Chapter 138: Bronze Law [Dream Journey Spirit Trace]

Xiao Li looked slightly panicked. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to learn from you, Captain Mu."

"Your question just now... was it what you wanted to ask, or what Su Mu wanted you to ask?"

Xiao Li's face fell. "Captain, what are you saying? What does this have to do with Su Mu?"

"Everything. If he could control you to turn the lights back on, why couldn't he control you to pry into the Law Enforcement Bureau's secrets?"

"Captain, I didn't! I'll undergo a mental anomaly examination, I swear!"

"I would have ordered one anyway. Someone take Xiao Li down. And not just him—every ordinary staff member of the Law Enforcement Bureau who came into contact with Su Mu is getting a mental examination!"

Mu Lingxi's orders quickly threw the Law Enforcement Bureau into chaos. People were hauled off for testing without the slightest idea why.

"Let me go! I'm perfectly fine, I don't need a check!" someone shouted in panic. Working at the Law Enforcement Bureau, he naturally knew what a mental examination entailed.

The mind was not the physical body; the slightest misstep could cause permanent damage. Even a routine hospital X-ray involved radiation—let alone a probe into a person's psyche.

Mu Lingxi was cautious, but Su Mu was more so.

Accustomed to hypnotizing his targets, Su Mu had deliberately spared the ordinary staff. For one, they had no access to confidential information, making hypnosis useless. More importantly, the Law Enforcement Bureau undoubtedly had methods to detect such tampering.

After all, this operation was led by a Gold tier powerhouse and an elite detachment from the Imperial Capital General Law Enforcement Bureau. If hypnosis were truly invincible, the Bronze Law [Mind Capturing and Thought Guiding] wouldn't be ranked a mere forty-fourth.

...

...

Night.

Sikong Zhen, the Gold tier Transcendent, returned after a busy day. His habitually furrowed brows had uncharacteristically smoothed out. Thinking of the Mithril Mine he had just acquired, he felt a surge of pleasure.

He hadn't made this trip for nothing. He had the Mithril Mine in hand, and then there was the Murong family.

As the local tyrants of Star City, the Murong family controlled a vast array of industries. Now that Murong Zhuo was dead, only a handful of insignificant members remained in the clan. With the right maneuvering, he could undoubtedly squeeze out even more profit.

Knock, knock, knock...

A faint knock sounded at the door.

His train of thought interrupted, Sikong Zhen frowned. "Enter."

With a click, Mu Lingxi pushed the door open. Holding a list, she got straight to the point. "Lord Sikong, this is the suspect list from the banquet. I've screened everyone who attended and singled out several key targets. Please review it."

Sikong Zhen didn't reach for it. Instead, he waved his hand dismissively. "You're the professional investigator here. Handle it however you see fit. I'm only responsible for making the arrests. Notify me when you actually find Pride."

Mu Lingxi's expression remained cold, as if expecting this exact outcome. She didn't buy Sikong Zhen's high-sounding rhetoric. He clearly didn't want to be bothered, conveniently dumping the work onto her under the guise of trusting a professional.

"Lord Sikong, my plan is to let these suspects believe they've passed the screening. Once they lower their guard, we can initiate the second phase—"

Sikong Zhen cut her off. "You have full authority over the investigation. There's no need to report to me. I only want Pride's exact location."

"Yes, Lord Sikong." Mu Lingxi put the list away and exited the office without another word.

...

...

Bronze Coffin Company.

Su Mu was playing with Bubai. After being fed a massive amount of mental energy, Bubai had grown a new arm and shot up in size, stretching from just over two meters to a towering three. It certainly embodied the principle of no construction without destruction.

"Eat up, you poor kid. You probably didn't get many full meals before you met me, did you?"

Su Mu continuously poured mental energy into Bubai. Even though the shadow entity was already stuffed, he kept feeding it. His mental energy replenished entirely every day—an automatic reset. If he didn't burn through it, it would just go to waste.

He finally stopped when the three-meter-tall, slender-limbed Bubai was sporting a bulging belly, looking almost pregnant.

Su Mu lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. A smile of anticipation hung on his lips, eager for whatever surprises tomorrow might bring.

Time trickled by. It was soon the dead of night, and Su Mu was fast asleep.

But while he slept, others were still awake.

Inside the Law Enforcement Bureau, Mu Lingxi took small sips from a cup of coffee. Sitting across from her was a young man with severe dark circles and thinning hair.

The man wore heavy, black-rimmed glasses over a pair of dead-fish eyes. His eyelids kept drooping shut and snapping back open. He was clearly exhausted.

"Zhuang Qing," Mu Lingxi called out. The man jolted awake, hurriedly wiping away a bit of drool. "Ah? What time is it?"

"Two in the morning."

"It's two already?" Zhuang Qing's face fell, and he smoothed down his sparse hair. "Captain, can we start now? I really can't keep staying up late. Look at my hair—it's almost gone. When I tell people I work at the Bureau, nobody believes me. They insist I'm a programmer."

Mu Lingxi nodded. "Wait a bit longer. The Upper District has a rich nightlife, and many people sleep late. Give it another half hour. Then you'll activate [Dream Journey Spirit Trace] and infiltrate the target's dream."

Hearing that he had to wait another half hour, Zhuang Qing looked utterly devastated. "Ugh! Why does my ability have to be [Dream Journey Spirit Trace]? It should be renamed to [Staying Up Late to Sleep with Someone]. Every time, I have to stay up waiting for the target, and I only get to sleep after they do."

"Shut up," Mu Lingxi snapped. "What are you complaining about? This is the greatest use of [Dream Journey Spirit Trace]. People are defenseless in their dreams, making it the easiest place to extract secrets. Back when you failed all five entry exams, I made an exception and recruited you because I valued your ability. Is this how you repay me? Pull yourself together."

Zhuang Qing shrank back, clearly a little afraid of her, though he kept muttering under his breath. "If you want me to pull myself together, at least let me have some coffee."

"No. What if you drink coffee and can't fall asleep when it's time?"

Zhuang Qing shook his head repeatedly. "I won't. I learned a particularly effective trick. It makes me drowsy the moment I use it. I definitely won't have trouble sleeping."

"What trick?"

Zhuang Qing looked troubled. He glanced at the coldly beautiful Mu Lingxi, and, figuring she probably wouldn't understand, blurted it out. "The 'rub-one-out' method."

Mu Lingxi sneered. "You plan to use this method in my office? Should I provide a photo of myself to help?"