33. Who will fall off the horse first?

Meng Baichuan contacted the resident singer who had taken them to the Chunhe Road club before through the team’s youth training. After inquiring about the situation from the singer, he ran to Chunhe Road early in the morning, intending to familiarize himself with the area and then wait for further developments.

Due to a recent report from a concerned citizen, a certain club on Chunhe Road had been investigated and shut down. Shortly thereafter, another chess and card room was closed as well, creating a tense atmosphere on Chunhe Road for a while.

However, life had to go on, and after half a month, everything gradually returned to normal. With the pause in all-night revelry, the bars and clubs on Chunhe Road began to close for renovations with the vibrant morning light.

Meng Baichuan walked alone on the somewhat deserted street, silently noting down the several shops mentioned by the resident singer.

When the wind blew in a strict direction, they would conduct legitimate business, but when there was a relaxation, these shops would promptly resume their “old ways” without hesitation. They were involved in various illicit activities, as money came quickly through those means.

For the sake of a few banknotes, people were always willing to plunge into the abyss without any remorse, prostitution, gambling, drug abuse.

Even though the nightclubs closed in the early morning, the chess and card rooms never stopped operating. Gambling games that involved money were conducted day and night without pause, and it was not a problem to endure for three days and nights when the stakes were high.

Walking around the winding alleys, Meng Baichuan stood at a street corner, secretly observing a chess and card room.

This particular chess and card room was well hidden. Originally, it had average business, but after the chess and card room related to the Dong Dazhi case closed down, more people started coming here.

After standing there for a while, Meng Baichuan saw several people entering and exiting the chess and card room. Most of them would come out to smoke a cigarette, buy breakfast, and then go back inside.

Meng Baichuan hesitated about whether to go and take a look.

A few days ago, Qiu Rong had taken him and Ruan Sijia to his villa, and the three of them spent a long time in the study, searching through a pile of manuscripts, and found records related to the Cerberus.

The Cerberus was a watchdog of Hell in Western mythology, fierce and savage, symbolizing gluttony.*

The real-life Cerberus was not much different from the mythical story passed down. They did not possess high intelligence like humans, nor did they plan or carefully select their prey.

They were greedy and indiscriminate beasts, once released, they would hunt and kill everywhere, regarding blood and flesh as nourishment, constantly feeding themselves to grow.

However, the Cerberus appearing in City A not only lurked in the shadows but could also enter people’s dreams. Combining the information recorded in the manuscripts, it could be concluded that there must be a master manipulating this Cerberus behind the scenes in City A.

Without a doubt, only a demon could tame Cerberus from Hell.

Ruan Sijia is male, so the pronouns should be adjusted accordingly. Here’s the revised version:

Qiu Rong had long suspected the characteristics of the victim group. When he saw the word “demon” in the manuscripts, he finally found a lead in his tangled thoughts.

From regular customers at the club to easily angered gamblers, and even reclusive individuals who rarely left their homes… Lust, greed, wrath, gluttony, sloth… These were all the seven deadly sins.

Demons excelled at exploiting the desires in people’s hearts, luring them step by step into the quagmire from which they could never escape.

However, all of this was just their speculation. Qiu Rong was not part of the Control Center and had not joined the task force, so he couldn’t intervene in the case without causing trouble. But he had shared his conjectures with someone he was familiar with. He asked Meng Baichuan and Ruan Sijia not to act alone until there were developments at the Control Center.

Meng Baichuan liked adventure and challenges, but his pursuit of excitement was based on the premise of preserving his own life.

… At least before receiving five million from the Control Center, he had no intention of keeping it a secret from the clan leader and going to find that dog.

The Control Center had given him too much!

As the starting player of the champion esports team, Meng Baichuan would never lack money… He just had a bit of an obsession with it.

As long as it didn’t involve breaking the law or causing chaos, money was something that could be earned as much as possible.

The Control Center only required them to capture the dog, without mentioning the demon. Meng Baichuan couldn’t handle the demon, but he could still try with a dog.

In addition, compared to other ability users who read the notices, Meng Baichuan had learned more information from the clan leader. He believed he had an advantage.

The money was right in front of him, and he wouldn’t let it go to waste!

Thinking about the five million, Meng Baichuan, who had been lurking and observing the chess and card room for a long time in a corner, clenched his teeth. After all, today was just about investigating the situation. If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you catch a tiger? He decided to go in and take a look first.

However, with just one look, he walked himself into a trap.

Ruan Sijia, who had sold the information about Meng Baichuan acting alone to the clan leader, betrayed him for the second time.

Qiu Rong took the phone handed over by Ruan Sijia and read the “seeking rescue” message sent by Meng Baichuan. With a dark expression, he went upstairs to explain the situation to Yan Ling.

Looking at the clan leader’s expression at this moment, Ruan Sijia couldn’t help but silently mourn for Meng Baichuan for three seconds in his heart.

