Chapter 53: The Gears of Destiny Turn... and Go Haywire (Part Two)
“Cough—” Mickey coughed heavily, leaning forward and accidentally banging his head against the screen.
Qi Qi’s rarely stirred expression softened slightly as she asked in a low voice, “The last person you saw before getting on the transport vehicle—did she say her name was Twin Flowers?”
“Yes,” Li Guanqi nodded.
A thousand wild horses galloped through Mickey’s mind.
I can’t handle this!
How can someone be so good at stirring up trouble?
The highest authority in the Spirit Detention Bureau is called the King Hand—a dictator wielding absolute power.
Beneath the King Hand are twelve directors: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai.
Each director oversees five to seven departments, each department comprising multiple functional teams managing three to five strongholds.
Moreover, the King Hand has established seven direct secret guards known as the “Purgators.”
Like imperial envoys of ancient times, the Purgators do not participate in the bureau’s administrative affairs but hold life-and-death authority.
They are tasked with rooting out internal corruption and tackling the toughest external challenges.
They even have the power to impeach a director.
Generally, Purgators operate in utmost secrecy, their identities shrouded in mystery, except for one who is notably high-profile.
After completing each purge, she leaves a rose and a snow lotus on the victim.
She is the only Purgator with a publicly known codename: Twin Flowers.
On the bounty leaderboard of the Underground City, she ranks eighteenth, with a bounty of 120 million.
“What’s wrong?” Li Guanqi asked, puzzled.
Judging by the expressions of the two interrogators, this Twin Flowers must be a big deal.
But in his memory, she was just a—fool.
“You said you saw Twin Flowers?” Qi Qi regained composure and asked quietly, “What does she look like?”
The eighteen mysterious cards were a major case for the investigation team, but from the perspective of the entire department, district, bureau, or whole agency, it was a trivial matter.
Once the name Twin Flowers was mentioned, the gravity of the incident instantly escalated from a small task force to the level of the Shen Bureau.
If Li Guanqi really was an informant for Twin Flowers, even the Shen Bureau’s director would have to come light a cigarette.
Li Guanqi slightly raised his head, recalling, “She’s very beautiful, wearing a deep red strapless dress.”
“Great figure, long black hair.”
“Between one meter seventy-three and one meter seventy-five.”
“Hm—”
He seemed to think of something, his face flushing slightly.
“Any other information?” Qi Qi asked softly.
“Cough.” Li Guanqi turned his face away, a bit embarrassed. “Probably... D cup.”
Qi Qi’s expression remained unchanged as she looked at Mickey. “What are you waiting for? Write it down.”
Mickey blinked in confusion. “Really write it down?”
*Beep—*
A projection popped up: a woman in a red dress.
“Is this her?” Qi Qi asked.
Li Guanqi studied the image carefully. The style of the dress differed slightly from his memory, but the appearance and figure matched perfectly.
“Yes.”
“Understood.” Mickey caught on. “Another one dreaming in broad daylight.”
The woman in the photo was the department flower of the Shen Fifth Division, named Qi Mengsi, with suitors circling the division three times over.
Many sycophants had been seen, but this was the first time anyone had accused her of being a Purgator.
Qi Qi picked up a smart device and dialed a number. “There’s a major case. The suspect says he’s seen you. Come over.”
“Second Squad, First Interrogation Room.”
*No way.*
*You want me to come over for this trivial matter?*
“He says you’re Twin Flowers.”
*Cough—*
The voice at the other end clearly lost composure.
“One minute. I’ll grab my knife and be right there.”
“Bang!”
The interrogation room door was flung open suddenly, and a tall woman in a red dress strode in. Her sharp gaze softened when she saw Li Guanqi, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
She walked gracefully, her high heels clicking rhythmically on the floor.
Mickey, ever considerate, pushed over a rolling wheelchair.
Qi Mengsi sat down, resting one hand on the interrogation table, chewing gum, her eyes fixed intently on Li Guanqi with tender affection.
A familiar floral scent wafted in, prompting Li Guanqi to murmur, “You...”
“Your next line is,” Qi Mengsi interrupted, “We’ve met before.”
“Classic, but smooth.”
“No.” Li Guanqi blinked, “I wanted to say, are you alright?”
In his memory, this woman had leapt from a tall building—either dead or severely injured.
“If you’re well, then it’s a clear day.” Qi Mengsi leaned forward slightly.
