Gu Qi raised a sharp, sword-like eyebrow. "Do you think I would?"
Gu Qi’s face was naturally handsome in a sharp, striking way, and the way he spoke with a raised brow was so imposing that Lu Ruo suddenly felt a chill run down her neck. She thought that if she used her ability to commit crimes, this man in front of her would truly have her thrown into prison—even if he was the third older brother she had just officially recognized.
Seeing Lu Ruo suddenly frown as if startled by his words, Gu Qi curled his lips into a smile. "So scared? Are you planning on breaking the law?"
Lu Ruo shook her head frantically. "No, I'm not." She only wanted to rely on the System’s tasks to extend her life. If she committed crimes, wouldn't that just accelerate her own death?
"So, there's no need to be afraid. We walk the straight and narrow, so we have nothing to fear from shadows." Gu Qi reverted to his serious expression. "Hurry up and eat. When you're done, will you come to the scene with me?"
A murder case. A case involving the disposal of a body in the suburbs where almost no one went; finding evidence there would not be easy. Since Lu Ruo’s medical report showed her cancer was temporarily in remission, it was the perfect time to help her move toward the goal of being protected by the state, perhaps by learning some investigative experience along the way.
Upon hearing Gu Qi’s invitation to the crime scene, Lu Ruo finished her porridge in a few quick mouthfuls, stood up without even peeling her egg, and said, "Then let's go quickly, Third Brother. I really do want to help."
Old Madam Gu watched the two youngsters rush to leave and sighed at length. "Alright, go then. The old lady here will play with Huahua's family and Duoduo instead."
Lu Ruo felt a bit embarrassed, having promised to keep the old lady company yesterday only to head out today. "I’m sorry, Grandma. I'll spend time with you as soon as I get back."
Old Madam Gu looked at Lu Ruo, whose little face was full of concern, and smiled. "That's fine, that's fine. My granddaughter is the sweet one. Gu Qi, protect your sister well."
"I will, Grandma," Gu Qi promised immediately.
The two took the Lu Family car to the scene, which was already cordoned off with police tape. The old house that Dapang had mentioned was actually a dilapidated warehouse. Zhao Kuo was currently facing a man in a suit.
The man looked anxious and asked cautiously, "Officer Zhao, is there anything else you need to ask me? If not, I need to head back. I have a business deal to discuss in Lincheng."
Zhao Kuo had already spotted Gu Qi and said, "Wait here. I need to speak with the Captain."
The surrounding officers greeted Gu Qi as well, and Gu Qi introduced Lu Ruo as his sworn younger sister in a cold voice. Every time she was introduced, Lu Ruo politely greeted the officers with a friendly smile.
Once the greetings were over, Zhao Kuo approached. "Captain, the questioning is finished. Mr. Liao Mingda has requested permission to leave."
Seeing Zhao Kuo reporting to Gu Qi, Lu Ruo wandered around the perimeter. She wanted to see if there were any birds she could communicate with, but she couldn't find a single one. Perhaps there were too many people here, and the birds had all been scared off. Maybe she should check the woods near the warehouse.
Having made up her mind and seeing that Zhao Kuo had finished his report, Lu Ruo spoke to Gu Qi: "Third Brother, I’m going to walk around the warehouse."
Gu Qi replied, "Wait, I'll go with you."
Immediately, Gu Qi stood before Liao Mingda. "Thank you for your cooperation. Please stay in Lin City for now and be ready for further questioning."
Liao Mingda smiled broadly. "Yes, yes, of course. Well, officers, I’ll be off." With that, he walked to his private car and opened the door.
Lu Ruo’s curious gaze remained on Liao Mingda. Gu Qi explained quietly, "He’s the owner of this warehouse. Five years ago, there was talk of developing an airport here, but the government ran out of funding, the project fell through, and the warehouse was abandoned along with it."
"That’s a real pity." It was a fairly large warehouse; it must have cost a fortune.
Just as Lu Ruo was about to pull her eyes away from Liao Mingda, she noticed him searching for something in the storage compartment on the driver's side. He pulled out a string of shiny little trinkets. The reflection from the trinkets was a bit dazzling, so Lu Ruo looked away, not paying it much mind, and followed Gu Qi as they circled the warehouse.
Along the way, Lu Ruo kept her head tilted upward, hoping to spot some birds. Suddenly, not far away, two birds began chirping to each other.
"Little sister, Big-Eyed might actually be losing his mind. He flies to the pond every single day, just muttering 'treasure, treasure' or something like that."
"I think he's lost his mind, too. He used to brag about being the smartest bird in this forest, but look at him now."
As Lu Ruo searched for the source of the chirping, Gu Qi suddenly asked, "Ruo Ruo, are you... are you able to understand other animals as well?"
Hearing Gu Qi’s question, Lu Ruo’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn't said a word; she was only looking at the trees. How did he guess?
Gu Qi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her wide-eyed expression. He looked up at the trees beginning to sprout new buds, staring at the two small sparrows perched closely together. "What are they saying? Is there anything related to the case?"
Lu Ruo shook her head and shared the result of the sparrows' conversation with Gu Qi: "They are saying that a crow nearby has gone a bit crazy. It keeps standing on a tree by the pond, muttering something about a 'treasure'."
As Lu Ruo spoke, the two sparrows on the branch stopped their chirping and looked down at her. Once Lu Ruo finished, the two sparrows exchanged a look. The one on the right tucked its neck in fear and said, "Good heavens! How does that human down there know what we're saying? Is she a spirit?"
Judging by the voice, this sparrow was female.
The one on the left sounded like a young, self-assured boy: "Don't be afraid, little sister. We can fly, and she can't climb up to catch us! I’ve never seen a spirit before. Let's keep listening and eating; we'll have plenty to gossip about with our relatives later."
So sparrows were this gossipy?
Lu Ruo couldn't help but laugh. She took the initiative to chat with the two sparrows: "Hello, I’m Lu Ruo. Would you like to come down and chat? That way you can gossip about me even more easily with the other sparrows."
The two sparrows didn't expect this "spirit" below to be so enthusiastic, even inviting them to come closer. But they were too afraid. The young male sparrow on the left called down to her directly: "You smell like our natural enemy, so we're not coming down! What if you're helping them hunt?"
The smell of a natural enemy?
Lu Ruo subconsciously sniffed herself before realizing that the sparrows were likely smelling Huahua and Duoduo. Cats and birds were indeed natural enemies. Since they were scared, she decided to continue the conversation where they were.
"I’d like to ask, do you always hang around this warehouse? Have you seen any strange people come by carrying things that smell like human blood?"
"Nope," the sparrow on the left replied. "We haven't seen anything, but Big-Eyed’s home is inside the warehouse. He might have seen something like that."
"But he’s been acting even crazier lately. He won't even talk to us, so he definitely won't talk to a spirit like you."