Qiu Rong planned to leave early with Ruan Sijia, and Yan Ling would definitely go with him. Luo Haoxuan also wanted to stick with Ruan Sijia, but since they were going to the police station to rescue someone, having all four of them together would be too conspicuous.

Moreover, Luo Haoxuan was still a celebrity. If he were photographed at the entrance of the police station, he would immediately trend online.

Luo Haoxuan leaned against the door with a heavy book, looking melancholic as he watched Ruan Sijia change his shoes.

“Um…” Ruan Sijia finished putting on his shoes and stood up, meeting Luo Haoxuan’s gaze. He whispered, “Teacher Luo, my book.”

Luo Haoxuan handed the book to Ruan Sijia, but he didn’t let go and asked, “Have you decided which cat to choose?”

Ruan Sijia pulled, but couldn’t move it. So he held the other end of the book and looked up at Luo Haoxuan. “Didn’t you want to have a cat? You should choose the one you like.”

“Mm.” Luo Haoxuan stared at Ruan Sijia’s hair, and one of his hands involuntarily let go of the book, reaching up to rub Ruan Sijia’s head. “But I want to have one because you like it.”

Through the lenses, Ruan Sijia looked at Luo Haoxuan and blinked.

Luo Haoxuan’s hand on the top of his head fell to the side of his face, and he pinched Ruan Sijia’s earlobe, saying, “Next time, come to my place to play with cats, okay?”

Ruan Sijia innocently replied, “Isn’t the plan to go to the bookstore next time?”

Luo Haoxuan refused to give up, “Then the time after next.”

Ruan Sijia smirked, “Alright, then the time after the time after next, let’s go watch a movie together?”

Luo Haoxuan smiled as well and cheerfully said, “Sure, sounds good.”

Removing his hand from his cheek, Ruan Sijia took back the book that was being held and touched his own warm earlobe. He took a step back and waved to Luo Haoxuan, saying, “Well, I’ll be going now. I’ll contact you once everything is resolved.”

Luo Haoxuan rubbed his fingertips, still feeling the lingering soft touch, and with a gentlemanly smile while suppressing the pounding of his heart, he said, “Alright, I’ll wait for your message.”

This innocent atmosphere made even passing Luo Man Ni unable to bear witnessing it.

It took some time from the cat café to the police station. As Qiu Rong just parked the car, Ruan Sijia, who was sitting in the back seat, said, “… Meng-ge said there’s no need to go, he’s already out.”

“How did he get out?” Qiu Rong turned off the engine and asked, “Wasn’t the message he sent earlier saying that it was quite serious?”

“He said it’s because of the crackdown on illegal activities these past few days. He almost got detained, but someone helped him get out.”

Ruan Sijia was still tapping on the screen to reply to a message. Qiu Rong said, “Since we’re already here, ask him where he is. I want to talk to him.”

Qiu Rong looked at Yan Ling in the passenger seat and asked, “Are you coming with us?”

Yan Ling glanced at the nearby police station, then looked at Ruan Sijia in the rearview mirror, and finally shifted his gaze back to Qiu Rong. He shook his head gently and said, “You two go ahead, I’ll wait for you in the car.”

The look in Yan Ling’s eyes seemed to see through everything, sending a chill down Qiu Rong’s spine. He remembered what Yan Ling had said yesterday and awkwardly explained, “I really didn’t know about today’s events, and I didn’t expect him to come here alone.”

In the urgency of the moment at the cat café, Qiu Rong didn’t explain much. He just told Yan Ling that the guy who had investigated information together with him on Chunhe Road last time had been taken to the police station, and he wanted to go and check on him.

On the way, Qiu Rong and Ruan Sijia had a brief conversation, and Yan Ling understood that Meng Baichuan had been mistakenly arrested on Chunhe Road again.

Yesterday, Qiu Rong had promised Yan Ling not to take risks, but today his “comrade” had been taken away by the police for questioning. Qiu Rong leaned towards the right and held Yan Ling’s hand, trying to please him, “I’m just going down to tell him not to get involved in this matter anymore. I’ll be back soon.”

Yan Ling looked at him for a moment, smiled, and nodded. “Hmm, I trust you.”

Ruan Sijia, who was shrinking in the back seat, lowered his presence. He couldn’t believe he had the chance to witness the patriarch acting so submissive.

After looking at the received message, Ruan Sijia said, “Senior, Meng-ge said he just came out of the police station and is now at the entrance.”

When Qiu Rong and Ruan Sijia arrived at the police station’s entrance, Meng Baichuan was talking to a well-dressed man.

“Hey, uncle, how did you manage to get me out?”

“You just need to get out.”

“What do you actually know?”

“Kids shouldn’t get involved in these kinds of things.”

“I’m not a kid anymore…” Before he could finish his sentence, Meng Baichuan caught a glimpse of Qiu Rong approaching, and a cool breeze rushed into his mouth, causing him to hiccup.

