At the North Ridge City Police Department.
Looking at the photos gathered from surveillance, a group of officers was baffled, "What is this, a mermaid? Fairy tale stories?"
"A mermaid committing murder?"
"It's not a mermaid, someone's just playing tricks."
"Chief, there's another case that happened almost at the same time as the mermaid murder case, with two victims..."
"I've seen that one. Preliminary speculation is that the culprit should be Wang Haonan."
"No... Captain, the surveillance didn't capture anyone entering or exiting Wang Haonan's house, and there was no one coming in or out of the entire apartment building during that time..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. And Wang Haonan?"
"He was in a coffee shop for three hours before he came out. During the time he was in the coffee shop, the two victims had already died."
"What?!"
"Tch... One complicated case after another..."
At that moment, a young man returned to the police station.
Seeing the young man, the chief quickly approached him, "Yang Yan, are you busy?"
Yang Yan paused for a moment, "Not busy."
"Then you can work overtime." The chief said, handing him a file.
"No, I'm busy, Chief!" Yang Yan quickly replied.
"Then you can work overtime." The chief glanced at him and said.
"So, should I be busy or not?" Yang Yan's mouth twitched.
The chief turned to him, "If you're unsure, just work overtime."
Yang Yan: "…"
A bearded police officer threw him a photo, "Look at this photo, there's been a big incident."
Yang Yan took the photo and paused, "Is this... a mermaid?"
"Yes, according to information brought back by the on-site investigation team, the footprints in the hallway are similar to webbed feet, and there's a fishy smell left behind."
"And there are scattered fish scales on the victim's bed."
"We're initially speculating that the perpetrator might be deliberately disguising themselves. They could be wearing a costume, and the fish scales might have been prepared in advance to confuse and mislead."
"After all, how could mermaids exist in this world?"
...
Inside a bar.
Wang Haonan and the fish-man had two cocktails in front of them, but neither of them drank.
"Your ability is practically flawless." The fish-man said.
Wang Haonan silently lit a cigarette, "You too. After all, it was the fish that did it, what does it have to do with people?"
The two shared a knowing laugh.
The bartender was wiping glasses while listening to their conversation.
"Do you guys smell something? It smells like... fishy?"
The fish-man picked up a bag, "Just bought some fish from the market, well, it's about time for me to leave."
Wang Haonan waved his hand and then downed his drink in one gulp. "Boss, what do you think, how can an invisible murderer be found?"
The boss thought for a moment, "Invisible... murderer, find a way to make them visible?"
Make them visible...
"Like how?"
"For example, sprinkle some paint or something on the invisible person?"
"What if the invisible person can change the color of their body, including any paint that's been sprinkled on them?"
"Then... what about sprinkling sand on the ground?"
Sprinkling sand.
That would indeed be tricky.
"But that assumes the criminal is actually present."
...
On the street.
Chen Ye, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a phone, sighed after walking for a while, "No money..."
"Send the invisible man and the crow to steal?"
"No... who keeps money at home these days? It's surely in the bank."
"Have the fish-man rob a bank?"
"He'd be shot full of holes."
"The invisible man won't work either; thermal imaging cameras would make invisibility pointless."
"After all this, it comes back to finding a wealthy person."
But where to find a wealthy person so easily?
"Hm?"
Chen Ye looked up and noticed a red convertible parked in front of his coffee shop.
"Well, isn't this an opportunity?"
Entering the shop, Chen Ye saw a man and a woman sitting inside.
The man, nearly thirty, was handsome. Unfortunately, Chen Ye knew him.
He was Chen Ye's neighbor from the next building, who liked to come by for a coffee and then sit for the entire day.
His most common line to Chen Ye was, "What else is there to do while fishing but wait?"
The woman, with her blonde hair and distinguished appearance, seemed older than the man.
"He's hooked up with a wealthy woman."
As soon as Chen Ye entered, the man waved at him, "Yo, boss, you're finally here. We've been waiting for you."
Chen Ye approached the counter after changing, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
The woman, looking at Chen Ye, brightened, "No, you've arrived just in time."
"Lin has been telling me all about your unique coffee. No matter what, I had to come and try it for myself~"
Unique coffee?
He knows nothing about coffee.
The man glanced at the woman and then whispered, "Cough cough, I didn't lie to you, right, Shen Jie? Boss Chen and I are on par in terms of looks."
The man suddenly gave Chen Ye a wink.
Hm?
What play was he putting on?
The woman crossed her legs, "Truly, as if a spring breeze has passed, dreams are of young men. Boss, you look so young, don't you?"
Chen Ye, expressionless, responded, "What would you like to drink?"
"Give us the most expensive thing you have here." The woman smiled.
With a faint smile, Chen Ye suddenly took out a bottle filled with a black liquid that resembled coffee.
"The most expensive is not something just anyone dares to drink."
The woman took the bottle, opened the cap, and sniffed. There was a faint aroma.
But why was this aroma so strange?
"I've never smelled anything like this before. It seems different from ordinary coffee. What is it?" the woman inquired.
"An exclusive secret blend."
Made from coffee beans, ant queens, bee queens, honeycomb honey, golden butterflies, and tulips.
ID: Honeycomb.
The woman swirled the liquid in the glass and then sipped lightly.
"Hmm... A marvelous taste, sweet aftertaste, with a fragrant aroma, but this... doesn't seem like coffee, does it?"
The woman then drank the rest of the liquid in one go.
The next second, her pupils trembled violently.
"Uh... what is this...?"
The man next to her paused, "What did you give her to drink?!"
Chen Ye smiled lightly, "As I said, an exclusive secret blend."
Just as the man was about to speak, the woman's hand suddenly grabbed his collar, "Did I allow you to speak?"
The man paused, "Shen Jie, I..."
"Shut up." The woman turned to look at Chen Ye, her pupils splitting into several at that moment.
But soon, her pupils merged back into one.
Following that, the woman's body began to tremble, her figure changing to become... fuller, younger.
However, her hands became withered, reduced to just skin and bones.
Besides that, there were no other abnormalities on the woman's body.
Chen Ye frowned at this.
Strange, this was somewhat different from the expected effect...
While Chen Ye was pondering, a stinger suddenly grew from the woman's finger.
She silently stabbed the man in the neck with the stinger, and he fell unconscious before he could react.
"What a... novel experience, how should I thank you?"
The woman looked at Chen Ye seductively, suggesting...
The effects of the potion seemed to have taken a strange turn.
Well, never mind.
"I want..."
"I know, your gift is exceedingly precious, not something that can be measured with money."
"No, money can..."
"To you, money must be of little consequence, otherwise you wouldn't run a coffee shop with no customers."
"It doesn't make money, does it?"
Chen Ye: "..."
I suspect she's mocking me, but I have no evidence.
"However, at the moment, besides money, I really don't have anything else to offer as a token of my gratitude."
Yes, money is enough!
I don't need anything else; I'm just short on money right now!
"I know this might not seem sincere enough, so I've decided to present you with a gift that matches the value of your assistance. You can look forward to it."
Ah?
...