Chapter 122 The Dust Settles

October 1st.

National Day.

About twenty young people were sitting in the lounge of the Zhongyuan Municipal Bureau.

Looking closely, one could see that these twenty young people were vaguely divided into four teams.

They didn't seem very familiar with each other.

Chen Mo's gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the meeting room.

Immediately, he felt a sense of certainty.

Star contestants like Wang Feng and Xu Lingyun didn't form a single team.

Instead, each of them led four other team members.

This invisibly reduced his pressure quite a bit.

"That must be Xu Lingyun."

Sun Yi looked at his face, showing a surprised expression.

In terms of looks, he was a tiny bit behind Brother Mo, and the same for his physique, but his arrogant temperament was very eye-catching.

Hearing this, Chen Mo also looked over at him.

Xu Lingyun's head was always tilted up at forty-five degrees; whoever spoke to him would be met with a pair of nostrils.

Arrogant as he was, he indeed had the capital to be so.

His unique investigation skills were indeed not to be underestimated.

"Brother Mo, look at the star contestants of the other two teams. That one is Xu Qingqing, who excels at Reasoning, and that one is Li Yun, who is an expert in Micro-expressions."

Sun Yi signaled Chen Mo to look at a man and a woman diagonally opposite them.

Xu Qingqing was tall and slender with a calm expression, looking as if victory was already in her grasp.

Meanwhile, Li Yun was scanning everyone with his gaze.

As someone also proficient in Micro-expressions, Chen Mo knew very well that he was using his ability to analyze everyone's inner thoughts at that moment.

He was attempting to understand his opponents' psychological states.

Coincidentally, Li Yun's gaze landed on Chen Mo.

Trying to see through my thoughts using Micro-expressions?

Unluckily for him, I know a bit about that too.

A smile appeared on his face as he gave him a response.

A hint of surprise immediately flashed across Li Yun's face.

Is this person really giving me a friendly smile?

Why does it feel like something is off?

He also gave Chen Mo a smile.

Then he moved on to the next person.

Noticing his gaze shift to Liu Fengxia.

Chen Mo looked thoughtful.

It was the same thought as before: as long as these star contestants weren't grouped in one team...

...his chances of winning were still very high.

He was, after all, a hidden all-rounder.

Time passed second by second.

Chen Mo had also been pondering: if these people, being at the top of certain abilities, were converted to his status panel, what level would they be?

He thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

But he felt they must be at least level thirty.

Or rather, level thirty was the bare minimum.

Because any expert in a field with even a bit of talent...

...could reach level thirty on the panel after thirty years of study.

And recognized geniuses like Xu Qingqing, Li Yun, and Xu Lingyun...

...probably wouldn't even stop at level fifty.

—Tap, tap, tap.

The steady and forceful sound of leather shoes hitting the floor echoed from the hallway.

The large lounge instantly fell silent.

The door was pushed open by a person wearing glasses who looked like a secretary.

Then, a middle-aged man in a white shirt with an upright posture walked in.

He walked step by step to the front of the lounge and looked at everyone below.

"I am Liu Qingyun, the Director of the Zhongyuan Municipal Bureau and the referee for this competition."

"During the competition, everyone must wear their Body-worn cameras at all times; they must not be turned off or removed without permission."

"You are all famous criminal investigation talents in Dragon Country. Both I and the higher-up leaders have high expectations for your abilities!"

"To reiterate the competition rules: 22 provinces are participating in this competition, divided into four groups. The first and second places in your group will advance."

"Theoretically, when the first place catches the murderer, that is when the competition stops. The second place will be selected based on the progress of the other three teams."

"Is that clear!?"

His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept across the faces of everyone below.

"Very well, I will now announce the case you are to investigate!"

"The Cui Shengli Family Murder Case!"

...

After announcing the competition case, Liu Qingyun left.

In the meeting room, some were happy while others were worried.

The happy ones were naturally Chen Mo's side.

They had already tried to predict the topic beforehand.

And they actually guessed right.

"Hahaha!"

Wu Tian couldn't help but burst into laughter.

With his laugh, Long Hao and the others couldn't hold it back either.

They all showed a hint of relief.

In fact, over the past three days, everyone had been feeling uneasy.

It was the anxiety of not having Director Liu's confirmation yet.

Now it was fine; the dust had finally settled!

Relying on their collective analysis over the past three days, they could definitely get a head start on this case!

And being one step ahead meant being ahead every step of the way!

"That Xu Qingqing is the one who was printing things a step ahead of us before, right?"

Liu Fengxia stopped smiling, her gaze falling on Xu Qingqing's team.

After arriving, she had already gained a clear understanding of the general situation.

Seeing that they were also very happy over there, the answer was obvious.

"Xu Qingqing is skilled in Reasoning. It seems she analyzed the leader's needs through Reasoning. She truly lives up to her reputation!"

Long Hao nodded, acknowledging his opponent's strength.

But he wasn't panicked at all.

Speaking of Reasoning, they had a capable person on their side too!

He looked at Chen Mo: "Are you under pressure?"

Noticing everyone suddenly looking at him, Chen Mo took a deep breath.

"No pressure."

Reasoning was his specialty.

He wouldn't make any guarantees about other skills, but for Reasoning, he dared to.

He still had a Critical Hit Card that he hadn't used yet.

In short, it's a sure thing!

"Good, good, good. It seems everyone is quite confident."

Long Hao stirred up the team atmosphere again.

Meanwhile, those on Xu Qingqing's team also noticed the mood of Chen Mo's group.

"Sister Qing, why do they seem even happier than us? Could it be that one of them already knew about this case?"

A team member on the side curiously looked over at Chen Mo's side.

"No!"

"If one person is happy, it means your guess was correct."

"But if everyone is happy, it means they've collectively looked into this case recently and might have even conducted a simulated investigation."

A light smile appeared on Xu Qingqing's face.

Interesting.

She didn't care about Xu Lingyun and Li Yun at all.

And looking at the results now, those two only just found out about the case.

They really couldn't pique her competitiveness.

But she hadn't expected that Long Hao and the others, whom she had always ignored, would seem to have such formidable strength.

"Ah!?"

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean our advantage is gone?"

A hint of disappointment appeared on the team member's face.

They thought they were the only ones who had guessed it.

They didn't expect others to guess it too, and even more firmly believe that Director Liu would choose this case!

"With me here, we won't lose."

Xu Qingqing reached out and patted her team member's shoulder.

—Creak.

The lounge door was pushed open.

"All participants, please check if your Body-worn cameras are functioning normally."

"Once confirmed, follow me to the airport to board the plane to Xinghan Province."