The well-dressed middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses by his side glanced at him indifferently.

Meng Baichuan knew that the patriarch had arrived, but seeing him in person still made him nervous. Like a misbehaving child, he stood upright, lowered his head, and softly said, “Patri… hiccup!… Senior…”

However, Qiu Rong’s gaze was fixed on the man beside Meng Baichuan.

“Vincent?”

He spoke.

“Young Master Qiu,” Vincent nodded slightly.

Upon hearing Qiu Rong’s words that his friend had been taken to the police station from Chunhe Road, Yan Ling couldn’t help but wonder if it could be a coincidence. As it turned out, it really was Vincent.

Yan Ling rolled down the car window and looked at Vincent approaching. “And what about them?”

Vincent replied, “They are still talking over there.”

Yan Ling asked him, “Is everything resolved?”

Vincent replied, “Basically, yes.”

For the past few days, Vincent had been searching for the dog with the little succubus  on Chunhe Road. While they didn’t catch the dog, they received a new mission from headquarters. Vincent and the little succubus  were tasked with cooperating with the police station to thoroughly rectify the atmosphere on Chunhe Road.

Last night, the group had raided several illegally operating shops overnight, and the chess club that Meng Baichuan went to was the last target, coincidentally running into him.

Meng Baichuan, a 19-year-old teenager, crouched among a group of gambling individuals, naturally attracting attention. When Vincent saw him, he immediately remembered the bounty notice that was issued yesterday.

He retrieved Meng Baichuan’s clean record from the police station and contacted the Supernatural Control Center to confirm the identity of the young boy as a Supernatural. It was easy to guess that Meng Baichuan had come to investigate the situation for the bounty. With multiple departments collaborating to crack down on illegal activities, getting involved could result in a permanent record. After considering it for a moment, Vincent decided to inform the police and had the young boy taken out in advance.

Of course, before Meng Baichuan was released, he was severely criticized and given a written promise.

However, Vincent didn’t expect that Meng Baichuan and Qiu Rong knew each other, or more accurately, were quite familiar with each other.

“Your Highness,” Vincent said, “Young Master Qiu’s friend is a Supernatural.”

Yan Ling glanced at him, paused for a moment, and said, “I know.”

Vincent had also heard about the incident when Yan Ling and Luo Haoxuan encountered Qiu Rong on Chunhe Road. Seeing Meng Baichuan’s attitude towards Qiu Rong and making some connections, it was easy to suspect Qiu Rong’s identity.

However, it seemed that Yan Ling was already well aware of the situation.

Yan Ling warned Vincent in a low voice, “Don’t bring up this matter again, especially in front of Qiu Rong. Remember that you know nothing.”

Looking at his own stubborn Highness, Vincent lowered his eyes and said, “Okay, I understand.”

As Qiu Rong had promised, he quickly returned. He glanced around but didn’t see Vincent’s figure.

As they got into the car, Yan Ling leaned against the headrest and asked him, “Were you looking for Vincent?”

Qiu Rong denied, “No, I just forgot to thank him for bringing Meng Baichuan out.”

Yan Ling replied, “I thanked him on your behalf.”

Yan Ling waited for Qiu Rong to continue asking how Vincent ended up at the police station and how he managed to bring Meng Baichuan out.

But Qiu Rong didn’t say anything.

“It’s been a long day,” he turned his head to look at Yan Ling and smiled, “It’s still early. Mr. Yan, do you want to go home or go somewhere else to have some fun?”

Yan Ling looked at Qiu Rong pretending as if nothing had happened. He didn’t realize when he had let go of his hand that was supporting his head. He crossed his hands in front of him, unintentionally assuming a defensive posture.

Leaning against the back of the seat behind him, Yan Ling closed his eyes and said, “Let’s go home. I’m a bit tired.”

“Okay.” Qiu Rong finished his sentence and didn’t say anything else.

Soft music played in the car as Yan Ling turned his head to face the side window, whether he was truly tired or lost in thought.

Qiu Rong lowered the volume of the music a little, his gaze grazing the storage box next to the gearshift, pausing for a moment.

After a while, Qiu Rong took out a mint candy from the storage box and gently tore open the packaging.

The flat candy was placed on his tongue, melting and bringing a refreshing sensation.

Just as Qiu Rong was criticizing Meng Baichuan, Huo Ye replied to Ruan Sijia’s message.

He saw the fitting photo that Ruan Sijia had sent him.

He asked, “Brother, how did you end up with Danny?”

Author’s Note:

*The Cerberus eating habits are inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy”~

I really am a genius at setting up flags, but then I exceed the word count…

…The next chapter will definitely have a meeting!

…

Ruo Changsheng called Zhong Lishu late that very night: Xiaozhong, we need to arrange a meeting for this central group as soon as possible!

Zhong Lishu: ?

Zhong Lishu: Who are you?