Xiang Jiang snorted at the platform in the night—under the pale light, the evil things were once again motionless. If they hadn’t witnessed them turning with their own eyes, it would have looked as if they were part of the station set.
“Pretend you didn’t see it.” Xiang Jiang took the lead.
The fog behind them was surging, and the platform was overflowing with cold air.
Ge Tingting put on her protective amulet that Xiang Jiang gave her and wore it around her chest as she straightened her back as much as possible. Huang Jin was at the tail end of the team and appeared to want to stay on the ground.
The four metaphysicians walked cautiously through the thickets of evil things that were like a cornfield while Zhong Chengshuo walked straight through those strange-shaped evil things.
The moment he passed through them, the evil things trembled, and their deformed faces showed different shades of unhappiness and condemnation.
Seeing this outrageous scene, Huang Jin couldn’t help but stammer. In the quiet night, an earth-shattering “tsk” rang out.
The night was too quiet, and he couldn’t control the volume.
Yin Ren turned his chuckle into a polite cough. Ge Tingting didn’t understand, and Huang Jin didn’t care, so no one responded.
Unfortunately, Comrade Huang Jin couldn’t escape the attention of the one he should hide from the most—King Yama’s attention was attracted, and he turned his head with interest.
“…I remember you wanting to die at the beginning. Why are you suddenly so squeamish about life now?” Facing Huang Jing, who was dawdling at the end of the group, Zhong Chengshuo sincerely asked.
Huang Jin looked at Zhong Chengshuo speechlessly, then said in a guilty tone, “At least I can choose my method of death when I commit suicide.”
“Huang Jin is scared again.” Ge Tingting summarized.
Huang Jin seemed to want to roll his eyes, but he strongly held back.
Do you know what those two people around you are? The ignorant are truly fearless, Xiao Ge!
“Mr. Xiang, where are we going?” Huang Jin forcibly changed the subject. “Why are there so many evil beings here? What’s going on with that fog just now?”
Xiang Jiang gave him a sideways glance, causing the exaggerated earrings to shake with his movements. “What’s the name of the first mayor of Gengsheng Town? It’s listed in the task information.”
“…I don’t remember.”
“If you don’t read the information, you’re not qualified to ask questions.” Xiang Jiang snorted and turned his head, as if everything was under control.
Xiang Jiang left behind the platform that was rampant with evil things. The fog flowed along the ankles of the group as they walked. In the midst of the night fog, Yin Ren could vaguely see the outline of Gengsheng Town.
Just looking at the types of buildings, it wasn’t much different from a normal mountain town. Except for the density of high-rises, there was only a subway loop in the middle of the town. At this time of day, the lights on the tracks were still on, which meant the subway hadn’t stopped running.
The rest of the “conspicuous landmark” wasn’t part of this world.
Huge human skeletons were curled up in two high-rises. The thin figures were about the height of the buildings and would wander between them. Strange-shaped, unknown objects floated in the sky from time to time. It was like the clouds were too low and the creatures were too high and big. The evil qi was like waves hitting against the reef, splashing between the various buildings.
It looked like a modern evil fair.
Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t see anything, while Ge Tingting was young and simple. Seeing Xiang Jiang walk without hesitation, she followed at ease. Huang Jin’s steps became slower, and his expression became more painful. Yin Ren couldn’t help but picture a shiba inu being strangled by its collar.
It was a pitiful sight. It seemed what happened in the Archive still left a small shadow on him.
As a dangerous evil being, Lord Ghost King fully demonstrated his concern. He retreated to the end of the team and patted Huang Jing on the shoulder to give him some comfort. The latter’s body shook as he stared at his feet, which were dragging on the ground.
The good thing was that their destination wasn’t far so Huang Jin’s entanglement didn’t last long.
Xiang Jing took them to a homestay.
The homestay was located at the edge of town and was divided into two floors. It had an old-fashioned tile roof and a small courtyard full of trees around the front. There were very few street lights next to it. The entire building was soaked in a medicinal soup-like darkness, with only a few windows weakly lit.
Yin Ren looked curiously at the quasi-stronghold in front of him.
Since waking up in this era, he had never seen such a standard haunted house—something was wriggling behind the blacked-out windows. From time to time, a few branches that were definitely not tree branches would wiggle out from inside the canopy. Whispers rolled around near the building, mingling with the scraping of the grass and trees, tingling everyone’s ears.
There were more than a dozen three-meter-high figures standing at the entrance of the courtyard, making the only living person inside particularly conspicuous, like a half-broken tooth in someone’s mouth.
Seeing them approaching, the slightly chubby figure trotted all the way to the front of the group.
“Xiang Jiang of Shian?” The woman had a loud voice.
“Ms. Ren.”
Xiang Jiang put away the impatience in his words and reluctantly gestured to them.
“This is Ren Jiying, the current mayor of Gengsheng Town. During our investigation, we’ll be staying here.”
“Hey, what’s with the Miss? Just call me Ren Jie. Miss sounds so formal.”
Mayor Ren waved at them, speaking at a speed comparable to pouring beans. She looked to be in her thirties, with a thick nose and thin eyes that were illuminated by the streetlights. She wasn’t beautiful but had a bit of liveliness in her. Ren Jiying had short shoulder-length hair, and her clothes were printed with bright cartoon patterns.
“This is my house. I have enough rooms to accommodate everyone. Come, come in, and take a break.”
Ren Jiying’s home had enough rooms, but it was almost full. It seemed that Mayor Ren herself was similar to a science post. Yin Ren looked at the windows filled with all kinds of evil things, and his mouth twitched.
Mayor Ren’s eyes narrowed. She seemed to have misunderstood Yin Ren’s expression and smiled uncomfortably. “Is this everyone’s first time here? The situation in our town is special, so regular hotels may not be… ahem, convenient.”
“Why isn’t it convenient?” Zhong Chengshuo asked seriously.
Mayor Ren led the five of them to the yard, shaking her head as she walked. “I shouldn’t have said that, but Gengsheng Town is quite xenophobic. You guys are all foreigners, so you’ll definitely suffer if you stay there.”
Zhong Chengshuo seemed to want to ask more questions but was stopped by a cough from Xiang Jiang.
“Ms. Ren, it’s alright here. I remember where the room is.” He roughly cut off the conversation.
“Huh? Okay.”
……
“Stay here honestly and I’ll be back in an hour. No matter what happens, never leave the house without authorization.”
A few hours later, Xiang Jiang said this before going out and leaving them alone.
Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo, who were in the know, looked at each other.
This execution mission was not what they had expected. So far, apart from the fact that the place itself had a problem, their mission could be said to be unremarkable…
The first task of Unit 9 in Gengsheng Town was to clean up the room.
Naturally, this “cleaning the room” was more than ordinary cleaning. The work content included, but was not limited to, packing, sorting, and throwing out all the evil things in the room, making it look like they were doing a deep spring cleaning. When finished, the doors and windows all had to be painted with exorcism arrays to prevent their view and exit from being blocked.
Comrade Xiao Zhong was entirely responsible for cleaning on the physical level.
It could be seen that this homestay hadn’t been used for 800 years. The dust on the floor was enough to grow sweet potatoes. Yin Ren, who had stayed with Zhong Chengshuo for so long, heard him sneeze ten times more today than in the previous two months combined.
When this person’s “achoo” could be heard from the back, Lord Ghost King even became a little worried that Zhong Chengshuo would sneeze his brain out.
When Xiang Jiang left, Zhong Chengshuo’s nose was still red.
While their two teammates averted their eyes, Yin Ren couldn’t help but reach out and poke Zhong Chengshuo’s nose. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t dodge. His nose was warm to the touch and slightly elastic. Yin Ren immediately withdrew his fingers as soon as he touched him, but the feeling of the touch still lingered for half a minute.
“I’m sorry. I was too busy at work today and didn’t have time to clean up. You guys have worked hard. Have something to eat.”
Not long after Xiang Jiang left, Ren Jiying came to visit them. She put a pot of honey water and a large box of packaged meat floss biscuits in front of everyone.
However, except for Yin Ren, no one had the strength to eat Mayor Ren’s evening snack.
Ge Tingting sat down on the freshly cleaned floors, tired and bleary-eyed. Huang Jin squatted in the corner of the room. He held his breath while embracing a compass spirit weapon for vigilance, pretending he was part of the clutter.
The compass spirit weapon was spinning like crazy as Huang Jin looked at it with an almost desperate gaze.
Ren Jiying was quite mindful. Seeing that the two of them weren’t in a good state, she didn’t force them into any small talk. The young mayor put away the tray and got up to leave—
“What’s wrong? You got the guts to stab me?!” A hoarse and angry roar pierced the night. It sounded like it came from a middle-aged man.
“You still have the nerve to fucking shout—?” Another voice was louder than the first. “Idiot. I’ll really chop off your head if you shout again!”
Two people were shouting and cursing near the courtyard. Ren Jiying’s figure stood frozen in front of the door.
“Say it again? Who are you calling an idiot? Say it again!”
“This is your fault, isn’t it? Huh? The car I bought was just scratched, and you dare to make a scene?” A spirited female voice joined the fray. Her voice was loud enough to be heard for at least ten miles.
“Who the hell is making a scene? It’s just a scratch. I don’t care about your…”
“Stop it. Wahhhh. Dad, stop arguing…” Amidst the cursing and shouting, a child’s voice faintly leaked out.
The child’s words hadn’t fallen when another broken female voice joined in. “Okay, dear, put down the knife!”
“Son…” The old man sighed. “Think of the people… the people…”
The clatter outside the yard became even louder. A “fighting symphony” was fully mixed with adult yelling, children crying, and an old man lamenting, with just the right rhythm and intensity to be distracting.
The sound of garbage cans clattering and being smashed was heard. Ten minutes passed, and instead of stopping, the noise outside intensified.
For a homestay, the house was quite large, with three semi-partitioned bedrooms and a total area of 100 square meters. The building was quite well insulted, but unfortunately, even the double-layer glass couldn’t stop the sharp noises outside.
Hearing the endless noises, Yin Ren picked up half a biscuit and ran to the window to watch. Zhong Chengshuo followed him closely; his dark eyes were also looking out the window.
Huang Jin remained squatting in the corner, wriggling his butt unsteadily. “How about calling the police?”
“Don’t worry about things outside.” Ren Jiying was still frozen near the door. Her lively voice had now become a little heavy. “Believe me, do not interfere. It’s not the first time those two families got into it.”
“What do you mean?” Yin Ren smoothly pried.
“…Not worth mentioning. Xiao Xiang told you, don’t leave the house no matter what.” Ren Jiyang’s voice was tinged with exhaustion. It almost overshadowed the curses and shouting from outside.
After saying this, she gripped the tray tightly, bowed her head, and hurriedly left the room.
This mission was getting more interesting.
Yin Ren turned his head and once again looked in the direction of where the altercation was. He wasn’t surprised to find that he still couldn’t see anything…
Outside the small courtyard stood a full house of evil beings, not counting the ones Xiang Jiang had thrown out.
At some point, evil beings had gathered. Shadows squatted outside the fence, looking like a black pine forest. A huge skeleton leaned near the door, and the hole in its eye socket seemed to swallow everything. Countless ghosts with crooked noses and slanted eyes stood shoulder to shoulder on the courtyard wall, densely enclosing Mayor Ren’s house. The evil beings were tall and short, but they also had a weird sense of hierarchy.
At first glance, those who didn’t know would think they were living in a forest cabin.
Not to mention the people who were fighting; even the streetlights at the entrance of the yard were completely covered by the evil beings. Yin Ren could only see the objects in the yard.
Fortunately, it was similar to the station. The evil beings just looked at them quietly without taking further action.
But outside the “wall” formed by evil beings, the quarrel continued.
The noise outside was extremely fierce but Yin Ren had no intention of intervening. He felt right away that there was no murderous intent in this fight. Judging from his experience, those people would break a bone or two at most.
Thinking of this, he subconsciously looked at Zhong Chengshuo beside him—he wondered if Zhong Chengshuo would interfere, given that, as an upright citizen of Haigu, he was probably the madman most likely to call the police first.
Zhong Chengshuo stood next to Yin Ren, looking straight in the direction of where the quarrel broke out.
In Yin Ren’s memory, there was a streetlight near the area of conflict, but given the cover of the evil forest, Yin Ren really couldn’t gauge how much “visibility” a science post could see.
All he knew was that Zhong Chengshuo had no expression on his face, and he didn’t seem to have any plans of taking out his phone.
After a few minutes had passed, Zhong Chengshuo seemed to have seen enough. He went back to his luggage and pulled out the book he hadn’t finished reading on the train. Then he stood next to Yin Ren as he flipped through the pages.
The person’s posture was relaxed.
“It’s not a big deal. We’d better listen to Xiang Jiang’s arrangements.” As the only science post, Zhong Chengshuo was quietly reading a book while expressing his thoughts succinctly.
Outside the dark window, screams, wailing, and roaring intermingled, then something hard snapped and broke. “The Fighting Symphony” reached its most shocking stage, but Zhong Chengshuo acted as if he didn’t hear anything.
“What did you see just now?” Yin Ren lowered his voice.
“They weren’t fighting.” Zhong Chengshuo flipped the pages in his book as he muttered softly.
“Two pairs of adult men and women, one child, and an old man. Six people standing in a row along the side of a nearby street, at least one step apart from each other. They were just shouting with their mouths and smashing things around them, but not actually touching each other.”
After getting on the train, Yin Ren firmly believed that his sick leave was too short.
Even if he could hide past the first day of the month but not the fifteenth, he still wanted to delay until the fifteenth—which was at least two weeks apart.
He also had a clean and comfortable nest to sleep in, plenty of delicious takeout to eat, and a warm and sturdy lover to hug, so how couldn’t he not want to take at least one more day off? Now, he was dragged out of his comfort zone again and had to go to another place where even birds didn’t shit…
In the green leather train, four people from Unit 9 looked at each other.
It was hard to imagine that in this era, this type of model was still in use.
The carriage vibrated at a constant rhythm. A continuous range of short mountains could be seen outside the window. The mountains were sparsely vegetated, and many places still had wound-like cliffs exposed. Set against the gray-blue sky backdrop, the scenery was inseparable from the saying “pleasing to the eye”. The number of passengers on the train was pitiful, to the point where it seemed the outlook was quite bleak for this party from Shian.
Food was served on the train, but it was completely unappetizing as it was overcooked and mushy. At lunch time, four bowls of braised beef noodles sat on the synthetic board table—each with a luxurious three-piece set of mustard greens, braised eggs, and ham sausage.
Except for Ge Tingting, the rest of the group had varying degrees of disgust on their faces.
There wasn’t even the slightest vitality in Yin Ren’s eyes.
What the hell? Was Shian so suspicious that there was a mole that they even cut business trip funding? Before leaving, Lu Xiaohe ordered the three of them not to bring any non-essential luggage, so Yin Ren didn’t even bring food.
Even entering the Archive wasn’t so strict, Yin Ren thought sadly as he took a sip of the noodle soup.
To make matters worse, there was a difficult outsider in their group this time…
Xiang Jiang was sitting alone in another row of seats with his back to them. There was a clear impatience in his posture.
As usual, his outfit was still a mess of mix-and-match clothes, and his left and right sides weren’t symmetrical. One ear was studded with plain and elegant silver earrings, while the other had a punk-style big earring that passed through his ear bone. The styles of the two earrings were hundreds of thousands of miles apart, which was enough to make someone with OCD faint.
This was the field ghost master of the Emergency Management Department, the “genius” of Haigu.
Yin Ren didn’t need to hear about Xiang Jiang’s deeds. He knew this person was very powerful just by looking at him. There was even a saying within Shian that Fu Xingchuan treated Xiang Jiang like he was his disciple. In time, Xiang Jiang might be able to take over Fu Xingchuan’s position.
As far as how long “in time” was, the people of Shian had defaulted to “when Minister Fu collapsed from being overworked”.
“Read all the information about Gengsheng Town again. I’ll be conducting random checks after we get off the train.”
When Xiang Jiang said this, he only left them with the messy back of his head. His shoulders were stiff, and even the magnitude of his breathing was difficult to detect.
“Also, I’ll say it again. For the next operation, you are to fully obey commands—if Lu Xiaohe and I give instructions at the same time, my orders take precedence.”
In the headsets of the four of them, Lu Xiaohe issued a well-hidden “Nn”.
Yin Ren grimaced at the noodles. He put the information on the table, and while dealing with his stomach, he would look at Zhong Chengshuo.
Gengsheng Town was a small town under Luotian, a city next to Haigu. This small town was located at the junction between the two cities, so it wasn’t far from Haigu.
But its situation was weird.
Gengsheng Town once had a rare mineral deposit, which made it wealthy in the last century. It was known far and wide as a “rich town”. It took the lead in building a cross-mountain railway for itself and also built a subway in the town. The mayor at that time was smart. The development of the town made all the surrounding towns jealous.
But the good times didn’t last. As time flew by, the mineral deposit dried up. Gengsheng Town was like an old man who had run out of oil for his lamp, seeing that the intake of air was less than the output.
So, Gengsheng Town, which was originally like a city, became sparsely populated as the young left one after another, leaving only a pile of empty companies and factories.
It became like the remains of insects.
Decades ago, this green leather train was the pride of Gengsheng Town, but now it could only be regarded as evidence of its past glory, which seemed quite poignant and comical.
Yin Ren flipped through a few pages of information dejectedly but couldn’t find anything about the customs of Gengsheng Town.
He hoped there were delicious specialties there.
“I don’t see anything special,” Ge Tingting said as if she were unsure. Her AI voice was now tuned to a girl’s voice.
“This town is actually controlled by Sunken Society. In recent years, they have taken a fancy to its isolation and used it as a testing ground.”
“This area has been under my charge. It’s hard to say whether there are more evil beings or people in the town. This time, your task is to simply investigate and record, and not cause me any trouble.”
Xiang Jiang didn’t raise his head as he replied to Ge Tingting, as if he were making some off-screen commentary.
‘How nice,’ Yin Ren thought. In an area that even the Emergency Management Department hadn’t checked out, it was impossible for a real C-level investigation team to find any useful clues. They weren’t hot-blooded youngsters, especially Zhong Chengshuo…
Zhong Chengshuo had a hint of reserved excitement on his face, as if the words “This is why I joined Shian” were written all over his face.
Yin Ren: “?”
Hey, the Ghost King is sitting next to you. Yin Ren stretched out his hand resolutely, grabbed Zhong Chengshuo’s cheek, and turned the man’s face to him. After two seconds, the majestic Ghost King let go of his hand, ending this harsh “look at me” punishment.
Both Zhong Chengshuo and Ge Tingting had puzzled looks on their faces. Only Huang Jin was staring at the ceiling with a serene expression on his face, as if he were about to enter a coffin.
“No matter what happens, don’t separate and find death. Follow me closely.”
Xiang Jiang still didn’t look back. Yin Ren almost suspected this person had cervical spondylosis or that there was actually another face on the back of his head.
“The Haigu branch is one of the strongest branches in Shian, and you’re a well-known cultivator of Shian. Gengsheng Town is so close to Haigu, so how did it become a site of Sunken Society?”
Zhong Chengshuo didn’t care about Xiang Jiang’s attitude and poked the tiger’s ass openly.
“What, you think I’m garbage and can’t manage it well?” Xiang Jiang snorted.
Zhong Chengshuo: “I just have some doubts.”
Xiang Jiang: “Then keep doubting.”
After speaking, Xiang Jiang lowered his head and started swiping on his phone, giving off a vibe of “don’t mess with me”.
“The situation in Gengsheng Town is special.” Lu Xiaohe rushed to save the scene as her voice sounded from the headset. “I can’t explain it to you in a sentence or two. You’ll know when you arrive.”
Leaving the border of Haigu, the mountain view outside the window became darker.
A special situation that “can’t be explained in a sentence or two”… combined with an “execution mission” that was waiting for them. Yin Ren yawned and closed his eyes during the cradle-like swaying of the train.
When Yin Ren woke up again, the sky was completely dark.
He was resting on Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder, who had just closed his book. Yin Ren shook his head and looked out the car window.
The scene outside was still.
The green leather train was parked on an old platform. When they looked around, the crowd outside was dense and lively. Perhaps the town wasn’t as desolated as they thought. Yin Ren exerted his energy and decided to feel out the town.
He was just about to move out of his seat, but Xiang Jiang turned around and blocked his movements.
The ghost master glanced at him while holding his index and middle fingers together, nodding vaguely at the four of them. Every time his fingertips touched the air, there would be a buzzing sound in the carriage, as if something tense was loosening.
Finally, Xiang Jiang stopped his fingers in the center of his brows and knocked three times.
There was a cracking sound in the void—Yin Ren recognized it. A typical barrier was lifted.
The next moment, Huang Jin and Ge Tingting shook in their seats.
The moment the protective barrier cracked, tsunami-like evil qi poured directly into the car. It was full of cold malice and also carried an obvious smell of Evil Force.
The evil qi was so thick, it was like a hundred Kong Wangqing full of murderous intent had surrounded them.
Huang Jin and Ge Tingting covered their eyes and plugged their ears. Their bodies twitched and almost fell to the ground. Their faces were flushed with incomparable pain.
Xiang Jiang took out two amulets and put them between the brows of the two.
Judging by the strength of the protective amulets, Xiang Jiang was quite skilled. Yin Ren retracted his hand that was secretly pinching. He turned his head and looked out the window solemnly…
There were a lot of dark shadows outside the window, and those figures were crowded on the platform, as if they were family and friends welcoming someone’s return. It was just that those shadows were missing necessary limbs and facial features, and their body shapes weren’t like a living person’s.
They were dressed in old-fashioned clothes, with their eyes and mouths embedded randomly on their heads. The clothes of some of those figures were growing out of the black skin, making them inseparable from the flesh. Some heads were tilted at a 90-degree angle, and half their faces were swallowed by their shoulders, like clay figurines that were messed with by a child.
Those things stood quietly in a row, motionless, as if to board this old train, whose next destination was hell.
There was not a single living person on it.
……
At the same time, the center of Gengsheng Town.
In the center of the town lay the famous landmark of Gengsheng Town—the above-ground loop line that had stood for decades.
The subway galloped along the loop, circling it tirelessly as if it were going to run until the end of the world. There were decaying buildings standing on both sides of the loop, with not even a single piece of glass left in the windows.
Between the buildings were crowded with small stores like weeds; many of which were still open.
One example was a semi-indoor, semi-outdoor wonton shop.
The bungalow of the shop was old, and the sign had been decolored by the rain. The words “Lao Zhang Wontons” had corroded into “Lao Zhang Vonlons“*. Outdoors, the store hastily set up a tent with plastic cloth and sets of brightly colored plastic tables and chairs in groups of two and three. Whenever the subway passed, these plastic tables and chairs would rumble following the quake.
*Clarity: The radicals in wontons (馄饨) had corroded to become chaos (混沌); I decided not to use the translated text and instead signify what it would be like if it were written in English and washed out.
Fu Xingchuan and Li Nian sat firmly at one of the plastic tables.
