As dawn faintly broke, Amber, sprawled out asleep on bedding printed with little blue fish, suddenly opened her big round eyes like a cat!
“Revenge!”
Amber sat up straight, crossing her legs on the bed. She puffed out her cheeks and shook her soft, shiny, messy hair, muttering:
“That guy’s insult to me—I will pay it back in full!”
Though the temperature was low, Amber wasn’t cold at all. She got out of bed in her printed thin cotton shorts and shirt, boldly exposing her fair arms and slender, straight legs.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she bent down to inspect herself—exquisite features, delicate pale skin, a slightly upturned nose tip that was especially cute, petite and pitiable lip shape. She didn’t look bad; she was a cute salt girl, and it wasn’t just her imagination—people often praised her as a little beauty.
But compared to that detestable guy, she felt like something was missing…
Maybe it was that bad girl vibe of standing out on her own, she thought. But she’d rather not have that.
After washing up, Amber combed her disheveled black hair into neat order, restoring her crisp, capable appearance for the outside world.
Amber’s father, Duke Yabei, was a doctor. He sat in the living room as usual, sipping a cup of hot tea before heading to the clinic.
From years of dealing with biological agents, Duke’s hands were wrapped in thick bandages, extending from his fingertips into his sleeves.
Amber had seen the true state of her father’s skin—it was a blurry condition like healed burns, where overgrown pale pink polyps replaced normal skin, looking terrifying. In the severely affected areas, biocompatible metal staples and clamps maintained the shape, but over time, even titanium alloys corroded, twisting into forms resembling mutated biological tissue.
So, Duke forbade his daughter from touching his work and had no intention of letting her inherit his profession.
Anyone who came into contact with the extraordinary would be affected, even if they didn’t possess extraordinary powers themselves—sometimes it was unavoidable to handle items containing extraordinary forces.
Breakfast at the Abbott House was lavish. Amber added preserves to her yogurt, spread maple syrup on bread slices, and sprinkled cinnamon on top… While she DIY-ed her breakfast, someone called from the entryway, “Miss Amber, your Little Blue Strip!”
‘Little Blue Strip’ was the postal company’s messenger service, used for urgent searches or conveying matters inconvenient to discuss in person or by phone.
Amber loved being called ‘Miss.’ She bounced over and took the petite envelope from the mail carrier.
The sender was Letisia. A few short lines, but packed with explosive information—she had found a new clue in the Saint Dormer Community murder case!
“You’re done for, Ashley. I’ll bring you to justice!”
–
–
The night before, Ashley had slept comfortably. Her energy was so abundant it overflowed, buffing her up. She felt invincible.
After a night in confinement, she realized she had no shame about being in jail at all—no anxiety, unease, tension, or mental stress from the unfamiliar environment. None of it.
Strange. In her previous life, she had been law-abiding, even feeling guilty for accidentally stepping on someone’s shoe.
This mindset was definitely unhealthy, Ashley thought.
She had just finished a breakfast of a slice of bread and a spoonful of bean porridge when the interrogation began.
“Just think of it as morning exercise.” She stretched lazily, got up, and followed the police to the interrogation room.
This time, both Letisia and Amber were there, seated one on each side facing Ashley.
“Good cop, bad cop?” Ashley raised an eyebrow.
Having two people interrogate together—one playing the nice guy, the other the tough one—made it easier to break the suspect’s psychological defenses.
“I want to apologize to you for suspecting you as the culprit,” Letisia said, placing her long-fingered hands on her knees and bowing slightly.
“What?”
Ashley was stunned. How had the police’s attitude done a complete one-eighty overnight?
“Because we found the body early, we pinpointed the victim’s time of death to between eight and eight-thirty that evening. But at eight-fifteen, someone clearly sighted you far from the crime scene. Congratulations—you have a perfect alibi.” Letisia explained carefully.
“Hmph, I can’t believe she’s innocent. She even hit the 10% margin of error on the lie detector,” Amber said cooperatively, turning her face away and pouting her little mouth in dissatisfaction.
Oh no!
Ashley’s heart sank. How had some busybody spotted her? And provided testimony for her!
Who asked you to meddle?!
Her pupils dilated slightly as her mind raced.
With the prime suspect cleared, the police’s reinvestigation would surely trace the victim’s movements that day, checking everyone in the Saint Dormer Community one by one. Flora, without an alibi, would definitely enter their sights as a key suspect. The community was semi-closed; outsiders committing the crime was unlikely and would probably be noticed. Residents knew each other well—a stranger would stand out.
Unwittingly, Ashley glanced at the black-haired loli. Her palm pressed against her knee, fingertips tense; her body leaned forward, trembling slightly as she focused intently on Ashley’s expression. Clearly, psychologically, she was still in confrontation mode.
Strange. Logically, with Ashley fully cleared, the little apprentice’s attention should have shifted away.
“You staring at something? You’re not tricking me, are you? No one actually vouched for me—you’re testing me,” Ashley asked.
“Someone did vouch for you, but your reaction is interesting.”
Amber’s chair had casters for mobility, to close in on suspects for pressure. Seizing the moment, she quickly dragged it forward, inching knee-to-knee with Ashley, her nose almost touching Ashley’s face.
“Interesting? Fun to wrongfully accuse someone?”
“Normally, when a suspect is cleared, they feel relieved, ready to leave, or angry and irritable about wasting their time and being treated roughly. But you… tsk tsk, you seem a bit reluctant, like you’re saying, ‘That’s it? This isn’t what I planned. I wanted to stall the police a few more days to cover for the real culprit!'”
With that, Amber stuck out her neck, held her breath like a ram ready to butt heads.
Ashley had no patience to tangle with this girl. She wasn’t even a suspect anymore—no need to engage.
The witness had ruined her plan to divert the police’s attention. She needed a new strategy.
Ashley stood and headed for the door. Suddenly, a figure cut into her path, blocking the way!
Ashley’s little face turned icy cold. She stepped back, pivoted slightly to the side, one hand on her hip, the other loosely formed into a gun shape. Her aura surged with ruthless, sharp menace!
“You think you can mess with the Tribunal and just leave whenever you want?”
Letisia blocked the doorway. Her tall, imposing figure nearly filled the frame. Her stiff windbreaker couldn’t hide her stunning curves. From her sleeve extended a long-fingered hand hanging at her side, nails gleaming like steel shards.
Ashley narrowed her eyes, sensing danger from that flawless white palm. Her nerves tightened.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Does the cold-blooded Jenkins Family have people they want to protect too? You’re a bunch of siblings who kill each other!”
Letisia said in a tone that blurred admiration and mockery, chin slightly raised, casting a derisive gaze from under her white jazz hat.
“Hmph, who knows.” Ashley tilted her head.
“I found that child. I lied to her, said you ratted her out—for the reward on the killer, three hundred Gold Pounds. That’s a fortune, enough to end any precious friendship… Oh, right, that kid really likes you. After hearing it, she wailed with all her might, crying your name over and over: Ashley, Ashley, waaah, like a fawn with a broken leg whimpering in despair, her pupils dilating in hopelessness…”
“I’m going to take you down and step over your corpse to find her.”
Ashley raised her Finger Gun, aiming at the white-hatted woman blocking the door. Her tone was calm.
“I want this misunderstanding cleared up without even a minute’s delay.”
