Free Web NovelChapter 56: Chapter Fifty-Six: Kidnapping Case
At the bottom of the High Tower, in the southwest corner.
Lin Wurou sized up Bai Wu’s home and said,
"Hmph, it’s clean enough."
Men with a more feminine side usually despise dirty, messy environments. Lin Wurou glanced around and found, for the moment, nothing to complain about.
Liu Chengzi noticed that Lin Wurou was quite handsome—to her, this androgynous pretty boy, though some might snidely call feminine, must be capable since he was from the Investigation Corps.
She attempted to strike up a conversation, saying,
"Little brother, you are really good-looking."
"Get lost. Ugly woman." Lin Wurou retorted indifferently.
Liu Chengzi was naturally not ugly, or else she wouldn’t be the Sea Queen, but in Lin Wurou’s eyes, anyone less attractive than himself was an "ugly woman."
"..."
The Sea Queen was at a loss for words.
After Ye Weiming, the money-grubber, she had encountered another odd man who could leave her speechless with a single sentence.
At this moment, Bai Wu’s home felt slightly crowded.
Wu Jiu, Ye Weiming, Lin Wurou, and Liu Chengzi—four people.
Wu Jiu had brought them to Bai Wu’s residence before Bai Wu returned, waiting for him.
Their purpose was clearly about that case on the third floor.
After Bai Wu turned off the stream, Wu Jiu spent four hours interrogating Liu Chengzi.
This person was Bai Wu’s business partner, and Bai Wu had his own criteria for judging people, but Wu Jiu had another style altogether.
He didn’t trust strangers, so the safest approach was to turn strangers into allies.
Apart from questioning Liu Chengzi, the Investigation Corps was also gathering all available information on her.
Once it was clear that her background was clean, and just as Liu Chengzi was on the verge of a breakdown from the interrogation, Wu Jiu offered an olive branch—
He invited Liu Chengzi to join the logistics section of the seventh detachment of the Investigation Corps.
How could Liu Chengzi refuse?
For the Sea Queen, a place filled with high-quality men, a harem full of treasures from outside the tower, was simply irresistible!
So, a few hours after Bai Wu ended his stream, Liu Chengzi, who had a clean record and a strong desire to join, had become a member of the Investigation Corps. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
On one hand, this would ensure her safety, and on the other, Wu Jiu could better manage the situation by having her report to him.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat awkward.
Ye Weiming’s mind was occupied with thoughts of making money, troubled by issues of monetizing viewership.
Lin Wurou leaned back in his chair, humming an unknown tune, while Wu Jiu sat upright, waiting for Bai Wu’s return.
Three high-quality men, all of them seemingly immune to women’s charms... and thinking of Bai Wu, who seemed to be the same...
Liu Chengzi suddenly felt that the saying "birds of a feather flock together" was true.
Fortunately, Bai Wu returned soon after.
He had changed into the standard uniform of the Investigation Corps and, seeing four people already in his home, Bai Wu frowned:
"Are the four of you here to play mahjong in my house?"
Seeing Liu Chengzi as well, Bai Wu guessed that the captain had probably done some "ideological work" on her—what an interesting man.
"You’re finally back. Let me tell you, today’s stream was explosive! Mechs and beasts, skeletons and monsters—it really satisfied the audience’s fantasies about what lies beyond the tower." frёewebηovel.cѳm
Liu Chengzi finally found someone she could talk to.
Bai Wu didn’t look at her but just nodded, turning to Wu Jiu:
"Captain, what did you need to see me for?"
"Little brother, I was the one who spoke to you first, it was definitely me first!"
Liu Chengzi got angry. Was there not a single normal guy here who knew how to pay attention to a girl?
Bai Wu still just nodded, "Okay, captain, is this about the case?"
Wu Jiu pointed to the documents on the table and started discussing official matters, leaving Liu Chengzi to wither alone in the wind.
