Chapter 23
Xia Er instinctively reached this conclusion.
Ordinary people could see the potion bottle, but they were unlikely to notice the spiritual material that resembled tentacles. Those who could see and take it must possess something extraordinary.
Xia Er drew the curtains, no longer looking down.
Once it involved extraordinary powers, she wasn't sure if her gaze would attract attention.
After all, the High Priestess Yulisi could "smell" whether someone was lying and could even "sense" their emotions.
She wanted to minimize the risk of exposure as much as possible.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
Just like Murphy's Law, the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen. Less than ten minutes after Xia Er tightened the curtains, there came a knock at the door.
Xia Er opened the door to find Li Qi had indeed fallen asleep in the room; the knocking hadn’t woken her.
After waiting for a while, and as the knocking grew louder, Xia Er decided to avoid disturbing Li Qi. She got up, went downstairs, and opened the door.
As soon as she opened it, she saw a beautiful girl standing at the entrance, folding a black umbrella. She was just a bit taller than Xia Er.
Her straight black hair cascaded down her back to her waist. A pair of gold-rimmed half-frame glasses perched on her slightly upturned nose, with delicate silver chains hanging from the frame, curving around to the back of her ears.
She wore a black uniform dress, and her dark purple eyes regarded Xia Er. Unlike the stiff uniform, her hands were adorned with exquisite black silk gloves, and over them, she wore leather gloves.
At that moment, she was removing her right leather glove and extending her hand toward Xia Er.
“Hello, Bureau of Police in Beilun City. You can call me Agent Aivina.”
“Hello, Xia Er, the unemployed drifter.” Xia Er extended her hand to shake Aivina's right hand.
Upon grasping it, Xia Er felt that delicate hand was almost fragile, and the silk glove made it feel even smoother.
“You really know how to joke.” Aivina complimented with a flat expression. “Did you just graduate from Beilun Private Academy today?”
Xia Er was dressed in a comfortable school uniform, and her earlier comment about being an unemployed drifter easily led to the assumption that she had just graduated.
“Yes, I graduated today,” Xia Er replied honestly. “Is there something I can help you with, Officer?”
“Tonight, not far from your home, several murders occurred. Are you aware of this, Miss Xia Er?” Aivina asked.
“Yes,” Xia Er nodded. “An officer just informed me. It was the Heishui Gang; it’s not uncommon.”
“Indeed.” Aivina nodded expressionlessly, then continued, “But their manner of death is quite rare.”
“Hmm?” Xia Er showed a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding what Aivina meant.
“Outside the alley, two people shot at each other. Their guns, whether by serial number, rifling, or wear on the magazine, are identical. I simulated the angle of the bullets, and they were fired from behind the black-robed man. Strange, isn’t it?”
“Strange.” Xia Er nodded, her calm demeanor revealing no cracks.
“Inside the alley, one person stabbed another who was clutching their own throat in fear. The stabber was also strangled to death, but he only had post-mortem bruising; the actual cause of death was damage to the throat.”
“Someone, through his flesh, directly strangled his windpipe—do you have any leads, Miss Xia Er?”
Aivina tightened her grip on Xia Er’s hand.
“Uh... quite an unusual way to die.” Xia Er looked at the girl before her, showing no signs of panic.
She knew the other party had no evidence; nothing she said could point to Xia Er. These were merely deductions from the autopsy.
“One last thing.” Aivina looked into Xia Er’s eyes, speaking each word deliberately. “May I ask how you heard the knocking?”
“I knocked on every door, and you were the only one who answered.”
“Do you have any leads on that?”
The knocking... only an extraordinary person could hear it?
Xia Er’s eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc.
With a sudden surge of strength, she gripped Aivina’s delicate right hand tightly, pulling her directly into the room.
A shadow swiftly emerged from Xia Er’s own, and as she locked the door, it lunged at Aivina, sticking to her back like a leech. Aivina’s body lost all resistance and fell back onto the living room floor with a thud.
Xia Er mounted her waist, pressing Aivina’s right hand against her head while her left hand clamped down on her throat.
If Aivina made any threatening moves, Xia Er would kill her without hesitation.
For now, she kept her alive to see if she could extract more information from her.
So that when the time came, she could achieve the perfect murder.
---
**Chapter 23: The Gossiping Young Lady**
Aivina was pinned to the ground, unable to move. Her knee-length skirt had hiked up from the fall, revealing a fluffy white underskirt printed with bunny patterns.
Xia Er sat atop her, one hand controlling Aivina’s right hand while the other gripped her throat. They stared at each other, neither willing to speak first.
It wasn’t that Xia Er didn’t want to talk; she was quite nervous inside.
The only extraordinary person she had encountered was the mysterious and powerful Yulisi, and Thomas hadn’t fully digested the potion yet, so he wasn’t in Xia Er’s considerations.
She wasn’t sure what other extraordinary abilities existed, and fearing an unexpected counterattack, she maintained her position in vigilance.
Aivina lay calmly on the ground, showing no signs of resistance, her expression flat as she looked at Xia Er without any emotional fluctuation.
This calmness made Xia Er even more alert.
Just a minute later, Aivina’s originally pale face began to flush, showing signs of oxygen deprivation.
Xia Er loosened her left hand slightly, giving Aivina a chance to breathe, avoiding knocking her out completely.
Once Xia Er relaxed her grip, Aivina gasped for air, accompanied by slight coughing, indicating that Xia Er had indeed squeezed her quite hard.
When Aivina finally caught her breath, she spoke up.
“Miss Xia Er, I fear that killing me wouldn’t be a wise choice.” Aivina’s tone remained steady, calmly laying out the pros and cons. “Not to mention my current affiliation with the Order Association, if I go missing, my family will launch an investigation.”
“This would be contrary to your desire to conceal your identity, Miss Xia Er.”
Listening to Aivina’s words, Xia Er couldn’t help but admire her.
In such a situation, she could still analyze the pros and cons so calmly. The girl before her truly had a strong heart, and her lack of any resistance lowered Xia Er’s guard significantly.
“Are you an extraordinary person?” Xia Er asked.
“No,” Aivina replied. “But strictly speaking, after a few more replication rituals and drinking the potion, I will be.”
“Then how did you dare to knock on my door?” Xia Er questioned, puzzled. “You knew you were facing an extraordinary person.”
“The four deceased outside were all people whose deaths wouldn’t be mourned. From the methods of killing and framing, it seems you, Miss Xia Er, haven’t killed many people.”
Aivina paused before continuing, “Moreover, no one wanting to hide their identity would choose to commit a crime right at their own doorstep. Considering what was recorded in the perpetrator’s diary, I lean towards this being a forced act of self-defense.”
“Given this consideration, I thought approaching the murderer directly wouldn’t pose much danger.”
Aivina had only been outside for less than ten minutes, right?
This analysis was spot on.
“Since you’ve already guessed so accurately, why would you still take the risk to knock?” Xia Er asked, this was a point of confusion for her.
“Because I wanted to confirm my reasoning,” Aivina said, her dark purple eyes finally sparkling with interest. “And I’m curious.”
“I’m curious about what happened to you, Miss Xia Er, that you would risk exposure to kill these four people. What’s the truth? If there’s a grudge, there are surely safer, risk-free solutions.”
Aivina spoke passionately, and noticing Xia Er’s silence, she continued, “I can guarantee that after hearing everything, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll just wrap it up as a gang-related murder when I return.”
Aivina blinked, looking at Xia Er with eager anticipation.
Curious about the truth behind it all... was that why she had come alone to the “murderer’s” doorstep?
You’re invincible, kid.
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