No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Jiang Shu didn't think much of it, guessing it was some kind of mission, since Bai Lian was often not in the group anyway.

Surprisingly, she was here.

So this is her latest assignment?

Bai Lian was also taken aback; she hadn't expected that the victim's family member would say that the victim's friend was Jiang Shu.

At this moment, she was dressed in smart casual clothes, standing behind Jiang Shu's friend's mother, leaning against the shoe cabinet in the entryway, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"What kind of look is that?" Jiang Shu couldn't help but ask.

Standing between the two, the mother of the friend thought that Jiang Shu was questioning her and was worried that the two would have a conflict, so she quickly introduced, "Xiao Jiang, you've finally come. This is Officer Zhan. He has been with me since this afternoon. He is a very nice person. Officer Zhan, this is the good friend of my son that I told you about, Jiang Shu."

Seeing that her friend's mother was still deeply worried about her friend's disappearance, yet was still trying to smooth things over for her, she felt both sorry for her and a little embarrassed, and quickly explained:

"Aunt Wang, I know her. It's just a matter of saying hello. It's nothing."

"You two know each other?" Aunt Wang looked at Bai Lian in surprise.

The latter nodded, then said with some disappointment, "To be honest, I was thinking that the friend that Auntie mentioned, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time, suddenly contacted the victim and offered to visit after hearing about the incident. I was afraid it was related to the missing person case, but I didn't expect it to be you."

It's not surprising that Bai Lian would have such thoughts. Not to mention that many criminals return to the crime scene after committing a crime, the identity of this friend alone is very suspicious.

At this critical juncture, someone who hadn't been in contact with the victim and their family for a long time suddenly contacted the victim. The two even went out for a meal and drinks together. A few days later, the victim disappeared. Then, the day after the victim disappeared, the victim took the initiative to call and inquire about the specific situation.

Any normal person would think in this direction.

However, this doubt vanished when she saw Jiang Shu.

It really was just a coincidence.

Just then, Bai Lian noticed Consultant Liu, who had been blocked by the half-open security door.

She said, somewhat surprised, "Why are you here too?"

Consultant Liu smiled and explained, "I ran into Xiao Jiang on my way home from get off work. He told me that his good friend had gone missing. I figured I didn't have anything else to do today, so I came over to see if I could help."

Bai Lian felt a sense of disbelief for a moment.

She had met Consultant Liu a few times and knew his background.

It's one thing for Jiang Shu to get along well with Shen Mo, but to have a relationship with someone like that, and even be able to ask him for help?

"Who is this...?" Aunt Wang asked Jiang Shu with a puzzled look.

“This is our leader,” Jiang Shu said casually.

"Your boss?" Aunt Wang asked, "So Officer Zhan is also your colleague? You passed the police exam?"

"I've been taking the exam for a while, and I just passed. I was thinking of having a meal with Chengji to celebrate, but..." Jiang Shu answered, taking the opportunity to make the mistake.

"Sigh." Aunt Wang sighed, "I'm happy for him that you were the first to think of him, but I just can't smile right now. Don't blame me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Anyway, come in first. You've been standing here for so long."

Jiang Shu and Consultant Liu put on shoe covers and went into the house, sitting on the sofa with Bai Lian.

While Aunt Wang went to the kitchen to boil water and make tea, Jiang Shu was finally able to speak more bluntly: "So you weren't at the station today to investigate this, so you really are an evolved being, right?"

Bai Lian nodded: "That's most likely, otherwise there's no way to explain it. Actually, this situation looks like he entered the hatchery, but the timing doesn't match up. He's been missing for more than twelve hours, so I'm more inclined to believe that he was kidnapped by someone while he was at home."

Jiang Shu thought for a moment and then asked, "Are there any similar cases recently?"

"Missing?" Bai Lian replied, "Missing cases happen frequently, but they are all ordinary cases. Most of them are just people running away from home. As long as you investigate carefully, there are clues to be found. They won't be reported to the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs. This is the only case of this kind of bizarre disappearance recently."

“Hmm…” Jiang Shu pondered.

He had been paying close attention to Consultant Liu's reaction.

In fact, this observation began right outside the Bureau of Heterodoxy.

After Consultant Liu left so readily after being rejected by Jiang Shu, a possibility began to emerge in Jiang Shu's mind.

My friend is just an ordinary person and it's impossible for him to provoke an evolved being. Even the worst evolved being would still exercise restraint. Even an evil master like him, who used living people as blood sacrifices, still had to put on a show to cover it up.

