Unexpected Reunions and Otherworldly Revelations

“No, it’s my own motorcycle,” Gongliang Kuixi finally admitted, a hint of resignation in her voice after a moment’s hesitation. “I’m investigating this girl in a private capacity… it’s utterly preposterous.”

Had others not been present, she might have already erupted into an argument with Alezno.
Though, in fairness, Alezno was also quite aggrieved. Still, the female officer seemed unable to articulate her thoughts clearly, indicating some unspoken concern weighed heavily on her mind.

Li Yue glanced at the dialogue box hovering before Gongliang Kuixi’s soaked inner garments.

[…It’s not easy to explain.]
[Sigh, I can’t exactly say I tracked her by scent, can I? No one would believe me.]

She had driven here, following a scent?

Impossible, Li Yue thought. What kind of superhuman sense of smell is that?

Li Yue instinctively denied it, yet her inner thoughts contained no falsehoods. Could this person’s nose truly be so keen?

However, if she had indeed followed Li Yue, it raised another pertinent question.

“Had I known you were nearby, I wouldn’t have been opposed to cooperating,” Li Yue inquired further. “So, where were you when we snuck in?”

“Do you think I was just standing by, watching without offering assistance?” Gongliang Kuixi sighed helplessly. “It’s understandable you’d think that, but the rain was simply too heavy, and I lost sight of you behind me.”

[The downpour washed away the scent. Running into this weather is truly the worst luck imaginable.]

Yet, without this very rain, Li Yue and her companions might not have been able to rescue Mo Linyu at all.

“How did you manage to find your way here afterward, then?” Li Yue pressed.

“I heard gunshots,” Gongliang Kuixi explained. “Even with the heavy rain, the sound of the firing was unmistakable.”

It seems I had indeed misunderstood her, Li Yue conceded inwardly.

“Everyone, perhaps we should continue our discussion at the manor?”

Mo Linyu’s maid, Dong Lu, interjected, cutting short Li Yue and Gongliang Kuixi’s conversation.

“This is hardly the place for a discussion,” she stated. “I wish to attend to the young lady’s injuries as quickly as possible.”

Compared to the relatively unscathed Li Yue and Alezno, the rescued young lady bore several wounds. While none of them were severe, failing to treat them promptly would undoubtedly leave scars, particularly the bleeding bruise at the corner of her mouth.

Gongliang Kuixi nodded in agreement.

“I’ll leave these individuals to the police,” she declared. “After informing my superiors, I’ll accompany you all.”

“My master is eager to uncover who truly orchestrated this,” Dong Lu added. “I will be visiting the police station later.”

With Dong Lu’s words, the grey-haired female officer turned and headed towards her colleagues to brief them on the situation.

Only after she departed did Alezno finally let out a breath of relief.

Her face pale, she turned to Li Yue and whispered,
“Moon, this won’t do… I don’t possess the memories of the person she knows; I’ll be exposed sooner or later.”

Why is this person so terrified? Li Yue wondered. What exactly is the relationship between this female officer and Su Luoli?

“Don’t be afraid,” Mo Linyu reassured Alezno. “Once we’re at my home, we can explain the situation to her.”

Mo Linyu, having calmed Alezno, then turned to Dong Lu and asked:

“Sister Lu, has my father returned?”

Dong Lu paused, considering her words, before finally replying,
“The master, he surely wishes he could be here with you…”

“So, he hasn’t returned yet.”

Mo Linyu’s reaction was so understated that Dong Lu couldn’t help but defend Mo Changhong.

“Young lady, we still don’t know who is behind these people. He cannot even show panic, lest his rivals, who were previously unaware of your existence, use similar tactics to threaten him.”

Mo Linyu simply responded, “Yes, I understand.”

Dong Lu supported her as they walked towards a sleek black luxury sedan, where a bodyguard standing by the door promptly opened the rear passenger door for her.

Standing by the car, Dong Lu offered one last admonition.

“Young lady, it would be best if you reduced your time spent outside this summer.”

“That’s impossible,” Mo Linyu retorted. “For me, this summer vacation is a matter of life and death.”

Mo Linyu cast a glance back at Li Yue, who stood a short distance behind.

“Besides, Li Yue will be with me.”

“No matter how capable she is, she can’t possibly save you every single time.”

“She can,” Mo Linyu insisted, “because she can’t leave my side now.”

As Mo Linyu said this, she turned her gaze to Li Yue.

Perhaps unsure how to respond, Li Yue merely frowned, took a half-step back, and adopted an air of detachment.

Mo Linyu immediately exclaimed,
“Hey, say something! Do you really want to see me confined to the house?”

“No matter what I say, you’ll find a way out in the end anyway,” the Demon Lord replied with a smile, before slipping into the backseat of the car.

Alezno followed suit, sliding in beside her. A sedan was undeniably far more comfortable than Li Yue’s backseat.

While the police continued to secure the scene, ensuring nothing was overlooked, the Mo family’s convoy of sedans departed first.

Even though Mo Linyu and Alezno had left, Li Yue wasn’t concerned about reverting. After all, according to the Demon Lord, she had sensed the presence of an otherworldly soul within Gongliang Kuixi as well.

She needed to wait for Gongliang Kuixi; someone had to guide her, as a normal person would never find the Mo family’s estate.

The female officer also had her own motorcycle, though it appeared far more ordinary compared to Li Yue’s beloved steed.

She didn’t keep Li Yue waiting for long; having changed out of her police uniform, Gongliang Kuixi approached.

“Miss Li, have I kept you waiting long?”

She had swapped her uniform for a two-piece riding suit. Li Yue disliked such stuffy attire, yet the officer looked noticeably younger without her official uniform.

“Where did you change?”

“In the police car.”

What a bold woman, Li Yue thought.

With a push of her foot, Li Yue was the first to leave the construction site, and Gongliang Kuixi soon followed, maintaining a similar speed behind her.

Despite her lack of uniform, the sensation of being tailed by a police officer was rather unpleasant. However, Li Yue dared not speed in her presence, even riding her motorcycle on the road with meticulous adherence to traffic laws.

At this pace, they would likely never catch up to the convoy ahead. Li Yue mused that it was time to give her a heads-up.

“Officer, do you believe in the existence of other worlds?”

“Hmm? Like in novels?”

“Something like that—a very cliché, unoriginal world where a Hero vanquishes the Demon Lord.”

“Are you suggesting such a world truly exists?”

“Yes, I returned from such a world… as the Hero,” Li Yue admitted, a touch of embarrassment coloring her voice.

Gongliang Kuixi clearly didn’t believe her.
“Come on, be serious. I could just as easily claim to be the Demon Lord.”

“You can’t be the Demon Lord, because that role is already taken,” Li Yue sighed again, then asked,
“Can you accept your past self?”

It sounded too outlandish, yet despite her disbelief, Gongliang Kuixi humored Li Yue and continued the conversation.

“Oh? That depends on what kind of person my past self was.”

“…You might not even have been human.”

Alezno was the first one found, and the probability of locating other companions remained low. In Li Yue’s estimation, it was more likely that the otherworldly soul within Gongliang Kuixi belonged to a monster, given that humans certainly didn’t possess such an acute sense of smell.

“I hope you’re prepared for what’s to come.”

“Prepared for what?” Gongliang Kuixi countered.

“Prepared to accept another version of yourself…”

Li Yue pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

“…No, be prepared for a headbutt.”

“Huh?”