Chapter 30

Inside, Captain Li and his team watched the A-class malevolent spirit obediently standing beside Yue Yin, plunging them into silence.

The Paranormal Incident Management Department and Yue Yin tacitly exchanged pleasantries, and with just a few words, Shen Hao Ping’s disappearance and death became a “cold case.” Although everyone present understood what had likely happened, no one openly acknowledged it.

At some point, the malevolent spirits hovering outside had quietly slipped away, retreating into the dark corners of the city.

As peace returned outside, a sudden commotion came from upstairs.

“Waaah! Yue Yin! I was playing ranked, and now I’m banned!”

The bedroom door flew open as someone clomped down the stairs.

Yue Yin’s younger brother had been up late secretly gaming, only to lose rank, dropping over a dozen stars with abysmal scores—1/11 or 0/10 in each game—getting reported every time by teammates, resulting in a ban on playing ranked games.

Heartbroken, he crept downstairs for ice cream, but upon raising his head, he saw the house full of people in police uniforms.

Shocked, he clutched his phone and exclaimed, “Sis! Did you finally get caught for scamming people online by pretending to be Qin Shi Huang?!”

Yue Yin, not wanting her dimwitted little brother to faint from fright, had isolated his room before letting out the malevolent spirits, so he remained clueless about what had just transpired outside.

At his outburst, Yu Yu and the others looked at Yue Yin with complicated expressions, surprised to learn of her past antics.

Hands in her pockets, Yue Yin rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t Qin Shi Huang—I keep telling you, I’m ‘Thousand Faces of the Moon!’”

Her brother gaped, “Then you were caught for the secret counterfeiting operation at home?!”

Everyone: … Wow, you really don’t want your sister getting out of this, do you?

In the Shen household, Yue Yin was neglected, receiving only about 800 yuan a month, hardly enough for her gaming, food, novels, and manga.

Left with no choice, she became self-sufficient.

She first tried fortune-telling on the streets but attracted no business because she looked too young. Next, she tricked her younger brother out of money to buy in-game skins, but finding him stingy and low on cash, she began quietly making counterfeit bills.

As ludicrous as this sounds, such tricks are second nature to an entity like her.

No money? Simple. Make some yourself.

However, her plan hit a snag. One day, she tried to buy a snack with her counterfeit bill but was immediately caught by a street vendor.

Fortunately, her innocent expression made her look like an unsuspecting victim, and the vendor let her go instead of calling the police.

Yue Yin still couldn’t understand why people could distinguish between her perfect replicas and real bills. Had she attended a physics or chemistry class or two, she might have understood the difference.

Once she realized her counterfeit skills were subpar, and after meeting Jiang Suliu, a wealthy patron who funded her whims, she gave up improving her technique.

Her first attempt at counterfeiting had been ambitious, though, leaving her with around a million yuan in fake bills stashed under her bed—a fortune waiting to be discovered.

Her brother knew about this, and every time he visited her room, he feared she’d end up in jail.

Especially after Jiang Suliu’s recent social media sponsorship, Yue Yin’s offhand comments seemed straight out of a criminal manual, only adding to his worries.

While other young people seemed destined for bright futures, Yue Yin radiated a unique aura of “soon-to-be-convicted.”

Coughing in shock at her brother’s confession, Xiao Jun choked back laughter.

He was conducting an “investigation” into Shen Hao Ping’s disappearance and death, but hearing Yue Yin’s brother’s revelations, he hesitated, unsure if he should take notes.

Captain Li cleared his throat, prompting Xiao Jun to put away his notepad, pretending he hadn’t heard anything incriminating.

Realizing his slip, her brother quickly covered his mouth, nervously whispering, “Officer, my sister’s still a minor, so selling fake medicine and running pyramid schemes isn’t illegal, right?”

Technically, Yue Yin’s actions would indeed be illegal; just the counterfeiting alone was serious, punishable by a decade at least.

And she’d done even worse—recently, she’d taken a life, resisted police investigation, and posed a threat to the authorities.

Yet, Yue Yin was exceptionally powerful.

Initially classified as an A-class ability user, then thought to be beyond A-class, tonight’s events had solidified one thing for the team, she might actually be an S-class.

