Everyone was stunned by the statement.

What did that sentence mean?

Was she really just a victim, and the Disaster Level supernatural creature disappeared right under their noses?

Xu Xiaoyou didn't lower her raised hand, leaning her body forward.

The association members present sensed the lingering supernatural aura on the girl and stepped back in unison. One particularly sturdy member reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, aiming his mimicry weapon at Xu Xiaoyou's face: "Back off, back off!"

Xu Xiaoyou showed helplessness: "Is this how you treat a victim?"

Her complexion was pale, her lips a bluish hue, her tone exhausted and weak, looking every bit like a victim of an accident.

Suddenly, Xu Xiaoyou's breathing grew rapid, as if each breath was a huge burden, sweat trickling from her forehead, giving an appearance of someone on the verge of collapse.

Bai Nian'an pondered for a moment, then a fluctuation occurred in the space to the left of her head. A full-bodied pale-gold creature with pure white broad ears resembling a fan appeared out of nowhere, circling in the air and emitting a pleased 'snort,' sparkling points scattered along its flight path.

Looking at this creature that seemed pig-like yet had gnawing teeth and some floppy-eared rabbit features, Xu Xiaoyou felt uneasy but maintained her composure.

Bai Nian'an placed a piece of inspiration into the vertical cavity on the creature's forehead. As the inspiration fell, the creature's eyes continuously drifted, its fan-like broad ears opened, and it flew upward, casting a golden beam of light onto Xu Xiaoyou.

"I ask you, you just said you were a victim, were you attacked by the supernatural creature?" Bai Nian'an fixed her gaze on Xu Xiaoyou's eyes.

"Yes, I was attacked by the supernatural creature..."

Under the beam of golden light, Xu Xiaoyou's inner unease stirred, giving her a premonition that she couldn't lie. If she spoke falsehoods, though she didn't know what might happen, it certainly would not be good.

She thought of Bai Youyou's Mind Judge, a power aimed at the mind, wondering if this creature belonged to the present person's ability or was some kind of artifact?

For the moment, she set these thoughts aside; the current situation spared no time for contemplation. If she didn't want to be treated as a supernatural and executed on the spot, she had to pass this investigator's scrutiny.

The creature didn't respond; it flipped over, belly to the sky, dream bubbles floating in the air as it slept.

Everyone present exhaled collectively, and Bai Nian'an's serious expression slightly softened.

She approached Xu Xiaoyou, her voice a bit more gentle: "I'm sorry, but please come with us once, to make some records, as there are details of the incident we need to understand."

"Alright, thank you for your effort," Xu Xiaoyou nodded and said.

Watching the golden-haired girl walk away with the others, Jian Liu narrowed his eyes with a smile, saying, "Ning, things are starting to get interesting."

Ning rolled her eyes at the young man, choosing to ignore him; his fondness for speaking enigmatically was nothing new.

...

Outside the holographic window, the city's scenery flew below, snowflakes landing on the vehicle, making slight sounds and forming a thin frost on the surface.

Two association members sat across from Xu Xiaoyou, holding firearms against their chests. Though expressionless, Xu Xiaoyou detected their nervousness from the details.

"It's a bit warm," one association member adjusted his collar, his Martin boots tapping on the metal floor.

"Yeah, very stuffy," the other member lowered his head.

It was already his fifteenth time checking the gun in his hand within three minutes; a shotgun with high-speed rotating magazine technology, a shield generator configured under the revolver muzzle, at such close quarters, its firepower unleashed like a roaring metal beast, easily tearing through an old era tank's armor, the latest military weaponry from Cosmic Heavy Industries.

Even in the harshest environments, filled with mud, its firing performance wouldn't be much affected. Since birth, this shotgun has been through tens of thousands of battles, with malfunction reports under ten.

This hovercar's body was entirely built from Icar Alloy, impervious to bullets, even the kinetic energy from potent explosives absorbed and converted by its surface properties.

More than a hovercar, the current scene seemed like a mini prison escorting a heinous criminal, through the holographic window, several more hovercars could be seen following steadily behind.

Xu Xiaoyou closed her eyes, resting.

"Hey, do you remember the last time?" The left association member suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"That time, when we worked excellently together to besiege that Three Tier runaway."

Upon hearing this, the right member's eyes lit up: "Oh, I remember now, Terlun Grassland! The two of us bravely charged in the front, wrestling with the runaway..."

"Achoo," Xu Xiaoyou sneezed, startling the shoulders of the two members.

She looked at them, perplexed by their combat-ready demeanor, raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

Xu Xiaoyou exhaled: "Go on, don't mind me."

Two members: "..."

...

The hovercar soon stopped in front of the Tuning Institute; ahead, association members and Tuners were seen coming out of the front door.

Following Bai Nian'an into the institute, many association members were still working overtime. A young employee, upon seeing Bai Nian'an, brightened, getting up from her seat and jogging over with a stack of documents.

"Sister Bai." She said shyly.

Bai Nian'an chuckled lightly, "Why haven't you gone home this late?"

"Everyone's still here; I want to do my part."

"This and this."

The young employee handed over the documents; Bai Nian'an glanced at them in contemplation.

The top one was information on a supernatural entity named 'Dye Thief,' characterized by being traceless in 'black' environments, often appearing on Flower Street, stalking Flower Guests to launch attacks, able to steal 'dye' from the human brain.

"Dye Thief?" Bai Nian'an said.

"According to a victim's description, the Dye Thief is humanoid, with mole-like features on its face, body covered with fur, a slender snout, hmm... no ears, with razor-sharp claws."

"He specifically mentioned that the mole-like creature plunged its sharp claws into his brain and extracted something colorful."

"He said he lost a piece of memory; all memories were missing from when that colorful thing was taken from his brain, only realizing what happened upon returning home."

Xu Xiaoyou listened from behind to the two's conversation, her gaze slightly shifting at the mention of memory loss.

"Comatose?" Bai Nian'an asked, arms crossed.

"He insists he wasn't comatose; he was conscious when the 'dye' was extracted."

"Did those sharp claws leave any external injuries?" Bai Nian'an asked.

The young employee shook her head and then pulled out a CT scan from below: "There were no external wounds."

"We took a CT scan; he had a lesion, with a tumor growing in the lower right part of his brain."

"Poor thing, the doctor said this tumor would take his life within a month."

"Where is he now?"

The young employee looked conflicted, only slowly speaking after some time: "He... recently committed suicide with pills."

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