Following Qin Yexuan's instructions, Su Ningshuang led her team to investigate the deceased gatekeeper.
Meanwhile, the academy's on-site investigation had concluded.
Liu's fingerprints were undeniably found on the bronze coffin.
However, the investigating officers kept glancing at Qin Yexuan as they reported.
"What is it? Why are you looking at him?" Su Ningshuang frowned.
The veteran appraiser, usually experienced and calm, appeared peculiar. "The first one to notice something amiss with the bronze coffin was this student Qin. He was also the first to open it... yet I can't find any trace of him at the scene."
Su Ningshuang chuckled, "Nonsense. My sister... what kind of person is student Qin? If he didn't have this capability, how could he be directing us?"
Her subordinates remained skeptical.
There wasn't even evidence of the scene being cleaned.
If it weren't for seeing Qin Yexuan in broad daylight, they would have suspected him to be a ghost rather than a person.
Su Ningshuang quickly consolidated the clues and, after discussing with her team for over half an hour, went to report to Qin Yexuan privately.
"Brother-in-law, Old Liu wasn't killed by the person in the coffin. Based on the autopsy and the scene, we infer that Old Liu became greedy when he saw the bronze coffin and intended to steal its contents. However, he accidentally triggered a mechanism and inhaled toxic gas, leading to his death."
There were no burial artifacts in the bronze coffin, clearly indicating it had been tampered with.
Old Liu's cause of death was also clear: a paralytic gas that incapacitated his respiratory system within a short period.
He had suffocated, and the strange smile was a result of his nerves being paralyzed.
The arms crossed over his chest were in that position due to rigor mortis.
He must have been unable to breathe and instinctively tried to tear open his clothes for air.
Qin Yexuan nodded after listening, "Ningshuang, you've done well. You're really starting to look like a capable investigator now."
Compared to their investigation in Hong Kong, Su Ningshuang had grown considerably.
Pleased with her brother-in-law's praise, Su Ningshuang beamed, "Then I'll issue a full alert for the person who escaped the coffin."
She lowered her voice, "According to what you said, brother-in-law, the one who came out of the coffin... was it really the ancient King Zhou of Shang?"
Qin Yexuan smiled faintly, "Zhou is a title used by later generations. Don't write it like that in your report. Just write his name, and don't tell anyone about this to avoid trouble."
Su Ningshuang looked stunned, "But... I don't know his name. Can I just make one up?"
"It doesn't matter, any alias will do," Qin Yexuan said lightly. "Strictly speaking, he belonged to the Zi surname, his given name was Xin. And according to the customs of that era, his proper title would be Emperor Xin."
Su Ningshuang noted down the name and became excited.
After all, they were about to apprehend a three-thousand-year-old monster; who wouldn't be thrilled? Sudao Novel Network.
Seeing her excitement, Qin Yexuan cautioned, "Don't think it'll be easy. Finding Di Xin will be very, very difficult."
Su Ningshuang laughed, "Brother-in-law, you're definitely wrong this time. Think about it, someone from thousands of years ago, they probably wouldn't even speak modern language, let alone read. Cars flooding the streets would scare him to death! I just need to access the surveillance cameras along the route, and I'll find this Di Xin within two hours!"
Qin Yexuan shook his head, "The academy teachers said he made a mask for himself when he left. This small detail is significant. This person once controlled the lands of all nations during the Great Xia dynasty, dominated that era, and was known as a Demon Emperor. He is not someone you can handle."
Su Ningshuang, full of confidence, retorted, "That was in the past. Times have changed. He knows nothing now, can he really use computers and mobile phones?"
She then pursed her lips and smiled, "I'll bet with brother-in-law. If I can't catch this old fellow within two hours, I'll admit defeat!"
"You won't find him even if you have a month," Qin Yexuan replied, not wanting to dampen her spirits, but knowing the reality.
Su Ningshuang pouted and immediately turned to organize the manhunt.
Qin Yexuan waited calmly.
One hour passed, then two...
Su Ningshuang returned, her head bowed in embarrassment, "Brother-in-law, we... we've failed. We've truly lost his trail."
"Hmm, elaborate. Where was the last trace?"
"He disappeared on Liuzhou Road. After a truck drove past, he vanished from the middle of the road!"
Qin Yexuan put down his teacup, "Isn't there a sewer entrance there?"
Su Ningshuang slapped her forehead, "Brother-in-law, you're brilliant! He escaped through the sewers."
Qin Yexuan was already standing up, "I need to return to school to handle some matters. Don't look for this person anymore. You won't find him. He is a Demon Emperor. Give him half a day, and he can completely adapt to this world."
...
Meanwhile, north of Liuzhou Road, in a dilapidated, closed-down internet cafe, dusty computer screens flickered.
The internet cafe owner sat before a computer, trembling.
Beside the computer were piles of armor and weapons from anime conventions.
A tall man draped in a bedsheet stood there.
He exuded a heroic aura, his features handsome and unparalleled, his build tall and exuding an air of wickedness.
This run-down internet cafe had been closed for a long time, and only two computers could be turned on.
The internet cafe owner, who had come to retrieve something, was now terrified, his hands shaking.
The handsome man opposite him, draped in a bedsheet and sitting proudly, remained silent. Then, he picked up a large anime sword prop and uttered a strange sound, like a dialect from the Central Plains, but the owner also heard it as a beast's roar.
He trembled for a long time and stammered, "This, this is a sword, a greatsword!"
The man in the bedsheet nodded and repeated, "Jian... (sword)."
His pronunciation was stiff at first, but after repeating it three times, his pronunciation became exceptionally clear.
He then picked up a nearby teacup, touched it with his hand, smelled it, and looked at the owner.
"Teacup, cup..." the owner's voice trembled more and more, "Sir, are you... are you an alien? Oh my god..."
"Teacup, cup... Sir, are you an alien? Oh my god..."
"Teacup, cup..."
The man in the bedsheet kept repeating the owner's words and then picked up another item.
This time, he only repeated it twice before he learned it.
For the remaining time, he learned from the most basic things, mastering them after one try and possessing a photographic memory.
After the owner downloaded a children's literacy program onto the computer, things became even simpler.
After an unknown amount of time, the man in the bedsheet looked at the owner and spoke in a clear, resonant Chaoge dialect, "Wang wants to know more! You, come, be Wang's servant!"
The owner was dumbfounded, what did this mean?
The man in the bedsheet frowned and hesitated, then changed his tone, "I am the sole ruler under heaven, the only son of Shang Tang the divine, therefore I call myself Wang. You, must get used to this title."
"Oh..."
"Wang wants to eat now!"
"Please wait a moment, sir, I, I don't have any food here."
"It matters not. There are plenty of plump rodents here. Wang just caught three. You, roast them."
"Ugh..."