The package has assigned me way too many objects.

"Hmm, thankfully we haven't touched our chopsticks yet. It's definitely better to come to my house to eat; I feel much more at ease cooking for myself."

At times like this, one should demand a refund and leave, but this attitude was too domineering, and Shibuya didn't want to dwell on the money anymore; she just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

While the two were talking, one or two more guests rushed toward the restroom with ferocious expressions. The color on the back of their pants matched the lyrics of a song: "Chrysanthemums wither, wounds cover the ground, and your buttocks have turned yellow."

The group of guests at the table just two seats away were probably parents with their middle school kids. When the kid saw the other kids' miserable state, he was trying not to laugh, but he made a "goose goose goose goose" sound while wiping the plates. Unfortunately, he immediately changed color and pulled down his pants.

While it's true that an adult's breakdown can happen in an instant, surely the "biting force" of this muscle shouldn't be so weak that it can't even hold back?

As Shibuya Giri picked up her bag and prepared to leave, she heard someone shout, "Congressman Locke has been stabbed! Nobody is allowed to leave here!"

Chu Yinan looked bewildered, when a message popped up on her phone—it was from Fu Xi.

[Fu Xi: I've already ordered masks for you. They'll be delivered to you by drone in thirty seconds. Just pick them up at the window.]

This is a lifesaver! But more than a mask, Chu Yinan wants a military gas mask right now. They're pretty cool. If all else fails, a medieval plague doctor mask will do, the kind with a bird's beak.

After a while, Chu Yinan took the mask delivered by the drone from the window and put it on himself first. Of course, he didn't forget to hand one to Shibuya Giri to increase her magic resistance.

"Thank you."

Normal expressions of gratitude are polite, but this time, Chu Yinan could feel Shibuya Yi's genuine gratitude in those simple two words.

*

At the same time, Kim Geun-joon took out an old-fashioned pager. This kind of old-fashioned communication tool, after simple modifications, can transmit messages without the AI's sight. However, the price is unbearable inconvenience, as each message can only display less than fifteen characters.

Anonymous: [Plan successful, call someone to pick me up]

Kim Geun-joon typed "OK" on the clumsy keypad, then took the pager battery out and threw it back into the drawer.

Commercial expansion is enough to motivate all actions, and this little move is especially necessary for Kim Geun-jun's career prospects and the financial backers behind this business.

With the court's elected candidates imminent, AI's management authority has been gradually weakened in recent years, but the eligibility to vote remains very strict, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate the artificial island. Therefore, in order to bring their preferred judges to power and create a court of invincibility for them, the only option is to remove one of the current, obstructive judges.

In this way, they can secure their own manpower in the Twin Islands courts, where the number of judges is fixed. Opening a gap means that the establishment of their own court will be a natural outcome.

“Although the plan was a bit rushed, there’s no way it won’t be discovered. No, there’s no way it will be discovered!” He took a sip of his drink. “Once it’s done, as long as I get my hands on Old Jiang’s shares, I can walk away.”

Originally, he could have left this godforsaken place, where AI was allowed to drastically control the economy, much more easily, taking his earnings and a few beautiful girls with him. With financial means, what's wrong with having a few more wives? That would be contributing to the low birth rate.

Even if one day in the future they discover that Kim Geun-joon's initial purpose in contacting them was to help his benefactor acquire shares in some companies controlled by their family, so that outside business forces could infiltrate the artificial island system—there wouldn't be any problem. A caged canary will eventually lose the courage to forage for food on its own. This is the most desirable life he has seen in those bosses!

However, all these plans were ruined by the AI ​​matching system. First, it matched with Jiang Xuanya, which angered Iori Risa. Now, Chu Yinan has appeared and is ruining his relationship with Jiang Xuanya!

Oh well, these two are the best of the fish he raises, but the other smaller ones will do for now. Once the job is done and he gets his commission, why worry about not having women around? He's good at taking women and letting them go.

"Let's get things sorted out first before we start thinking about it."

With Vice President Jiang away on a business trip, his personal leather sofa became Kim Geun-joon's possession. The man in the suit put down his wine glass, took out a blank cell phone smuggled from overseas, and typed in a message:

【Prosecutor, I've heard about your recent predicament. What you're pursuing are essentially resources and pleasures that can be bought with money. To waste the best of your golden age on the hardships of struggle seems like excessive self-torture. You declined several previous invitations; have you changed your mind recently?】

*

In less than twenty minutes, a group of uniformed guests appeared in the restaurant. Unfortunately, their arrival was not to generate revenue for the restaurant, but to investigate who had stabbed Congressman Locke in the heart.

