaiting further instructions.

  He recognized them instantly—they were his colleagues from the Aerospace Investigation Bureau, around seven or eight of them.

  After being away for over a year, seeing so many familiar faces all at once—some even his subordinates—Wu Letian was overwhelmed with emotion, though Old Man Zhong was not among them.

  He nearly leapt out from his hiding place.

  But his instincts kept his feet firmly planted on the ground.

  “Don’t rush. Observe first. Remember—you’re already dead,” a voice in his head reminded him.

  He quickly checked his ID badge to make sure it wasn’t activated.

  Agents of the Aerospace Investigation Bureau don’t wear uniforms on duty—the ID badge is their sole proof of identity. Once activated, these badges can mutually recognize others within the designated scene, ensuring everyone is legit, while also rejecting any forgeries.

  “Phew… If it had been active, they would’ve spotted me instantly…” he muttered. Then he paused. “Wait—if they did spot me, wouldn’t they think it was the badge on the corpse? If that really is me…”

  But what if both badges activated at the same time? What would the mutual recognition system do? Would one take priority over the other?

  He didn’t want to find out. As curious as he was, it wasn’t worth the risk.

  What he knew was this: he had personally witnessed his own corpse—clutching Sylvia’s pendant in its hand.

  Even if he unscrewed his own head and rummaged through it by hand—or even hired child laborers to dig through the tiniest mental corners—he still couldn’t come up with a combination that made sense of that.

  Clearly, this situation far exceeded even his colleagues’ expectations.

  He could see they were all stunned after examining the body.

  They stopped working, stared at each other blankly, completely at a loss.

  Though Wu Letian wasn’t among them physically, he could imagine the storm raging inside their minds—it couldn’t be any less intense than the one he’d just weathered.

  That kind of silent storm was often the most destructive.

  Was he supposed to feel flattered? He chuckled bitterly to himself. “Guess I still held a pretty high place in their hearts. They’re all shocked to see me dead, huh?”

  Then he perked up with curiosity. Sure, he was “dead”—but here he was, still standing, watching it all unfold like a god looking down from another world.

  It was such a bizarre, yet exhilarating feeling.

  The airport, which should have been noisy and bustling, had instead become oddly quiet due to the murder. No one but his colleagues stood near Carousel No. 9.

  He focused, trying to catch their conversation.

  Despite their shock, his colleagues wasted no time putting up a security cordon. When a female agent extended the tape to Carousel No. 11, she ended up just a pillar away from Wu Letian.

  Peeking out stealthily—he saw her clearly. It was Gu Ting!

  Two years ago, he’d recruited her straight out of college. Back then, she was still a green rookie. But after a year apart, she’d clearly grown confident and composed.

  “Chief, the perimeter is secure,” Gu Ting said, walking back toward Carousel No. 9.

  Her voice rang out clearly in Wu Letian’s ears. Once again, he almost sprang out from hiding.

  But he resisted again. Just turning slightly, he saw the man she had called “chief” nod in response.

  He recognized that round face immediately—hard to pick out in a crowd, but unmistakable to him.

  “Li Xunfang! That guy!”

  Li Xunfang was around his age and had joined the bureau the same year he did, six years ago. They had always been great partners. Wu Letian had even planned to push for a deputy minister position for him if everything went smoothly today with his own promotion.

  In recent years, Director Ning Bufei had insisted on keeping the team lean, refusing to assign Zhong Sheng a deputy.

  “You guys in the Investigation Division are all elite. One squad leader is enough. You already report directly to me—why would I assign a deputy director just to get in your way?” That’s what Ning Bufei had said when Zhong Sheng tried to promote Wu Letian years ago.

  But times had changed. During the recent training in New York, Wu Letian had come to understand just how frequent and complex aerospace cases had become. He needed a competent second-in-command. Besides, cases were getting more dangerous. What if he died? Someone had to be the backup plan.

  He was confident he could convince Ning Bufei.

  Once Gu Ting rejoined the team, scattered bits of conversation reached his ears—some even laced with sobs.

  “I still can’t believe it… Chief Wu is dead… I just can’t believe it…”

  “What the hell happened? This is the worst case since that incident three years ago! Are we cursed or something?”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Quit standing around. Forensics, get to work!”

