Chapter 00118: The Serial Killer
# The Serial Killer
Chapter 118
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 118: The Serial Killer
Qian Sen’s eyes widened in astonishment as he watched Li Chengxi, who had been sitting perfectly fine, suddenly jump up and down twice on the spot.
What’s with him? Is he trying to fly to the heavens?
This just goes to show that being too focused isn't always a good thing.
Li Chengxi hadn't heard the sensor doorbell at the entrance at all.
Or perhaps it just needed new batteries.
"It's nothing, I was sitting for too long and just needed to move around a bit."
Li Chengxi picked up his teacup to ease the awkwardness.
It was too embarrassing.
He suddenly felt the urge to crawl under the cashier counter.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Um, weren't you on desk duty recently because of your injury? What brings you all the way out here?"
Just as he finished speaking, before Qian Sen could answer, one of the two men dressed as police officers behind him spoke up.
"Comrade Qian Sen, are you well acquainted with Mr. Li?"
"No!"
Qian Sen reflexively stood at attention, looking particularly tense.
"We only met recently. At that time, a transmigrator appeared at his home. Later, during the haunted house incident, it was thanks to Mr. Li's help that I was able to call for backup in time. Mr. Li saved my life, which is why we appear to be familiar with each other."
Li Chengxi looked at Qian Sen with great confusion.
Why did he look like he was about to be executed?
"These two police officers, um..."
Suddenly realizing that they had come with Qian Sen and were likely also from Section Nine, Li Chengxi was unsure how to address them.
"It's alright. We all have identities within the police system. If Mr. Li feels 'police officer' is a suitable title, you may call us that."
"Alright, are these two police comrades...?"
Qian Sen quickly interjected.
"These two comrades are from the Head Office."
"The Head Office?"
Section Nine's Head Office?
Wait, what's going on?
I just sold a bottle of potion.
I've seen plenty of people selling potions on the forum.
They wouldn't send people from the Head Office to find me just for this, would they?
Li Chengxi suddenly felt a bit flustered too.
It was like minding your own business when you suddenly receive a notice that you're being investigated by law enforcement from another province...
"Mr. Li, please do not be alarmed. We are simply here to ask you a few questions. Our purpose for coming is not directly related to you."
They're not here for me?
Li Chengxi relaxed slightly.
"What do you need to ask?"
"Regarding the incident a few days ago where Comrade Qian Sen was injured, please describe it in detail. Any detail could be helpful to us."
That's it?
Didn't I already give a statement about that?
Why is the Head Office sending people to ask again?
More and more questions popped into Li Chengxi's mind, but seeing Qian Sen nodding vigorously beside him, he still said:
"No problem, it's just that a few days have passed, so I might not remember some details very clearly..."
He recounted everything to the two men from the Head Office—how he had found Qian Sen and how the main force from Section Nine had handled the aftermath.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Li."
As Li Chengxi spoke, they jotted down notes in their notebooks, looking extremely serious.
"Excuse me, regarding the transmigrator at your home, has Miss Audel already returned?"
"Yes, she just took some clothes and snacks... Is that against the rules too?"
"No, no, that's fine. We are just confirming."
The two then exchanged a glance before turning to Qian Sen.
"Comrade Qian Sen, please explain the situation to Mr. Li. We need to report back to the Head Office immediately."
"Of course, no problem. I guarantee I will complete the mission!"
"We apologize for disturbing your daily life, Mr. Li. We wish you a pleasant day."
With that, the two turned and headed for the door, looking as if they were leaving.
Seeing them leave, Qian Sen immediately craned his neck to look at the surveillance monitor on the cashier counter.
When he saw the two figures truly walking further and further away on the screen, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
"What was all that about? Two guys from the Head Office suddenly show up. Are they your top bosses?"
Qian Sen fished out some gum from his pocket and chewed on it furiously as if to vent his frustration before saying:
"Even my superiors would have to stand aside for them. They scared the hell out of me."
"It can't be that bad."
