The bull pen was alive with noise. Over sixty officers crowded around giant screens or small ones, going through recent reports Sleazy Han had made, letters from fans and people that hated him. Every place in the city he had been to since her moved there, every woman he had hit on, every text he had sent. Every detail was digitized for anyone who wished to see.

On the biggest screen, six faces of the men from the photographs Liwu had found were blasted, every public detail about them dissected to fill up the case file.

He Xiao Yi was standing next to the chief, at the front. "We have to assume that his disappearance could be related to the novel based killing case. All of these men could be suspects. We need to find out what book clubs they belong to, what libraries they visit..."

Liwu raised her hand, at the same time crossing one leg over the other. She was also at the front, leaning against a desk. Her partner was right there next to her, following the information as it came in.

"Why are we assuming that this could be related to the novel based killings?" Liwu asked. "Sleazy Han is the kind of dirt bag reporter who has his sticky fingers in at least ten cases or more at a time. If one doesn’t pan out, he always needs to have a back up ready to go. Every week, he breaks open one major case or scandal. To do that, he needs to have the next case ready to go before the one he is working on is made public."

Detective muttered, analysts scribbled, and everyone leaned forward.

"Look at the consistency," Xuanji said, "Every man was followed at least three times. No random targets. All within the last two weeks. Liwu is right, we could be looking at a new case."

He Xiao Yi flexed his fingers, "We have not ruled it out."

Linlin added, "And all of these men are system hosts. None are related to story telling, narration or anything that could point to the novel based killings."

The information trickled on the giant screen, coming in headquarters as they spoke. All these six men were system hosts, not just any system hosts but first-class system hosts, They were well off, respected and well liked.

Whatever Sleazy had stumbled in, he had stumbled into a nest of power.

Liwu pushed herself up, pointing her laser at the first man. "We have Zhao Wenqiang, host of the Titan strength system. Muscles like steels, holds the world record for strongest man in the world. Owns one of the largest nutrition supplement companies worldwide. Thanks to him, gaining the summer body is easy, if you can afford it."

Xunaji snorted.

"Liang Shunhua," Liwu continued, "Host of the silver tongue system. He is a negotiator whose words bend contracts and charm investors, He attends more diplomatic banquets around the world than any diplomat or president. His connections are no joke.

Chen Guowei, host of the Invisible Iron wall system. Defense contractor with foreign ties. His system generates barriers impervious to most attacks. They are considered weapons which are very vital to armies worldwide.

Sun Haoran, host of the golden sight system. If the Tai family didn’t exist, he would take over the jewelry in a couple of years. He has an eye for seeing flaws in treasures that others can’t see. His pockets run deep, like his connections.

We have Wu Jianhong, host of a Phantom logistics system. He has been on the bureau’s watch list because he moves cargo unseen, slipping through crowds like smoke.

Lastly, Qin Yifei, host of the sealing system. If you want something hidden, even from a system host with x-ray vision, he is your go to guy. He was appointed to the Ministry of transport a year ago. He moved here after the sea returned.

The most frightening thing about this man is not his system but he--himself. He is ex-military. They say he can command authority like any other general."

"All first class systems." Someone said, "No wonder the reporter vanished. He was poking lions."

Liwu pursed her lips. She was not the biggest fan of the classification of systems, making some more important than others. The ranks were only used in the bureau, but still, it made her uncomfortable. It made people think hosts with first class systems were untouchable.

"Could they be an intelligence team?" Su Jin asked.

Her questioned rendered the room speechless for a moment.

Su Jin continued, "I mean, look at the systems and jobs involved here. A manufacturer, a man who is friends with people that have diplomatic pouches. A man who generates invisible barriers, one who can see treasures, one who transports things like a ghost and one with the ability to seal things so that not even the air can detect them."

"Sounds more like smuggling to me." Liwu said. "Zhao Wenqiang manufacturers product X, Sun Haoran makes sure it has no flaws or flaws in the ingredients, Qin Yifei seals the product, Wu Jianhong moves it, Liang Shunhua handles negotiations and sales, and Chen Guowei makes sure that nobody knows what product X is." She put her hands on her waist, frowning deeply, "I don’t even know if this makes sense to anyone here. I suggest we go straight to the heads of the snake and see what we can shake lose."

Chief Abby nodded. "I agree. Your teams should split up. Each pair takes one man. Full interviews, no short cuts. We need to know why the reporter was watching them. But first, I need you, Liwu, to take your bad luck to Sleazy Han’s apartment. Forensics is over there, I have instructed them not to move anything before you arrive and see what you can slip on."

Liwu groaned. She pointed to Qin Yifei’s picture. "After my hygiene innocence is destroyed, I am choosing him. Government job makes him powerful,. He can intimidate others, but not me. Also, my husband has probably been monitoring him. Come on Linlin, we have made our choice."

"No..no..no..not me, I am not going with you partner." Linlin raised her voice in protest, backing away from Liwu. "After seeing the state of Sleazy Han’s car, I don’t have the strength to rifle through his bathroom or take a walk through his kitchen. That man is a pig. If you take me, I cannot promise not to throw any disgusting evidence out of the window."

Her protest left Liwu without a partner.

Chief Abby turned to He Xiao Yi and said seriously. "Congratulations, you are the chosen one."