  “Should we report this to Old Man Zhong? He’s in his office upstairs…”

  Wu Letian jolted. “Old Man Zhong is here too?!”

  He couldn’t listen any longer. He shelved his curiosity about why they called him “Chief Wu” and set aside the mystery of “that incident three years ago”—he remembered no major case from that time.

  “If I can just find Old Man Zhong, maybe I can figure this out!” he thought. “Sure, there are now two of me—one of whom is dead. Sounds spooky. But he’s seen weirder stuff.”

  Compared to Zhong Sheng, Li Xunfang was still too green. Just to be safe, better not approach him.

  He no longer cared about any promotion. If this mystery around his life and death wasn’t solved, there’d be no way he could assume the position.

  The Aerospace Investigation Bureau had always prioritized solving cases above everything else.

  He decided to leave the scene for now and head upstairs to find Zhong Sheng.

  Carefully, he began edging away from the pillar toward the exit, moving with extreme caution, praying his colleagues wouldn’t notice him.

  He was just about to make it when—

  A heavy hand slapped down on his shoulder.

  “Mr. Wu, why are you still here?”

  He looked up and froze.

  “Oh hell—why is it him?!”

  At that moment, Wu Letian wished the ground would just swallow him up. Before he met Old Man Zhong, he didn’t want to run into anyone.

  But that damn pair of black-rimmed glasses still appeared behind him.

  “Chief Zhang, fancy seeing you here,” Wu Letian greeted in a low voice, forcing a smile. His colleagues were just a short distance behind—he couldn’t afford to alert them.

  “Well, well! You still recognize me? Impressive memory. Why are you still hanging around here? Did you sleep at the airport last night?”

  “Of course. Gotta do what you gotta do. You go ahead, I’ve got somewhere to be,” Wu Letian replied dismissively, trying to walk away and shake him off.

  “Don’t be in such a rush. Just call me Zhang Ke, that’s my real name,” the man said, clearly in the mood to chat.

  “What kind of name is that—Zhang Ke who’s also a kezhang (Section Chief)? Unbelievable… What is this guy trying to do?” Wu Letian was growing uneasy, but he kept his expression calm.

  He cut straight to the point. “Alright, Zhang Ke. Sorry, I’ve got something urgent. I really have to go.”

  “Stop right there.” Zhang Ke’s tone turned serious. “Wu Letian, your behavior is suspicious. Please come with me.”

  “What?” Wu Letian froze.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “This is a routine inquiry. Please cooperate.”

  “Cooperate with what investigation?”

  “We’re with airport customs. Naturally, this concerns a relevant matter under our jurisdiction.”

  “You don’t have that authority!” Wu Letian almost blurted out, “This is the Aerospace Investigation Bureau’s jurisdiction—it’s my jurisdiction!”

  “Please don’t get agitated, Mr. Wu. This isn’t an enforcement action. It’s just an administrative inquiry. Talking to you doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong.”

  “Then why are you investigating me?” Wu Letian didn’t want to keep tangling with Zhang Ke. He subtly shifted his stance, making sure the column from before once again blocked the view of his colleagues.

  Now, he could raise his voice slightly and try to take the lead in the situation.

  “Mr. Wu, you’ve been lurking here, watching the Aerospace Investigation Bureau handle a case. And clearly, you were supposed to enter the country last night. Why are you still here now?” Zhang Ke was firm.

  “What are you talking about? What bureau?” Wu Letian feigned ignorance.

  “The Aerospace Investigation Bureau. The group by Carousel 9. Why are you watching them?”

  “You think I want to be here? My luggage didn’t arrive. The airline told me to come get it this morning. As for some bureau doing an investigation, I was just watching the commotion. Is that a crime?” Wu Letian felt extremely aggrieved. If he just showed his credentials, this customs officer wouldn’t even dare look him in the eye, let alone interrogate him like this!

  “There we go.” Zhang Ke smirked coldly. “Then how did you even get in here?”

  Wu Letian was stumped.

  Ordinary passengers can’t just walk into the arrivals area.

  He hesitated. If he flashed his ID badge now, he could shut Zhang Ke up instantly. But doing so might cause him to call out, which would alert Wu Letian’s colleagues. Even if the badge wasn’t activated, they’d recognize him—and that would ruin everything.

