Sun Bin’s mind buzzed, and he watched as his character screamed, clutching his chest and copsing to the ground, as if soulless, he stood there dumbfounded.


    The screen gradually darkened, and several letters as red as fresh blood appeared in the center—You are dead!


    He lifted his head to look at Li Jian, who was looking at him as if he were looking at a dead person, a gaze that made him very ufortable. It’s just a game, isn’t it? He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.


    Yes, it’s just a game, but it was also a well-paying job. He hadn’t forgotten the contract that emphasized repeatedly that death in-game would result in termination. Now he even felt like dying, with a frighteningly dark expression.


    Li Baocheng, while madly sprinting forward with his character, secretly celebrated his luck. By now, he had also realized that the arrow had been aimed at him, but when Sun Bin rushed past him, he got startled and subconsciously slowed down. That moment saved his life, but at the cost of Sun Bin’s death.


    He nced at Sun Bin, who was still sitting there dumbfounded, seemingly lost in thought.


    "Run, Little Li, we are not out ofbat yet!" Han Baiqiang’s voice jolted Li Baocheng, who quickly started running again.


    Sun Bin’s mind was still nk; Han Baiqiang’s words seemed unusually faint, as ifing from far away, until a strong arm rested on his shoulder, and he instinctively turned around.


    It was Li Jian, looking at him with a pitiful expression, "You know the rule; it’s time to leave."


    Sun Bin opened his mouth. He wanted to plead but couldn’t swallow his pride. It’s just a game, give me another chance. I’m just having bad luck; my gaming skills are impressive, he was screaming inside, but he couldn’t make up his mind to beg, and Li Jian did not give him the chance to decide.


    Sun Bin felt himself being hoisted up, as the usually amiable guy proved unexpectedly strong. He was practically dragged out of the newbie room, leaving behind a heavy silence.


    Sun Bin had no idea how he left thepany. He only remembered being summoned by the beautiful Manager Qin to the office, where he was paid his wages of 8,000 yuan for the month, and then escorted out of the building by two security guards in ck suits.


    Standing on the street, he felt a bitter taste in his heart. Ah, to lose such a good job just like that, what a mess.


    Thankfully, there was still the 8,000 yuan. He patted his chest pocket, the weight of the cash bringing him somefort. It wasn’t for nothing after all. Miss Qin was quite kindhearted, paying 8,000 yuan for just half a month; that’s quite a profit, he consoled himself, deciding it was best to head back to where he was staying. Thinking this, he reached out to hail a taxi.


    Sun Bin did not have a ce in this city he could call home. Three months ago, he came to the big city full of dreams, imagining he’d make a life for himself through hard work. But reality was cruel, and he nevernded any decent job. Atst, finding a job with good pay that matched his skills, he ruined it all.


    It seemed his uncle was right when he left his hometown; maybe he was only fit to be an inte café manager in a small city. Well, he might as well go home in a few days.


    With these thoughts, he hailed a taxi and gave the driver his old address. Half an hourter, he returned to his rented amodation.


    The ce was rented together with another guy from out of town. Opening the door, the house was empty, probably because the roommate was out working and hadn’te back. Having been away for half a month, the ce looked shabby, but he knew nothing had changed in the room; it was himself who had changed.


    ustomed to the well-decorated office of the bigpany, returning to his humble abode naturally felt different.


    "Forget it, a golden house or a silver house is no match for my own doghouse," he muttered to himself while grabbing a can of beer from the fridge and sitting down in front of the couch, turning on the TV and starting to watch as he sipped his beer.


    He didn’t pay much attention to the television, absentmindedly flipping through channels while lost in thought, wondering why he was so unlucky, what he would do after returning to his hometown. As he sat like that, not knowing how much time had passed, the light in the room suddenly dimmed inexplicably.


    Is it cloudy? Or has it gotten dark so quickly? He turned curiously to look out the window. It was pitch-ck outside, with the sun leaving a vague shadow on the ss, as though something had cut him off from the sunlight.


    What the hell is that? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. A burst of static came from the TV behind him, and when he turned back, he saw the screen was full of snow, with a loud static noise that was strangely unsettling.


    He hurriedly turned off the TV, but the darkness intensified without this sole source of light, as if something was absorbing the light around him. The peculiar atmosphere in the dark made him uneasy; instinctively, he walked towards the window, intending to open it and find out what was going on.


    But just as he was about to touch the ss, a mysterious force emerged from the darkness and mmed him backward without warning, causing him to fall to the floor.


