Chapter 42

Chapter 42: I’m Going into the Maze

Feng Ling was still turning that thought over when Su Yu Qing’s number flashed on her screen.

She answered.

His voice was fast and tight. “Was the Dou Sha Le who posted on the forum you?”

Feng Ling went still. The Inspection Bureau moved that fast?

Not a good sign.

She tried to deny it. “No—”

Before she could finish, Su Yu Qing cut in. “A network technician traced Dou Sha Le’s IP. It’s at Xiu Yuan Residence.”

Feng Ling’s throat tightened. So much for lying.

“Well,” she said awkwardly, “I have to admit, your trace was pretty accurate.”

“Feng Ling!” Su Yu Qing’s voice cracked with fury. “This is serious. Why didn’t you report it to the Inspection Bureau? Do you understand what kind of consequences this can cause?”

“I didn’t know,” Feng Ling said, honestly baffled. “If I knew it was that serious, I would’ve reported it. I wasn’t hiding it on purpose.” She paused, then asked, “So what happens? What consequences?”

There was a long, strangled silence, like he’d swallowed the wrong mouthful of air.

“Anyway,” he said at last, forcing himself steady, “stay in the apartment. Don’t go anywhere. I’m coming over right now. After that, you follow my arrangements.”

“That won’t work,” Feng Ling said. “I have something to do.”

On the other end, Su Yu Qing was probably standing in his office, blood pressure spiking, phone close to cracking in his hand.

After half a minute, he ground out, “Wait until I get there. Then we’ll talk.”

Since she was living in his place, Feng Ling gave him that much. “Fine.”

She hung up and opened her chat with Daoist Master Li again.

No new messages.

After being sidetracked this long, asking for a video call now felt… forced. She could do it later. Next time, when the conversation flowed naturally.

Feng Ling set her phone down and looked at the battlefield of takeout containers and bones on the table. With a sigh, she grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen, packed everything up, and carried it downstairs to the dumpster.

Someone had clearly gotten their heart shattered. A huge bouquet of roses lay inside, wrapped in neat paper with sprigs of baby’s breath tucked in like an apology.

It still smelled sweet.

Feng Ling hummed to herself, picked out a few good stems, and brought them back upstairs. By the time she’d arranged them in a vase, the door opened.

Su Yu Qing walked in.

She was calm, hands busy with flowers, like she had all the time in the world. It made his rush look almost pathetic.

He crossed the living room with a black expression and dropped onto the sofa.

A second later, Zhou Zhou poked his head in from behind the door, eyes gleaming with curiosity. He found a chair in the dining area and sat like he was settling in for a show.

Then came three familiar faces from the special assault team—Qin Liang, Xiao Li, and Cao Hong Yi. They wore casual clothes, but their posture was all tension. They shut the door behind them, spread out behind the sofa, and pulled out guns from their bags like they were stepping into a breach.

Feng Ling stared at them, surprised.

At least the living room was big. With this many people, it still didn’t feel crowded.

“You all came?” Feng Ling asked. “Don’t you have to stay at the Inspection Bureau and wait for assignments?”

Su Yu Qing didn’t look up. “Waiting here is the same. If an assignment comes, it’ll probably be tied to you.”

Feng Ling smiled faintly. “Captain Su, when you say it like that, it sounds like you’ve already decided I’m trouble.”

“Get to the point,” Zhou Zhou cut in, impatient. “Old Su dragged me here and didn’t explain anything. What’s this hidden Boss thing? We’re all card bearers—why are you the Boss and I’m just an elite monster?”

“Don’t stick aberrant labels on yourself,” Su Yu Qing snapped. “An ability card alone is C-rank. A high-tier card plus one digestion is B-rank. A high-tier card plus three or more digestions is A-rank.”

“Okay, okay.” Zhou Zhou lifted his hands. “I meant why I’m only B-rank. Where does hidden Boss fall? Feng Ling can’t be S, right?”

What he really cared about was the gap. Why her, not him.

“It’s probably tied to the ability card’s skill,” Feng Ling said. She found the tablet and handed it over—Huang Fu Miao Miao’s translated forum posts, saved and ready.

“I only learned recently too,” Feng Ling continued. “According to the aberrants, the Mother Nest card was supposed to be a strong support. But a human got it by accident, so the skill mutated. The system wants to remove me as a variable, so it slapped ‘hidden Boss’ on me to lure aberrants into killing me.”

Zhou Zhou nodded, relief flashing across his face. “So it’s not because you’re stronger than me.”

Feng Ling’s smile sharpened. “Your burst is decent. Your stamina is the problem. Your burst window’s too short, Deputy Captain Zhou.”

Zhou Zhou scoffed. “If I run into an aberrant, it’s enough time.”

Su Yu Qing stood, took the tablet from Zhou Zhou, and read at a frightening speed. His brows pulled tighter the longer he looked.

“The Central Bureau has an inspector who can possess an aberrant and use their forum function,” he said. “Not twenty-four-seven, but this will reach them sooner or later. They’ll send people to Qing Jiang City to investigate the hidden Boss situation.”

He exhaled, tired to the bone. “And I’ll probably get written up for ‘failing to report.’”

His gaze locked onto Feng Ling. “For the next few days, you stay here. Zhou Zhou and the special assault team members will remain to protect you. We wait for the Central Bureau to arrive, then decide what to do with you.”

Zhou Zhou leaned back, smug. “What else? Recruit her. Then transfer her to Yan Jing or Yun Hai City.”

Feng Ling listened, expression flattening.

“I don’t have time to wait for you to ‘decide what to do with me,’” she said. “I have something to handle.”

Su Yu Qing looked like he might actually be dying of frustration. “At a time like this, can’t you put it aside?”

“No.”

“What could be more important than your own safety?” he demanded.

Feng Ling pressed two fingers to her forehead.

She didn’t want to tell them. She was used to making her own calls. And her relationship with the Inspection Bureau wasn’t nearly close enough for confessions.

But the Maze wasn’t a sure thing. Idol wasn’t a sure thing. Everything was unknown.

Last time, gambling on luck had nearly wrecked her.

This time, she couldn’t afford to be careless.

Zhou Zhou muttered under his breath, “Look at her face. She’s about to leave a last will.”

Feng Ling shot him a look, then cleared her throat.

“I’m going into the Maze,” she said.