Chapter 149

Page Five Theft

Indeed, it was the Mysterious Girl A, who had stolen clothes from a clothing store.

“Where was this filmed?” I asked.

“It’s from the Balance Commercial District, a surveillance video from a boutique store.”

After Líng Shàojié answered, the somewhat delayed Queen explained, “I discovered this anomaly from the police records. It’s not just this store; there were similar thefts at other stores too, but none were as clear as this one.”

After pausing, Queen asked, “So, Xiǎo Shàojié, what did you find during the on-site investigation? Could you confirm where they came from?”

With Queen conducting a broad search online and finding suspicious leads, Líng Shàojié then conducted precise field investigations.

“It’s still hard to find someone who can teleport, but we did get some useful clues… uh.”

Líng Shàojié, who was drinking coffee with her glasses fogged up by the steam, took out a cloth to wipe them before continuing, “I went to the commercial area after school, posing as a reporter, and visited several shops that were robbed. The bookstore owner’s statement seemed quite relevant… she said the suspect might be a time traveler from ancient times.”

“…Why?”

I also asked, “Is the bookstore owner obsessed with穿越 novels?”

“No, because the suspect left this behind…”

Líng Shàojié pulled out a small, golden object the size of a fingernail.

“I bought it directly from the bookstore owner, who was very happy to trade for money. This thing isn’t magnetic, and my initial judgment is that it’s real gold, quite heavy.”

She weighed it in her hand, and the little gold bean sparkled under the light—it was indeed gold, produced by alchemy, with residual magical energy. Perhaps these remnants could help track down the Mysterious Girl A.

“You’re just telling me, and I can’t see it. Using gold to buy books is too extravagant, and even in ancient times, there were copper coins, right?”

Queen’s complaint didn’t make much sense.

Compared to gold, copper isn’t valuable today, and besides… refining copper is fatal!

Queen added, “But she probably doesn’t have cash or an e-wallet, so she had to use this special payment method… throwing gold on the ground like that, she really isn’t worried about other customers picking it up?”

She indeed wouldn’t care, as alchemy can produce gold almost cost-free.

Líng Shàojié continued, “From the interviews, there were indeed shops that didn’t receive the gold fragments, but it’s uncertain if they’re hiding the truth or if someone else picked them up.”

If they weren’t noticed immediately, they could easily be picked up. It seemed like a desperate move, as she couldn’t directly create currency, nor did she have a way to exchange the gold for money. Although it wasn’t moral, it was better than stealing or robbing a bank…

Queen asked, “Do you have any other clues?”

Líng Shàojié thought for a moment while holding her coffee.

“Oh, there’s another unusual thing: all the staff can’t remember the thief’s appearance.”

Queen dismissed it nonchalantly, “What’s unusual about that? The target was there to steal, never interacting with anyone.”

“That’s very unusual! You’ve seen Xiao Lingmeng’s face, haven’t you? With such a pretty face, seeing her once should leave a lasting impression. If it were someone else, it would be fine, but everyone forgetting? Is that normal?”

“That’s ‘cognitive obstruction,’ a spell used to hide identity. If someone uses this spell, they won’t leave a clear impression in others’ minds, or even walk past you without being recognized…”

The police likely couldn’t catch her now; this case is truly unsolvable.

Líng Shàojié exclaimed, “There’s such powerful magic? Then I have no chance of catching her?”

That’s bad news, making her investigation very difficult.

“But she can’t use this spell 24/7, and it doesn’t work on machines… Miss Queen, did the surveillance footage capture her face?”

“Nope.”

As a response, several screenshots of the Mysterious Girl A from different angles appeared on the computer, but none captured her face.

“She wore a wide-brimmed hat, so the cameras couldn’t catch her face. If it weren’t for the police record catching my attention, I wouldn’t have confirmed her identity. She’s very cautious, maybe realizing she was exposed in the KTV surveillance room?”

It’s possible; knowing about the maid outfit theft immediately shows she has means we don’t know about.

Since she’s learned to avoid cameras, Queen and Líng Shàojié’s search difficulty increased significantly.

This is really tough.

Even though she’s not our enemy, being so careful still makes us suspicious! Could she be our mother?

Queen asked, “Little Lingmeng, stop being silent. Do you have any leads? Aren’t you going to tell us?”

“No, without solid evidence, I can’t conclude anything. But she’s aware of counter-tracking, making future investigations harder… let me share my deductions.”

After finishing half a cup of coffee, I poured in some milk.

