For a place like a university, even if a hundred years passed, there wouldn’t be much change.
In fact, Lin Chen didn’t have much attachment to it, but he felt bad for passing by the school gate without going in to take a look.
In the early morning, the mist hadn’t dissipated yet, and the campus was very quiet, with only the sound of birds all around.
Lin Chen took Xing Conglian to walk on the old brick road down a path going towards campus.
At the end of the path was an old-fashioned Republic of China building that could vaguely be seen. The trees on the side of the road were lush, which obscured most of the scenery in the distance, so it was quite interesting to walk around and gawk at the scenery.
Xing Conglian put his hands in his pockets as they walked down the road. He suddenly said, “Your principal must not be a businessman.”
“Hm?” The spring breeze was light. Perhaps it blew Lin Chen into confusion, as he didn’t understand Xing Conglian’s words.
“It’s a pity this place doesn’t charge 20 yuan for admission.”
Lin Chen found it funny. “You’re just exaggerating, aren’t you?”
“A place that can teach you naturally is good.”
Lin Chen looked at him.
Xing Conglian’s eyes were lowered. His eyelashes trembled slightly in the breeze, and his eyes were gentle and sincere.
Lin Chen sighed. This person had a truly powerful ability. He could speak such cheesy words so candidly, yet the person on the receiving end would feel the words were rightfully deserved. Apart from sighing, he couldn’t think of a better way to respond.
Lin Chen stood in place, trying to find his words, when a siren suddenly sounded in the distance, penetrating the dense forest.
It sounded extremely urgent and seemed to still be moving, so it could be judged that it was a fast-moving police vehicle.
The two looked at each other.
Lin Chen was the first to speak. “It’s not my fault. You said you wanted to come here.”
Xing Conglian laughed helplessly.
Following the sound of the siren, the two quickly came to a lake.
Far away, they could see the outside of the grove by the lake, surrounded by bright yellow warning tape and police officers in navy blue uniforms.
At the end of the thickets, under a banyan tree, there seemed to be a forensic doctor in a white robe squatting.
Not far away, the cafeteria had started cooking, filling the air with the smell of fragrant rice.
Occasionally, students passed by the cordon. They looked at the police, who were going in and out with strange and curious expressions on their faces. The security guards stood on the outer side of the cordon, driving the students who wanted to watch away.
Lin Chen glanced at Xing Conglian, and the two hurried their pace.
Coincidentally, when he walked to the edge of the woods, Xing Conglian discovered the person who was leading the team was the vice captain of the Yongchuan Police Criminal Division, and he was the one who wanted to hand over new information on Yang Dianfeng’s case.
The two looked at each other and were surprised.
“Lao Xing, why are you here!” The vice captain, whose surname was Jiang, said casually.
Xing Conglian patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and introduced him to the other party. “Lin Chen, our new consultant. He graduated from Yongchuan University. It’s still early, so we decided to walk around the university first. Since you’re here, I’ll go to the car later and give you information about that case,” Xing Conglian said politely. He didn’t inquire about what happened in the grove.
“Is he the one who engaged the ‘Candy Bandit’ with you?” Vice Captain Jiang stared in surprise as he whispered to Xing Conglian.
Seeing Jiang Chao’s reaction so mysterious, Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen and said with a smile, “Yeah, why?”
“How awesome. A hero, a hero!” Jiang Chao took Lin Chen’s hand and shook it heavily. “Come, come.”
Lin Chen had seen too many cautious police officers but had never met such an enthusiastic person as Jiang Chao. This had made him quite unaccustomed. “We’re at a crime scene. This isn’t a convenient place to talk, right?”
“Rules, rules!” Jiang Chao waved his hands carelessly and raised the cordon, pulling Lin Chen inside.
Xing Conglian patted him on the shoulder, leaned into his ear, and whispered, “Fang Zhiming’s former comrade-in-arms.”
Lin Chen nodded, seemingly understanding.
——
On the side of the woods closest to the lake was a lush banyan tree with a green and lush canopy. As soon as the lake breeze blew, it swayed gently.
Lin Chen stood under the tree, a little surprised.
This banyan tree was one of the most beautiful landscapes in the minds of all Yongchuan students.
He remembered that when he was in college, many of his classmates liked to read books or fall in love under this tree. Because it wasn’t too cold or too hot here, you could shoot the breeze, read a few pages of your book, or take your lover’s hand and whisper sweet nothings to each other. Since the trunk was thick and the shade plenty, everything under the tree would appear calm and tranquil, including the person lying in the pit under the trunk right now.
It was a young man. His skin was a bit dark. His clothes were so dirty that their original color could no longer be recognized because they had been buried under the soil for so long. His legs were straightened, and he had his hands crossed on his chest. He looked very ordinary, with thick eyebrows and thin lips. It was almost the kind of face that no one would pay attention to if they came face-to-face with it, but to everyone who was present, when they first saw him, they couldn’t help but keep their eyes on his face.
Lin Chen stared quietly at the man lying in the ground.
The expression on that face was so comfortable and serene, as if the place where he was lying wasn’t a cold and hard pit, but the warmest bed in his home. At this moment, he seemed to just be resting on a down pillow and having a good dream without ever waking up.
The expression on that face is so comfortable and serene, as if the place where he was lying wasn’t a cold and hard pit, but the warmest bed in his home, and at this moment, he seemed to be just resting on a feathered pillow, having a good dream without ever waking up.
“The deceased’s name is Li Sa. He was a worker in the logistics department of your school.” Jiang Chao’s voice fluttered into Lin Chen’s ears.
As he spoke, Jiang Chao walked to the edge of the pit. There was already a forensic doctor squatting on the ground doing a preliminary autopsy.
“Well?” Jiang Chao asked.
“It’s very strange, very strange.” The forensic doctor frowned and pulled his hand away from the back of the deceased’s neck. “No trauma has been found for the time being, and it doesn’t look like poisoning.”
“Oh!” Jiang Chao’s eyes lit up. “It’s not murder!”
The forensic doctor gave him a sideways glance. “What are you thinking?”
“Since there’s no trauma, it’s most likely not a murder. It’s probably an ordinary corpse dumping case,” Jiang Chao said while looking up at the sky as if he were praying.
“Oh, excuse me, Boss Jiang, if he was still breathing when he was buried, would that also be considered corpse dumping?” The forensic scientist said coldly.
Hearing this, Jiang Chao’s eyes glazed over, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard. “What was the cause of death?”
“The preliminary judgment is that it’s mechanical asphyxiation.”
This so-called mechanical asphyxiation referred to an external force that obstructed the body’s breathing, resulting in a physiological dysfunction of the body from a lack of oxygen and leading to death.
In layman’s terms, the deceased suffocated to death.
Jiang Chao made a depressed face, but the forensic scientist had no intention of letting him go. “The deceased’s neck has no external injuries, indicating he wasn’t strangled. I checked his mouth and nose, and there were no obvious surface abrasions or subcutaneous or intradermal bleeding. In other words, he didn’t suffocate to death, so…”
“He was buried alive?” Lin Chen said lightly.
Jiang Chao took in a cold, deep breath.
The forensic doctor turned his head abruptly. “Who are you?!”
Xing Conglian took two steps forward and stood by Lin Chen’s side. “We’re from the Hongjing police force.”
“Oh, peers.” The forensic scientist squatted on the ground again, looked at Lin Chen with great interest, and asked, “What do you think?”
“Can you give me the time of death?” Lin Chen’s gaze fell on the hands on the deceased’s chest.
“Around 3:00 AM on the 12th,” the forensic doctor replied.
“Since he was buried alive, there are two possibilities.” Lin Chen paused then continued, “First, he was buried in the soil after he was unconscious, or second, he was lying in this grave while he was alive.”
“Then which one do you think is the most likely?”
“If it’s the first one, then you should be able to detect large amounts of sleeping-type drugs in his body. If it’s the second…”
“If it’s the second?”
“It’s impossible for a person to do it perfectly—dig a pit, lie in it, and then bury himself. Were there any shovel-like tools on the scene?” Lin Chen’s became cold.
“No… No.” Jiang Chao answered subconsciously.
Lin Chen lowered his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and asked the forensic scientist. “Can I see his hand?”
At this point, the gaze in the forensic scientist’s eyes changed from flippant to admiring.
He stood up, took out a pair of rubber gloves from his pocket, and handed them to Lin Chen. He then took two steps back and made way.
Lin Chens squatted down, put his hand into the pit, and gently grabbed the corpse’s wrist.
Compared to the deceased’s comfortable and serene face, the hands of the deceased looked extremely hideous and terrifying.
His nails were shattered, and his hands were full of wounds. Blood was mixed with dirt, turning it brown, and was caked on his hands.
The forensic doctor stood beside Lin Chen and asked, “Well?”
“I have an idea.” Lin Chen put down the dead man’s hands and took off the gloves. His gaze stayed frozen on the pit.
“Don’t keep us in suspense.”
“He dug this grave himself.”
Lin Chen spoke slowly, word by word, saying the words that made everyone present shudder.
The audience was silent.
The forensic scientist took a deep breath, and then said, “Young man, do you really dare think like that?”
“Can you dig it up some more?” Lin Chen interrupted him. He turned his head, raised his hand, and compared the approximate height.
“Isn’t the pit big enough?” the forensic doctor asked.
“I mean, move out the deceased and dig down a little bit.”
——
Shovel after shovel of soil was quickly dug out.
Xing Conglian and Lin Chen stood by the lake, looking under the tree from a distance.
Lin Chen thought for a while, then asked, “Was I too arrogant just now?”
After all, earlier, Xing Conglian had reminded him that he had to be careful with everything since he was in the Chen family’s territory.
Hearing what he said, Xing Conglian laughed dumbfoundedly. “No, Lao Jiang isn’t someone who would care about that. But why are you so nervous?”
“The situation may not be good,” Lin Chen said.
Under the banyan tree, when the soil that had been dug out had piled up knee high, the police officer in charge of the excavation suddenly stopped moving.
He held the shovel in one hand and turned his head stiffly. Seeing the situation, Jiang Chao hurriedly leaned over. There was a broken banyan root running through the pit. Other than that, there seemed to be no abnormality.
“There’s something down there.” The police officer threw down his shovel towards the edge of the pit. He poked the thin soil layer with his hand and exposed a bright red cloth.
The original shout broke the exchange between Xing Conglian and Lin Chen. A policeman with dirt on his hands rushed to the two of them quickly with chattering teeth.
When Xing Conglian handed over the room card, Zheng Dongdong happened to walk to Lin Chen’s side with a few of their classmates.
When Lin Chen took the room card, he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t seen anything, so he patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and acted as if he were familiar with him and asked, “Lin Che, who’s this?”
Before Lin Chen could introduce him, the man put down his paperwork, stood up, and introduced himself. “Xing Conglian, police officer.”
Perhaps there were those born with a submissive aura. Though the policeman named Xing Conglian hadn’t even said his introduction, Zheng Dongdong had already stretched out his hand unconsciously, and his tone became much humbler. He introduced himself, “Zheng Dongdong, Lin Chen’s classmate. I’m also the manager of this hotel.”
Xing Conglian’s eyes were still peaceful and calm. When he heard the words “this hotel”, he didn’t look surprised and just said, “Mr. Zheng is really young and promising.”
“I’m just working for others.” As Zheng Dongdong spoke, he glanced at Lin Chen subconsciously and tentatively asked, “Are you Lin Chen’s boss?”
“Yes.”
“Ah!” Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong patted Lin Chen on the shoulder again and complained, “The reason why I said there was no room—it turns out that Officer Xing booked it in advance.”
He explained half truthfully to set himself up. Since he said it vaguely, most people wouldn’t say much when they heard those words, so the matter of the reservation wouldn’t be exposed.
But what Zheng Dongdong didn’t expect was that Officer Xing, who was standing in front of him, was not only a serious person but a meticulous one as well.
Originally, Xing Conglian felt that Lin Chen’s classmate was very strange. Now that he heard the other party suddenly mention reservations, there was obviously something shady afoot. Instead of looking at Lin Chen, he looked at Professor Fu, who was hiding behind the crowd, with inquiring eyes.
Professor Fu seemed to have finally seized an opportunity, and he secretly frowned at Xing Conglian while giving him a wink.
The fact that this was both a reunion and at a five-star hotel meant that Zheng Dongdong probably used the guest room to bully Lin Chen. He knew this clearly in his heart, so he politely said to Zheng Dongdong, “No, I just booked it at the front desk. The lady there said that there are still many rooms left, so I could choose whichever I want.”
With these words, Zheng Dongdong’s face instantly flashed between blue and red, and the atmosphere became both quiet and awkward.
Seeing this situation, another of Lin Chen’s classmates in the crowd hurriedly spoke up and changed the subject. “Does Captain Xing still have official duties tonight? If not, will you join us for a drink?”
The word “us” naturally included Lin Chen.
Xing Conglian didn’t intend to chase after Zheng Dongdong’s face, but instead looked at Lin Chen and asked, a little unexpectedly, “You’re going too?”
“Yes,” Lin Chen replied.
Lin Chen’s answer surprised Xing Conglian. He looked at everyone present—it was a group of old classmates who had been reunited for a long time, a rich manager, and a thorn who didn’t fit in. Such a combination configuration was quite interesting, and Lin Chen actually agreed to go drinking? Xing Conglian nodded to the man who invited him and said, “Sure.”
Since most people present had already drunk some wine, and since Xing Conglian promised to go, he had to be the designated driver.
Zheng Dongdong was calling and arranging several substitute drivers, while Xing Conglian sorted out the information on the table, handed it to Lin Chen, then took the car keys and went to the parking lot to pick up the car.
A group of more than a dozen people were waiting at the entrance of the hotel. Four cars drove up one by one, with the leader being Zheng Dongdong’s own silver-gray Mercedes-Benz S400.
The hotel attendant ran to the side of the car and opened the door for him, but Zheng Dongdong deliberately took two steps back and let his classmate get in first. He looked at the end of the four cars and deliberately wanted to see what kind of car Xing Conglian was driving.
However, what surprised him was that Xing Conglian was driving a raggedy Jeep. The Jeep was gray, and the label was probably some kind of cheap domestic brand.
Manager Zheng immediately had a feeling that Xing Conglian was a faker.
——
In Xing Conglian’s jeep, Lin Chen sat in the front passenger seat, with only Fu Hao in the back seat.
Lin Chen lowered some of the car windows as the smell of smoke inside was very strong.
It took more than 300 kilometers from Hongjing to Yongchuan, which was about a 4-hour drive. It was now past 9 in the evening. If Xing Conglian wanted to come, he most likely rushed over after getting off work, so the only thing he could do was desperately smoke to reenergize himself.
Thinking of this, Lin Chen couldn’t help but turn his head slightly and look at Xing Conglian’s side profile as he drove intently.