Fu Xingchuan had changed into a dazzling solid aqua tunic, and the short ponytail behind his head was more messy than before. He and Professor Li sat on opposite sides of each other at the plastic table, each holding a bowl of wontons—compared to Fu Xingchuan, who was inhaling like a tornado, Professor Li ate slowly, one spoonful at a time.
“Boss, another bowl of mushrooms, no shrimp!” Fu Xingchuan wiped his mouth and raised his hand to motion.
“Coming up!” The boss grinned and wiped his blood-stained apron.
“Xiang Jiang just texted saying Unit 9 has arrived.” Professor Li continued to chew slowly.
“Ohhhh.”
“Two of them collapsed. Ge Tingting and Huang Jin both need time to adapt,” Li Nian said. “Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo seem to adapt pretty well, which is similar to what you’ve guessed.”
Fu Xingchuan took a sip of his hot soup. “Very good.”
In this way, Xiang Jiang could give Ge Tingting and Huang Jin a spirit weapon for protection without appearing too abrupt.
“Then follow the original plan.”
Li Nian rubbed the ring on his hand.
“Xiang Jiang has marked the evil things on the east side of the town. Find a reason to lead them over, and the task should be half complete—Fu Xingchuan, if those two defeat those evil things, are you sure you want to let this go?”
“What else can I do? If they really are at that level, even if they are moles, I have to keep them. We just have to keep them away from our core secrets… Give a C-level salary while doing A-level work. Isn’t this charity? It’s disrespectful for me not to take up on that offer.”
Minister Fu switched to a different bowl of wontons that was steaming with heat. He happily scooped up a wonton.
However, when he lowered his head again, his movements froze.
“Lao Li, help me see what’s in the spoon.”
“Wonton. There’s no flying insects.”
“Good,” Fu Xingchuan muttered as he stuffed the wonton into his mouth in one bite. “To me, it looks like a thumb that has been chopped off. Hey, not a bad illusion.”
Having said that, he poured out a bottle of mineral water, dipped the water, and drew a few runes on the not-very-clean table, moving so fast he left afterimages. With a mouthful of wontons, Fu Xingchuan tapped the fingertip of his index finger to the center of the array…
The red tassel earring of Minister Fu swayed. Huge ripples burst into the air, and a cloudy shadow was knocked out of the wonton store owner. The shadow quickly dissipated, leaving behind a bewildered fat boss behind Fu Xingchuan. The sharp knife in his hand hadn’t even been lifted yet.
Li Nian lowered his gaze, unsurprised, and continued to eat.
“But I’m a little worried.”
Fu Xingchuan’s face showed a trace of melancholy.
“The bad luck of Unit 9 is so great that even Unit 7 can’t compare to them. In case this time…”
“Then it’s a Yin Ren problem.”
Li Nian wiped his mouth with the napkin that he brought with him and pointed out ruthlessly.
“A science post will not have such unscientific influence.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Your subordinates will never have a problem with… Fuck!”
Fu Xingchuan cursed loudly.
This time, Li Nian also raised his head.
The town was fogging up.
The fog rose strangely, as if it was oozing out of the cracks in the ground. They were like silvery-white ghosts, crawling against the ground. They soon enveloped the ground around them and were then diluted by the evening breeze.
Farther away, the fog pounced on the town’s border, swallowing up the distant mountain scenery. Only the town’s buildings remained barely visible, as if they had been abruptly cut off from the world.
“Very well, it’s definitely your problem,” Professor Li concluded coldly.
“The communication is normal, but the evil qi is a bit excessive, though the excess is very uniform. I can’t seem to find its source. Hm, looking at the way the evil qi flows, I’ll bet on ‘giant ghost hitting the wall’.”
Speaking of which, since Fu Xingchuan couldn’t eat anymore wontons, he put down the spoon and wiped the non-existent tears from the corner of his eyes.
“Lao Li, why do you think my life is so hard… How can this happen? Unit 9 just got off the train…”
Li Nian: “Shame on you for wasting food. Hurry up and finish it.”
Two seconds later, Professor Li spoke again with almost pity. “The plan remain the same?”
“…I’ll think about it.” Fu Xingchuan stirred the wonton soup with a face full of constipation-like pain.
“Then think about it.” Professor Li took out his phone and started texting quietly. “I’ll talk to my family first.”
……
Station.
Yin Ren stared at the change in front of him speechlessly.
As soon as Unit 9 got off the train, a fog suddenly rose from the tracks. The thick fog completely swallowed the scene on the other side of the tracks, a bit like a boundary of a map of a game he had played.
The evil things that had been frothing on the platform began to move. They slowly turned their bodies and their monstrous faces faced the four people who had just gotten off the train.
In just an instant, they seemed to become the center of this station.
The author has something to say:
Minister Fu: Damn you, why.jpg
Kinky Thoughts:
For those not familiar with cultivation stuff, pinching fingers is often used in order to cast spells. Basically, you use your finger to press on the sections of your other fingers (so it’s not “pinching” in the literal sense).
The Dana Rainforest was located in the middle of the Titan Basin. It covered an area of about 2.3 million square kilometers and was the second largest tropical rainforest in the world ten years ago. However, ten years later, due to the destruction of the forest caused by mining, the area of the rainforest was greatly reduced. All this content could be found by opening an encyclopedia, but there was only a small mention of the status quo of the rainforest, which was divided up by major armed factions that fought endlessly year round. Even the large and terrifying numbers of refugees weren’t mentioned.
Of course, the Dana area was listed as one of the six no-fly zones in the world by the FAA. Not only were there militants and refugees, but there were all kinds of ferocious beasts and uncivilized, primitive cannibal tribes. Most terrifying was the raging epidemic of infectious diseases due to the low level of medical and health care.
A virologist once joked that the area with the deadliest virus samples in the world wasn’t the central virus database of any country but the Dana Rainforest. This was actually not a joke, as he almost failed to get out alive.
Xing Conglian was keenly aware of the danger of this mission that he couldn’t give Lin Chen any promises. After all, the cruelest thing was to give up and let it be shattered.
Lin Chen shouldn’t have to experience such cruelty.
The flight was about to land in an hour. Kang An had sorted out all the materials on the table very doggedly, looking extremely guilty. Wang Chao was desperately stuffing pure water into his backpack while Xing Conglian just sat on his seat and kept tapping the table repeatedly.
He suddenly thought of Lin Chen again for no reason. If Lin Chen were here, he would definitely use a peaceful tone to analyze why Kang An was so anxious and kept hesitating to speak. But now that Lin Chen wasn’t here, he could barely guess what was going on in his subordinate’s head. Kang An’s request for help might put their lives in danger, so it made him uneasy.
In front of him, Mr. Kang was sorting out materials at a terrifying speed, as if he wanted to devour all the materials. Xing Conglian glanced at his subordinate and stopped tapping the table.
Kang An was so frightened that he wanted to throw out all the materials in his hands. Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao and said, “Go to the bathroom for a while.”
Wang Chao looked at them blankly for a moment, then suddenly shivered and fled to the bathroom as if he had sprouted wings, not forgetting to plug his ears as he ran.
“Mr. Kang, tell me what’s going on.”
The next moment, Kang An kneeled to the ground with a thump, refusing to look up at Xing Conglian.
“Mr. Kang, we are a formal department. Don’t engage in the underworld, okay? The scenes of deep relationship between a master and apprentice and guilty pleas are not very useful in modern dramas. My time is precious, so I’ll go back if there’s nothing major.” Although he said this, in fact, he knew better than anyone else that Kang An wouldn’t come to a retiree like him for help if he hadn’t encountered an extremely difficult problem that couldn’t be handled.
Finally, his subordinate raised his head, and his eyes were red. “Captain, this matter is all my fault. Xiao Wu and A’K might be crazy.”
“Go to a doctor if they’re crazy. Why come to me?”
“They disappeared along with thousands of people who were about to be slaughtered by the Gaomeng Tribe.”
“If they’re missing, find someone to look for them. Do I look like I’m a professional person finder?”
“It’s not like that, Captain. Something happened in the rainforest, and no one knows what. Xiao Wu and A’K suddenly went insane during the investigation process, and we lost contact. As far as I know, a similar situation has already occurred in the Dana Rainforest. Dozens of incidents occurred in major armed groups nearby, and some are saying it’s a curse…”
Xing Conglian wasn’t surprised at all. He said calmly, “Don’t talk about the paranormal. I still can’t do anything about curses and witchcraft.”
“Captain.” Kang An kneeled solemnly with his back straight. “Captain, I’m with Xiao Wu. Please save him.”
Xing Conglian looked at his subordinate, who was kneeling on the ground, in disbelief that he had almost spilled the water on the table.
……
Naturally, Lin Chen didn’t know that Xing Conglian was going through the biggest test of his career, which was how to correctly deal with the love problems of two former subordinates of the same sex. In face of this matter, any mysterious incident in the Dana Rainforest or the entrapment of thousands of people were suddenly pushed back a bit.
For Lin Chen, after the initial loss, there was a long and difficult period of worry.
The sky was getting brighter outside. Earlier today, Xiang Ye was in the detention center. Although the guards were already extremely strict, Xiang Ye still found an opportunity to cut this femoral artery. If a person wanted to die with all his heart, he would always find a way. He didn’t go to the scene, but according to Jiang Chao, Xiang Ye’s blood was splattered everywhere; seemingly, he died a miserable death.
For him, Xiang Ye’s death was an inevitable outcome, like the struggle between two people since ancient times.
However, Jiang Chao was still brooding over Xiang Ye’s death. For this reason, he was dragged by Jiang Chao to work overtime on another night shift. The second division of Yongchuan was filled with the sweet and bitter taste of instant coffee. The police station at night was still busy with official duties, and there were constant phone calls and the sound of police officers rushing in and out.
Lin Chen felt it was quiet, however. There was no sound of Wang Chao chewing potato chips or eating any snacks around him, and Xing Conglian would not suddenly make him a cup of tea and set it on the table, then pull him away from a case to relax and chat for a bit.
The handwriting on the computer screen began to blur. He was just checking the personal files of all members of the Song Shengsheng fan club. In fact, he suspected that some filtering procedures were embedded in Xiang Ye’s and Meijing’s ticketing system for the Song Shengsheng fan meeting. Only certain members were selected. Because for Meijing, he had to strive to obtain the maximum benefit from any action. However, looking at more than 3,000 different materials, Lin Chen once again became confused.
Only when he manually investigated the case would he find that he missed Comrade Wang Chao even more. For this kind of thing, if he gave it to Wang Chao, he would get the exact result in half an hour.
He looked at his phone. It had now been more than 50 hours since Xing Conglian and Wang Chao suddenly left, which meant that Xing Conglian and Wang Chao had reached any point on the earth. And yet, so far, his phone hadn’t rung once. Although he knew that Wang Chao and Xing Conglian had their reasons for not telling him, wasn’t it reasonable to tell him that they were safe or that they would be leaving for a bit after landing? Since they hadn’t reported their safety, it meant what they were doing wasn’t safe.
He wanted to call Xing Conglian, but when he picked up his phone, he put it down again.
After all, Xing Conglian had said, “I’m very sorry” before he left, and he didn’t even add “Wait for me”. After the irritating period when he heard this, Lin Chen gradually calmed down. He began to analyze the relationship between him and Xing Conglian and started to think about the deep meaning contained in what Xing Conglian had said to him.
If Xing Conglian said, “It’s not a big deal. Let’s talk when I come back”, then the problem shouldn’t be serious and he would do as he said.
And if Xing Conglian had said, “I’m very sorry. Wait for me.”, then the problem should be relatively serious, but it wasn’t unsolvable.
But he only said, “I’m very sorry”, which meant that the situation may be out of Xing Conglian’s control, so he couldn’t make any promises to come back.
Perhaps after watching the computer for so long, Lin Chen felt pain in his eyes. He propped his elbows on the table and covered his eyes with both hands. He really rarely had this kind of moment where he was at a loss and felt powerless. He didn’t even have a direction to find someone. He didn’t know what was going on, he didn’t know who the man was who was wearing the rubber green boots, and he didn’t know why Xing Conglian would suddenly make up his mind to give up his peaceful life and leave resolutely. Now the only clue he could grasp was the cigarette Xing Conglian was holding in his hand.
He was considering whether he should go to that small shop next to the Xinni Embassy to find out more about that pack of cigarettes. Thinking of this, he had already grabbed his coat and stood up.
“Consultant Lin…” Just as he stood up, a long call sounded behind him.
Lin Chen turned around and saw Jiang Chao’s smiling face.
“Captain Jiang, is there something wrong?”
Jiang Chao rubbed his hands, then his face, and said excitedly, “Consultant Lin, your hunch should be right. There really is a specific list filter module on the ticket distribution system for the Song Shengsheng fan club, but we can’t grasp what it is yet.”
Lin Chen was taken aback and was unable to recover from his thoughts just now. “What did you say?”
Jiang Chao’s eyes glowed, which was the look that police officers would have when they reached a breakthrough during an investigation. “Meijing and Xiang Ye should have wanted to kill certain fans of Song Shengsheng. You’re right. Their attack was premeditated and well organized. Most likely the motives aren’t just to retaliate against us police!”
Lin Chen nodded and patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder a little absentmindedly. “Mm, a major breakthrough. Keep going.”
“Consultant Lin, where are you going?” Jiang Chao asked suddenly.
“Out for a break.”
“Then… have you finished reading Song Shengsheng’s fan club information? What do they have in common? The members of my other two groups have also been studying, but there has been no breakthrough yet.”
“I haven’t finished reading it yet. I’ll tell you if I have news.” Lin Chen was about to bypass him and go out.
“I know, I know you’re tired and in a bad mood because Lao Xing left. Then do you think I can accompany you for a walk? Just around the police station compound. The scenery there is quite good. Later, you can get a few hours rest in the lounge, and I’ll give you a call,” Jiang Chao said earnestly.
Lin Chen glanced at the position at the door without nodding.
“I’m mainly afraid that I haven’t found out the exact motives of the criminals. What if they want to organize another attack on Song Shengsheng’s fans? This is an urgent matter.”
Indeed. Compared with the thousands of fans who could be in danger again, he didn’t need to worry too much about his two extremely capable friends.
Lin Chen sighed. He put down his coat and sat down again in front of the computer.
I hope you guys return safely.
He tilted his head to look at the sinking sun outside the window.
At least that was what he thought, and he certainly did, but not before he took a step forward.
“Boss!” The man behind him shouted loudly.
“Damn it, I retired a long time ago.” Xing Conglian kept walking forward irritably.
“Coordinates (7°11’S, 24°45’W), Kang An, the knocker, was ordered to ask you for help.”
His former subordinate emphasized solemnly.
Xing Conglian suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked, “Dana Region?”
“Yes.” He examined the stubborn-faced subordinate in front of him, and his gaze finally fell on the cigarette the other party was handing out.
At that moment, all he could think about was Lin Chen, but he still stretched out his hand to take the cigarette. He took out a lighter, lit it, stuffed it into his mouth, and took a puff.
“What the hell happened?” he glared as he said solemnly.
“The Gaomeng Tribe has imprisoned thousands of people and is preparing to start a massacre. We have no way to find the exact location where they’re being held, and negotiations have reached a deadlock. Please leave immediately. The direct flight from Yongchuan Airport is on standby.”
Kang An kept whispering in his ears. When he heard the coordinates, he knew exactly how urgent the situation was, but he didn’t want to say a word now. Xing Conglian raised his eyes and began to search for Lin Chen’s figure among the people moving around in the square. He saw girls sitting on the ground with frightened faces and firefighters who were still rushing towards the fire, but he didn’t see Lin Chen.
After an inefficient search, he thought he could still call him. He took out his phone and dialed Lin Chen’s number, but the long disconnected tone made him feel at a loss.
“Boss, the flight is on standby,” the annoying voice urged in his ear.
“Can’t I have a little privilege?” He started running towards Wang Chao.
“Boss, you can’t.”
“Then give me five minutes.”
The voice behind him became more irritating. Xing Conglian opened the door of the car. Wang Chao had already packed all his luggage and was looking at him with a sad face. “Boss, can I not go?”
“Quickly locate the location of your A’Chen Gege’s phone. I can’t find where he is.”
“What?” Wang Chao’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Can we really take A’Chen Gege with us?”
“Dana Rainforest, Gaomeng Tribe. Do you think it’s appropriate?”
Wang Chao quickly lowered his voice. “Then… Then don’t do it. It’s too dangerous. A’Chen Gege is allergic to antibiotics, so he can’t go to that kind of place…” Wang Chao became more discouraged. “Do you know what happened, Boss?”
Hearing this, Kang An interjected. “Boss, this is a top-secret operation. It’s forbidden to leak to outsiders of the system, and who is this A’Chen?”
“The regulations are written by laozi. You think laozi doesn’t understand better than you?” After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he knocked on Wang Chao’s head irritably. “I told you to find someone, so stop talking nonsense.”
Wang Chao quickly opened his laptop and began to search for the GPS location of Lin Chen’s phone while muttering, “Boss, what should we do about A’Chen when we leave? It’s so sudden, and I feel like A’Chen isn’t in a good mental state. Will it be hard for him if we’re not there…”
Xing Conglian’s brows furrowed tighter. He remembered Lin Chen’s despair and pain when he kissed him. If it weren’t for being forced to the extreme, how could Lin Chen suddenly erupt just now? Since Lin Chen’s attitude was clear, it was obviously very irresponsible for him to suddenly leave now. If there was enough time, he really wanted to pull Lin Chen aside and tell him everything, but he didn’t have enough time, and he didn’t have a way to tell Lin Chen where he was going, what he was doing, when he would be back, or the possibility that he may never return.
The geographic location of Lin Chen appeared on the screen. Xing Conglian glanced at it, confirmed the location, and ran there, but before he could run two steps, he found Kang An was following him.
“Are you this fucking annoying?” He turned around and cursed with a cigarette in his mouth.
“Boss, there are two minutes and eleven seconds.” His former subordinate, dressed as a bricklayer, tapped the children’s electronic watch on his wrist and urged.
“Don’t follow me. Give me two minutes.” Xing Conglian changed his tone and requested politely.
“No,” Kang An replied without hesitation.
Xing Conglian was speechless. He even wanted to beat him up.
There were too many people in the square, which really hindered his movements. He had to avoid many people carefully. When he saw Lin Chen, Kang An counted down behind him telling him there was only thirty seconds left.
In the distance, Lin Chen was squatting near the wounded area to comfort a little boy. Some golden sunlight shone through the dense clouds and fell on Lin Chen’s side. Lin Chen had a peaceful face and gentle eyes as he was talking to the crying little boy.
Looking at Lin Chen’s side face, at that moment, Xing Conglian had a feeling of unwillingness for the first time in the world. It was enough to leave the world fucked.
Lin Chen rubbed the little boy’s head. When he turned his head, he happened to see Xing Conglian running. Lin Chen squatted on the ground, looking at him blankly.
Xing Conglian ran to Lin Chen. He just wanted to say goodbye at that time, but the moment he saw Lin Chen, he didn’t hesitate to pull him up from the ground and hug him tightly.
At the moment of being pulled up by Xing Conglian, Lin Chen felt dizzy for a short time. It may be because he squatted for too long or Xing Conglian used too much force, but when he reacted, he had already leaned against Xing Conglian’s shoulder. Xing Conglian was embracing him with his other arm.
When he kissed Xing Conglian just now, the other party was calm, but now, he didn’t know why Xing Conglian’s emotional reaction was so intense. Was this the manifestation of too long of a reflex arc?
What made Lin Chen even more confused was the meaning of this hug. He didn’t know why Xing Conglian suddenly rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. He lowered his head slightly, and at first sight, he saw the golden thread wrapped around the edge of the cigarette that Xing Conglian was holding. He looked up and saw an eager stranger standing behind Xing Conglian. He saw the other party’s green shoes and the cigarette pack in his hand and instantly understood something.
“What’s wrong?” He leaned on Xing Conglian’s shoulder and asked faintly, amidst the occasional cries of pain from the wounded.
“I’m very sorry.” The next moment, Xing Conglian replied in his ear.
Lin Chen was taken aback and took half a step back. This wasn’t the answer he expected. There was no agreement or rejection in this answer. This may not even be a response to his confession.
But what exactly are you sorry for? He really wanted to ask Xing Conglian bluntly like this.
If you don’t like me, don’t. If you don’t want to accept my feelings, don’t. Don’t force your feelings either. How can you be sorry?
Just when he decided he would ask clearly, Xing Conglian took a deep look at him and then turned around without hesitation, so that he didn’t get a chance to even say a word.
Xing Conglian’s receding back disappeared into the crowd as the dark clouds covered the last ray of sunlight. Lin Chen looked up that sky and covered his eyes with the back of his hand.
……
Xing Conglian left, and so did Wang Chao.
They left so suddenly without saying anything to anyone, so when Jiang Chao found Lin Chen cleaning up the scene, he swore at those two.
“Fuck, they just leave whenever they want. That’s too irresponsible!”
Jiang Chao pulled out his phone and called Xing Conglian’s number but he only got “The number you have dialed has been disconnected.”
“It should be something urgent.” Lin Chen replied with some simple speculations. In fact, he didn’t blame Xing Conglian and Wang Chao for not telling him. After all, he was convinced that something that could make Xing Conglian act this way was far more important than finishing up the aftermath of this case. Xing Conglian had never been an irresponsible and ignorant person.
He looked at Jiang Chao seriously and said, “Please take back what you just said. It’s very excessive to use ‘irresponsible’ when evaluating Xing Conglian and Wang Chao.”
Jiang Chao hurriedly apologized. “Sorry, Consultant Lin. I’m sorry. I just have a bad mouth, but, Consultant Lin, don’t you live with Lao Xing? You have such a good relationship. How can you not know where they went? It must be really urgent then.”
Lin Chen bowed his head slightly. Jiang Chao’s words were truly lacking in tact.
Indeed, although he was living in Xing Conglian’s home, he didn’t know where Xing Conglian and Wang Chao were going or what they were doing. In fact, their previous acquaintance was probably an illusion after a mutual whitewash. Xing Conglian didn’t know his past, and he didn’t know Xing Conglian’s. He even wondered if he should even return to Yanjia Lane.
After all, what was a home without its master?
Rarely was Lin Chen so confused. He felt as if his heart had been hollowed out.
He silently followed Jiang Chao to deal with the follow-up matters on the scene. After all, human attention was a limited resource. When he was busy, he wouldn’t have to think about too many things for the time being.
For example, where did Xing Conglian and Wang Chao go, whether they would be in danger, when they would return, or whether they would really come back. Although these questions occasionally appeared in his thoughts, they would soon be suppressed by the matter at hand, but the scenes that occurred in that dim underground space would continue to flash before his eyes. Sometimes it was the blackened face of Xing Conglian, and sometimes it was when he wiped his tears away with his hands. Lin Chen looked down at the time. Xing Conglian had only been gone for about five hours, and he had probably already thought about him hundreds of times.
The night was sultry. The surroundings were dark, and the mosquitoes were dense. The dark clouds that had been smoldering for the whole day didn’t turn into thunderstorms. The people at the cultural center had gradually dispersed.
Lin Chen closed his notebook and put the ballpoint pen into his pocket. He thought about some details of the case and walked towards the police car with Jiang Chao.
