Chapter 41: Differentiation Phase part 1
Inside the police car.
“Brother, I’m fine, really safe… I’m not hurt.”
“I don’t feel uncomfortable either… really! You can check me when I get back.”
“Were you hurt, Brother? That’s good… Where am I now? Uh…”
Duan Ke gripped his phone with one hand, glancing guiltily at Ji Qing sitting opposite him.
Ji Qing raised an eyebrow, signaling that he absolutely could not mention the Administration Bureau to a human.
Duan Ke could only lie with a guilty conscience, his voice dropping low. “I’m getting ready to go home now.”
“Are you home yet, Brother… You still have things to do? That’s okay, I’ll wait for you at home then…”
Qin Huai gave Duan Ke a few more instructions, telling him not to run around and that he would be home very soon.
Only after Duan Ke agreed to everything did Qin Huai seem reassured enough to hang up the phone.
“Your brother cares about you a lot,” Ji Qing teased, making Duan Ke so flustered he didn’t know where to put his hands.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a routine procedure. You didn’t commit any major crime, and injuring me was an accident.”
“But you have to go,” Ji Qing spread his hands helplessly. “You should know that the current Inquisitor is very strict with you lot. If I didn’t bring you in, he’d revoke my license.”
Duan Ke wasn’t comforted in the slightest. His complexion, which had been poor since getting in the car, looked even worse.
He swallowed hard, stole a careful glance at Ji Qing, and asked, “Um… may I ask if he is at the Bureau right now? If it’s just a routine procedure, can we do it without his involvement…”
Ji Qing laughed, teasing him further, “You’re afraid of him?”
Duan Ke nodded frantically.
This is too funny.
Qin Huai had been undercover for so long; surely he hadn’t completely avoided appearing in front of Duan Ke. He must have disguised himself as a neighbor or teacher.
This little succubus was terrified of Qin Huai. If he found out one day that someone close to him was the Inquisitor himself, wouldn’t he be scared out of his wits?
Of course, mischief aside, Ji Qing certainly wouldn’t reveal this to Duan Ke; that would be a major dereliction of duty.
The police car soon stopped at the entrance of the Administration Bureau, and Ji Qing led Duan Ke inside.
Walking ahead of Duan Ke, he clearly sensed that something was wrong with the boy’s state. His nervousness was abnormal; he looked very unwell and kept his head low.
Ji Qing frowned and stopped, looking at the crown of Duan Ke’s golden-brown hair. He asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Duan Ke was certainly not okay.
His lips were slightly pale. Before he could speak, a soldier hurried over from the side. “Captain Ji!”
The soldier subtly pointed toward Lin Jiangli’s office and winked.
Ji Qing was puzzled. hadn’t Lin Jiangli got off work? Why run back here late at night?
Thinking it might be urgent, he whispered to Duan Ke, “Wait for me in the lobby for a moment.”
Duan Ke nodded obediently and went to sit on a long bench in the waiting area.
The demonic markings, which had been aching dully since earlier, started acting up again. Duan Ke hunched over slightly, clutching his stomach, breaking out in a cold sweat.
…So hungry.
He hadn’t felt this emptiness for a long time. The monster from earlier had sucked away so much of his magic power, practically emptying out everything Qin Huai had fed him over the past few days.
Duan Ke really wanted to call Qin Huai, but Qin Huai had just said on the phone that he had urgent matters to deal with and would have to come to him a bit later, so he could only give up.
Duan Ke looked around. Coming back to this place after a few years, he still felt a lingering fear.
Years had passed, but the Bureau’s decor hadn’t changed much.
When he looked at that door, he could still vaguely recall the tall back of the Inquisitor standing there firing his gun, and the lingering scent of blood on him.
Unfeeling to the extreme.
Duan Ke could understand the Bureau handling monsters appropriately, but he couldn’t understand why they had to kill so many at once. Surely not all monsters were big villains?
The Inquisitor must have a bad heart, so everything looked bad to him!
He hoped he would never meet that terrifying man again.
Duan Ke sat there obediently, hands on his knees, subconsciously maintaining the posture Qin Huai had reminded him of twice.