The lake in the distance was dark and quiet. Both sides of the road around the lake had dim halos lingering from the streetlights. There was no music in the car, but the atmosphere was warm and relaxed.
After more than half a day of exhaustion, the sarcastic remarks at the reunion and those boring schemes seemed to have dissipated without a trace the moment Xing Conglian appeared.
This feeling was very strange. In short, when he saw this person, there would always be less trouble and more color in the world. In fact, there was no real cure for depression, but it was often dependent on people.
So at that moment, Lin Chen only felt as if his heart was gently pinched, which made him tremble slightly.
“You didn’t have to come,” Lin Chen said.
“I didn’t come here specifically. In fact, this is related to Yang Dianfeng’s case. After I went through the background system, I found that there were several clues submitted to the Yongchuan police, so I decided to stop by.”
Xing Conglian’s voice was a little hoarse. He also opened the car window slightly to take in the lake breeze.
“Lao Xing, you’re really interesting. Don’t you know that scoundrel surnamed Zheng just now said that there were no special rooms left in the hotel, so he told shixiong he would give him a discount for a room with a lake view at 3,600.” Fu Hao grabbed the back of Xing Conglian’s chair excitedly and yelled, “How can such a big hotel run out of rooms? What else can it be if this wasn’t intentional?”
“Really?” Xing Conglian sighed lightly when he heard this.
Lin Chen frowned and asked in a low voice, “It seems a little expensive to get that room, no?”
“I know a friend here, so I can get a low discount.” Xing Conglian comforted him.
Lin Chen lowered his head but didn’t ask any more questions.
If a hotel manager could only get a 40% discount, no matter who Xing Conglian knew, how low a discount could he get?
——
As the local tyrant of Yongchuan, naturally, the place where Manager Zheng invited people for drinks must be better than his own hotel.
The Tianren Club was such a place.
It was located at the foot of Mount Jun, surrounded by a bamboo forest on one side of the mountain, while the other side was a vast golf course.
At almost 10 in the evening, there were almost no empty parking spaces in front of the clubhouse.
Zheng Dongdong and his entourage got out of the car. The knowledgeable classmates glanced at all the cars parked outside the club and lowered their voices as they asked, “Will it be pretty expensive here?’
Zheng Dongdong raised his head, trying not to look too proud. He spoke lightly as he said, “I’ve booked a private room. The drinks aren’t pricy, so rest assured.” As he spoke, he kept watching Xing Conglian’s broken Jeep.
When he saw the gray Jeep, which had parked in the thicket of luxury cars, the dry dirt marks and scratches on it only made it look shabbier, which made Zheng Dongdong laugh even more happily.
Unlike the usual luxurious clubs, Tianren was very quiet. The entire club consisted of small black and white buildings that were scatted across the vast sea of bamboo.
Perhaps it was precisely because the area it occupied was so large that, despite a night scene full of people, there weren’t any loud noises, so it made the atmosphere feel even more elite and elegant. Compared to the brilliant Intercontinental Hotel, this club was another notch up.
Most likely to highlight the intentions of the club’s back-to-nature vibe, the signboard hanging at the door was nothing more than a small wooden board with a simple engraving [Tianren] and a logo composed of a canary and rose in the lower left corner.
Zheng Dongdong stood at the door of the clubhouse with a group of classmates behind him. He slowly took out his membership card from his wallet and handed it to the staff.
The staff member who greeted the guests at the door was a very young girl. She wore a close-fitting suit and had a goose-yellow silk scarf tied around her neck. She was gentle and had a pleasant temperament. She took the card and brushed it lightly against the scanner.
Hearing a light beep, Zheng Dongdong nodded. He was familiar with the way and was about to push open the door.
“Mr. Zheng, please wait a moment.” The girl stopped him.
Zheng Dongdong retracted his hand with some impatience.
The girl could tell, based on the way the guest’s brows arched, that he was arrogant. She bowed and then pressed on her headset, as if confirming something.
After a while, she said quietly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Zheng. Today’s private rooms are fully booked.”
Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong’s face turned black.
He knew that a club of this level would often have senior members squeezing out lower-level members’ reservations. On a normal day, he’d probably complain, take the small benefit promised by the club, and then turn around and leave. However, the situation was different. He had all his old classmates, especially Lin Chen and Fu Hao, following him. If he really brought them to the door but was kicked out, it would be too humiliating. In this case, he could only bite the bullet and fight. “Miss, what do you mean? I made my reservation a week in advance!”
The attendant was used to this kind of problem. She still maintained a decent smile and said, “I’m sorry, sir. There really are no more spare rooms left.”
This was a euphemism telling him that his reservation had been taken by a more premium member. However, at this moment, Zheng Dongdong could only pretend not to know. “Check the reservation record for me, and you’ll see that I’ve made a reservation!” He raised his volume and yelled at the girl.
The attendant was still smiling. “Sir, I’m really sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. You can enjoy a 10% discount the next time you come here. Is that okay?”
“What’s with this attitude? I know your manager!” Zheng Dongdong said as he took out his phone to make a call.
The attendant bowed and said nothing. She looked around, and burly security guards immediately surrounded her.
“That’s karma, I tell you,” Fu Hao muttered behind the crowd while crossing his arms as he looked at the farce in front of him in amusement.
“Dongdong, forget it. I saw that your hotel has a bar. Let’s just go there for drinks.” Upon seeing this, some of the classmates hurriedly pulled the man who was about to get mad and tried to persuade him.
“Yeah, yeah. Originally, this was just so we could all gather and have fun. There’s no need to get angry,” another person echoed, trying to make peace.
Since someone around him gave him a pass, naturally, Zheng Dongdong was happy to accept. He glanced at the nametag on the girl’s chest and said arrogantly, “Next time I’m having dinner with your manager, I’ll tell him about this.”
“Go ahead.” The girl still remained smiling. “I also hope our manager can remember my name.”
Zheng Dongdong snorted coldly and turned to leave.
At this time, a black Bentley just drove to the entrance and rubbed against the corner of Zheng Dongdong’s clothes and stopped steadily.
Lin Chen was surprised. After all, they were standing at the entrance to the club. No matter what kind of status a person had, they shouldn’t be able to drive their cars right into the clubhouse. This was the rule. But seeing this car driving in, the person sitting inside was probably the club manager himself.
Zheng Dongdong was seeking virtue and had acquired it.
Sure enough, Zheng Dongdong turned his head nervously and looked at the people in the car. His face instantly turned pale. He took a step back, as if afraid that what he had just said was caught by them.
However, the sky was never what people wanted. Everyone watched as the windows of the Bentley slowly rolled down.
The driver was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and leather boots with an outstanding temperament. Zheng Dongdong hurried over and said, “Manager Wang, what a coincidence.”
However, just as he leaned over, he seemed to see a person in the back seat and was stunned on the spot, leaving him completely speechless.
There was an old man sitting there. Zheng Dongdong swallowed hard as his eyes widened.
“Manager Zheng, who were you going to mention?” The old man in the back seat asked.
His tone was airy. He was dressed in a Chinese-style outfit made of linen, and the neckline was lightly pulled up with a button. However, he carried the unique dignity of those who had been in the upper echelons for a long time.
Hearing this, Zheng Dongdong only felt a cold sweat was about to break out. He hurriedly nodded and bowed. “Supervisor Xing, what brings you here?”
The old man who could make the manager of the Tianren Club his personal chauffeur, with the surname Xing and first name Fu, was an old steward of the Xing family.
And, as Zheng Dongdong had said, Xing Fu was an old steward who could be named Xing, which naturally meant he was a direct descendant of the Xing family and was qualified to serve as a senior member of the consortium. Even Zheng Dongdong, who was the manager at their hotel, had only met the old man at the high-level annual meeting of Cohen May.
In fact, Xing Fu had come here just for a routine inspection. He stopped the car just now because he heard someone was making things difficult for the staff at the club. Seeing that the other party was their group’s hotel manager, he stopped for a little warning, but he really didn’t have the intention of punishing anyone.
He was about to leave after speaking, but the moment the window of the car slowly rolled down, he suddenly saw a tall young man standing under the dim street light at the end of the crowd of people.
The young man was standing casually with his police uniform tucked into his left arm. His hair was cut short, to about an inch, and he had an unshaven face. His eyes were deep, and his profile was handsome, showing obvious signs he was of mixed blood.
Xing Fu felt as if he was seeing things.
He stretched out his hand and gently rubbed the center of his brows, then opened his eyes.
The young man was still standing in a casual manger with his face unchanged, so Xing Fu was quite sure he wasn’t mistaken.
The car window gently closed, and the black iron door of Tianren slowly opened.
The old man sat in the car but continued to look back at the streetlight behind him.
“Xing Lao*, did you see someone you know?” The general manager of the club looked in the rearview mirror and asked respectfully.
*When Lao is used at the end of a name, it signifies addressing someone (generally older than you) with respect. Translated would be like him calling him “Elder Xing”.
Xing Fu didn’t answer.
Outside the car, in front of Tianren.
Mr. Zheng, who had just bumped into his immediate boss, wanted to leave quickly.
Suddenly, the girl at the door held down her headset again, as if some instructions had come out.
“Mr. Zheng, please wait a moment.” She stopped Zheng Dongdong once more, who was firmly set at the doorway, unable to take a step back or forward.
The girl bent down as she spoke, opened the side door, and stretched out her hand very respectfully to make a gesture of invitation. “I’m very sorry. Just now, it was our mistake. To make up for it, we have upgraded your private room.”
The girl bent her waist extremely low, while Zheng Dongdong suddenly felt like jumping into the clouds. The attitude of the staff had suddenly turned 180 degrees. Needless to say, it was orders from the old man in the car just now.
Inside the Bentley.
The club manager put down his phone. He didn’t know why the old man had made such an order, but a person like him, who had climbed up from the bottom, step by step, knew exactly the things he shouldn’t ask.
It was dark all around as the old man continued to sit silently in the back seat.
After a while, the old man seemed to think of something and spoke again. He said to his subordinates, “Go buy a box of Yongchuan draft beer. Ice it to 8 degrees and send it over later.”
The person in the cab nodded.
“And fried peanuts…” The old man paused and then said, “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.”
It was probably because of the sudden turn of events that the original ordinary private room was suddenly turned into a luxury model that Zheng Dongdong plastered a proud smile on his face.
The Tianren’s private room was in the deepest part of the clubhouse.
Lin Chen and all his classmates walked through the bamboo forest. When they actually sat down, it was already 11 in the evening. Many students looked tired as the waiter brought the drinks menu, while Zheng Dongdong was full of life.
He spread the wine list on the table generously and said, “Just order whatever you like. No need to be polite.”
It was the first time many of the people present had been to a high-end club. They leaned over curiously to look at the price and were too reverent to speak… because the cheapest thing on the list was mineral water that was in the three digits.
Seeing that no one had said anything, Zheng Dongdong was satisfied with the deterrent effect. He pretended to be familiar with the drink’s menu, crossed his legs, and looked at the only beautiful lady present in the room and said, “Haozhen, would you like a weak cocktail?”
Xu Haozhen was the only girl in the room. Usually, a normal girl would give some pushback, but Xu Haozhen didn’t hesitate at all. She smiled sweetly and said to Zheng Dongdong, “Thank you shixiong for your treat.”
Perhaps it was because the little sister led the way that the rest of the people present also started to order the drinks they wanted.
Zheng Dongdong listened in his heart as his eyes kept skimming over the price list as he quickly tried to add everything up, then he turned his head. Lin Chen obviously saw the bad look on Zheng Dongdong’s face. Suddenly, he heard Zheng Dongdong say, “Captain Xing, Lin Chen, Professor Fu, what do you want to order?”
“I don’t need anything,” Lin Chen said calmly.
“Lin Chen, you’re not giving your old classmate any face like this. At least drink something other than water,” Zheng Dongdong said with a blank face.
“No, I think it’s all too expensive and I don’t want Mr. Zhang to spend his money.”
“Hey, hey, it’s only proper to treat old classmates!”
“Give me a glass of kiwi juice,” At this moment, Fu Hao interjected. “It looks pretty good.”
“Good Lao Fu. I’ll put it down for you.” Zheng Dongdong took the drink list and looked at Xing Conglian and asked, “Captain Xing, do you want something to drink?”
“Me?” Xing Conglian didn’t even think much about it and said casually, “Two bottles of Yongchuan draft beer.”
As if hitting the mark, Zheng Dongdong laughed out loud, like he was laughing at the lack of worldliness of the Captain. “I’m sorry, Captain Xing. The worst beer in Tianren is Hoegaarden,” Zheng Dongdong said, deliberately accentuating his English.
The implication was that the beer he wanted was too low-level that it wasn’t sold here.
Xing Conglian didn’t seem to notice the contempt in his words. He just shook his head and said, “Foreign beer, forget it.”
Zheng Dongdong smiled slightly. Suddenly, there were three knocks on the door. The door was then gently pushed open, and a club waiter stood at the doorway.
Everyone watched as the waiter put a tin bucket and peanuts on the table, bowed, and backed out again.
It only took 10 seconds from when the waiter came and left, and everyone was completely stunned after his departure.
Inside the tin bucket that the waiter brought were two bottles of Yongchuan draft beer, priced at 8 yuan, and a plate of peanuts that were still exuding fragrant heat.
The private room fell silent.
No one spoke for a long time while Zheng Dongdong’s face was livid.
The surrounding classmates all looked at him with some contempt in their eyes.
You said there was no room, but someone opened a room. You said there was no draft beef, but what did the waiter just bring?
Even if you have money and look down on your old classmates, repeatedly making trouble for others is quite tasteless.
Xing Conglian sat on the sofa, looking at the two things on the table, and his eyes darkened a little.
——
Cold beer and peanuts were just small interludes.
As soon as the KTV was turned on, the booming sounds quickly eased the cold atmosphere.
Even if it was a class reunion of classmates who hadn’t seen each other for many years, in the end it was just a process of singing, drinking, and bragging.
Of all the people present, Xu Haozhen had the most fun. Whether it was a duet of love songs or a female solo, her voice never stopped from beginning to end.
Lin Chen looked at the figure of the little shimei thoughtfully.
Xing Conglian leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window and was silently drinking. Fu Hao swayed left and right with the rhythm, while Lin Chen glanced at the two of them. He leaned toward Xing Conglian and thought for a while before bringing up a topic. “What’s going on with Yang Dianfeng’s case?”
“It’s fine.” Xing Conglian took a sip of beer and said, “I’m afraid the implications of this case are wider than you and I thought.”
“Hmm?”
The noise in the private room was very loud. In order for the two of them to hear each other’s voices clearly, they could only get extremely close. Lin Chen felt Xing Conglian’s warm breath spray on his face, and it made him feel a little itchy.
