Crouching on the wrecked floor of Peace Inn with my hands over my head, I probably looked like a wreck—but I was grinning like someone who'd just had a great weight lifted. Even the SWAT officer guarding me couldn't take it anymore.
"Wipe that smile off your face. This is an active crime scene."
"Right, right. Sorry."
Truth be told, I owed my rescue to that viewer who called the cops. Just when I was cornered, with nowhere left to run, two officers showed up responding to a report about an illegal prostitution ring—and they were like angels descending from the heavens.
Hearing the noise, I shouted for help. The officers managed to subdue the old man and that short, pudgy lady with my cooperation.
After that, I gave a full report. Since this involved four deaths, it was a major case. The city bureau sent reinforcements overnight and completely locked down Peace Inn.
Crime scene techs and forensics teams went in and out of the underground tunnel all night. By dawn, they'd removed the cordon and taken the elderly couple into custody.
Standing in the morning sun, I had never felt more alive.
"What a damn long night."
Ding!
As the sunlight warmed my skin, a new message appeared in my Netherworld Stream inbox:
"Livestream Task: Survive overnight in Room 203 of Peace Inn—completed. Now calculating performance rating."
"+1 point: Task completed
+1 point: First stream viewer peak exceeded 100
+1 point: First stream received gifts totaling over 100 nethercoins
+1 point: Completed special commission from the Netherworld"
"Total: 4 points"
"Special commission from the Netherworld? Could it be that this task was meant to bring justice for the dead? To help a vengeful ghost find peace?" I thought back to the woman who called me at the start of all this. "Was this whole livestream her request?"
To this day, I still don't know whether ghosts are real. I've been trying to make sense of what happened using logic—but my knowledge just isn't enough to explain it all.
"Your current point total is 4. Available items for redemption include:
• 100g Pure Gold Bar (100% real, no tricks – 1 point)
• 5 Drops of Premium Cow Tears (apply to eyes, grants spirit-vision – 1 point)
• Wish-Granting Buddha Amulet (authentic item; wear it properly—on chest, not waist or in pockets – 2 points)
• Fortune Talisman / Love-Seeking Talisman (minor blessings – 1 point each)
• Essence of the Celestial Eye (guides cultivation of spirit vision levels: Seeing, Judging, Predicting, Penetrating, Remote Viewing – 3 points)
• Fragmented Scroll of Plum Blossom Divination – 3 points
• Ingredients for Kuman Thong doll – 4 points"
The items were dazzling, but my eyes went straight to one in particular:
Essence of the Celestial Eye
Don't ask me why. I'll never admit it was because of the word "penetrating." If this works like the thunder talisman, I mean… heh heh heh…
"I've got four points. I'll redeem the Essence of the Celestial Eye and the pure gold."
It was my first time messaging Netherworld Stream. The reply came instantly:
"Card number 622843. Remember it. We've opened an account for you at Jiangcheng Central Bank. Your redeemed items have been deposited in your personal safe. The password is your birthday."
"Your next livestream task will be assigned in three days. Please monitor your inbox."
Thus ended my first stream with Netherworld Stream. There were still doubts, regrets—but none of that mattered as much as being alive.
I'd already given my statement the night before. In theory, I should've been free to leave. But the SWAT officer guarding me wasn't budging.
"Officer, I'm just a regular guy. If everything's cleared up, can I go now?"
"Not until Captain Tie says so. Orders are orders. Sit tight."
"Captain Tie? I thought the head of the investigations unit was Captain Zhang? We used to drink together. We're on good terms—no need for the formalities."
Because of my background, I knew a lot of people in the bureau. Grabbing a drink with detectives wasn't unusual.
"Zhang got reassigned. Tie took over the unit. And she's not like Zhang—better watch your mouth, or you'll find yourself back in a holding cell." The SWAT guy, maybe in his twenties, practically glowed with reverence at the mention of Captain Tie.
Too bad I'm not some naïve rookie. I've been through worse. You think I scare easy?
Stretching my numb legs, I looked at him sideways and teased, "You know, every time you mention Captain Tie, your eyes blink faster and roll up a little. Means you're picturing her face. Let me guess—secret crush? Captain Tie's a woman?"
"You've got sharp eyes. You really missed your calling as a cop."
A crisp, clear voice cut in from behind me.
"Captain Tie!"
I turned—and the first thing I saw was a pair of polished women's combat boots. Since I was still crouched, I had to look up… past that sinfully perfect figure… to a face that was both smirking and stunning.
"You are?"
"Gao Jian. Still remember that love letter from five years ago?"
My mind scrambled. Then a name rose from the depths of memory:
"Tie… Tie Ningxiang?"
She'd been a year above me at the academy—the undisputed campus queen, even more beautiful than Ye Bing.
As for the love letter? That was a prank. Back when I was a freshman, I lost a bet and had to write her a love letter. But it got confiscated by our drill instructor, and I ended up having to read it out loud in front of the whole class.
Honestly, I never thought she'd remember something like that.
"C-Captain Tie…"
The title was well-earned. Back at the academy, guys lined up just for a chance to talk to her.
"You're the first person who found the bodies?"
"Yeah."
"I see." Tie Ningxiang asked casually, "Then what exactly were you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
"Well, livestreams are trending lately. I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon with a paranormal horror theme. This creepy old inn had the perfect vibe."
Her eyes roved over me—top to bottom—and her lips curled into a dangerously alluring smile.
"But according to the report I got, the police showed up because someone reported an illegal escort service. Care to explain that?"
"I…" My brain blanked. Before I could come up with a response, two officers helped Xiaofeng out of Room 203. She was pale and weak, wrapped in a sheet.
"That's him. He was with me last night." She gave me a pitiful glance. "You're such a beast… I'm so sore I can't even walk."
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait! This is a huge misunderstanding!"
All eyes turned to me, skeptical and sharp.
"Got anything else to say?" Tie Ningxiang lifted my chin with her hand, flashing a pair of handcuffs. She spoke gently, but her words sliced like ice. "Junior?"
"I mean… if I said she was possessed and we spent all night exorcising her, would you believe me?"
"Cuff him! Bring them both in!"
Two statements later, with nothing inappropriate found on the security review, Tie Ningxiang finally let me go.
As for the murder case at Peace Inn, the investigation was still ongoing. The sheer time lapse had erased many clues, and evidence collection was tough.
Initial forensics suggested the elderly couple only disposed of the bodies—the actual killer might be someone else. Their prime suspect? Their son, Lu, who'd left to work out of town about a year ago.
That lead was actually mine. Why? Because I'd answered a similar question during my Netherworld Stream interview—one where the killer was a psychopathic son.
Of course, I didn't mention Netherworld Stream in front of Tie Ningxiang or the rest of the detectives. Just pulled some vague psychology out of nowhere and talked a good game.
Whether Lu will ever face justice? Not my concern.
After all, I'm a detective—not a cop.