This is no ordinary criminal; we must strike with decisive force!

After the Midnight Headsman departed, Chen Shang and Chiyo also left the scene one after the other to avoid arousing suspicion.

They walked in silence for quite some time before Chen Shang finally broke it.

“Miss Asougi, would you care to come to my room for a while?”

At his words, Chiyo immediately crossed her arms and gave a cold snort. “Inviting a woman to your room?”

“Surely you don’t think I intend anything improper?” Chen Shang couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her prudishness. “Do you really believe I’m interested in you?”

In an instant, veins bulged on Chiyo’s forehead. With her strength at five points, she swung a punch that sent Chen Shang tumbling to the ground despite his attempt to block.

“You’d best remember who you’re talking to,” Chiyo snarled through clenched teeth, gripping his collar.

Perhaps it was days of pent-up frustration—Chiyo, for once, had returned to her former cold demeanor.

“Cough… cough…” Chen Shang struggled to recover from the dizziness, his smile fading. “Enough joking around. Let’s discuss business.”

“To my place.” Releasing him, Chiyo commanded, “I expect a satisfactory explanation for what just transpired.”

...

They arrived at a lavishly decorated hotel and, under the attentive care of the staff, made their way to a luxury suite on the top floor.

“So you were staying at the hotel next door all along?” Chen Shang sighed. No wonder he’d noticed that every night upon returning, Chiyo was always about five hundred meters away.

“Of course—I needed to keep you under surveillance.” Chiyo couldn’t be bothered to conceal it any longer and laid everything out. “Still, this room is a bit extravagant, isn’t it?”

Chen Shang looked around, marveling at the nearly forty square meters, private kitchen, and sumptuous bath. “This place is enormous.”

“It just so happens that our Asougi Group invested in this hotel, so the owner gave me the highest-grade room,” Chiyo explained. “And since it’s the top floor, I have a perfect view of the street—makes watching you that much easier.”

“Trust you to be so thorough,” Chen Shang remarked coolly.

In the game’s original settings, Asougi Chiyo was a woman with an intense need for control and a fiercely proud tsundere streak. With high enough affection toward the protagonist, she might very well resort to “stalking” behavior.

Burdened from childhood by immense family expectations, Chiyo’s heart had grown twisted, making it hard for her to distinguish between personal and professional feelings. For instance, even when she followed Chen Shang out of private interest, she convinced herself she was scouting talent for Tokugawa Corporation.

“At dinner, I slipped a tiny tracker into your wine glass,” Chiyo confessed, laying her cards on the table. “Don’t worry—the device is harmless and will pass through your system in a few days.”

She continued, “And you? When did you realize I was following you?”

“I had a general idea of your location,” Chen Shang replied with a vague smile. “As for how… let’s just say, intuition.”

“That’s hardly an answer…” Chiyo started to protest, but Chen Shang quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. “Let’s discuss why you were tracking me.”

Chiyo’s brow twitched unconsciously. “As the Tokugawa Corporation’s representative, I wanted to assess your qualifications—”

“Stop lying to yourself,” Chen Shang interrupted, wagging his finger. “Search your heart—the real reason you followed me is because you’ve developed a personal interest.”

At these words, Chiyo’s breathing grew heavier. Though she tried to compose herself, her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

“You… what nonsense are you spouting?! I’m not—” she tried to argue.

But Chen Shang pressed on, “Think back to when you first met me. What was your impression?”

Chiyo pondered, recalling: “Murderer, con artist, instigator, sociopath…”

“Not exactly flattering terms… so, naturally, you paid me special attention, didn’t you?” Sensing the conversation had ripened, Chen Shang’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Since you wish to observe me, let’s make a wager, Senior Chiyo.”

Chiyo frowned. “What sort of wager?”

“Simple. Give me two weeks, and I’ll turn the Kunlun District upside down.”

Chen Shang’s words echoed in her ears, leaving her utterly taken aback.

Turn the Kunlun District upside down? With nothing but a high school student?

“Hmph, you certainly know how to boast,” Chiyo couldn’t help but laugh.

“If I succeed, I’ll take something from you.”

“And if you fail?”

“You can do with me as you please.”

“Deal.” Chiyo snapped her fingers in a flourish. “Anyway, the three great sects have no dealings with the Asougi Group—do as you like.”

“If you enjoy watching, then watch closely,” Chen Shang said with a confident smile. “I promise you, this will be the most unforgettable holiday of your life.”

...

The following morning, at the Daoist Sect—

A young man with yellow hair, clad in a casual suit, strode up the steps, trailed by two men in suits carrying luggage.

At the top of the steps stood an elderly man in Daoist robes, waiting, a delicate young girl by his side.

“Young Master Xu Qing, was your journey pleasant?” The old Daoist greeted him warmly, his smile full of kindness.

“Thank you for your concern, Grandpa Yuqian.” Xu Qing returned the greeting with a smile. “How has the head of the sect been lately?”

“Very well! Better than ever!” The old man, none other than the sect leader himself, beamed at Xu Qing. “Thanks to the Xu Group’s generous support, our Daoist Sect is flourishing. I couldn’t be more delighted.”

The Xu Group was the sect’s principal patron. Even the head had to show utmost respect to the young master of the Xu family.

As they exchanged pleasantries, the girl ran over, gazing up at Xu Qing.

“Brother Xu Qing, it’s been so long!”

“And you are…?” Xu Qing pondered, then smiled in surprise. “Ah, Qiu Xue? You’ve grown so much!”

“I’m so glad you still remember me!” The girl, Qiu Xue, blushed, her cheeks tinged with pink.

The Xu Group and the Daoist Sect had been in cooperation for over a decade. To cement their friendship, the chairman once sent his young son to the sect for a period of training.

During that time, Xu Qing became acquainted with the sect leader’s granddaughter, Yuqian Qiu Xue, and the two grew up like childhood friends.

Of course, this backstory was a contrivance added by that second-generation heir. After all, Yuqian Qiu Xue was originally designed as a heroine for players to pursue—how could Chen Shang make her the childhood friend of the second male lead?

Xu Qing’s demeanor shifted as he turned to business. “I heard about the incident at the Confucian Sect yesterday—word is spreading fast. I cancelled my vacation and came here at my father’s request to investigate the ‘Midnight Headsman.’”

The sect leader immediately praised him, “I’ve long heard of your extraordinary talent for investigation, Young Master Xu. With your help, our efforts will be redoubled!”

As a protagonist with all attributes maxed at five, Xu Qing’s Inspiration was at the human limit as well. Inspiration in this context meant insight and investigative power, but exceeding five could allow one to perceive things beyond ordinary senses—sometimes at the cost of sanity.

In the original plot, the Xu Group would send Xu Qing to investigate during the autumn break, mainly to help the Daoist Sect root out internal threats and strengthen their alliance.

The swift capture of the “Midnight Headsman” was, in large part, thanks to this overpowered investigator’s involvement.

“I’ll uncover the true identity of the ‘Midnight Headsman’ as quickly as possible,” Xu Qing declared with confidence. “For such a heinous criminal to be hiding within our own sect… we must strike hard!”