    His chest felt as if it had been pierced, the pain almost stopping him from breathing.


    Damn it, could it be a heart attack? He reached instinctively for his chest, but instead felt a sticky liquid. Confused, he lifted his hand; through his increasingly blurry vision, he saw his hand covered in fresh, red blood.


    How could this be? Thest thought shed through Sun Bin’s mind, and then—he died.


    The darkness suddenly vanished, the bright midday sun shining in through the window, casting light on Sun Bin’s shocked and lifeless face.


    Four hourster:


    The police car screeched to a halt in front of themunity gate with a sharp brake, and the door opened. A petite female police officer stepped down from the vehicle.


    Situ Yu scrutinized the ordinary-lookingmunity with a frown.


    At twenty-four years old, she had been on the force for only a few years. However, with a bachelor’s degree and some connections left from her family, she quickly reached the rank of third-grade police inspector within two years.


    However, having been a third-level police inspector for two years, although the older generation’s connections were useful, getting promoted without handling any significant cases was not an easy task. Yet, the public security environment in City B had always been good, with even robberies being a rarity, let alone any major cases for her to tackle.


    But things had changed in recent times, one murder case followed another; within a mere six months, over a dozen people had died.


    When the first murder case urred, Situ Yu did not participate in the investigation since her resume and qualifications barely made the cut, and there were many who wanted the opportunity to solve cases and gain merit—she, a youngster with just a few years under her belt, had no chance. However, as the murder cases kept increasing, she also got involved.


    Unfortunately, after several months, there was not a single lead.


    "Sir," an officer greeted her hastily with a salute as he saw her approaching swiftly.


    "What’s the situation?" Situ Yu asked in a businesslike manner.


    "The victim is a twenty-four-year-old male, named Sun Bin, a migrant worker."


    "Cause of death?"


    "The chest was pierced by a sharp weapon, and the initial assessment suggests it could be something like a dagger. However, no murder weapon was found at the scene."


    Situ Yu waited for the officer to say more, but when he didn’t, she interrupted with raised brows, "Is that all?"


    The officer smiled mysteriously, "The deceased had this left on him."


    As he spoke, the officer took an evidence bag out of a kraft paper bag from his chest; inside it was a thick stack of renminbi.


    "8000 yuan?"


    Situ Yu almost subconsciously asked.


    "Correct, eight thousand!" The officer’s face bore excitement, while Situ Yu sighed internally, here we go again.


    The recent murders in City B appeared unrted at first, but as the police consolidated and summarized the cases, a pattern emerged: each victim had been carrying a significant amount of cash just before death—eight or nine thousand, sometimes ten, with the highest being twelve thousand.


    The most frequently urring sum was eight thousand yuan, as with an instance a little over a month ago when four victims were simultaneously found each carrying eight thousand yuan.


    What in the world was going on? What secret was hidden behind this? Situ Yu quietly pondered.


    "Where’s the person who reported the crime?" she asked.


    "The scene has been secured, and that person is right there by the police car," the officer replied.


    As the two spoke, they had arrived downstairs where a young man, the one who had reported the crime, was sitting at the rear door of the police car, still with a look of shock on his face. A policeman stood next to him, taking notes temporarily.


    Situ Yu took the paper and pen directly from the officer’s hand, gave him a look hinting at him to leave, and once the officer had gone, she raised an eyebrow at the young man, "Did you report the crime?" she asked upfront.


    Looking up and seeing a dashing and beautiful policewoman, the young man inhaled deeply, trying to hide his frightened expression. No matter how timid, a man always tries to y the hero in front of a beautiful woman.


    "Yes, I’m the one who reported it."


    "So, what exactly happened?"


    The young man took a deep breath and recounted, "It was like this, I came home from work in the afternoon, pushed the door open, and saw him lying there on the ground, blood everywhere, so I immediately called the police."


    "What was your rtionship with the deceased?"


    "Roommates. We rented a ce together. However, he hasn’t been living here for the past half a month, said thepany he recently started working at provided amodation."


    "What’s the name of thatpany?"


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The youth shook his head, "I don’t know, he never told me. When I asked, he said thepany had rules not to disclose anything about it."


    Damn, not this again! Situ Yu was so frustrated she almost threw her pen. It was always the same oue. It seemed that thispany was the focus; it must have issues. Although they did not know the name of thispany, perhaps they could find some clue among the deceased’s belongings.


    She tossed the notepad to a nearby officer, "You, and you, you,e with me upstairs. Move all of the deceased’s belongings to the station. I want to check them one by one."