Worried about causing too much of a commotion, Han Su deliberately sought out a secluded restroom and took the opportunity to memorize the security setup and all passageways.
He inconspicuously passed through several crowded areas without pausing. As he walked down a corridor, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart, took a step back, and subtly glanced to the side—he spotted two slightly suspicious individuals passing by one after the other.
It wasn’t hard to detect their abnormality—their somewhat furtive glances were exactly the same as his own.
With suspicion rising in his heart, he quickened his pace and entered a corner ahead of them. With a swift turn, he slipped into the restroom along that corridor. In his judgment, this was the best place to talk—secluded, yet not too far from the banquet hall.
Hiding in the innermost stall, he soon heard footsteps approaching outside.
The footsteps didn’t stop; instead, someone began knocking on each stall door one by one.
Two knocks per door, followed by a direct push to open the stall. Soon, they reached the stall Han Su was in.
‘They’re checking to see if anyone’s in the restroom? These two are definitely up to something!’
This thought flashed through Han Su’s mind as his eyes sharpened. Just as the person knocked on his stall and was about to push the door open, he silently chanted Fisherman’s Chant.
The world around him blurred, and the next moment, his entire being was engulfed in an invisible shadow, pulling him away from reality by a certain distance.The stall door was then pushed open.
Han Su saw the man opening the door was also wearing formal attire, looking quite cultured, his gaze alert as he peered inside.
Meeting the man’s gaze, Han Su even noticed a crystal-like shimmer flicker in his eyes, giving his gaze a strange, almost sentient quality, scanning everything like a living creature. However, he failed to see Han Su right before him.
Han Su even felt a bit fortunate—thankfully, he had used the power of Fisherman’s Chant to cast the spell.
Otherwise, against those crystal-like eyes, an ordinary spell likely wouldn’t have sufficed.
“Confirmed safe.”
After checking the stall Han Su was hiding in, the man turned around and said quietly to his companion, “We can talk now.”
“Once our arranged personnel are in place, we’ll begin the operation.”
“It’s confirmed. The item is hidden in some concealed section of Lilac Courtyard. The specific room is unknown, but once we’re inside and capture all the servants, we can use their memories to pinpoint the exact location.”
“……”
The other person sounded worried: “Are you confident?”
“We’re in the city now—there’s a chance the Disaster Management Bureau could be alerted. The owner of Lilac Courtyard isn’t someone easy to provoke either. If we can’t find the item in one go, even the gentleman from my family would find it difficult to get you in again.”
“I’m confident!”
The man who opened the doors spoke again: “That item can cause people to forget its existence. But correspondingly, it can’t make everyone forget, or else it would be forcibly separated from reality.”
“So in that area, there will definitely be a servant assigned to remember it.”
“We’ve already placed four individuals in the banquet hall. Their stomachs are packed with bombs. Crystal ribs ensure that what’s inside them can’t be seen. Their mission is to stall the Disaster Management Bureau at all costs if they’re alerted.”
“You can hide in the banquet hall too—no one will suspect you.”
“……”
The other man sounded a bit tense: “Will they recognize me? I’m worried…”
“No need to worry.”
The searcher replied, “They would sacrifice their lives to stall the Disaster Management Bureau, but they won’t harm others.”
“We can die—because our consciousness will live eternally within the Crystal Pyramid, awaiting reincarnation. But ordinary people, blinded by ignorance, only have one life. That’s why we, the Crystal Faithful, never commit unnecessary killings.”
“Still, to intimidate the Disaster Management Bureau, we might have to put on a show.”
“……”
‘Crystal Skull?’
Upon hearing this, Han Su instantly understood and a sense of danger stirred in his heart.
Those followers who worship the skull—so they had indeed found their way to Lilac Courtyard.
From the sound of it, they even knew the exact area where the mechanical fragment was hidden.
After they finished speaking, they seemed to complete some sort of transaction. One walked out of the restroom, while the other, seemingly cautious, turned back to check again. Han Su silently chanted Fisherman’s Chant once more to evade detection.
Only after the man left did Han Su quietly emerge and follow behind him.
At a corner, he subtly revealed himself again and stopped walking, watching as the man casually blended into the crowd.
Han Su couldn’t rely on Fisherman’s Chant for continuous tailing. Using a regular Zero Sequence Encrypted Text Spell No. 1 would likely get noticed, so he dared not follow too closely and simply maintained observation from a distance.
From the information he had just eavesdropped on, he knew this man was one of the operatives.
Therefore, as long as he kept an eye on him, he could grasp the Crystal Skull Organization’s operation plans—and maybe even seize a chance to cause some trouble?