Senior Superintendent Mandy wiped the coffee stains from the corner of her mouth, looking at Shibuya and Chu Yinan with a strange expression: "What are you doing here again? Wait, little guy, why does trouble always happen where you go!"

"Although you looked pretty trying to change the subject by blaming me, the way you spat out coffee after smelling the stench was really embarrassing." Chu Yinan touched her mask, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Mandy choked, her expression bitter and regretful: "Who knew the toilet here would explode? Are there any masks left? Help me, I'm going to die."

Chapter 76 Nobles

Mandy had only been there a short time, and strictly speaking, she was tricked by the person who called the police. When it comes to things like a congressman being stabbed, the police would naturally prioritize that and ignore the mass diarrhea in the restaurant.

The newly arrived police officers were hit by a magical attack, while Mandy, who was swaggering in with a straw in her mouth, sipping coffee and trying to stay alert, was hit hardest, almost vomiting up her meal.

Chu Yinan, being a magnanimous man, generously gave her a mask. Mandy, now smug about receiving the strategic relief supplies, strolled around in front of her colleagues, pretending to give instructions, but in reality, she didn't say much and was just showing off her mask.

Shibuya Gyu couldn't even bear to look at her anymore, and didn't even want to admit that she knew her.

Mandy looked around and then returned to Shibuya: "So what's going on with you two? Did you get advance notice that something was going to happen here?"

When Mandy said this, she was staring at Chu Yinan.

"Look at him, it's no use. I came out to eat with Chu Nan to thank him for his previous help. I booked the place and even specially reserved today's chef to cook. It's purely a coincidence that we're here," Shibuya Yi explained irritably.

“If you want to know the situation, go to the scene of the crime. Asking the two of us who almost ate here won’t get you anything,” Chu Yinan interjected.

"It stinks up ahead, so I'm here to check on the surroundings as part of my investigation. This is my job! Let others handle the front lines; I'll go later."

Chu Yinan truly admired her for daring to say it so openly. But then again, she was a senior superintendent, and who knew when she might get promoted again, so she could have a bigger reputation.

But do they actually have any information to provide? Shibuya felt that all they could say was food poisoning; they had no idea about the situation on the councilor's side.

“You can see our location here; we can’t confirm the situation on the councilor’s side. You’ll have to ask him yourself. If there’s anything unusual, it’s just this stench you’re smelling right now.” As she spoke, Shibuya Yi tightened her mask.

"I just heard that there's a mass diarrhea outbreak, what's going on?" Mandy asked, her tone becoming slightly more serious.

"It's just a mass diarrhea, probably food poisoning. Anyway, suddenly, a whole group of people started having diarrhea and rushed to the bathroom." Shibuya Yi pointed to several plates of custom-made dishes on her table. "Want to try some?"

Considering her future image and authority in the police station, Mandy refused the unfriendly offer and said seriously, "Bribery is not allowed during work hours, Miss. Please have some self-respect! You haven't started eating yet, have you? This is very important evidence, possibly related to the senator's assassination. I'll have someone take it to be tested later."

Chu Yinan felt that the prosecutor's explanation was not detailed enough, and said, "Those customers couldn't hold it in at all; they were running around while leaking, so the floor probably hasn't been mopped yet."

"Where does it need to be dragged?!" Mandy exclaimed in surprise.

"They're everywhere, and most of the restaurant's customers are rushing around like crazy. Didn't you see that Shibuya-nee and I have been standing still without moving?" Chu Yinan hid behind Shibuya Yi to avoid Mandy's retaliation.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Mandy felt a little sorry for her shoes and decided to buy a new pair tonight.

The pretty, gray-haired prosecutor interrupted Mandy's rambling and urged her to get back to work: "Alright, stop arguing about this. Take this food sample and expedite it. The results should be available soon. Then go ahead and ask what happened."

“You can go to the crime scene now by just putting on the prosecutor’s dog tag, why don’t you go?” Mandy said disdainfully.