“Wang Chao just finished screening the system records for nearly half a year. There are more than a dozen suspicious records, which involve more murders, and two are outstanding robberies.”
Hearing this, Lin Chen couldn’t help frowning slightly. “The other party is willing to take a big risk and quickly kill Yang Dianfeng. The reason must be very good.”
“Correct.”
Lin Chen and Xing Conglian continued to talk in a low voice in the corner. Although there was deafening singing in the room, the silence around them seemed to have stagnated.
Zheng Dongdong’s gaze also swept to that corner.
All night today, Mr. Zheng seemed to have fallen under a strange spell. No matter how he used his strength, it seemed he was shooting himself in the foot, which only made him feel more uncomfortable.
It was almost early in the morning, and it wouldn’t be long before the party dispersed. It would be difficult for him to have a chance to payback for the unhappiness of today.
Thinking of this, he clenched the high-end foreign wine bottle, poured himself a full glass, gritted his teeth, and walked towards Lin Chen.
When Zheng Dongdong walked in front of him, Lin Chen was listening to Xing Conglian analyze the suspected cases one by one.
Suddenly, a glass full of wine was put in front of Lin Chen. “Lin Chen, everyone is a classmate, so I’m giving you a toast. Can you give me some face?”
Lin Chen looked out. Zheng Dongdong was holding a bottle of X with a fake smile on his face.
He didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but the music in the private room was also suspended.
For a while, Zheng Dongdong’s drunken voice seemed particularly abrupt.
At class reunions, mutual persuasion among boys was generally hard to shirk. After all, there was the affection of being each other’s classmates, and with many people watching, if one didn’t drink to a toast, they would be considered not manly enough.
Everyone looked at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen glanced at the wine in front of him. His eyes were very cold and light. He raised his head and said to Zheng Dongdong, “You don’t have such face.”
In an instant, Zheng Dongdong seemed to be ignited with anger. “What the hell! Don’t be so shameless!”
Fu Hao made a move to scramble up, while Xing Conglian just sat quietly aside.
Lin Chen took the lead in getting up. He bowed slightly to the others in the private room and said, “Sorry, I have something to do today. I’ll be leaving first.”
After speaking, he walked out without saying anything else. Seeing this, Fu Hao hurriedly followed. Xing Conglian was the last to stand and didn’t speak. He lifted up the police uniform on the side and calmly walked out of the room.
In the private room behind him, there was a loud sound of a wine bottle shattering on the ground.
A cool wind blew in the bamboo forest outside the private room. Lin Chen took a few steps forward as Xing Conglian quickly caught up and asked with a smile, “On purpose?”
“Didn’t you say that you had to go to the Yongchuan Police Station tomorrow? That means you have to go back and rest early, right?” Lin Chen replied.
“You made Zheng Dongdong angry like that just so we could go back early.”
“Captain Xing, don’t say that. I did it for you.”
“Thank you, Consultant Lin.”
They chatted with each other as they walked to the entrance of Tianren. Surprisingly, there was a substitute driver waiting for them.
Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian, who didn’t seem surprised by the sudden appearance of the substitute driver. He said lightly, “I’ve been drinking. Safety first.”
——
The night in the metropolis never slept.
Lin Chen didn’t go back to the hotel first but sent Fu Hao back to the school with Xing Conglian.
At dawn, the substitute driver parked the car at the entrance of the teacher’s dorm on the west side of Yongchuan University. When Professor Fu got out of the car, his legs were already woozy because he felt drowsy beyond what humans should experience.
Xing Conglian and Lin Chen had to assist him back to his room, and when they came out, the sky had gradually turned from dark blue to light.
Xing Conglian lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and let out a lazy breath.
There was a faint aroma in the air, like the scene of tea, eggs, and pancakes. Xing Conglian rubbed his stomach and then looked at Lin Chen.
Seeing his appearance, Lin Chen had no choice but to say, “Let’s go. I’ll treat you to breakfast.”
After all, having studied in Yongchuan for years, Lin Chen was familiar with the food scene here. He took Xing Conglian to an alley next to the school.
The alley was long and deep, and at the entrance was a dilapidated small shop.
When the two walked to the door of the store, the shopkeeper happened to be carrying a stove and came out to make a fire.
When he saw them, the shopkeeper was taken aback.
“Uncle Zheng,” Lin Chen shouted in a low voice.
“Oh, it’s A’Chen!” The middle-aged man patted his head, as if remembering something. He hurriedly put down the stove and shouted into the room, “Old woman, look who’s here!”
His loud shout was soon followed by the pounding of feet inside the shop. A middle-aged woman in an apron opened the curtain and rushed out. When she saw Lin Chen, the middle-aged woman was also taken aback. The corners of her eyes were full of smiles. “Look at you. It’s been a long time since you came. Don’t you miss your Auntie Wang at all?!”
“Of course I do,” Lin Chen smiled, as he replied very sweetly.
Lin Chen took Xing Conglian to sit down. Auntie Wang wiped her hands on her apron, smiled, and asked, “Two bowls of shrimp wontons. What else do you want?”
There was no menu in the shop, so Xing Conglian stared blankly at Lin Chen.
“A bowl of preserved egg porridge, an order of xiaolongbao, and an order of shumai.” Lin Chen thought for a bit, pointed to Xing Conglian, and then added, “Auntie Wang, can you make him an egg pancake?”
“Okay, okay.” The middle-aged woman happily ran back to the kitchen.
Xing Conglian looked around and found the shop quite small. The tables and chairs were worn out, and there was only a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Other than that, there were no other decorations. Strangely enough, perhaps because there wasn’t light outside or because the light in the shop was a little too dim, Xing Conglian felt the place was peaceful and felt like home.
“Is this place good?” Xing Conglian put his hands on the countertop and stared at Lin Chen quietly.
“Yeah, really good. I only eat here.”
“Really? That great?”
“No, because this store doesn’t charge me money,” Lin Chen said with a smile.
Xing Conglian was taken aback. At that moment, the shopkeeper rushed over to solve his confusion. “A’Chen is a great matchmaker for me and my old lady!”
Two bowls of freshly cooked wontons were placed on the table. The shopkeeper, Uncle Zheng, stood at the door and said this to Xing Conglian.
“Matchmaker?”
“Yes. Before we got together, one of us ran a wonton shop at the entrance of the alley, and the other ran a dim sum store at the end. A’Chen saw that we were interested and hooked us up.” The middle-aged man squeezed his eyes at him. Before he finished speaking, he ran to bring out the steaming xiaolongbao.
Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen in disbelief. “How did you pull the strings*?”
*Referring to the red thread of fate. It’s commonly thought of as an invisible red chord around the finger of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation, as they are “their true love”.
Lin Chen lowered his head and handed him a spoon with the utensil holder.
“This kid is so bad. He went to my shop and ate wontons for a week. Every time he came, he would hold a steamer of xiaolongbao and a steamer of shumai from my old lady’s shop. He didn’t return them after eating but asked me to send them back for him every day.” The middle-aged man put down the steamer and sat down beside Lin Chen as he told the story.
Hearing this, Xing Conglian felt a little moved. He suddenly realized that Lin Chen’s youth may have been quite wanton and interesting.
——
The sky was getting brighter, and the sun was rising.
There was constant laughter and chatter from the wonton shop at the entrance of the alley.
At Yongchuan University, not far away, the early risers had already started their morning studies.
Wang An’an was one of the most ordinary security guards at Yongchuan University.
At 5 in the morning, he, who had been lazy for most of the night, got up from bed and prepared for the last patrol on campus.
A milky white mist floated on the campus in the early morning. The fish hadn’t risen from the bottom of the water, and the sparrows were still sleeping among the branches.
He patrolled most of the campus, and there was nothing unusual. When he rode to the woods by the lake, he yawned heavily. It was so early in the morning that the bad guys had already gone back to sleep. Thinking of this, he simply stopped his bicycle. There was a leafy banyan tree in front of him. He took a few steps and ran to rest under the canopy.
Some students who woke up in the morning were reading aloud on the rocks by the lake. It seemed to be English text. Wang An’an listened to them and felt himself getting drowsy.
The CET-4 and CET-6* exams were approaching, so the students had been very diligent recently. Wang An’an squinted for a while, then, as if thinking of something, he opened his eyes, looked at his watch, raised his head again, and looked further away.
*College English Test. National English as a foreign language test in China. It examines the proficiency of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
There, a dilapidated old canteen stood. In half an hour, the canteen would start serving breakfast, and he could call it a day.
He thought about this as he closed his eyes again unconsciously and his hand drooped from his lap gently onto the ground.
Suddenly, he bounced up as if he had been stung.
He seemed to have touched something slippery and sticky. He took a closer look and found that a piece of white rubber was exposed in the soil under his feet. It might be a dilapidated football or a broken shoe thrown by someone. Wang An’an looked at the bare rubber and then at his hands, but he seemed to feel that what he touched just now had moved gently.
Wang An’an looked around. The students who were studying in the morning by the lake didn’t seem to notice what was happening under the tree. He squatted down and, hesitatingly, used his fingers to gently pull the soil next to the rubber, wondering in his heart what the thing he had just touched under the soil was. What the hell is this thing?
However, the speed of gently digging was too slow, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, his hands slammed into the soil and pulled out a large handful of dark brown dirt.
Immediately, a white sneaker was exposed; the tip of the shoe was facing up, and there was a checkmark on the upper part of the shoe.
Wang An’an recognized the brand. He was relieved and only blamed himself for making a fuss.
Perhaps he was a little too nervous just now. Wang An’an felt that he was gasping for air. He sat down against the trunk of the tree, put his hand in his pocket, and wanted to quietly pull out a cigarette. However, while his left hand was holding a cigarette, his right hand was feeling around trying to find a lighter for half a day with no luck. Truly a big mistake! He could only hold the cigarette and sniff at it, hoping the scent would relax his salivation.
The lake breeze was cool, and he gradually calmed down. Thinking that the banyan tree might be too cold for a rest, Wang An’an got up and wanted to leave.
At the moment he got up, because of the change in angle, he vaguely saw that under the sneakers buried in the soil, there seemed to be a small piece of fabric attached. What kind of student would throw a shoe away by the lake and also socks along with it?
Wang An’an froze. As the cool wind blew, goosebumps covered his body. He swooped in front of the sneaker, dug frantically, and finally couldn’t help but scream!
Under the soil, where the shoe was connected as a leg!
Upon finding it, Wang An’an let out a resounding scream.
Just like laughter and chattering in the wonton shop couldn’t spread on campus, the terrifying events that happened on campus certainly wouldn’t spread outside of the school in an instant.
After being full of food and drink, Xing Conglian nodded contentedly and walked side by side with Lin Chen on the long street outside Yongchuan University.
There were more pedestrians on the street now, and breakfast stalls had been set up one after another.
The boys and girls wearing Yongchuan University uniforms passed by them from time to time. Everything looked youthful and beautiful, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
Xing Conglian turned his head and saw Lin Chen was looking at the school gate in the distance, wondering what he was thinking of.
Xing Conglian suddenly said, “Come on, let’s go for a walk in your school.”
Lin Chen turned his head, as if he had heard something strange. “Didn’t you say I’d better not go in?”
“I mean, when you’re alone.” Xing Conglian puffed out a breath of smoke and laughed. “Now that I’m with you, of course it’s fine.”
Compared with Hongjing, Yongchuan, which was hundreds of kilometers away, was truly an international metropolis. There were many high-rise buildings, with traffic weaving around them, and pedestrians all walked in a rush.
Lin Chen walked out of Yongchuan Station and saw Fu Hao standing on tiptoe, nervously guarding the exit, carefully screening passengers for fear of missing someone.
Separated by many people, when Lin Chen saw this he felt it was like a scene before Chinese New Year.
He put his hands in his pockets and walked up to Fu Hao, startling him. “Shixiong, you didn’t wave or anything. Are you not excited to see me?”
“Then should I do it and follow Professor Fu’s script?” Lin Chen smiled as he asked rhetorically.
Fu Hao snorted softly, didn’t say anything, and circled around Lin Chen. He opened his eyes wide and said incredulously, “Shixiong, why didn’t you bring anything?”
“Bring what?”
“Birthday gift!”
Before Lin Chen could react, he was grabbed by his shidi and dragged out of the station. His nagging shidi had started to yammer again. “Don’t you know, Zheng Dongdong and his gang have been showing off their gifts they’re going to give to the old man to the group chat. I’ve already seen Ganoderma, ginseng, Shoushan stone seals…”
Lin Chen was surprised by Fu Hao’s information. He smiled and said, “At this rate, this will be equivalent to paying tribute to the emperor.”
“What is this?! Zheng Dongdong himself has prepared a set of 8 Chinese rosewood* longevity folding screens.”
*Furniture made from wood from this tree is highly sought after as luxury and prestige items.
“How generous.”
“Shixiong, you should have a sense of crisis. Look at all these people. They’re spending money on a luxurious birthday banquet for the old man and giving him all these gifts. Won’t this be embarrassing for us?”
“Luxurious birthday banquet?”
“At the Intercontinental Hotel, owned by Cohen May, which is regarded as the best hotel in Yongchuan. Zheng Dongdong is now the general manager of Cohen May Hotel. People like him will die if they don’t show off, so he directly books the banquet hall for the old man.” Fu Hao walked away as he kept talking.
Hearing this, Lin Chen felt it was inappropriate. “Does the old man know about this?” he asked.
“I don’t think so?” For a moment, Fu Hao was taken aback. “They said in the group chat that they wanted to surprise the old man.”
“That’s too presumptuous.”
“Then what can be done? I think they already pinpointed that our old man is a good old man. Even if he doesn’t like it, how can he reprimand a student’s kind intentions to their face?”
Professor Fu couldn’t drive, and the place to hail taxis was always overcrowded. When Lin Chen came back to his senses, he had already subconsciously walked to the side of the bus stop with Fu Hao. The habit he developed in college was still as stubborn a few years later.
There were many students waiting for the bus on the platform. Various stalls were set up on the sidewalk on one side. The fumes and aromas diffused onto the platform, causing Lin Chen to turn his head and walk to the sidewalk.
When he came back, he had an extra plastic bag in his hand, which contained freshly bought fruit.
“Shixiong, what are you doing?!” Fu Hao looked at the red plastic bag in Lin Chen’s hand and was stunned.
“Didn’t you ask me to buy a birthday gift?”
“This is too random. Can’t you buy something expensive.”
“But I really don’t have any money.”
——
If you had no money, you had a mind without it. If you had money, then you would find ways to live with it.
Even in Yongchuan, where every inch of land was like gold, the Cohen May Intercontinental Hotel was the first choice of the rich.
It was located on the banks of Lake Honghu, with a panoramic view of 12 square kilometers of water. Although it was on the outskirts, it was adjacent to the CBD*, so the location land-wise couldn’t be better.
*Central business district.
