CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: THE ALMIGHTY DETECTIVE LU LUO

After stepping out, Lu Luo noticed that Qian Ming had arrived by car, driving a Grade C Feichi, an expensive model.

"Please get in, Mr. Lu Luo."

Qian Ming made an inviting gesture from the backseat, but Lu Luo first had Zhou Kai sit in the back, then pointed to the passenger seat himself.

"Mr. Qian Ming, may I sit here?"

"Oh, is this related to the investigation? This is usually where my fiancée sits."

"It is. I might need to take some photos."

Although somewhat reluctant, since Lu Luo said it was for the investigation, Qian Ming felt he couldn’t refuse.

"Since it’s for the investigation, alright then."

In fact, the Host just wants to take some photos to show off, like a client so satisfied with Circle Studio’s service that they extravagantly gifted a Grade C Feichi. Put Circle Studio’s name on it, then Photoshop a banner reading "Wasteland Hope," hire some internet trolls to hype it up, and there, it’s a done deal!

...

As the car hit the road, Lu Luo began searching for clues as thoroughly as possible. Professional teamwork and quality assurance were not to be taken lightly.

First, he noticed that the passenger seat was pushed far back. According to Qian Ming, his fiancée, Li Manting, had only recently gotten pregnant and shouldn’t have needed that much space yet.

Then, Lu Luo touched the panel near the right side of the car, noticing many scratches and signs of wear that most likely came from rubbing against shoes.

From this information, Lu Luo could deduce that Li Manting must have really enjoyed leaning against the seat and putting her feet on the panel.

Moreover, she seemed to be a woman with a rather casual style, not even taking her shoes off. Perhaps she had a quite unrestrained personality?

"Mr. Qian Ming, does Li Manting like to lean on the passenger seat and prop her feet up here?"

"How did you know?"

Qian Ming suddenly sat up straight. Was someone watching him? The things he and Li Manting did in the car were far from just driving.

Seeing Qian Ming’s expression, Lu Luo knew this guy was probably accustomed to feasting on seafood in the car.

"You just need to tell me yes or no."

"Yes."

"Then, is your fiancée, Li Manting, a Believer?"

"No, no, she’s not. She doesn’t follow any religion."

"I see. And what about you? Are you a Believer?"

"I’m not either."

His answer was without hesitation, and there were no changes in his heartbeat or blood flow. He wasn’t lying.

"Okay."

Lu Luo didn’t ask any further questions, but doubts formed in his mind. If neither Qian Ming nor Li Manting were Believers, then where did the Holy Radiance on Qian Ming come from?

...

They soon arrived at Qian Ming’s home, located in a rare villa area within the Fourth Ring. Those who could afford a house here were very wealthy.

Standing at the door, Lu Luo politely inquired, "Mr. Qian Ming, do we need to take off our shoes?"

Qian Ming hesitated slightly. "Uh, no need."

Lu Luo caught Qian Ming’s hesitation. Once they entered his home, Lu Luo took out gloves and shoe covers he had already prepared, donned them, and then handed a pair to Zhou Kai.

In the Wasteland, shoe covers were rare—not because they didn’t exist, but because few people bothered to prepare them specifically.

"Brother Luo, did you prepare all this in advance?"

"Quit the chatter and put them on."

After the two put on their shoe covers, Qian Ming’s conflicted expression eased considerably. He seemed to appreciate Lu Luo’s hygienic habits.

Neither the Hunters nor the Church members would wear shoe covers when visiting his home, so Lu Luo’s approach made Qian Ming feel comfortable.

"You can look around freely. I’ve barely touched her things. Her bedroom is the first one on the second floor; you can go there too."

Lu Luo nodded. He didn’t rush upstairs but first opened Qian Ming’s shoe cabinet. As he did, Lu Luo furrowed his brows—not because of any foul smell, of course.

There are a total of 49 pairs of shoes in this cabinet: 7 pairs of men’s shoes and 42 pairs of women’s shoes. Among them, 39 pairs of women’s shoes are branded, with an estimated total value exceeding 60,000 Alliance Currency. This person’s net worth must be quite high.

With the Observer, obtaining this kind of statistical information was very convenient and fast for Lu Luo.

