Authority

Another morning arrived.

Su Mian opened his bleary eyes.

He had slept more soundly than ever before; he couldn’t remember the last time he had been this relaxed. Usually, his sleep was restless, filled with strange dreams. He would often wake up startled in the middle of the night or be forced awake early by an unbearable hunger.

This time, having had a “full meal,” his spirit was satisfied and his body relaxed. As a result, he had slept straight from 5:00 PM yesterday to 6:30 AM today.

After more than twelve hours of sleep, Su Mian felt as though his body had lightened by several pounds. The very first thing he did upon climbing out of bed was, unsurprisingly, check his physical condition.

Looking down at the first glance—good, the chest was flat!

Then, he pulled open his waistband for a second glance…

“Finally, I’m back!”

No longer finding “crevices” where there should be none, Su Mian let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He had classes today, after all. Although he didn’t have many friends and even fewer best friends, there were still many people at school who knew him. He wouldn’t be able to explain away a female appearance; it would be catastrophic if he were recognized.

More importantly, his appearance as a female was far too outstanding. Unless he wore a mask constantly, he would undoubtedly attract the attention of every adolescent classmate. It would be a nightmare if someone snapped a photo and posted it on the school forums for discussion.

This wasn’t narcissism; the “other her” was a literal, high-tier succubus. Let alone students still in the ivory tower, even grizzled veterans of society would have zero resistance.

A succubus’s charm isn’t just “beauty”—it has been elevated to the level of desire and instinct. Humans cannot deny their own instincts, and thus, they find it nearly impossible to resist a succubus. Furthermore, even if one could resist, the demonic power could forcibly twist and pollute an individual’s aesthetics or values.

This was precisely why Su Mian had always been reluctant to accept his demonic side. It was a truly dangerous power.

The succubus awakening in his body was nothing like the “fodder” or “generic” versions found in adult manga or anime from his past life’s memories. Her extreme charm alone could easily trigger a disaster if she appeared in human society.

In short, it was great to be back!

After a moment of sentimentality, Su Mian—having slept for over ten hours—had no desire to go back to sleep. Despite the early hour, he decisively got up to wash.

Without several pounds of weight on his chest, he felt light enough to fly as he stepped off the bed. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but having those two mounds on his chest yesterday had truly made him uncomfortable; he felt like he couldn’t find his center of gravity. Being rid of them today brought a familiar sense of ease.

While using the toilet, he couldn’t help but sigh again.

“As expected, standing up is much more convenient.”

During his morning routine, he didn’t forget to check the mirror, but the succubus girl still didn’t appear, leaving him slightly disappointed.

However, after a good night’s sleep, he wasn’t really angry anymore. Thinking carefully, there wasn’t much to be mad about. After all, the fact that the succubus had “eaten” so much at once was tied to Su Mian’s own condition. He had been on the verge of a breakdown; if she hadn’t found satisfaction, things might have turned out much worse.

Moreover, she had restrained herself significantly because of his rules. At least no irreparable harm was done.

Earlier this morning, Su Mian had specifically searched the news and found information regarding the hotel. The official report claimed it was a gas leak… Well, either way, the news only mentioned that many people had fainted but had since regained consciousness after receiving medical attention.

This relieved Su Mian. No one died, proving that his other self did, in fact, listen to him to some extent.

After a quick wash and a change of clothes, he headed downstairs. It was too early for school, so he found a breakfast stall and ordered two baskets of soup dumplings, intending to satisfy his human side’s appetite. For the past few days, everything he ate felt like chewing sand, but now that the demonic side was sated, his human palate had finally returned.

Meanwhile, while someone was enjoying a rare, peaceful morning, the team that had been busy all night finally returned to the police station. To ensure no hidden dangers remained, they had nearly turned the hotel upside down.

The result, however, was a total lack of clues.

Old He and Xiao Ye were exhausted. Jiang Xun looked fine; despite no sleep, he still appeared very spirited.

After reporting their work, Jiang Xun intended to let his teammates go home to rest, but then he remembered something. “Oh, right. Xiao Ye, what did you find yesterday?”

When An Ye had come looking for them yesterday, the hotel incident had just broken out. Due to the emergency, they had to focus on that first. Only now did Jiang Xun have time to ask.

The boy with glasses forced himself to sharpen his focus and walked to a desk, pulling out several files prepared the day before.

“This is the data you wanted, Captain. Regarding those two people you mentioned.”

“Oh?” Jiang Xun leaned back in his chair, taking the files and flipping through them. He quickly frowned in confusion. “Why is there only Qi Chuan’s? Where is the other person’s?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say. When I was investigating yesterday, I found that this ‘Su Mian’s’ data is locked. I tried using special clearance, and then… insufficient permissions.”

“Insufficient permissions?”

Jiang Xun was stunned. This was incredible. Their access level within the system was extremely high; they were only blocked from viewing highly classified intelligence or specific high-profile individuals.

So, this person named Su Mian wasn’t simple?

The man fell into thought. Meanwhile, Old He, slumped in his chair, looked over with curiosity. “What are you two talking about? Who is Su Mian?”

Jiang Xun didn’t have time to explain. He looked down to flip through Qi Chuan’s file, so An Ye had to endure his fatigue to tell Old He about their previous encounter.

When Old He heard that they had suspected the presence of a demonic aura, he froze and sat bolt upright.

“A demon!?”

“Keep it down. It’s not confirmed yet…” Jiang Xun told them to stay calm while he continued reading.

The data on Qi Chuan was very detailed, from his family background to his growth trajectory, even including a psychological profile done by An Ye. It was comprehensive. Qi Chuan’s family wasn’t exactly ordinary, but from Jiang Xun’s perspective, they were undoubtedly just normal civilians.

“It looks like the problem lies with Su Mian. Hmm… should I try to contact him first, or figure out why his file is locked?”

A presence suspected of carrying a demonic aura could not be left alone. Previously, Jiang Xun would have chosen to make contact again, but the locked file made him hesitate. A locked file meant the person was either extremely special or involved in a unique situation. Usually, such people are “flagged” by the higher-ups. Approaching them blindly could cause serious trouble.

As he thought, a possibility suddenly struck him.

“Could he be a colleague?”

But the way he acted before didn’t seem like it. Furthermore, although he didn’t know every member of the special teams in Jade Capital, he had reviewed the basic files before arriving. There were students from Jade Capital University among them, but none were named Su Mian.

Strange…

Jiang Xun pinched his smooth chin, looking hesitant. On the other side, An Ye, seeing the captain finish the file, spoke up again: “Also, that person who had contact with Professor Zhou that I mentioned before? I followed the trail and found him yesterday.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“A department manager from a subsidiary of the Jade Capital Yuansheng Group.”

Yuansheng Group? That sounded familiar. Jiang Xun had a sharp memory; he immediately thought of the presidential suite occupied by the group’s Second Young Master at the hotel.

“Yuansheng Group again?”