But for Lin Chen and Fu Hao, such a geographical location required them to take the bus for more than half an hour, and walk for more than ten minutes before they reached the door to the hotel.
It was getting dark, and the sunset had dyed the sky on the upper half of the lake red.
Lin Chen was carrying a plastic bag. As soon as he stepped into the hotel, an attendant came up.
Fu Hao stood aside and mentioned the birthday banquet. The resourceful attendant bowed and whispered, “It’s Mr. Su’s 60th birthday. It’s on the third floor. Please follow me.”
The elevator of a five-star hotel was filled with an elegant fragrance.
Previously, from Hongjing to Yongchuan, and another half-hour bus ride, Lin Chen didn’t feel too much, but when he really thought that he would see his teacher in a minute or two, he suddenly felt nervous.
The attendant put his hand on the door of the banquet hall, bowed, and pushed the door open.
The banquet hall was filled with people chattering. The bright lights were so dazzling that they stung their eyes.
At the main table at the end of the hall sat an old man with glasses. The old man had just passed the age of obedient ears*, and he was full of gray hair.
*(耳顺之年) Idiom referring to when you’re 60 years old, you can judge whether other people’s words are true or false. It refers to being 60, basically.
The old man was surrounded by many people who were chattering with him. Among those people, many were wearing elite suits and shoes, as well as young people who were simply dressed, having just stepped into society. Without exception, the old man was very patient with everyone who talked to him. His face was full of smiles. He always used both hands when shaking hands and would bow his head slightly when listening to others.
Lin Chen walked over the plush carpet printed with the hotel’s iconic canary and rose logo and stood on the edge of the crowd, waiting.
At this moment, the old man patted the arm of the student in front of him lightly, as if to signal to wait a moment, and then raised his head.
Lin Chen had just met his gaze.
The old man pushed up his glasses, smiled, and said, “A’Chen, you’re here.”
His gaze was gentle and peaceful. At that moment, all the hustle and bustle in the hall seemed to retreat like the tide. For an old man who had always been self-disciplined and respectful, it was already a great preference for him to interrupt a conversation with a student only to greet him. Lin Chen took a few steps forward, squatted down in front of the old man, and said softly, “Teacher Su.”
“You’ve returned?” The old man’s palm patted his head, and his voice sounded a little hoarse.
“Nn.”
“You’re back. It’s good you’re back,” the old man said while patting him on the head.
Lin Chen immediately handed over the bag in his hand and said, “Happy birthday. It’s vitamin supplements.”
The old man took the simple bag, opened it, and saw that there were six peaches inside, so he laughed out loud with joy.
The atmosphere between a master and his disciple was truly warm. Someone who was greeting his classmates in the middle of the hall saw this scene and walked to the main table, extremely displeased.
“Isn’t this Lin Chen? Long time no see!”
A loud voice sounded in his ear. Lin Chen got up and turned his head. Standing in front of him was a man in the uniform of a hotel executive.
He was taken aback for a moment and subconsciously looked at Fu Hao. Professor Fu thoughtfully mouthed the words silently, “Zheng Dongdong.”
When Lin Chen received the signal, he naturally stretched out his hand and said, “Long time no see.”
Although Fu Hao had repeatedly mentioned the name Zheng Dongdong to him, he really didn’t have much impression of this person. In his memory, Zheng Dongdong seemed to be the president of their student council. Other than that, he didn’t really remember much of him, so he simply said what he said as purely a theoretical courtesy.
“That’s right. How can a busy person like you think of coming to visit an old classmate?” Zheng Dongdong joked.
Lin Chen thought for a while, but didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent, which made the scene quite awkward.
Zheng Dongdong’s face darkened. He squinted and caught a glimpse of the plastic bag in the old man’s hand, then happily said, “Lin Chen, what good things did you gift our teacher? Let us take a look as well?”
“Peaches.”
“It’s teacher’s birthday banquet, and you give him a bag of peaches?” Zheng Dongdong fiercely raised his voice, pretending to be shocked, which garnered many eyes to follow the sound.
“Well, I just bought them.”
Lin Chen’s voice was very calm, without the slightest bit of shame. Zheng Dongdong’s countless taunts seemed to be held back by just these words.
Just then, the old man clapped his hands and inserted himself into their conversation. He glanced back and said, “A’Hao, don’t you always shout when you see your shixiong Lin Chen? Come here.”
At this time, Lin Chen noticed there was a half-a-person tall pile of birthday gifts piled up behind the old man, and a slim and beautiful girl was beside the birthday gifts, registering something.
Hearing her teacher’s call, the girl hurriedly turned her hair, causing her long hair to slide down smoothly.
Her face was extremely beautiful, with eyebrows like distant mountains and sharp eyes. The girl was wearing a maroon short-sleeve knitted cardigan, and a knee-length black pleated skirt. Her soft hair draped over her shoulders, covering her pearl earrings. She put away her notebook and walked over with a smile and stretched out a hand towards Lin Chen. “Shixiong, hello.”
Lin Chen looked at the girl in front of him, and his gaze finally fell on her rather uncoordinated pink nails. Xu Haozhen gently retracted her fingertips but didn’t shirk her hands away. In the end, Lin Chen stretched out his hand and gave her a handshake. “Hello.”
After speaking, he leaned over to the old man and asked in a low voice, “What is she doing?”
“I have to say, they gave me all these useless things, so I’m registering the price. Then I’m having them return it and give me cash instead so I can donate it,” the old man whispered back.
Lin Chen was dumbfounded. “Isn’t that not good?”
“You don’t feel bad about coming to my birthday and bringing me a bag of peaches?”
“But at least you can take that home,” Lin Chen whispered.
After he finished speaking, the old man laughed. The laughter was a bit loud, and it fell into Zheng Dongdong’s eyes, which was particularly dazzling.
With his gift delivered, Lin Chen consciously stepped back as there were many students around the old man.
At 6, the birthday banquet started.
The seating arrangement of the table was very particular. Lin Chen and Fu Hao were arranged at a corner table, while some celebrities and elite sat at the main table. The old man was surrounded by stars like he was the moon, and from time to time, students would give a toast. Lin Chen didn’t join the fun and instead sat quietly eating his food.
The seating order was messy. Lin Chen and Fu Hao didn’t even get to sit with their previous classmates but were driven to the corner with the people who weren’t very gregarious. Everyone at the table was busy burying their heads in the food, and there was a strange silence at the table.
The dishes of the five-star hotel were, of course, good. In addition, perhaps the chef knew that it was the general manager’s treat this time, so he was more attentive when cooking. Lin Chen scooped up half a spoonful of shrimp and heard Zheng Dongdong’s haunting voice again.
“Lin Chen, how could you be here? I was really busy and forgot. This won’t do. Do you want to sit at the main table?” Zheng Dongdong walked towards him with a glass of wine. The hotel manager’s face was flushed, as if he had just finished a round of wine.
His tone was haughty, and his voice was loud, half mocking, half polite. A person like Zheng Dongdong, who was scornful and vindictive, had lost face just now, so of course he had to get back on his feet. If Lin Chen were to answer yes to such a question, it would be catering to him*, but answering no would make him look shameless. No matter what he answered, it would make everyone uncomfortable.
*Climb up the pole (顺杆爬) Metaphor referring to catering to a master’s will.
Several tables around them had already noticed the commotion.
Lin Chen didn’t feel the slightest bit of embarrassment. He picked up his teacup, calmly clinked it against the glass of red wine, and then said, “Yes.”
The more magnanimous he was, the uglier Zheng Dongdong’s face became.
Lin Chen walked to the main table.
Upon seeing this, the old man passionately patted the empty position beside him and said, “A’Chen, come, sit here.”
The seats at the main table were full, with only one vacant seat, which belonged to Zheng Dongdong. For a person like the old man, this was an obvious statement. The people who were present were the old man’s most successful proteges. When they looked at Zheng Dongdong’s eyes, they couldn’t help but feel something strange.
The old man didn’t say anything more, but asked the waiter to add another seat to the table. Zheng Dongdong toasted a round of wine, as if nothing had happened, and sat down in his new position.
After he sat down, he gave a wink to another person at the table. The other person understood and put down his glass. “Lin Chen, I’ve heard of this famous name for a long time now. You were always at the top of our class and overshadowed us all. What have you been up to since graduating?”
Naturally, the main table was abuzz with conversation. If questions were asked, answers needed to be said. “I used to be a dorm manager at Hongjing Experimental Primary School…” Lin Chen replied.
“Pfft.” A sneer sounded on the table before his voice fell. “Then why did Lao Fu say that you’re a consultant for the Hongjing Police Criminal Division?”
“Well, I just took over that position.”
“Isn’t that too big of a leap?” the man said with a smile.
Lin Chen didn’t answer and heard Zheng Dongdong say sarcastically, “That small police department in Hongjing? Truly an overkill.”
“Hey, not everyone can be like you, a general manager of Cohen May at such a young age!” The man sang praises to Zheng Dongdong. “Cohen May is a multinational consortium. If you become the president one day, don’t forget us old classmates!”
“It’s not that easy. Us psychology graduates aren’t as popular as orthodox finance students. Moreover, Cohen May is an overseas industry owned by the Xing family. Of course, the president of the group can only be a direct descendent of the Xing family. I have no hope!”
What Zheng Dongdong said was half true.
The surrounding classmates were a little shocked.
After all, everyone knew that Cohen May was the best five-star hotel in Yongchuan, but few knew that on top of this hotel was a multinational consortium, and behind it was the towering Xing family. Zheng Dongdong, who hoped to go further in that family’s business, was truly amazing. Everyone looked at Zheng Dongdong with a little more envy, and soon someone praised him again. “No matter, if you really become president, like today, you’ll have to treat us. One for all and all for one, like they say!”
“It’s hard to say in the future, but tonight, I can still invite everyone for drinks.”
“If you’re inviting, then it must be a good place!”
“Okay, okay.” Zheng Dongdong sipped his wine. He shifted his gaze to Lin Chen and said mysteriously, “Lin Chen, you’re coming along too, right?”
“Yes, shixiong, let’s go together.” For some reason, the shimei* besides Lin Chen chimed in.
*Basically like shidi but used for girls who are younger than you/beneath rank.
Lin Chen looked at Xu Hao’s strange pink nail polish and finally nodded.
Knowing that the students still had activities in the evening, the old man found a reason and slipped away in advance. Before leaving, the old man patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and told him to come visit him for dinner when he had time.
As the old man left, many people followed along with him. Seeing that everyone was almost scattered, someone said to Zheng Dongdong, “Dongdong, it’s fine that you’re treating us for drinks, but we’re still going to pay for our hotel reservation.”
As the man spoke, many people at the table nodded in agreement.
“Why are you all being so polite?” Zheng Dongdong seemed quite dignified. He shifted his eyes slightly, looked over, and asked, “By the way, where are you staying for the night, Lin Chen?”
Lin Chen hadn’t spoken yet, but Professor Fu, who had sneaked up to the table, answered for him, “Shixiong is staying with me tonight.”
“Don’t joke. Who doesn’t know that the teacher’s dorm in Yongchuan University is a single room. How can you let your shixiong lay on the floor!” The man then said what Zheng Dongdong wanted to hear most, “Dongdong, see if there’s still any special rooms left at the hotel and book one for Lin Chen. It’ll be livelier with all our classmates being together.”
Zheng Dongdong nodded and called the main office without saying a word.
Lin Chen didn’t know what was said on the other end, but Zheng Dongdong held down the microphone and made a face of false apology. “I’m sorry. Our hotel’s special rooms have all been booked by these guys. Only the lake view executive suite is left. The original price is 6,000, but I can give you a 40% discount. How about 3,600?”
Zheng Dongdong raised the corner of his mouth. His eyes were full of pride, as if he was waiting for Lin Chen to come up with an excuse to refuse so he could laugh again.
Fu Hao couldn’t help but clench his fists as he listened.
Lin Chen didn’t seem bothered. His face still had that plain and calm expression. He gently pressed down on his shidi’s fists and said, “No thank you.”
——
When the banquet was over, Zheng Dongdong led the group of students downstairs for drinks. They walked in front as a group, while Lin Chen and Fu Hao lagged behind. Fu Hao deliberately grabbed Lin Chen and complained fiercely, “Shixiong, damn that Zheng Dongdong. He’s really making it clear that he’s trying to embarrass you. 3,600 a night after the discount? If it’s so great, why doesn’t he go there and live by himself!”
“I can’t afford to stay in a luxury hotel, so I should be embarrassed?” Lin Chen asked rhetorically.
Hearing this, Fu Hao glared at him and then changed the subject. “Why did you promise to go drinking with him!”
“Because I found a very strange thing,” Lin Chen whispered. As he walked around the corner of the hall, he suddenly raised his head, as if he had sensed something.
The large group in front of them had already reached the hotel lobby. More than a dozen people surrounded Zheng Dongdong, as if they were allocating vehicles waiting to travel. Since they all had drinks, it was somewhat noisy, but all of a sudden, Lin Chen couldn’t hear any sound.
Under the bright crystal lights in the hotel lobby, there was a person with long legs crossed leaning on a sofa reading documents. His police uniform was resting on the armrest on the side, and behind him was the dark and quiet water surface of Lake Honghu.
From Lin Chen’s perspective, he could only see the other party’s hand resting lightly on the countertop, and his side profile was extremely handsome.
Then, the other party turned his head towards him, still with a loose demeanor and a quiet, far-reaching gaze.
The soft piano in the hall suddenly sounded.
Lin Chen walked over slowly. “Why are you here?”
Xing Conglian smiled. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to call?”
Lin Chen shook his head helplessly. At this moment. Mr. Zheng Dongdong, who was greeting the rest of his classmates, walked up to Lin Chen and put his hand on his shoulder. Lin Chen frowned, thinking that Zheng Dongdong was going to say something nasty again, but all Zheng Dongdong’s words stopped when he looked at the table.
Lin Chen followed his gaze.
On the coffee table was a black room card painted with the Cohen May signature canary and rose symbol.
Xing Conglian’s finger tapped lightly on the card, then moved it from the table.
Lin Chen was still stunned as the other party’s always low and pleasant voice sounded in his ears.
“Sir, please take your room card.”
Kinky Thoughts:
This is the last of the free chapters on jjwxc. If you’ve been enjoying the novel so far and are able to, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. I used Google chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
Professor Fu had to rush back to school early in the morning because he had elective classes to teach on Sunday afternoon.
Before leaving, Lin Chen was once again pulled by him to listen to his preaching for half a day. In the end, Lin Chen forced him out of the car and sent him on his way to the station.
“Shixiong, see you the day after tomorrow!” Across the entryway, Fu Hao waved goodbye to them.
Lin Chen symbolically waved his hand as Fu Hao reluctantly walked into the station.
“You have a pretty good relationship,” Xing Conglian, who was by Lin Chen’s side, said.
