Chapter 293: Twins

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Twins

As soon as Feng Ling got off the plane, she was met with the enthusiasm of Jinnan City—

The exit was packed with people. There were screams, calls of her name, and waving flowers, along with the constant FLASH-FLASH-FLASH of camera flashes.

No wonder celebrities love wearing sunglasses.

Feng Ling had announced her arrival in advance, so the airport had arranged for security personnel to prevent any chaos.

People from the Jingnan Branch of the Inspection Bureau were also there. Considering Feng Ling’s sensitive status, the Deputy Captain had come to pick her up personally.

Surrounded by the crowd, Feng Ling got into the Inspection Bureau’s car. Along the way, quick-handed fans managed to shove several bouquets and a pile of small gifts at her with astonishing speed.

She couldn’t help but remark, "If an Alien Species was shoving gifts at me like that, I’d probably be a goner."

The Deputy Captain, sitting in the front passenger seat, burst out laughing. "We were worried an Alien Species might take the opportunity to cause trouble at the airport, so we came to pick you up specifically. After all, you’re a huge target for hate right now."

The woman turned partway around, extended a hand toward Feng Ling, and said with a smile, "Let’s formally introduce ourselves. He Xingluo, the new Deputy Captain of the Jingnan Branch."

Feng Ling shook her hand. "I heard about you before I came. You have a twin sister, and you were both transferred to Jinnan City, right?"

"You’ll see her soon enough when we get to the Inspection Bureau," He Xingluo said with a laugh.

Feng Ling was slightly taken aback. "We’re going to the Inspection Bureau first? I thought we’d go to the hotel to drop off my luggage."

He Xingluo looked at her in the rearview mirror and smiled. "Trust me, if you want a peaceful night’s sleep, don’t stay at a hotel. Believe it or not, the hotel is probably surrounded by people right now too. You can just crash at the Inspection Bureau for tonight."

"Everyone already knows which hotel I’m staying at?" Feng Ling said, amazed. "Information leaks fast."

He Xingluo laughed for a moment from the front seat. "Next time, you can try booking a more expensive, big-name hotel. The internal management systems of regular hotels are easily hacked, leading to guest information leaks. Or you could do what celebrities do and book the room using your assistant’s ID. That would be safer."

"What a hassle. Luckily, I only booked it for one day." Feng Ling asked He Xingluo, "I have a few Pollution Bodies arriving in Jinnan City tomorrow. Do you know of any standalone buildings for rent in the city? A vacant house, a commercial property, even a construction site would work."

He Xingluo understood immediately. Feng Ling was looking for a place for her Pollution Bodies to stay. Pollution Bodies are large and need a lot of space to move around, and the request for a standalone building was to avoid disturbing the public.

He Xingluo said, "We were only just transferred here a few days ago, so we’re not very familiar with the area. When we get to the Inspection Bureau, I’ll help you ask Captain Bai."

Before arriving, Feng Ling had already gotten a general overview of Jinnan City from Su Yuqing, so she knew that the "Captain Bai" He Xingluo was referring to was Bai Lu.

She thought for a moment, then said to He Xingluo, "I feel bad. As soon as I arrive, you all have to pick me up from the airport and now help me find a place to stay. Why don’t you see if there’s any work for me at the Inspection Bureau? I can work for you for free for a few days."

He Xingluo snorted with laughter and glanced back at her. "Aren’t you supposed to be busy investigating the dismemberment case?"

"I was basically forced into that. The police investigated for a month and came up with nothing; there’s no way I’ll find any answers," Feng Ling said. "I’d rather come work for you guys. At least then my trip won’t be for nothing, and I can contribute a little to public safety in Jinnan City."

Feng Ling’s objective was clear. She had come to Jinnan City to find Xing Guang. Investigating the case was just an act; she had no intention of actually spending her time and energy on a cold case.

Besides, she wasn’t a criminal investigator or a Detective, so she wasn’t even qualified to investigate a case. She was self-aware enough to know that.

So, the best-case scenario was for her to wander around the city every day under the banner of helping the Inspection Bureau maintain public order, doing odd jobs like patrols, which would be the perfect cover for finding Xing Guang.

He Xingluo found Feng Ling’s straightforwardness refreshing and immediately took a liking to her. She said teasingly, "Well, you’re in for a disappointment. As soon as the criminal investigation team heard you were coming, they dumped the dismemberment case files on our Inspection Bureau first thing this morning!"

"Huh?" Feng Ling said, shocked. "They really want me to investigate? The killer hasn’t struck in a month. They might already be dead. Is this really necessary?"

He Xingluo said from the front seat, "The situation is a bit complicated right now. If the killer is an Alien Species, the case falls under the Inspection Bureau’s jurisdiction. But right now, there’s no clear evidence proving the killer is an Alien Species, so the case belongs to the criminal investigation team. The team can’t catch the person, so they want to close the case. But they’re also worried the killer will strike again after it’s closed, and who would be held responsible then? They can’t make progress on the investigation, but they can’t close the case either, and the Inspection Bureau won’t take it. It’s like a hot potato. And just then, you arrived..."

"My being here won’t change anything," Feng Ling said quickly, trying to distance herself from the responsibility.

He Xingluo giggled, turning her head to say to Feng Ling, "I asked Captain Bai before I came to get you. She said not to feel too much pressure. Anyway, that’s the gist of it. It would be great if you could identify the killer, of course. But if you can’t, it still gives the Inspection Bureau a way to save face and tell the criminal investigation team to just close the case."

"So you guys also think the killer is an Alien Species?" Feng Ling asked.

"Everyone thinks so. It would be too much of a coincidence otherwise. Bai Shuang killed an Alien Species a month ago, and the killer hasn’t struck since." He Xingluo paused, then asked Feng Ling, "You know about Bai Shuang, right? Captain Bai’s younger sister. She died in the line of duty. When you see Captain Bai later, please don’t bring it up. We don’t want to upset her."

Feng Ling’s lips twitched. "I don’t need to bring it up. I imagine seeing you and your sister won’t make her feel much better."

He Xingluo gave an awkward laugh. "Well... I’m sure the higher-ups had their reasons for arranging things this way."

’That’s probably true,’ Feng Ling thought. ’In any case, it has nothing to do with me. I’d better not meddle.’

As they chatted, the car had already left the airport expressway and was gradually approaching the city center, the urban landscape coming into view.

Jinnan City had a unique topography, full of mountains and hills, so there was an abundance of mountain tunnels and bridges.

Feng Ling’s impression of the drive was a constant cycle of entering a tunnel, exiting a tunnel, getting on an overpass, getting off an overpass, and then entering another tunnel...

Fortunately, although the roads were complex, traffic was smooth. They rarely even hit a red light, and they arrived at the Inspection Bureau in less than half an hour.

At the entrance of the towering building stood a solemn plaque with block letters reading: Jinnan City Alien Species Safety Inspection Branch.

Feng Ling had just gotten out of the car and was observing the surroundings with Huangfu Miaomiao when she saw a young woman walk out of the main entrance.

The woman had a face identical to He Xingluo’s. She looked to be in her twenties, with ear-length short hair, almond-shaped eyes, and a cute nose. Even her hairstyle and clothes were the same.

If she hadn’t known beforehand that they were twins, Feng Ling would have almost thought she was looking at a clone of He Xingluo.

"Feng Ling!" The woman walked over quickly, her face beaming, and eagerly grabbed her hand. "I’m He Yue Ning, hello!"

Feng Ling looked at He Yue Ning, then at He Xingluo beside her, and couldn’t help but state the obvious: "Wow... you two are completely identical."