“It’s still necessary to investigate the backgrounds of all victims in detail to find out the common ground. Meijing and Xiang Ye must have a more secret purpose behind this,” he said as he walked.
“Consultant Lin, you haven’t heard anything from Lao Xing yet?” Jiang Chao began to touch subjects he shouldn’t be touching.
“Yes, no.”
Lin Chen got into the car and found that he could already calmly answer this question.
On the return trip, he specifically asked Jiang Chao to take him to the entrance of the subway station, where Xing Conglian had parked his Jeep. Sure enough, the vehicle he was very familiar with was parked alone in the parking space at the entrance to the subway. Wang Chao’s pillow, snacks, and comic books were randomly thrown in the back seat. The location of the sundries was the same as when they got off, which showed that Wang Chao and Xing Conglian didn’t even have time to return to the car to get necessary items.
After Jiang Chao saw all this, he became a little nervous. “Consultant Lin, Lao Xing didn’t even take the car. Could it be that something happened? Do you think we should report a disappearance?”
“No need,” Lin Chen replied with great certainty.
……
Thousands of miles high.
Through the porthole, Xing Conglian looked at the red sunset outside the window, a little distracted.
He was still wearing the sweat-soaked shirt after the fire. When he got on the plane, he just washed his face and started his new job.
Kang An kept explaining the latest situation opposite him, but his voice had completely disappeared as he was distracted. He could only feel that someone was talking on the opposite side, but he automatically blocked out the sound. This was naturally unprofessional behavior, but when he looked at the increasingly bright sky outside the window, he couldn’t help but think about something else.
……
Lin Chen said goodbye to Jiang Chao but didn’t intend to check into his hotel room immediately.
The hotel Jiang Chao booked was an express hotel where he and Xing Conglian stayed last time. The river at the entrance was still quiet, and the snack street was still bustling.
Lin Chen put his hands in his pockets and walked down the street at will. There were countless people drinking and partying in the food stalls. Whether they were lovers or friends, they were happy clinking cups and drinking merrily. Those people were talking and laughing. Then, their voices were mixed in with the smoke from the stove, like countless clouds of joy steaming up from the long street.
The streetlights were dim, and the night was getting darker. Lin Chen didn’t know how long he had been walking. When he came back to his senses, he was standing in front of a crayfish shop called “Reunion”.
The meaning of the name of the shop was really good. He looked at the store sign and walked in.
He ordered a serving of spicy crayfish and a plate of roasted peanuts but didn’t order beer.
When the dishes were served, heavy rain started falling outside the shop.
Yin Ren leaned against the partition door of the bathroom stall.
Until now, he had never felt such a feeling—he ate things as small as carrion and grass roots and as big as countless evil beings, but he had never known what the word “nausea” was.
Is this a food problem?
…No, it shouldn’t be. Yin Ren carefully tasted the food he had just swallowed. The beef was fresh and of good quality. If there was anything abnormal in it, he would be able to smell it.
Is this a human problem?
The two men and the old man at the next table didn’t have any strange auras on them. Besides, they were thoroughly teased by Ge Tingting, and Huang Jin didn’t give any unusual warnings.
Before the nausea, he didn’t feel any abnormalities.
Excluding all possibilities, it could only be that his body had changed. There were reasons why mortals got sick, let alone an Evil Spirit like him.
But he couldn’t think properly.
Yin Ren was dizzy. He leaned against the partition door, trying not to let himself fall. His limbs were still soft, and that strange feeling lingered.
It could be considered pain, but not quite like it. He seemed to have grown a brand new sensory organ that was messing with his perception. Something was coursing through his blood and churning under his skin. It was a strange feeling of soreness and swelling. Yin Ren’s vision wavered as numerous faint ripples appeared in it.
Hold on. Yin Ren gritted his teeth—at least he had to maintain his human form. The dignified Ghost King couldn’t appear as a bathroom horror legend.
The voices in his ear became blurred and faint. Someone was calling his name. Yin Ren shook his head, barely managing to distinguish Zhong Chengshuo’s voice.
“Yin Ren?” Zhong Chengshuo said with confusion. “Yin Ren?”
Yin Ren struggled to open the door, then he hooked an arm around Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder.
Zhong Chengshuo grabbed Yin Ren’s arm and supported him. Yin Ren closed his eyes and tried to reduce his weight so Zhong Chengshuo could smoothly drag him out of the bathroom stall.
“What’s wrong?” It was Lu Xiaohe’s voice.
Knowing a little bit of the inside story, Huang Jin’s tone was more shocking. “What happened all of a sudden?”
“It’s fine.” Yin Ren forcefully spat out his words. “My stomach feels uncomfortable, so I’ll leave first and go… back home…”
A human hospital couldn’t check on a 1,000-year-old evil. He just wanted to find a safe place first to gather himself up.
Zhong Chengshuo was silent for a moment. “I’ll take him home to rest. You guys continue to eat. I’ll pay when you’re done.”
Lu Xiaohe: “Are you sure you don’t want to call 120? It just so happens that 110 is coming*…”
*Clarity: In China, calling 120 is for a first-aid ambulance, while calling 110 is for the police.
“Yin Ren just had a physical examination at Shian a while ago, and there wasn’t any problem with his health.” Zhong Chengshuo held Yin Ren tightly with one hand and opened an app to call a car. “I’ll take him to the hospital if something happens. Lu Jie, if he’s not well tomorrow, I’ll ask for sick leave for him.”
Lu Xiaohe: “……”
She really didn’t believe that these two were from Sunken Society. Using gastrointestinal diseases to postpone the execution mission sounded extremely unreliable.
What was more, when Yin Ren was taken away, he tried to look in the direction of the hotpot he had just started eating and showed a regretful expression.
……
At the beginning, Zhong Chengshuo wanted to move Yin Ren into the bedroom, where the man had not once slept in the 800 years of his life.
Who would have thought Lord Ghost King’s hair was pulling at the door frame, unwilling to enter the room, muttering “There’s no smell in the room”, and was trying his best to rub against the sofa.
But he couldn’t let a sick patient… lie on the sofa. Zhong Chengshuo sent Yin Ren to his own bedroom and laid him down in the center of the double bed.
As a member of the science post, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t feel any evil qi or Evil Force. He only knew that the green plants in the house didn’t respond, which meant Yin Ren’s Evil Force wasn’t leaking out.
But as far as physicality was concerned, Yin Ren wasn’t normal now.
It seemed Yin Ren was quite satisfied with his lover’s smell. He retracted into the blanket and wrapped himself into a perfect cocoon. But not long after, many strange limbs “flowed” down from the edge of the blanket.
They flickered in the dim light, a bit like the translucent wings on Yin Ren’s body. The miniature wings were glued to each other and covered the bedroom floor. Zhong Chengshuo took off his shoes and walked barefoot to the bed.
The bedroom was dim. These limbs “rose” higher to his ankles. They felt like warm jelly to the touch.
Zhong Chengshuo mixed a bag of warm rehydration fluids with salt and sugar. He stared at the cup in his hand for a while, not sure if this thing was useful for an Evil Spirit.
“Want water?” Zhong Chengshuo sat down beside the bed with the cup stretched towards the blanket.
“No…” Yin Ren replied in a daze, his head covered by the blanket. The translucent wings swayed towards Zhong Chengshuo’s ankle, almost covering his knees.
Zhong Chengshuo touched the wings, which gently rubbed against his palm.
“Sick?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Yin Ren replied in a muffled voice.
“The police gave feedback. Those two men are regular customers of the shop, and the old man is also clean. They had a few quarrels over support issues, so this wasn’t the first time the police had to deal with them.”
“…It’s not them.” Yin Ren huffed. “I don’t know the details… I haven’t encountered such a situation before.”
Zhong Chengshuo was still holding the cup of rehydration solution as he sat by the bedside, at a loss.
Yin Ren’s warm limbs swept across his insteps and flowed around his calves. They surrounded Zhong Chengshuo warmly, neither lightly nor heavily, coming close to a hug.
This was the only way for Yin Ren to express his “no problem”.
The strange dizziness was still there. Yin Ren simply let go of part of his control and allowed the non-human limbs to be exposed a little to relax himself.
His body was undergoing some sort of metamorphosis.
Unlike the previous times, Yin Ren didn’t feel ominous about this change; only pure strangeness.
Yin Ren’s power wasn’t out of control. Although his thinking was chaotic, he was generally sober—some time ago, whether it was adapting his Evil Force or practicing controlling his powers, he had no issues.
To be precise, he was now more than a little bit stronger than when he first entered Shian, so this shouldn’t have happened.
It could be considered an unprecedented situation. Yin Ren couldn’t find the reason…
But he was surprisingly calm.
Wrapped in the familiar smell, Yin Ren closed his eyes with peace of mind. He could hold on while he was in the Archive, so there wasn’t a reason why he couldn’t do it this time. Someone was beside him, within reach.
Strange changes, strange feelings. The mix wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
Drowsiness, soreness, and tingling. They circulated back and forth, entangling Yin Ren’s body endlessly. Yin Ren grabbed Zhong Chengshuo and shrank deeper into the blanket.
“Take your temperature and ask for sick leave tomorrow. Remember to keep your fever under control.” Zhong Chengshuo remained frozen at the bedside for a moment before he handed over a thermometer. “Get a good rest for the day.”
Yin Ren’s wings politely closed around the thermometer for a while, leaving a distinct 43 degrees Celsius.
Zhong Chengshuo: “……”
Zhong Chengshuo patted the semi-liquid wings on his hand. “…Lower it.”
Finally, Zhong Chengshuo concluded that Lord Ghost King’s temperature control ability wasn’t as good as that of a hot water cup. He sent the photo of the thermometer reading close to 38 degrees into the work group chat and said that Yin Ren had taken antipyretics to lower his fever.
[Final Fruit: I’ll also take a half-day off tomorrow.]
[Final Fruit: I’ll go to work in the morning and come back in the afternoon to take care of Yin Ren.]
[Milky Way: Okay, I’ll let the others know.]
[Milky Way: Take good care of yourself. Your health comes first. Don’t stress too much about it.]
Truly, there was no rush. After all, this was an execution mission specifically for them. Even if Yin Ren asked for half a year of sick leave, it would be enthusiastically waiting for his return.
Zhong Chengshuo sighed and walked out of the bedroom with light steps. After a while, he came back with a mop.
“I’ll clean up the room,” he explained to the wriggling wings. “It might be good for you to keep the room clean and airy—do you have the strength to move those wings?”
“Uh-huh.”
Zhong Chengshuo turned on the air filter in the room while telling Yin Ren to “lift your feet”, then he dragged the mop around the entire bedroom.
Where King Yama passed with the mop in his hand, Yin Ren’s wings parted like waves, which was quite amazing to watch.
Late at night.
It wasn’t like Zhong Chengshuo didn’t think about sleeping next to Yin Ren to help take care of the sick.
Yin Ren had no opinion on it, but Zhong Chengshuo had been thinking about it for a long time. Firstly, he didn’t know how to take care of an Evil Spirit, and secondly, he felt that it was a bit weird to use his boyfriend’s limb as a mattress. In the end, he couldn’t make up his mind.
Those wings felt good to touch, so he couldn’t help but imagine what it was like to hug them.
That night, the two switched sleeping positions. In order to detect abnormalities, Zhong Chengshuo decided to sleep on the sofa.
Nothing happened overnight.
The next day, as soon as Zhong Chengshuo opened his eyes, he saw a few wings dragging a bunch of ice-cold grapes as they retreated lightly into the bedroom.
Oh, it seems his appetite has recovered a little.
“There’s breakfast on the table,” Zhong Chengshuo said as he tidied up his collar. “I made millet porridge, which is easy to digest.”
A string of glued wings fluttered out of the door in a line, shook at Zhong Chengshuo, and then shrank back in line. Zhong Chengshuo stared at the narrow gap in the door for a while, fascinated. He wanted to make it bigger.
“Yin Ren, can you get me a small pack of cleansing wipes? It’s on the bedside table.”
The weird limbs moved, and after a while, a string of wings protruded out again. The deformed wings held the cleansing wipes as they bounced closely.
Zhong Chengshuo put the pack of mint cleansing wipes into his pocket and quickly grabbed the leading wing—unlike the huge monster wings on the Evil Spirit’s body, these small wings were about the size of a raven and were warm and soft to the touch.
It was warmly placed in Zhong Chengshuo’s hands, slightly bent to one side. Zhong Chengshuo could feel Yin Ren’s faint doubts.
Zhong Chengshuo took a deep breath, imitating Yin Ren’s style of sipping on cream, and pressed his lips to the edge of the wing.
The wing instantly got hotter by a few degrees and quickly retracted into the bedroom.
“I’m going to work. See you in the afternoon.” Zhong Chengshuo touched his warm lips. “Contact me if you’re feeling uncomfortable.”
……
Huang Jin packed up his room.
He didn’t have much luggage, so everything fit in a small suitcase. The spirit weapon to deal with the electronic anklet was also ready, just waiting for him to activate it.
He only needed a carving knife and a little cash to start over wherever he was about to go… No, with the current police surveillance and security capabilities, he may not be able to start over unless he escaped abroad.
At least hide himself until the next unlucky mission!
Although he didn’t know what the next mission was, looking at Lu Xiaohe’s sporadic thinking, the difficulty of the next mission was A-level and above.
Huang Jin didn’t think he was a good person, and he didn’t love life that much. Even so, he didn’t think he was that guilty…
He was the one whose head was gouged out by monsters in the Archive and it was him who was attacked by the Evil Force. For such a mission, Shian had the nerve to classify it as a C-level, so he didn’t even want to know what the hell an A-level was.
What was more, there were two monsters with an unknown purpose on the team.
Huang Jin applied to Lu Xiaohe for a transfer. Unfortunately, since he wasn’t an official employee, he had to obey orders and fight wherever he was directed. Otherwise, he could only go back to jail obediently.
Huang Jin looked around his dorm and let out a long exhale.
A real man would never stop doing nothing.
Huang Jin hid the suitcase and ran to Ding Lizi’s ward, ready to bid her a simple farewell.
Now that the terrible guitar was taken out by a Shian personnel, Ding Lizi was completely rid of the integration with the object. However, there was a huge scar left on her chest and she was still recovering from treatment.
Ding Lizi’s hearing was exceptionally keen. She clearly remembered the footsteps of her friend. As soon as Huang Jin entered, her tornado of thoughts began to turn frantically. “Mr. Nice Guy”, “I kind of like him”, “I want to stay together for a while”, “I haven’t sung that song for him yet“…
Huang Jin: “……”
For a moment, he only felt that he was an evil being that was being purified.
Ding Lizi was oblivious. “Mr. Huang, what’s up? Did you want to learn guitar?”
Huang Jin: “…No. I just came to see you.”
After a while, a gloomy, squatting mushroom appeared outside the ward.
Trouble. Huang Jin was reluctant to leave.
But Unit 9 is terrible…
But Ding Lizi trusts me so much…
But Unit 9 is terrible…
But Ding Lizi has no one to rely on here and would return to those fearful days…
Huang Jing squatted outside the corridor with his hand in his hair as he stared at the seams of the floor tiles with a drawn, long face.
“What are you doing?” A voice came from close by.
Huang Jin turned around and found that Zhong Chengshuo’s thoughts were only 15 centimeters away from him. At some point, this person had quietly squatted beside him, as if there were pads growing under his feet.
Huang Jin staggered in fright and woefully landed on his ass.
“You… What are you doing?” Comrade Huang Jin swallowed.
“I’m looking for you for two things.” Zhong Chengshuo spoke in a low voice. “First, there was an accident in the Archive. Yin Ren didn’t have time to erase your memory, so you know what to do.”
Huang Jing huffed dryly.
After leaving the Archive, his memory modification could no longer be blamed on the enemy. Under Shian’s eyes, the two of them wouldn’t mess around. Zhong Chengshuo came to warn him, but he wasn’t surprised at all.
“And the second thing?” Huang Jin’s inner escape tank had risen substantially.
Zhong Chengshuo: “How are you feeling now?”
“…What?”
“Ding Lizi is your girlfriend. She’s injured. How are you feeling now?”
Huang Jin abruptly stood up with a light blush on his face. “We’re not even dating yet!”
“Almost.”
“No, that’s not the point… Forget it, why are you even asking?” Thinking of the strength behind this person, Huang Jin slowly squatted down again.
“Want to know.”
Okay. Huang Jin knew that asking was tantamount to not asking. He could only sigh fiercely. “Worried, but what else can I do? This matter is beyond my ability. I can’t help her.”
“Then, in your opinion, what does ‘worry’ feel like?”
Huang Jin turned to Zhong Chengshuo with a little trepidation and saw the flow of thoughts on that person’s surface was a little slower. He could tell that Zhong Chengshuo was really curious.
“You… Haven’t you worried about your parents?”
“They’re adults, and they have their own arrangements for their lives,” Zhong Chengshuo replied. “My thoughts can’t change reality.”
Huang Jin: “……”
He moved half a step to the side, a little further away from Zhong Chengshuo. As a result, Zhong Chengshuo shamelessly moved half a step with him. Two good young men had morphed into two crabs moving sideways down the corridor.
“I can’t explain it to you.” Finding that he couldn’t refuse this person politely, he could only respond weakly like so. “If you really have doubts in this regard, you can find a psychiatrist in Shian.”
“If they ask questions of this caliber, they’ll think I’m crazy.”
In Huang Jin’s eyes, Zhong Chengshuo’s flow of thoughts was normal. Taking a closer look, compared to other people around him, the edge of this person’s thoughts was a little fuzzy, as if they diffused into the air.
“Yin Ren fell ill last night, and I feel a tightness in my chest and heaviness in my stomach. Is this ‘worry’?” Zhong Chengshuo asked seriously. “I know I can’t help him when I go home, but I still want to. Is this also a sign of ‘worry’?”
“It sounds like it,” Huang Jin replied cautiously.
As expected of King Yama, his way of thinking was quite distorted.
It was a bit strange to say that after he woke up, Shian asked him to make a visual impression sheet of his team members, saying that it was to check the degree of consciousness recovery. Huang Jing thought about it and honestly wrote down his impression of Zhong Chengshuo.
[Terrible.]
But he couldn’t tell what was terrible. Perhaps he had been wandering around the fringes of the metaphysics for too long and had seen too many villains of all kinds. He just felt that something was wrong with Zhong Chengshuo, and he instinctively didn’t want to get close to this person.
Although Zhong Chengshuo never thought of anything out of the ordinary…
“I may like Yin Ren more than I thought.” A conspicuous thought floated from Zhong Chengshuo’s thinking; the runes were extremely neat.
Huang Jin: “?”
“Unpredictable or incapable of doing anything.” His thoughts were still moving in a regular manner but were coupled with some “like” and “worry”. “I see. No wonder Yin Ren was worried about me. It’s because of this mission.”
“He really likes me very much. I’m a little happy.”
Huang Jin: “……?” Did he just see something incredible just now?
“Thank you.” With his thoughts racing, Zhong Chengshuo sincerely thanked him.
“You’re welcome,” Huang Jin replied stiffly. He turned his head mechanically and stopped looking at Zhong Chengshuo.
As a result, when he turned his head, he saw Ge Tingting’s puzzled face—the little girl saw them squatting like two mushrooms and decisively joined the team squatting in the corridor. With Ge Tingting on the left and Zhong Chengshuo on the right, Huang Jin was sandwiched between them.
“Is there any business to discuss?” The AI synthetic voice had been adjusted and now sounded much more natural than before. “Xiaohe Jie said that she’ll explain the mission when Yin Ren returns. This mission seems very important?”
Forget it. He didn’t read his horoscope when he went out today, so he would try to escape another day.
The three members of Unit 9 squatted quietly in the corridor with varying degrees of “worry” on their faces.
……
Yin Ren’s sense of taste was recovering.
When he discovered this, he almost burst into tears. The grapes in the morning still tasted a bit like rubber balls, but now the rum ice cream was truly pure ice cream.
He scooped out a large scoop of ice cream and savored it.
It was sweet and cold, with a faint aroma of rum, no different from the last time he ate it.
The symptoms of dizziness and limb numbness had improved, but it was hard to say whether the symptoms had eased or he had adapted. In this state, stretching limbs was still easier than maintaining his human shape—if he had to say it, it was probably the difference between sleeping and taking off his socks.
But since Zhong Chengshuo knew his identity, Yin Ren decided to be as comfortable as possible.
He was lying in Zhong Chengshuo’s bedroom, surrounded by his pleasant smell. Yin Ren couldn’t help stretching his limbs and extending a part of his body into the living room. His wings flapped comfortably as the afternoon sun shone on his body.
It was a bit too quiet.
Yin Ren turned on the tablet, selected a biology documentary that he had rarely watched in the past, and turned the sound to the max. On the screen was a snake that was molting. The translucent snake shed its skin, revealing bright, fascinating scales.
‘Snakes seem to be quite delicious,’ Yin Ren thought.
However, he had seen too many animals wandering deep in the forest, so it was a bit boring. Yin Ren fast forwarded, trying to find some fresh highlights so he would have something to talk to Zhong Chengshuo about.
Yin Ren leaned softly against the head of the bed, holding the tablet with one hand, ice cream in the other, and a spoon in another. The ends of his long hair had become translucent materials similar to his wings, merging into a pile of wings.
Having seen enough of the delicious but inedible snake, he cut to a section on frogs.
“…Metamorphosis refers to a series of significant changes in the morphological structure and living habits of animals during post-embryonic development…”
A solemn female voice came from the speakers.
“…Juveniles differ greatly from adults…”
Yin Ren’s motion of sending the spoon to his mouth slowed by half a beat.
He grabbed the spoon and looked at his hand. The awkward feeling of growing too much still remained in his body, and he could still see shallow ripples between his palm lines.
Something was wrong with his body, but it had nothing to do with external factors.
There was something wrong with his body, but there was no obvious sign that it was getting out of control. It just became a little strange.
Could this be some kind of “growth”?
However, as far as Yin Ren’s experience was concerned, after the birth of an Evil Spirit, there would only be an increase in power, but essentially no more fundamental changes. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but Lord Ghost King wasn’t an insect or an amphibian.
Forget it. Yin Ren scooped a spoonful of semi-melted ice cream and clicked to the next topic.
The sound of a doorknob turning came from the door, and the familiar smell drifted closer. Yin Ren’s spirit was lifted, and he snapped the tablet down.
“You’re back—!”
The translucent wings on the ground swished and swelled as shallowness and depth overlapped in the shadows. Yin Ren propped up his body, which had returned to its normal human appearance.
He casually pulled on some pajamas, put them on his shoulders, and slid into the living room with surging wings. Most of the remaining body was still camouflaged on the carpet in the bedroom.
“How’s it going? Is there any explanation on the execution mission?” Yin Ren asked as he put half of the ice cream back in the freezer.
“Lu Xiaohe said to wait for you to return to work first.” Zhong Chengshuo looked away from Yin Ren’s unbuttoned pajamas. “How are you doing? Are you feeling better?”
“Much better!”
In the corner of the bedroom, by the edge of the closet, there was a trace of opaque darkness on one of the wings. The strand of black swam around in the translucent wings, fluttering like an aquatic plant.
