Chapter Fifty-Six: Has Anyone Ever Used Themselves as a Test Subject?

Li Changqing was unsettled by his gaze and peculiar laughter.

“If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t stare at me with those lecherous eyes,” Li protested.

Kelly Losedi shot him a glare and replied, “Lecherous? I’m concerned about you. I’m just surprised you turned out to be a sorcerer. No wonder you’ve been able to crack those bizarre cases and slowly make a name for yourself.”

“You’re only surprised? Not shocked?”

“There’s nothing to be shocked about,” Kelly Losedi said, as if accustomed to such things. “Sorcerers and witches remain hidden in the Lamella Empire, but for the nobility, it’s hardly a secret. In fact, many great nobles maintain connections with sorcerers.”

Li Changqing let out a slight sigh of relief. He had been worried about how to explain all this to Kelly Losedi.

Kelly Losedi placed his right hand on Li Changqing’s shoulder. “My friend, you really haven’t been fair. Why didn’t you tell me you’re a sorcerer sooner? I’ve known you for so long, and only now do I discover this.”

Li Changqing didn’t answer that question. Instead, he asked, “Kelly, did Huang Chao die last night?”

The question of Huang Chao’s fate was crucial. Tang Xiaoyu had spent ages trying to clarify, but hadn’t managed to make the situation clear.

“You mean that monster?” Kelly Losedi thought for a moment. “I don’t know. But, my friend, you probably don’t realize the scale of the explosion you caused yesterday. Huang Chao should be dead.”

Still, recalling yesterday’s blast, Kelly couldn’t guarantee Huang Chao’s death.

After all, that creature was a monster—ordinary logic didn’t apply.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Li Changqing grew wary, got up, and peered through the peephole. Seeing it was Hu Xiong, he opened the door.

Hu Xiong glanced into the living room, noticing Kelly was present. “Detective Li, do you have a moment? I need to speak with you privately.”

Could it be about yesterday’s incident with Huang Chao?

“Of course.” Li Changqing stepped into the hallway with Hu Xiong, who produced a photograph.

The photo showed a blasted crater, charred and blackened, surrounded by scattered debris.

“Last night, there was an explosion at the Riverside Wharf. Federal police investigated and found no flammable or explosive materials. The blast seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.”

“The wharf’s owner, Huang Chao, also vanished last night. According to the staff, he met with you before disappearing?”

Looking at the scene in the photo, Li Changqing replied calmly, “Huang Chao did come to us. There was a murder at his wharf—two employees died. We were there yesterday.”

“But we didn’t find anything useful, and planned to return today. You arrived first. So Huang Chao has disappeared?”

Li Changqing didn’t tell Hu Xiong that he had caused the explosion. After all, he couldn’t explain such a large-scale blast—certainly not the truth.

On another note, he always remained wary of the Thirty-Sixth Bureau, and preferred not to become too involved with them. His body wasn’t human; if the Bureau found out, who knew whether they’d make him disappear for good.

“Is that so?” Hu Xiong took back the photo with a half-smile. “It’s best if it has nothing to do with you. Don’t meddle with the follow-up to this case. There’s a lot of residual demon aura and corpse energy at the scene. The situation is complicated. And we’ve discovered that Huang Chao’s identity is highly suspect.”

“What’s wrong with Mr. Huang?” Li Changqing asked, curious.

“He may be a demon disguised among humans. We haven’t confirmed his true identity yet.”

“If it’s unrelated to you, I’ll be on my way. If Huang Chao contacts you again, remember to inform us.” Hu Xiong turned to leave, but suddenly recalled something. “By the way, the iron bead you borrowed from me last time—the Shadow Cult is no longer a threat to you. You should return it.”

“What iron bead?” Li Changqing feigned ignorance. This fellow still owed him tens of thousands in outstanding payment; if he defaulted, the iron bead would have to serve as compensation.

Hu Xiong narrowed his eyes. “You rascal, trying to keep my property?”

“I had a relative’s child visit recently—he liked the bead, so I let him take it home to play. Once your payment comes through, I’ll get it back for you,” Li Changqing replied.

Hu Xiong cast him a sidelong glance. Such stinginess—was he really afraid the payment wouldn’t come?

Well, the application for that payment was indeed submitted, but the director still hadn’t approved it yet.

He’d have to hurry up and push for it.

Watching Hu Xiong depart, Li Changqing turned back to the detective agency.

“Who was that just now? A client?” Kelly Losedi asked, curious.

“A friend of mine.”

Kelly Losedi nodded, his gaze lingering on Li Changqing’s left shoulder. “How’s your injury? You were badly hurt yesterday, my friend. If you were an ordinary person, you would have died from blood loss. Yet after I brought you back, your wound healed miraculously, leaving only a faint scar.”

Li Changqing took off his shirt and went into the bathroom. In the mirror, he saw that the spot where Huang Chao had bitten him yesterday was now just a red scar, healed over.

Such remarkable recovery.

Li Changqing himself was surprised. After chatting with Kelly for a while longer, he noticed Kelly was exhausted.

Having spent the night on the sofa, Kelly hadn’t slept well. After confirming Li Changqing was fine, he returned home to rest.

Tang Xiaoyu sat on the sofa. Once she was sure Li Changqing was unharmed, her thoughts turned to another matter. She said gloomily, “Li Changqing, do you think the commission fee we signed with Huang Chao is lost now?”

“We ended up fighting with the client—let’s not dwell on the money…”

Soon after, Li Changqing took out a fruit knife. He wanted to test his body’s healing ability again.

He drew a small cut on his finger with the blade.

“Li Changqing, what are you doing? Why hurt yourself?” Tang Xiaoyu exclaimed.

“I’m conducting an experiment,” Li Changqing corrected her wording.

It wasn’t as exaggerated as being instantly visible, but the wound healed much faster than a normal person’s.

In about five or six minutes, the cut had scabbed over and fallen away, leaving only a faint red mark.

“What about burns?” he wondered.

Although curious, Li Changqing decided not to try burning himself…

Another question: could he actively trigger his zombie form?

Instead of having that power emerge only when danger forced it out.

Such unpredictability was troublesome.

Li Changqing felt as though he’d discovered a new world, and ran happily into the bedroom.

“What are you up to?” Tang Xiaoyu said, watching his silly grin.

“Just doing some experiments.”

Tang Xiaoyu couldn’t help but mutter, “Freak. Who experiments on themselves?”