The man was highly vigilant, frequently turning back. Though his movements appeared casual, he saw everything.
Han Su averted his gaze and only watched with his peripheral vision. Just then, a somewhat hesitant voice suddenly reached his ears:
“Student Han?”
Startled slightly, Han Su felt a bit helpless.
When had he gained such high-level connections that even at a banquet for the wealthy, someone would recognize him?
Thinking this, he calmly turned around. Using the porcelain reflection of a nearby pillar, he checked who it was—turns out, it truly was someone familiar.
Chairman Li Yiting of Magic Box Corporation, father of Li Manman.
Before he had escaped through that door in a certain life path, they had even built a relatively close relationship, so Han Su always treated him with slightly more warmth than others.
Glancing at the person beside him, he smiled and said, “Where’s Mrs. Fang?”
The couple often appeared before him—they were just too familiar. No wonder he had spotted him at a glance.
“She doesn’t like crowds.”
Mr. Li shook his head, his expression less than cheerful. After greeting, he seemed unsure what else to say.
There wasn’t much common ground between him and Han Su anyway, and Han Su didn’t want to waste time either, so he simply smiled and said:
“I’ve already said everything I could. I really haven’t remembered any new clues.”
Toward Mr. Li, Han Su felt no guilt. He had always wanted to rescue his daughter and didn’t even bother to hide his sharp tone.
“I know.”
Mr. Li nodded unexpectedly and said softly, “My wife and I both understand—bothering you again and again serves no purpose.”
“Maybe most of the time, it’s just that we truly have no other way, so we can’t stay rational. I’ve always believed that Manman is still somewhere in this world, waiting for me to find her.”
“Student Han, many times my wife and I have seen you as our only hope. I apologize for the distress we’ve caused due to our irrational behavior…”
“……”
Han Su was slightly surprised by his words.
Seeing his expression, another thought crossed his mind: In Qinggang City, it seemed that many people of status understood that this world wasn’t simple—they knew of the Disaster Management Bureau, and even this Lilac Courtyard wasn’t an ordinary place.
Special Assistant Xu had once said that as long as one’s status was high enough, they were qualified to know part of the truth of this world.
As one of Qinggang City’s top commercial powers, the chairman of Magic Box Corporation appearing at such a banquet—could he really know nothing?
Thinking of this, Han Su slowly raised his head and looked at the business elite before him, saying, “Mr. Li, you’ve come to find me so many times and asked the same questions repeatedly—so I have a question for you.”
“I’ve told the truth about this kidnapping case to the Public Security Bureau, to the media, and to you. So, do you believe it?”
“……”
Believe what? Of course—the monster kidnapping case.
Han Su’s direct question startled the chairman of Magic Box Corporation. He hesitated and said, “I…”
“Looks like you’re adapting well.”
Just then, a sudden laugh sounded nearby. A middle-aged man approached, holding a wine bottle, wearing a gaudy floral shirt completely out of place with the venue, and sporting a large, red, bulbous nose.
His face bore a deliberate air of eccentricity, his eyes dazed, entirely out of sync with the crowd as he staggered over.
He first greeted Mr. Li with a laugh, then looked at Han Su and said, “I know you—star newcomer. I’m friends with your teacher, Mr. Strange Bird.”
“Seems like you’ve got connections, getting the qualification to enter Lilac Courtyard so quickly?”
“……”
‘He recognized me?’
‘Special Assistant Xu once said that there was a drunken investigator in Lilac Courtyard who secretly trained rich kids like Xu Ji in mysterious powers—could it be him?’
Thinking this, Han Su looked up and said, “I work as an assistant to pay tuition.”
“Who are you?”
“……”
Hearing Han Su’s words, both Mr. Li and the drunkard gave slightly awkward laughs. The drunken investigator looked into Han Su’s eyes and said, “You don’t know me yet, but I already extended goodwill toward you through Red Trench Coat, didn’t I?”
“I even prepared to lend you a hand—though in the end, you didn’t accept.”
“……”
“Hmm?”
Hearing this, Han Su suddenly became suspicious.
The goodwill Red Trench Coat had offered him came with a condition he despised deeply.
So this man before him was…
His eyes narrowed as he said slowly, right in front of Li Manman’s father:
“Ever since we were kidnapped ten years ago, I’ve always wanted to find out the truth. I even found a department that specializes in investigating such cases.”
“But when I entered that department, I discovered they hadn’t ignored us, nor were they powerless. They had simply refused to investigate…”
“The reason was that someone had written a report concluding that I was lying…”
“Was that person you?”