It was incomparably black and pure, like dull midnight. Along with the wing, there was a touch more obscurity that radiated a peculiar sense of oppression.
“Then we’ll go to work normally tomorrow.”
The conversation continued in the living room.
“Okay,” Yin Ren said solemnly.
The author has something to say:
Unfortunately not (×
Kinky Thoughts:
That scene of them in the corridor squatting like mushrooms is so cute.
The huge office felt a bit empty. Data on the big screen kept jumping, but Lu Xiaohe couldn’t concentrate.
After completing their mission, Ge Tingting and Huang Jin had been recuperating. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were sent to quarantine for five days, and then got nearly half a month’s vacation.
They could rest until late August, but someone still had to finish Unit 9’s work.
Like the investigation and the follow-up report after the mission was over.
The mission in the Archive was completed, and Guo Laifu returned to normal. He woke up from deep anesthesia, sitting like a dead thing, unwilling to even move his fingertips. He had lost his vision and most of his hearing, so Shian could only give him information through bone conduction.
Hearing the news of his death sentence, Guo Laifu was calm, like a plant.
Lu Xiaohe didn’t know what Guo Laifu had forgotten, but that memory must have fundamentally destroyed him. It was gone, but its devastating effect on him was still there.
Three days ago, Guo Laifu was executed in accordance with the law.
It was also three days ago that she pretended to be a reporter and visited the group of teacher and students that Yin Ren urgently dreamed up, in accordance with regulations.
They all had the same dream.
They dreamed that Guo Wei was standing on a tree-lined street, holding an ebook in his arms. He was just as they remembered him—slightly scruffy hair dressed in a clean school uniform. He waved at them, turned around calmly, and walked towards the end of the street, step by step.
Except for this similar dream, they had no physical abnormalities. Lei Xiurong’s spirit had improved, and she hadn’t been taking sleeping pills recently. She cursed for half an hour in the conversation with Lu Xiaohe, emphasizing that Guo Laifu deserves death by a thousand cuts.
Everything seemed to have settled.
Lu Xiaohe put the last period on the report and let out a long exhale. She grabbed the coffee can nearby; it was empty, with only a slightly bitter aroma left at the mouth of the can.
She massaged her aching leg and stood up, limping out the door—in Shian, if she wanted a specific canned drink, she had to go to the non-office area to buy it.
As soon as she went out, she almost bumped into Ge Tingting.
Ge Tingting was still wearing her rustic t-shirt. She was holding a lot of books and looked at Lu Xiaohe with complicated eyes, full of desire to say something.
A few moments later, there were two more people in the non-office rest area.
Lu Xiaohe took a sip of her coffee mocha while Ge Tingting stared at the passion fruit sparkling water in front of her with a tangled face.
In the Archive, Ge Tingting wasn’t substantially harmed. She woke up earlier than Huang Jin and had been reading all this time.
Shian had opened many courses for these preparatory employees with special circumstances, ranging from compulsory courses in popular basic education to elective courses explaining various metaphysical knowledge.
Ge Tingting ticked off almost all the elective courses, stuffing her schedule to the brim.
During her lunch breaks, Lu Xiaohe had bumped into Ge Tingting several times in the rest area. Even when she came to buy something, she was still reading with her headphones, extremely focused. Lu Xiaohe didn’t know what stimulated her, but Ge Tingting couldn’t wait to spend all her free time studying.
“Anything you’re worried about?” Lu Xiaohe tried to hint.
On the low leisure table, Ge Tingting laid out her test results. Her grades were barely passable, and she couldn’t find a paper with a good score.
Her efforts didn’t seem to be having much effect.
“Will Shian think I’m unqualified?” The AI synthesized voice spoke for her. Ge Tingting stared at the ground without meeting Lu Xiaohe’s eyes. “I broke the law, so my personal situation is troublesome, and I don’t have any great talents yet. After a while, will Shian not want me anymore?”
“Don’t worry. That’s 100% impossible, unless you deliberately do bad things.”
Lu Xiaohe’s face was serious.
“By the way, why do you have such an idea? Do you think there’s something wrong with you?”
“I’m not good anywhere. I don’t know what to do.” Ge Tingting was silent for a while, still looking at the ground.
Lu Xiaohe’s hand holding her cup froze.
Ge Tingting’s sister, Ge Jiaojiao, worked part-time to support herself and was unable to support her younger sister. Ge Tingting’s physical condition was special; she was basically unable to communicate with others normally before, so it wasn’t surprising that the two sisters were like strangers.
The little bit of beauty in her life only came when her parents were still alive. Now that this girl had no elders and was living alone in a strange environment, it was easy for her to sink into a dead corner.
Lu Xiaohe wiped the drops of water on her hand and gently pinched Ge Tingting’s face.
“Shian will not judge people as being unqualified casually, so be confident.”
She glanced at the rows of test papers again.
“It’s not a problem that you’re kind. Let me think about it… Hey, if I were you, I might learn lip reading first, and then look for a better substitute for vocalization. You’re quite adaptable, so you’ll do fine!”
Ge Tingting: “But I’m far behind Yin Ge and Zhong Ge. I feel like I’ll never catch up with them.
Lu Xiaohe: “……” Thankfully Huang Jin is absent.
Compared with those two troublemakers, Ge Tingting was really good at choosing her goals.
“Listen, do you know Xiao Xiang from the Emergency Management Department?”
Ge Tingting honestly shook her head.
“Just like you, he only has a junior high education and stepped out early into society,” Lu Xiaohe said solemnly. “He only joined Shian in his twenties and didn’t do well at first. Now he’s a genius ghost master—Xiang Jiang’s situation is special, but it shows there’s possibility.”
“As far as I know, Shian will never accept people without potential. Take your time and don’t worry too much.”
Ge Tingting fell into contemplation, pinching the straw in her hand from time to time.
“Lu Xiaohe, the minister is looking for you.” A few steps away, a male voice sounded.
Xiang Jiang, still dressed in his asymmetrical mix-and-match outfit, stood listlessly in the shadow of the rest corner. He was nearly two meters tall and extremely thin. The proportions of his figure looked a little uncoordinated, like a lifeless wooden hanger.
“I just handed in the report.” Lu Xiaohe became vigilant.
It was just the final report of work. Logically, her immediate supervisor, Hao Wenzhe, should have read it. As a result, the Emergency Management Department actually sent their number one ghost master. Did she accidentally die from exhaustion and not realize it?
Lu Xiaohe pinched her thigh urgently and sighed.
“Business regarding Unit 9.” Xiang Jiang ignored her little movements. “Follow me.”
Hearing “Unit 9”, Ge Tingting raised her head and looked at Xiang Jiang solemnly. Xiang Jiang just glanced at her and retracted his gaze expressionlessly.
Seeing that it had nothing to do with her, the little girl gathered up her tests dejectedly.
“Thank you, sister. I’m going to class first.” Accompanied by the electronic sound, she checked the time and left.
Xiang Jiang didn’t raise his head.
“Look, she just joined not long ago, so at least I’m trying to give good face.” Lu Xiaohe lowered her voice. “I just used you as a positive example.”
“A positive example.” Xiang Jiang’s cloudy eyes stopped on her, and his tone made people uncomfortable.
He didn’t continue, but Lu Xiaohe always felt that, based on his tone, the words “I am worthy” should be followed. She didn’t know if it was because of too much pressure from work, but everyone in the Emergency Management Department had their own peculiarities. Compared to that, Fu Xingchuan was a normal person with a temper.
Lu Xiaohe decided to speak cautiously and avoid provoking the almighty*.
*Breaking ground on the head of Tai Sui (太岁头上动土) Idiom referring to offending people and things beyond one’s ability.
Three minutes later.
“I disagree!” She smacked Tai Sui’s skull with a shovel*.
*Clarity: It’s a play-on of the metaphor above, referring to not dig above Tai Su. Originally she didn’t plan to provoke her superior, but now she’s thrown all that out the window.
Lu Xiaohe stood propped up at the table. Her hair was like a hen’s nest, and opposite her was Professor Li Nian, who was pointing with his fingers.
“Okay, you disagree,” Professor Li said. “So, let Hao Wenzhe do it for you.”
Xiang Jiang snorted, with a less obvious sneer in his voice. He leaned against the door of the minister’s office with his arms crossed, vividly displaying his impatience.
“This is not a question of whether to replace or not,” Lu Xiaohe said in disbelief. “You’re asking us to take over the responsibility of the Emergency Management Department? This is at least a Class A mission, and we’re only Class C! Let alone that two of our members are newcomers. I—I can’t handle this level…”
“Fu Xingchuan and I will accompany them secretly,” Professor Li said. “Like I said, if you don’t go, we have Hao Wenzhe.”
“Are you crazy? Forget Huang Jin, Ge Tingting is only sixteen! She’s still a minor! Wasn’t the Archive worrying enough? You—”
Having said that, she suddenly reacted. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were abnormal; she had always noticed this.
Lu Xiaohe knew that further testing would be a matter of time, but she didn’t expect Shian would be so decisive in making their move.
“Execution mission? Are you going to assign an execution mission to Unit 9?” Lu Xiaohe said in a daze.
“Yes.”
“You asked the field staff to come together. Is it because of…”
Li Nian: “The attitude towards vulnerable teammates is the key item of the investigation. If Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo are innocent, this can be regarded as a difficult operation for Unit 9, and there will be rewards afterwards.”
“You’re the rear commander and have no direct contact with the field team members. In theory, you can be replaced,” he specially empathized.
Lu Xiaohe pretended she didn’t hear.
Lu Xiaohe: “Yin Ren’s origin is unknown, and there are two accidental coincidences surrounding him, so the investigation is reasonable. Zhong Chengshuo’s background is very clean. Just because he has some emotional issues, he gets assigned an execution mission? Isn’t this too much?”
The corner of Professor Li’s mouth twitched as he pushed the investigation report in his hand.
Lu Xiaohe glanced at it briefly. It was full of daily reports of investigators watching the two of them, which were full of blood and tears.
In the past two weeks, the two of them have either gone out to eat and buy groceries or they have been watching movies and ordering takeout at home, living a life more comfortable than retirees. The investigators worked overtime only to watch others enjoy their paid leave so their resentment was reflected between the lines.
The two weren’t particularly shy about holding hands and leaning on each other in public, but they didn’t show any particularly sticky intimacy, just like a modern, reserved couple.
…Couple. Lu Xiaohe thought blankly.
“Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo are now in a romantic relationship,” Li Nian said. “Coupled with Zhong Chengshuo’s abnormal emotions, the connection meets the conditions.”
Lu Xiaohe opened her mouth for about ten seconds, remembering how amused and worried she was with the high “Like” readings of the two.
Those two lunatics actually fell in love in the Archive.
Having said that, this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in Shian. In order to stabilize their position in Shian, it was common to seduce colleagues of an investigation team or kill fellow members of Sunken Society.
This wasn’t the first execution mission in history. Facts had proven that whenever such a mission was assigned, the relevant team members more or less were concealing something.
No one was innocent.
And the companions of those team members would think their teammates would be a “special case” at first. The two months of getting along, whether that was considered long or not, wasn’t short. Maybe it would be easier to leave the matter to Hao Wenzhe, as Professor Li said, but…
“I’ll participate.” Lu Xiaohe took a few deep breaths.
Li Nian still had on his cold, indifferent look. “Reason?”
“First, because I think they are innocent. They have caused too much trouble, and people from Sunken Society wouldn’t be so conspicuous about their actions,” Lu Xiaohe replied. “Second, I know Hao Wenzhe’s style. If he’s serving as the rear commander, Ge Tingting will only be a simple ‘grading tool’ in this investigation.”
Professor Li looked at her speechlessly.
“She will notice.” Lu Xiaohe’s shoulder tensed. “She shouldn’t be subjected to that.”
“Okay, this is the mission information.” Li Nian didn’t say much as he pushed over some more files.
As soon as she read the first line, Lu Xiaohe crumpled the paper.
……
“We have to go to work tomorrow,” Yin Ren groaned bitterly.
In the past period of time, except for going to Guo Wei’s place to practice his ability every night, he had been killing time with Zhong Chengshuo. The two of them didn’t go out much, and after seeing Guo Wei off, Yin Ren was glued to the sofa 24 hours a day, watching dramas and eating his fill while hugging his lover.
He had to admit, that was truly the life.
He was so happy that he almost forgot about their execution mission.
“Work tomorrow.” Yin Ren slid down from the sofa to the floor and spread out his limbs on the carpet. “Zhong Chengshuo, think of something.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “……”
He walked over, dragged the collapsed Yin Ren back to the sofa, and silently tucked him in with a cooling blanket. After that, he returned to his desk and continued reading a large biology book full of bird language.
Yin Ren snorted and slid to the ground again.
“We should make some preparations,” Zhong Chengshuo said after thinking about it. “You’re right.”
“That’s right!”
Zhong Chengshuo: “We can make an appointment with our relatives and friends first. In case we get exposed, this is also a good opportunity to say goodbye.”
This wasn’t the direction that Yin Ren expected… but there didn’t seem to be a problem with it either, Yin Ren thought deeply.
King Yama acted amazingly. He opened Shian’s work group in an instant.
[Final Fruit: Do you all have time tonight?]
[Ear Person: Yes.]
[Ten Thousand Taels: 1.]
[Milky Way: What’s wrong?]
[Final Fruit: Dinner together.]
[Fruit Knife: The previous mission was so exciting that we haven’t had a private meeting yet. We have to come back to work tomorrow, so let’s have some hotpot first, yeah? 🤗]
[The River Flows Eastward: You Unit 9 guys are gathering, but I’m working overtime. I can’t make it. 😮💨]
[Milky Way: Okay.]
[Ear Person: I’m in.]
[Ten Thousand Taels: I’m busy tonight.]
[Ten Thousand Taels withdrew a message]
[Final Fruit: ?]
[Ten Thousand Taels: Nothing, I’ll go.]
Yin Ren picked a well-known, trendy hotpot restaurant in the city center.
After Ge Tingting sat down, she started to read diligently, making full use of every ounce of her time. Huang Jin still had his gloomy “leave me alone” appearance, but there was more stagnation in his gloom.
Lu Xiaohe was the last to arrive. Unlike the casual outfits before, this time she dressed up rather seriously and put on light makeup. Sensing Yin Ren’s probing gaze, she smiled. “I happened to be doing other things before.”
“Come on, let’s celebrate the completion of the mission in the Archive! Xiaohe Jie has worked hard.”
Yin Ren smiled and shook his glass of Coke.
“We’re also celebrating Tingting and Xiao Huang’s recovery—”
The five people clinked glasses in a decent manner, and the ice cubes inside collided lightly, making a soft clattering sound.
Ge Tingting didn’t like to use her AI to speak in public, while Huang Jin kept to himself. But what was rare was that Lu Xiaohe had nothing to say today. All of a sudden, the table was quiet. The hotpot meat and vegetables that should have been eaten were left alone.
Zhong Chengshuo looked around. Even he could sense that subtleness in the atmosphere.
So he directly asked, “Lu Jie, what’s the matter?”
“Not much.” Lu Xiaohe smiled and picked up a piece of corn. “I’m just a little tired after work today.”
Yin Ren blinked. “With such a heavy workload, it seems we have a new mission?”
Lu Xiaohe’s chopsticks froze for a moment.
She herself had a friendly appearance, and when such people were worried about something, it was difficult to hide their expression.
“Well, yes. We’ll talk about it with the company tomorrow.” Lu Xiaohe’s face turned bitter.
[Ear Person: Will Huang Jin and I participate?]
Lu Xiaohe looked at the curling steam above the bone broth. “Yes, this is a group task and considered a business trip.”
Ge Tingting’s brows stretched for a moment, but within a few seconds, she pursed her lips again, as if she recalled something.
[Ear Person: I will try my best.] She finally typed this seriously.
Huang Jin’s expression became a little more gloomy again. Yin Ren suspected that if it weren’t for this person wearing the electronic shackles on his feet, he would definitely be thinking about escaping at this moment. In the next few seconds, Huang Jin repeatedly looked up at Lu Xiaohe, presumably trying to read her thoughts.
Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo looked at each other. They probably knew in their hearts. Their execution mission was already assigned, and most likely it was a difficult one.
…With Lu Xiaohe dressed so formally, this didn’t mean that it was their last meal, right? Yin Ren thought in shock, “What’s going on with this science post?”
“Speaking of which, how are Lao Bin and the others doing?” Lord Ghost King cleared his throat and naturally guided the conversation to the newcomers. “I remember them…”
“Bang!” A loud noise came from the next table.
“Motherfucker. What did you say? I’ve put up with you for a long time.” A drunk man kicked away his stool and grabbed another man who was red all over his face and neck.
Two middle-aged men and an old man sat in the booth next to them. They had ordered a lot of extra dishes, and the table was full of bones. They were talking loudly before, so Yin Ren was forced to listen to their chatter. It was a pair of brothers with their old father.
Now they seemed to be arguing over the responsibility of the elderly.
All of a sudden, swearing and cursing at the next table flew together. The waitress rushed up to stop the fight but was shoved unceremoniously to the ground by one of them. She could only back away with tears in her eyes.
Yin Ren retracted his gaze. Sure enough, his boyfriend had already moved to call the police.
Lu Xiaohe poked the meat on her plate absentmindedly. Huang Jin saw that Zhong Chengshuo had called the police and didn’t bother making any further moves. Ge Tingting stared at the void solemnly; the evil qi in the air fluctuated slightly.
“I’m going to… Fuck! What the fuck?! Bugs, there are huge bugs!” One of the men yelled, pulling on his hand hard, scattering a few chicken bones that fell out of his clothes.
His brother wanted to take the opportunity to hit him, but suddenly his face tilted and he fell to the ground with a groan, falling to the position where he had pushed the waitress just now.
The man kicked off his shoes in embarrassment, finding a piece of broken bone inserted in his toe.
Yin Ren used the steam to cover his gesture as he gave the little girl across the table a thumbs up. Ge Tingting’s mouth curled, and she let out a deep breath.
“Stop arguing.” As soon as the two men were quiet, a weak voice came from the next table. “Stop arguing… Stop… Help…”
The old man’s voice was a bit hoarse, as if he had been repeating it for a long time. He opened his muddy eyes, and there was deep fear on his thin face.
‘How pitiful,’ Yin Ren thought, but this matter could only be handed over to the police.
Thinking so, he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and sent it neatly to his mouth. It tasted a bit off.
The fresh beef was boiled tenderly and should have melted in his mouth, but Yin Ren chewed on it for a while, only feeling that he was chewing on soaked, rotten dough.
Next, Yin Ren’s stomach churned.
Yin Ren forcibly suppressed his retching desire, and under Zhong Chengshuo’s shocked gaze, he rushed into the bathroom.
For the first time in his life, Yin Ren locked himself in the bathroom stall and vomited in the toilet.
His body had already digested all the food, so naturally he couldn’t spit anything out, but discomfort swept through his body. Yin Ren’s limbs were numb, and his head was a little dizzy.
…What’s going on?
The author has something to say:
Xiao Yin: Then I will take advantage of the situation and ask for sick leave (×
As Lin Chen kissed Xing Conglian hard, his fingers dug deeper into Xing Conglian’s hair, pressing his head down. It was pure emotional venting. At this moment, he didn’t need to care about Xing Conglian’s feelings or the ethics and morality of the world. He just wanted to kiss the person he had liked for a long time. He really couldn’t help it, because only Xing Conglian’s lips and the breath he sprayed onto his face could make him feel that there was warmth in this world. It felt as if he had walked on an ice field for a thousand years, and couldn’t help but pounce on the creature that made him feel warm, absorbing its heat.
He didn’t dare to open his eyes to observe Xing Conglian’s expression, but he didn’t hesitate to pry open Xing Conglian’s lips and teeth. The breath they exchanged was scorching; it was so hot that it could burn all his shackles; it was so hot that it could make him gradually float from the cold, deep sea.
The singing gradually became louder and filled his ears.
The sudden high notes seemed to heat up with the kiss. The pain that had penetrated deep into his bones was gradually broken by the scorching tingling. He kissed deeper and deeper, trying to draw the power that could keep him alive from Xing Conglian’s body. Their lips and teeth were glued to each other and couldn’t be separated. He raised his other hand and forcefully hooked Xing Conglian’s neck, holding him tightly.
The slow and lengthy kiss shattered the ice, blood, illusion, and pain on his body. The scalding temperature that was gradually rising seemed to evaporate all the tears. He wished that time would pass more slowly. It would be great if he could stay in this moment forever.
Lin Chen continued kissing Xing Conglian. He seemed to see a vision of Xing Conglian standing at the door frame the first time they met, smiling at him with bad intentions.
He seemed to have returned to that moment. He took the other party’s hand and gave him a light peck on Xing Conglian’s beautiful eyelashes at that time.
At that moment, he felt Xing Conglian move. Xing Conglian’s palm gently touched his cheek. Lin Chen could feel the rough calluses and hot temperature from his hands. Xing Conglian was wiping away the tears that were falling down his cheeks.
It was a gentle gesture, but Lin Chen really understood the meaning of it.
That’s enough. You can stop.
Lin Chen lowered his head and separated his lips from the other. He pushed Xing Conglian away, took a half step back, and gasped gently.
Only the sound of the two of them panting at different frequencies remained in the air.
At the moment he kissed Xing Conglian just now, he clearly saw the shocked look on the other party’s eyes, like an emerald that was green to the extreme when it shattered, but now, he could no longer find that look on Xing Conglian’s face.
Now, Xing Conglian had a calm expression, and he looked at him with deep and distant eyes, remaining silent.
The underground space was dark and quiet. The singing in his ears gradually stopped, and the previous hallucinations disappeared. Lin Chen’s heart started to become clearer, and because of the clarity, he could already foresee what would happen in the future. The relationship between him and Xing Conglian would change. With Xing Conglian’s personality, he wouldn’t pretend to be blind and deaf and whitewash this incident. Either he or Xing Conglian would leave. They would soon part ways, with no further communication.
But it was too good. Xing Conglian was just too good, which made Lin Chen reluctant.
Lin Chen raised his head, straightened his back, and said solemnly, “I’m sorry. It was a unique opportunity in my life just now, so please consider me. I’m a good candidate.”
After saying this, Lin Chen took another half step back, bowed his head sincerely, then turned and left.
……
Wang Chao was sitting in the police car.
The surrounding singing had stopped. For some reason, the sky had darkened inexplicably, and there were thick clouds covering the sun.
The fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances were pouring into the square one after another, while many cars were driving away from the fire. Those vehicles made beeping noises that resounded in the sky, causing his scalp to go numb as he sat in the car. There were water stains everywhere on the ground as the water kept flowing.
Wang Chao changed the direction of his cocked legs, but he still didn’t feel comfortable enough. He looked at the car’s air conditioning. It clearly showed that it was working, but the inexplicable suffocation was truly unpleasant.
He put down his laptop, leaned against the car window, propped his head with his hands, and tried to adjust to a more comfortable sitting position, but he still felt uncomfortable.
He inadvertently glanced away while adjusting his position. Through the dense crowd, he saw a figure coming from the other side of the square.
