Yes! He's the god of acting

"...Commander Beker."

The moment Beker called out to him, a flash of guilt crossed William's eyes, but it quickly returned to normal. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"A Fusion being, daring to infiltrate the ranks of the Enforcers... You've got quite the nerve." Beker spoke slowly, deliberately. "Tell me, what's your objective?"

Those words hit William like a thunderbolt!

He found out?!

No... impossible... Last night he fought the red paper monster. He never saw my face the entire time! How could he recognize me at a glance?

"Huh?" William's eyes filled with confusion. "Commander Beker... what are you talking about?"

"Don't you understand what I'm getting at?"

"...No, I don't."

"Where were you last night?"

"At home, sleeping."

"And before that?"

"In the wilderness with my brother, practicing opera."

"Your brother was practicing opera—what were you doing there?"

"He's timid. Wanted me to keep him company."

"What piece was he practicing?"

"Farewell My Concubine."

"What's the final line?"

"...Aiya!"

"And the second-to-last?"

"...Let me take a look!"

Beker's questions came at lightning speed, giving William no time to think.

William answered while cold sweat beaded on his back. By the last three questions, he almost couldn't resist the urge to turn and run.

William had never encountered this world's theatrical traditions and had no idea what plays existed here. He could only bite the bullet and mention something he knew well from his previous life... He was gambling that Beker knew nothing about theater!

As for the dialogue, that wasn't difficult for William. In his past life, the theater frequently hosted Beijing opera performances. He'd heard Farewell My Concubine no less than twenty times—he remembered clearly that final scene where Xiang Yu turns to find Yu Ji has taken her own life.

As it turned out, William had gambled correctly.

After the final question, Beker stared directly at William, those eyes seeming to pierce through to his very soul... After several seconds of silence, Beker finally spoke:

"Oh, I must have been mistaken."

This guy was definitely bluffing me!

Should have hit him harder with that club last night!

William took a deep breath. "Commander Beker, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"Wait." Beker stopped William. "Which street were you assigned to?"

"...District Two, Ice Spring Street."

"Don't go home—head straight there."

"But didn't you say we had three hours to prepare..."

"That's an order."

Those four simple words cut off any protest William might have made.

William and Beker faced each other in the bitter wind, cotton robes and windbreakers billowing, the world falling into deathly silence...

After what felt like an eternity, William finally spoke: "Understood..."

"From here to Ice Spring Street in District Two takes two hours at most. In two hours, I'll confirm whether you actually arrived... Clear?"

William gritted his teeth. "My legs are tired from walking. It might take longer."

"I'll call you a rickshaw."

"..."

Beker embodied efficiency to the extreme. He flagged down a rickshaw puller right there in the street—the same one who'd chatted with William earlier—and told him directly to deliver William to Ice Spring Street on time, with expenses covered.

And so, under Beker's watchful gaze, William reluctantly climbed into the rickshaw and headed toward District Two.

Watching William leave, Beker ground his spent cigarette butt under his heel with a cold snort.

"Beker, why are you targeting him?" Jack approached, puzzled.

"Don't you find it strange?" Beker replied calmly.

"On the night of the Gray Realm convergence, Lily and Vito went to the mass grave in the rain, claiming they were paying respects to their son... The next day, the Calamity just happened to break into their house, killed two pursuing Enforcers, yet spared those two alone... And during this whole process, the two brothers from William's family just happened to be away from home, with no alibi."

"But the son explanation was already given—they had a child who died young many years ago..."

"You're missing the point."

"Huh?"

"The point isn't paying respects to their son, but doing so before dawn, in the worst rainstorm the Aurora Realm has seen in a decade... Do you think a child they barely knew, who died so young, was worth that kind of devotion?"

"Well..." Jack was speechless.

"The dead child, the opera practice—it's all just William's word. No evidence." Beker patted Jack's shoulder. "As Enforcers, we need to see with our own eyes, not just listen with our ears."

"...I understand, Beker."

"Good. Then come with me to 128 Frost Street."

"What for?"

"William's been dealt with... Now it's time to interrogate Henry." Beker's eyes narrowed slightly.

Thock—thock—thock...

The rhythmic hammering drove nails bit by bit into the wall.

As the wooden boards were laid neatly against the wall, the gaping hole was gradually repaired. Henry wiped the sweat from his face, secured the final board in place, then sat breathing heavily in a chair.

He looked back toward the living room, where the man with silver-rimmed glasses was studying his newly installed boards with curious interest, lost in thought.

"Could've helped out a little..." Henry muttered under his breath.

Henry hadn't really wanted to let this man into his home, but the stranger carried a handwritten letter from his brother—he was a legitimate guest.

Still, he'd never heard his brother mention having friends in Aurora City...

After Henry finished his work, the man slowly stood and approached the perfectly fitted wooden boards, asking with surprise:

"How did you manage this...?"

"House repairs aren't difficult. When I was little, my brother even helped me build a birdhouse." Henry lifted his head proudly. "I hear you city folk from Aurora are all pampered—bet you don't have skills like this for fixing houses."

The man was about to respond when urgent knocking echoed from the door.

"Enforcer investigation! Open immediately!"

Hearing those words, Henry's face went deathly pale.

He didn't know why the Enforcers had suddenly come calling, but instinct told him their timing meant nothing good...

Henry's mind raced, and he said to the man: "Answer the door in a moment. Just tell them no one's home."

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed to the bedroom to hide.

"Enforcers..." The man frowned, hesitating briefly before stepping forward to open the door.

Behind it stood Beker and Jack.

Seeing a stranger answer, Jack froze, then checked the door number again in confusion. "That's odd... this should be right..."

When Beker saw the man, his pupils contracted slightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should have known it was you." The man's lips curved upward as he adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses, speaking unhurriedly. "I should have realized—District Three is your territory."

Seeing the two begin chatting, Jack leaned toward Beker's ear and whispered: "Beker, who is he?"

"Aurora City's miracle doctor, Fred."