Shibuya remained silent, her gaze sweeping over the group of men standing by the restroom door. Several of them were lawyers who had come to the prosecutor's office, including one who had almost been named one of the top ten lawyers of the year. However, they had all soiled their pants, their buttocks looking as if they had sat on mud, their pants a gruesome sight. Each of them covered their faces, ashen, not wanting to be recognized.

There was a group of "victims" in front of her, and not many women were willing to squeeze in. If they were touched, they would feel like dying. Besides, it wasn't her shift today, so Shibuya Yoshimi planned to wait until the prosecutor's office team was fully in place before popping out.

Some customers who soiled their pants are already trying to buy suits and have them delivered, but there are no suit warehouses nearby, so they have to be shipped from a relatively far place, which takes at least half an hour to arrive. Therefore, apart from buying drones, they are asking friends for help whenever possible.

Social death? No problem, everyone's already soiled their pants, so it's the same as no social death. It's an unavoidable event!

"There are maids? That's rare. Is it from a coffee shop?" Now that everyone was standing up, Chu Yinan was able to notice that there were two or three maids dressed as maids, holding tablets and digital pens and taking notes on something. In front of them were several untouched dishes.

Perhaps they are learning local cuisine?

"It shouldn't be them. They're probably servants of the new nobles. Isn't Glory Island planning to drift and connect to Twin Islands? Maybe they sent servants here in advance to learn the recipes." Shibuya Yi glanced at them and then ignored them.

Chu Yinan took a few more glances. After all, it was quite rare to see someone with unusual hair who was also a proper maid. He had heard of such a thing before, but he never expected to be able to observe her so closely.

Luckily, they hadn't started tasting the food yet, otherwise they would have ended up in the bathroom queue too.

The new aristocracy is actually the same as the old aristocracy. The land aristocracy, which had once declined due to the information economy, still exists. Thanks to the land they control, they are basically not going to starve. It's just that the glory of the aristocracy is gone.

Therefore, during the rise of AI, landed aristocrats heavily funded AI in exchange for a portion of aristocratic land ownership on the artificial island continent. The process was complex, but in short, it was much more ordinary than one might imagine.

The new aristocracy is a group that has no special privileges but is rich and owns land, and values ​​aristocratic sentiments. Most aristocrats are a hundred times cleaner than the big businessmen of the information age.

Moreover, Chu Yinan was quite grateful to these new nobles on the artificial islands. The popularization of classical clothing in daily life was largely due to their efforts. It is said that maid outfits are quite common on other artificial islands, and you can even see ladies in cheongsams, or foreign ladies in modified knight uniforms.

Thinking about all this, Chu Yinan felt sorry that Aunt Liu had chosen the wrong location for her company!

Not long after, the prosecutors were all in place. They experienced a similar ordeal to Mandy shortly after arriving. They entered with the air of social elites, but immediately deflated, covering their noses and nearly vomiting. One of the people who looked like a leader came in first, then immediately turned around and rushed out of the restaurant to get some fresh air.

"Why didn't anyone report that the sewer system here has burst! Call a drain cleaning service immediately!"

Chapter 77 Incontinence and Escape

When Shibuya Yi puts on her prosecutor's badge again, it means the start of temporary overtime work, and it also means that Chu Yinan can gossip with her.

However, because they arrived late, the stabbed Senator Locke had already been rushed to the hospital for treatment. All Chu Yinan could see was a pool of dark blood on the bathroom floor. To be honest, the bleeding was quite severe.

Although he didn't get to see Senator Locke, Chu Yinan felt that now was a good time to enter, at least the smell had dissipated quite a bit.

However, based on the conversation between the police at the scene, Chu Yinan seemed to have a new speculation. He thought that the congressman might have fallen and hit his head in the bathroom. However, judging from the white line drawn at the scene, the location of the bleeding should have been below the waist. Chu Yinan didn't quite understand why they would conclude that he fell and was dizzy.

The female secretary of Congressman Locke, who was being questioned by the police, had light makeup on her face and an average figure, the kind with a relatively streamlined figure. Coupled with her short hair that was difficult to even braid, Chu Yinan would not have recognized her as a woman from behind if she hadn't been wearing a women's suit.

"Miss Rong Lan, please explain in detail how you discovered Congressman Locke's murder, and why you were so certain that he was stabbed?"

