The air in the penthouse of the Azure Dragon Luxury Apartments was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the expensive scent of sandalwood. Lu Cian opened his eyes to find himself slumped against a cold marble pillar, his head throbbing as if his skull had been used for drum practice. Before him, a crime scene unfolded like a high-budget noir film: a famous celebrity lay dead in a sealed, "impossible" locked room.
Around him, a group of officers stood with expressions of blatant disgust. "Look at the 'Jinx' waking up," sneered a young Constable, his voice dripping with mockery. "He probably fainted from the sight of the blood. It's a miracle someone with his 'talents' made it to Superintendent 3rd Class without accidentally handcuffing himself to a radiator".
Lu Cian ignored the stinging insults. His mind was a chaotic storm where the memories of a brilliant forensic psychologist from Earth clashed with the memories of this new body: a lazy, money-grubbing "Superintendent" who had obtained his rank through pure nepotism.
Just as he tried to stand, a sharp ding echoed in his mind, and a semi-transparent, neon-blue HUD flickered into existence.
[System Initializing... Host Synchronized.]
[Current Status: The "Trash" Superintendent.] [Reputation: -500 (Infamous Jinx). Justice Points: 0.]
[System Note: Your acting during that 'fainting spell' was a 2/10. Too much drool, not enough tragic pathos. If you're going to be a loser, at least be a photogenic one.]
The sarcastic text scrolled past as a new notification flashed an aggressive red:
[Quest Generated: The Locked Room's First Victim] [Difficulty: E-Rank (Tutorial)] [Objective: Find the 'Silver Bullet' evidence that proves this suicide was a murder.] [Reward: 500 Justice Points + Unlock Skill: "Trace Vision (Level 1)."] [Failure Penalty: Forced to perform the 'Little Teapot' dance in front of the Chief of Police while live-streaming.]
"Suicide, obviously," barked the lead detective on-site, a man who clearly despised Lu Cian's unearned rank. "The door was locked from the inside, the windows are reinforced, and there isn't a single footprint other than the victim's. Case closed".
Lu Cian felt a familiar, cold ruthlessness settle into his chest. He didn't care about the mockery; he saw the "System" as a partner to be exploited and the crime scene as a stage to be dominated. Instead of reaching for a supernatural "cheat," he closed his eyes and summoned his Earth-born expertise in behavioral analysis.
"You see a suicide because you want to go home," Lu Cian said, his voice cutting through the room with a sudden, eerie authority that silenced the jeering officers. He pointed toward the ventilation grate. "But look at the dust patterns. If the victim was as 'depressed' as you claim, why did they clean the HVAC filters two hours before dying?"
The room went silent. Lu Cian focused his gaze on the vent, his internal monologue cold. "System," he thought, "I've found the stage. Now, give me the lights".
[Temporary Skill Activated: Trace Vision (Trial Version).]
Suddenly, the world turned grayscale, except for a few glowing, microscopic scratches near the vent where a specialized drone had entered. Lu Cian's lips curled into a predatory grin. He turned toward the bodycams of the nearby officers, knowing the "Netizens" would soon be watching his first "Deductive Takedown".
"I'm not the law," Lu Cian whispered, leaning into the nearest camera lens. "I'm the spider. And this 'suicide' just became a hunt".