Inside a rundown old office building, Thomas Blake was wolfing down instant noodles like his life depended on it.

Ring ring—

The phone blasted out of nowhere. He glanced at the screen — his mom again. Thomas sighed. No need to guess, she must’ve found him another blind date.

"Thomas, sweetie! I set you up with someone this time, totally your type!"

"I told them you were too busy at work, so I just gave her your office address. Hurry and clean up a bit, make a good impression!"

Click.

She didn’t wait for a response — typical. The call dropped before Thomas could even speak.

He rolled his eyes hard.

He’d been ducking these setups using the “busy with work” excuse. This time? Nice move, Mom — just sent the girl straight to his door.

A blind date, huh?

Since transmigrating, Thomas had launched this tiny detective agency. The kind of cases he took mostly involved missing cats, or catching cheaters. Now? Even those were drying up. He could barely afford a proper meal.

Forget it. Whatever happens, happens. Let it rot.

[Ding! God-tier Detective System Activated!]

[Starter Pack Unlocked! Would you like to open it now?]

Out of nowhere, a robotic voice echoed in his head.

A system?

Finally!

Yes! Open it!

Thomas practically jumped off the couch.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've acquired God-level Observation and Deduction Skills!]

A rush of information flooded his mind — too fast and abstract to parse, but he felt heat rise through his whole body.

Sweat beaded at his nose. He was just about to peel off his hoodie when the office door suddenly swung open.

Thomas instinctively looked toward the door — and promptly froze.

Those were... definitely a pair of legendary assets stepping through.

Standing there was a stunning, tall woman with a dangerously tight blouse that looked like it was about to give up. Her waist was ridiculously slim, and a flash of high-quality black stockings peeked out from under her work pants.

Classic thigh-highs, top tier at that... Thomas could tell with a glance — years of *professional research* did that to a man.

*Ahem.*

A soft cough snapped him back to reality. He shot up quickly, realizing the gorgeous woman was now glaring at him.

"Hey... you’re here already? That was fast, I didn’t expect— Wait, you’re... a cop?"

His eyes scanned her again. Suddenly a bunch of movie scenes flashed through his mind.

Mom, this setup? Masterpiece. Ten outta ten.

Seriously, Mom, you’re the matchmaking MVP.

"Hmm?"

"You figured out I was a cop just like that?"

She’d turned to leave, but froze mid-step at Thomas' words.

"Uh..."

"The sharp look in your eyes, the callus on your right hand from gripping a gun, the fixed curl in your bangs... just a hunch?"

Thomas said it offhandedly. Truth was, even he was surprised.

Things he never would've noticed before now popped out like neon signs. In just one glance, he’d nailed down her whole vibe.

"Wow. Didn’t expect that. Looks really can be deceiving. Seems like I came to the right person."

She stepped forward with a firm gaze.

"Olivia Parker, Criminal Investigation Division, Tianhai City."Thomas Blake rolled his eyes. “What do you mean by ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’? Do I look like a troll or something?”

Come on, he was 1.85 meters tall! Okay, maybe not hotter than Nicholas Tse or Edison Chen, but easily on Daniel Wu’s level, right? Yet she still pulled the “looks aren’t everything” card?

Typical. Beauty doesn’t always come with brains... Cops included.

“I’m not here to chat. There’s a tricky case I want your help with,” Olivia Parker said as she dropped into the chair. “You can say no, but if you help and give us something useful, there’s a bonus involved.”

She pulled out a portion of the file from the folder in her hand, then precisely when Thomas reached out, she pulled it back.

“Just so we’re clear—what’s in here might be disturbing. Even if you turn this down, what you see must stay confidential. If not, our department has every right to go after you for violating criminal laws.”

“You get that?” Her tone wavered just a little.

She had her doubts about his skills—he was a private eye, after all. But the way he instantly called out her background when he walked in? Maybe there was something to him.

“Uh…” Thomas looked at her, speechless.

Wasn’t a blind date supposed to start with questions about backgrounds or income? Instead, did she drop by just because he was a PI, and brought work along while she was at it?

No wonder she showed up in person.

If they actually ended up married, would she expect him to stay home babysitting while she chased down killers? Wouldn't that make his manly pride completely useless?

His kid would probably starve.

At that rate, he could already imagine his speech at the parent-teacher meeting.

Still, since the date already walked into his office, he had to show some of his professional chops.

“What’s the case?”

He took the file.

“A month ago, a college girl from Tianhai University got dismembered. Her body was cut evenly into multiple parts and scattered across the city’s dumpsters,” Olivia said slowly.

“There was also a cooked skull. And all her internal organs...”

Even as she spoke, Olivia’s face turned pale. With her years in homicide, she’d seen it all. But this one? Even after a month, the images made her sick to her stomach.

Thomas caught her expression. Looked like this wasn’t your average murder case.

[Ding! System mission activated!]

[Help the police solve the dismemberment case. Reward: God-Level Interrogation Technique!]

The crisp system voice echoed in his head.

With the God-Level Detective System now online, he wasn’t even worried. Whatever case it was, he’d crack it.

“There’s an internal reward for big cases like this. If solved, the bonus starts at 200,000,” Olivia added, maybe sensing his hesitation.

“Two hundred grand?”

“Assisting the police is every citizen's duty,” Thomas nodded solemnly. Then added, “But hey, if we’re talking numbers… might as well aim for more.”

Olivia: “…”

“No time to waste. Let’s go.” She stood up without hesitation. “The full file’s at the station. You’re coming with me.”

Thomas sighed and followed. As soon as they stepped out the door—they both froze.

Something massive was blocking the way.