Chapter 24: Clues
"I've finally found a few clues about you all."
Alex Moyan sighed with emotion.
Do you know how much I've missed you, and how hard I've been looking for you?
I've thought of you day and night, tossing and turning in my sleep. I truly miss you so much!
Alex Moyan's gaze turned cold as he glanced toward a tall building not far away.
Then he looked toward a nearby cafe, where a man in a trench coat sat by the window, leisurely drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.
He looked exactly like someone enjoying a relaxing afternoon tea; who could tell he was a private investigator secretly spying on Alex Moyan?
Finally, Alex Moyan fixed his gaze on a passerby who had just brushed past him.
Alex Moyan could see that there was something wrong with the person's button; they really spared no expense.
"They're all ordinary people."
Alex Moyan hadn't expected that "Broken Fist" would hire nothing but ordinary private investigators.
"It seems they know very well that compared to Curse Users, ordinary private investigators are much harder for Jujutsu Sorcerers to detect."
After all, if they sent a Curse User, the fluctuations in Cursed Energy would be very easy for Alex Moyan to notice.
Yet these few ordinary people, relying on specialized surveillance technology to investigate Alex Moyan, were indeed not easy to spot.
After all, the bizarre surveillance tech those private investigators spent a fortune on didn't have any Cursed Energy fluctuations.
Alex Moyan walked into a street with very little foot traffic.
Several detectives hired by "Broken Fist" immediately followed Alex Moyan's pace, naturally and without a trace.
But when they followed him around a corner, Alex Moyan was nowhere to be seen.
On a rooftop, a detective was secretly observing and filming with his strange camera.
He was completely unaware that a tall figure had appeared behind him.
"Eh? Where did that guy go?"
The rooftop detective was puzzled and stood up to search for his target.
"Are you looking for me?"
A voice suddenly rang out from behind the rooftop detective, giving him a massive fright.
The rooftop detective turned his head and saw that the youth before him was the very target he had been secretly tailing.
The rooftop detective looked at the youth in shock.
"Damn, how did this guy get up here?!"
Doubts filled the rooftop detective's mind, but his professional instincts already had him ready to bolt.
As a highly capable private investigator, running fast and running well were essential skills.
Alex Moyan slowly pulled down the collar covering his nose and mouth, watching the fleeing detective without the slightest hurry.
Because... to ordinary people, a Cursed Speech User is like a god!
"Don't move."
With a casual word from Alex Moyan, the rooftop detective was frozen in place, unable to take another step even with all his strength.
Amidst the rooftop detective's terrified expression, Alex Moyan began his interrogation.
Then, under the influence of Alex Moyan's Cursed Speech, the rooftop detective told him everything he knew.
Alex Moyan did not make things difficult for him.
After all, the man was just an ordinary person doing a job for money; he hadn't even seen the face of a Curse User!
Online transactions were popular now; a simple transfer was all it took.
It was not only safe but also convenient, and most importantly, it left no physical clues in the real world.
However, since it had happened, there would inevitably be clues to find.
Just because there were no clues in reality didn't mean there were none online.
Seeing that the man had no further value, Alex Moyan naturally let him go.
He wasn't some kind of homicidal maniac; this ordinary person was just working for a living.
Afterward, Alex Moyan restrained the other private investigators and began interrogating them using his Cursed Speech Technique.
Under the absolute disparity in power, everyone acted as if they had taken truth serum, blurrily spilling everything they knew.
After finishing the questioning, Alex Moyan let them all go.
The men didn't even know what had happened; they only knew they had lost their target.
"A wily rabbit has three burrows..."
Alex Moyan pondered, piecing together the information revealed by the private investigators.
He only knew of a few accounts and several different bank card numbers.
Furthermore, the bank cards weren't even from the same bank, but several different ones.
Even the information was sent to a specific group chat filled with a diverse mix of people, making it extremely difficult to track.
To be safe, those Curse Users might even relay the information through multiple channels.
"They're certainly cautious; no wonder they've managed to survive."
Alex Moyan gave a cold snort, his heart filled with contempt; they were nothing more than a bunch of maggots.
Alex Moyan took out a keypad phone—a "brick phone," the Nokia of China.
After all, it was only 2006, and even the "iPhone 4" hadn't been released yet.
Almost everyone used keypad phones.
Beep, beep, beep...
"Moshi moshi."
"It's me, Quu," Alex Moyan said.
"My name is Q! Don't call me Quu!"
From the other end of the phone came a man's voice, sounding somewhat youthful.
"Alright, Quu."
"I have something I need you to look into."
On the other end, Q fell silent for a moment, likely speechless over Alex Moyan still calling him Quu.
"Ah! You win! Quu it is!"
Q was utterly helpless; after all, this guy was not only his boss but also his financial backer—he relied entirely on him for support.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to stay cooped up at home.
After all, dealing with social etiquette and working overtime in the outside world was such a hassle!
Most importantly, the pay was low and it was far from home.
I wouldn't even be able to play happily with my 2D waifus.
Right, Hinata-chan, Nami-chan?
Then, Alex Moyan sent all the information he had squeezed out of the private investigators to Q.
After settling everything, Alex Moyan gave a few instructions, told him to hurry up, and hung up.
Q was an otaku Alex Moyan had met on a paranormal website.
He said he'd had Special Eyes since he was a child and could see ghosts, so he didn't dare go out on the streets or talk to others.
He eventually became a super otaku, viewing beautiful 2D female characters as his wives and soulmates.
But to survive, Q had been forced to go out and work.
Until he met Alex Moyan.
Q was a computer genius, but his Cursed Energy was very ordinary; he might only be able to fight Grade 3 Cursed Spirits his whole life.
He would likely spend his entire life lingering as a Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
But Alex Moyan admired his computer talent and ability.
Since he wasn't short on money anyway, Alex Moyan hired Q directly, making him one of his subordinates.
His usual work involved investigations related to online information.
Additionally, Alex Moyan had Q build a massive database.
It was filled with information on Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Alex Moyan also had Q create a brand-new website.
It was intended to recruit civilians with the potential to become Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Something similar to Jujutsu High.
Of course, this was only an initial attempt; it would continue to expand later!
Alex Moyan planned to build his own power base and company after finishing his studies at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
After all, as the protagonist, how could Alex Moyan possibly be content serving under others?
"I'll just wait for the good news and the appearance of my prey."
A bloodthirsty and greedy smile curled the corners of Alex Moyan's mouth.
It was as if those heinous Curse Users were nothing more than food in his mouth!