The man was wearing ordinary army green plastic rubber boots. His lower body wore the same style army green trousers and were pulled up high. There was a large area of dry mud at his ankle. Wang Chao’s gaze slowly moved up, seeing a blue and white striped T on the man’s body that looked to be from the 1970s, and he was carrying a red and white striped snakeskin bag. Then he finally looked at the man’s face.
He opened his mouth wide, thinking he was hallucinating.
In the next second, Wang Chao quickly closed his eyes, hoping to use the restart action to adjust his brain’s visual system. In short, anything was fine, as long as the illusion would quickly dissipate.
He counted down from three seconds, and when he opened his eyes again, that figure and that terrifying face really disappeared.
He breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly took out his phone and sent a text: [Fuck, A’Kang Ge, I just saw a person who looks very similar to you, and it almost scared the piss out of me. I should’ve taken a picture for you to see.]
The other quickly replied to the text message: [Really?]
[*Nodding vigorously like a pecking chicken!* If I didn’t know you were on a mission in Niger, Java, or some extraterrestrial galaxy, I would’ve thought I was in hell!]
[Hehe]
Another short reply came back without even punctuation. But soon, another text message came: [You know where the Boss is? I can’t find him.]
[Boss—the Boss and I have just experienced a test of life and death. It was truly enduring. You really should come to the scene and see our mighty figure!]
Wang Chao was eager to finish sending this message when he realized that he hadn’t answered the question in the text. When he wanted to send a follow-up, he focused on the last few words: [I can’t find him.]
It was as if he were at the scene…
Wang Chao muttered silently. He touched the phone screen and was about to reply when another text message popped up.
It was still short: [I’m here.]
The surrounding was silent for a moment, then Wang Chao felt goosebumps all over his body.
Tap, tap, tap…
At this moment, the slight sound of the car window being tapped was heard. Wang Chao shuddered and turned around slowly like a ghost.
Sure enough, the man wearing the 1970s shirt with a snakeskin bag was standing at the window, bending slightly and looking at him with a grin, showing a row of snow-white teeth that were so bright, they glistened.
……
Xing Conglian stared at Lin Chen’s distant back, gradually regaining his composure from his violent heartbeat. Until Lin Chen’s figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, he was still staring in a daze.
Lin Chen had just desperately kissed him. This was obvious. And he was completely shocked, which was also obvious.
Although he wanted to think about when Lin Chen had started to develop feelings for him beyond friendship, at this moment, his mind was full of Lin Chen’s expression when he kissed him; pure, hot, desperate, scorching like fire. He could feel the pain in Lin Chen’s soul, and he could also feel the deep love Lin Chen expressed in that kiss.
That kind of love actually made his heart burn, like honey flowing from a beehive with an amber-translucent luster that was both beautiful and sweet.
He also discovered in a very short moment that being loved by others was just like that beautiful and sweet honey.
However, Lin Chen actually pushed him away…
Xing Conglian sighed, realizing that kissing just once wasn’t enough. He wanted to experience it again.
But since Lin Chen kissed him, that meant he should like him. When he confirmed this, he was surprised to find that all the methods he had learned to deal with problems were useless. To make matters worse, he found that his turbulent life was such a mess that he hadn’t had time to learn how to deal with emotional problems correctly. He really wanted to grab Lin Chen and ask him if this was an emotional defect.
However, since Lin Chen made his statement, naturally, he must also make his own. Therefore, he was thinking about whether he should go up, grab Lin Chen, and kiss him again, or whether he should carefully consider their future and various risks after being together before making a decision.
Since Lin Chen had been by his side, he should be able to figure out these contents quickly. In short, he couldn’t let Lin Chen wait too long.
With such a happy thought, he walked slowly upstairs. The crowd at the scene of the fire had been evacuated. The next step was a series of heavy follow-up work. Whether it was to assess the damage, the follow-up investigation, or even the motivation mentioned by Meijing, all of these must be investigated again.
He raised his eyes and looked around. He didn’t know where Lin Chen had gone. The weather was a bit gloomy, and the sudden dark clouds brought a lot of dampness. He took a deep breath and felt the sudden coolness in the air. The next moment, he saw Wang Chao frantically packing things in a police car, looking like he was trying to escape. He didn’t know what was going on in that kid’s head.
Xing Conglian started walking towards Wang Chao’s position.
At this moment, he heard someone calling him. The voice seemed familiar. When he looked back with difficulty, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
Not far behind him stood a young man dragging a snakeskin bag. The man’s skin was dark, but his teeth were as white as silver.
Xing Conglian turned his body around.
The man walked towards him and made a very standard salute.
Xing Conglian was just about to say something, when he saw the other party quickly took out a box of inferior ten-yuan cigarettes from his pocket and handed one out. The swift movement seemed determined not to give him any chance to react.
“Boss, Kang An, the door knocker, was ordered to ask you for help.”
His former subordinate said so.
Xing Conglian looked at the circle of fine gold threads inlaid on the edge of the cigarette under the sun. His first reaction was to turn around and leave.
After getting down to business, everyone lost interest in idle chatter. Liu Qingbo got up to arrange sleeping bags, and everyone else was busy with their own things. Four teams of more than 20 people formed a row on the shore far from the sea, which looked like an adventure team outing.
Dong Zhi didn’t expect that the old-fashioned British brought only sleeping bags while the carefree Americans came with tents. Although they only had two, it was enough for their team of five to sleep in.
Watching the Americans set up their tents, the others didn’t say anything but were inevitably envious. Looking at the shabby sleeping bags in their hands, their enthusiasm immediately faded.
Although there were many people, everyone still maintained a certain degree of vigilance. There were people in each team who were responsible for the vigil. Those on night watch gathered together around the fire and chatted, making things livelier. The person in charge of the vigil for the southern European team was a Greek who wasn’t fluent in English. Most of the time, he just listened to what others said and remained silent.
Dong Zhi originally wanted to keep the vigil, but William quietly pulled on his clothes and took him into the tent.
“We suspect that the golden apple isn’t on this island.” William lowered his voice, making it clear he didn’t want the two parties outside to hear.
Dong Zhi learned from him and also lowered his voice, as if they were having an underground meeting. “Why do you think so? You got this news in advance?”
William smiled bitterly. “Why don’t you believe me? If we knew this in advance, do you think we would let our companion disappear here?”
Dong Zhi: “Okay, sorry. Please continue.”
William: “There are two main reasons for my suspicion. One is that this doesn’t match the riddle of the golden apple. The beauty shrouded in the clouds will eventually take off her mysterious veil. Don’t you think this riddle is like talking about a certain mountain hidden in the mist?”
Dong Zhi: “All the islands are shrouded in mist, including the maze here. I think the riddle itself is very unreliable. It seems that it could be applied to any of the islands, but it doesn’t seem to match.”
William: “But the maze is so ugly. It obviously has no resemblance to beauty like a woman’s. Even the name isn’t related. At least Diana Island and Princess Island have some relation.”
Dong Zhi: “…Maybe there’s a beautiful woman waiting for us in the maze?”
William shook his head like a tambourine and said, “No, no, no! That’s too scary! Don’t you think of anything when you see the maze?”
Dong Zhi was at a loss. “Think of what?”
William sighed. “Easterners! Forget it. Like I told you before, the people in charge of organizing the competition are obsessed with Western mythology, especially Greek and Norse mythology! I suspect that the maze here is an imitation of the Cretan maze in Greek mythology. Have you heard of the myth?”
Suddenly, Dong Zhi remembered something.
This was also a well-known Greek mythology, but it couldn’t be blamed that Dong Zhi didn’t think of it. After all, he was a native of the East. If William had said something before, he would have immediately realized it was the story of the Water God*.
*Clarity: Dong Zhi is referring to Poseidon (in Greek mythology), but he’s using the name Gongong, which is the name of the water god in Chinese mythology. Note that these two are not related, as they have their own mythic origins in their respective cultures. The term is used in a general sense in this context.
Legends had it that the wife of the king of Crete fornicated with the ox of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and gave birth to a son that was half-human, half-bull, which became the Minotaur*. The king built a labyrinth for him, imprisoned him in it, and regularly sent boys and girls to it.
*Half-man, half-bull that resides in the Labyrinth created by Daedalus and his son Icarus. This was Minos’, the king of Crete, punishment for keeping the snow-white bull he offered to Poseidon as a sacrifice. Poseidon then made his wife, Pasiphae, fall in love with a bull and mate with it, eventually giving birth to the monstrous Minotaur. It was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.
Dong Zhi: “So you mean, the monster in the maze is possibly the half-human, half-bull monster?”
William: “Not necessarily. Even if the organizing committee can find harpies, they might not be able to find this legendary ancient monster. Besides, it was killed long ago. Maybe it’s something else, but it must be dangerous. After all, our companion fell inside. What’s more, there are demons watching us. The possessed Japanese you mentioned won’t be the first, nor will he be the last.”
Dong Zhi suddenly showed a gloomy smile. “That’s right. I may also be possessed by a demon.”
William was taken aback and quickly reached out to touch his gun. When he saw Dong Zhi smirking, he knew the other party was deliberately scaring him and couldn’t help but collapse his shoulders. “Dong, don’t scare me. My bullets don’t have eyes!”
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “It’s just a joke to lighten the atmosphere. I didn’t expect you to draw your gun so quickly!”
It was not just simply quick. In almost the blink of an eye, the gun was already in William’s hand. Previously, Dong Zhi had always thought he was too carefree when speaking, but now he realized that the American’s strength was quite impressive.
William blinked at him. “Then do you want to consider helping me persuade Miss Li to date me?”
Dong Zhi: “No problem. I can convey it for you, but it’s up to her whether she agrees or not.”
“Oh my god, you’re the cutest person I have ever seen! When I first saw you, I knew you must be a lovely friend and rival!” William said affectionately, wanting to give him a hug, but Dong Zhi pushed him away mercilessly.
“Hurry up and get down to business!”
William said, “Well, I suspect that someone outside has been possessed by a demon.”
This time, it was Dong Zhi’s turn to be taken aback. He subconsciously thought that William was also joking with him, but when he raised his head, the other party’s expression was serious.
He also became serious. “Are you sure?”
William nodded. “At that time, we decided to go to Rose Island to see the situation. We happened to meet the British and Southern Europeans fighting the harpies. This stuff has been said already, but what I didn’t mention was that after that, we searched for the whereabouts of the golden apple and passed the night. That night, I fell asleep soundly, but suddenly I felt a chill in the back of my neck, followed by a pain in my back. If it weren’t for being alert quickly, I might have died.”
As he spoke, he took off his coat and pulled down his clothes. Dong Zhi saw five purple bleeding marks on his back, which resembled a person’s five fingers. The strength was so great that it seemed as if it wanted to penetrate flesh and rip out his heart.
“Who was next to you?”
William said, “The deputy captain of the British team, the man who was sitting next to Liu just now, but it shouldn’t be him, because he was asleep when I woke up. However, that doesn’t rule out that he was just pretending. I thought it was a monster that was lurking in the dark and hurriedly told the others to be vigilant. Then nothing happened. They laughed at me for making a fuss, but when I heard you talking about the Japanese being possessed, I felt that there may be something weird that night. In short, be careful. I only told Lilith about this. We are still observing whether the people on our team are reliable or not.”
Dong Zhi: “Thank you. I’ll pay attention.”
William smiled and said, “Is this just a verbal expression of gratitude?”
Dong Zhi: “Do I owe you a favor?”
William: “Yes, get Miss Li to date me.”
Dong Zhi was expressionless. “Fuck off.”
Leaving William’s tent, there was nothing amiss on Dong Zhi’s face, but when he passed by the campfire, the bell on his body suddenly rang.
Jingle, jingle!
The sound was so subtle that only he could hear it.
Dong Zhi’s footsteps paused.
There were five people sitting next to the campfire.
An American, two Britons, and a pair of men and women from the southern European team. Dong Zhi remembered that they seemed to be Italians.
Liu Qingbo and the others weren’t introverted, but they didn’t like to interact too much with practitioners from other countries. While the other three teams also came from different countries, they had similar backgrounds and values, making it easy for them to get along. At this point, Liu Qingbo and his team were almost done resting, while the others were still chatting enthusiastically. They were only missing some barbecue to turn it into a party.
There was a range limit on the bell. Li Han’er said that it would only ring if it was very close. For example, the distance between Dong Zhi and William in the tent just now, but William was normal and the bell didn’t naturally ring.
And now, Dong Zhi was also very close to these five people, which triggered the bell.
Was there a problem with the British man closest to him, or was there a problem with the Italians?
Although the American was sitting on the opposite side and was the farthest away, he was also suspected.
Dong Zhi was considering whether to walk around them to test it, but that would be a bit obvious.
Since he was standing still, he had attracted the attention of the five people.
“Hey, Dong. Why are you standing still? Do you want to come over and join us around the campfire?” One of the Italians greeted.
“He seems to have lost his soul since he came out of William’s tent. Isn’t it because he confessed to William and was rejected?” the British man joked.
Everyone else laughed.
Dong Zhi also laughed. “I just heard you talking about barbeque just now, so I got a little hungry.”
When he mentioned barbeque, everyone else couldn’t help but drool.
In fact, it wasn’t necessarily because they were hungry, but since they boarded the ship, they hadn’t eaten any delicious food, and after arriving on the islands, they had been eating dry rations for several days in a row. Now, even if they could only eat grilled sausages, they would still find it delicious.
Suddenly, everyone smelled something.
At first, they thought they were hallucinating due to gluttony, but when they turned their heads, they saw Dong Zhi take out a bunch of vacuum-packed sausages from his backpack at some point and hand them to his team members. As soon as Yang Shouyi got his sausage, he wanted to skewer it with his sword and roast it, but the sword had just been stained with zombie blood the day before. Li Han’er couldn’t bear to watch, so she took out a bamboo hairpin and asked him to roast it with the hairpin, then take the sausage off once it was cooked to roast the next one.
Everyone had become numb to the seemingly endless surprises coming from their captain’s backpack, but it was the first time the foreigners saw it, and they stared in amazement. The Americans had brought tents but didn’t bring sausages. William shamelessly came over to mooch some food, and Dong Zhi gave him one.
“You came just in time to get the last one.”
William looked at the small and exquisite sausage in his hand, opened the package, and quickly finished it in front of the envious eyes of others. Finally, he smacked his lips and said, “This is the most delicious sausage I have ever had. It even has the faint fragrance left by Miss Li’s bamboo hairpin in it!”
Yang Shouyi rolled his eyes. Why wasn’t he praised for his good roasting skills?!
The corner of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched, and he patted William on the back. “Spit it out for me. That’s my sausage!”
William hurriedly said, “No, no, thank you for your gift. It’s because of your generosity that I can eat such delicious food!”
While the two were bickering, Dong Zhi took the opportunity to lower his voice and told him about the bell ringing just now.
William looked shocked. “Who do you think it is?”
Dong Zhi said, “I’m not sure. At that time, your companion was farthest from me, so I suspect the other four more. You can also observe and communicate at any time you have news.”
William made an OK gesture.
With this discovery, Dong Zhi had to stay behind to keep watch. He gathered Liu Qingbo and the others, privately told them about the situation, and asked everyone to be vigilant and observe secretly. However, nothing happened overnight, and the next morning, before dawn, everyone had packed up and was ready to enter the huge maze.
From a distance, the maze looked like a huge fortress standing on the yellow desert, blending in with the island. As they approached, they realized that the maze was even larger than they had imagined. Standing beneath the five- or six-meter-high walls, they felt a sense of insignificance. If it weren’t for them being practitioners, ordinary people who entered the maze would find it difficult to get out.
The four teams entered the maze together, but not one could foretell what would happen. There was no thread that the Princess of Crete used to help the hero escape the labyrinth*, so everyone coincidentally made marks on the ground or the walls to avoid getting lost.
*Clarity: In the myth, Princess Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and decided to help him. She gave him a thread and told him to unravel it as he penetrated deeper into the Labyrinth, so he would know his way out once he killed the monster. Because of this, he was able to escape the Labyrinth after slaying the Minotaur.
Inside the maze, besides the tall walls, there was nothing else. The walls were rough but sturdy. Zhang Song had to exert some effort to make marks on the wall with his sword to draw talisman symbols. The others also made their own distinct marks, with the British using a twig dipped in red ink to insert into the gaps between the bricks.
Sure enough, as the Americans said, not long after they had walked, everyone turned a corner, and three forks appeared in front of them, leading in three different directions.
There was a female astrologer among the southern Europeans. She took out tarot cards and divined that the middle passage was the most auspicious, so she decided to take the middle path. The British looked at Dong Zhi and Lilith, then followed the Southern Europeans.
Lilith asked Dong Zhi, “Which way do you want to go?”
Dong Zhi said, “Whichever way is fine.”
Li Han’er said, “Life is death, and death is life. The doors of life and death here are interconnected, and every path contains both vitality and hides death. No matter which path you take, the result will not change.”
She didn’t speak English, so Lilith didn’t understand. Dong Zhi had to translate for her. “What my companion means is that everything is relative, and safety is also accompanied by danger. You can choose.”
Lilith: “Then we’ll go right.”
William waved his hand at Dong Zhi. “Remember your cell phone and contact me anytime you need anything.”
Dong Zhi couldn’t laugh or cry and thought that even if they got in touch, given the distance between them by then, they wouldn’t be able to catch up.
Watching the Americans go, Zhang Song made a mark and asked Liu Qingbo and Dong Zhi, “Why did you keep staring at the female astrologer just now?”
Liu Qingbo said, “She was one of the five people around the campfire last night.”
Dong Zhi said, “Do you doubt her?”
Liu Qingbo: “I don’t know, but after what you said last night, I went to test it out. So far, I have had close contact with three people, and my bell hasn’t sounded. The only ones I haven’t had close contact with are the female astrologer and the British guy named Luke.”
Li Han’er suddenly said, “I think it’s the female astrologer.”
Liu Qingbo raised his brows. “Why?”
Li Han’er: “When the captain took out the sausage last night, everyone else’s attention was more or less attracted. Only the woman glanced away and didn’t seem interested.”
Zhang Song said, “Maybe she’s trying to lose weight, or that women tend to be more reserved.”
Li Han’er raised her eyebrows slightly. “Do you have to argue? I watched her several times, and she doesn’t seem interested in eating or even trying to resist. She is completely different from the others. Unless she’s vegetarian, most people who have been eating dry rations for days and suddenly smell the aroma of grilled sausages would at least take a look.”
Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Dong Zhi quickly interjected. “Well, anyway, we didn’t go with them, so let’s just be cautious.”
The maze that accounted for most of the island was indeed vast. After Dong Zhi’s team separated from the others, they followed the path for a few hours. During this time, they encountered countless forks. Until noon, the big sun was hanging above their heads, and they didn’t know how far they had walked. They could only tell from the marks they made that they had probably reached the center of the maze.
Everyone leaned against the wall to rest for a while, and Liu Qingbo couldn’t help complaining, “How long do we have to walk? It was better fighting zombies!”
As if to respond to his words, a loud bang sounded not far away.
“It’s the sound of gunfire!” Li Han’er reacted quickly.
In fact, they received firearms training, and each of them was given a gun before departure, but they were all loaded with regular bullets. For them, using a sword or talisman was faster than using a gun, so everyone’s guns were buried at the bottom of their backpacks. If it weren’t for the fact that they had to turn them in when they returned, they would’ve just thrown them away to save trouble.
Needless to say, it had to be people from the other three teams who used guns.
After one sound, about four more sounded in succession, vaguely mixed with shouts. Everyone’s hearts were gripped with anxiety, but they couldn’t see what was happening, and they couldn’t help feeling agitated.
They couldn’t help but prick up their ears to listen, but after that sound, the surroundings were quiet again, but there was a feeling of tranquility before the storm.
They looked at each other, and they got up at the same time, clenching their weapons.
Dong Zhi was about to say “continue walking” when there were rapid footsteps approaching and a familiar figure appeared in front of them.
“Dong!”
Dong Zhi had never seen William show such an anxious expression. The other party always had a carefree smile on his goofy face, but now that face was full of panic, as if he had encountered the most difficult obstacle of his life.
“There are monsters. My companions have been attacked. Come and help me!” he said hurriedly.
They didn’t have time to think. Dong Zhi and the others quickly followed.
“Did you fire the gunshots just now?”
“Yeah!” William didn’t look back. “There was a huge monster with many tentacles that suddenly appeared and attacked everyone. Only I managed to escape!”
Dong Zhi: “Then how do you know that we were here?”
William: “I was running around and stumbled upon you!”
“Wait!” Dong Zhi said.
William stopped and turned his head impatiently. “Please, Dong. My companions are waiting for me to save them!”
Dong Zhi took out his cellphone. “Here’s your phone back. You left it with me just now!”
William reached out to take the phone, but suddenly the hand holding the phone turned into a sword, which startled him, and he quickly stepped back!
Liu Qingbo attacked him with a sword, causing William to dodge as he angrily said, “Are you crazy?!”
Dong Zhi said, “When you saw us just now, there was no surprise on your face. It seems that you expected it. Who are you?”
Zhang Song and Yang Shouyi blocked William’s retreat on either side and directly forced him to the corner of a wall.
But William suddenly smiled strangely, and his figure turned into a huge fuchsia pillar of flesh, which danced frantically and rushed towards everyone.
Liu Qingbo cursed. “What the fuck is this?!”
“It’s a squid’s tentacle!” Yang Shouyi shouted.
“Your head’s a tentacle!” Zhang Song angrily said.
The fleshy column was thick at the top and thin at the bottom. The tail was slightly curled, and there were dense suction cups attached to it, which seemed to have a special gravitational force that could suck swords onto it. They had to exert some strength to pull their swords back, and when the sword struck, they could feel a slight elasticity. Wasn’t this a huge tentacle?
The tentacle was familiar to them and could speak, which was unheard of, but at the moment, the group didn’t think much about it. They just wanted to keep the tentacle and study it carefully. Liu Qingbo jumped up and hugged the tentacle, climbing up to the top by sliding along it. Then, he found that the tentacle had crossed over the maze’s walls, and there was an even larger tentacle attached to the other end of the wall, stretching from one end of the wall to the other.
Liu Qingbo gasped.
Could this be some kind of octopus monster?
Without hesitation, Liu Qingbo transformed his Fumo Sword into sword light and slashed towards the tentacle at the top of the wall. For demons and monsters, the Fumo Sword was their natural enemy. Under the sword light, the tentacle as thick as an adult man’s body was cut in two, and the other end seemed to have felt the pain, quickly retracting and soon disappearing.
The large part that was cut off by him fell to the ground. Zhang Song was a little slower flashing away, and the tentacle hit his feet, causing him to scream in pain as he scolded Liu Qingbo, “Won’t you pay attention!”
Liu Qingbo’s answer was to directly roll his eyes.
When they looked at the tentacle again, it turned out that when it was coiled up during the attack, they didn’t realize its actual size, but now that it was stretched out, it was at least three meters long, with a thinner tail and a thickness comparable to an adult man’s thigh.
Liu Qingbo jumped down. “This should be just part of its body. I seem to have seen it run away just now!”
