Antique Shop Zero: Disfigured School Beauty Becomes a Succubus to Pay Off Debts

Li Mingyue lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the ground three inches in front of the toes of her shoes.

"I understand, Master. There's one more thing I'd like to ask you."

Cao Ye raised his eyelids and glanced at her:

"explain."

"Princess Honey Flower"

Li Mingyue paused:

"She's joined the Witch's Guild. Should we take action?"

The Witch's Guild, the Mutual Aid Society.

These two names are information that the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs has only recently picked up.

Mutual aid societies primarily rely on the internet to develop their membership—and the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs holds the highest level of internet access within the authorities.

Moreover, with the mutual aid society's membership growing rapidly, it's hard to go unnoticed.

Cao Ye shoved the cigarette butt into the ashtray and rubbed it in.

"Do nothing. You have only one task—to unlock the power of the Eye of Hela."

Li Mingyue pursed her lips, her face showing some shame:

"I have been exploring the power of Hela's Eye."

But I...I...I don't know what to do.

Cultivation requires talent.

There are very few cultivation prodigies like Yang Xiao and He Lian in this world.

Li Mingyue was a complete idiot when it came to cultivation.

Cao Ye didn't speak. He opened the drawer, took out a broken bronze plate, and placed it on the table.

"I'll show you the way," he said.

"Take two pounds of cat food and this with you, and go to the archives to find that old cat."

Li Mingyue stepped forward and carefully picked up the bronze plate.

It feels quite heavy when you hold it.

This is a cultural relic, and a very old one at that.

She looked up, a hint of hesitation in her eyes:

"You want me to send a gift to Prince Mingdeng and ask him for guidance?"

The old cat in the archives has a temper that's even stranger than its age.

Getting that guy to help develop the Eye of Hela... that's probably not that easy.

Cao Ye pointed to the bronze plate:

"Experts have determined that it may be an edict written by Qin Shi Huang himself."

That old man likes antiques, doesn't he? Especially obsessed with the Qin Dynasty."

Li Mingyue looked down at the bronze plate in her hand.

The writing on it has been worn away by time and is now blurred, with only a few broken strokes still faintly visible.

If this is truly Qin Shi Huang's calligraphy...

Priceless!

She tightened her grip on her fingers, protecting the bronze plate closer to her chest: "I understand, Master."

Cao Ye waved his hand.

Li Mingyue nodded, turned and walked out of the office.

Before the sound of the door closing had even faded, another figure walked in.

He had a buzz cut, wore a uniform, and walked with a confident stride.

Codenamed Whale Bird, the head of the Blue Whale Squadron, the ace combat unit of the Anomaly Management Bureau.

Cao Ye flicked a cigarette out of the cigarette box.

The whale bird reached out and caught it steadily, then skillfully placed it on the ground.

Cao Ye also lit one.

"Is the barnacle team all arranged?"

The whale pulled out a chair and sat down:

"That's about it."

The extraordinary creatures that have appeared in Xia Kingdom so far are basically within the surveillance range of the Barnacle Group.

The identities of all members of the Witch's Guild have been investigated and clarified.

Jin Meiting, Zhang Shiai, Li Yaolin, Zhang Lina, Xie Yujiao, Xu Wei, Su Yubo.

He paused, then lowered his voice:

"According to Tianyancha's feedback and investigators' on-site investigation, Zhang Lina has recently been active in an illegal SM club."

SM Club?

Are all witches this unrestrained?

Cao Ye exhaled a puff of smoke:

"Where are the others?"

The whale bird remained silent for a few seconds.

"The Sky Eye reports that they are in Liancheng."

But when the investigators arrived in Liancheng, Tianyan (a surveillance system) said they were in the capital.

He frowned:

"The opposing team has top-notch hackers who used virtual AI technology to interfere with the Sky Eye's judgment."

"Give me a little more time, and I'll be able to pinpoint their location."

Cao Ye took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes remaining expressionless.

"They like to do things in groups."

"Let the barnacles kill Zhang Lina, and the others will naturally come to light."

The whale nodded and continued its report:

"Prince Heng is in Changbai Mountain."

The supervisor disguised himself as a hiker and moved around the Changbai Mountains, searching for his whereabouts.

Princess Qilin is currently at the Pengcheng Dream Island Resort, where her supervisor has disguised himself as a tourist.

As for the Taiping Grand Preceptor and the Taiping Empress Dowager—”

He paused for a moment, then looked up at Cao Ye:

"They have already left the country and are in the United States."

Without official authorization from there, the investigators' search will be very slow.

The whale hesitated for a moment, its voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty:

"Chief, there's... something suspicious about this."

Cao Ye raised an eyebrow: "What?"

"The barnacle team has just been formed."

The whale carefully considered its words:

"Two key figures of the Taiping Dao left Xia Kingdom at this crucial moment. I suspect..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already quite clear.

"I suspect that someone in the bureau is secretly colluding with the Taiping Dao (a secret police organization)."

They were alerted in advance, allowing them to avoid the barnacles' surveillance.

The whale stared at Cao Ye:

"Director, don't forget—Zhao Pengcheng is the mole that Taiping Dao planted here."

We must be wary of traitors.

Cao Ye scoffed:

"Only you and I know about the barnacle department."

The members of the barnacles all have clean backgrounds and identities.

He flicked the cigarette ash into the jar:

Don't waste your energy doubting your own people.

The whale frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally smiled:

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid. After all, what happened with Zhao Pengcheng... was a very painful lesson."

Since the bureau chief seems to understand, I will continue my report.

Cao Ye nodded.