What kind of person would knowingly invite the Bureau of Dissent and still so brazenly target ordinary people?

Most likely, they are rebels; less likely, they are evil cultivators who have no reason to care about such things.

But what is the purpose?

Or rather, who ordered them to do it?

Jiang Shu suspected that it was the old man Wuzheng.

He chose between figuring out his own abilities and simply killing himself, testing himself by threatening those around him to decide whether or not to take control.

This is not impossible.

First of all, for these people, their identity and interpersonal relationships are not secrets.

Secondly, the old man Wuzheng was wary of the Bureau of Different Control. Whether it was him or Consultant Liu, if they dared to test him or even try to poach him under the director's nose, it would be tantamount to breaking off relations. Therefore, it was simpler for the old man to use some means to test his weaknesses first, then fabricate an identity to remotely control him, directly control him first, and then slowly study him.

If an old man who is not prone to conflict becomes so desperate that he disregards the unwritten rule of not harming his family, then there will be trouble.

Jiang Shu couldn't possibly disregard his friend's safety. Besides, even if his friend couldn't completely control him, he still had his parents. Who knew if they would go so far as to do something so crazy?

Therefore, this must be confirmed as soon as possible.

So Jiang Shu changed his mind and invited Consultant Liu to come along.

She and the old man Wuzheng are practically inseparable. If there's anything the old man Wuzheng needs, he'll most likely ask her to handle it. If this matter is really related to the old man Wuzheng, we might be able to find some clues about Consultant Liu during the investigation.

However, the other party has been behaving normally so far.

Jiang Shu's feelings were also somewhat complicated.

On the one hand, he had thought about all this, but he didn't want his friend's disappearance to really be because of this. He hoped it was just a simple disappearance, otherwise he would be in trouble.

On the other hand, he was worried that it wasn't because of that. If his friend had disappeared like that, at least his friend's safety would be temporarily guaranteed. But if his friend had just been kidnapped by some crazy lunatic, then it would be hard to say.

Just then, the sound of boiling water stopped, and Jiang Shu quickly got up and went to the kitchen to serve tea to Aunt Wang.

A little while later, Jiang Shu returned with several cups of tea, while Aunt Wang went to sit on the balcony after coming out of the kitchen.

"She didn't seem to be in the mood to sit and chat with us, and different people had already asked her about the information several times, so there was no need for her to repeat it again. I told her to go and rest."

As Jiang Shu spoke, he sat down again.

Bai Lian nodded: "She actually trusts you so much. It seems you have a very good relationship with the victim."

Jiang Shu waved his hand and deliberately said, "Close buddy, brother."

He paused, then suddenly asked Bai Lian with a strange expression, "She just told me your name. Is that your real name?"

"Uh..." Bai Lian's hand holding the teacup suddenly froze.

"Why do I feel like your ID is more like your real name than your real name?" Jiang Shu asked with a smile.

"..." Bai Lian put down her teacup and took a deep breath: "A pseudonym, that's the pseudonym I use when I go out on missions."

"Really?" Jiang Shu looked at Consultant Liu: "Consultant Liu, is Zhanlong really Bai Lian's pseudonym?"

"I'm not too sure about that." Consultant Liu shook his head with a smile. "Go ask Shen Mo."

"Okay, I'll ask."

As she spoke, Jiang Shu took out her phone, but Bai Lian snatched it away.

She gritted her teeth, her face flushed, and stared intently at Jiang Shu: "You're dead if you dare ask."

Jiang Shu raised his hands in surrender and said with a smile, "Then it seems to be your real name."

Upon hearing this, Bai Lian clenched her fists and said fiercely, "It's not just you who knows my real name, I know yours too."

"So what?" Jiang Shu shrugged. "My name is just an ordinary one. What difference would it make if people found out?"

"..."

Having slightly relieved his frustration in this way, Jiang Shu stood up: "Alright, let's get to work."

Bai Lian was taken aback, and the anger on her face quickly dissipated: "What job?"

"Start the investigation."

Bai Lian sighed, "I've been investigating all afternoon and haven't found anything. I was planning to go back first, but you suddenly called, so I stayed until now."

“Your level of expertise is insufficient.” Jiang Shu shook his head regretfully: “I knew it was related to evolved beings as soon as I heard it on the phone, so I specially invited Consultant Liu.”

"Why don't you call yourself Shen Mo?" Consultant Liu asked with a smile.

“You wouldn’t need him if you came; he’s not good enough.” Jiang Shu chuckled.

"Never say this to his face."

