"Who?"
This was Celia's question; as for that cowardly fool, Director Pine, he didn't dare to speak up at all.
Donatello scanned the people in front of him and spoke softly, "A first-year new student at Dingchuan Academy, Mu Fan, who has just survived the Mecha Combat Competition. He is the direct association I can make—someone with great strength and a grudge against me... He checks all the boxes!"
The people in the room lit up like sharks smelling blood.
"Yes!"
Everyone at the police station immediately sprang into action, but none of them knew that when Donatello uttered the name "Mu Fan," a normally installed audio collector in the ceiling blinked green.
"Keyword detected, auto feedback procedure triggered."
This message, along with the direct network transmission, disappeared after jumping dozens of times to an unknown address.
In the virtual space where Black did not need to sleep, originally flitting around entertaining itself, came to a halt in midair upon receiving the sudden message.
"So they've already started looking into Little Fan so quickly, but... he wasn't even present."
Despite Black's smug tone resonating in the space, it dutifully passed the information onto Mu Fan.
When Mu Fan heard Black's reminder, his eyes snapped open, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
This path has hit a dead end, what will you do when you find out?
...
The atmosphere in the intelligence room at the police station was tense, as everyone's brows were furrowed.
The reason being, the police's spy within the academy just reported that the student named Mu Fan was brought back yesterday, covered in blood, and sent straight to the fully enclosed Biological and Medical Research Center.
The reason for this was the center's professional treatment facilities and utmost safety measures.
"Pine, contact Dingchuan Academy and tell them Zhongjing City police need to investigate a murder case that may be linked to Dingchuan Academy."
This chapter is part of the collection on MV2LEMP2YR.
"It must be him, I have this premonition. To have survived Solomon's attack means no other disguise is needed; survival itself is evidence of immense strength!"
All that Donatello needed to do was see Dingchuan Academy's surveillance footage, and he could easily see what Mu Fan had been up to last night.
"Young Master Tang, but I've found that this kid has... a Military Department background. If we go to Dingchuan Academy to apprehend him directly, will we encounter obstacles?" Pine asked carefully, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Use the police's authority to access the surveillance. If we can confirm, then notify me immediately. You won't be involved in the capture."
Donatello spoke indifferently, and Pine naturally accepted his instructions.
After finishing, Donatello turned to the deputy chief, "You need to investigate surveillance near a villa—the key person's residence. And send someone to inspect the site in detail; report back to me anything as minor as a spider's thread."
"Yes, Young Master Tang."
Once everything was arranged, the police personnel quickly dispersed, leaving only Donatello resting peacefully with his eyes closed in the chair.
Soon after, messages began to come in.
When Pine's message arrived an hour later, Donatello could no longer stay seated.
That buffoon had watched the video footage from midnight to 3 AM, fast-forwarding through it twice.
Finally, he reported back, "Young Master, that kid stayed in the Biological Treatment Cabin all night long. The security here is extremely tight; it often requires four guards to open it up. Plus, they said that without the right access, the doors can't be opened from either inside or outside."
Director Pine's sweating profusely as Donatello's face grew even darker.
Dingchuan Academy had no reason to refuse the police's legitimate request, especially when it was just about accessing surveillance footage.
An external area's surveillance was handed over without fuss.
Director Pine personally inspected it, nervously watching the footage fast-forwarded three times.
The student named Mu Fan appeared to be someone recovering from serious injuries, occasionally turning over in the treatment cabin with no anomalies detected.
So, there he was, plainly staying put. Pine couldn't possibly lead a raid to snatch the person away.
Moreover, Dingchuan Academy wasn't an easy target. If they acted rashly, Donatello might not even need to speak out; Pine himself would be skinned alive.
In the end, all he could do was come eagerly and leave dejectedly.
It was now nine in the morning.
Hearing the report from Black, Mu Fan's face broke into an overtly joyous smile.
"The trail ends abruptly, so what now? Your life will be terminated within 39 hours."
Mu Fan murmured lowly, the smile slowly fading from his eyes.
"Mu Fan, Nuonuo has come, she's at the entrance undergoing security checks, and she seems a bit off today," Black's voice informed, filling Mu Fan's expression with concern.
What's wrong with Nuonuo?
...
When the clock pointed to noon, all who had left returned, and the intelligence room at the police station resumed its previous order.
Rodrick's secret villa did indeed show signs of having been entered. From the leftover footprints at the scene, they confirmed the presence of three people.
The first two footprints were identified as Rodrick's wife, Celia, and his son, Manker.
As for the last footprint, they discovered a shoe size of 46; though there weren't many—a mere seven imprints—they were identical, clearly from the same person.
"Is this the real footprint of that person?"
"It's hard to say this time... It could also be the accomplice who was outside assisting the murderer. People are already investigating the interstellar flights that have left Blue Capital Star's atmosphere in the past nine hours."
The case hit a stalemate, and Donatello was particularly averse to events slipping beyond his predictions.
To his annoyance, the despicable kid wasn't the target.
The person he wanted dead was supposed to die in despair, but now this path seemed blocked.
Donatello felt irritable but suddenly lifted his spirits ten minutes later.
"Director Pine, continue the investigation; you're the professionals in this field. Inform me upon any new developments."
Donatello stood up, having just received a message from Sky Communication—it was an invite from the Military Department and Zhongjing City, calling those who still lingered in Zhongjing City after the Mecha Combat Competition for a grand dinner.
This was Blue Capital Star's way to circumvent the Mecha Association, connecting local businesses with interstellar industrial giants through dinner—an exchange of money and interests, a place where one's worth could surge.
The butler was asking if he would attend?