Lin Ran woke up in the afternoon.

Knocking kept rattling his door. That was what dragged him out of sleep. No way to keep snoozing. Annoyed, he threw back the blanket, tugged on a pair of pants, and opened up. Su Nisheng stood outside in The Alliance uniform, eyes on him, cold and flat.

“What?”

He was all impatience, pure morning grump.

Su Nisheng pushed past him, walked in, and took his chair. She drew a deep breath. “Four people died last night.”

“Huh?”

“I said, four died last night. Three S Rank ability users, one A Rank. All on The Alliance’s most-wanted list. Bodies were a mess.” She hugged a file folder. Crime-scene photos were clipped on top. She began to pull them out, but Lin Ran just stood there staring, dazed. “So why are you here with me?”

“Those four died the exact same way as the ones who tried to kidnap me four years ago. Like watermelons bursting—heads gone, necks still pumping blood. It sprayed the ceiling. Look at the photos.”

She studied his face, every twitch. Lin Ran shook his head. “Nope. I’m about to eat in a bit.”

“It’s already three in the afternoon!”

“Oh. Right.”

“Did you hit those wanted criminals last night?”

“Why would you think I could do that?” He scratched his head, honestly confused.

“The only thing they did lately that might’ve pissed anyone off was this: all four went to force Ink Orange Ice to join them. She refused. They fought. Ink Orange Ice took minor injuries. That same night, all four ended up dead. Not one left.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Isn’t Ink Orange Ice your…” She bit down, annoyed. “Friend-with-benefits?”

“Don’t slander me. Yeah, I booked a hotel room with her, but we met at a bar that night. I just helped her get a room. I didn’t sleep with her. She clung to me and hugged me all night. At most you could call it a platonic hookup. We talked till dawn, and barely kept in touch after.”

He said it so bluntly that Su Nisheng didn’t know how to continue.

“I don’t care! Would it kill you to be honest with me?!” She stomped her foot, furious.

The women’s Alliance uniform was a white blazer and a skirt above the knee. When she stomped, the hem swayed, flashed more thigh, then fell back down.

Lin Ran’s focus was… odd.

“But I really didn’t do it. How am I supposed to confess?” He looked at her, helpless. “I slept in my room all night.”

“Proof?”

“Check the street cams. There’s a camera on the road near my place. If I went out, it’d catch me.”

“Heh.” She let out a cold little laugh.

“Your local cams show nothing weird. You really didn’t go out.” She had to admit it, exhaling hard. “That KTV was a black site anyway. The hallway cameras were wiped by a top-tier hacker. Nothing left. Also, every data source within ten kilometers of that KTV got nuked. Another headless case.”

“So why are you suspecting me…” Lin Ran’s mouth twitched. He turned to go brush his teeth.

“Gut feeling.”

“Please. Does The Alliance solve cases by gut?”

“What I can’t wrap my head around is you. Someone like you… holed up in this tiny rental, living like this, going to get beat up in underground fights till your face is purple. That’s the strangest thing.”

“Because I’m lazy. What’s wrong with this life?” He was brushing his teeth now, words muffled.

She sat at his PC, fingers tapping the desk in a small, irritated rhythm. “You still have Ink Orange Ice’s contact?”

“Didn’t save it. Why?”

“I want you to ask around who she knows. Who could’ve done it? We still can’t analyze the killer’s ability. To one-shot that many S Rank… the whole city’s on edge.”

“I only ran into her once at a bar. No contact. You’ll have to figure it out yourself, sis.” He finished brushing, walked out of the bathroom, and flopped back into bed. Blanket on.

Su Nisheng sat on the edge. “What are you doing?”

“Going back to sleep. What else? You woke me up. I’m dead tired…”

“Are you a dead pig?”

“Yep, yep. Don’t scold me. I’m already lying flat.” He pulled the blanket over his head like an ostrich.

………………………………

“When did you start keeping a cat?” Her mood finally settled.

She still couldn’t pull a single thread from him. It felt like her own paranoia. But the itch of a hunch wouldn’t go away.

The cat in the corner crouched there, quietly licking its paw.

