“Then what do you want to do?” Xu Bei asked sharply.
“Work for me. You’re a legal demon, help me hunt down illegal demons—that’s your only way back into civilized society,” Jimmy said, flicking her fingers playfully.
“Even if I die, I won’t work for the Demon Control Bureau,” Xu Bei refused decisively.
“I’ll pay you fifty after-tax per hour,” Jimmy offered.
Xu Bei’s expression suddenly darkened, murderous intent flashing in his eyes as he asked, “Where are those damn illegal demons?”
“Aren’t you making money playing games?” Jimmy taunted.
“That’s a long-term project for big money. Usually, I take odd jobs to make some quick cash. Since you came here looking for me, something must have happened…” Xu Bei answered with a fake cool smile.
But after waiting a long time without a reply, he turned back and saw Jimmy being held hostage.
Her hands were raised, and a gun was pressed against the back of her head.
The person holding the gun was none other than Xu Bei’s good neighbor, Sang Biao. She looked at Xu Bei and asked, “Are you in trouble? How did you manage to piss off the Demon Control Bureau? Hurry up and pack your bags—time to run.”
“Biao, don’t bring out toy guns for play. It’s fine, she’s one of us,” Xu Bei explained irritably.
“Do you even have informants inside the Demon Control Bureau? Impressive,” Sang Biao said, lowering the toy gun.
“What the hell? How dare you threaten me? Who are you? Put down your weapon! Hands up!” Jimmy was ready to draw her gun and shouted.
“She’s my neighbor. Calm down, it’s a misunderstanding. Everyone hold your fire. Biao, I’m fine. You should go back first,” Xu Bei quickly stopped her from drawing and gestured for Sang Biao to retreat so the situation wouldn’t escalate.
Besides, Sang Biao was one of the few people Xu Bei couldn’t read. Was she really a brain-dead retired gang member? Or was she a hidden master in seclusion?
Like her gender, her behavior screamed killer, yet she looked like a female internet celebrity.
“Be careful. If you have any troubles, just come to me for help. Don’t forget, we’re brothers; we share difficulties,” Sang Biao muttered as she backed into her room.
“Don’t go!” Jimmy kept pestering.
“Agent Jimmy, let’s focus on business,” Xu Bei pulled her along as they left the apartment.
Jimmy muttered curses as they walked, “People nowadays have no sense. Not even afraid of the Demon Control Bureau? Don’t even know who’s saved you so many times behind the scenes?”
“She doesn’t know you’re a demon control agent. Not everyone’s involved in the underworld. She’s just a good citizen protecting her neighbor,” Xu Bei explained.
Though even he didn’t quite believe his own words—they were lies.
His neighbor was not simple at all, definitely not some failed idol convert she claimed to be.
For starters, she had zero idol habits—couldn’t sing, couldn’t dance, and certainly couldn’t charm men.
She only knew how to disappear without a trace, wield guns expertly, and spoke in a low voice, obviously hiding something.
Probably the only truth was she’d been a macho man turned into a cute internet star.
When she said that, Xu Bei genuinely felt a bit of sadness—the sorrow of losing his balls.
Outside the apartment, a police tandem bike was parked, its rear wheel guard equipped with a police light.
“Get on,” Jimmy flipped onto the bike with practiced ease.
“…” Xu Bei was speechless, no energy to complain.
But to earn money, he had no choice but to hop on the back as they set off together.
Xu Bei remained silent the whole way, head down, fearing passersby might see him—it was too embarrassing.
The police tandem bike was a magnet for stares; nearly everyone turned their head for a look.
“Don’t you have anything to ask? Like what mission we’re on?” Jimmy chatted nonstop, completely unfazed.
“Can I ask what your position is, Agent Jimmy?” Xu Bei inquired.
“I’m the community police officer for these streets,” Jimmy replied.
Xu Bei felt embarrassed—she was just a grassroots officer.
A community police officer mainly patrols a designated area, maintaining public order.
They usually handle minor disputes and rarely encounter serious cases.
Demon control agents don’t normally patrol communities, so why would the Demon Control Bureau have a community officer? The roles didn’t match at all.
“I know what you want to ask. I told you I’m Xiao Hui’s handler. I’m a special demon control agent stationed here long-term, mainly responsible for Sun Xiaohui’s personal safety and also for community security,” Jimmy explained.
“Don’t you have colleagues? Even if you don’t have backup, at least you should have a four-wheeler, right?” Xu Bei pressed.
“This place is right next to Meteor Street. Nobody wants to come here,” Jimmy said with a bitter smile.
“True, you almost got popped by my neighbor. Good thing it was a toy gun,” Xu Bei joked.
“You don’t have a gun? I can’t get you into the system, you have to find a way to get one yourself,” Jimmy said.
“Hmph.” Xu Bei scoffed dismissively.
Soon, they arrived at the nearby school food street on the tandem police bike.
They got off in front of a dumpling shop.
“Jimmy, you finally made it. Come take a look,” the dumpling shop owner’s wife hurried out, leading them through the back door to the alley behind the shop.
The alley reeked of a putrid smell. In a corner lay a big bundle of strange stuff—plastic bags containing rotten meat and several large bones.
Jimmy skillfully pulled out a towel to cover her nose, put on gloves, and handled the situation professionally.
“Jimmy… do you think this could be… that thing?” the owner’s wife asked fearfully, trembling.
“Possible. I need to contact an expert,” Jimmy said seriously, picking at the meat with tweezers.
“This has nothing to do with us. We’d never do such a thing. Human meat dumplings? We’ve never seen anything like that. We definitely haven’t killed anyone. Someone must have dumped this in our sewer,” the owner’s wife began to protest.
Jimmy stayed silent, playing mysterious, which only made the owner more nervous.
Xu Bei looked on helplessly and calmly said, “That’s Nizi’s beef bone.”
“Huh?” the owner’s wife exclaimed.
“How do you know?” Jimmy looked shocked and turned to ask.
“That’s a cow’s leg bone. Can’t you tell human bones from cow bones?” Xu Bei mocked.
The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward.
“I just saw the beef noodle shop across the street. Have you had any conflicts lately?” Xu Bei asked again.
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