"You don't know. The people from the Head Office are like the damn Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Qian Sen explained:
"Let's put it this way. You see, you recently sold a bottle of potion and made over two million. Now, if I were to use my official position—no need for any complicated schemes, just asking you for a kickback—how much do you think I could earn from my own jurisdiction?"
"Uh... ask for a kickback?"
"No! I'm just giving a hypothetical example!"
Qian Sen was so scared his hair stood on end.
He quickly glanced back, afraid the people from the Head Office might have heard.
"You absolutely cannot say such things. You can't use this to test a cadre; it would affect my future career."
That line sounded a bit familiar, as if he'd heard it in "My Own Swordsman"...
"You know, the nature of our work at Section Nine means it can hardly ever be made public, so there's a lack of external oversight. We can only rely on internal supervision. If it's just about pocketing a bit of money, that's one thing. But what if someone takes money to distribute prohibited items, or causes an even bigger mess? That's not something that can be solved just by executing one person."
"So those two are like the Disciplinary Inspection Committee?"
"Something like that. But the unlucky part is, you never know who from the Head Office is responsible for internal supervision. Even the people at the Head Office don't know."
No wonder he said they were like the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"You haven't done anything illegal. What are you afraid of?"
"This isn't a matter of 'a clear conscience fears no knock at midnight.' They're genuinely terrifying."
Qian Sen continued:
"For example, you remember the story I told you about that guy who married a harpy?"
"I remember. I saw that guy on the forum not long ago, asking for a good kidney-strengthening remedy."
"The person in charge of his case at the time was the old superior who brought me into Section Nine. When that kid married the harpy, he even invited us to the wedding."
He certainly should have.
They were practically matchmakers.
"After the wedding feast, as we were leaving, he gave us two bottles of wine. My old superior didn't think much of it at the time and accepted after a few polite refusals. But guess what? A few days later, he was taken away for investigation by people from the Head Office. Those two bottles of wine weren't even worth five hundred yuan combined."
"That's a thing?"
"The reason the Head Office gave was, 'Today you dare to accept wine from the masses, tomorrow you'll dare to ask for it, and the day after you'll dare to extort them. This kind of behavior is unacceptable.'"
"Uh..."
It seemed like they weren't wrong.
"In our line of work, even though we get a civil servant's salary and benefits, you know our schedules are unstable and it's exhausting. It's not surprising that some people might think of cashing in after working like a dog. That's why the Head Office's scrutiny has always been extremely strict."
Because Section Nine was so down-to-earth, Li Chengxi had never gotten the feeling that it was a secret organization.
But that was a misconception.
Section Nine was lenient with the public—as long as you didn't cause a major incident, anything could be discussed—but they were extremely strict internally.
After all, if corruption took hold internally, the entire system would collapse.
"What happened to your old superior in the end?"
"I heard he was transferred to another region. His chances of promotion are probably gone."
How tragic.
This wasn't just about being an official or not; at the very least, when he retired, his pension would be vastly different from others'.
"Alright, I get it. So why were the people from the Head Office asking me about what happened a few days ago? Didn't I already tell you guys everything?"
"They were just here to confirm the situation with you. The previous incident is related to a nationwide major case."
"Holy crap, that serious? Nationwide?"
"There's an unidentified individual who has been using supernatural abilities to commit crimes across the country. I don't know many of the specifics, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you in detail. In short, the Head Office believes that bastard might be hiding in our city, so they sent people down to investigate. If you see anything strange recently, don't get curious and poke your nose into it. The best thing to do is call or WeChat me immediately. That bastard has blood on his hands; he's extremely dangerous."
"Can you catch him?"
"I can only say we'll do our best. After all, we've caught that bastard's tail a few times before, but he managed to escape two or three times. Don't worry, he has never targeted anyone within our circle. In any case, just be extra careful for a while."
Qian Sen also bought a pack of cigarettes from Li Chengxi.
"I still have to notify the others in the jurisdiction. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."
With that, he left, leaving Li Chengxi feeling a little panicked.
This was equivalent to the police telling you that a serial killer had come to your neighborhood.
Anyone would be rattled.