Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 128 So bold

A few days later, in Hisakawa City.

Bai Jingyu sat in the back seat of the car heading towards the business district, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee.

Outside the window, the street scene of Jiuchuan flashed by quickly, still bustling, but the doubts that had been lingering in his mind for the past few days were still swirling.

The reception and initial meetings with Professor Horn and his team have finally come to an end, and things are back on track.

He finally managed to find the time to deal with this personal matter, one that he cared deeply about.

Anna's words, along with that large, inexplicable expense, felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.

The vehicle came to a smooth stop in front of an elegantly and luxuriously decorated jewelry store.

A shop assistant was already waiting at the door. When Bai Jingyu got out of the car, he immediately led him respectfully into the inner room.

The door to the chief designer Anna's studio was open, and she was standing in front of her workbench organizing drawings.

Upon seeing Bai Jingyu arrive, he immediately put down what he was holding and put on a warm and professional smile.

“Good morning, Mr. Bai. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Anna stepped forward and extended her hand.

Bai Jingyu shook her hand gently, his expression calm, and got straight to the point: "Ms. Anna, I apologize for bothering you. I'm here today to learn more about the two gentlemen who came to order rings a few days ago under the guise of my 'special advisor'."

Anna's smile remained unchanged as she led Bai Jingyu to sit down on the sofa next to her, while she sat opposite him.

“Of course, Mr. Bai, the situation that day was indeed a bit unusual,” Anna recalled.

"The two gentlemen arrived early, just as the shop opened. They seemed dissatisfied with the ready-made products on the market and made a customization request, which was very...unique and urgent, hoping to complete it that day."

"And then, you received an appointment notification as 'Special Advisor Bai Jingyu'?" Bai Jingyu asked.

“Yes,” Anna nodded.

"That's why I made an exception and personally received them, and mobilized all resources to prioritize their orders."

"Excuse me... is there a problem?" Her tone was cautious.

Bai Jingyu did not answer directly, but continued to ask, "Do you remember the names and appearances of those two people?"

Anna looked slightly apologetic: "I'm very sorry, Mr. Bai. As for names, they only mentioned surnames at the time; one was surnamed Yang, and the other was surnamed Bai."

"As for his appearance..."

She paused, her brows furrowing slightly: "The surveillance equipment in the studio and the corresponding area of ​​the store malfunctioned that day and did not record their images."

"Surname Bai..." Bai Jingyu murmured the surname to himself, his sense of unease growing stronger.

He gestured for Anna to continue.

"As for her appearance," Anna tried hard to recall.

She stood up, walked to the workbench, and picked up the electronic sketchpad and stylus: "If you need, I can try to draw their general appearance from memory. Although it won't be a perfect replica, the main features should be close enough."

"Thank you for your trouble." Bai Jingyu nodded.

Anna skillfully sketched on the drawing board.

Soon, the facial features of the two men became clearer.

The first thing to be finished was Bai Yuetian's portrait. Anna said as she painted, "This Mr. Bai..."

She made a few adjustments and turned the canvas towards Bai Jingyu: "It's roughly like this."

Bai Jingyu's gaze fell on the portrait, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

This face...

Isn't this the police academy student I saw in the exhibition hall before? Bai Jingyu still has a deep impression of him.

He suppressed his doubts and nodded calmly: "Hmm, who's the other one?"

Anna put away her easel and began to draw Yang Chen's portrait.

With each stroke of her pen, another handsome face appeared on the screen.

Bai Jingyu stared intently at that face.

It's him! It's these two!

One is named Jackie Chan, and the other is named Yang Chen.

This guy named Yang Chen actually claims his surname is Bai?

Not only are they pretending to be my advisor, but they also want to pretend to be my son? How dare they!
Anna looked at Bai Jingyu's dark face and asked cautiously, "Mr. Bai? You... don't you recognize these two people?"

“Let’s say we know each other,” Anna continued. “They seemed to have said that the ring was a custom-made gift for your daughter.”

"Give it to my daughter?" Bai Jingyu blurted out almost without thinking, his brows furrowed tightly.

My daughter is only six years old.

Seeing his face darken instantly, Anna quickly explained, "Ah... well, maybe I remembered wrong. I'm sorry, Mr. Bai, our conversation that day was rather rushed..."

Bai Jingyu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions and countless questions.

He knew that if he continued asking, he wouldn't get any more crucial information from the designer.

He waved his hand, his expression softening slightly: "It's nothing, it's probably just a misunderstanding. Thank you, Ms. Anna."

As he spoke, he took out his phone and took a clear picture of the two portraits on the electronic drawing board.

"I apologize for disturbing you today." Bai Jingyu stood up, his tone returning to its usual calm.

"You're too kind, Mr. Bai. It's my honor to answer your questions." Anna quickly stood up to see him off, secretly relieved.

Although she was full of questions, she didn't feel comfortable asking too many questions, especially since the two men had already paid.

Bai Jingyu nodded slightly, said no more, turned around and strode out of the studio.

I sat back in the spacious back seat of the car, the door closed, shutting out the noise from the outside world.

Bai Jingyu leaned back in the soft leather seat, closed his eyes, and pressed his temples hard with his fingers.

He opened his eyes again, pulled up the two portraits he had just taken, and stared intently at the two young faces on the screen.

Jackie Chan? Yang Chen?
He no longer believes that these two people are college students.

Which college student could make the money in his account disappear without anyone noticing, so that even ASH couldn't trace its exact destination?

And then there's that surveillance camera that "just happened to break down"...

A cold smile curled at the corner of Bai Jingyu's lips.

He didn't believe it was a coincidence at all. In his professional opinion, it was more like the records had been precisely hacked and erased by extremely sophisticated technology, done cleanly and efficiently without leaving a trace.

The fact that they could hack into the commercial district's system so easily... the level of technology they possess far surpasses that of any organization or individual currently in the public eye.

Who are they?

Impersonating his advisor, using his money to commission a ring, and claiming it was a gift for his six-year-old daughter?

What is the purpose of all this?
Why is that guy named Yang Chen pretending to be surnamed Bai?
A series of questions swirled in his mind, but he couldn't find reasonable answers.

This feeling of being kept in the dark made him very uncomfortable.

He paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice to the air, "ASH."

"I'm here, Bai Jingyu." A gentle female voice immediately rang out in the car.

"Compare these two images with the surveillance footage in Jiuchuan's database and see if you can find anything," Bai Jingyu ordered.

“That’s illegal, I can’t do it.” ASH’s voice remained calm, without any emotional fluctuation, simply stating the facts.

"Sometimes we don't have to be so rigid; we can be more flexible."

ASH continued, "If it's discovered, it could have consequences for you."

Bai Jingyu's fingers, which were pressing his temples, paused.

Oh right, he almost forgot.

Current AI legislation imposes extremely strict restrictions on the permissions of strong artificial intelligence like ASH. Unauthorized access to surveillance networks and facial recognition comparisons are explicitly prohibited illegal activities.

ASH cannot cross these legal red lines.

Normally, he might have found a way to circumvent these restrictions, but now...

He recalled that the CEO, Dong Mu, had spoken to him not long ago: the Internet of Everything project was about to be launched, and all forces were watching closely. In this sensitive period, especially for Bai Jingyu, he must not cause any trouble and give others a handle to use against him.

"Tsk." Bai Jingyu clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, leaned back in his chair, and frowned.

He paused for a moment, then picked up his phone.

After a moment's thought, I dialed a number.

"Chief Gray, it's me, Bai Jingyu. I have a personal matter I'd like to ask you for a favor: to investigate two people..."

(End of this chapter)