“Picked it up not long ago. Didn’t see any missing-cat flyers nearby, so I kept it. Not very tame. Watch out, it’ll scratch.”

Just as Lin Ran said, the cat ignored Su Nisheng’s cooing. Fur puffed a little. Total guard mode.

She gave up teasing the cat and looked at the blanket mound. “Hey, do you know where the Sorceress is?”

“Please, can you stop asking stuff I obviously don’t know.”

“The Sorceress grew up with you in Orphanage Haven. You’ve got no impression at all? Like where she’d hide?”

“No idea. We were both at Orphanage Haven for, what, ten years. Then it burned down. We split. Ask me to remember who the Sorceress even is now? I can’t.”

“Fine.” She nodded.

“I’m hiring an assistant. You want in?”

“Doing what?”

“Nothing heavy. Tea runs, driving, booking things. Fifty thousand a month. You in?” She crossed her legs. Her voice had a tempting lilt.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not interested in money.”

“So what are you interested in?”

“I have zero resistance to long, straight legs on a pretty girl.”

“I don’t have those?”

“Close.”

Her teeth itched with anger. She plunged a hand under the blanket and pinched his waist, hard.

He yelped and flung the blanket back, glaring. “Alright, Lady Su. Done with your wild theories? Anything else?”

“Can’t I drop by without a reason?”

“I’m flattered.”

He glanced at the white shirt on her now that she’d stripped off the blazer. The front of the shirt strained. Su Nisheng had curves. She saw his hazy stare and flicked a knuckle at his forehead.

“Still staring!”

“Can’t even sneak a glance? It’s not like I haven’t seen them before.” He muttered under his breath. Her cheeks warmed a shade. She bonked his head again. He didn’t dodge, just lay flat.

“You’re impossible!”

“Yet you still come to me?”

“No fight today?”

“Nope. Two days off.”

“Change jobs. I’ll set you up with something easy. Just sit on a title and mess with a computer. About fifteen grand a month.”

“What, a rich lady’s going to keep me?”

“It’s seeing you eat, sleep, get up, and get beat that drives me nuts.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Why not?”

“Daytime is for sleeping at home. If I go out, I have to socialize at some company. What a hassle.”

“You really plan to live like this forever?”

“Yeah. It’s fine.”

“Then die old in a ring somewhere.”

“Nah. As a fighter, I’ve got a few months left, tops. My body can’t keep up. I’m not like in high school when I loved training. Now I’m fighting on luck and experience. That won’t last.”

“That’s why I said get a proper job. A man can’t just loaf around every day, you get me?!” Her tone turned serious, that sting of watching wasted potential.

“So now you don’t think I’m some superpowered freak?” He rolled his eyes.

“Haven’t decided yet. We’ll see… but thanks, anyway.” he added.

“I owe you.” She pouted off to the side.

She stood, yanked open the curtains, and let sunshine spill in. His resentful look didn’t faze her. “Do you die on contact with sunlight or what?”

“Too bright. I’m melting.”

She sighed, sat at his desk, and flipped through a book. Reading used to be his thing. He still kept it up. She said nothing, just read quietly in that sliver of light.

Lin Ran lay there, watching her slim, delicate back. For a moment, the scene felt… nice.

“You really didn’t date that girl named Xu Zhi?”

Her fingers turned a page. The question sounded casual.

“No. I don’t want to date. It’s too tiring.”

“Have you done it?”

“No. Why waste a girl’s time if I’m not dating? I’m a mess. I should at least have that much self-awareness.”

“So you do have a line. And staying in alone… you don’t feel lonely?”

“It’s fine. You get used to it.”

“Come on, let me see your F drive.”

“…”

He really wanted to get up and stop her before he died of embarrassment. The bed’s gravity won. He was too lazy. She clicked open his F drive, saw a few little videos, and smiled. She turned, pink hair swaying.

“Hey?”

“Yeah.”

“So you do have normal needs.”

“…”

“How about I help you out?” She swung her lower leg lightly, looked at her white, slender ankles, thought for a beat. “But I’m not wearing stockings today.”

“Yeah, no. Hard pass. Thanks.”

He pulled the blanket up again and buried his head inside.