Forty minutes later, they stepped out of the apartment.
At the end of the hallway was the elevator. Yin Wuwang pressed the button and the doors opened—a metal room barely two ping in size. He walked in and unconsciously tensed. Enclosed space, metal walls on all sides, a fan humming overhead. He'd seen videos yesterday and knew this thing was safe, but the body's instincts didn't answer to the brain.
Xie Qingyan walked in, his gaze pausing for an instant on Yin Wuwang's slightly stiff shoulders. He said nothing, calmly pressing "B2."
The elevator descended. Ding. Arrived.
The underground parking garage was brightly lit, with parking space numbers painted in yellow on the walls. The moment they stepped out of the elevator, both wrinkled their noses slightly—for cultivators accustomed to spiritual energy, the air still carried an odd smell.
"Master, space 037. Two steps to the left."
Yin Wuwang and Xie Qingyan exchanged glances.
"Do you know how to drive?" Xie Qingyan asked.
"...Little Deer Assistant will teach me."
Yesterday, Little Deer Assistant had used driving tutorial videos from the television to explain the basic principles. Yin Wuwang had memorized three core concepts: "steering wheel controls direction," "gas pedal accelerates," "brake decelerates." In theory, it shouldn't be difficult.
As it turned out, with Little Deer Assistant's real-time guidance plus the residual muscle memory from the character, driving really wasn't as hard as imagined. Yin Wuwang's reaction speed and hand-eye coordination far exceeded ordinary mortals. The steering wheel obeyed him perfectly, and he'd calibrated the pressure for the gas and brake after just two tries. Only when driving up the exit ramp did he press the gas a bit too hard, and the car lurched forward.
"Control your force," Xie Qingyan said.
Yin Wuwang silently eased off his foot.
The moment the car emerged from the underground garage, the street's cacophony washed over them. Vehicles raced along the roads, horns honked incessantly. Steam rose from roadside breakfast stalls. Most pedestrians walked with their eyes on their phones, never looking up.
Xie Qingyan sat in the passenger seat, observing this unfamiliar world through the window. Everything here emitted sound and light, as if terrified of being ignored. Compared to the clear mountains and still waters of the cultivation world, its serene silence, this place was loud enough to give one a headache. Watching through a screen versus being immersed in it were two entirely different experiences.
But Xie Qingyan didn't dislike it. Noise meant vibrant life—even if they were only characters in a story.
Along the way, they passed a chain coffee shop. Little Deer Assistant mentioned that Jiang Ye bought two coffees every morning before work—one black coffee, no sugar, for Shen Han, and one latte with sugar for himself.
Yin Wuwang pulled over without hesitation and walked into the shop, never considering that something might happen he couldn't handle. After all, in his world, nothing was beyond him—except for Fuguang.
Before he could even speak, the barista smiled and greeted him: "Morning, Officer Jiang! The usual?"
Yin Wuwang nodded naturally: "The usual."
When he came out with two cups of coffee in hand, his mood was exceptionally good. While waiting for the coffee, he'd overheard the young women whispering—saying he and Fuguang were handsomer than celebrities, a perfect match, easy on the eyes standing together... He had to admit, these mortals had excellent taste.
The Public Security Bureau was a gray-white building with several police cars parked at the entrance. People came and went in the lobby.
As Yin Wuwang and Xie Qingyan walked in side by side, the female officer at the front desk looked up with a familiar smile: "Morning, Brother Jiang. Morning, Forensic Doctor Shen."
Yin Wuwang raised a hand in greeting. Xie Qingyan also nodded slightly. Yesterday's intensive cramming hadn't been for nothing—at least they'd mastered basic social responses.
They walked down the corridor toward the Major Crimes Unit office, greeting people along the way. Yin Wuwang relied on the character memories in his mind to respond to each one, neither warm nor cold.
Pushing open the office door, someone was already inside.
A young man was crouching by the water dispenser, filling his cup. He shot to his feet at the sound of the door, spilling water all over his pants. He had a clever round face, looked about twenty-four or twenty-five, with bright round eyes.
"Brother Jiang!" His voice was loud. He walked over while wiping his pants, grinning. "Forensic Doctor Shen's here too! Oh, arriving together, huh?"
He glanced at the two cups of coffee in Yin Wuwang's hands, his eyes darting: "Brother Jiang's so good to Forensic Doctor Shen, buying coffee every day. When are you gonna bring me one?"
"You're not my boyfriend," Yin Wuwang replied offhandedly.
The words were out before he realized how naturally they'd come—as if the "Jiang Ye" part of his brain had spoken for him. But Yin Wuwang wasn't bothered in the slightest. In fact, he savored the words "my boyfriend" internally, turning them over with considerable satisfaction.
This was quite different from when he'd played the Duke of Fuguo in the previous world, where he'd had complete control over the character. He thought of the light that had sunk into their foreheads when Elder Mo downloaded the character profiles. It seemed that old man was somewhat useful after all—better than Little Deer Assistant, at least.
Little Lu showed no sign that anything was amiss, just laughed: "Fair enough, I'm not qualified."
Yin Wuwang handed one of the cups to Xie Qingyan. Black coffee, no sugar.
Xie Qingyan took it, lifted the lid, and took a sip. Bitter. In the cultivation world, he drank spiritual tea—clear-colored, with lingering fragrance, refreshing with every sip. He didn't like this mortal beverage at all. But since Jiang Ye bought it every day, not drinking it would probably be OOC.
"Thanks," he said, tone flat.
Little Deer Assistant 9528 buzzed in his mind: "Suggestion: perhaps a gentler tone? You've been dating for two years."
Xie Qingyan ignored this suggestion. In all the time he'd known Yin Wuwang, he'd never once used a "gentle" tone. If not for being conscripted by Elder Mo for these missions, Yin Wuwang would already be dead by his sword.
Little Lu—Lu Mingyuan, the youngest detective in the Major Crimes Unit, Jiang Ye's partner—looked back and forth between them, the corner of his mouth lifting: "Tsk tsk, I'm so jealous. Unlike my girlfriend, who doesn't even know what I like to eat or drink. Last time she brought me a matcha. I don't even drink matcha!"
He rambled on for a while, and seeing that Yin Wuwang had no intention of responding, tactfully shut up.
Another person was in the office—a woman in her early thirties, short hair crisp and efficient, typing at a computer. She looked up briefly at the commotion.
"Morning." She said one word and went back to typing.
Little Lu leaned close to Yin Wuwang's ear and whispered: "Sister Lin's in a bad mood today. The suspect in her burglary case ran again."
Yin Wuwang glanced at the woman. Lin Jie. Major Crimes Unit detective, same rank as Jiang Ye. Efficient, few words.
"Jiang Ye."
A low, steady voice came from the inner office.
Yin Wuwang turned to see a man in his forties standing in the doorway. Square face, buzz cut, eyes sharp and clear but not harsh.
Lin Zhiyuan. Major Crimes Unit captain.
"Captain Lin." Yin Wuwang responded, voice neither servile nor arrogant.
The captain turned and walked into his office. Yin Wuwang and Xie Qingyan exchanged a glance—they both knew the plot was starting now.
[End of V2_Chapter 05]
Next: A dead bar manager, two contradictory autopsy reports, and a confession that sounds more rehearsed than remembered.