Chapter 1: The Girl’s Commission

In Jiangcheng, on Tingtang Road, there stood an adult toy store called “Peak of Happiness”.
And inside this store, a pale and nervous high school girl stood awkwardly.

“Full service costs 9,900 yuan, and as a preliminary investigation, you must pay a deposit of 1,000 yuan first.” I held a cigarette in my mouth and scrutinized the girl in front of me.
Her small face looked immature against the school uniform, and she was thin and flat-chested.

Under my gaze, the girl became uncomfortable and said, “One thousand…I only have 70 yuan on me.
Can I pay you the rest when I have more money?”

“70 is fine.
Leave the money on the table, and you can go.
I’ll get back to you in three days.”

“You… You’re not a scammer, are you?” The girl was hesitant, and the seventy dollars in her palm was already drenched in her sweat.

“Under the trust of others, we do honest work with efficiency, integrity, and confidentiality as our guiding principles.
Your previous statement is questioning my professional ethics.” I snatched the money from the girl’s hand and waved her off.

At this point, I believe many people would misunderstand me and think that I’m a scoundrel who bullies minors and lures young girls.
But that’s not the case.
Everything I’m doing is to help this young girl.

My name is Gao Jian, and I’m the owner of this adult toy store.
Of course, the term “owner” was just a disguise.
My real identity is a private detective.

We handle missing persons and corpse searches, corporate espionage, anti-counterfeiting and litigation support, extramarital affairs investigations, and various non-litigation cases.
Our firm accepts all types of cases.

Returning to the main topic, the girl who came seeking help earlier was called Xia Qingzhi, a high school student boarding the best high school in this city.

The reason she appeared here was also because of an incredible matter.

“My brother Xia Chi disappeared a week ago, and I suspect he has been murdered.” As soon as she entered, the girl looked anxious and frightened.

“You should report this as a criminal case to the police.” I glanced at her, thinking that a high school student wouldn’t have much money, and I immediately lost interest.

“I tried everything, but calling the police was useless.
No one remembers my brother’s existence, not even in the household registration investigation.
He disappeared like he never existed.
All traces of him have been wiped out.”

“So, you mean to say that the memories of your brother only exist in your mind?” The girl didn’t seem to be lying, and that was the scariest part.

“Yes, everyone has forgotten about my brother, except for me…”

After lighting a cigarette, I took a deep drag of the smoke.

If what the girl said is true, then there are only two possibilities: either there were supernatural paranormal events at work, or the girl had a severe case of schizophrenia and had a twisted personality of her own “brother” hidden within her.

“Did your brother show any unusual or strange behavior before he went missing?” At this point, only following the other person’s words could lead to additional clues, and I was in no hurry.

“One week ago, my brother was invited to an interview for a live streaming platform and never came back.” The girl took out a very ordinary card from her pocket, which was crumpled and looked similar to the small advertisements for drain repairs and fake medicine on the roadside railing.

“Do you aspire to become a highly acclaimed celebrity? Do you want to have millions of fans idolizing you?”

“Become a contracted anchor for the Underworld show and open your own live streaming room.”

“As long as you have the courage, talent, and time.”

“You can turn all your dreams into reality from the comfort of your own home!”

“The Underworld Show, what a unique name,” I studied the card repeatedly and became even more skeptical that this was some mischievous prank by a troublemaker.
I won’t even comment on the company name; after all, just take a look at the back of the card.
The interview time for this live streaming platform was from midnight to 3 a.m., and the interview location was in Room 444 on the 4th underground floor of No.
44 No-Light Road.
This series of numbers for time and location didn’t seem like it was meant for normal people.

“Do you think I’m making this up too?” The girl’s reaction at the time was on the brink of despair, and I could see both disappointment and terror in her eyes.

“No, nobody has the right to come to a conclusion without first conducting a thorough investigation.” Even if it was just for the few tens of Yuan on her, I had to say this because my firm hasn’t had any clients for two months straight, and with the rise of self-service sex toy machines, the income of adult toy stores has been declining.
If things continue like this, I’ll soon be unable to afford rent.

“Underworld Show…” In recent