The whale cleared its throat:

"The Taboo Society does not yet have conclusive evidence to identify all its members."

Hmm... Zhongshu counts as one.

After the Black God incident, Zhongshu seemed to have vanished into thin air, and we are looking for him.

In addition, Bai Juzhi's suicide note mentioned that Xia Li, the president of World Dream Group, was suspected to be a member of the Forbidden Society.

Recently, Xia Li personally took charge of the newly established Shentai Biotechnology Company under World Dream.

The barnacle team is already preparing to deploy personnel there.

Cao Ye asked, "And at dusk?"

"We rented several shops on the street with a Republican-era style."

Whale Bird Path:

"Some investigators reported that they couldn't remember what dusk looked like."

Even the filming equipment couldn't preserve his image—that must be one of the abilities of Dusk.

However, investigators who were involved in the Black God incident said that they could immediately recognize him whenever they saw Dusk again.

Therefore, the barnacle members we stationed on the Republican-era themed street were all elderly people who had seen the twilight of their lives.

The whale paused, its tone carrying a complex meaning:

"only……"

Cao Ye frowned: "Just what?"

The whale bird sighed:

"The investigators in the bureau have a great admiration for twilight."

I'm afraid this mindset will affect the mission.

Cao Ye frowned even more deeply: "Admiration?"

The whale nodded:

"Everyone in the bureau is saying that Huang Hun is the human emperor who protects the Xia Kingdom."

In the eyes of many young people, he is the guardian deity of the Xia Kingdom.

When he said this, his tone unconsciously carried a hint of awe for the title "Human Emperor".

Cao Ye smiled.

"Is that so?" He put the cigarette in his mouth and squinted.

"Not to mention them, even I admire Huang Hun."

"The Emperor, perhaps under some kind of rule, we are all his subjects."

The whale bird paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, revealing its large front teeth:

"I don't believe you for a second. If you truly worshipped the twilight so much, would you have commissioned the development of cloud-dispelling missiles?"

This is a secret known only to Cao Ye and the whale—considering Bai Juzhi's last will and testament and Huang Hun's behavior, Huang Hun can only move in the rain.

Dispersing the rain clouds might cause considerable damage to the twilight.

Cao Ye's smile faded.

"As a human being, I worship the twilight."

He stubbed out his cigarette.

"But as the director of the Anomaly Management Bureau, I must do my best to control all anomalies and all anomalies."

Even if the Jade Emperor himself came, I would still have to find a way to deal with him.

The whale bird remained silent.

Cao Ye scoffed:

"Do you think I'm going against the grain?"

Even if it's going against the natural order, it's still the duty of the director of the Anomaly Management Bureau.

"no."

The whale bird muttered something in a low voice:

"The Human Emperor... might be even more powerful than the Jade Emperor."

Cao Ye's face darkened: "Get out."

.....

Early morning, South China Sea.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the windows, casting scalloped shadows on the floor and giving the old antique shop a tranquil warmth.

Jiang Chaosheng stretched and walked downstairs.

He sat down at the tea table and poured himself a cup of tea.

When I reached for the glass, my fingers touched the side of the cup—it was cold.

He frowned and withdrew his hand.

From the day I took over the Zero Antique Shop, someone has been taking care of these trivial matters.

First it was Jin Meiting, then it was Xie Ya.

After Helian arrived, Xieya assigned her a lot of work.

Now, Jin Meiting is gone, Xie Ya has left, and He Lian has gone to school.

Jiang Chaosheng gazed at the light outside the door and murmured softly:

There are no dumplings in the fridge.

He loves dumplings.

My late mother once said that eating dumplings would prevent my ears from freezing.

Jiang Chaosheng stood up, stepped over the threshold, and walked into the sunlight.

Anxiang Street is now called the Republic of China Style Street.

People were coming and going on the street.

Tourists from other places are taking photos and checking in.

The young couple snuggled together and whispered sweet nothings.

There were also many young women wearing cheongsams, waving round fans, and imitating the style of ladies from the Republican era, taking photos and making short videos.

Jiang Chaosheng prefers the current bustling atmosphere to the once deserted "ghost street".

He smelled a fragrance.

Looking up, I saw a handmade dumpling restaurant that had opened on the street sometime during the day.

"There really are dumplings."

Jiang Chaosheng went inside.

There weren't many people in the shop—not many tourists are willing to sit down and have a meal of dumplings on this trendy pedestrian street.

A young man approached and asked, "Sir, what flavor would you like?"

Jiang Chaosheng glanced at the menu on the wall:

"Cabbage, large portion, with vinegar."

The young man responded and strode towards the kitchen, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement:

"A customer! Large cabbage dumplings, with vinegar!"

Jiang Chaosheng could hear the excitement in his voice.

Perhaps the newly opened store had been waiting too long for a customer.

Just then, the shadow on his wrist crept up his sleeve and onto his shoulder, whispering in his ear:

"Master, things have been quite unusual on Anxiang Street these past two days."

Many shops are up for sale, and all of them are being sold in a short period of time.

Many new shops have opened, and this dumpling restaurant is one of them.

I suspect that the owners of these shops belong to the same faction.

Jiang Chaosheng nodded slightly.

No wonder.

Dumpling restaurants have a hard time surviving on pedestrian streets like this.

If the previous owner failed and closed down, the new owner wouldn't be foolish enough to take over and continue selling dumplings—unless, of course, the new owner simply doesn't care whether the shop makes money or not.

Therefore, they are from the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs.

Therefore, they are from the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs.

Jiang Chaosheng's gaze fell on the bustling crowd outside the window, a faint smile playing on his lips:

"understood."