CHAPTER ONE

This was all a conspiracy; a trap. If not, Chen Li Sha would succumb to the reality that she was going crazy.

Her fingers, which were often covered with leather gloves, were now exposed. The stickiness on her palms was not the gunky blood she wanted to avoid. 

Instead, golden liquid soaked her hands.

This was no monster's blood, it was a demigod's.

She stepped back, observing the body in front of her. She remembered talking to her just a few hours ago but now, the woman's lurid body seemed to occupy the whole space — suffocating her from all the agitation coursing through her veins.

Before she could do anything else, the door burst open and everything had become a muddle.

‧ 🀦 ‧

"I did not kill her!" Chen Li Sha could not even count how many times she had repeated this damned sentence for the past few days.

"I see..." The man's penetrating black irises stared back at her before writing whatever the hell it was in his notebook. 

Ever since that night, the investigation was still ongoing. This was not because it was a hard case. In fact, it was too smooth to the point that all evidences were pointed at her.

The only reason it took this long was due to Er Lang Shen's delay in using his authority as the Chief of the Mythos Branch of China.

Everyone knew Chen Li Sha was one of the strongest demigods of Mythos all over the world. She was the pride of their branch and the sole mortal daughter of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen of the West. Snapping one's neck was as easy as breathing, however, the one who died was also a demigod like her.

One should also note that the victim was her roommate, making everything more complex than it was and resulting in another fruitless interview that ended at noon.

"Let's meet again tomorrow, Ms. Chen." He had a polite smile as he fixed his coat. 

She glanced at his nametag but did not even try to remember his name. Even if he said that, they both knew the Council would send another person who would interrogate her the next day.

 "Whatever!"

Chen Li Sha stormed off. Her brisk steps led her to the cafeteria. She walked past the food counter while ignoring all the gazes around her. Before, it was mixed with awe and fear, now it was simply filled with malice and accusations.

Granted, it was reasonable because she was someone who should be imprisoned. But, thanks to the Chief's interference, she was not convicted by the Council.

The partiality was blatant yet no one would raise their opposition.

"Yo, murderer!"

Except for one, apparently.

Those fox-shaped eyes focused on her. His shit-eating grin could only be from joy upon witnessing her current ordeal. Her hand itched to punch his face but Er Lang Shen had already warned her to lie low at the moment — something that was proving difficult to do as the days passed when facing the mockery of this bastard, Guo Feng.

She changed direction and sat at a long table with a few empty chairs on the other end.

Just like having a plague, every single one of them left her alone but someone pulled the seat in front of her.

The only person who had that courage was none other than Guo Feng, of course.

"How was it, zhu tou? Haven't surrendered yet? I always know you have a thick face but you're still roaming around labeled as a murderer. You've opened my eyes!"

Chen Li Sha ate, treating him like a mosquito buzzing on her ears but this guy didn't seem to know the word 'shut up'.

"You're so quiet. Are you guilty? You just killed somebody but why are you acting like a weakling?"

He kept yapping nonsense while bubbling rage grew inside her. She had reigned her temper for a few days straight without turning physical but looking at the mouth that never stopped spewing trash, she was not able to stop. Her chopstick flew into the air.

Guo Feng easily caught it with his own chopsticks. The pointed part was so close to his cheeks but coupled with years of training and enhanced senses, there was no ounce of panic as he put the utensils down.

She huffed a breath. "What the fvck do you want, you dog fart?"

"So you know how to speak? I thought you've gone mute after murdering your roommate."

"Murder, murder, murder! I am sick of hearing that shit!" Her hands slammed the table. Eyes gathered on them and she quickly tried to calm herself.

She could not mess up while the investigation was still not over. 

Er Lang Shen, despite all the bias he had shown, could not fully support her. She had proved she had no motive but the evidence was undeniable.

Only her and the victim's fingerprints were found with the weapon. Of all the times, she did not wear her gloves, this happened. What's worse, the weapon in question was her very own pocket knife.

But she was not stupid. She was known for wearing her leather gloves all the time yet when she decided to be a murderer, she forgot it? That was pure foolishness, a thing only imbeciles would do when she was far from one. 

And the knife? With her abilities, and if she was the actual killer, she would rather use her gun. Her kills had always been clean and precise, not the bloody mess she woke up into.

'Or maybe I really did something crazy?'

She shook her head. There was no reason she would do that. With her fist clenched, she found the determination to find the killer. 

However, doing so was similar to searching for a needle in a haystack.

With her personality, she didn't lack any foes but to look for someone who could meticulously plan such murder was bordering on a mission impossible. How could she even prove she was framed?

The Chief had already contacted other pantheons with clairvoyance abilities but it was to no avail. It was as if the whole scene was veiled with a stronger magic that even Er Lang Shen, who had the All-Seeing Eye, found it hard to decipher.

Not to mention, she could not recall a single thing. She could not even remember how she fell asleep that night. She also tried to retrieve her memories using magic but there was nothing.

Worst-case scenario, she could ask a god a favor...

But that was the last resort.

Owing a god could be the most miserable decision a mortal could make. Doing so simply meant your fate would be bound to the god from that day on.

While Chen Li Sha was in deep thought, Guo Feng's mouth never stopped chattering. The two who were in their own world were awoken by the blaring sound.

The mechanical bells rang for a full minute followed by a voice.

"Gongxi! Gongxi! Everyone in the cafeteria is qualified for the game!"

Cheers and whistles instantly erupted and drowned the robotic voice. If there was anything that could ease any troubles inside the agency, it was the random games held by the AI system that ran the building.

"Scanning all staff IDs... Registering... Gongxi! There are 18 participants in the roulette. Four people will be sent to the Philippines for a special mission. Merit points will be awarded as the initial reward."

After the announcement, mixed reactions filled the room. First, who would want to be sent abroad? Second, anything with the word 'special' should be suspicious.

Still, some were baited by the merit points.

Unlike other branches, the China branch had a merit system. The points were awarded after the mission and they could convert it into whatever they wanted — be it money or privilege.

"Bao Bei," someone called the AI system's name. "What are the total award points for a successful mission?"

"One hundred thousand merit points will be given after completion."

Intakes of breaths resonated simultaneously, including Chen Li Sha's. One hundred thousand merit points could only come once in a blue moon. She was fully aware that this kind of mission was bound to be difficult but an idea already solidified in her mind.

She was stuck in a cold case where the only ending was her ruin. She could not risk being convicted of a crime when she was still far from her goal. With a solution handed to her on a silver platter, there was only one way to obsolete what happened.

Making greater contributions meant getting more glory.

A glory so bright to restore her reputation while she tried to find a way to clear her name. With eyes glistening with confidence, she stood up.

"I volunteer!"

U n S c e n e s

Guo Feng: I'll join too! 

Chen Li Sha: *strangles him*

Translation:
Gongxi‧ congratulations
Bao Bei ‧ baby
Zhu Tou ‧ pig head : stubborn 

Pronunciation:
Gongxi ‧ kong si
Bao Bei ‧ paw pey
Zhu Tou ‧ chu dou 
Chen Li Sha ‧ chen (ch like chapel) li sha
Er Lang Shen ‧ er (er like earth) lang Shen (sh like ship)
Guo Feng ‧ kwo feng (fe like fern)

Note:
Thoughts????? I am so tempted to make Guo Feng a walking red flag but editing this chapter made me realize he already is when he talks like that lol

See you next week.

Or not ;)