Li Guanqi: ... (so cheesy)
Qi Qi interrupted, “Tone it down. This is the Second Squad interrogation room.”
“Don’t say reckless things next time.” Qi Mengsi winked at Li Guanqi.
She chewed her gum as her fiery red lips moved, the micro-camera embedded in the gum snapping photos of Li Guanqi nonstop.
With every chew, streams of information flooded the mysterious group chat of nine.
Rose: [Image]
[Image]
[Image]
“Whose fool is this? Come claim him!”
“Expose my disguise, don’t you know the rules?”
Swordsman: “Isn’t this 0748?”
Rabbit: “Update: His name’s Li Guanqi.”
Mahjong: “What’s going on?”
Rose: “He’s exposing my disguise, calling me Twin Flowers.”
The group chat fell silent for a moment.
Mahjong: “Not my person.”
Swordsman: “A lone wolf by nature.”
Others echoed the sentiment—no one in their subordinates matched his description.
Mermaid: “With so many informants, could he really be your man?”
Swordsman: “Possible.”
Shadow Mist Lady: “Looks dazed... amnesia? Should we test the code?”
The King remained silent.
“My man?” Qi Mengsi studied Li Guanqi up and down, pondering.
Their eyes locked—large and small—neither knowing what to say.
After a moment, she leaned in and whispered, “Grass on the plain.”
Li Guanqi blinked and replied, “Withers and flourishes in a year.”
People here even played poetry games?
“Gasp—” Qi Mengsi inhaled sharply, leaning back dramatically.
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind.
Could he really be my man?!
“Impossible...” she frowned, countless files flashing before her eyes.
No records of this man.
How does he know my identity and respond to the code?
Clock?! Which clock is the Four Nos?!
No status, no credits, no money, no cards—collectively known as the Four Nos.
Qi Mengsi scratched her head, unable to find an explanation. Two possibilities seemed most likely:
Either this man is a mole planted by Zhong, who somehow got her identity and code.
Or he really is her informant, but she lost contact after losing his files, and the informant was beaten by Zhong into a Four No.
“Don’t you remember me?” Li Guanqi asked tentatively.
Qi Mengsi looked at this brat, her face twisted with suppressed curses.
“Who the hell remembers you!”
“Which side are you really on?”
“If you were a mole, shouldn’t you sneak up and stab me in the back? Why so flashy?”
“If you’re on our side, why expose my disguise?!”
She had a mouthful of complaints, grabbed Li Guanqi’s hand, and said solemnly, “Follow me!”
Qi Qi didn’t bother stopping them, having finished all her questions.
Mickey, the mischief-maker, picked up his camera and snapped a candid shot of their hands clasped together.
“Where are we going?” Li Guanqi looked confused.
Without a word, Qi Mengsi led him to the front desk of the Shen Fifth Division.
“Guarantee.”
“Put a temporary supercomputer ring on him.”
She whispered to the smart device.
In some clock’s storyline, this should have been Mickey’s role.
Li Guanqi was momentarily stunned but quickly composed himself; having someone vouch for him was no big deal.
The smart butler began processing, broadcasting cold risk warnings.
[If the guaranteed fails to repay debts on time, the guarantor must...]
[If the guaranteed violates the alliance law, the guarantor must...]
[If the guaranteed suffers illness, the guarantor must...]
The robot read out a dozen risk warnings before looking at Qi Mengsi.
[Please confirm: Do you guarantee this person?]
“Confirm, confirm.” Qi Mengsi replied nonchalantly. “Hurry it up.”
The smart butler proceeded, asking, [What is your relationship?]
“Oh, whatever.” Qi Mengsi was impatient. “Fill in the fastest approval option.”
[Understood.]
The smart butler quickly operated. A small robot came to Li Guanqi’s side, erased the number tattoo on his wrist and facial markings, then stamped a sleek electronic bracelet on him.
Li Guanqi breathed a sigh of relief—finally, an ID card.
Though the process had slight discrepancies, it was no big deal, and worthless Mickey still owed him a favor.
“Pretty fast,” Qi Mengsi was surprised. “No need to wait a few minutes?”
She had guaranteed someone before, with a friend’s relationship, and the approval took half an hour.
[The closer the guarantor’s relationship, the faster the approval.]
The smart butler explained.
Li Guanqi and Qi Mengsi both gasped, cautiously asking, “What relationship did you fill in?”
[The closest human relationship.]
[Spouse.]
?
?
The wheels of fate turn... erratically.