Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads.

Dealing with the strange incident in Ruanjia Lane took up quite a bit of time, and I still don't know how things are in the east of the city.

Miao Erhu also dropped his playful grin and became serious:

"Things in the east of the city might be even more troublesome!"

Ren Fei frowned upon hearing this.

"They haven't come to our aid yet, it must be terrible!"

Shen Zhen snapped out of her thoughts and said urgently, "Let's go quickly, don't delay."

Without further delay, the four of them ran towards Cai Ji Steamed Bun Shop in the east of the city.

On the way, Lei Lie asked as he ran:

"Xiao Shen, how does it feel to break through to the mid-stage of the first tier? How's your mastery of the Heart-Cleansing and Delusion-Dispelling Mantra?"

"It's quite stable," Shen Zhen replied.

"My mental power is much stronger than before. I can perceive the fluctuations of mental power around me more clearly now, but I need to gradually become proficient in spells through practice."

"That's good," Lei Lie said with a smile.

"The situation in the east of the city is unclear, so don't act rashly if anything happens."

"Don't worry, Captain Lei," Shen Zhen replied. He had a feeling that the strange things at Cai's Steamed Bun Shop would be no simpler than those at Ruanjia Lane.

......

Cai's Steamed Bun Shop in the east of the city.

At this moment, the place looks incredibly lively, completely unlike anything that could be associated with the eerie.

A long queue stretched out in front of the door, with men, women, and children of all ages, their faces filled with barely suppressed anticipation.

Some people were standing on tiptoe to peek into the store, while others were whispering, "It's almost my turn," creating a lively scene of locals scrambling to buy into the old brand.

Lei Lie scanned the area but didn't see the other three team members. He frowned and said:

Where did those little rascals run off to?

Shouldn't we have them handle the cases here?

Let's go take a look.

The four of them squeezed to the shop entrance, and the owner, who was busy in front of the steamer, immediately looked up, his face beaming with a warm smile:

"The Pacification Commissioner has arrived! Please come in!"

Freshly baked meat buns, just opened the lid, want to try some?

Shen Zhen smelled a warm aroma, unable to tell if it was the smell of meat or something else. He felt a hollow in his stomach and an inexplicable urge to eat surged up.

He subconsciously swallowed, his eyes involuntarily glancing at the white buns in the steamer, their aroma making his mouth water.

Lei Lie rubbed his stomach; he hadn't eaten since he'd been busy all morning, and the aroma was tempting.

Ren Fei and Miao Erhu stared intently at the steamed buns, smacking their lips.

Seeing their reaction, a quick smile flashed across the owner's eyes, and he warmly ushered them into the shop:

"You've worked hard all day, you deserve to have something to eat."

Our steamed buns are made using a family recipe passed down through generations, with high-quality ingredients. It would be a shame to miss out!

"Gurgle!" Shen Zhen's stomach growled at an inopportune moment, causing the people in line next to her to laugh.

"Captain Lei, how about we buy a few?" Shen Zhen asked, a little embarrassed.

"It's good to have something to eat; I'll be able to get things done this afternoon."

"Yeah, yeah," Miao Erhu immediately chimed in.

"It smells delicious, much better than the dry rations at the company!"

Ren Fei nodded as well:

"We need to eat anyway, and this place has food, so we don't have to make another trip."

Lei Lie nodded, without giving it much thought:

"Okay, then twelve of them, four for each of you."

Among the people queuing behind, someone muttered under their breath, "Cutting in line," their voice clearly showing dissatisfaction.

The boss turned around and smiled, his tone gentle:

"These gentlemen are doing their jobs for our neighborhood, they're working so hard. Let them go ahead and buy what they need. We'll wait a little longer, it won't hurt."

No sooner had these words been spoken than the person who had been muttering earlier immediately changed their tune:

"Yes, yes, you've worked hard, sir, you should go first!"

The other people in line echoed this sentiment, their anticipation undiminished, as if the little incident had never happened. No one thought there was anything wrong with cutting in line anymore, and they all watched with smiles as the four walked into the store.

As soon as I entered the store and found a seat, the person at the next table turned around, still chewing on a steamed bun, and mumbled:

"Team Leader Lei, you guys are here too?"

Shen Zhen was taken aback. Weren't these the three members of the second team?

A table full of steamers sat before them, each person holding a bun in their hand, munching away with satisfied smiles on their faces, making no mention of supporting Ruanjia Lane.

Lei Lie didn't think much of it, assuming they had arrived first and eaten something, and chuckled as he scolded:

"You guys came without even saying hello. We thought something had happened to you."

One of the team members chuckled and swallowed the bun in his mouth.

"These steamed buns smell so good, I couldn't stop eating them and forgot to send a message."

"Team Leader Lei, you guys have to try this too, it's absolutely amazing!"

