Zhang Yuanqing took the phone and carefully reviewed the documents—ranging from autopsy reports, on-site investigations, statements from neighbors of the deceased, to road surveillance footage, among others. Time passed slowly. Zhang read intently, while Cao Qianxiu remained silent and attentive. Half an hour later, Zhang's brows grew increasingly furrowed, and his expression grew more serious. Finally, he set the phone down and shook his head: "It seems the anti-Black-and-White Alliance lacks any scouts at the Saint level." "How do you know that?" Cao Qianxiu cleared her throat and said, "Just state your conclusion directly." Zhang said solemnly: "The fact that the anti-Black-and-White Alliance has provided this documentation indicates that their senior leadership has been paying attention to this series of murders. Their analysis—was it that the killer is a Night Wanderer at the extraordinary stage, no higher than Level 3, who murders to refine the corpses? As a Chinese-American, she clearly understands the anti-Black-and-White Alliance's long-standing indifference toward the Chinatown community, and thus specifically targets fellow Chinese citizens." "If I can deduce the time and neighborhood for the killer's next attack, then the task of capturing the murderer will fall to us, won't it?" Cao Qianxi's eyes flashed with surprise, then she nodded, her expression one of approval. "You truly are a scout—your deduction is spot on." Group leader "Zi Qiang Bu Xi" had indeed entrusted her with the responsibility of apprehending the killer. According to the analysis of the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance, the killer's rank should be level two. Therefore, a level-two peak Thunder Mage (Cao Qianxi) combined with a level-two scout would be fully capable of securing the case. To be safe, they might send in one additional level-two Wind Mage as backup. Thus, as long as Zhang Qingyang identifies the general area where the killer is likely to strike, the next step would be to eliminate the murderer. Zhang Yuanqing exhaled, setting down her phone. "The killer is indeed the Night-Wanderer, but perhaps his rank is higher than expected. The real objective isn't corpse preservation—there's another purpose behind it." Another purpose? Cao Qianxi was stunned. "What do you mean?" Zhang Yuan was about to speak when the landlord's wife entered, carrying fruit. She glanced at the math textbook spread out on the table and immediately beamed with delight: "You're teaching math, aren't you? I've always told little Zhang—this girl's performance in other subjects is rather average, but even her younger brother outperforms her in math. As for me, I'm as sharp as a winter's morning—how could I have such a daughter? If it weren't for the fact that she was born from my womb, I'd almost suspect that Old Cao has been secretly keeping a daughter of his own all along." As she spoke, she habitually and bluntly tapped her daughter's forehead. Zhang Yuan immediately thought of a dark joke: How do you know she was born from your womb, rather than being traded to you through your husband's special skill? Indeed, Zhang Yuan had already confirmed Cao Qing's profession—Void (Merchant). Cao Qing's demeanor perfectly embodied that of a merchant. Each profession carries its own distinct aura: the fiery impulsiveness of a Fire Mage, the steadfast seriousness of a Scout. Of course, if that were all, it would only increase the probability—it wouldn't constitute evidence. The real proof that Zhang Yuanqing had solidified Gao Qing's identity came three days earlier, when he had materialized silently at his own doorstep, watching Room 401. He watched Gao's sister and brother leave for school, and the landlord's wife go out to buy groceries—yet he saw Gao Qing leave at no point. But that day, Gao Qing had indeed gone out to work. Among the lawful, orderly professions in the First District, only the Void-based professions could perform such a feat—teleportation! "Don't worry, the landlord's wife. Within a month, I'll raise her daughter's math score to the top five of the class. You can test it yourself. If I don't achieve that, I won't charge you a cent," Zhang Yuanqing pledged with confidence. The landlord's wife brightened up. As a thrifty, hardworking housewife, whether her daughter's grades improved or the family teacher fees were waived was a welcome development. "What if I'm satisfied with the results?" she asked cautiously. "Then you'll have to pay me double," Zhang Yuanqing said, rubbing Cao Qian rolled her eyes. Sometimes she couldn't quite understand Zhang Qingyang. His polished, worldly manner often seemed at odds with the image of a serious, rigid, rule-following scout. Yet if you said he wasn't a scout, there was something undeniable—his ability to read people. He always managed to meet the needs of his parents, as well as hers and her brother's, at just the right moment, making everyone feel warm and welcome. Even his mother, known for being fiercely temperamental and never showing patience—especially when it came to guests—had never once lost her temper with Zhang Qingyang. "Deal!" the landlord's wife thought it a good arrangement and left with a bright smile. After she had stepped out of the bedroom and headed toward the living room, Zhang Yuanqing picked a piece of apple with a bamboo skewer, took a bite, and said, "Based on the available clues, the murderer is a Level 2 early-stage Night-Wanderer, just beginning to master the spiritual scroll, currently refining his own shadow corpse." He is of Chinese descent and understands that Tianfa, the celestial justice, does not intervene in matters concerning the Chinese community in the Tangren Street area—hence, he has turned his attention to his fellow compatriots. "Because he lacks strength, his nature is cautious. Each case occurs every six days, with eleven incidents occurring within two months—these very details are designed to create the impression of a low-ranking night wanderer." Observing Gao Qianxiu's increasingly furrowed brow, Zhang Yuanqing took a bite of his apple and said, "I'll just mention two points. First, if I am the killer, why would I choose to commit crimes in Tangren Street? Is the homeless population in Xinjia County not more appealing? Or are the people who enjoy strolling around at night not worth