Li Han’er picked up the tail of the tentacle and smelled it. “It smells like the sea.”
Zhang Song: “That’s an octopus monster. How could this thing run from the sea to the maze? And looking at the size of this tentacle, how big is the body?!”
Proportionally, even if this octopus monster was about the same size as the maze, it wouldn’t be that surprising. The problem was, where was it hiding?
Yang Shouyi recalled how it had transformed into William’s appearance just now and that it could speak human language, so he asked in disbelief, “Can this octopus monster take on a human form?”
Liu Si said, “Ordinary octopuses have the ability to pretend to be other creatures in the ocean. If this one is so huge, it’s not surprising that it can turn into a human form and speak human words. But in the end, this was simply an illusion. As soon as Lao Liu’s sword slashed just now, the illusion was broken.”
Li Han’er said solemnly, “Then we must be careful. If it turns into our appearance and replaces one of us without anyone noticing, it can be quite dangerous.”
Zhang Song disagreed. “We didn’t separate. Even if it wants to plot, it’s not hard to discover. At most, it can only become us to deceive the other teams. Just like now, we saw through it at once… What are you doing?”
He looked at Dong Zhi, who was squatting on the ground and pulling out a knife to cut the tentacles into pieces.
“Cutting up our supper!” Dong Zhi replied without raising his head.
Early morning, Haigu, stronghold of Sunken Society.
No matter day or night, the underground always needed light.
Wei Huaqian stood alone in front of a small storage room. The storage room was similar to a cave, with mud-yellow walls full of cinnabar talismans. The locust wood frame was tightly attached to the wall, and there were neat rows of bronze lamps. The snake-like wick emitted a blue light, and the transparent lamp oil was mixed with a faint blood color.
The blood lamp that belonged to Kong Wanqing was extinguished.
The corners of Wei Huaqian’s mouth twitched. Under the flickering blue light, a shadow concave at the corners of his mouth, twisting into a stiff smile.
One was a mysterious person who appeared the night the Evil Spirit’s seal broke, and the other was a little monster born from two monsters—he knew those two boys in Shian weren’t so simple.
Among other things, Kong Wanqing’s desire to survive was second to none. This person’s “resonance” ability could at most provide auxiliary interference in the outside world, but was considered invincible in the Archive, so he should be able to escape.
What was more, he had sent Kong Wangqing into the Archive first, so he had plenty of time to prepare.
Despite this, Kong Wanqing died in the Archive.
Wei Huaqian picked up the extinguished blood lamp, locked the storage room, and returned to the front of the photo wall.
The two young men on the wall were pleasing to the eye, with innocent and harmless expressions.
There was no need for Fu Xingchuan to kill Kong Wanqing. The other two members of Unit 9 were unconscious, so the only ones who could do this were those two. But the non-science post couldn’t stay conscious under the “resonance”, so Zhong Chengshuo absolutely had something to do with Kong Wanqing’s death.
……A metaphysician who could resist the “resonance” and wasn’t abnormal, plus a wicked man who was invulnerable to all evils.
The strength of these two couldn’t be underestimated. This information was more valuable than Kong Wanqing, who had lost his ghosts.
Kong Wanqing completed his task splendidly.
“Xiao Kong, do you know what the best thing for a ‘good guy’ to deal with is?” Wei Huaqian leaned on the back of his chair and rubbed the extinguished blood lamp. “Their behavior can always be traced, so it’s easy to guess.”
“If you win, Shian would lose these two combat powers. If you lost, Shian would still lose these two combat powers—for the “safety of most people”, they will personally push them towards us.”
Wei Huaqian raised his hand. With a clang, the gray blood lamp was thrown into the trash can.
He raised his hands and dialed casually.
“Pay attention to Shian’s movements and determine their ‘execution task’. Force them here as much as possible and stir up as much noise as you can.”
……
Zhong Chengshuo had put on his apron that had “Dangerous Person” written on it.
In the hazy morning light, he sprayed a thin layer of oil into the pan and fried up some eggs. The canopy of the trees outside the window was lush green, rustling in the breeze, making his side profile soft and beautiful.
Zhong Chengshuo was usually economical, but he would never be fooled by the quality of ingredients he bought. In the dark gray pan, the orange egg yolks were paired with snow-white egg whites, which whetted one’s appetite from just a look.
Seeing the eggs were almost done, Zhong Chengshuo turned around to get the wraps. However, when he turned around, there was nothing in the pan.
The two perfectly fried, sterile eggs evaporated in place.
Zhong Chengshuo turned his head faintly.
Yin Ren was lying on the sofa reading a book, still wearing Zhong Chengshuo’s pajamas—ever since they confirmed their relationship, Yin Ren had picked up several loose pajamas from his boyfriend’s closet.
“You get to feel my hair. I want to feel something from you.” When choosing pajamas, Yin Ren stated this solemnly. “There are differences between humans and ghosts, so I can’t always sleep holding your head.”
In this regard, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t say anything.
The two of them were similar sizes, but Lord Ghost King didn’t like to fasten his buttons well, so most of his chest was exposed. At this moment, the morning sun had just covered the corner of the sofa, and this person was focused on turning the pages of his book. The long hair was tied loosely in a low ponytail, and the hair flowed down the edge of the sofa, creating a scene full of serene beauty.
He was acting like nothing had happened.
Zhong Chengshuo said nothing and opened the refrigerator and took out two more eggs. Three minutes later, when he turned to get the wraps…
The eggs were gone again.
Zhong Chengshuo: “?”
The sofa still had the same quiet scene of the Evil Spirit reading. Zhong Chengshuo took a deep breath and opened the refrigerator for the third time. This time, King Yama took out the posture of doing the task. He gracefully turned around to take the wraps and directly pinched the thieving strand of hair.
Yin Ren: “!”
He threw down the book <The Art of Communication> and tried to pull his hair back. However, his opponent was the most powerful science post, and he was reluctant to be forceful, so he didn’t rescue it.
Zhong Chengshuo wrapped his prisoner around his fingers and began to fry marinated chicken breasts. The strand of hair twisted gently between his fingers, and in the end followed the movements of the chicken breast in the pan.
“It stands to reason that your entire body is transformed now. Why do you always use your hair?” Zhong Chengshuo asked sincerely amidst the aroma that was getting stronger.
Yin Ren didn’t answer.
Zhong Chengshuo turned his head and looked through the glass door of the kitchen. The sofa was already empty.
Four arms protruded from behind Zhong Chengshuo; one pair hugging his shoulders and the other pair hugging his waist.
“Because this will scare ordinary people,” Yin Ren hummed behind him. “How ‘bout it? Isn’t it exciting?”
“It’s okay.” Zhong Chengshuo continued to cook with his head down, slapping Yin Ren’s hand trying to pull back his hair.
“…Let me go,” Yin Ren said softly. “I won’t tease you next time.”
Zhong Chengshuo refused to let go.
“Then you’ll dare next time.”
Only then did Zhong Chengshuo relax his fingers. Just before he completely let go, he put the strand of hair to his mouth and bit gently.
The four arms on his body stiffened at the same time and quickly withdrew. Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head and was confronted with Yin Ren’s shocked face. “So you can still be like this.”
“Alright, let’s have breakfast.”
Zhong Chengshuo put the washed vegetables into the wrap and then rolled it up. The two egg wraps looked exactly the same, as if they were copied and pasted in reality.
Yin Ren took one and bit into it.
The meals that Zhong Chengshuo cooked would always have a particularly palatable and refreshing taste. The wrap was full of wheat flavor, the lettuce was fresh and crisp, and the marinated chicken breast was moist and juicy. With just one bite, the over-easy egg yolk wrapped the soft chicken, and it felt like he was chewing on a cloud stained with the morning sun.
The ingredients were simple, but they were so delicious they made him want to cry.
“I have nothing to do recently. We can discuss the plan.”
Zhong Chengshuo poured himself a cup of coffee and pushed a cup of milk towards Yin Ren.
“Nothing?” Yin Ren finally turned his attention away from the breakfast wrap.
“Mm, Shian most likely won’t assign us a mission in the near future. There are people watching nearby, so I can’t move around freely.”
Zhong Chengshuo took a sip of his coffee.
“Before it was the amusement park, and now it’s the Archive. Shian won’t allow suspicious people to operate within the organization. This time, with Kong Wanqing’s death, the suspicion on us has exceeded the standard.”
Yin Ren suddenly felt that the breakfast wrap in his mouth was no longer fragrant.
“Will we be fired?” He asked in horror. “It was my gaffe regarding Kong Wanqing, but Shian isn’t so strict…”
He hadn’t had time to eat his fill in the cafeteria, and now he was going to say goodbye forever like this?
“We won’t immediately be fired.” Zhong Chengshuo bit softly into his food. “According to my understanding, Shian will start an ‘execution mission’ for us—this kind of mission usually has two characteristics. One, it’s nearly impossible to finish, and two, the alternative is to fight to the death with the Sunken Society.”
Yin Ren’s expression became serious.
This was worse than an outright dismissal.
He did think that Shian might keep a strict watch over them, but with such a ruthless move, he didn’t know whether to be happy that Shian was this vigilant, or shocked.
This was directly exploring their bottom line to investigate how strong their abilities were and whether they had anything to do with Sunken Society.
“How about this,” Yin Ren put down most of his breakfast, “you put all the responsibility on me. Compared to me, your net worth is innocent, and suspicion of you is small. Shian will not turn on you alone.”
Across the table, Zhong Chengshuo looked at him silently.
“I’ll be your live-in boyfriend. I’ll try to find a serious job and stay away from Shian.” Yin Ren stared at the cup of milk in front of him. His reflection was drawn long by the glass. “You already know that I’m an Evil Spirit. When you rise to a higher position, just help me check on some things.”
At that time, he wanted to sneak into Shian because, on one hand, he just wanted to be a happy salted fish*, and on the other, he wanted to have the opportunity to find more information related to the Evil Spirits, but the latter wasn’t a priority.
*Refers to someone who wants to be lazy and has no great ambitions.
He couldn’t be the partner of “Science Post Zhong Chengshuo”, but he could be a secret collaborator of “King Yama”.
But “King Yama” must have his own purpose for entering Shian.
Zhong Chengshuo firmly shook his head.
“I wouldn’t tell Fu Xingchuan ‘we’re dating’ if I was afraid you’d hurt me. As long as the ‘execution mission’ is completed low-key, it’ll be fine if we hit hard at Sunken Society. We’ll still have a chance to stay in Shian.”
Yin Ren wiped his face fiercely. “You just said that this task is dangerous.”
“Nn.”
“You could get hurt. Even I can’t keep an eye on you all the time. If something happens to you on this mission—”
“It’ll be fine. As our immediate superiors, Fu Xingchuan and Li Nian will definitely participate in the operation.”
“Don’t be afraid of the 10,000, but the just in case. Why don’t you…”
Yin Ren was halfway through speaking when he swallowed the second half of his sentence.
The confusion on Zhong Chengshuo’s face didn’t seem to be fake. He really didn’t understand Yin Ren’s concern for him.
‘Forget it. It seems you’ll just have to experience it yourself,’ Yin Ren thought sadly.
“Why don’t I…?” Across the table, Zhong Chengshuo questioned, indicating for him to finish.
“Why don’t you eat your breakfast wrap?” Yin Ren lamented. “Careful, I might steal it from you.”
Zhong Chengshuo responded with an “oh” and continued to carefully chew on his breakfast.
“By the way, there’s one more thing,” he suddenly spoke again.
“There’s more?!”
“The recent plan hasn’t been discussed yet.” Zhong Chengshuo finished his coffee. “Yin Ren, do you want to go on a date?”
Yin Ren looked at the man bitterly for a while. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t seem bothered by the “execution mission” at all.
“Yes!” was all he could answer.
……
Two hours later, facing the huge amusement park in front of him, Yin Ren couldn’t help showing a dull expression.
Unlike the desolated ruins of the battle against Bai Yongji, this amusement park was full of bright and sweet colors. The road was filled with the aroma of popcorn and candy, the ferris wheel was spinning in the distance, and the shining neon lights were flickering in the daytime.
He didn’t know what kind of mood the Shian staffers who were following them were in.
Yin Ren thought that Zhong Chengshuo would suggest going to a library or a movie theater. The style here was way too different from that of King Yama.
Especially now.
Just like more than 80% of people in the amusement park, Zhong Chengshuo immediately went to the gift shop that sold headgear—he even picked out a pair of black rabbit ears for himself solemnly, while Yin Ren had a pair of devil horns.
Was Zhong Chengshuo’s character really like this? He didn’t wear that gloomy rabbit mask to scare people, but because he really liked it?
Yin Ren stared suspiciously at the pair of ears. Only one furry black ear stood up, which had a weird sense of matching Zhong Chengshuo’s temperament. Satisfied by his bunny ears, Zhong Chengshuo approached confidently.
“What do you want to do?”
He looked through the map of the amusement park.
“The most popular attractions are the roller coasters, ferris wheel, and haunted house… Ah.”
When he finished reading, Zhong Chengshuo expressionlessly closed the introduction page. The ears on his head slightly drooped.
It seemed he had a reaction, Lord Ghost King thought deeply. If they wanted to, Yin Ren could take his partner on a roller coaster or ferris wheel ride over the entire city of Haigu. As for the haunted house… In this city, there may be no place more haunted than their home.
“Or we could just sit for a while.”
The two of them had excellent appearances, so they would get stares from people from time to time. Yin Ren took Zhong Chengshuo and quickly found a quiet corner in the amusement park. On the way out of the crowd, he didn’t forget to buy two ice creams and even remembered to buy Zhong Chengshuo a low-calorie one.
…As a result, the first thing they did when they entered the amusement park was to sit on a bench and eat ice cream.
“I didn’t think about it thoroughly.” Zhong Chengshuo licked the mint-flavored ice cream ball. “I looked at the most popular dating venues in Haigu, and you like to be lively.”
Yin Ren: “It’s very lively.”
Not far away, people gathered together with a smile, and the atmosphere of joy floated over the amusement park with the music. This scene was something he liked very much and was also very suitable with the chocolate ice cream in his hand.
“…But do you like it here?” Yin Ren asked.
“I have no special feeling.” Zhong Chengshuo took a bite of his sweet cone, making a soft crackling sound.
Yin Ren sighed, wanting to pull off the other’s dangling ears.
“I also want you to be happy,” he said. “Well, I’ll set tomorrow’s date—let’s stay at home and close the curtains. Slam on a movie and play games in the evening.”
Zhong Chengshuo’s dark eyes lit up a little. “That’s really good.”
“Yeah, you see, this most popular venue is for two humans.” Yin Ren gradually mastered the skills of communicating with this person. He then whispered into Zhong Chengshuo’s ear. “This is not the case with us, so you can’t use that data.”
Zhong Chengshuo looked at Yin Ren for a while, not knowing what he was thinking.
“But since we’re here, let’s try it.” Zhong Chengshuo pointed in a certain direction. “There’s a food street over there.”
As Zhong Chengshuo moved, the cone shook, and the milky mint ice cream stained his fingers. Zhong Chengshuo subconsciously wanted to pull out alcohol wipes, but before he could move, his hand was held by Yin Ren.
“Chu*.”
*Sound of a kiss.
Considering that this was the outside world, Yin Ren didn’t use his hair, but pressed his lips. When the soft lips pressed to the sides of his finger, it was hard to tell which side was hotter.
It was like a kiss.
Zhong Chengshuo stood up abruptly and rubbed his ears. “It’ll be a bit sticky when it dries… I’ll go over there and wash my hands.”
“I’ll be waiting for you here.” Yin Ren turned his gaze towards the cotton candy stall. But unlike before, his eyes quickly turned back to Zhong Chengshuo.
Seeing this, the smile on Yin Ren’s face faded a little.
He had never observed Zhong Chengshuo so intently before. Now it seemed that this person’s situation was more delicate than he imagined.
Zhong Chengshuo blended into the noisy crowd and walked towards the decorative fountain splashing with cool water.
Zhong Chengshuo was a very handsome human. He was well-proportioned, with slender limbs and an excellent appearance. At this moment, he was still wearing a pair of particularly conspicuous ears.
When some strangers saw him, their eyes would stay on him for a while. They would then turn their heads and pass Zhong Chengshuo, as if he were a beautiful stone sculpture. Zhong Chengshuo’s back seemed to blend with the crowd but exuded a strange sense of alienation.
It was as if he were separated from a crowd like a sharp blade.
As if cut off from the world.
The author has something to say:
The arc is over!!!
——————
Shian: Execution mission, the calm before the storm
Sunken Society: Execution mission, the calm before the storm
The two in the center of the storm: It’s a vacation!!!
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the arc. Summary below.
With Bai Yongji’s case coming to a close, suspicions on Yin Ren continued to rise. In order to further investigate him more thoroughly, Shian assigned Unit 9 a special mission: to infiltrate the serial murderer Guo Laifu’s mind, find out what drove him insane, and restore his sanity so he could be put on trial.
Shian developed a special method, known as the Archive, in order to take on such a task. While inside the Archive, they could monitor the emotional readings of the members, which would give them more insight on Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.
Meanwhile, Sunken Society planned to interfere. In order to curry favor after losing all his ghosts to Zhong Chengshuo during the “good boy” mission, Kong Wanqing was assigned to infiltrate the Archive and despose the two troubling members.
When Unit 9 entered the Archive of Guo Laifu’s mind, they were met with monsters of all sorts under a swirling vortex. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo explored the area and found a place that was unlike the others: a school campus. They were able to infiltrate the campus and were locked into a “game”.
The school campus was actually a memory of Guo Wei, Guo Laifu’s son, who was his last victim. Guo Wei proposed that they need to leave the campus, and if not, they would have to surrender their most cherished memory. Eventually Ge Tingting and Huang Jin (who had joined Unit 9), fell unconscious, leaving only Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.
Meanwhile, Shian discovered the anomaly of the Archive and Fu Xingchuan went in with Unit 7 to rescue Unit 9.
Things were revealed that Kong Wanqing had infiltrated Guo Laifu’s mind earlier and manipulated Guo Wei in order to trap and kill the members of Unit 9. Guo Wei held resentment for being brutally murdered by his own father but not enough to become a ghost. Under Kong Wanqing’s “resonance” ability, he was able to amplify Guo Wei’s negative emotions, essentially using it to control Guo Wei and his world inside Guo Laifu’s mind and turn him into a fierce ghost.
It was then revealed that after Guo Wei was murdered, he was able to “survive” by parasitizing Guo Laifu’s mind. When he was about to be reborn as a fierce ghost, Yin Ren was able to stop his transformation by pulling his classmates and teacher through a “dream” technique, who were then able to calm his emotions.
Ultimately, they succeeded, but Kong Wanqing wouldn’t let them go so easily. He amplified Yin Ren’s negative emotions and forced him to reveal his most painful memory. This essentially backfired on him when it was discovered that Yin Ren wasn’t a normal evil spirit.
Yin Ren was about to lose control and revert back to his Evil Spirit form. Trying to save his teammates, he pushed Zhong Chengshuo away and urged him to escape with his other team members. Zhong Chengshuo refused and went back to him, because he believed in him, capturing Kong Wanqing in the process.
When he encountered Yin Ren again, he saw Yin Ren’s original Evil Spirit form in his memory. Being a metaphysician, when Kong Wanqing looked at it, he instantly dissolved into mush. As a science post and someone extremely abnormal, it had no effect on Zhong Chengshuo.
Zhong Chengshuo was able to calm Yin Ren down, and they finally confirmed their relationship. Yin Ren was able to restore himself to his human form, preventing the descent of an Evil Spirit into the world.
With things wrapped up, Guo Wei revealed the reason why Guo Laifu went insane. In his memory, Guo Laifu was captured by Zhong Chengshuo, who did something to him that essentially made him go insane.
When Shian was able to rescue them, they were able to lie their way through, but this not only didn’t diminish the suspicion but greatly increased it. Now that the threshold was too high, Shian planned to assign them an “execution task” of infiltrating and wiping out Sunken Society.
Side Characters:
Guo Wei was Guo Laifu’s son. His mother ran away when he was young, unable to take the abuse, and thus he became the target of Guo Laifu’s abuse. He was talented and smart and had the ability to go far with his grades.
Unfortunately, Guo Laifu was a fringe member of Sunken Society. Following their whims, he brutally murdered a series of people, with Guo Wei being his last victim.
Unable to move on, Guo Wei parasitized Guo Laifu’s mind and was able to live there. With Kong Wanqing’s infiltration and negative influence, Guo Wei planned to transform into a fierce ghost, but was ultimately stopped by Yin Ren, who pulled up his old memories of his school days.
His classmates, crush, and teacher who cared for him were able to sway his emotions. He ultimately decided he didn’t want to become a ghost. Once Guo Laifu’s sanity was restored and he was sentenced to death, Guo Wei would disappear as well.
Yin Ren offered to turn him into a ghost, but Guo Wei was unable to let go of the happiest memory of his life. Rather than becoming a ghost and losing all his memories, he chose to remain in Guo Laifu’s mind until Guo Laifu died.
“The sudden fire at the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center affected the hearts of all citizens. It’s reported that more than 3,000 infatuated fans who were originally going to attend Mr. Song Shengsheng’s memorial service are trapped in the fire, including the staff of the cultural center, who didn’t evacuate in time, and dozens of police officers who rushed to the fire to participate in the rescue.”
“According to the trapped personnel who fled the scene, they revealed to reporters that there were many fire points in the center, most of which were located around trash cans, and the fire protection system in the art center was damaged due to unknown reasons.”
“At the same time, relevant news said that the Lake Ludi Tunnel and Yongchuan Avenue were severely blocked, causing delays for rescuers to enter the Xining Development Zone.”
……
Countless messages spread through countless phones and calls. Many people were crying and asking for help, and some were hugging each other.
Lin Chen looked around from a distance. His phone hadn’t rung since the rolling gate fell. Many people around him were making calls, but it seemed no one could successfully connect them.
If it weren’t for the sound of him running while communicating with someone, getting into a car, then panting violently through the headset, he would’ve felt as if he were on an isolated desert island. All the surrounding scenes would be the same as those filmed in any disaster movie.
After the initial panic, the desperate cries for help came next.
Some people slammed on the door repeatedly, while others tried smashing windows. In the same way, some people continued to rush down from the second floor. Obviously, even though the windows were smashed, the escape speed couldn’t keep up with the flow of people.
What was more, the floor plan for the Christine Cultural Center once again appeared in Xing Conglian’s mind. Although they were now on the first floor, they were equivalent to the fifth floor of an ordinary residential building, so it was extremely dangerous to escape from the window.
Small explosions, fires, network disconnections, blocked communication, difficulties in escaping, and failures in the firefighting system were all the dilemmas they were facing…
Moreover, he looked at the performance information board that originally stood upright. The screen was completely black, and the scrolling subtitles disappeared, so now there was another problem… Power failure…
He quickly analyzed the situation. There were indeed many problems, but that didn’t mean that they were really in a desperate situation. There was always a source of all problems, and they could always be solved. He looked to his side and asked, “What’s wrong with the communication?”
Wang Chao was drenched all over. Water was dripping from his hair, but there was no despair in his eyes. He took his laptop out of his backpack energetically. The first thing he said was, “Fortunately, I bought a waterproof backpack. Comrade Xiao Wang is so smart.”