The exquisitely beautiful boy attracted too much attention. Passing soldiers and clerks couldn’t help but slow down, curious about who this monster in the beautiful formal attire was waiting for.
A few minutes later, another group of people appeared at the entrance.
A group of soldiers holding guns in battle-readiness surrounded a tall figure in the middle. He had a sour expression, an air of nobility like a young master, and stood with his arms crossed in extreme impatience.
The person seemed to sense something and looked toward Duan Ke. Duan Ke met his gaze, and both froze simultaneously.
“…Brother Heracles?” Duan Ke exclaimed in surprise. “Why were you arrested too??”
Ji Qing walked into Lin Jiangli’s office and found Lin Jiangli rubbing his forehead, leaning back in his office chair, looking like he had a massive headache.
Lin Jiangli waved his hand, signaling Ji Qing to close the door.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Lin Jiangli asked urgently, “Why did you arrest Duan Ke? He didn’t do anything, did he? How can you arrest the wrong person on a mission??”
“…Does him breaking two of my ribs with one punch count as doing something?”
After Ji Qing spoke, Lin Jiangli and he stared at each other in speechless silence for a few seconds.
Lin Jiangli apologized sheepishly and asked why Duan Ke hit someone for no reason.
“It was an accident on his part too. I’ll just go through the procedures and let him go.”
Ji Qing grabbed the chair next to Lin Jiangli and sat down. “What’s with you? Did he use a charm spell on you? Why are you protecting him so much? I didn’t see you this anxious when we arrested the wrong person before.”
Mentioning this sent a chill down Lin Jiangli’s spine.
He held his forehead, his voice weak. “He didn’t use it on me, but he very likely used it on Qin Huai.”
“He is currently Qin Huai’s boyfriend.” Lin Jiangli emphasized the word boyfriend heavily. “You arrested our leader’s wife.”
“…What friend???” Ji Qing’s voice cracked.
“…Boyfriend.”
“Boy-what??”
“…”
“Accept reality, Captain Ji.” Lin Jiangli patted his shoulder with a face full of pity. “I think we’ll be seeing each other at the exam grounds again in a few days.”
Ji Qing’s brain was numb; he could barely hear what Lin Jiangli was saying.
He realized belatedly that back in the teaching building, Qin Huai had suspected him of having an affair with Xu Jue. What had he said to refute that back then??
…Thinking about it made him want to commit seppuku.
“Say…” Ji Qing choked for a long time, his voice incredibly strained, “Is it possible that Qin Huai is pretending to be Duan Ke’s boyfriend just to get close to him, and doesn’t actually have real feelings…”
“Unlikely,” Lin Jiangli said regretfully. “I saw him with my own eyes pulling Duan Ke into the dark part of the haunted house and kissing him fiercely. Would you make out with your nemesis while undercover?”
…Holy shit.
Ji Qing felt like he’d been struck by lightning. He couldn’t remember how he got out of Lin Jiangli’s office; he just wanted to travel back in time to a few days ago and sew his own mouth shut.
Lin Jiangli said Qin Huai was currently in the adjacent treatment room. He didn’t know what he was being treated for, but he wouldn’t be out for a while.
…I have to release his wife before the leader finds out. Otherwise, if Duan Ke complains, I’ll probably be retaliated against until I retire.
Ji Qing walked out of the office, only to see Duan Ke sitting with that notorious western dragon.
Ji Qing’s hearing was sharp; he heard their conversation from far away.
“Why did you go to that haunted house too, Brother Heracles?”
“To play an NPC. I happened to pass by, saw a sign recruiting temporary workers, and next thing I knew, I had a badge. Who knew some audacious monster would dare to bite me later? So I breathed fire and burned the haunted house down.”
“…So hardworking. Was playing an NPC fun? Did you scare anyone?”
“It was okay. That haunted house wasn’t made very well. The trapdoors on the floor for reaching out to grab people always got stuck. I tried several times and got jammed tight… By the way, are you unwell? Why do you keep panting? Stomachache?”
Recommended Reads
![Accidentally Turned a Tragic Romance Plotline into a Sweet and Pampering One [Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ACCIDENTALLY.png)