There were less than eight S-class ability users globally, including a false god from the Life Association.

An S-class could move mountains, destroy cities, or devastate a nation with ease. In essence, an S-class was practically a demigod, closest among humans to a true deity.

Could humans compete with gods? Hardly.

Captain Li and his team understood the futility of opposing Yue Yin. They even had to feign ignorance, lest she, like the Life Association’s false god, walk the path of a villain bent on destroying the world.

Meeting the nervous gaze of Yue Yin’s brother, Captain Li reassured him, “No, your sister is an upstanding citizen.”

Relieved to know his sister wouldn’t be taken away, Yue Yin’s brother sighed deeply, oblivious to the complex reactions of the officers behind him—some disappointed, some saddened, and others simply relieved.

Captain Li murmured, “Let’s go.”

As they filed out of the Shen household and boarded their vehicle, one officer couldn’t hold back, “Captain, Yue Yin is undoubtedly the true culprit here. She used her powers to harm someone. Are we really letting this go?”

Receiving no answer, he pressed on, “Captain, what are you thinking?”

“Our duty is to protect the people. Now, a civilian has died at the hands of an ability user—that’s a crime! Yet we turn a blind eye, covering up for a suspect!”

Disappointment evident in his voice, the officer felt the weight of his uniform heavier than ever. “Do you remember our oath when we joined the Paranormal Incident Squad?”

Yu Yu frowned, standing up. “Shengman, are you insane?! You saw tonight—there were countless A-class spirits out there…”

“So what? Since when have we feared such things? I’m not afraid of death, I still remember my duty!”

Captain Li leaned against the window, his graying hair starkly visible. He chuckled wryly. “How do we enforce the law against her? With what?”

“She’s S-class. Anger her, and we won’t make it out tonight. You may not care about your life, but what about everyone else? Should the people of City A pay the price because Shen Hao Ping didn’t deserve to die?”

Captain Li’s seeming disregard of Yue Yin’s crimes was not due to corruption or forgetting his duty to protect the people.

During those few moments questioning Yue Yin in the Shen household, amidst the greedy stares of countless malevolent spirits, he hadn’t worried about his own life but about those who lay sleeping, blissfully unaware.

To uphold the oath to his duty or to step back?

To save one life or to protect countless lives?

The events of the night were clear, countless malevolent spirits lingered under her command, presenting Captain Li and his team with a deliberate choice from Yue Yin.

She had made her stance clear. She wasn’t going to surrender or retreat, she had simply given the decision to Captain Li and his team.

Should they end it or let it continue?

For a moment, Captain Li looked years older as he murmured, “I’m not afraid of death, but if even one more innocent dies tonight because of our actions, there won’t be enough lives to atone.”

So, he chose to relent. He set aside his position as the Paranormal IncidentSquad’s captain, passing over this case with a hollow lie, enduring his team’s disdain and confusion.

Making the right decision didn’t bring Captain Li any relief, it only weighed heavier on him, as he knew all too well that their power wasn’t enough.

After hearing Captain Li’s words, the team fell silent.

They all understood this harsh reality. But going against their duty and oath only deepened their disillusionment.

Captain Li said, “Report back to the minister. This is beyond our level.”

He thought to himself, better one life lost than many.

—

Meanwhile, back at the Shen household…

Yue Yin’s little brother watched as Captain Li and his team left. Confused, he asked, “Yue Yin, what did they come here for?”

Then he noticed the chilly air in the room. Looking closer, he saw that all the glass and doors were missing from the house!

“Yue Yin, our doors are gone! Everything’s gone!” He stared at the chaotic living room in horror. “Did you fight them?”

Yue Yin rolled her eyes, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Stop yelling and go to bed.”

It was the middle of the night, and she had an early class the next morning.

Thinking this over, she almost regretted not destroying the world earlier.

But then she realized something great about Shen Hao Ping’s death.

She didn’t have to get up early for school the next day!

Schools might reopen after a death on campus, but what if a family member had died?

Bright and early, Yue Yin called her homeroom teacher, speaking in a thrilled tone, “Teacher, my dad died. I need a day off.”

Her teacher: … ???