All day long, I couldn't get out of here. I have no idea what Mr. Cooper did, but no matter which way I tried, I always ended up back in the courtyard.
And this Blood Jade still unsettles me. I can't tell if it's good or bad. I asked Mrs. Blake about it, and she only told me that it's fine to carry it, but I must never let any wicked thoughts creep in.
"Let me out, now." At dinner, I glared at Mr. Cooper, but both elders just ate in silence.
"Kid, the food you made is actually pretty decent—not as bad as I imagined."
I shot Mr. Cooper a sideways glance. Clearly, no matter what I said, he wasn't planning to let me leave anytime soon.
By the second day, I was nearly losing my mind. I begged, pleaded, threatened—Mr. Cooper just wouldn't let me out, and Mrs. Blake stayed silent, avoiding me altogether.
It wasn't until around 4 p.m., after I wore him down and showed Mr. Cooper my fully recovered body, that he finally decided to let me go.
Before I left, Mr. Cooper returned my phone and gave me a final warning.
"Brat, take care of yourself. You just got better—don't come back looking like a rag again."
"Got it."
"Ethan Zhang, I really don't want to be the one to perform your last rites someday, you know. Heh..."
I shot Mr. Cooper a resentful look.
"Well, I can't bear to lose you either!"
As Mr. Cooper spoke, my eyes welled up with tears. Then he added another line.
"At least you still bring me a decent income, kid."
I couldn't take it anymore. I flipped him off and left, feeling a bit relieved inside as I hurried down Fortune-Teller Street.
"Where are you guys?" I called Hugh Thompson and asked right away. After chatting for a bit, I hung up.
Howard Lee and Rachel Lan were near the Construction Bureau, keeping watch around the clock. Hugh Thompson was at headquarters, busy digging through some files.
But as soon as I hit the main street, planning to grab a cab, I froze. I didn't have a single cent left. All my change had gone straight into Mr. Cooper's hands—he took every last coin and never gave any back. I was distracted at the time, but now that I'm out, it hits me.
I thought about going back to borrow money from Mr. Cooper, but knowing him, he'd charge me interest—way worse than any loan shark. That's just how much he loves money.
Just as I hesitated, I suddenly spotted a familiar figure on the street—Roger Lee, my colleague from the cleaning company where I worked for nearly two years. He always looked out for me. I rushed over.
"Roger!"
"Well, if it isn't Ethan! What are you doing here? Hey, your phone's been unreachable, and you haven't contacted us for months. So, did you find a new job yet?"
I smiled.
"Just picking up odd jobs for now." As I spoke, I noticed how energetic Roger looked—he seemed much younger, not like someone in his forties at all.
"Ha! Ethan, you noticed, huh? Heh, I've gotten younger. Even my wife listens to me now. And at night, well, let's just say I'm stronger than ever."
I gave an awkward laugh.
"Uh, Roger, could you lend me five hundred? I need it urgently. I'll pay you back in a few days."
"Sure, Ethan." Roger counted out five hundred for me, then said goodbye. We agreed to get together with our old coworkers in a few days.
But something felt off about Roger. After months apart, how did he suddenly look like a glowing young man in his thirties?
"Don't tell me he's a ghost?" I muttered, then slapped myself. I quickly grabbed a cab and headed for the Construction Bureau.
Around six o'clock, I arrived at the front gate of the city Construction Bureau. A conspicuous red sedan was parked across the street in an alley. I paid the fare and walked over. Sure enough, Rachel Lan was wide-eyed but looked exhausted, while Howard Lee was snoring away beside her.
"Ethan, how did you end up here?"
"I'll take over the watch. Go lie down in the back for a bit."
I opened the car door and, despite Rachel's protests, pulled her out and pushed her onto the back seat, making her lie down.
"Ethan..." Rachel turned her face away.
"Just get some sleep. Later, if you want anything to eat, I'll buy it for you."
The snoring stopped. I glanced over in surprise—Howard Lee still had his eyes closed. Then I got up, sat in the driver's seat, and kept watch. In the rearview mirror, Rachel had turned away and seemed to be sleeping as I'd told her.
"Ethan, when did you get here?"
Howard Lee asked, and I saw him trying not to laugh, glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time.
I looked at him, puzzled.
"What's up?"
