Chapter 144: Bai Yun’an: ?! It really wasn’t me!!!

Before leaving the house, Bai Yunxing went to check on his parents.

Good. They were sound asleep.

To avoid them waking up and discovering that all their children had vanished—like the sky had fallen—Bai Yunxing even left a note on the table before heading out.

Once outside, he made a beeline for the direction of Zhenxiu Restaurant, where Manager Cao lived.

He wanted to confirm his suspicions.

To do that, he first needed to figure out why Zhenxiu Restaurant hadn’t opened today. Was Manager Cao sick, or was there something else going on?

Time was tight, and Bai Yunxing practically sprinted the whole way.

But along the way, he kept glancing back.

He didn’t know why, but he had the distinct feeling that someone was following him.

Yet every time he turned around, there was no one in sight.

Bai Yun’an trailed behind his second brother, neither too fast nor too slow.

Even though he no longer had access to his powers, he’d still survived the apocalypse. Tail someone without powers—who was also just a kid? That was child’s play.

Besides, having no powers just meant he couldn’t actively use them. If his big brother showed up, he could still activate his defensive abilities.

Why? Because the System owed him!

(System: This guy’s ruthless! And to be fair, there really was a glitch in the approval process. It’s not easy being a working-class system, okay? ?_?)

But! It required freezing 5 Favorability Points to activate.

For example, if he currently had 65 Favorability Points, using a power wouldn’t make them disappear, but they would go into cooldown. His access to the Spatial Storage would drop to 60.

To restore it, he’d need time—a full seven days to recover one point.

So for now, Bai Yun’an was trying to avoid using his powers unless absolutely necessary.

“Is that… Yunxing?”

A familiar voice called out from ahead. The distance made it sound a bit faint.

Bai Yun’an: ?

That voice… wasn’t it Shopkeeper Liang from Shiwei Restaurant?

But what was Shopkeeper Liang doing here?

Bai Yun’an crept closer, hiding behind a large water jar. With his back turned and a change of clothes, he squatted down. No one would notice him right away.

Bai Yunxing hadn’t expected to run into Shopkeeper Liang here either.

But he was quick on his feet and immediately came up with an explanation.

“Going to buy ink. I need it for school tomorrow.”

Luckily, this route did make sense if he were heading to buy ink.

Shopkeeper Liang asked, “Where are your parents?”

Bai Yunxing answered honestly, “They’re asleep.”

Shopkeeper Liang nodded. “Makes sense. It’s a good time for a nap. If I had the time, I’d be dozing off at the shop myself.”

“Uncle Liang, where are you headed?” Bai Yunxing asked, already guessing that Shopkeeper Liang might be going to see Manager Cao.

But weren’t the two of them always at odds?

Still, he had a strong feeling—almost a certainty—that his guess was right.

“Going to check if Old Cao passed out from anger!”

“Uncle Liang and Manager Cao…” Bai Yunxing began.

Shopkeeper Liang chuckled heartily. “Sworn enemies, since we were kids. But Old Cao’s not a bad guy. He just hates losing. When we were young, we couldn’t stand each other. Neither would back down.”

“But now that we’re older, there’s a strange sense of camaraderie. To have been rivals all our lives… that’s a kind of bond too.”

“You kids wouldn’t understand. You’re too young to know what it means to carry old grudges.”

Bai Yunxing smiled. “Then can I come with you to check on him?”

Shopkeeper Liang gave him a suspicious look. “You’re not just tagging along to watch us old folks bicker, are you?”

Bai Yunxing quickly shook his head. “Of course not! You and Manager Cao—this is what they call a love-hate relationship!”

“Hah! This kid’s got a silver tongue. Come on, then! With you there, maybe Old Cao will behave himself a bit.”

Before long, they arrived at Manager Cao’s residence.

“When Kang An was still around, Old Cao moved into the same house to take care of him more easily.”

“But after Kang An died, that place felt unlucky. He couldn’t get used to it, so he moved back here. No matter how fancy the place, nothing beats your own little den.”

As he spoke, Shopkeeper Liang knocked on the door.

They waited a while, but no one answered. Shopkeeper Liang frowned. “Could he really be sick?”

After asking the neighbors and confirming that Manager Cao hadn’t gone out today, Shopkeeper Liang decided to take matters into his own hands.

Under Bai Yunxing’s watchful gaze, Shopkeeper Liang expertly pulled a slender stick from his sleeve.

He slid it through the door crack and, with a quick flick, lifted the latch and pushed the door open.

“Let’s go in.”

Shopkeeper Liang stepped into the courtyard first.

Bai Yunxing: ?

Wait, that’s it? That easy?

Also… Shopkeeper Liang, you seem way too good at this.

An old man from next door followed them in too—just in case something happened, he could lend a hand.

“Old Cao!”

Shopkeeper Liang called out a few times, but there was no response. Without hesitation, he headed straight for the inner rooms.

But after searching the place thoroughly and finding no one, a sense of unease began to creep into him.

Bai Yunxing ventured, “Maybe Manager Cao went to visit some relatives?”

Shopkeeper Liang waved a hand, his face growing tense. “Old Cao was an orphan, raised by a widow. She passed away five years ago. He doesn’t have any family left.”

So where could he have gone?

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door—hurried and disorganized. Clearly, several people had arrived.

Bai Yunxing turned toward the entrance. Before long, he saw a group of constables in official uniforms appear.

The constables seemed surprised to find people already inside.

“Shopkeeper Liang? What are you doing here?”

They recognized him. Everyone knew Shopkeeper Liang and Manager Cao were business rivals.

“I was worried Old Cao might be sick and alone, so I came to check on him.”

After answering, Shopkeeper Liang asked in return, “Lao Liu¹? What are you all doing here?”

Bai Yunxing clearly saw the lead constable’s expression change.

“Old Cao…”

He hesitated, then said, “He’s dead.”

Bai Yunxing’s heart lurched. His mind immediately flashed to the severed hand that had appeared outside their house that morning.

Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

But in military campaigns, he’d seen too many so-called coincidences to dismiss this one.

“No way, Lao Liu… You’re joking, right?”

Shopkeeper Liang’s face turned grave. He stared at Constable Liu in disbelief.

“It’s true. This morning, someone found a severed hand. Later, someone stumbled upon a tongue and head in an abandoned courtyard in the west of the city.”

Even Bai Yunxing was stunned by what he heard.

Constable Liu’s voice rose with emotion. “We suspect it’s the same person who killed Kang An last time. The methods are extremely brutal—worse than before! The body was dismembered!”

Outside the door, Bai Yun’an squatted in silence: ???

Wait, what?! They’re just pinning this on me like that?!

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Translator’s Notes