“Well, I have known him for many years.” Lin Chen and Xing Conglian walked back to the car as they talked.
“So are you going to Yongchuan for a reunion the day after tomorrow?”
“Yes, it’s the old man’s birthday.”
“That old man must be very interesting to teach both you and Fu Hao.” Xing Conglian opened the car door.
“That’s right.” Lin Chen got in. “That old man is really interesting.”
Without returning to Yanjia Lane or the police station, Xing Conglian parked his car on a street full of flower stalls.
The car window was half open, allowing the gentle fragrance of flowers to waft in. Lin Chen was in a daze looking at the endless flower stalls on both sides of the street and the passersby who were laughing and chattering.
Xing Conglian got out naturally and opened the door for him. He put his hand on the roof and said with a smile, “Sir, please get out of the car.”
Although it was hard to say he had never seen the world, Lin Chen had indeed never entered a flower shop, let alone come to a street full of flowers to personally select some that were in season that were suitable for planting or decorating his home, but Xing Conglian seemed to be a veteran at this.
Lin Chen followed him, listened to him greet the owner of the flower stall and say some terms that he hardly understood. Not long after, he was carrying several plastic bags in his hand, which contained newly bought seedlings that were supposedly daisies and geraniums.
“Why did you think about buying flowers?”
“To save Professor Fu from saying that we have nothing but bare walls in our house*,” Xing Conglian said as he picked up half a bunch of lilies and gypsophila. Lin Chen naturally took the bag in his left hand so he could pay for them.
*(家徒四壁) Idiom referring to a family that’s very poor and has nothing except walls in their home.
Hearing what Xing Conglian said, Lin Chen was a little dumbfounded. The walls of one’s home should be decorated with flowers, but there was a strange sense of putting the cart before the horse*. “It’s a very interesting hobby.” He could only reply as so.
*Idiom referring to doing something contrary to the natural or normal effective sequence of events. || In this context, he’s basically thinking that before buying flowers to decorate the home, they should probably buy other necessities like nicer furniture and such.
“Of course.” The mixed-blood young man’s face was covered by flowers, showing off his handsome side and beautiful eyes. “My mother taught me that if boys don’t understand flowers, they will definitely not be able to trick their wives into going to their home in the future.”
Xing Conglian’s eyes were very green. The sycamore tree behind him had just sprouted new buds, and its branches were stretched towards the blue sky. Lin Chen’s heart trembled slightly. Although he knew it was just a joke, and it was very clear it had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t help, like most people, being easily moved by such sweet words. “Fortunately, you studied hard,” he said.
Among the happiest things in the world, it must include buying flowers. In a short time, their hands were full of flowers and plants, signifying their trip to the flower street was about to come to an end.
Xing Conglian looked in front of him and, as if remembering something, turned his head and said, “It’s almost time to go back.” As he spoke, he turned around quickly.
“Wait.” Lin Chen also seemed to think of something and stopped him. “I remember you said you set up a grave for me in the small cemetery at the end of the flower street. Can you take me to see it?”
The weather was good today. The river was also quiet and peaceful. In the distance, they could see the Taiqian Bridge.
Lin Chen stood in front of his tombstone and felt it was a strange experience. He was alive, yet he was now gazing at his tombstone.
The name on the tombstone was his, but other than that, there wasn’t even a birth or death date, or a photo. It gave off a weird feeling. It didn’t seem solemn enough, yet it was too solemn. After all, before this tombstone, he had only known Xing Conglian for a few days. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say they met by chance. Wasn’t it too serious to buy land and erect a tombstone for a person that one had just met by chance?
Xing Conglian stood aside, a little embarrassed. “This, I forgot to ask the administrator to remove it.”
Hearing these words, Lin Chen came back to his senses. He half turned around, took out a flower bouquet from one of the bouquets Xing Conglian was holding, and placed it on his tombstone. “No, just leave it here.”
The lilies in front of the monument were still stained with dew. Xing Conglian smiled. “Don’t you think it’s unlucky?”
“Keep it. In case one day I go first, I can still use it.”
“Why do you have so little faith in life?” Xing Conglian sighed.
“The world is unpredictable,” Lin Chen said casually, then turned away indifferently.
“Have faith…” Xing Conglian put his hand on Lin Chen’s shoulder as he spoke.
“Is faith useful?”
“Yes. Even if you don’t ‘believe’ in your heart, you can ‘believe’ in me…”
Lin Chen froze when he heard these words. He looked at Xing Conglian’s smiling face and said lightly, “Okay.”
——
In the afternoon, the sky was warm.
Lin Chen was sitting on the balcony with the river view, reading a book. The tea in his cup was hot, and there was a small plate of cookies on the coffee table.
Xing Conglian rolled up his cuffs and was turning over a bare flower stand on the balcony.
The daily training of a policeman seemed a bit too good. Captain Xing was in excessively good shape, possessing wide shoulders and a narrow waist. There was not an ounce of fat on his body, as Lin Chen could vaguely see the strong muscles that were covered under the tight fabric of his shirt.
The sun was a bit too dazzling, so Lin Chen put down his book and watched intently as Xing Conglian planted flowers.
He had to say that for people with mixed blood, even if they couldn’t cook, they had to be able to grow flowers and do it well.
Xing Conglian had four different kinds of soil in his hands. Lin Chen could see that he was skillful at mixing the soil in the correct proportion, arranging the flowers, and watering. He was well organized and skilled, like a professional gardener. When the sun fell on him, the light reflected on his face. With the white shirt on, it only made his face more handsome and gave him a calm and warm look.
Lin Chen suddenly remembered the question he answered wrong: Have you ever liked anyone?
Xing Conglian put the pots of daisies in the flower stand, clapped his hands, and suddenly heard a light tune coming from his side.
He turned his head and saw Lin Chen leaning lazily in the rattan chair, holding a cup of water in one hand and a book in the other, and seemed to be humming something unconsciously.
The tone was light and a bit sweet, which shocked Xing Conglian as he didn’t expect Lin Chen to actually hum such a tune.
“What’s that song?” Xing Conglian turned his head and asked amusingly.
Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled. “I don’t remember. It seems to be related to planting flowers, right?”
“It sounds pretty good.” Xing Conglian took out a cigarette and put it in his hand. As if he suddenly remembered something, he stopped and looked at Lin Chen. “You’re going to Yongchuan alone the day after tomorrow—will you be alright?”
“What could go wrong?”
Xing Conglian examined Lin Chen several times from head to toe—from the soft slippers on the other’s feet to the drowsy eyes. He then said, “I always feel that it’s impossible to not have an accident when you go out with a physique like yours.”
Lin Chen sighed helplessly, as if he didn’t know how to respond to this.
“You studied at Yongchuan University?” Xing Conglian sat down opposite him and talked casually.
“That’s right.”
“Sure enough, if it’s Yongchuan University, it means you’re a top student.”
As a national cultural center, Yongchuan had many universities, with Yongchuan University being the oldest private university in China. After several capital injections and the efforts of several generations, it was now one of the top three institutions of higher learning in China. If Lin Chen had graduated from an ace major at Yongchuan University, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he was a top student.
“I’m just better at studying,” Lin Chen replied solemnly.
Xing Conglian had long been accustomed to his straightforward style, so he didn’t feel that Lin Chen was boasting. In fact, him being so frank was quite cute.
He also sat in a rattan chair. He lifted up the teapot, refilled half a glass of water, took a sip, then put it down. “I remember, isn’t Yongchuan in the territory of the Chen family?”
Hearing this, Lin Chen was startled.
Xing Conglian was sitting opposite him, upright. His actions of pouring tea and refilling water weren’t contrived, but had a rather dashing and peaceful motion. Lin Chen watched as Xing Conglian poured water, and then realized that the reason Xing Conglian brought up his trip to Yongchuan turned out to be because of the Chen family.
In Feng Peilin’s case, the paranoid patriarch of the Chen family had specially sent his butler to ensure that he would be unemployed again. Lin Chen didn’t know where Xing Conglian had gotten this information about this family, but he seemed to know a lot.
“It’s just a teacher’s birthday and a class reunion.”
When Xing Conglian heard the words “reunion”, he couldn’t help frowning. “The Chen family seems to have some stakes in Yongchuan University.”
This sentence was implying, even if it was for a meal, he shouldn’t go back to school on a whim.
“I’m just going to have a meal and stay overnight. It shouldn’t be a big problem, right?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, call me if something happens.”
In the half-deep night, the streetlights lengthened the shadows of people. The sound of water on the street was clearly audible in the quiet night.
Lin Chen and Xing Conglian walked on the stone road. It was only after seven in the evening, yet most of the small shops on the street were already closed. In a sense, Hongjing was really an unproductive city.
Yanjia Lane was still narrow and a bit long, and the only thing that had changed was the shops on either side.
According to Xing Conglian, during the period when he was missing, the municipal government transformed Yanjia Lane. The houses on either side were repaired and rented out to students. They wanted to start a business catered to the literary and art circles so some of the old houses were converted into coffee shops and teahouses, while others became art studios.
The original yellowed walls were now covered with fences and flowers. Cats could be seen napping on the floor-to-ceiling windows. Overall, the old street had become much warmer and had a more human touch.
The yellowish light reflected the old house number and two people who were squatted pitifully in front of the old wooden door.
Lin Chen followed Xing Conglian, who came to a stop.
Xing Conglian said to the two squatters in a helpless tone, “If you’re like this, the neighbor will call the police when they see you.”
A certain young comrade who was addicted to online games raised his head. His eyes were glistening. “Ah, what kind of police are you calling? Captain, why is your wifi turned off? I had to crack the password of your next and the next next door neighbor. Can you let me in for a bite to eat?”
The other person who was squatting alongside didn’t speak.
Lin Chen looked down at the other party only to see that the man’s eyes were slightly red and his gaze stunned, as if he couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him.
Lin Chen’s softened his tone and said helplessly, “Hey, didn’t we already talk on the phone two days ago?”
Before his voice fell, the man jumped up and hugged Lin Chen tightly. “Shixiong, I’m timid. Don’t scare me like that again!”
——
After reuniting with him, Fu Hao took his arm and wouldn’t let go.
As soon as they entered, Lin Chen’s ears were full of Professor Fu’s endless nagging. He was silently thinking, ‘Is this the legendary coquetry?’
Xing Conglian stood by the door and turned on the door light. The moment the light came on, Professor Fu’s nagging abruptly stopped.
In front of him, there was a classical courtyard with lush plants and trees. The ground lamps glistened brightly as they lit up. There was a cobblestone path that connected the front door to the main hall. On the left side of the courtyard, there was a turquoise pond whose surface was shimmering with a cold floating light.
Fu Hao was completely stunned and could only spit out, “What the fuck?” After he finished, he took two steps back, like a ghost, and walked out the door and looked at the number plate, then rushed back in and grabbed Xing Conglian. “You have nothing better to do than break into other people’s homes? As a public official, you should know the law and you’re breaking it!”
Hearing what Fu Hao said, Xing Conglian remained silent.
Lin Chen had no choice but to explain it to him. “The municipal government renovated the entire old street as part of a project.”
“For such a project, they change his house?”
“The house he used to live in was next door and it’s rented to a gallery, so he moved here.”
Professor Fu was in disbelief. “Based on how old his house was, why would the government give him a place like this? Isn’t this a garden?” As he spoke, he walked to the edge of the pond. There were several elegant rockeries stacked on the edge. A stone arch bridge spanned the water, and he saw bright red koi swimming around, creating ripples on the pond’s surface. “Shixiong, look. There are koi!”
“Well, do you want to pay your respects*?” Xing Conglian asked with a smile.
*Clarity: Koi is symbol of wealth and luck so often times people pay respects in hopes of getting good luck.
“Lao Xing, let me tell you, you can’t touch money that shouldn’t be touched.” Professor Fu suddenly turned his head with an awe-inspiring expression. “You must always remember your identity and don’t be knocked down by the sugar-coated bullets of capitalism.”
Xing Conglian couldn’t laugh or cry. He asked Lin Chen, “Did your shidi switch to teaching political science?”
“Lao Xing, be serious. You’re a criminal police officer. If you live in such a house, it must not be known by Inspector Huang. Otherwise, he’ll take off three layers of skin, provided you don’t die first!” Fu Hao admonished harshly.
Although Fu Hao was rambling, his words were full of concern. Sensing this, Xing Conglian said sincerely, “Professor Fu, don’t worry.”
The three of them were talking by the pond; though mostly it was just Fu Hao nagging while Lin Chen and Xing Conglian would tease him from time to time.
Suddenly, there came a wailing in the main hall. “Captain, I’m hungry!” Wang Chao, who had long ago rushed into the house to play games shouted out to them.
Xing Conglian raised his voice and told the young comrade in the house, “Instant noodles are in the first cabinet on the left side of the kitchen.”
“But I don’t want to eat noodles anymore,” Wang Chao continued to shout back.
“Order takeout.”
“I’m tired of eating all the takeout in this neighborhood.”
They walked into the main hall.
The little comrade Wang Chao was weakly lying on the table, as if he had just lost a game and had no love for life.
“What do you want?” Xing Conglian asked.
Hearing this, Wang Chao’s eyes lit up, and Lin Chen saw his gaze floating over.
“A’Chen, will you cook for me, yeah?” After he finished speaking, he licked his lips and said, “I really want to eat home-cooked food.”
Lin Chen found this funny. “Why did you pick me?”
“Captain pass! Professor Fu is used to eating in the cafeteria, so also pass! Therefore, you must be very good at cooking since you lived alone before!”
In fact, there was nothing wrong with Wang Chao’s analysis. The only problem was that a man who was only familiar with various instant noodle flavors wouldn’t have the necessary ingredients to show off his cooking skills.
Lin Chen stood in front of the sink, rinsing wilted vegetables. The instant noodles were boiling in a pot and, as usual, were beef flavored.
Xing Conglian leaned against the cooking table and said to the little comrade, who was checking the refrigerator, “Don’t look for it. You’ve eaten the last piece of ham the day before yesterday.”
“Why don’t you go grocery shopping!” Wang Chao looked back angrily.
“Because I work hard every day,” Xing Conglian replied naturally.
Wang Chao was choked speechless. He slammed the refrigerator door and ran back to the computer angrily, ready to continue two more rounds of his game.
——
The instant noodles with vegetables and eggs tasted like the usual beef flavor. There was nothing new that could be done.
After dinner, in order to avoid Fu Hao’s ideological and moral education for Xing Conglian, Lin Chen took them to the balcony for tea.
The spring breeze was semi-cool. The balcony faced the river. The lights along both sides of the river reflected the water, giving it a more sparkling hue.
Professor Fu was a worldly person, but when he was sitting in a comfortable armchair, holding a cup of hot tea, he felt so comfortable that he couldn’t help but want to let out a relaxed sigh.