targeting? Tianfa may not oversee Tangren Street, yet within the Chinese community there, there are organized spiritual practitioners maintaining order—quite a significant presence. Why would I keep killing and preparing bodies in Tangren Street, if I'm not eager to shorten my own lifespan? The homeless, clearly, are more suitable targets, as they would experience no complications, and there are countless such individuals throughout Xinjia County." Gao Zhang Yuanqing continued: "The second point is that even night wanderers with average talent, after a few failed attempts—say, three or five corpses—can eventually master the entire process of producing basic yin corpses. To date, I've never heard of a night wanderer attempting to produce more than a dozen yin corpses in succession and still repeatedly failing, leaving half-finished ones behind. Of course, you may not have noticed this—understandable, since there are so few night wanderers, and they've nearly vanished in the first major region. You simply wouldn't be familiar with them." Cao Qianxiu furrowed her brow. "The killer was searching for people in the Tang Street district, then killing them, but he still couldn't pinpoint the exact individuals—he only had a broad, general range of targets, which is why he committed a series of murders. His portrayal as a low-ranking night guardian was merely a performance, intended for the orderly organizations in Tang Street. His real objective was to avoid being noticed and tracked by high-ranking Ling-jing practitioners before he could eliminate his intended targets. In fact, he succeeded—he managed to evade detection by your Anti-Black-and-White Alliance." Zhang Yuanqing picked up another piece of apple, chewing as he spoke. "As for who exactly he was looking for, we can't deduce that from the evidence. However, you can relay this information to the senior leadership of the organization, asking them to investigate the backgrounds of all the victims and identify any commonalities. Once those patterns emerge, we'll be able to reverse-engineer what the killer is actually seeking." Cao Qianxiu listened intently and couldn't sit still anymore—she immediately reached for her phone. "I'll report this to the team leader right away..." As she spoke, she glanced at Zhang Zhang Yuanqing rose with a graceful gesture: "You're a bright young lady—your understanding of my problem-solving approach was immediate. So, today's lesson ends here, ahead of schedule." As she listened to the fading footsteps of her tutor and heard his enthusiastic praise in the living room, followed by his final departure, Gao Qianxi promptly closed the bedroom door and opened the "Reverse Black-White Alliance Group 6" chat group. She posted Zhang Yuanqing's analysis exactly as it was, word for word, without omission, and tagged the group leader, "@Zi-Qiang-Bu-Xin." 】 【Self-motivated and unyielding: @Judge Cao, I've reviewed it and will immediately report to the officers and inform the senior leadership—let's see what their response is.】 【Judge Cao: Please keep us updated once you have results.】 The group members were actively discussing and reasoning through the matter, while simultaneously waiting for Self-motivated and unyielding's update. It wasn't until 11 a.m. that Self-motivated and unyielding finally provided feedback: 【Self-motivated and unyielding: The senior leadership has convened an overnight virtual meeting, which is still ongoing—no updates at this time.】 An overnight virtual meeting... the group members were surprised. This clearly indicated that the senior leadership had come to appreciate the scout's analysis, though they hadn't anticipated the urgency of convening such a meeting so promptly. The senior leadership likely had some insights of their own, which became clear only after hearing the scout's analysis—this explains why they decided to hold an emergency session. The situation is bigger than expected. 【Judge Cao: In that case, can my team join the organization directly?】 】 【Self-reliant and striving: He's achieved a major accomplishment now. He should be able to join the organization—let me submit the report first and wait for updates tomorrow.】 【Snow White: We actually have scouts in our organization too. Scouts are truly intelligent.】 … At midnight, Zhang Yuanqing, who was in light sleep, suddenly woke up and looked toward the balcony. In the darkness, a figure stood by the window, upright and strong, like a sturdy young pine tree, holding a glass of red wine. "Indeed, the 1990 Lafite is quite excellent," the figure remarked. Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Yuanqing relaxed slightly, lifted the blanket, and sat by the side of the bed, asking, "President, how did you come to visit?" Does a semi-divinity of the Void Occupation have a global transmission range? A bit envious. The President didn't ask questions—he answered instead, "What level of hunter are you now?" "Bronze!" Zhang Yuanqing replied. "I should be promoted to Silver within a week." "Your progress is rather slow." "The chairman sipped his red wine, then turned to face him," You've been rather loose lately, relaxed—given your capabilities, you should easily be promoted to Silver Hunter within three days. The Hunter Guild's rule is that you complete one task before taking on the next, but there's no limit to how many tasks you can accept in a single day." "There's no limit, but why should I be so eager to complete tasks? I'm not some workhorse from a production team." Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "For me, the status of a Reward Hunter is merely a way to pass the time. I'm not upgrading through it, nor am I relying on it for income—so why should I be working overtime?" The chairman sighed. "That's precisely why I've come. It's time to reveal some information to you and clearly assign you a main storyline quest." Zhang Yuanqing's interest immediately sparked, yet his expression grew serious. "A main storyline quest?" "Exactly. I've invited you to join the Reward Hunters not only to train you, but also to help you establish connections with the senior leadership of the guild." Because...," the president spoke in a low tone, "the intelligence we obtained from Hades—through questioning both him and Diana—reveals that the true powerhouse behind the Bounty Hunters' Guild is the Free Alliance.