Chapter 369: Brotherhood

Chapter 369: Brotherhood

Daybreak had just begun.

The pale blue sky still held a few scattered, fading stars.

Morning arrived with the first hint of a deep, bluish dawn.

A new day had begun…

Xiao Yu opened his eyes and glanced at the sleeping Mu Qingwu cradled in his arms.

Although he had returned home at midnight last night,

he had slept with his older sister until morning.

After gently kissing her jade-like, delicate cheek, Xiao Yu quietly got out of bed.

Once he finished washing up, he noticed that Bai Ting had already taken a seat in the living room.

“Thanks for your hard work, Sister Bai.”

Xiao Yu greeted her with a smile and stepped out of the house…

Criminal Investigation Team.

Guo Qiang and the others hadn’t returned home.

They were caught up in a case, pulling long hours and burning the midnight oil—truly exhausting.

This left Xiao Yu feeling a bit awkward.

Yet no one in the team seemed to mind.

With his wife seven months pregnant and due any day now,

this was a crucial time during which he needed to be around as much as possible.

Everyone understood Xiao Yu’s situation.

“Any new developments?”

Retrieving a cigarette, Xiao Yu passed one around to everyone.

“Nothing,” came the reply.

Guo Qiang shook his head. “No criminal record, no prior offenses. Even a friend of the victim, Cao Xude, confirmed that no one ever wronged him, held grudges, or had any financial disputes…”

Xiao Yu frowned. That was rather odd.

He knew all too well the capabilities of the team.

Why would Cao Xude claim that his wife deserved her fate?

Puzzled, Xiao Yu was about to suggest grabbing breakfast together when

trouble struck!

…

Two police cars sped out from the Criminal Investigation Team.

31 minutes later, they reached a construction site in an unknown district of Bincheng.

The site had been shut down for some reason.

By the time Xiao Yu and his team arrived, the area had been cordoned off.

A temporary wooden shed had been completely burnt to ashes.

Inside lay a charred, unrecognizable corpse curled into a ball.

The lividity was a striking red, with discolored skin marked by blotches and blisters, and the body was severely shriveled… The face and neck bore clear signs of canine bites.

Especially the neck, which had been brutally torn open, leaving a gaping wound.

At that moment, He Li arrived on the scene as well.

Taking a brief glance at the body, she remarked, “The victim was burned shortly after death. The marks on the body—especially the neck wound—are unmistakable. It’s evident even without an autopsy!”

Xiao Yu’s expression darkened. ‘Wild Wolf Murders’…

A second case!

The victim’s identity was quickly established.

Lu Shun, male, 41, a local—a night watchman at the construction site.

The time of death was around 4 a.m.

Preliminary findings revealed marks resembling those of a dog’s bite.

Suspicious footprints were found, roughly a size 40.

Later, based on He Li’s autopsy, it was deduced

that after being attacked and killed by prairie wolves, someone had come and set fire to the temporary shed.

However, there was no surveillance on the site—the area beyond yielded nothing!

…

Back at the Criminal Investigation Team headquarters.

In his office, Xiao Yu sank into deep thought.

There was one deduction he had made.

This realization drew a grim expression across his face.

It seemed the prairie wolves were being controlled to kill!

Once that was confirmed,

a voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

【Ding, case triggered successfully.】

【Police God Case Check-In Initiated.】

【Host, do you wish to check in?】

Xiao Yu was not at all surprised.

Check in!

【Ding, congratulations host, case check-in successful!】

【System Reward: Ability – Magic Expert!】

【System Task Issued: Solve the Wild Wolf Murder Case!】

【Time Limit for Case Resolution: Twenty Days!】

【If the host completes the task within the limit, an additional system skill will be granted: Winter Frog’s Sleep!】

【If failed within the time limit, the system ability granted will be revoked!】

【Task Countdown Begins…】

With a twenty-day limit, Xiao Yu was somewhat shocked.

But what shocked him more was what followed.

A vast trove of magical information and techniques flooded into his brain, body, and bones.

Simultaneously, tens of thousands of magic moves surged into his mind.

Coupled with that data and these techniques, he instantly mastered an enormous repertoire of magic.

In short,

as long as he had the right props, he could conjure all kinds of magic in no time.

Even without props, he could improvise magic using whatever was at hand.

For instance, with a slight wave of his arm,

the extra gun tucked in his chest holster magically appeared in his hand.

Of course, it wasn’t actual magic—it was simply his lightning-fast sleight of hand.

By flicking his arm to distract onlookers,

it looked as if the gun had materialized from thin air.

Then he swung his hand again, and the pistol vanished, returning to its holster.

“Interesting!” Xiao Yu chuckled.

The ability was decent but rather trivial—hardly used in everyday scenarios.

Besides, most magical tricks require props to perform.

Who carries around a set of magic props every day?

The smile faded from his face as his thoughts returned to the case.

Two victims.

Both were brutally slain under the command of someone resembling a wild wolf.

Although it was hard to fathom how the killer managed it,

one thing was clear—the culprit had succeeded.

There were three commonalities in the victims’ deaths.

First, both were 41 years old.

Second, both were residents of Bincheng.

Third, both were killed by wolves.

Without Xiao Yu even needing to instruct them,

Guo Qiang and his team had already begun investigating any potential link between the two victims.

Four hours later,

Guo Qiang arrived at Xiao Yu’s office, exclaiming excitedly, “Boss, the two victims were high school classmates. They were close back then, but lost contact after college.”

“Classmates?” Xiao Yu asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Guo Qiang replied.

Guo Qiang nodded. “Not only that, they were also part of a small group called… Brotherhood!”

“Heh…”

Xiao Yu laughed. “Street gang, huh?”

“Something like that. Kids that age tend to band together and get into fights.”

Guo Qiang chuckled. “My investigation shows that the group had five members in total, and both victim Cao Xude and Lu Shun were part of it.”

What a coincidence… A peculiar glint flashed across Xiao Yu’s eyes.

“Find the other three members!”