"The paperwork has been approved," Wu Jiu said, "Your application along with Yezi and Wurou’s has been processed, and the permissions now granted are those of a lesser noble."
"What’s called secondary nobility privileges?"
"You can enjoy all the entertainment facilities and places on the third level, enjoy shopping privileges, and all the public places with entry privileges. However, the cost will be twenty-five percent higher than for the nobles."
Bai Wu remained silent, but it was Liu Chengzi who exclaimed.
"Then let’s not bring anything, little brother, it’s not worth it."
Previously, Liu Chengzi’s shopping list had many items only available on the third level, but upon hearing the prices would be twenty-five percent higher, she suddenly felt those items weren’t so appealing anymore.
Discounts can drive women crazy, so reverse discounts can bring women back to their senses.
Bai Wu said:
"So the poorer you are, the higher you go, to the richer people’s places, and you have to spend more money than the rich? The poor become poorer and the rich richer?"
Wu Jiu had become numb to this; there were too many things to change, and compared to these, a disparity in status and discrimination weren’t the highest priorities.
"Yes, I don’t have anything particular to remind you of either, just don’t cause trouble."
Those with secondary nobility privileges, if they get into a conflict with a noble, it would be like how in ancient times a high-ranking official faced a commoner in court; any arbitrator would not dare to say with absolute certainty that they wouldn’t be biased.
Lin Wurou teased:
"We are cooperating with the Garrison Corps. Although overall their strength isn’t as good as ours, those who come to hand over are at least of the second tier standard. The security of those stores on the third level are also ranked from first-class fifth stage upwards. Captain, he is only first-class third stage, even if he wanted to cause trouble, he wouldn’t be capable of it."
"I am second tier nine stage now," Bai Wu said indifferently.
"Heh... huh? What did you say?"
Lin Wurou was about to be sarcastic again, but she suddenly realized something was amiss.
"Next time I come out of the tower, I might reach the third tier first stage."
Wu Jiu also had a hint of surprise in her eyes. Reaching the third tier was the passing mark for the whole Investigation Corps.
"Are you kidding?" Lin Wurou asked doubtfully.
"Is this something I’d joke about? If it wasn’t for the ’Desire for Blood’ and ’Desire for Battle’, I could have stayed even longer."
Bai Wu was speaking the truth.
But hearing this, Lin Wurou felt somewhat uncomfortable. After all, it had taken him half a year to advance to the third tier from the first time he left the tower.
"Desire for Battle..."
Lin Wurou knew the effects of this negative attribute, he was somewhat curious:
"How long did you last after being affected by the ’Desire for Battle’? Thirty minutes? An hour?"
"Not long, just seven hours."
"..."
Bai Wu said:
"Captain, let’s talk about the case. What exactly is this case about on the third level?"
Although Bai Wu felt the secondary nobility privileges were absurd on the third level, neither he nor Wu Jiu were in a position to change these now.
Wu Jiu nodded:
"I’ll start briefing you on the case now. This case is a bit more troublesome than I initially thought. It’s a kidnapping case."
Bai Wu had already been outside the tower for seventeen hours and was quite tired now, but it didn’t interfere with his thinking and judgment.
"A noble was kidnapped? And not just any noble?"
"The hostage comes from the fourth level, the administrative level, but it’s said... her parents are from the fifth level."
"Nested dolls? The children of the fifth level reside on the fourth level, then disappear on the third level?" Bai Wu was somewhat interested.
"I don’t know much about the fifth level either, but many people from the fifth level, the ruling class, have their children live on the fourth level," Wu Jiu said.
Bai Wu immediately speculated:
"So, moving into the fifth level requires some special conditions? If close relatives of the bloodline don’t meet the conditions, they are only allowed to live on the fourth level?"
Wu Jiu nodded:
"And the reason the target is on the third level, is because only the third level has an asylum."
"An asylum?"
"Correct, our target is the daughter of a ruler from the fifth level. She is insane, and just recently, this lunatic went missing."