Shen Zhen picked up the steamed bun that had just been served, took a big bite, and the soup immediately gushed out. The meat was tender and the saltiness was just right. It was indeed incredibly delicious.

As he chewed, he thought to himself, "No wonder so many people are queuing up; the taste is truly exceptional."

Lei Lie ate one and nodded, "It's really good, the ingredients are quite generous."

Miao Erhu ate one in two bites and was already gnawing on the second one, mumbling:

"It tastes even better than the biggest restaurant in town! The owner's cooking is absolutely superb!"

The shop was full of customers, all heads down, eating their steamed buns. No one spoke; the only sounds were the chewing of their food. Occasionally, someone would call out:

"Boss, another basket, please." The tone was urgent.

As Shen Zhen ate, she suddenly felt something was off.

What am I here for?

He frowned, his mind a blur. He seemed to have come to do something, but couldn't quite remember what it was.

Yes, we've come to the east of the city to investigate a case, but what is it again?

He looked up at Lei Lie.

Lei Lie was enjoying his meal and chatting with the members of the second team about the interesting things that had happened during their previous missions, without mentioning the case at all.

Ren Fei and Miao Erhu were so engrossed in eating that they kept praising how delicious the steamed buns were, their eyes filled with longing for them.

The diners at the next table finished one basket and immediately asked the owner to add another, their eyes filled with the same anticipation as when they were queuing, as if they could never get enough.

As Shen Zhen ate her steamed bun, the strange feeling in her heart gradually faded away.

No one brought up the case, no one remembered the mission.

Everyone was captivated by the deliciousness of the steamed buns.

It's as if the most important thing in the world is to finish the buns in front of you and then have another basket.

But for some reason, the steamed bun in Shen Zhen's mouth suddenly tasted different.

It wasn't that it tasted bad, but rather that it had an indescribable cloying taste that made people feel uncomfortable and irritated.

He instinctively felt like vomiting, but an inexplicable force suppressed it, while his stomach continued to rumble, urging him to keep eating.

He forced himself to take a bite, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the owner standing behind the counter, smiling as he watched the customers fill the restaurant, slowly wiping plates in his hands.

The smile was gentle, exactly the same as when it greeted them earlier, with no change.

A chill ran through Shen Zhen's heart, instantly bringing him to his senses.

He thought of the illusion demon in Ruanjia Lane, and of Ge Ming who was being manipulated.

Everything before my eyes is perfectly normal.

Normal to the point of being bizarre!

He nudged Lei Lie lightly with his elbow:

"Team Leader Lei...have we forgotten something?"

Lei Lie frowned and glared at him, clearly annoyed, after being interrupted.

"Forgot what? Even the most important things can wait until after we finish eating these steamed buns!"

Ren Fei mumbled, "What are you thinking about? These buns are so delicious, eat them quickly before they get cold."

Shen Zhen panicked and reached out to snatch the half-eaten bun from Lei Lie's hand:

"Something's wrong! There's something wrong with these steamed buns!"

In his haste, he lost control of his strength and knocked the steamed bun to the ground.

Lei Lie instantly exploded: "What the hell are you doing?!"

Lei Lie's roar made the air buzz.

The sounds of chewing throughout the store were instantly cut off, and all the diners turned their heads to stare at Shen Zhen, whose mouth was still covered with the soup from the buns. It was a sight that made people's scalps tingle.

"What's wrong with you?" Miao Erhu, his mouth full of steamed buns, mumbled a rebuke.

"These steamed buns are so delicious I'd stomp my feet! What makes you think there's something wrong with them?"

Ren Fei reached out to pull Shen Zhen, his eyes gleaming with greed, his tone urgent:

"Stop joking, Xiao Shen. This scent is so good, I wouldn't trade it for even the calming incense from the company!"

The other three members of the second team also joined in the commotion. The empty steamers in front of them were piled up like a small mountain. One of the members, with dark red meat bits still stuck to the corner of his mouth, licked his lips and said:

"Shen Zhen, are you exhausted?"

These steamed buns are absolutely divine! If you miss them today, you might have to wait until your next life to taste them again!

Shen Zhen shook off Ren Fei's hand, stood up, and stared intently at the steamed bun that had fallen to the ground.

The filling rolled out, and the tender meat that had tasted so good just now, now covered in dust, faintly gave off a familiar smell.

It wasn't the fishy, ​​fresh aroma that meat should have, but rather a herbal scent with a slightly astringent taste.

This smell... I've definitely smelled it somewhere before.

Shen Zhen subconsciously activated his mental power, and the herbal scent became clearer and clearer, like a fine needle piercing into the depths of his memory.

correct!

It's at Ge Ming's house!

It smelled like the herbs Ge Ming used to soak the stitched-up claw!