Mystery Within Mystery

The air in the living room seemed to freeze.

The visiting guests, whose faces had previously been full of cheerful conversation, now showed only cautious observation and awkwardness.

The sudden visit of the police instantly brought a sense of scrutiny to this house rich with a scholarly atmosphere.

One well-dressed middle-aged man lost his composure and stood straight up from the sofa, his brows tightly furrowed.

Do you have an arrest warrant? I know Director Wang from the city bureau. I hope you handle things according to procedure.

His tone was unfriendly, carrying a condescending questioning attitude as he tried to use his connections to pressure these two seemingly young police officers.

Xia Zhi didn't even bat an eyelid. She calmly met his gaze, her voice cool and professional.

Please sit down, sir. We are not here to arrest anyone. We just have some professional questions we would like to ask Professor Lu Mingxin.

Her words were neither haughty nor humble, instantly neutralizing the man's aggressive posture and easing the tense atmosphere in the living room.

Hearing that it wasn't some major criminal matter, the guests in the living room and old Professor Lu visibly sighed in relief.

A smile returned to old Professor Lu's face. He even stood up and said to his wife, Since it's to assist the police, old woman, go wake Mingxin up and tell him to cooperate fully with the officers.

Alright.

The old lady responded, walked quickly to a tightly closed bedroom door, and knocked heavily.

Mingxin, wake up. Some police officers are here to ask you a few things.

A moment later, the sound of someone getting out of bed came from inside. With a click, the door opened.

Lu Mingxin poked his head out, sleepy-eyed and sporting a messy bird's nest of hair. He was still wearing crumpled pajamas, and a unique wave of exhaustion from staying up all night washed over him.

Mom, what is it? Didn't I tell you I pulled an all-nighter doing experiments...

His complaints came to an abrupt halt because he finally saw the two people standing behind his mother.

Liu Zheng expressionlessly flashed his badge, while Xia Zhi watched him quietly.

Lu Mingxin's pupils shrank slightly. Who are you?!

Xia Zhi gave a slight nod and got straight to the point. Hello, Professor Lu. We need to ask you some things regarding Billy Chen. Is it convenient?

The name Billy exploded like a clap of thunder in Lu Mingxin's mind.

The sleepiness on his face vanished instantly without a trace, leaving only shock and suspicion.

He subconsciously stepped aside, his voice dry. Please come in, you two.

Then, he suddenly turned back to look at his mother, hurriedly instructing, Mom, don't let anyone come in to disturb us unless it's important.

The old lady was taken aback by her son's unusually stern tone. Although filled with worry, she nodded and turned back to the living room.

Although the old lady was somewhat worried, she still returned to the living room.

Seeing this situation, the guests in the living room could no longer sit still.

The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier stood up and said to old Professor Lu, Teacher, since you have matters to attend to at home, we will take our leave.

Another middle-aged man also stood up.

Yes, Teacher. My son and I won't disturb you any longer either.

Old Professor Lu nodded, turning his gaze to his student's son with expectation on his face. Xu Sheng, strive to get into Yixian Academy in the future, while I can still teach.

The named teenager, Xu Sheng, scratched his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly.

I will work hard, Grandpa Lu.

Soon, Xu Sheng's family said their goodbyes and left.

On the rooftop of a residential building a hundred meters away, Lin Mo sat on a water tank. His divine sense was like an invisible net, taking in everything happening in the Lu household.

He watched Xu Sheng's figure slowly fade into the distance, feeling slightly surprised.

Xu Sheng came from a wealthy family, and his father was also a senior intellectual. He just hadn't expected them to appear at Lu Mingxin's house.

This was exactly why he had found an excuse to slip away just now. If he could avoid exposing his identity in front of a classmate, it was best to do so.

Lin Mo concentrated his divine sense once more, carefully sweeping across Lu Mingxin's entire room.

However, there was no trace of the ancient texts he was looking for.

Had Lu Mingxin sent them away, or hidden them somewhere else?

Inside the room.

Xia Zhi closed the door, cutting off the sounds from outside.

She didn't beat around the bush; her first sentence went straight to the heart of the matter.

Billy Chen died last night. We have reason to believe this was a premeditated murder.

Boom!

Lu Mingxin felt his mind go completely blank. He staggered back a step, grabbing the bookcase behind him for support, his wide eyes full of bloodshot veins.

Im... impossible! How could that be! I just saw him a little while ago! His voice trembled uncontrollably.

We know.

Liu Zheng took over, his tone steady. On June 22nd, the first person he met after returning to the country was you.

Xia Zhi's gaze was as sharp as a knife. He handed some things over to you, right?

This sentence wasn't a question, but a statement.

Lu Mingxin jerked his head up, looking at them as if he had seen a ghost. You... you even know about that?!

We also know that those things were brought back by him from Britain, Xia Zhi pressed on. And this is very likely the reason he brought a fatal disaster upon himself.

She paused, and finally said, If the other party is after these things, then you might be the next target.

Hearing this, Lu Mingxin broke out in a cold sweat.

Cold sweat instantly rolled down his forehead.

He couldn't hold it in anymore. Raising his hands, he spoke rapidly and incoherently, The things aren't with me! They really aren't here! Everything he gave me, I handed over to Professor Lin Huaimin! He's a professor of cultural relic restoration and preservation at our university. He's the real expert! Go find him!

We will go find him, but you need to explain clearly first. What did Billy Chen give you? We need specific names.

They are ancient texts, all things looted from Tianjing during the Eight-Nation Alliance period. They couldn't understand those things, but they put them all in the British Library.

Lu Mingxin spilled everything he knew all at once.

After Billy went to study abroad in Britain, he discovered this. We are in the same chat group, and later I guided him on how to swap the books out of the library.

Is there anything special about these books?

Lu Mingxin shook his head repeatedly. I didn't dare open them. These books all have insect damage or are deteriorated due to old age. The people at the British Library don't know how to maintain those books, which is why I immediately sent them over to Professor Lin.

Liu Zheng and Xia Zhi exchanged a glance, both confirming from the micro-expressions on each other's faces that he was telling the truth.

However, Xia Zhi still asked one more question, Besides this, did Billy Chen say anything else to you, or mention anything that you should pay special attention to?

Uh... probably not. But I heard he actually planned to stay and not return to Britain for the time being.

Since they had asked almost everything, they still needed to go see what the issue was with those ancient texts first.

They had to set off immediately once again, hurrying to the next location.

This was how detective work went. Most of the time was spent either investigating or on the way to investigate.