“The target is likely a time traveler. The photo taken by the senior student yesterday shows the suspect dressed like someone from the previous era.”

“Mm, the long dress and three-braid hairstyle are very retro…”

Agreeing, Líng Shàojié then exclaimed, “Wait, you have time-traveling magic?”

“Not that extreme, but there are many ways to achieve it. Freezing oneself and thawing in the future is essentially time travel. I think the target used something like this, but I’m not sure which year she’s from.”

[Cherry Sauce, we’re at Líng Shàojié’s place. You said the peephole is a camera, so we’re hiding in the elevator.]

Halfway through, a message came from Xiǎo Kǎi.

I glanced at Líng Shàojié, who hadn’t noticed our operation and was leisurely drinking coffee.

— “I’m having a meeting with Líng Shàojié and Queen. Wait for me, that alarm camera is troublesome.” —

I asked, “What exactly was stolen?”

“I made a list.”

Líng Shàojié pulled out a notebook from her inner pocket and flipped to a page, handing it over.

It listed everything in detail, with items stolen from each store recorded separately.

“Underwear, clothes, shoes, accessories, books, snacks… oh, and a pet ferret.”

Though she wasn’t looking, she could still list them all. Her memory is impressive… wait! A pet ferret?

“You mean she stole an animal?”

“Yeah, a Maser. She left two gold bars in the ferret’s cage, and the pet shop people looked anxious because the related certificate wasn’t transferred… they said if we find her, she should go to the pet shop to handle the paperwork.”

Does she even have time for pets!

Queen analyzed, “Since she’s keeping a pet and buying so much, she must have a place to stay. An illegal immigrant would live somewhere, so I’ll start searching from this angle.”

“Miss Queen, thank you for your help.”

“Not at all, just make sure to prepare the payment.”

If the Mysterious Girl A is really my mother, the place she stays might be where she lived ten years ago… perhaps I can ask Old Dad, he might have some clues.

If I can determine the general location, I can track her using the magical residue on the gold fragment, like a police dog.

“Can I take this gold piece? It’s likely a product of alchemy, and I want to analyze it.”

“But I paid for it…”

“I’ll return it later.”

Líng Shàojié shrugged, tossing the gold bean to me, and said, “I understand you’re wary, but share any clues. We’re helping you, so trust us more.”

She gave me a thumbs-up and smiled…

Trust her? Impossible. I’ve even set up ambushes at her doorstep.

“So I’ve told you everything, but I don’t know much more about the Mysterious Girl A than you do.”

“Maybe the part you think shouldn’t be shared is the key to solving the mystery.”

Queen said, “I have other tasks to handle, so I don’t have time to chat. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up. Ciao~ Ciao~”

Then she shut off Líng Shàojié’s computer.

— “Prepare for action.” —

[Finally, we’re taking action?]

— “Wait for me to open the door, and you can come in.” —

While giving instructions to Xiǎo Kǎi, I looked at Líng Shàojié.

“Now that it’s nine o’clock, don’t you need to go back?”

“No problem, I can ask my brother to go to school for me.”

Although Xiǎo Kǎi was also involved in the stealth operation.

“Huh, siblings looking alike is convenient… okay, what do you want to know?”

Crossing arms and closing eyes, I shifted my focus to Xiǎo Kǎi, controlling two wires to approach the camera at the peephole. One wire entered the lock, and the other slipped through the door crack to locate the router.

Yes, the router.

Triggering an alarm by covering the lens was risky since the camera is networked. I planned to unplug the router, let Xiǎo Kǎi in, close the door, and plug it back in quickly, hoping to keep the time under 30 seconds to avoid notice…

Líng Shàojié asked, “Are you tired?”

“Oh, no… what’s the relationship between Aunt Lin and you? Doesn’t she live here?”

“Aunt Lin is my guardian, but she doesn’t live here. I’m just staying at her shop.”

“She doesn’t know about your job as an information broker, right?”

“Of course not, but when I make big money, I’ll repay her.”

The door unlocked, and I found the router under the TV cabinet in the living room.

[Hurry up! You’ve stripped me naked!]

I cut the router power, opened the door, and let Xiǎo Kǎi slip inside.

“What about your parents? Another clichéd plot of being abandoned by parents?”

“I guess it’s not far off.”

“…Hey, are you that unlucky?”

“Unlucky? Maybe, but I’ll seek revenge someday…”

Halfway through, she checked her phone and gave me a suspicious look.

“Lingmeng, where’s your brother?”