Chapter 98: Unlucky Little Fox

"How did you know...?" As the words slipped out, Yin Zhi felt a little awkward.

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. After a moment, he sat up straight, his gaze falling back onto the box.

He reached out, picked up the box, and upon opening it, saw the blue Wind Chime lying silently inside.

The familiar aura made the young man narrow his eyes in pleasure. A moment later, he got up, went upstairs, and brought down the fragment Wen Qian had shoved at him the day before.

The young man sat down on the sofa, clasped his hands, and looked at Gu Mian. "Try piecing it together," he said coolly.

Gu Mian, however, didn’t reach for it. As if remembering something, he immediately pulled his phone from his pocket.

’There’s still one more fragment... with Qi Ke.’

Thinking about their encounter the previous night, Gu Mian’s heart sank.

He had been decisive when he sent the Little Fox away, clearly forgetting that he was carrying the fragment.

’I hope there are no Inspection Envoys among them, otherwise...’

The man’s expression darkened. He rubbed his temples, a hint of irritation on his face. ’So that’s why I’ve been feeling so uneasy.’

After dialing the number several times without success, the man looked up at Yin Zhi. "Have your people find Qi Ke."

"Why are we looking for him?" Yin Zhi’s expression soured at the mention of the Little Fox.

Suppressing his emotions with great effort, Gu Mian said coldly, "The last fragment is with him."

Yin Zhi was speechless.

The young man never imagined so much could happen on what seemed to be an ordinary night.

He hid in a sorry state in an alley, clutching a phone that had been smashed to pieces.

Qi Ke frowned, squatting unceremoniously in a corner. He carefully put the phone back together, then lowered his head and blew the glass shards off the screen.

The phone powered on, but the web of colored lines crisscrossing the screen made it clear it was unusable.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—

The phone vibrated again. Unable to see who was calling, Qi Ke cursed in frustration, "Damn it..."

Those people were like leeches. They had chased him all night and had even found his home in City A.

’Who the hell are these people? How do they have so much power that they could dig up everything about me in such a short time...’

Qi Ke had already left his apartment complex, but he was intercepted before he could even get to his car.

He’d initially planned to just explain things, but when he realized their target was the pendant around his neck, his first instinct was to run.

’Wen Qian once told me this was very important to her. No matter what it is... I can’t let it fall into anyone else’s hands.’

Besides, Qi Ke could feel the power radiating from it... He just didn’t dare to be certain, because the possibility was simply too absurd.

’The Critical Stone... The very thing the Beast World’s survival depends on.’

’How could she have just given it to me like that...’

’Even if she didn’t know then, what about when they met later? The Young Master of the Tiger Clan would have surely told her.’

For some reason, a sudden warmth bloomed in Qi Ke’s chest.

His eyelashes fluttered, and the corners of his mouth curved into a barely perceptible smile. ’This danger is nothing,’ he suddenly thought. ’I can do even better.’

...

Qi Ke didn’t dare to get his phone repaired out in the open. He changed into some plain clothes, put on a hat and a mask, and went to a private repair shop.

The owner of this shop was also a Beastman, from the same clan as Qi Ke.

The man was leaning against a display case, looking sharp yet casual in a white T-shirt and loose-fitting pants. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Qi Ke come in.

Qi Ke tapped his fingers twice on the glass counter. Their eyes met, and the man instantly understood. After ushering the few remaining customers out with some quick excuses, he lowered his voice. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean, ’what happened’..." Qi Ke pulled over a chair and sat down, looking completely drained. He hadn’t slept all night and was utterly exhausted.

"Dude, do you know you’re on the Beastman wanted list?" Xiao Rui instinctively whispered, even though there was no one else around.

Once a Beastman lands on Blue Star’s wanted list, it’s game over, no matter who they are.

Especially a minor celebrity like Qi Ke. With no power or influence, he could be blacklisted without anyone even noticing.

"Whatever. Let them put me on the list," Qi Ke said with a long sigh. He handed the phone to him. "How long will this take to fix?"

"Are you trying to be clever with a tongue twister?" Xiao Rui muttered with a pout, but he took the phone anyway. He glanced at the shattered screen and chuckled. "Whoa, look at this. Crushed ice."

"Oh, shut up..."

There was nothing seriously wrong with the phone; just the inner and outer screens were shattered. A replacement would make it good as new. Qi Ke had the latest model, so finding a new screen assembly wasn’t difficult. The real challenge was avoiding the people looking for him.

"I installed an anti-tracking system. You can use it normally now." Xiao Rui tinkered with the phone for a good while before handing it back.

Qi Ke didn’t take the phone immediately. Instead, he gave Xiao Rui a faint smile. "Can you help me with one more thing? I need you to find someone."

"Who are you looking for?" A hint of wariness crept into Xiao Rui’s eyes. Qi Ke rarely asked for his help, and when he did, it was always for some bizarre, thankless task.

Like five years ago, when he’d asked for help finding a female whose name he didn’t even know.

He couldn’t even give a clear description of her appearance, yet he expected him to scour all of City A to find her. ’Was that even a task for a human?’

"Wen Qian. She most likely left City A last night," Qi Ke said after a moment of thought.

"Sounds like a girl’s name..." The man stroked his chin, shooting Qi Ke a meaningful look. ’So he’s finally come to his senses,’ he thought. ’No longer fixated on that nameless girl?’

The thought made Xiao Rui a little happy. As long as he had a name, everything would be much simpler.

He turned toward an old iron door and pressed his thumb against it. A hidden panel slid open, revealing an illuminated iris scanner.

With a metallic WHOOSH, the door slid open.

"Follow me." Without looking back, Xiao Rui walked straight inside. Qi Ke followed him silently, and the two entered the room, one behind the other.

The smell of electronics that hit him in the face made Qi Ke frown. Inside the dimly lit room, computers of various models were neatly arranged in rows, all displaying surveillance feeds from different locations.

"S District, City A." Qi Ke followed Xiao Rui to a computer at the end of a row and watched his fingers fly across the keyboard.

He typed in commands with precision, his expression firm and confident.

Qi Ke watched in silence. White letters flickered across the screen and vanished, replaced by a flood of countless video feeds.

"Do you have an approximate time she left?" Xiao Rui asked, looking over at him.

Qi Ke thought for a moment. "Before 10:30 PM."

He had arrived at the complex at 10:30, and Wen Qian was already gone by then.