  But if he didn’t show it, he would get dragged away for questioning. Zhang Ke didn’t have enforcement powers, true, but once you got caught in that kind of red tape, it was hard to get out. Eventually, he’d have to reveal his identity anyway.

  So… would it be better to do it now rather than later?

  Worst-case scenario, he’d gag the guy to keep him quiet.

  Resolved, Wu Letian reached for his pocket.

  Zhang Ke’s eyes narrowed, stepping slightly back.

  Just then, a clear voice rang out nearby: “Zhang Ke! Finally found you!”

  Both of them froze and turned.

  It was that young officer from last night—Xiao Chen.

  “She couldn’t have picked a worse time to show up,” Zhang Ke cursed internally.

  “She couldn’t have picked a better time to show up,” Wu Letian thought gratefully.

  She looked even more striking than she had in that cramped little customs office last night.

  Slim but not slight, with refined features, a delicate nose and lips, short stylish hair, and a trim figure wrapped perfectly in her uniform. Not just beautiful—she radiated strength.

  He hadn’t really seen her face clearly the night before, and now he was briefly stunned—not because of Sylvia, for once.

  Her sudden appearance felt like divine intervention.

  “What is it, Chen You?” Zhang Ke asked, clearly annoyed, calling her by her full name.

  “Zhou Chu is looking for you. Says it’s urgent,” Chen You replied calmly, not acknowledging the irritation in his voice.

  She didn’t even glance at Wu Letian, as if she hadn’t seen him before.

  “I love you so much right now!” Wu Letian cheered silently. He wanted to greet her, but decided to keep quiet and invisible.

  “Zhou Chu? Tell him I’m handling a critical matter—tell him I’ll be right there.”

  “He said it’s very urgent. He’s tried calling you several times but couldn’t reach you.”

  “…Fine. Where is he?”

  “In his office.”

  “Tch. Alright, I’ll go. But—” Zhang Ke didn’t want to give up. He nodded toward Wu Letian. “You saw this guy last night too, right? Something’s off about him. I suspect he’s connected to that smuggling case we’re investigating. Take him back for questioning. Don’t let him leave. I’ll be back after I see Zhou Chu.”

  He threw Wu Letian a “don’t even think about running” look, then jogged off into the airport, pulling out his phone as he went, seemingly typing a message.

  Only now did Chen You look directly at Wu Letian.

  As their eyes met, he caught a flicker of unease in hers.

  He chose to take the initiative: “Hello again, Chen You. Looks like we meet again. But I’m afraid I can’t cooperate with this investigation. I have something important I need to do outside.”

  “You heard him, Mr. Wu. Orders are orders. Please come with me,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “I get your situation. But believe me, I have nothing to do with any smuggling case. I just don’t have time to prove it right now. Let me go, and you can find me anytime later. If your superior demands answers, say I assaulted you. Trust me—if I really wanted to run, you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

  “But… the Aerospace Bureau is right over there. If I shout, they’ll help.”

  “Hah. They’re busy with a homicide. You think they’ll care about this? Besides, the exit’s right there. By the time they show up, I’ll be long gone.”

  His veiled threat gave Chen You pause. She bit her lip. “But… there are surveillance cameras everywhere…”

  So that’s what she’s worried about!

  Wu Letian chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the cameras don’t pick up anything suspicious. But… you may have to suffer a bit of a bruise. Sorry about that…”

  Chen You gave no reply. She simply turned and started walking toward the customs area.

  Wu Letian followed quietly—then suddenly shoved her aside, bolted past the arrivals gate, and dashed into the crowd.

  He heard Chen You shouting behind him, “Stop him!”

  But the airport security guards were no match for him. He quickly disappeared from sight.

  Sticking to the blind spots between security cameras, he sprinted to a secluded corner where an elevator led straight to the top floor and the Aerospace Investigation Bureau’s field office.

  Old Man Zhong was likely up there.

  As the elevator doors closed, he glanced back—no one had followed.

  But in his ears, he suddenly recalled the message Chen You had typed the night before:

  “Don’t kill me!”

  “If that wasn’t a joke,” Wu Letian thought grimly, “and it is connected to this smuggling case… and I really am caught up in it… then girl, I’m sorry. If I get the chance, I’ll make it up to you.”

  That thought made him feel a bit better.

  But just as the elevator doors slid shut, an image flashed into his mind.

  And in that instant—

  he froze, completely stunned.