The female secretary glanced at the lawyers gathered together, her eyes filled with deep distrust:

"Today, Representative Locke came to have his usual meal with Judge Wei. They used to get together every month on this day, but they had fallen out of touch for a while due to some disagreements. Today happens to be the anniversary of Judge Wei's restaurant, and Representative Locke thought he could take this opportunity to mend their friendship, so he came to have a small gathering."

“We just asked Judge Wei about this as well, and it’s basically the same.” The officer in charge of the questioning nodded, his eyes fixed on the indicator light on the recorder to make sure it was working at all times.

Secretary Rong Lan continued, "But after eating for a while, Congressman Locke said he felt unwell and urgently needed to go to the restroom. He went to the nearest one, but after waiting for a long time, he did not return. Later, I heard someone shout that blood was flowing from the floor of the restroom stall, so I rushed in and found Congressman Locke lying on the ground."

Chu Yinan saw Mandy sneaking over and gently patted her long legs, asking, "I heard she bumped her head, what's with the blood?"

“His hemorrhoids ruptured. Congressman Locke has quite severe hemorrhoids, but he doesn't watch his diet and continues to eat, drink, and eat spicy food. The blood is pus and blood from his hemorrhoids.” The superintendent whispered, then added, “In the ambulance, our people did a preliminary check. The congressman hit his forehead, and we tentatively conclude that he fell and was knocked unconscious when his hemorrhoids ruptured, causing blood to splatter everywhere. This gave Secretary Rong Lan the illusion that there was an assassin, although I don't think it was just an illusion.”

"The place where you fell is wrong. It shouldn't have been your forehead that hit the toilet. It should have been the back of your head that hit the toilet, otherwise you would have fallen like that," Shibuya said, expressing her opinion.

When Representative Locke fell, his body was bent over, his buttocks and eyes facing out of the door, and his head landed on the ground next to the toilet. If he had been less lucky, he might have fallen headfirst into the toilet. Although the water level was shallow, there was still a possibility of suffocation and choking.

Given normal toilet habits and the limited space in the bathroom, for Senator Locke to fall like this, it could only be when he was standing to urinate. But the question is, would someone who is in such a hurry really be so classy as to finish urinating standing up before dealing with "afterlife"?

If he was sitting down to defecate, the chances of him hitting his forehead and fainting were relatively small. In the limited space of the toilet stall, the only place a person sitting on the toilet could bump their head was the wooden door. The tissue box was placed on the same wall as the toilet tank, so it wouldn't hit that part.

Chu Yinan stood on tiptoe to look at the tablet in Mandy's hand. It showed the police's first-hand photos of the scene. The way Representative Locke fell was truly heroic. Compared to him, those elite lawyers' feces-removing tasks seemed insignificant.

No wonder they are so calm and composed now. Although most of them are facing away from the crowd or covering their faces with their collars as if they are being suffocated by the smell, they are actually just trying to hide their faces so that they don't want to be seen or photographed by the crowd outside.

"What's that in his hand?" Chu Yinan stared at the photo, curious about the white object in the senator's hand.

"Medical adult diapers? Given the senator's bloody condition, they're probably being used as sanitary pads. He's really going all out to avoid dietary restrictions." Mandy's tone was full of admiration.

"But since he's already taken out the diaper, it just goes to show that he's dealing with diarrhea right now... By the way, how's the food testing going?" Chu Yinan asked.

"I cut in line and took your food for testing. Since it was untouched and relatively intact, it could basically be used as a food sample. The preliminary results show that the food is fine and there are no issues like mold. More detailed test reports will have to wait a while. The inspectors were complaining that the food was probably meant for a love rival or ex, highlighting how malicious it was."

“Prejudice! It’s actually quite delicious under normal circumstances.” Chu Yinan defended his own preferences, but soon he started thinking while scratching his head.

Having learned this much about the situation, he now had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

The scene of diarrhea and vomiting at the restaurant, and the legislator's "accidental fall," are definitely related. In terms of relationships alone, the lawyer who vomited, Rong Lan's secretary, the chef who caused the vomiting, the restaurant's food supplier, and Judge Wei Tian are all suspects.

"What's causing the customers' diarrhea is probably that complimentary dish from the anniversary celebration, the fried fish fillet," Chu Yinan whispered.

"Fried fish fillets?" Shibuya's gaze quickly swept over the tables where several guests had diarrhea. Indeed, each of their tables had a small empty plate of fried fish fillets, the same plate the waiter had brought over.