“Shixiong, did you make up your mind to stay here?” Professor Fu half squinted as he asked Lin Chen.
There was the sound of running water all around and everything was quiet.
“Nn.”
Fu Hao looked at him, stopped talking, and finally said, “Then you must never be as brave as before.”
“Yes.”
“Regarding Feng Peilin, I understand that you wanted to cheat death so you could escape surveillance. Although hiding isn’t always a good solution, it’s still better than constantly being harassed. The highway robbery, I know you accidentally ran into it, but despite how unrealistic it was, this is just too dangerous. The drug cartels could murder an entire bus full of people at once and even dare to install sucker bombs under a police car. This is no longer something that even bold can accurately describe. If it weren’t for Huang Ze suppressing things, you would have become famous again. If you’re targeted by the drug cartels, what can you do?”
Professor Fu was worried. Lin Chen listened helplessly and had to comfort him. “It’s okay. The police have a witness protection program.”
“You’re not paying attention to this matter at all!” Professor Fu put down his teacup and raised his voice.
“But what do you want me to do?” Lin Chen asked depressingly.
As soon as Fu Hao heard him say that, he hurriedly comforted, “It’s okay. It’s fine just the way it is now. You just live with Lao Xing. In case there’s a robbery or attempted murder, he can protect you.”
The subject matter changed instantly. Lin Chen had to admit that, in terms of experience, his shidi definitely had the upper hand.
“When you put it like that, it gives me a bad feeling.”
“Hey, who told you life isn’t very good?”
“Then does Professor Fu have any transfer methods?” Lin Chen asked with a smile.
“I think Xing Conglian’s luck seems to be good. Looking at the government construction project, he was able to nab such a good place to live. I heard that some people are born with a difficult fate, but they have good luck. Hurry up and rub it all off of him.”
“Okay.”
Lin Chen didn’t speak anymore. Except for the sound of water, there was no other noise.
Fu Hao seemed a bit uncomfortable. He scratched his hair and suddenly remembered something. “By the way, shixiong, the day after tomorrow is the old man’s 60th birthday. That…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Are you going to go?”
“Professor Fu’s meaning is, do you want me to go or don’t want me to go?” Lin Chen asked.
“No, of course I want you to go. Even if I don’t want you to, the old man does. It’s just that the old man has peaches and plums all over the world*, so there will be a lot of classmates there…”
*(桃李满天下) Idiom referring to many talents or students that are all over the world.
“So?”
“So, let me just tell you, many of them want to take advantage of the old man’s birthday to have a class reunion. Hell, do you remember that bastard, Zheng Dongdong? He wants to recommend for you be the host for the reunion, saying that since you had good grades and abilities before, you must now be an elite in society, making you the most suitable host. I think he’s the villain in the group. He’s just trying to find an opportunity to mock and humiliate you…”
“I don’t remember,” Lin Chen interrupted Fu Hao.
“Don’t remember what?”
“I don’t remember who Zheng Dongdong is.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember or not. He’s just a small character. He used to be in the next class, and he makes me sick. To tell you the truth, it’s not bad if you don’t go to the old man’s birthday. We can just visit the old man’s place at night, and it’ll be more convenient to talk then.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” Listening to what Fu Hao said, Lin Chen lifted the kettle on the coffee table and poured some hot water into his cup. “Since I don’t remember who he is, is it important to even consider what he thinks, says, or does?”
“It’s not… But the reunion will…”
“You’re trying to say that now our classmates are all successful in their careers, but I, who had the best grades, have only gotten worse. I can only be a small-time consultant for a city’s police force, and this will be uncomfortable when meeting with our old classmates again, right?”
Fu Hao thought for a while and held the words back in his throat. In the end, his face turned a little red, but under Lin Chen’s burning gaze, he could only nod.
“Since this job was chosen by me, I’m happy to do it. Why should I have low self-esteem?”
“Mr. Lin, I will ask you some questions below. Please answer truthfully.”
“Nn.”
“Is your name Lin Chen?”
“Yes.”
“Are you from Fengchun?”
“Yes.”
“Regarding this polygraph survey, are you willing to answer my question truthfully?”
“Willing.”
Lin Chen was sitting in an interrogation room with several clips on his index and ring fingers. A blood pressure monitor was wrapped around his arm, and some wires were connected to his chest to the screen on the laptop.
His heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, skin electricity, and other parameters were gathered into complex lines on the screen and were slowly advancing forward.
Opposite him was a staff member of the Inspector’s Office, but of course it wasn’t Inspector Huang himself.
Since the “Candy Bandit” case, for some unknown reason, Lin Chen had never seen Huang Ze again, and for some unknown reason, Huang Ze actually sent someone to go through the approval procedures for him to become
a police consultant. Of course, before that, he still had to explain some unexplained things clearly.
Passing a lie detector test was naturally part of the procedure.
Across from him, a polygrapher looked away from the data monitoring screen. The person’s gaze was slightly condensed. After the non-threatening neutral question was over, it was time to move on to the main point.
“In the course of handling the case, have you ever used your authority to help criminals?”
“No.”
“In the process of assisting the police in handling the September 10th serial murder case, did you intend to help the suspect Feng Peilin jump into the river and escape?”
“No.”
The data cable on the screen began to fluctuate, and the polygrapher quickly scanned the screen, and then moved back to gazing at Lin Chen with a hint of disappointment. “What happened after you and Feng Peilin fell into the river together? Is Feng Peilin alive or dead?”
“After falling into the river with Feng Peilin, we were washed away by the river. I don’t know if he is still alive.” Lin Chen held a glass cup with hot tea. A thin layer of tea leaves floated on the water. He stared at the rotating leaves as he gave his reply.
“According to you, since you were fine, why didn’t you go back to the police and report on your situation, but instead tried to sneak away?”
Hearing this question, Lin Chen raised his eyes slightly, as if he was looking at the polygrapher’s face, but he was seemingly looking at the one-way glass behind him.
“Since Feng Peilin’s goal has always been me, I was afraid that my reappearing would cause unnecessary trouble for the police.” He paused before he continued, “And some very powerful people are always looking to cause trouble for me. I wanted to cheat death to avoid these troubles.” His breath was very steady, and his voice was very calm, despite sounding extraordinarily frank.
Even without looking at the complicated lines, just from the tone and attitude of his speech, anyone who heard this would feel that there was nothing wrong with such a reason.
Xing Conglian stood on the other side of the one-way glass. He had his hands in his pockets and was wearing a standard police uniform. Unlike Inspector Huang, who was always meticulously dressed, the corners of his clothes were a little wrinkled and the top button wasn’t fastened, giving him a casual look. But perhaps it was because his eyes were so deep and the color green, as he stared into the interrogation room, he gave off a quiet and stern feeling that didn’t match the casual image.
However, that kind of tranquility and profound look only lasted for a short time. After hearing a very reasonable answer, the corners of his mouth, which he had originally wanted to keep serious, were gently raised and ripples appeared in his dark green eyes. He then smiled and looked at the polygraph on the table.
All the indicators were very stable, so his smile deepened.
The polygrapher turned a page and suddenly asked, “Have you ever been in a relationship?”
Lin Chen was taken a bit aback by such a question. “Huh?”
“Answer the question,” The polygrapher cleared his throat and said solemnly.
“No.”
“Have you ever liked anyone?” As if he thought this answer was too strange, the polygrapher added another question.
“No.”
At this moment, the various data on the monitoring screen finally fluctuated. The person who answered the question quickly realized that he had lied about the answer.
Lin Chen frowned slightly. As if he hadn’t expected that he would have a problem with this answer.
But in the end, what went wrong?
Although the person had begun to struggle, the polygrapher quickly turned to a new page. After all, who didn’t want to have some privacy?
The polygrapher continued back to the main topic. “From the file of the Candy Bandit case, it was pure accident that you appeared on the bus that was hijacked by her, right?”
“Yes.”
“Where were you going?”
“On a trip.”
“What a coincidence…”
At this moment, Lin Chen finally couldn’t help but let go of the hand holding the teacup and said, “Sorry, please allow me to interrupt you.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I just listened to the questions you asked. I think this polygraph test you’re using should be the CQT method*. “
*Control question test. It’s a technique used in criminal investigation where irrelevant questions are asked to establish a baseline. Relevant questions to the crime and past behaviors are also included too, with the aim being to elicit a strong physiological reaction from the examinee.
The polygrapher turned to the first page of the document and looked at it with a little embarrassment.
“The standard polygraph method is divided into four parts. Neutral questions, standard questions, related questions, and off-topic questions. For example, asking for name and age are all neutral questions. The role of the neutral question is to establish a normal response level. Therefore, during the questioning process, please try to let the subject answer a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. Otherwise, there will be problems with the baseline.”
The polygrapher closed the file and listened helplessly.
“At the same time, when you ask questions about the case, please try to write the questions you ask in a way that the subject can answer yes or no. The two questions you asked at the beginning are good, but then it became an interrogation. After all, there’s a difference between interrogating and lie detecting.”
The polygrapher opened his mouth and found himself speechless.
However, Lin Chen’s was obviously not finished. He continued, “In fact, in a set of CQT polygraph questions, it’s best to only involve one aspect of one question, and through repeated inquiries, determine whether the subject has lied or not, so the case of the Candy Bandit is another matter. You’d better put it in the next set of questions and ask me again.”
Lin Chen’s counterattack was quick and merciless.
Xing Conglian almost laughed out loud. The way some people became angry because they answered the wrong question was too cute.
“Mr. Lin, I understand.” The polygrapher sighed and stood up. He took off of the wires stuck to Lin Chen’s body. “If you lie sincerely, even the instrument can’t detect it.”
“……”
“This is just a routine procedure. Just answer a few more questions and we’ll call it a day.”
“Go ahead.”
“I read the file on the ‘Candy Bandit’. As a temporary negotiator, you’ve done a great job in persuading Fang Aizi, but at the same time, you are also one of the last people in contact with Yang Dianfeng. After that, Yang Dianfeng was escorted away in a police car and it blew up. Under such circumstances, do you think Yang Dianfeng had time to give criminals the information about his arrest?”
“It’s impossible. He didn’t have an opportunity to use any communication device like a phone at that time. Yang Dianfeng knew very well that once he was arrested, seeking police asylum was the only way out.”
“Because the criminals reacted very quickly at that time, since it wasn’t Yang Dianfeng that notified them, I can only make an inference that among all the personnel at the scene, someone passed the information directly to them, which led them to be able to react quickly and silence him.”
“I don’t rule out that possibility, but it could also be that Yang Dianfeng himself was closely monitored by the criminal organization. Once there was an issue, they decided to finish him quickly.”
“Please answer my question directly and whether I can make this inference.” The polygrapher suddenly interrupted Lin Chen solemnly.
“Okay.” Lin Chen was silent for a moment before replying.
“Continuing with the question just now, you’re an expert who has received the most professional and systematic psychological training. At the scene of the crime, did you notice anything strange at that time, and among all of them, who do you suspect is most likely to pass this information on to the criminals?”
Hearing this question, Lin Chen suddenly raised his head.
The two questions in this sentence were truly the style of the Inspector’s Office. It was full of intrigue and traps, and it was even very likely that these questions themselves were drafted by Inspector Huang himself.
Originally, the Inspector’s Office existed to supervise whether the police exercised their powers correctly and appropriately in the process of handing cases. Of course, since the Inspector’s Office suspected that someone inside the police had leaked secrets, it was necessary to start an investigation, but the inference based on the possibility required a certainty. As a result, it was a bit cruel to use such blatant questions to encourage whistle-blowing.
“I do have professional psychological training, but I’m not a professional facial recognition expert. Even the most professional facial recognition expert still needs to observe and talk carefully to find abnormal problems. You’re asking me that during the time I was facing Fang Aizi, when all the police officers were hidden in the reeds, if I could find anyone suspicious at the scene, then I can only answer you that I don’t have such abilities.”
——
The vetting process was always long and tedious.
When Lin Chen walked out the door of the police station, it was already dark. The wind was soft as the stars blotted the sky on an early spring night.
Xing Conglian was leaning against a stone pillar at the entrance, smoking a cigarette. Seeing Lin Chen, he slowly stood up straight. “Did it go well?”
Lin Chen shook his head and handed over the results he had just obtained.
Xing Conglian’s expression sank. He bit his cigarette butt and quickly opened the report. His gaze fell on the last line.
The word “Approved” was clearly written.
Xing Conglian couldn’t help but put his hand on Lin Chen’s head and ruffle his hair. “Hey, isn’t this passing? Why are you still shaking your head?”
“Didn’t you ask me if it went well?”
“And you passed. Was it not smooth?”
“I just think it’s weird that Huang Ze would suddenly let go and really let me pass this vetting process.”
Looking at Lin Chen’s slightly worried face.
“What if he discovered a conscience?” He took out another cigarette as he asked with a meaningful smile.
Kinky Thoughts:
In fact, polygraph tests are not accurate and can be passed even if you’re lying. This is why they’re not admissible in court. For someone like Lin Chen, he could easily lie and pass the test.
Interesting that he passed the question that asked if he’s been in a relationship. Perhaps Huang Ze isn’t his ex after all.
To celebrate my 1-year anniversary of danmei translation I have decided to release the entire 3rd arc of Criminal Psychology. Happy reading.
Shian would deduct their first month’s salary, and their punishment would be publicly notified within the company. Considering Shian’s generous salary, this punishment wasn’t light.
As for the internal public notification, for two guys with thick skin, it made no difference to them.
There were clear punishments and rewards in Shian. Since the two of them had saved Gao Mengyu, they were approved to become regular employees ahead of schedule.
After the incident, the two were taken into the lounge of the small round building and stayed there for five days. It was determined they had no psychophysiological problems before they were released from quarantine.
Being able to return to Shian put Yin Ren in an extremely good mood. Previously, he had planned ahead, searched frantically for the review book, and even worked out the content of his review. Now it seemed that he had escaped disaster for the time being.
Lord Ghost King binged on food and drink while watching movies in the lounge. At the end of the observation period, it took a lot of effort for the staff to dig him out of the room.
Within a few minutes, Yin Ren received a transfer notice from Fang Yuanyuan.
However, when Yin Ren was taken to the conference room, he didn’t find Zhong Chengshuo’s figure. It was strange. Was it possible that Shian had changed their mind and was going to fire Zhong Chengshuo?
Yin Ren quickly took out his phone and clicked on the apple avatar.
For safety reasons, the isolation observation room would block external signals, so they hadn’t contacted each other for five days.
[Fruit Knife: When will you transfer?]
Two minutes passed, and there was no response from Zhong Chengshuo.
[Fruit Knife: ?]
[Fruit Knife: Did you get fired?]
Ten minutes passed and there was still no response from Zhong Chengshuo.
[Fruit knife: ……?]