Aside from having a freewheeling personality, this Li Manting also lives a life of luxury—at least much more so than Qian Ming.

Lu Luo then shifted his gaze to the lower left corner of the 5x10 shoe rack. This was the only spot without shoes, even though there were others beside it. This spot?

"Brother Luo, have you found anything?" Zhou Kai whispered.

"Yes."

"What did you find?"

"This family is super rich."

"..."

Lu Luo and Zhou Kai immediately continued to investigate places like the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

"A wealthy person like Qian Ming should be very busy, yet he still has the hobby of cooking for himself. It looks rather delicious too," Zhou Kai said, his mouth watering at the sight of the fragrant chunks of meat in the pot.

Hearing Zhou Kai’s words, Lu Luo immediately came over, picked up a piece of meat, and then disappointedly put it back down.

It’s just ordinary beef, but the cooking technique is very good. This should be called braised beef, right? There isn’t much grassland in the Wasteland, and fodder is scarce. Beef is much more expensive than pork; usually, only wealthy families can afford it.

"He really knows how to take care of himself!"

...

After searching the first floor, Lu Luo found nothing out of the ordinary and took Zhou Kai upstairs to Li Manting’s bedroom.

Pushing open the door, Lu Luo found it different from the double bedroom he had imagined.

There were abundant cosmetics, handbags, wallets, jewelry, and beautifully decorated mobile phones.

Whether it’s furniture, cosmetics, or bags, everything is branded. Just as you’d imagine, she’s a woman of luxury. This is a luxurious woman’s room with no trace of a man’s presence. Qian Ming probably doesn’t sleep here.

Not only luxurious but also young.

Lu Luo picked up a photo on the table. Li Manting was a woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a clear age gap from Qian Ming.

Such a woman, so extravagant—her purpose for being with Qian Ming inevitably made one wonder.

Actually, Lu Luo was quite willing to believe in May-December romances. If a rich older woman were to give him 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 Alliance Currency now and ask him to accompany her for her 80th birthday, he wouldn’t necessarily mind. It really isn’t for the money; mainly, he likes older women—um, plump ones are fortunate.

Alright, snapped out of it. The foreman’s calling me to work.

Lu Luo rummaged through Li Manting’s room. Wallets, handbags, jewelry—all these items were present. It didn’t look like she had run away from home.

Lu Luo silently murmured in his heart, Are there any bloodstains or signs of struggle? Even the slightest would do. Come on, Grade S Sequence, show your worth! Even a donkey on the production team wouldn’t rest this much.

The noble Grade S Sequence Observer has been observing with all its might since coming in! But if there’s something, there is; if there’s nothing, there isn’t. Pressuring me is useless! This place is as clean as if licked by a dog.

Lu Luo felt somewhat helpless. If even the Observer had no clues, it was no wonder the Hunters and the Church couldn’t find anything.

"Mr. Qian Ming, may I look in the other rooms?"

"Hmm, yes, you may."

Next, Lu Luo searched every room of the villa, with the Observer continuously capturing information for him. However, he found no trace of anything.

Zhou Kai started to panic. Could it be that we’ll only get 5,000?

"Brother Luo, any clues?"

"Yes."

"What clue? Tell me."

"The clue is that there’s no clue."

"Huh?"

What Lu Luo said was the truth; the clue he found was that there were no clues.

The villa was too clean, with not a single trace of Li Manting left behind, which was obviously abnormal.

As the mistress of the household, even if Li Manting had been missing for a month, it would be impossible for there to be no trace of her at all.

Unless someone had deliberately erased her presence. Thinking this, Lu Luo looked at Qian Ming.

Could it be Qian Ming? No, there’s no reason. That’s not how a thief cries ’stop thief!’

Lu Luo withdrew his gaze and looked toward the third floor of the villa—the attic.

"Mr. Qian Ming, may we take a look at the third floor?"

"The third floor..." Qian Ming hesitated, and he hesitated for a long time.

This took Lu Luo by surprise. Their interactions had been smooth up until now, so what was he hesitating about now?

Before Qian Ming could answer, the click of a door unlocking came from downstairs. Hearing it, Lu Luo, Zhou Kai, and Qian Ming hurriedly descended the stairs.

They saw a plainly dressed but spry old lady... changing her shoes!