Monday, clear skies.
In a place like Songhai, the morning rush hour was always a headache. Whether on the overpass or on ground level, the traffic jam was enough to raise anyone's blood pressure.
Regular office workers might avoid traffic jams by taking the subway, but that came with its own trials — being packed like sardines from all sides.
In the morning sunlight, Zhang Yuanqing rode a shared bike down the bustling streets of Songhai, a jianbing guozi (Chinese pancake) clenched between his teeth.
Effortlessly, he overtook car after car — private vehicles, business vans, buses — his youthful energy and his bangs fluttering in the wind.
Songhai University was about five or six kilometers from his grandma's house. It only took fifteen minutes by bike, so he never stayed in the dorms.
Thanks to his promotion to a Night Wanderer, the usual exhaustion from cycling was gone; today he sped all the way to the campus gates without stopping. Checking his phone, it had taken only ten minutes.
If it weren't for the electric scooters cluttering the bike lane, he could have gone even faster.
Founded over a century ago, Songhai University was a top-tier institution nationwide.
Besides its excellent faculty, its two most notable features were: top talents finding worthy masters, and warriors brave enough to duel with swords.
His grandma used to warn his aunt to watch out at school, especially girls protecting themselves. Now, she was warning her grandson to do the same.
She didn't trust this world much.
Passing through the campus gate and past the founder's statue, Zhang Yuanqing followed the road lined with phoenix trees on the right, slowly pedaling toward the academic building.
The campus was elegant and quiet. Students filmed short videos, chatted on benches, or hurried along clutching their textbooks.
Wide, clean streets, green lawns, aging dormitories — it looked more like a quiet upscale residential area than a school.
He locked his bike outside and headed into the main building.
In the tiered classroom, students were scattered in small groups; many were skipping class.
He picked a seat casually. Just as he sat down, he overheard two boys whispering behind him.
"I just saw Xu Yingying at the gate. She's waiting for her sugar daddy again."
"Don't talk nonsense. My goddess would never be a kept woman."
"No joke. Every Monday some guy picks her up in a luxury car worth hundreds of thousands. I saw it last Monday."
"Are you sure? Could be a ride-hailing car."
"Would you kiss a ride-hailing driver?"
"... Damn, in middle school girls liked top students, but in college, it's all about rich guys outside. When will normal guys stand up?"
Xu Yingying was a classmate — pretty, the campus belle.
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but turn around, teasing with a smile: "Your wife in the hard drive can help you stand up."
The two boys froze, clearly surprised.
Zhang Yuanqing looked at them: "What's wrong?"
Li Lesheng snorted: "Zhang Yuanqing, what good luck did you find today? This isn't like you."
Zhang Yuanqing blinked: "Why say that?"
Before Li Lesheng could answer, a teacher with black-rimmed glasses entered, holding books. The noisy classroom immediately fell silent.
...
Kangyang District, Maile Hotel.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened on the 16th floor. Li Dongze, dressed in a formal suit with a black vest over a white shirt, leaned on a cane and stepped out.
His thin face was heavy with worry. Behind him was Guan Ya.
The whole floor had been cleared. Police tape blocked the hallway from the elevator entrance, with two security guards standing watch.
Guan Ya clicked her heels forward, showed her badge, and the guards stepped aside.
Down the hallway leading to the room, officers busily took photos and collected fingerprints, hair samples, and other evidence.
Li Dongze brushed past them and entered the hotel suite, immediately hit by a metallic stench of blood.
His eyes scanned the room. Two bodies lay on the bed under white sheets, the pristine linens stained with large, dark red patches.
Li Dongze raised his cane and pulled back the cloth. A naked man and woman lay there.
He fell silent for a moment, voice low: "It is indeed Zhao Yingjun."
Guan Ya meticulously searched every corner of the room. White mist swirled in her pupils before she said:
"No signs of struggle, no evidence anyone tried to clean up... The trash can holds two condoms, but the box is missing three."
After speaking, she looked at the female victim with a trace of pity.
Li Dongze replaced the sheet, voice grim:
"Guan Ya, stay here to assist with collecting fingerprints and hair samples, and get the surveillance footage. I'll contact Captain Fu and the squad leaders. We might need a meeting."
Zhao Yingjun was a consultant for the Xiangshui Road Security Bureau, a member of the White Tiger Soldiers, ranked a level 2 scout.
A member of the Five Elements Alliance had been murdered — a big deal.
...
Second floor, villa, small conference room.
Luxurious and exquisite, the room had a thick wool carpet and a solid wood conference table.
On the table lay a platter of fine fruit, crystal slices of ham, expensive imported red wine, boxes of cigars, and delicate desserts.
At the end, a white projector screen played hotel surveillance footage.
In the video, a man wearing a baseball cap and mask walked from the elevator to the room, swiped a keycard, and entered.
Forty minutes later, he walked out with hands in pockets, head down.
