The entrance to "The Gilded Cage" was a fortress of gold-leafed glass and stone, guarded by two men who looked more like professional wrestlers than bouncers. They wore tailored suits that struggled to contain their muscular frames, and their eyes scanned the crowd with the bored indifference of those who held the keys to an exclusive kingdom. Lu Cian approached, his Superintendent's uniform rumpled and stained with the soot of the chase, making him look entirely out of place in the sea of silk and designer fragrances.
"ID and invitation," the larger bouncer grunted, stepping forward to block the door. He didn't even look at Lu Cian's badge. In this district, a police rank was often treated as a minor inconvenience rather than an authority.
[System Notification: Hostility Detected.]
[New Objective: Infiltrate the Club without a Warrant.] [Suggested Method: 'Shamelessness' (Active Trait).] [System Note: These two have a combined IQ of a lukewarm bowl of noodles. Use your 'Micro-Expression Reader' to find their weakness, or just lie like your life depends on it. Which it does.]
Lu Cian didn't flinch. Instead, he activated the Micro-Expression Reader. A HUD overlay flickered over the bouncer's face, highlighting the subtle twitch in his left eye and the way his hand habitually checked his inner jacket pocket.
[Analysis: Subject is nervous. He is hiding a 'Grey Zone' substance. Probability of compliance via blackmail: 88%.]
Lu Cian leaned in close, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that didn't reach the ears of the socialites waiting in line. "You have a packet of 'Blue Lotus' in your left pocket, don't you? That's an automatic ten years in the North District labor camps, even for a 'protected' club like this".
The bouncer's face paled, his bored indifference instantly replaced by a flash of genuine terror. "I... you can't prove that," he stammered, but his body language screamed guilt.
"I don't need to prove it to the judge right now; I just need to prove it to your boss, who explicitly forbids drugs on the premises to avoid heat," Lu Cian lied smoothly, utilizing his Shamelessness trait to manufacture a threat he couldn't yet back up. "Now, open the door, or I'll make sure the next person through it is a K-9 unit."
The bouncer stepped aside, his hand trembling as he swiped his biometric card. Lu Cian walked through the gold-leafed doors, leaving the stunned crowd behind. As he entered, the thumping bass of the club hit him like a physical wall, and the Netizen comments began to scroll at a furious pace.
[Netizen Comment: 'Wait, did the Jinx just blackmail a bouncer?! That's so... un-police-like. I love it!']
[Netizen Comment: 'Superintendent Lu is a savage! He didn't even show his badge! #ShamelessDetective']
Inside, the club was a kaleidoscope of neon and shadow. Lu Cian moved through the dancing bodies with a cold, predatory focus. He wasn't here to party; he was here for the "Turn". He activated Trace Vision once more, and the grayscale world revealed the ionized trail of the drone leading directly toward the VIP elevators.
As he stepped into the elevator, the doors began to close, but a slender hand caught them. A woman stepped in, dressed in a gown that cost more than Lu Cian's annual salary. It was Su Qing, the heiress of the Su Group and a frequent patron of the club. She looked at his disheveled uniform with a mixture of amusement and disdain.
"Superintendent Lu," she said, her voice like silk. "You look like you've crawled out of a sewer. I assume you're not here for the champagne?"
"I'm here for a killer, Miss Su," Lu Cian replied, his internal monologue already calculating how to use her as a "Wallet" for future resources. "And if you want to see a real show, I suggest you stay close. The 'Explosion' is about to begin".
[System Notification: Relationship Initialized: Su Qing (The Wallet).] [Reputation Points +5,000 for 'Impressing a VIP'!]
The elevator dinged as it reached the top floor—the private lounge where the drone operator was currently celebrating their "perfect crime". Lu Cian checked his service pistol, his eyes glowing with the HUD's light. The "Grinding" was over. It was time for the "Deductive Takedown".