Although this was out of place, it was rare that Xing Conglian felt relieved.
The current situation was indeed more difficult to deal with than that of the Ansheng International Mall that day. The power failure and loss of wireless connectivity meant that they couldn’t use the broadcasting system to appease the masses. Looking at the phone screens that were lit up in the darkened space, Xing Conglian asked, “Can I send a group text?”
“Mass distribution is no problem. The key is who to send it to?”
Xing Conglian looked out the window and said decisively, “Use the base station to send text messages to all phone users in the signal coverage area.”
“Isn’t this the same as a spam text?!” Wang Chao’s eyes lit up. “Alright, easy-peasy.”
There were only sporadic, light drips of water coming from the ceiling. White smoke was faintly wafting out the window. The fire on the second floor was getting bigger. The captain of the Xining police station wanted to take people to rush upstairs against the flow of people.
Xing Conglian pulled him back and said calmly, “Wait a moment.”
“We have to go up and investigate the situation!”
Xing Conglian looked at the anxious faces of the captain of the Xinni police station and several police officers and nodded. He took out Wang Chao’s tablet, adjusted the floor plan, and said to them, “This is our current situation. This is the second floor. For convenience of description, the locations of the fire rolling gates and emergency fire hydrants are divided into areas A1–A10 from south to north. There must be a huge backlog of people. Be sure to pay attention to safety.” After he finished speaking, he took out four sets of wireless headsets from the backpack. “Sorry, I only have four. Also, this is my number. Please keep in touch at all times after communication is restored.”
He immediately entered a string of numbers into his phone, and several people nodded solemnly to him. Xing Conglian would never forget that kind of look without hesitation for the rest of his life.
……
When Lin Chen received the text message, he had just gotten out of a car. He passed by an anxious father holding his daughter as the owner of the car lowered his window and wished him luck.
He looked up at the skyscraper in front of him, then looked back at the towering cultural center in the distance. Wisps of green smoke began to surround the building. The fire brigade of Xining Development Zone had already driven the only two remaining firefighting vehicles to the scene, but compared to the giant building and the wide square in front of it, the two fire trucks looked like a drop in the bucket.
[The police have received the alarm. For the sake of smooth communication, if there is no emergency, please do not use your phone and do not make repeated calls for rescue.]
Lin Chen rushed into the elevator entrance, pressed the button, and managed to finally read the text he just received.
The elevator door opened, and he stepped into it.
[The fire situation is unknown. Please try to stay in a safe area. Because the floor is too high, please do not try to escape from the window. If you encounter thick smoke, please lie low and keep crawling away from it as you wait for rescue.]
The elevator was climbing rapidly as the scarlet letter kept changing.
[Don’t panic, don’t push. The police will do everything they can to protect everyone’s safety. Please trust us.]
Ding. The sound of the elevator arriving sounded.
……
Inside the rolling gate.
The voices of everyone else reporting the fire continued to ring from Xing Conglian’s headset, but there was no voice from Lin Chen.
“Captain Xing, ahem… The fire situation in the A1 and A2 areas isn’t serious. Due to the fall of the rolling gate, we’re temporarily unable to reach A3 and A4.”
“The fire spread from the nearby fire escape, which made it difficult to evacuate the masses.”
“According to the people who escaped from A5 and A6 just now, the fire is most serious near the central hall, which has the densest flow of people, but the situation inside is unknown.”
Xing Conglian held down the headset and looked at Wang Chao. “Can you contact the fans in the central hall?”
Wang Chao pulled up the numbers from the ticket list of the fan club and dialed them.
……
Mu Wenhua’s phone suddenly rang.
At that time, she was sitting in the front position of the central hall and was writing a text message to her husband. After thinking about it, she deleted the words [Take care of our daughter.].
The screams all around had subsided, and there weren’t many cries. The people who were trying to find the exit also retreated. The surroundings were dark. Except for the green lights from the emergency exits, there was only the light of people’s phones. Looking down from above, it was like a sea of stars shining brightly.
Just now, the backpack of a certain girl in the front row exploded, and flames spread from there. Fortunately, another person next to the girl reacted quickly and happened to be sitting next to a fire extinguisher. They were able to protect the girl and the fire was successfully put out. Except for the few people nearby who had varying degrees of burns, it didn’t cause too serious injuries.
There was already a faint burnt smell in the air, and now the burns weren’t too serious.
Mu Wenhua looked around and pressed the answer button.
……
Lin Chen was still climbing up. The elevator didn’t go to the highest floor. Although Mr. Meijing could be anywhere in this high-rise building, in fact, in a practical sense, he would only be at the highest point, which was the rooftop.
The voice of Xing Conglian kept ringing in his headset. While comforting the fans in the central hall, Xing Conglian quickly grasped the fire situation and recounted it to him.
Firefighters had already started breaking through the door, and the rest of the area wasn’t a big problem. However, the fire started from outside the central hall, so all the fans attending the meeting were trapped by it.
“This is the most serious problem.” Xing Conglian paused. Lin Chen seemed to hear the sound of a cutting machine grinding on the rolling gate. “The building’s own fire protection system has completely stopped.”
“This is impossible. Didn’t the sprinkler system turn on?”
“I’m afraid that the first floor has run out of water from the reservoir, so the sprinkler system on the second floor can’t access it due to a lack of water. If I’m not wrong, there’s a power outage that caused the problem with the fire pump, which can’t pump in more water.”
“Impossible!” Lin Chen ran up the last floor, holding the handrail. The iron gate that blocked the roof was in front of him. “The fire protection system has two backup power sources, and power won’t be cut off even if the gate is closed.”
“Therefore, the intelligent control system of this building has been artificially destroyed.”
“You just said that because of the sprinkler on the first floor coming on, the water reserves of the sprinkler system on the second floor were used up. This means that the culprit didn’t intend to create a fire on the first floor. His target has always been the fans in the central hall on the second floor.” Lin Chen put his hand on the iron gate as his mind was turning. “Xing Conglian, there’s a problem here. Why must it be Song Shengsheng…”
Lin Chen wanted to say something more, but he felt a light pat on the back.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen drew his gun and loaded it. Then he turned and raised his hand, but the man behind him didn’t hide or dodge. At that moment, Lin Chen could only see a gentle smile hidden in the man’s eyes.
It was a middle-aged man in a gray suit and black backpack. He had a pair of earplugs in his ears, as if he were listening to some brisk music. Lin Chen aimed the gun at the man’s forehead, but the man didn’t waver and instead kept smiling at him. “Lin Chen, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Why did you come here?”
……
Lin Chen had never been called in such a way.
It was very intimate and kind, with a slight upturn at the end, as if it were a parent calling their beloved child or an owner calling their pet to go home.
His gun was firmly placed between the brows of the middle-aged man. The eyes of the middle-aged man were slightly bent, revealing a gentle smile. There was no fear; only harmony in those eyes. The next moment, the other party moved. Lin Chen’s hand pressed on the trigger, but he couldn’t fire. The middle-aged man stretched out his hand and touched his head gently, then pinched his earlobe. In the end, he felt no fear. He quickly moved his head away from the muzzle of Lin Chen’s gun, turned slightly sideways, and pushed open the iron door behind him. “Want to see? Let’s go together.”
There was a strong breeze on the rooftop. The closer one got to the sky, the more dazzling the sun became.
The sky was clear and blue. Lin Chen put away his gun. The other party’s meaning was clear. Even if you have a gun, I can do anything, and you still won’t dare shoot me.
He had to admit that the judgment of this gentleman in this situation was completely different from that of a pure pervert like Li Jingtian.
Lin Chen followed the other party and stood facing the cultural center.
The square was crowded with people. Looking down from the sky was like watching countless ants fight for their lives.
Under the blue sky, he couldn’t see any fires from the silver-white building in the distance, but there was vague white smoke floating above. Lin Chen knew very well that when the raging fire could be seen from his position, it was when the entire building would return to heaven.
The middle-aged man stood next to him, looking down at the chaos under his feet with relief. He suddenly seemed to think of something, retracted his gaze, and stretched out his hand to him. “Lin Chen, it’s our first-time meeting. Let me introduce myself. My name is Liang Meijing. You can call me Mr. Meijing.”
Lin Chen bowed to the other party politely and shook hands with him. “Hello, Mr. Meijing.”
The other party shook his hands, as if he were extremely happy that he was addressing him so politely. “In fact, after the last incident, I wanted to meet you, but I’ve been busy with a lot of things recently, so I didn’t come to greet you in time. I hope you don’t mind.”
“How could that be?”
Lin Chen turned the gun around for half a circle and stuffed it back into his pocket. Mr. Meijing seemed to appreciate this gesture. “Yes, it’s rare for us to have a chance to chat. It’s better to face each other with sincerity than weapons.”
Lin Chen nodded and asked, “Shall we sit down and talk?”
When he asked this question, the middle-aged man’s expression was slightly surprised, but he quickly recovered. “Where do you want to sit?”
Lin Chen answered his question through practical action. He sat down crossed-legged on the rooftop. Although the cement surface was scalding hot at noon, he still sat comfortably. Then he raised his hand and patted the area beside him, signaling the other person to sit with him.
Upon seeing this, Mr. Meijing smiled slightly. He took out a snow-white handkerchief from his pocket, spread it on the ground, then sat down. He looked at the fire scene from a distance. The fire was spreading quickly. In a short time, the orange-red flame had already burned through the glass curtain wall and was threatening to show its teeth and claws in mid-air.
“I remember at that time, your shimei jumped to her death?”
Lin Chen looked at the crow’s feet on the corner of the middle-aged man’s eyes next to him and said calmly, “Yes, the distance between me and her at that time was almost as close as we’re now, but I still couldn’t save her.”
“So when you saw Song Shengsheng’s body, did you feel the same way?”
“What does it feel like?”
Mr. Meijing’s eyes seemed to glow. “Like someone who wants to die. Someone who blames themselves. Why couldn’t I come sooner?”
“Yes, it’s a heart-wrenching pain, but that’s all.”
“I’m really sorry for causing you so much pain, but in fact, you shouldn’t blame yourself too much. Your shimei really died willingly. She even gave me a blowjob the morning before she died. A girl of that age, her father complex was too serious, even for me, so it was difficult to parry. You know, she was also pregnant with my child, but in the end, she miscarried. It’s a pity.”
Meijing gave a wry smile, but Lin Chen could see only ridicule in that smile.
“Why are you telling me this?” Lin Chen pointed to the earplugs in his ears. “This whole thing is being recorded. Can I treat it as a confession?”
“Of course you can.” Mr. Meijing smiled and said, “Lin Chen, my child. I just want to talk to you before you die.”
Lin Chen supported his chin with one hand, propped his knees, and easily pointed to the people around him, then pointed to himself. “Why do you think it must be me who will die between the two of us?”
“Because I have the ability to foresee. Later, you will willingly jump off this building and fall into a bloody mess. I have seen that scene with my own eyes. When you die, it’ll be beautiful.”
Lin Chen tilted his head slightly. The scorching sun was burning him all over. He asked earnestly, “But I don’t want to die yet. What should I do?”
“There’s no such thing as not wanting to die in this world.” Meijing laughed. “Song Shengsheng didn’t want to die either. He has lived like a dog for so many years. In order to survive, I don’t know how many people have raped him, but then what? He still died in the end.”
“Do you really think so?” Lin Chen raised his head suddenly, looking at Mr. Meijing’s helpless face, and said seriously, “If you really think so, I suddenly feel that I have a slight chance of getting out here alive.”
……
The fire spread faster than expected.
As the first member of the fire squadron to rush to the scene, Li Chongyuan felt despair in the face of the behemoth in front of him. The scene was constantly blocked by fire doors. He had been involved in more than ten years of fire rescue, and he would be able to retire honorably in half a month. In his more than ten years of firefighting experience, it wasn’t that he had never seen a fire that was more serious than the disaster in front of him, but at no point was there a shadow of death this intense than now.
He held the cutting machine and used all his strength to cut open the rolling gate in front of him. His teammates had already gone up to the more dangerous fire on the second floor to evacuate the crowd. The flames burned through the glass curtain wall, and there was a violent explosion. According to his experience, even if they gathered 30 firefighting vehicles, it was barely enough to contain the fire. Now that he looked back at the square full of desperate expressions, he continued to hold the machine in his hand tightly.
At the moment the rolling gate was cut open, someone kicked the door open, and a flood of people swarmed out.
He didn’t have time to help the people evacuate, but he looked at the gap in the door and saw two people who were calling non-stop in the corner. He remembered the emergency task assigned by the squadron leader just now and hurried over and saluted. “Hello, Captain Xing. Li Chongyuan of Xining Squadron. I have been ordered to assist you in dealing with the fire.”
The person didn’t pay attention to him immediately, but instead kept listening to the phone with his head down. After a while, he hung up the phone. His tone was calm, without any panic. “Let me briefly report the current situation of the fire to you. The trapped people on the first floor have basically been evacuated through the underground parking lot by the emergency exit. Only our area and the same area on the opposite side have no emergency passage for evacuation, but the main problem now is that it’s difficult to rescue the fire site on the second floor. All emergency exits are blocked, and because of the rolling gates, the fire areas got divided with sporadic people trapped between.” As the man spoke, he showed him all the fire points with his tablet. After he finished speaking, he drew a circle on the largest hall on the three-dimensional map. “The fire is surrounding the central hall. There are 3,000 people in it. Due to the failure of the fire fighting system, the smoke exhaust equipment stopped working. It’s expected that the trapped people will be able to persist for at most 10 to 15 minutes. They’ll die from smoke inhalation.”
Li Chongyuan raised his head suddenly. “It’s too fast. We have too little manpower. It’s impossible to evacuate 3,000 people in such a short time.”
“In your experience, what’s the only possibility for the 3,000 people in the hall to survive?” the man asked.
Li Chongyuan raised his eyes and filtered all the firefighting information from the Christine Cultural Center in his mind. He raised his head and said decisively, “Our follow-up squadron will arrive at the scene in 10 minutes at the earliest. The cultural center adopts an R-level intelligent linkage fire fighting system. We need the fire fighting system to resume operation to reduce the fire for a short time, but it’s not clear what the problem of the fire system failure is exactly.”
“Power distribution room.” Beside Xing Conglian, a young technician said, “I just calculated that the fire fighting system was never activated. There are many fire monitoring points in the building. No one can destroy all the monitoring points at the same time. The fastest way to make the fire fighting system of the entire building fail in a short period of time is to cut off the main power supply. I suspect that the power distribution room has been blown up.”
“Where’s the backup generator?”
He and Xing Conglian asked in unison.
……
The glass curtain wall was constantly cracking.
Everyone stayed away from the building to avoid being hit by splashes. Every small explosion caused the crowd in the square to scream. The turbulent flow of people was constantly pushing and shoving, and no one knew where the next cluster of flames would rise from.
Firefighters raised ladders to rescue the trapped people inside and continued to evacuate as many people as possible. In the end, only the police officers in the navy-blue uniforms continued to rush towards the fire.
Lin Chen looked at the purgatory-like scene under him. Xing Conglian’s voice, deploying on-site personnel, kept coming out of his headset. He gradually calmed down and listened to Xing Conglian’s voice.
As the wind blew across the sky, he pressed the headset and looked at the calm, middle-aged man beside him. “I didn’t hear what you just said.”
“I said, there’s no possibility that you can walk out of this building alive.”
“Why?”
“You’ll know soon.”
“You don’t need to hurry. Since you were waiting for me here and said that I’d be willing to jump off the building to commit suicide, you probably have the confidence to say this because you have many people’s lives in your hands.”
“Lin Chen, you really amaze me.” Meijing had a look of approval on his face. “So are you going to kneel down and beg me?”
“Didn’t you just say that I’d jump from here willingly? My life is in your hands, so there’s no need to kneel down,” Lin Chen said sincerely. “Then before I die, is there any room for redemption?”
“Hahaha.” Mr. Meijing laughed heartily. “Well, I’ll let you ask three questions, just like the game you played with Li Jingtian, but it’s a little more exciting than that.”
“I appreciate further details.”
“Look, we’re now very close to the edge of the rooftop. You can ask me three questions. Every time I finish answering one, you will take a step back. When I finish answering the last question…” The middle-aged man spread out his palm and breathed softly, “You’ll turn around, disappear from here, and go with the wind.”
“Very interesting.” Lin Chen patted the dust off his body and stood up from the ground somewhat casually. He turned his back to the distant fire and stared at the middle-aged man in front of him.
“You seem very confident?”
“Because I’m really good at guessing, so you must remember to hide your thoughts.”
As he said this, he took a step back. “My first question. Why Song Shengsheng?”
……
When Xing Conglian heard Lin Chen ask this question, he was wearing a heavy fire fighting suit.
According to the staff who escaped from the negative second floor, the fire there was also very large, and unless they passed through the fire, there was no way to enter the central control area to find the backup generator controls.
“There’s also an electronic door. I’ll give you the access control card. You must keep it safe and don’t let it get burned.”
A young man who claimed to be the secretary of the general manager of the Christine Cultural Center handed him an access card. He nodded and took it. The light voice from his headset made him hold the card tightly.
He could hear the sound of the wind whistling past the top of the high-rise building. Lin Chen’s voice was almost inaudible due to the wind, but he knew very well that Lin Chen was standing on the edge of the roof, and had taken a firm step towards the line of death.
At that moment, Xing Conglian wanted to get rid of everything and rushed upstairs to grab Lin Chen. He raised his head and looked up at the top of the building, which was more than 100 meters high. He then turned around, put on an oxygen mask, and walked towards the basement.
……
“Lin Chen, I’m really surprised that you used such a precious opportunity to ask why I chose Song Shengsheng.”
“I’m going to die anyway. It’s more important to untangle the knot in my heart.”
“Don’t you understand?” Mr. Meijing sighed softly. “I chose Song Shengsheng because I know exactly what kind of talent is most attractive to you.”
“What you mean is, Song Shengsheng is just bait to lure us, and the fire in the cultural center is to retaliate against us?”
“How can you say it’s revenge? It’s more appropriate to say it’s a gift,” Mr. Meijing said sincerely.
“Because we arrested Yang Dianfeng and disrupted your live broadcast. Why didn’t you target us directly?”
“Lin Chen, my child, you’re so naïve.” Meijing shook his head helplessly. “Turn around and look at those people who are crying so sadly below. The heart-wrenching pain you have tasted, they will soon understand. What do you think they will think when they see the charred corpses of their loved ones and hear that their loved ones are the victims of revenge?”
Lin Chen asked disapprovingly, “Why should I care what they think?”
“Then let me tell you. Many of them must feel that if the police hadn’t fought against us, these people wouldn’t have died. It’s you who they will blame for killing their loved ones.”
Lin Chen nodded. “Well, when these people speak out to condemn the police, you can contribute to making this voice gradually become the mainstream of society. In the future, law enforcers will not dare speak out and will start doing things with their hands tied. Is this the result you want?”
“Indeed. In fact, you should know better than me how easy it is to manipulate the public’s psychology. People are ignorant and follow the crowd. With a little manipulation, the innocent victims who died in this fire can become brain-dead groupies. Many people will say that they wouldn’t have died if they hadn’t chased stars, so they deserve it…”
“I see. Although I think you’re a little naïve and flustered, after hearing what you said, are Song Shengsheng’s fans dead?”
“Don’t cheat. Isn’t this a second question? You have to step back.” Meijing pointed his finger to the ground behind Lin Chen.
……
Mu Wenhua was sitting in the central hall, unaware that a discussion had been started about her regarding the social evaluation after her death. In fact, everyone may have considered this already. Being trapped and burned to death because of chasing a star didn’t sound glorious.
However, Mr. Meijing probably wouldn’t have thought that what she was thinking about now was similar to what Consultant Lin, who wanted to save her life, was. There were many idiots in the world. If one had to listen to every idiot’s words and remember them, it was better to just die early.
In life, it was more important to love yourself and your loved ones. These were almost the heartfelt words of a mother and groupie who were about to be choked to death by smoke. She completely maintained a posture of crawling on the ground, looking at the photos of her daughter, husband, and her favorite, Mr. Song Shengsheng, in her phone album.
She hummed a very light tune, and then she heard the girl who was lying next to her humming too.
The temperature of the air gradually increased, and a clearly visible flame was ejected from the emergency exit. Although the fire hadn’t completely burned through the walls of the hall, it looked to be coming fast.
……
Lin Chen took another step back.
He didn’t have eyes behind his head, but he could still feel the crumbling feeling caused by the violent wind and the 100-meter drop. Those weren’t hallucinations but real pressure.
Xing Conglian’s extremely heavy gasping sound came from his headset. Although he didn’t know where the other party was, he could tell that Xing Conglian should have entered the deepest part of the fire just from his breathing. It should be dark there, extremely hot, and it would take all the strength in his body just to breathe. Xing Conglian’s mask should be covered with water vapor. When he wiped them away, he should be able to see those dark, green eyes like a pool of water.
“Of course you don’t have to die.” Mr. Meijing sat on the ground and looked at his watch. “Lin Chen, in fact, as long as you jump off this building to atone for your sins, I guarantee that most of them will be able to survive.”
“1 life for 3,000?” Lin Chen felt incredulous. “That’s too good of a deal. Since when did you start making bad deals?”
“It’s not a loss at all. The legendary Consultant Lin is still very valuable. In fact, you see, it’s the same to me whether you die or those people down there.”
“I see. If I jump as you say, it will tell many people in this world that evil can prevail over those chicken soup for the soul words. People will have to succumb to a stronger party.”
Mr. Meijing stroked his hands and began to applaud. “So, Lin Chen, you still have 10 minutes at most.” Mr. Meijing took out a pack of small cookies from his backpack, unwrapped it, and stuffed a piece into his mouth. “But this should be difficult for you. After all, your indecision killed Song Shengsheng. You obviously had an entire month to save him, but what were you doing at that time? Grabbing tickets? If you used a tough attitude to demand a meeting with Song Shengsheng, perhaps he would have mustered up the courage to tell you everything. Our plan wouldn’t succeed, and the people below you wouldn’t have to die…”
“I’m dying, so don’t lie to me. Song Shengsheng was missing a tooth. You installed a bug on him, and you used the lives of his fans to threaten him, so he wouldn’t tell me about it.” The wind on the top floor was suddenly strong. Lin Chen sat down as he spoke helplessly.
“You know about the dentures?” Mr. Meijing finally showed some surprise on his face.
“Yes, I just asked you why Song Shengsheng. In fact, there should be some reason it’s him, right?”
Mr. Meijing took out a thermos and unscrewed the lid. Gurgling tea flowing into a cup sounded. He breathed in the tea and had a smile of reminiscence on his face. “Song Shengsheng, when I first met him, I thought he was like an expensive large dog with bright fur. When I go out, the little girls who love him would point and scream. I really love him as my own child.”
Lin Chen asked patiently, “Then why destroy him?”