[Fruit Knife: Ge, are you okay? 😠]
Then his phone was gently but firmly confiscated by Fang Yuanyuan.
Fang Yuanyuan’s sweet smile looked murderous. “Don’t play with your phone during the meeting! What I just said was very important. Come on, repeat it.”
Yin Ren sighed and repeated it quickly…
After officially entering the job, he would be assigned to the formal investigation team. Each investigation team started with three people and must have at least two atheists.
Only then did the murderous intent of Fang Yuanyuan disappear.
She clasped Yin Ren’s phone in her hand as she continued to explain, “There must be a science post on the scene and the science post in the rear to assist in command. After all, those in the science post are not easily influenced so they can make more sober decisions.”
“As for the civilian job you expect… Unless there are special circumstances, for non-science posts, you have to be at least 40 years old to apply for civilian jobs.”
The 1,400-year-old Yin Ren: “…”
He was just a little younger-looking! Even after deducting more than 1,000 years of sleep, he was still 360 years old.
“Why is there an age limit?” Yin Ren was unconvinced.
Fang Yuanyuan smiled. “The amount of exercise on the scene is intense, so some Black Seals are too old to bear it. The group needs to give priority to them.”
“There are many specialty restaurants in Haigu. Shian will reimburse all meals for on-site attendance.” She paused for a while before adding this sincerely.
Yin Ren: “Okay, when can I go on-site?”
“Wait until your group finishes registration.” Fang Yuanyuan pushed over a tablet. “According to regulations, there has to be a senior employee in your group. We happen to have a surplus of science posts, so she will serve as your rear commander.”
Hearing the word “surplus”, Yin Ren subconsciously became vigilant. “If I may ask, what about her previous group…?”
“Disbanded. The science post in that group, well, the Red Seal collected enough field data and intends to return to the big factory to work on a project. The Black Seal is too old and recently applied for early retirement.”
Yin Ren breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed the field work wasn’t too dangerous.
He picked up the tablet in front of him and saw the header: [C-Level Investigation Team] Field Partner Combination—Individual Intent Registration Form.
There were only a few names to choose from. Yin Ren saw Zhong Chengshuo and Lao Bin, who were the newcomers, at a glance. Below each name were five options: [Not considered for the time being], [Unfamiliar], [General], [Cooperative], and [Much Appreciated].
Since Zhong Chengshuo’s name was still there, it meant he wasn’t fired.
Yin Ren happily checked [Much Appreciated] under the name [011-Zhong Chengshuo], and then marked [Not considered for the time being] for everyone else.
There were only three newcomers this session, including Yin Ren. It would be troublesome if he chose someone like Luo Bin, who didn’t look capable at first glance, or a senior employee who had lost their partners for various reasons. No matter how he thought about it, Zhong Chengshuo was the perfect choice.
When she received the form, Fang Yuanyuan laughed out loud.
“You two are very interesting. The way you choose people is exactly the same. Okay, it seems that there’s no need for reconsideration. Your partner will be Zhong Chengshuo.”
“He has already gone through the formalities?” Yin Ren said in surprise.
“Nn. However, Minister Li has other arrangements on his side, so Xiao Zhong is probably busy right now.”
……
On the other side of Shian Park.
Zhong Chengshuo stepped into the elevator with Professor Li. When the elevator descended to the fifth floor, his phone signal disappeared. Zhong Chengshuo began to feel that something was amiss.
“Mr. Li, is there an underground area in Shian?”
“Yes.” Li Nian still had his same unsmiling look.
Zhong Chengshuo said, “Oh” and didn’t inquire further.
Only the humming of the mechanical elevator sounded.
Ten seconds passed before Professor Li spoke up. “You’re not asking where we’re going?”
Zhong Chengshuo replied calmly, “Well, it’s already too late to turn back.”
Professor Li: “……”
Professor Li: “When you decided to intervene in Gao Mengyu’s case, what did you think of the danger of phenomenon C-C19? After all, the clues were limited at that time. Tell me about your thoughts.”
[Phenomenon C-C19, gap “cat”.
Unknown creature with some intelligence. It’s physical, non-toxic, has weak physical destructive power with a strong cognitive pollution ability. The creature’s willingness to attack isn’t strong, and it can induce incomplete gaps.]
The above were the record entries added by Shian professionals. As witnesses, both Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren had signed the file.
Zhong Chengshuo pondered for a moment.
“’Cognitive pollution’ is a kind of camouflage, and creatures with strong camouflage are usually not good at frontal hand-to-hand combat. At that time, the people who went before you to Fanghua were only cognitively polluted and not poisoned, which made it evident that it wasn’t highly toxic.”
“It can live in an apartment for a long time and use smaller ‘gaps’ to hide itself. This indicates that it’s not physically large or good at shape-shifting—which will rule out the possibility that it’s too large or has a hard shell.”
“’Cats’ like to eat brains. Gao Mengyu had bought 10 pounds of pig brains every day, and there was still a lot left in stock in the refrigerator. Either it didn’t eat too much, or it only needed specific substances contained in the brain. It’s unlikely that such a creature that ate very little will have a mouth that can swallow people.”
After speaking, Zhong Chengshuo looked at Professor Li quietly.
Li Nian: “Continue.”
“In summary, as long as I can resist its cognitive pollution, it’s just an ordinary creature with low defense. There are certain risks, but it was worth trying.”
Professor Li chuckled.
“You’re really something else,” he said.
“Do enough investigation before you act. This is the basis of research.” Zhong Chengshuo’s tone was flat and stiff, like a primary school student who was called out by his teacher.
“Indeed.”
The elevator stopped slowly, and the elevator door slid open.
“I don’t think you’re a person who’s easily hot-blooded. Today, I brought you here to show you the ‘basis’ of Shian—Phenomenon A-A3, Evil Spirit.”
“Must we watch it live?” Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses as he asked seriously. “I can look at a video or pictures or something…”
“You have seen the abnormal photo of the ‘cat’.” Li Nian took Zhong Chengshuo deeper into the corridor. “The existing machinery we have is still not able to process images of certain creatures. The appearance of the ‘cat’ will only turn part of the image into a black area or create a messy code.”
“But a proper Evil Spirit is capable of blowing up any existing camera equipment, and pictures aren’t enough to describe. Text and language would barely work, but many details are lost.”
“……”
“It’s hard to understand, right? When you go out later, you can take a look at the cats Gao Mengyu drew when she hadn’t recovered—the dogs, hamsters, and tigers she drew were all normal, but the ‘cats’ were a mess of irregular lines.”
Zhong Chengshuo knew this.
Lin Bei was so frightened by the cat that Gao Mengyu drew that she pulled Gao Mengyu into the cooperative group chat and kept taking pictures of it and asking about it. Yin Ren patiently comforted the two of them and then added a cat emoji pack.
Speaking of which, Yin Ren wasn’t here. No wonder why Zhong Chengshuo felt something was missing.
“Since the Evil Spirit can only be seen on the spot, why did you call only me? Yin Ren and I are both parties to the incident.”
“You have a good relationship with your partner. Despite the situation you’re in now, you can still think of others.”
Professor Li put on a somewhat mean smile.
“To be honest, the science post is better. If a person in a non-science position directly observes the Evil Spirit’s body, on the light side, they will lose their ability to think, and on the heavy side, they will die of cerebral hemorrhage on the spot. If I were to bring Yin Ren down, you’ll have to change partners on the first day of employment.”
I see.
Zhong Chengshuo said no more questions and obediently accepted the goggles handed to him by Professor Li.
There was only an extremely long corridor outside the elevator that was empty on both sides with only cold white walls. The goggles were thick and heavy, but there was little change in his vision after he put them on.
There was a door at the end of the corridor that led to a huge hall, similar to one inside a concert hall. The entire hall was milky white, and there were a few suspended floors inside with hundreds of people busying themselves in front of various machines.
Just looking at the atmosphere, it was like a giant beehive.
Zhong Chengshuo honestly followed Professor Li through the hall while he desperately peered around from the corner of his eyes.
Unfortunately, their destination wasn’t far away. Professor Li took him into a sightseeing ladder-like elevator in the corner. The elevator opened horizontally, and the two quickly fell into darkness.
When light appeared, Zhong Chengshuo thought they had arrived in another world.
In front of the two of them was a huge observation window with extremely thick compartments embedded in it. The world on the other side of the window seemed to be in the middle of a rainy night. The sky was gloomy, and there were dark clouds sprinkling light rain. The forest was wrapped in a circle of trees, and the vast lawn was blown by the wind in waves.
An ancient courtyard stood at the edge of the forest.
Under the eaves, a family of three dressed in ancient costumes were talking and laughing while enjoying the rain. A black dog circled them happily, wagging its tail and jumping around from time to time.
If it weren’t for knowing that they were deep underground, Zhong Chengshuo would have thought this was some kind of drama scene being filmed by a film crew.
Professor Li was expressionless. “Do you see anything wrong?”
Zhong Chengshuo: “That dog… doesn’t have a leash around its neck.”
The back of the dog’s neck was connected to a crimson “umbilical cord”.
The umbilical cord-like thing was very long, dragging on the ground for hundreds of meters, and at the end it gradually rose and disappeared into the dark and gloomy sky.
Seeing Zhong Chengshuo’s face full of doubts, Professor Li smiled. He took out a delicate radio. “Raise the brightness to level 4.”
The dark “sky” was illuminated a little. It no longer resembled the night sky but was closer to an uneven cloud. The end of the umbilical cord was something funnel-shaped, connecting to a squirming object in the sky.
“How about now?”
“Nothing special.”
“Raise the brightness to level 3.”
“Now?”
“It’s okay.”
“…Level 2.”
“If you feel uncomfortable, you should tell me. This isn’t the time to be brave.”
“I don’t feel any discomfort.”
“…”
“…Adjust the position of the elevator and increase the brightness to level 1.”
When the elevator rose higher, Zhong Chengshuo could clearly see this time.
Over the artificial landscape, a large group of dark red creatures were floating. It looked a bit like a giant coral reef gathered in groups, with irregular shapes, and it twitched nervously from time to time.
Roughly speaking, its surface was embedded with pink barnacle-like things. Those “barnacles” were close to one meter in diameter, and the roots were light yellow bones with something growing out of them. Zhong Chengshuo wiped his glasses and squinted…
Those were twisted and deformed hairless dogs’ mouths.
They bore horizontal and vertical fangs from the open snout. The deformed mouth opened slightly, as if it were breathing, and pale red mucus dripped from these “long mouths”, turning into a never-ending rain underground.
This thing was gigantic. Comparing the courtyard to it, it wasn’t even the size of a small rice grain. Even if the light were turned on, he could only see a small part closest to him.
“It can’t get any brighter,” Professor Li said in a deep voice. “This is the source of evil qi we use to appease anomalies, Shian’s Evil Spirit.”
The source of evil qi used to appease anomalies… Zhong Chengshuo thought about this and repeated it several times in his head. He suddenly felt a bit enlightened. It turned out that this was the case. Shian was collecting the Evil Spirit dogs’ hair to pay wages for evil beings in their group.
But Professor Li’s aura was so fierce that he didn’t dare say this or ask about it.
Zhong Chengshuo decided to change the subject. “That family of three just now…”
“They are all remotely controlled high-tech simulation machines. The grass and trees are also artificial. This thing is surrounded by an extremely toxic poison that makes it inaccessible to living things. Of course, biological toxins are the most insignificant ability of this Evil Spirit, and it is the weakest Evil Spirit in existence.”
“……”
“It’s now in a semi-conscious state, thinking it’s a dog. Did you see the work hall just now? The work of those people is limited to two goals: ensuring that the ‘dog’ is in a good mood and suppressing it as soon as possible if it gets out of control.”
Professor Li’s eyes were sharp as he looked directly into Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes.
“Zhong Chengshuo, you have a talent. Next time you face evil things, I hope you will think more thoroughly. The world you want to step into is much more than what you think… Is there anything else you want to ask?”
Zhong Chengshuo looked at the black dog jumping up and down, and his eyes became complicated. “If I understand this correctly, it… used to be a dog?”
“It was transformed from an evil creature whose original body was a dog. We can only be sure of that. I remember giving you the information yesterday—Evil Spirits are all transformed from evil things, but we don’t know the conditions for their transformation.”
“I see.” Zhong Chengshuo kept staring at the dog. “Will an evil being that’s originally a human turn into an Evil Spirit?”
“There has never been such an Evil Spirit, and I don’t think there will be in the future.”
“Why?”
Li Nian didn’t answer immediately. He raised his head and looked at the huge thing floating in the air. There was a “barnacle monster mouth” extremely close to the two that was panting sharply, spraying a small piece of white mist onto the compartment.
“The fiercer the Evil Spirit, the more primitive the original body. This is their way of existence… A mind with thinking ability can’t bear it. You will understand later,” Professor Li said softly.
“Even if there’s a one-in-a-billion chance, that person must be very, very crazy.”
The author has something to say：
Xiao Yin’s civilian pension plan was completely shattered—
It’s too bad for Xiao Yin, but at least you can eat at all kinds of delicious restaurants.
Shian’s Evil Spirit has appeared. It’s a dog leash!
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the first arc. Hope you enjoy the arc. This marks the end of the anniversary release. I will be taking a break for the rest of this month, so releases will be extremely sporadic until at least January. Thank you everyone for your support, comments, Ko-fi donations, and help throughout the past year. Here’s hoping for more danmei in 2023. Wishing everyone an (early) happy holidays.
As always, I will provide an arc summary for each arc.
The seal to the human world was broken, allowing Yin Ren to enter from his 1,000-year-old slumber. He woke up in a mental health hospital and escaped from it with the help of one of the patients. Outside, he was caught by a “Samaritan” who claimed to be Zhong Chengshuo and was escorted to the police station.
While at the police station, they were transferred to Shian Corporation, a company that works for the government to protect the world from “abnormal phenomena”. That night that Yin Ren was released, they were watching over Haigu in preparation to deal with an Evil Spirit that could be released. Though they didn’t find anything, Minister Fu went through all the anomalies that happened that night and suspected there was something fishy with Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo and had them brought to Shian for an interrogation from the police station.
Yin Ren feigned amnesia in order for him to skate by without knowing much of the modern world. His only goal after escaping the seal was to become a layabout and do nothing but enjoy food. He is then recruited to join Shian and undergoes an entrance exam, which he passes. Things didn’t go as he had hoped as instead of being recruited for a civilian job, he instead joins the special squad and, due to being short staff (because of him), he and Zhong Chengshuo are partnered up and whisked away to investigate a disappearance case.
Their investigation uncovers that a gap had formed in the apartment of Gao Mengyu, the person who had disappeared. Gao Mengyu recently moved away after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend, who later died in an accident, because he strangled her cat to death. She later adopted a new “cat”, which turns out to be an evil being from “the other side”. In order to protect Gao Mengyu from the retaliation of her dead ex boyfriend’s family, it sucked her into the gap and hid her away, causing her to “disappear”.
