EGO POV Yibo

Zhan and I had thought we had a little more time before we had to take care of Meng Yao and Su She. We would have liked to spend a few more quiet days with my brother first. Especially since he and I were just really warming up to each other and were really like brothers for the first time.

However, my brother would probably have little time for us at the moment. Because he and Cheng, well, they've become inseparable. And they have been since the first night Cheng arrived. According to my brother, the two of them had a very special encounter that had something to do with our hot spring.

But I can guess what they were doing in the hot spring. It's not that hard to guess. My handsome brother and cute Cheng, who has an absolute and irretrievable crush on my brother. So it's obvious what the two of them have been up to so mysteriously in the hot spring. But I also think it's beautiful. My brother looks happy. And that is the main thing.

Zhan is also happy for the two of them. Cheng told him that he is very much in love with my brother and that he hopes the two of them will become more than they are at the moment. I don't think Cheng has to worry about that. The way my brother looked at him all the time, he is guaranteed to be in love with Cheng.

But back to the topic. Two days ago, the council contacted us. We got cell phones from them that also work inside the portals. They told us that it has been reported to them that Meng Yao and Su She have been seen in one of the few vampire cities. And they wanted us to come to the Ever-Night Forest.

We immediately made our way to the council. All the council members had been gathered. They enlightened us about the current events. According to them, two other older vampires had been killed in the very vampire city where Meng Yao and Su She had been seen.

The council first sent us to the scene of the crime, where we were to take a good look around. We were to conduct interviews and search for further clues as to the whereabouts of the two killers. Although we are not detectives, but as an assassin I have experience in clues and tracking.

Sometimes I would spend days scouting out the surroundings of my target or what I was supposed to get before I got down to work. Once I had to steal a valuable object from a museum and spent two weeks gathering information, collecting clues and scouting the security systems.

Even the modern assassins and thieves have to do detective work these days. In the old days, before security guards, surveillance cameras and automatic security doors, locking systems and the like, it was easy. They would find out where the loot was, enter at night, and leave as stealthily as they came.

Today, however, that doesn't work anymore and there are so many things to consider. For example, I know of an assassin who ended up in a theft trap. He broke into a museum and somehow set off the silent alarm when he got hold of the goods. And the next moment the trap activated. So-called fire doors rolled down on the doors and the windows were barred. In addition, the room was filled with a stun gas. The assassin had no chance to escape.

The Assassin Council had lectured everyone at that time never to become careless or overconfident just because you get impatient and finally want to fulfill your mission.

But I don't think the Assassin had done anything wrong then. He was always very conscientious and careful. I still knew him from the academy and he was among the best. And the fact that he didn't notice this trap before doesn't automatically mean that he made a mistake. Better and better security systems are being developed. I think that the Assassin Council should also consider this and perhaps have training sessions now and then so that the Assassins are always well prepared.

Well. So Zhan and I went to the council and there we also received new equipment. Zhan now has the same clothes as me and he even got the hidden blade device. In addition, we both received two necklaces with pendants that identify us as sent by the council. With these pendants, we can enter anywhere. Not bad either, right?

Some portals are private and can only be opened with certain crystals. But these pendants save us the search for these crystals and we get the portals opened with them. You can think of it like police badges. Somehow I think that's really good.

After talking to the council, Zhan and I then began our hunt for Meng Yao and Su She. We first went to the place where the two vampires had been killed. Two vampires who were said to be around 2000 years old. The exact age was probably only known by the two themselves.

When we arrived at the scene of the crime, we took a good look around, but we didn't find anything. Because, unfortunately, everything had already been tidied up and cleaned up there. The two killed vampires lived together in one house and had two employees. After the murder of the two, the employees cleaned the house and put everything back in its place. What idiots!

We went to see the vampire, who reported that he had seen Meng Yao and Su She. At first he didn't want to talk to us. But then we showed him our pendants, which I will now rename badges for once, and he talked. "The city of the people is very close and I work there as a night watchman in a sanatorium. I was just about to leave for work when two unknown people caught my eye. At first I thought nothing of it, until I heard how one called the other A-Yao. I looked around discreetly at the two and recognized Su She. I remembered seeing his picture on the network before. It was him for sure. And this other one was Meng Yao for sure."

"I see. Did you notice anything else?" I asked.

"Not really. I just heard Meng Yao getting upset that someone just disappeared. But I couldn't really hear it, and I didn't want to get caught eavesdropping. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry about that. You did everything right. They probably would have killed you too if you hadn't." Replied Zhan.