The video ended. Li Dongze paused it and looked around at the captains:
"This morning, the hotel called. The cleaning staff couldn't open the room door and went inside, finding the two victims. Zhao Yingjun was tortured before death — multiple knife wounds, hands and feet bound — but the fatal wound pierced his heart.
"The female victim, Liu Xiao'e, also died from a stab wound to the heart but showed no signs of torture. Missing condoms from the room suggest the killer violated her before killing.
"Security has confirmed Liu Xiao'e was Zhao Yingjun's mistress.
"We checked other hotel entrances, but no sign of how the killer left. They must have a way to avoid surveillance. We suspect the killer is a Spirit Walker."
Six people sat at the table.
The leader was a young man in a white suit, exuding noble arrogance. His short ponytail and chiseled face made him strikingly handsome.
To his left was an empty seat — Li Dongze's.
To his right sat a woman in a watercolor-style qipao, holding an orange cat. She was mature, voluptuous, elegant, and impeccably maintained, her light makeup enhancing her serene temperament.
Next to her was a middle-aged man in a miner's helmet and work clothes, his tanned skin showing years of toil.
Opposite her was a gym trainer in a tight suit, his muscular arms rivaling the woman's slim waist, sharp eyes radiating aggression.
The last was a 27- or 28-year-old woman in a white racing suit and leather pants, black wavy hair framing her oval face — sharp and cool.
These were the Spirit Walker squad captains for Kangyang District. Several others were absent for various reasons.
The white-suited young master glanced around, his deep brown eyes calm:
"Everyone, thoughts? Captain Qingteng, you start."
The woman in the qipao frowned:
"Ordinary Spirit Walkers wouldn't dare kill our officials. Could it be a corrupt Spirit Walker?"
Li Dongze responded:
"We're still investigating Zhao Yingjun's recent contacts."
If a corrupt Spirit Walker was involved, this case just got a lot more serious.
The muscle-bound fire master raised an eyebrow, anger flashing:
"Corrupt Spirit Walkers? Those sewer rats dare kill my Five Elements Alliance? I'll make them pay."
Others grew solemn. The woman in the racing suit, Bailong, mused:
"How strong was Zhao Yingjun?"
Li Dongze looked to Fu Qingyang.
Fu Qingyang said:
"He had a defensive artifact."
Hearing this, Bailong's face darkened:
"Level 2 scouts aren't combat specialists, but with a defensive artifact, killing him isn't easy — especially without alerting next-door guests. This lets us roughly estimate the killer's strength."
Tang Guoqiang, the miner hat-wearing construction company owner, said gravely:
"Very strong."
The muscle man snorted:
"Strong or not, you kill someone in my alliance, you die."
Bailong silently rubbed her forehead, thinking about how she wished to kick out that dumbass from the Red Flame Gang during meetings.
Li Dongze said:
"Investigation shows Zhao Yingjun had many mistresses, especially liked keeping female college students. We're checking them one by one."
The muscle man frowned:
"Why?"
Li Dongze explained:
"Zhao's tryst hotels weren't fixed, yet the killer found the address and room number. That means the killer knew Zhao's movements — either someone familiar or someone who stalked him long-term.
"The person who knows you best is always the woman beside you. We might get leads from Zhao's mistresses."
The captains nodded solemnly.
Li Dongze continued:
"Zhao Yingjun was tortured before death. Think about it — what did the killer interrogate? What did they learn? Whether this was a revenge killing or by a corrupt Spirit Walker, it's serious."
Faces changed.
Corrupt and law-abiding Spirit Walkers were mortal enemies, hunting and tracking each other.
What would interest a corrupt Spirit Walker most? Information about official Spirit Walkers, even their hideouts.
If not a corrupt Spirit Walker, a powerful Spirit Walker risking conflict with official organizations to interrogate and kill in a hotel — the truth could be even more complicated.
Qingteng said gravely:
"We must find the killer quickly."
The muscle man looked around:
"Where's Yuan Ting? He should devour Zhao Yingjun's spirit form and retrieve memories to identify the killer."
The importance of a Night Wanderer who controls spirits was instantly obvious.
Fu Qingyang shook his head:
"Yesterday, Taiyi Sect summoned all official Night Wanderers to Beijing. Yuan Ting isn't in Songhai."
His expression never wavered, calm as if the sky were falling.
The captains felt a chill. If Yuan Ting wasn't here, other Night Wanderers in other districts probably weren't either.
Was it a coincidence? The killer chose this exact moment, when Night Wanderers were all gathered in Beijing.
The muscle man growled:
"What's wrong with Taiyi Sect? Never held meetings before, now pick this time? We should have cultivated our own Night Wanderers long ago."
Li Dongze sighed:
"You've got the cause and effect backwards. The killer chose this time... Forget it, it's not important. Don't worry, we have our own Night Wanderer."