"N-nothing, really..." Howard started to whisper something, but suddenly a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. I felt a tingling sensation on my back.
"Oh, Ethan, since you're here, let me tell you about Richard Li. Let's step outside so we don't disturb Miss Lan's rest."
We headed outside and stopped by a utility pole.
Howard started talking: Richard Li transferred to the Construction Bureau thirteen years ago, after working in the town office. He quickly became the bureau chief—a pretty high-ranking official in the city.
Everyone around him speaks highly of Richard Li, whether colleagues or superiors. They all say he's fair and easy to work with, and there's never been any negative talk. The only thing is, he never remarried—his wife died years ago from illness.
Richard Li lives in Civic Residences near the bureau—a simple three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. For two days straight, Rachel and Howard took turns watching, but they never saw him do anything unusual.
Yesterday, Hugh Thompson set up surveillance in Richard Li's home, but found nothing. He just goes home, watches the news and TV dramas, and lives a simple life. Colleagues sometimes drop by for tea and gossip—very ordinary stuff.
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"That's it?" I stared at Howard Lee in disbelief. This doesn't match up with Michael Chen, the notorious thug. We've already locked onto our target, but now we're stumped—he seems like a perfectly ordinary guy.
"Did we get the wrong person, Ethan?"
I fell silent. We'd expected Richard Li to be a corrupt official living in luxury, but now everything about him seemed completely opposite.
According to our investigation, Richard Li hasn't changed much in thirteen years. He's always been diligent at work.
Just after six, as people clocked out, a crowd of civil servants poured out of the bureau. Then I saw a gentle-looking man in his fifties, riding a bicycle, glasses on, gray at the temples but healthy. That had to be Richard Li.
As he passed, plenty of people greeted him. Howard and I jogged after Richard Li.
After following him for two blocks, we arrived at a newly built residential complex. As soon as Richard Li got home, everyone in the courtyard rushed to greet him.
After a while, we returned to the car. Howard and I were both feeling down, and Rachel was up, yawning.
"Ethan, you saw it all, right?"
I nodded, torn inside. Maybe we've really got the wrong guy.
"A person like that, maybe..."
"There's something wrong."
Howard and I both turned to look at Rachel.
"Do you really think an official of his rank is as squeaky clean as he looks?"
"Miss Lan, what do you mean?"
I looked at Rachel, confused.
"Being that good is too abnormal."
Rachel's words made sense. It was definitely weird.
"Besides, he's a man. Drinking, gambling, women—he's got to have at least one vice."
As soon as Rachel finished, she glanced at me. I let out a little gasp.
"Let's go eat. Tonight, we'll test him."
After dinner, the three of us drove to the neighborhood. Howard Lee's jaw dropped.
"Looks like it's not going to work."
"Why not?"
I asked. Rachel's idea of 'testing him' was to summon a little ghost to try Richard Li—force him into a corner. At the very least, if he ran into danger, he'd have to react.
"Sigh, Ethan, you don't know. My spiritual skills are pretty weak—I can only summon Pale Ghosts at best. Even Yellow Page ghosts are tough for me. And officials have 'official fire' protecting them. Ordinary ghosts can't even get close, let alone mess with them. Unless I could summon a vengeful ghost."
Rachel looked at Howard and shook her head, sighing.
"Don't look down on me. I've even been abstinent lately. Just wait—one day I'll be the top fighter in the Ghost Burial Squad."
"More like desperate, Howard. Last night, I saw you ogling that woman on the street, then you made an excuse to follow her. What were you up to, huh? Did you get her number?"
I covered my mouth and started laughing. Howard's face turned beet red, like a slab of pork liver.
I kept watching the window. Richard Li lived in Unit 6, Apartment 609, fifth floor, right near us. The lights were on.
"Ethan, get one of the female ghosts from your building to try him out," Rachel suggested.
"I'll call Helen Chen." I said, pulling out my phone. Just then, there was a loud crash—Richard Li's window shattered, and a chair fell out.
With a roar, Howard floored it, driving straight to the entrance of the complex.
"Police! Move!" As soon as we entered the complex, we jumped out and sprinted toward Unit 6.
There was another crash, sparks flying everywhere. This time, we saw clearly—it was Richard Li's kitchen. The window had exploded, flames shooting up, shards of glass raining down.