Since the witness couldn't give us any more details, we said goodbye to him and left. To me he seemed anxious. And when we were sitting in our car, Zhan said, "The witness didn't tell us everything. I think he was too scared."

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?" I asked Zhan. I just wanted to know his opinion. Because I was thinking the same thing he was.

"Well, he must have been standing very close to them or walking beside them for more than a brief moment to hear the name A-Yao and also what the two were talking about. But there is something that makes me wonder and doubt the witness."

"And what?"

"He said Su She called him A-Yao. But he would never do that. Meng Yao is something like Su She's master. Your brother also said that Su She always called him Meng Yao very politely. Moreover, the two of them are not Stupid. Do you think the two of them would really call each other by their names if there were witnesses around?"

"Mhm, you're absolutely right. And I'm thinking the same thing you are. I just wanted to see if you noticed it too."

"Yes, I noticed it right away."

"So the witness is not trustworthy and his testimony is worth nothing. But then why was he afraid?"

"I think he wanted to show off a bit when the murders of the two old vampires became known. And for fear we'd expose his lies and that he'd be punished for it, he was afraid."

"Right. But that doesn't mean Meng Yao and Su She didn't kill the two vampires after all. I interviewed the two employees of theirs earlier and they said that the two of them always got along well with everyone. And that they had no enemies. In addition, one of them stated that a small box of gold coins disappeared."

"Vampires that are about 2000 years old and had no enemies at all? Very, very unlikely, Yibo. And the gold could have been stolen from one of them, or even both."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Even though they had to expect us to come by and take another look at the crime scene ourselves, they cleaned and tidied everything up. And they didn't just clean, they made everything almost clinically clean. Not a speck of dust. Not a fingerprint anywhere. And all over the house? The room where all their valuables and gold were was so clean we could have eaten off the floor. But what really bothered me in that room was that there were two very valuable rings there."

"And what bothered you about these Valuable Rings?"

"Quite simply. The diamonds on them were missing. I took a closer look at those rings and both rings were missing the three small diamonds. I remember Councilor Choi has the same ring and once told me that this ring came in triplicate and was a gift from a king. He showed me the small diamonds on it at that time and said they were the real valuable thing about it."

"I see."

"Uh-huh. So the question is. Did Meng Yao have enough time and the proper tools to remove the small diamonds calmly? Probably not. The employees shared a room in the house. If the two vampires were attacked, they should have noticed something. They said that when they got up to start their work, they found chaos. So if there really was a fight, the employees should have noticed something. And how would Meng Yao and Su She know what to look for and where?"

"You would make a good detective Zhan. I was wondering the same thing, though. I think in this case, the two killed their masters, took the valuables, and claimed some burglars and thieves killed and robbed their masters."

"Exactly. But there was also this one woman who told the council that she saw Meng Yao and Su She. However, she saw the two of them going in a different direction. They tried to cover their faces and avoided the streetlights."

"So they were really here. But where did they go?"

"Well, I wish I knew. So it could be that there was another murder or even more murders. We just need to find out where they went."

"Let's interview the woman again and have her show us which direction she saw the two go. Maybe we'll find something out if we follow the trail?"

"We'll do that." Said Zhan and then we immediately made our way to the witness.

And again Zhan proved to me how smart he really is. His comprehension skills are enormous. And he can quickly find connections. Another reason why the council wants him so badly. Someone like my husband is very useful to the council. So am I. I guess that's why he and I get this special attention from the council.

When Zhan and I arrived at the woman's house, she seemed to have been expecting us. She stood at her living room window and said, "Here you are at last." And let us into her house afterwards.

She only has a very small house and lives there alone. She explained to us, "I had just returned from my errands and was about to go into my house when I saw these two suspicious men. Due to a breeze, the hood of one of them lifted a little and I could recognize Meng Yao. He immediately pulled the hood back low on his face. He and this other man, were trying to avoid the light of the street lamps. I watched them for quite a while. I just pretended to check my purchase one more time before going inside. I saw them turn left at the end of the street. And following the path, at the end of this street, you come to the old goldsmith's house."

Neither Zhan nor I had any doubts about her statement. So we decided, after thanking the woman for her statement, to go to the old goldsmith's house.

When we got there, the front door was ajar. We called out to him, but got no answer. So we went into the house and there it actually looked like there had been a fight. Well, now we have to find out what happened here and if anything was stolen. More about that next time.