Chapter 9: Ke Mingqing and the Toilet Killer

It rained all the way home. Clutching his light blue police jacket, Ke Mingwei walked through the steady drizzle. He unlocked the front door and pushed it open.

He shut the door behind him. His soaked leather shoes padded across the entryway floor, his face shrouded in the shadows of the hallway.

Outside, the rain grew heavier, yet it couldn't drown out the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind.

The mannequin's words lingered in his ears like the whispers of a phantom, refusing to fade.

"Let me think... You have two sons. One is in college, and the other is in high school. So, which one should I choose? Why don't I go with the younger one... After all, when I transformed into him, your reaction was massive. You can't fake that.

"You should be glad. It was your absolute fury that helped me pick my target. Now I know who you care about most among your family."

Ke Mingwei slowly raised his head. Beneath his rain-soaked bangs, a faint light flickered in his eyes.

Without even bothering to take off his shoes, he strode across the living room and headed up to the second floor.

The second-floor corridor was pitch black. A sliver of moonlight spilled in through the balcony, dusting the floorboards like a layer of salt.

Ke Mingwei moved forward and stopped outside Ke Mingqing's bedroom. He reached out, hesitated for a moment, and gently knocked on the door.

"Qing, are you asleep?" he asked, resting one hand on his hip, his expression complicated.

When no response came after a long moment, Ke Mingwei rested his right hand on the handle, only to realize the door was unlocked.

He turned the knob, pushed the door open just a crack, and peeked inside.

The lights were off. Ke Mingqing was lying on his side, fast asleep, with moonlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto his face. Heavy, pea-sized raindrops traced elegant arcs through the air before hitting the glass with a steady PATTER PATTER. It was a tranquil rainy night.

Ke Mingwei gazed at Ke Mingqing's sleeping face in silence for a while. Only when he was certain his son wasn't pretending to be asleep did he close the door. Taking a cigarette from his jacket pocket, he lit it with a lighter. Leaning against the corridor wall, Ke Mingwei took a few quiet drags, lowered his head, and let out a long sigh.

Then, he pulled his phone from his pocket and opened WeChat. Typing one-handed, he sent a message to his eldest son, Ke Linye.

[Ke Mingwei: Come straight home from the university as soon as your holidays start. Don't wander around outside.]

A moment later, Ke Linye replied.

[Ke Linye: I'll be home in a few days, Dad. Did someone miss me? Let me guess... Li? Or Mingqing?]

[Ke Mingwei: The ninth is your brother's birthday.]

[Ke Linye: Mingqing's birthday? Alright, alright, got it. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Dad.]

Ke Mingwei put his phone away and continued smoking, the smoke curling around his fingertips. A moment later, he crushed the cigarette, walked into the bathroom, and casually tossed the butt into the trash can. He locked the door and sat on the toilet.

Suddenly, a crow rose from behind him. With a FLUTTER FLUTTER of its wings, it landed squarely on his shoulder.

Without even looking up, Ke Mingwei reached out and retrieved a metal, pen-like object from the crow's beak.

He pressed a small bump on its metal surface, and a holographic screen instantly projected upward from the top of the pen. Displayed on the screen was a foreign woman. She had long, platinum-blonde hair and stunningly striking features, as beautiful as an Ancient Greek sculpture.

She was the No. 5 hero of the Superhero Roundtable—Officer Woman.

Usually, when the Roundtable heroes held their meetings at the Empire State Building in New York, Officer Woman would wear a Russian military uniform complete with a Russian officer's cap.

Right now, however, she was clad only in a set of black, floral-patterned lingerie. Her curvaceous body was draped languidly across a beachside lounge chair. In the background, the SWISH SWISH of ocean waves could be heard.

"So you actually do contact me sometimes?" Officer Woman curled her lips into a smirk, tilting her head at the screen. "What, did you miss me?"

"Aren't you vacationing in Hai'an City right now?" Ke Mingwei asked in a deep voice. "I need you to protect my son, Ke Linye."

Officer Woman picked up a glass and took a sip of her drink. "Why is it always straight to business with you? You certainly didn't have this attitude when you rejected me for that clueless Chinese girl back then. Are you regretting it now?"

"This isn't the time for jokes," Ke Mingwei sighed. "Someone might be targeting my son."

Officer Woman raised an eyebrow. "Who would dare target your family... or rather, who even has the capability to figure out your true identity?"

"I don't know yet," Ke Mingwei shook his head, speaking thoughtfully. "The guy calls himself 'Bai Jieke.' He looks like a white mannequin, wears a top hat, and carries a cane. If this person shows up in Hai'an City, I need you to keep an eye out for me."

"Got it. I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill, though. Besides, I can't play babysitter for him forever, right?"

"Don't worry. He's coming back to Li Jing in a few days. I'll watch him myself then."

"Understood." Officer Woman set her glass down on the table. "You look terrible. It's rare to see you in such a miserable state. Honestly, it's quite amusing."

Ke Mingwei remained silent.

"Get some sleep. Goodnight."

With that, she blew Ke Mingwei a kiss and ended the call, leaving him with a speechless expression.

***

In the dead of night, Ke Mingqing suddenly woke up with a pressing urge to pee. He hurried out of his bedroom and trotted into the bathroom, dropping onto the toilet.

"Right... last night's quest reward gave me one spin on the wheel," he thought. As he relieved himself, he raised a finger and tapped the option floating in the top-right corner of his vision: [Item Wheel].

[You currently have one opportunity to use the "Item Wheel" (PS: Players can typically earn spins by completing "Main Quests" or "Weekly Quests").]

Ke Mingqing cast a curious glance at the six sections on the wheel.

The prizes were "1,000 Superman Coins," "1 Magical Girl Transformation Experience Card," "Combat Power Glasses," "1 Werewolf Transformation Card," "Tracking Sunglasses," and "Resentment Tea Pot."

"Give me something good. I absolutely do not want to turn into a Magical Girl," Ke Mingqing muttered under his breath. He extended his index finger and tapped the center of the wheel without a second thought.

The next moment, the blood-red pointer moved. It spun at high speed, turning into a blur. After a short while, it slowly ground to a halt.

It landed on the prize in the fifth section.

[Congratulations! You have successfully drawn the D-Class item: "Tracking Sunglasses" (Locks onto a Superhuman Species within a ten-meter radius, after which the sunglasses will mark their position on the map for two hours).]

Ke Mingqing slightly raised an eyebrow. Opening his inventory, he tapped the item's icon and selected the "Manifestation" option. Instantly, a pair of black sunglasses appeared in the palm of his hand.

He experimentally pressed the button on the frame, and a text prompt immediately popped up.

[Prompt: There is a Superhuman Species within a ten-meter radius of you: "???". Would you like to continuously mark their position on the map?]

Ke Mingqing stared at the string of question marks on the text panel and tilted his head.

"Is it malfunctioning? Whatever, I'll figure this thing out tomorrow," he thought. He flushed the toilet, stood up, washed his hands, and opened the bathroom door.

Head bowed as he toyed with his phone, Ke Mingqing was just about to step out when he suddenly froze in his tracks.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an eerie silhouette standing completely still in the corner of the corridor. A bone-piercing chill shot up his spine, flooding every nerve in his body.

He slowly lifted his gaze from his phone. Aided by the faint light spilling from the bathroom, he looked at the person's face.

A woman in a nightgown stood silently in the hallway's shadows. Her face was slightly lowered, and she stared at him without moving a muscle, her gaze hollow and chillingly cold.

It was his mother, Xia Wenna.