“When he went to Xiang Ye for the first time, I happened to be there that day. I was very distressed when I heard he was being abused by Li Jingtian over and over again. But as you know, Li Jingtian is the grandson of Mr. Li. We operate in Xinni and still need to rely on Lao Li for our business, so Xiang Ye persuaded Song Shengsheng to be patient. But Shengsheng disagreed. I have seen the injuries on his body. It was terrible. He was so miserable, but he actually still had the strength to slam on Xiang Ye’s desk. His entire body was full of fighting spirit, as if he were inflamed.”
“What happened later?”
“He was really disobedient, so we had no choice but to tie him to a chair. Xiang Ye opened his mouth and took pliers and pulled out his teeth…” Meijing said as he leisurely took a sip of tea. “You should really see the scene at that time. He bled profusely, and his voice was broken from screaming so much. We also spent a lot of effort to stop the bleeding and install the fake tooth. But in the end, the way he looked at us was still burning, and he didn’t give in at all. It was quite interesting.”
“Since he’s that kind of person, how did you get him to submit?”
“You know, it’s most interesting to break a hound’s leg and watch him lie in his kernel.” Mr. Meijing bit off a piece of cookie. “Actually, in the beginning, he kept making small movements behind our backs, thinking we wouldn’t know, but in fact, we really knew everything. One day, he was looking through Xiang Ye’s bedroom when I walked in and caught him.”
“You punish him?”
“It can’t be called punishment. After all, the next day happened to be his record signing event. Before the meeting, Xiang Ye took him to stand on a high place, looking at the signing event, and showed him a piece of news. The news of two girls at Fengchun University being involved in a car accident. One of them, Song Shengsheng, knew. She was one of his female fans who had a heart attack. He donated a lot of money to that fan, and she was successfully saved and has gone back to college. Because of his risky actions, we had to kill two people overnight. It was truly exhausting.”
It was hard for Lin Chen not to follow Mr. Meijing’s voice back to that moment ten years ago. Everything that Song Shengsheng experienced was crueler than he imagined.
He couldn’t live or die. It was probably nothing more than that.
“He cried.”
“Yes, he punched Xiang Ye and cried. It’s said that was the first time he shed tears. He cried terribly, like a virgin who was preparing to cut her own throat to protect her chastity.”
“But you didn’t let him die?”
“Yes, we told him that if he dares die, I promise to kill many, many more of his fans.” When Meijing said this, his eyes turned to the fire in the distance. The white smoke had turned blue, and everything looked like hell. “I always keep my word.”
……
Mu Wenhua was singing—specifically—the girls in the entire central hall were singing softly.
[There’s no eternal love in this world, and no one can live forever, so let loose. Be wanton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!]
She didn’t know why, but everyone chose the same song. They all gathered together as the fire raged. The mothers were keeping the younger girls in a place further inside, away from the flames, but everyone knew that they couldn’t escape today, so they started singing.
That was Shengsheng’s favorite song. Although the song’s lyrics were explicit, it had a wonderful name: <I’ll Be With You Forever>.
I’ll Be With You Forever.
She didn’t know if she was hallucinating, but when she turned her head, she seemed to see Shengsheng standing on stage. His body seemed to be glowing.
He was saying, “Because I’m more handsome, it’s better for me to protect you~”
……
Traveling in the underground space was more difficult than he imagined. The backlog of smoke made searchlights useless. Xing Conglian was sweating like rain, and it was difficult to breathe. Perhaps it was because the underground space was too quiet that he could clearly hear the conversation at an altitude of 100 meters.
He could hear the calm and joyful voice of Meijing, and he could hear the painful trembling in Lin Chen’s voice when he asked the last question.
But now, he had to drive those pictures out of his mind and listen carefully to the instructions in the headset.
“Captain, Captain Li, there should be a staircase 5 meters in front of you. Walk down the stairs and you will be able to see the central control room.”
“Copy that.”
“The girl in the central hall said that the fire has broken through the walls and the smoke is getting heavier. They may not be able to hang on for much longer.”
“I checked the information on the cultural center. The central control room adopts the RM5 electronic door. The back door should be automatically opened when the power is off to ensure the safety of the personnel. If it’s not opened, I’m afraid that the server has failed, so the access card won’t work, and you need to enter the code directly.”
“You must pay attention to safety, Captain. No one will give me my allowance if you die.”
……
Lin Chen pressed the headset. When he heard the last words of Wang Chao, he felt relieved.
The child raised by Xing Conglian was truly fearless.
It was almost time. He patted the dust off his clothes and stood up from the ground.
Seeing him get up, Mr. Meijing’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh, have they already reached the electronic door?”
Lin Chen shook his head. “Not yet. So you also tampered with the electronic door?”
Meijing smiled. “Is this the last question?”
Lin Chen shook his head but still took a step back. The strong wind blew against him fiercely as he suddenly sneered. “My last question is, have you ever heard this very famous saying?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Villains die because they talk too much.”
Mr. Meijing laughed. He covered his mouth to prevent the cookie crumbs from spraying out indecently. “What does that mean?”
Lin Chen didn’t hesitate to take out the gun. He pulled the safety, loaded the gun, and pointed it at the middle-aged man on the ground. “After talking so much, you’re actually just going in circles. You keep leading the topic to the argument that I’m the same as Song Shengsheng. Because we provoked you, that’s why you were forced to kill.”
“That’s a fact.”
“It’s not a fact. It’s a typical technique using motive A to cover up motive B. It boils down to the fact that your motive was never to take revenge on us. You just wanted to kill Song Shengsheng’s fans. You just said you knew about me grabbing tickets. It means you have been monitoring the voting system of the fan meeting, and the ticket grabbing rules at that time were very interesting. It shows that every fan in the venue is carefully selected. You deliberately selected the most veteran fans of Song Shengsheng. There must be a reason. Song Shengsheng gradually realized your actions and chose to warn us by committing suicide. The timing of his death couldn’t have been more appropriate. Xiang Ye was arrested, and we’re able to get here in time because of him.”
Meijing just smiled and shook his head speechlessly.
“Song Shengsheng is the toughest person I’ve ever seen in my life. Since you put that tooth on him, I’m afraid he hasn’t said anything for many years. Probably even you haven’t thought about it, but dead people do speak.”
“Lin Chen, I’m the one who has known Song Shengsheng for many years. Not you. Why do you think he didn’t want to meet you? Because he didn’t dare. His bones have been broken, and even his tendons were pulled out one by one. You don’t know how much he wants to return to the stage. Even if he had to kneel and crawl, he would. So he didn’t want to die at all. If he was as smart as you said, he would have known what we wanted to do, and he would have committed suicide. Why did it have to be today?”
“Yes, I also want to know why it must be today.”
The sky was clear, and the sun was blazing. Lin Chen glanced at the bright universe as he asked this solemnly.
Song Shengsheng, what else is there that you want to say but I haven’t heard?
……
In the underground space, in front of the sturdy electronic door, a tone indicating that the password had failed kept ringing.
Xing Conglian turned his head, and behind him was a flood of hot, black smoke, but he couldn’t see any flames. Beside him, the firefighter who descended into the fire with him was repeatedly trying to open the door with the access card.
But fail, fail, still fail…
Finally, Li Chongyuan threw away the access card and took out the tools from his toolbox that he was carrying with him and prepared to pry off the electronic control board directly.
“Wang Chao, is there any other way? The door can’t be opened. Is it possible to pick the lock? Or hack it?”
“Fuck me, Captain. It stands to reason that this kind of electronic door will automatically open after it’s powered off, and you don’t even need a password. Tell me, is the mode of the electronic display board fail safe or fail security?”
Xing Conglian looked at it immediately. “Fail security.”
Wang Chao roared. “What idiot put the door in fail security mode. Does he think the door to the central control room is a vault? Captain, tell Captain Li not to try to break the door. In fail security mode, the security level is the highest. If you break the door forcibly, it will automatically lock. I promise you, you won’t be able to open it again in a short time!”
Li Chongyuan stopped immediately. The voice in his headset was still talking, but Xing Conglian suddenly felt that the surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that he could only hear Lin Chen’s slow breathing.
“Lin Chen, we need a password,” he said to him.
……
Lin Chen raised his gun and took a step forward.
Probably discovering the change in his face, the middle-aged man sitting on the ground said, “The door isn’t easy to open, right? Well, leave me a number, and after you commit suicide, I’ll tell them the password. Don’t worry, I always keep my word.”
“You’ve changed the code on the electronic door?” he asked.
“Bingo. So, do you want to save those people or not?”
Lin Chen found this quite comical. “I just said, Mr. Meijing, villains often die because they talk too much. In fact, this is also a psychological problem. Villains like you are proud, arrogant, and think they are always in control of the overall situation, so when it comes to the final moment of victory, you can’t help but brag. It’s always so easy to talk so much shit. If you talk too much, you’ll lose. I suggest you shut up now. This was my sincere advice to Li Jingtian. Don’t give me any chances to guess the password.”
“Even if you want to guess, you’ll still have to know my biographical information, but you don’t even know who I am…” Meijing whispered softly.
Looking at Mr. Meijing’s arrogant and cunning smile, Lin Chen said calmly, “I don’t need to know who you are. You’ve already said so much to me just now. I know enough.”
“Really?”
“You’re cynical and have obvious antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders. You regard human lives as nothing and think all beings are evil. You look down on all ordinary people and treat human life as a joke. You always feel like this is some kind of game set up by you, and everyone is just a pawn in your hand. You ridiculed the fans’ stupid love for Song Shengsheng. Of course, you also think Song Shengsheng is stupid, and you look down on him very, very much.”
“He’s really a dog.”
“As I said just now, your biggest problem is that you think Song Shengsheng is a plaything under your control. I think it’s his hypocrisy and obedience to you that gave you this impression. Every day, he’s under your control, but he’s full of fighting spirit. This battle will not end until he reaches the end of his life, and since he chose death, it means that he has ushered in the final victory with his death.”
“I’m going to blush with you praising Song Shengsheng so much.”
“So, did you really set that password?” Lin Chen sneered as he took another step forward.
After he asked that question, he saw an obvious crack in the originally decent smile on Mr. Meijing’s face.
“No need to answer. Your expression has already told me the answer.” He gently pressed his fingers on his lips and made a quiet gesture. “People like you like to play those cruel human games the most. Let Song Shengsheng know that his resistance killed his fans or force me to commit suicide to save others. You will always have the greatest malice towards the world, but you like to play with meaningless and symbolic things the most. If you want to set up a password for a door that will never be opened and kill those fans who love Song Shengsheng, pray tell, who would you use to come up with it?”
After Lin Chen finished speaking, he took another step forward. He was getting closer to the malicious manifestation on the ground. “Your expression tells me that that person is Song Shengsheng. You wouldn’t be stupid to ask Song Shengsheng casually what number he likes so you can use it to kill the fans that love him the most.” Lin Chen didn’t give Meijing a chance to speak, because he finally knew why Song Shengsheng chose to die today. “Yesterday, he came here for rehearsal. Of course, he didn’t know your plans, but he’s a smart person. When he came here, he finally connected the dots. He knew what you were going to do. You were going to kill people—many, many people—so he had to use his own death to stop all this. He knew the password. He knew how evil you were and knew that you might not necessarily use the string of numbers he provided when you asked him that day. But if he committed suicide, you were more likely to use the number he was thinking of. After all, a password set by a living person will always have the possibility of being cracked, but a password thought up by a dead person wouldn’t, right?”
Mr. Meijing’s face turned ashen. Finally, there was no trace of humility or gentleness left on his face. He laughed cruelly. It was as if an ancient evil had been resurrected, mouthful of blood and devouring goodwill wherever he went.
Lin Chen knew he had guessed right. “Are you wondering what on earth you overlooked that allowed Song Shengsheng to pass on the password? But he obviously didn’t use words. You haven’t thought about it, have you? That old dog that you despise can stab you in the back even after death.”
Meijing grinned. “No, you guessed wrong. It’s a password I set up. The old dog Song Shengsheng doesn’t know anything at all.”
“No, that’s the number he wanted.”
The scorching sun was dazzling as the strong breeze blew through the sky.
Lin Chen spoke slowly. “Song Shengsheng entered showbiz too early. He hasn’t read too many books. If he set the password and wanted to pass it on, it wouldn’t be too complicated, but only those who love him can guess it. You should know that Song Shengsheng likes to paint the symbol & very much, but I didn’t see that symbol in the bathtub where he died. I’ve been thinking, why didn’t a person like him, who was full of faith, draw that symbol?”
“Why?”
“Because Song Shengsheng once said at a concert, if I die one day, please sing a song for me. It was a song full of explicit words, but the name was unexpectedly touching. This song comes from his beloved fairy tale, and only a veteran fan will know that in the lyrics of that song, there’s a decorative & after each line, except for one. That line of the lyrics is as long as a foot wrap, but because of a typesetting error, there was an & missing at the end.”
“So the password he set was in that line of the lyrics.”
Lin Chen didn’t know how the man who had his teeth pulled out, was blackmailed, and lived in the shadows of a hanging sword all day did all this. He didn’t even know what Song Shengsheng relied on to choose to commit suicide before taking the stage and realizing his wish.
But Song Shengsheng, who was rebellious, indulgent, and should have had a life like fire—was full of fighting spirit, and he never gave up.
Lin Chen once asked himself whether suffering and pain would make a soul humble, and he thought that Song Shengsheng had given him the answer.
He seemed to see the 18-year-old Song Shengsheng smiling heartily as he said to him, “Hey. I’m so proud. How can I bow my head to a shit like fate? I will never bow to fate.”
He took the last step and pressed the muzzle of his gun firmly between the middle-aged man’s brows. “Checkmate.”
……
The water curtain was overwhelming.
Mu Wenhua was helped out of the fire. Although she had been waiting inside for a long time, and her body was hot, the moment she walked into the sun, she discovered for the first time how warm the sun could be.
Separated from countless people, she saw the man she loved the most in her life rushing towards her with her daughter in his arms. Then she hugged her lover tightly with unprecedented strength.
She kissed her daughter’s soft cheek and wiped away the tears on her cheek with her smokey fingers.
……
There were people everywhere in the square.
Although Wang Chao had sent a text in advance to remind everyone to lay low, stay away from the fire source as much as possible, and pay attention to the high-temperature water vapors before the power was turned on, some people who were too close to the fire got burned by the heat, though it was just a minor injury that could be easily treated. Anyway, as long as people were still alive, there was hope.
At least this was what Comrade Xiao Wang thought.
Many long-legged nurses got out of the ambulances that started to arrive one after another, and they were doing simple bandages for the wounded.
He was finally able to sit comfortably in the police car with the air conditioning blowing. He looked at his laptop, guessing his boss’ roar would soon come out of the headset, telling him to go do this and that. In case his boss asked him to repair the server, repair the network, or something else, he felt he had to charge a high price. In short, he would go to Battle.net and buy the Digital Collector’s Edition of Overwatch.
……
Lin Chen didn’t know how he got down the stairs.
There was a scattered corpse on the ground. Just now, Meijing had jumped down from the high-rise building. He didn’t even have time to pull the trigger when the other party chose death.
It turned out that 1 was exchanged for 3,000, but the person who committed suicide by jumping off the building in the end became Mr. Meijing.
He walked around the body of the man on the ground and pushed away all the police officers who tried to help him.
Maybe it was because he had been in the sun for too long, but he only felt a splitting headache and severe pain in his eardrums, as if someone were constantly talking in his ear. For a while, it was Song Shengsheng singing, and for a while, it was Xing Conglian’s last “Okay”. The beeping sound of the electronic door failing to unlock kept ringing in his ears, which was incessant and desperate.
He felt that he could no longer tell the chronological order of things. Pictures all became blurred, but he clearly remembered the last scene before Meijing jumped off the building in his mind.
The gentle middle-aged man got up in front of the muzzle, moved his lips, and said to him with a smile, “Please give my regards to Captain Xing.”
After saying these words, Meijing quickly ran to the edge of the rooftop and gracefully jumped down.
For some reason, after he tried to call Xing Conglian, he got no response. He felt the gun in his hand was so heavy that he could barely hold it. If the two of them were the target of Meijing’s revenge, Xing Conglian might also be in danger. With his gun in his hand, any shots fired in the fire would be extremely dangerous.
He ran towards the square, surrounded by people clinging to each other. Men and women were hugging and kissing, with happy smiles on their faces after escaping death. There was water sprinkling in the sky. The fire had gradually extinguished, but there was still the sound of sporadic beeping and glass cracking.
But he couldn’t find Wang Chao or Xing Conglian. There was no familiar face as far as he could see. He kept asking everyone where Xing Conglian was but got no response. Some people even asked him strangely, “Who is Xing Conglian and who are you?”
Yes. Who is Xing Conglian, and what’s his relationship with him?
He stepped into the fire and saw the silver-gray security door that had been cut wide open. It was empty behind the door; the person he was looking for wasn’t there.
He wanted to yell, but found that his throat was too tense to make any sound.
The ground was wet—extremely wet—and everything was falling apart. He occasionally passed by some firefighters who were rescuing people. Someone asked him where he was going and who he was looking for, but he couldn’t answer. A lot of voices sounded in his ears again, as if someone was singing in the square. It was the same song—Song Shengsheng’s song. The singing was like a bright light penetrating the night, dyeing the surrounding chaos with a bit of color.
Someone sang, “There’s no eternal love in this world.”
He walked to the basement. There was only the green light of the emergency exit on. The surroundings were dark, and water was dripping from the ceiling.
He gradually heard the sound of footsteps. It was a firefighter with heavy steps. He grabbed him and asked the question again, “Where’s Xing Conglian?”
The other party scratched his head, then took off his mask and said to him, “You’re looking for Captain Xing? He’s just downstairs.”
He let go of the man and ran downstairs. He opened every door in the underground, but he didn’t find the person he was looking for.
The singing in the square seemed to have passed through the layers of concrete, but it might also be his auditory hallucination.
And no one can live forever…
Someone was harmonizing the song, “And no one can live forever…”
He was about to push open the last iron door at the end of the corridor, and at this moment, someone patted him lightly on the shoulder.
He suddenly turned his head, drew his gun, and pressed it firmly against the man’s forehead.
Then, he saw a pair of green eyes, as if they were the clearest spring water in the forest, or a very light wind blowing across the corners of his eyes and brows.
The man looked ashen. His face was blackened and covered in soot, but with a smile in his eyes, he said to him, “It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly heard the countless voices pouring into his ears. Many people were clamoring, “So let loose. Be wanton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!”
There’s no eternal love in this world, and no one can live forever, so let loose. Be wanton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!
So let loose. Be wonton, be free. Fuck it! Let him go!
Lin Chen dropped the gun, grabbed the man by his hair, and pushed him hard against the wall, then kissed him heavily.
The author has something to say:
I was born in the sky, grew up in the scorching sun. I soar in the wind, but never gone.
My dears, please don’t cry for me.
—Song Shengsheng
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the fourth arc. So many things I wanted to express, but I held out until the end so there wouldn’t be any spoilers.
First, the importance of Oscar Wilde’s work in this arc. Two of his works were specifically mentioned: The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and The Rose. There’s plenty of symbolism of self-sacrifice embodied by Song Shengsheng throughout this arc, as you can see, which reflects the theme of these two stories.
In both The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and The Rose, you have characters who give up everything in a selfless deed to protect those they love. The prince strips off everything he has to give to the poor, which eventually leads to his death. Likewise, the Nightingale sacrifices herself for a red rose so the one she loves can be happy. Song Shengsheng is very similar in this aspect, as he sacrificed his life to protect his fans.
Speaking of Song Shengsheng, it’s quite ironic that his name [Shengsheng] means sound, but he does not actually speak once throughout this arc (except for events in the past that’s recorded). This was purposeful on the author’s part.
I admit I struggled to get through this arc. The subjects were quite heavy and not to my taste (I really can’t stand rape), but it also has one of my favorite chapters: Lin Chen’s showdown with Li Jingtian, and the overall question about Song Shengsheng kept me anticipating.
I’m quite sad that Song Shengsheng died, which I have personal gripes about. I feel that his death felt forced by the author to make it seem more dramatic and tragic than necessary.
On my first read when I was translating it, I thought everything was too convoluted (including Song Shengsheng’s suicide) to push the tragedy that he will not live. When I read over this arc again for a second time during the proofread, I changed my opinions on the matter.
There’s a reason why Oscar Wilde is so heavily referenced in this arc. Song Shengsheng embodies the two stories that I mentioned above. To many people, the actions of the Happy Prince and the Nightingale might seem stupid (and likewise Song Shengsheng’s). I certainly couldn’t comprehend why he could put up with all this for a decade and still find no way to tell the police what’s going on without having to resort to a suicide, especially after the showdown between Li Jingtian and Lin Chen. He must have witnessed it and know how capable Lin Chen is and the fact that Lin Chen wanted to see him desperately would give him a chance to spill everything.
At least this is what I thought during my first read, but then after analyzing the arc after my second read when proofing, I factored in a few things. First, Song Shengsheng’s age. He was scouted at 16 and became a mega star at 18. At such a young age, he probably didn’t have the education and life experience yet to deal with such complicated issues that he was facing. Hell, probably even as an adult one probably would find it tough to make a decision. You can see this in real life where child stars go down a dangerous path without proper guidance from a caring and wise adult. Unfortunately for Song Shengsheng, the person he trusted the most, his first agent who brought him to his debut, was an evil person and manipulated him.
Second, due to his naiveness given his age, when faced with threats that his fans were going to be killed if he gets out of line, he resolved to suffer in order to protect them. To Song Shengsheng, his fans represent the student who was looking for the rose, or the poor, dying people in the Happy Prince. Seeing that their threat is very real and afraid of even a single one of his fans dying if he goes to the police, he chooses to submit. I would say this was where I had the most problem with as you can never trust an evil person to actually keep their word. However, Song Shengsheng couldn’t take the risk because he loves his fans too much and he knows that if he tries to tell the police, many fans will die before things get solved, and there’s also a fear that they won’t believe him (no evidence).
As indicated by the author, Song Shengsheng is kind and I think this kindness is to the extreme to the point where his love for his fans supersedes everything else, including himself. While Li Jingtian and Meijing think this is stupid, I think it does match his personality. We know he grew up watching Oscar Wilde’s works and regards those stories as his inspiration. His favorite is The Nightingale and The Rose and so after thinking about it for a while, I did find that it does make some sense in why Song Shengsheng acted the way he did.
Personally, I think the author made Song Shengsheng’s character way too altruistic, but it is backed up by the things mentioned in the arc. On my first read, I was too annoyed to really analyze these factors because I just find Song Shengsheng’s action inexplicable, but after letting my emotions settle, I came to a more rational conclusion.
Anyway, I could probably go on and write an entire thesis on this, but I’ll spare you. At the end of the day it is a work of fiction so not everything has to be sensible as they are in real life. Perhaps I’m just being too critical (but common, I’m still pissed that Shengsheng died).
I would say the arc is good but I didn’t enjoy it because of the heavy subject in it and the fact that the one person you wish to have his redemption… kinda did but like died in the process… was just too painful (and I had to read this arc at least twice!).
However, don’t let my thoughts influence your opinions on the story. You’re welcome to join my Discord server to discuss or leave a comment.
At least we finally have movement in Lin Chen’s and Xing Conglian’s relationship.
Kinky Translations 