As he spoke, Consultant Liu stood up, and the three of them went into their friend's room together.

The room wasn't big, and the decor wasn't particularly fancy.

When Jiang Shu was chatting with a friend, he learned that the other person had only moved in recently, and it was just a rented apartment.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Jiang Shu entered the workforce, while his friend pursued further education, enrolling in a prestigious university in another city for a master's degree. After graduating, he failed the civil service exam twice, so he decided to work for a company. Thinking that it didn't matter where he was, he could return to Tancheng to take care of his elderly parents who were suffering from various illnesses, so he moved back from another city.

Upon returning, he immediately brought his retired parents from the small county town to the city, thinking that the medical conditions in the big city were better and it would be more convenient to see a doctor, so he is now living with his parents.

It's clear that my friend's life isn't exactly wealthy. Although he mentioned that the benefits at the big company are quite good, it doesn't seem to reflect on his quality of life. I guess either he's saving all his money because he's reluctant to spend it, or he's using it all for his parents' medical treatment.

Looking at the bed sheet, Jiang Shu felt it looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that the other person had been using it since college and had been using it ever since.

Inside the open wardrobe, there were many clothes that Jiang Shu had seen the other person wear years ago.

The newest and most valuable item in the entire room is probably the laptop on the desk.

This was because my friend needed to buy a better-spec computer for work.

Jiang Shu plopped down on the bed: "So it's not because of money?"

"Hmm." Bai Lian shrugged. "Auntie said that all the valuables are at home, and there are people at the bank watching over things. No one has withdrawn money from the victim's account yesterday or today."

"Why is that..." Jiang Shu looked puzzled and said helplessly to Consultant Liu, "Please take a look and see if you can find any clues."

"I'll do my best." Consultant Liu nodded and began to carefully examine the room.

As she investigated, Bai Lian said:

"The night before last, around 10 p.m., the victim's parents went to rest one after the other. At that time, the victim was still watching TV in the living room while waiting for his late-night takeout.

Around 1 a.m., the victim's mother got up to use the bathroom. The victim was no longer in the living room, but there was still a faint light on in his room. Out of concern, the victim's mother knocked on the door and told the victim to get some rest.

At that time, the victim responded, saying that he suddenly remembered that he had not finished his work, and that he would go to sleep after finishing it, and that he had to leave early the next day to attend the morning meeting.

The victim's mother didn't think much of it, reminded him to turn on the light when using the computer, and then went back to sleep.

When the victim's parents got up around 6 a.m., the victim was gone. At first, they thought the victim had gone to work because the victim had left his slippers in the entryway.

During the day, the victim's mother sent a message asking what the victim wanted to eat for dinner, but there was no reply.

It wasn't until that evening, when the victim's parents realized something was wrong, that they checked the surveillance footage and discovered that the victim hadn't left the apartment complex since returning home the night before, and that even the elevator cameras hadn't captured him.

Afterwards, the victim's parents reported the incident to the police. The police made a new discovery: because the security door had an electronic lock, the opening records could be viewed on a mobile phone. Although the victim's parents were elderly and did not understand this, the victim had still linked an app to their phones. The police were able to see that the security door had not been opened yesterday morning.

This made the situation even more complicated. The police had no clue whatsoever and could only report it up the chain of command until it reached the bureau.

I received the assignment before going to work this morning, and then went directly to the police station to find out what was going on. After reading some reports, I arrived here around noon today.

After speaking with the victim's mother, we thoroughly investigated the entire situation, inside and out, right up until your call, but we found nothing.

At this point, Consultant Liu had already inspected the entire room.

"Hmm, there are no signs of a struggle, nor any special clues. Everything seems normal."

Consultant Liu frowned, seemingly troubled:

"Moreover, this is the 22nd floor, and the windows have railings, so it's unlikely that they would have exited from here. Even if an evolved being might have the ability to pass through solid objects, it's impossible for them to take an ordinary person with them through."

Xiao Jiang, are you sure your friend is an ordinary person?

Jiang Shu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why do you ask that?"

"Because no matter how I think about it, it doesn't seem reasonable."

Consultant Liu explained:

"Even for evolved beings, it would be troublesome to get rid of an ordinary person silently. Blocking surveillance is one thing, but how do they get through the fence or open the security door without leaving a record? Not to mention that there are people coming and going in the community and security guards on duty. It is not an easy thing to avoid being discovered."

Lower-level evolved beings certainly couldn't do that, but higher-level evolved beings wouldn't need to expend so much effort on an ordinary person.