Gao Mengyu’s ex, who died, had turned into a ghost and was haunting her as “Mr. Rose”, the persona he created that went viral in order to try to win her back, but he was unable to exact his revenge because she was protected by the “cat”.
The “cat” was an evil being from the other world who was wounded and wandered into the human world. In order to survive, it used cognitive pollution, changing humans’ perceptions of it as a harmless, cute creature. While trying to protect Gao Mengyu, it inadvertently mobilized Shian’s forces. To ensure the cognitive pollution didn’t get worse and leave a permanent effect, Shian was going to cleanse the entire building Gao Mengyu resided in to clear up the gap and the cognitive pollution.
Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren intervened in time and saved Gao Mengyu before the cleansing, while the “cat” had fully recovered and returned back to its world.
Despite disobeying orders, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo had proven themselves and were expedited to become regular employees of Shian without having to go through the probation period. Now, they have formed a team and will be investigating anomalies around Haigu.
From the outside of the building, unit 1413 was no different from others. There was no trace of light in the entire apartment, as if the dilapidated and huge building seemed to be asleep.
Many Shian employees patrolled the perimeter, and the temporarily installed surveillance camera circled around.
Zhong Chengshuo changed back into his sweater and sneakers and had an extra canvas school bag on his back. Yin Ren put on a black shirt and neatly tied up his hair. The two took Xie Baocai and sneaked around to the rear of Fanghua Apartments.
“Is this really possible?” Xie Baocai clutched his cloth bag tightly as he looked at all the surveillance cameras plastered on the wall.
Yin Ren pressed his index finger to his upper lip and made a “quiet” gesture to Xie Baocai.
Zhong Chengshuo straightened up his clothes, turned his back to Xie Baocai, and hung his work ID around his neck. He took two steps forward and stopped the patrolling staff.
The male staff member looked at Zhong Chengshuo’s work ID for a while and gave him a puzzled look. “What are you doing here now?”
“I heard that this place will be indiscriminately cleaned for the second half of the night.” Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses as he spoke in a low voice. “We came to investigate before, and I lost a USB flash drive here. I heard that the cleanup operation would affect data storage devices, and the research data inside the flash drive is very important to me…”
Before they came with Xie Baocai, they had made sufficient preparations.
Zhong Chengshuo went to the Public Security Bureau to investigate Gao Mengyu’s potential enemies to see if there were any familiar faces, while Yin Ren went to investigate what “indiscriminate cleaning” was…
Shian would set up large-scale spells outside the building that would attack any evil objects in the building indiscriminately.
Such an attack would not destroy things that were dead, but it would be harmful to ordinary creatures, and even data storage devices could be damaged.
Not to mention the tenants of the apartment—even cats and dogs in Fanghua had to be transferred out by Shian. A few hours before the cleanup began, there would be no living things in the building.
The preparations for the cleanup had been completed, and Fu Xingchuan had set up a dense array of spells around Fanghua Apartments to ensure that the pollution wouldn’t overflow. Fu Xingchuan himself had arranged a treatment plan and was immediately transferred to another site.
This was a great opportunity to sneak in.
As the two expected, the staff pressed their temples. “The gap hasn’t been found yet, and there are only two hours left before clean-up. Don’t wander around. Where did you lose it? I’ll go get it.”
“I’m really sorry. I left it at a tenant’s house, and I specifically found someone to open the door. We can just take them with us so we don’t have to trouble you.”
As Zhong Chengshuo spoke, he pointed at Yin Ren, who was shaking his Black Seal and work ID, and Xie Baocai.
Xie Baocai quickly picked things up. “Ah, yes. Please let us in. We’ll be quick about it.”
The staff hesitated for a few seconds. “Okay, open all your bags.”
Zhong Chengshuo opened his school bag cooperatively. There were only a few bundles of safety ropes that were attached to metal hooks.
“There’s a gap inside, and we’re afraid of encountering danger, so this is used for escape,” Zhong Chengshuo said nervously.
Seeing that he was about to be checked, Xie Baocai became flustered. “Check what! I’m kindly helping them, and you’re searching me like a thief. It truly doesn’t pay to be good! Are you a policeman? Do you have this kind of authority?”
He took a few steps back and straightened up his waist with a flushed face. Zhong Chengshuo looked at the staff apologetically, giving him an expression of “I can’t help it”.
“Alright, alright.”
The staff felt like he was getting a headache. He glanced at Xie Baocai’s deflated old cloth bag and waved his hand.
“Hurry up. You have up to an hour. Pay attention to the time. When time’s up, you’ll only have two endings—either you’ll be swallowed up by the gap or you’ll get axed.”
Zhong Chengshuo took off the protective clothing as he nodded like a chicken pecking rice.
The staff opened the chained back door and repeatedly said, “Go and hurry back.”
Fanghua Apartments was dark. The only light source came from the green emergency exit sign and the pale sensor lights that kept coming on and off. The elevator was still in operation. The group of them went straight to the fourteenth floor.
As far as they could tell, the fourteenth floor was no different from the other floors.
The apartment doors were all densely packed and neat, like a row of coffins embedded in the wall. Except for each other’s footsteps, the three of them couldn’t hear anything else.
“Didn’t you come to find someone? Why are we wearing this?” Xie Baocai grabbed at his protective clothing suspiciously.
“Gao Mengyu sprinkled pesticides in the corridor,” Zhong Chengshuo said in an undulating tone.
In terms of acting skills, Yin Ren had a subtle admiration for this person’s lying abilities.
Xie Baocai chuckled but didn’t ask more. It was fine with him. With this thing he was wearing, blood wouldn’t get on his body later. The clothes he was currently wearing were worth hundreds of dollars and were bought by his precious nephew.
The three of them quickly reached unit 1413.
Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren looked at each other and nodded.
In order to facilitate the investigation, the door of unit 1413 wasn’t locked. Zhong Chengshuo grabbed the doorknob and opened the anti-theft door slowly…
Everything was quiet inside, and the furnishings remained the same as last time. Xie Baocai was the first to rush in and look around.
“What the hell? Where’s that girl surnamed Gao?” He couldn’t hold back his anger, and his eyes were surging as soon as he entered the apartment.
With a loud bang, the anti-theft door closed behind him.
All three of them entered the small apartment. Moonlight poured in from the large open windows. Although there wasn’t any light in the room, it was still bright. The silver brilliance brushed over the floor tiles, giving up a hazy and calm feeling.
The strange thing was that although everyone could feel the oncoming evening breeze, the curtains were motionless, as if they were frozen in the air.
“You’re fooling around with me! There’s no one here!” The apartment wasn’t big. Xie Baocai hurriedly scanned the room and then spoke with a shrill voice.
Zhong Chengshuo ignored the old man and stood between Xie Baocai and the window as he faced it.
After a while, he cleared his throat.
“Uncle, Xie Chao died so tragically. Do you want to kill Gao Mengyu?”
Xie Baocai’s hand clutching the cloth bag tightened. He spat out his spit and bared his browned teeth. “Yeah, and? Shouldn’t that bitch deserve to die?”
The corners of Zhong Chengshuo’s mouth twitched as if he were about to show a smile.
Unfortunately, his back was facing the other two, and from this angle, Yin Ren couldn’t see his expression.
“Meow…”
As soon as Xie Baocai’s voice fell, a soft mew sounded.
Immediately afterwards, there was a strange booming sound in the air, like a scalpel cutting through skin, and suddenly a gap opened out of thin air in front of the window.
A grayish-yellow mucus dripped slowly down the gap, attracting sticky filaments in the air before melting silently into the floor. The fat, fleshy limbs drilled out like loaches, moving completely symmetrically from left to right. Within five seconds, the weird “flower” bloomed again.
The “flower’s center” was facing the three of them.
In the thick darkness, fourteen dots of red light flickered and would move from time to time.
The soft, fleshy limbs danced lightly in the room; their rhythm matched the beat of the heart. As the fleshy limbs “opened the screen”, brain-like folds glowed in the moonlight.
Xie Baocai stopped yelling and stared blankly at the behemoth stretching along the wall before gradually revealing a disdainful smile.
“Hahahaha. I thought it was something, but it turns out that bitch is still obsessed with raising cats…”
The old man seemed to lose interest in what was in front of him. He turned to Yin Ren, who was closest to him. “Didn’t you say that you wanted to take shots of Gao Mengyu? Where is she? If you really deceive me, I’ll sue you for tricking me into coming here and even lying to the police…”
Was this cognitive pollution? Yin Ren observed with interest.
At least for now, Zhong Chengshuo seemed to be okay.
This “cat” wasn’t weak in strength. Compared to other evil things, its methods had been thoroughly investigated.
Yin Ren lowered his head. His black hair hung down, and his eyes glowed with a bright red light.
At this moment, in Yin Ren’s eyes, Xie Baocai was like a sprouting potato. Translucent tumors gradually emerged from the old man’s eyes, nose, and mouth, and even many joints appeared.
Those tumors burrowed densely out of his skin and grew and elongated as they stretched towards the ceiling.
They were half-imaginary, half-real, with a texture close to the fleshy limbs of a “cat” but they looked like a deformed brain. At the root of the tumor, the capillary-like, thin roots were wrapped with evil qi and stretching into his body.
The problem wasn’t large.
Removing these things in time and killing the roots that had penetrated into the body as soon as possible would still cure him.
However, it was just a bit unsightly.
Yin Ren’s eyes quickly returned to their original state, regaining a relatively fresh field of vision. He took a deep breath, then shivered and shouted, “Zhong—Zhong Ge, be careful. There’s a big monster in front of you! Something’s wrong with Xie Baocai. Let’s run away—”
Xie Baocai cooperated conscientiously. “It’s great that young people have many eyes and hands. When laozi was young, I also had seven or eight hands and feet…”
When he said this, the old man’s movements were extremely distorted and weird.
He no longer stood on his legs but had prostrated himself on the ground in a strange posture. His limbs stretched awkwardly, as if he had grown invisible limbs.
When he laid down firmly, Xie Baocai turned his head into a posture that almost broke his neck. The old man rolled his eyes upward and fixed them on Yin Ren. Then his voice got louder.
“Looking down on an old man, huh? When you get old, your eyes will fall off too. Quickly, bring Gao Meng Meng Meng Meng Mengyu over here!”
Xie Baocai spit all over. His voice was hoarse, and his saliva kept flowing down the corners of his mouth. As his body squirmed, the cloth bag rubbed against the ground, causing the knife to fall out and onto the floor.
The old man bit down on the knife with his mouth, and his lips were cut by the blade. Saliva and blood dripped together. Miraculously, somehow his voice was still clear and he was able to speak.
“Hateful slut slut slut! Hateful slut! Kill kill kill kill the slut. Kill everyone. Kill, slut, kill, kill, slut, slut, kill, hateful, slut—”
Yin Ren: “……”
Wow, the style of the new era was so fierce that it even shocked this thousand-year-old Ghost King.
Yin Ren had seen enough. He lowered his body and grabbed the knife. “Uncle, this is a controlled knife. You can’t just take it out casually.”
Xie Baocai’s mouth was full of blood. “Kill, kill…”
“Murder is against the law,” Zhong Chengshuo added calmly.
Xie Baocai: “……”
He began to crawl towards the “cat”, raving wildly at an inhuman speed.
Yin Ren stepped on the corner of Xie Baocai’s clothes with one foot, stopping the old man from continuing his dying steps. He hid the knife behind him and said, with a frightened tone, “Zhong Ge, take a look. How many eyes do you think we have?”
“Two each.”
Zhong Chengshuo turned his head back and then to the monster that was dancing with its soft limbs.
“Don’t panic. I can see what’s in front of me. It should be some kind of animal visible to the naked eye.”
“You don’t think it’s a cat?” Yin Ren added “nervously”, deliberately making a loud swallowing noise.
“I think it’s a brand-new species that can be published and make front cover.”
Zhong Chengshuo spoke in a steady voice with a deep regret in his tone. He didn’t take a step back and just stood there in front of the huge monster, looking a little… excited?
“I understand why the seniors at Shian are worried. Unfortunately, my major isn’t in zoology.”
Zhong Chengshuo was staring straight at the “cat” with a strange compassion in his gaze, as if he were reading a paper to be published.
“Don’t panic. The protective clothing from Shian can protect against any toxins. Generally speaking, since this thing is good at misdirection, its own attack shouldn’t be strong.”
Yin Ren almost applauded his partner. Comrade Zhong Chengshuo’s courage was truly amazing. Maybe 90% of the space in his stomach was given to courage.
But based on his experience, Zhong Chengshuo’s judgment wasn’t wrong.
“But—but this is really scary!” Lord Ghost King yelled earnestly.
“Meow… Meow!”
Seeing that the two of them weren’t contaminated, the cry of that thing gradually became more rapid.
The sound continued to float out from the depths of the crack, and the crack suddenly widened a little. The rhythm of the soft limbs all over the room moved faster. Two of the limbs bounced along the side of Zhong Chengshuo’s face, heading straight for Xie Baocai.
It didn’t intend to let Xie Baocai go.
“Pop.”
The two soft limbs hadn’t even halfway reached the old man yet but were caught. Zhong Chengshuo grabbed them tightly with one hand; his grip was extremely firm and forceful.
“We got that old man under control. Shian will ensure Gao Mengyu’s safety.” Zhong Chengshuo tried to persuade it. “Let Gao Mengyu go. If this continues, she will be killed by you…”
But that thing didn’t listen.
Before Zhong Chengshuo could finish speaking, he received a fleshy slap on his face. The “cat” had angrily slapped Zhong Chengshuo, almost knocking off the mask he was wearing.
“Unable to communicate. The attack power is equal to that of an ordinary adult male.”
Zhong Chengshuo took two steps back and raised his voice.
“Yin Ren, stimulate Xie Baocai again!”
Yin Ren: “?” Do you think the “cat” didn’t beat him hard enough? Will beating him some more make it feel good?
However, in order to pretend to be in a state of confusion, Yin Ren picked up Xie Baocai and broadcast emotionally, “We’re both friends of Gao Mengyu, and we’re here to teach you a lesson!”
Sure enough, Xie Baocai’s neck veins protruded, and the old man broke free from his clothes like a slug. He crawled all over the floor while his mouth kept muttering faster and faster. He spoke clearly, but unfortunately, none of the things he said could be connected to words. The two of them no longer understood what was coming out of his mouth.
The “cat” also went crazy.
The sound of cracking continually sounded as the original rift expanded into a round black hole.
Centered in this huge black hole were dozens of small and large black holes that appeared inside the apartment, as if the entire space had been poked with countless holes. More soft limbs drilled out of the black holes and poked around.
Xie Baocai’s behavior became more bizarre. He was completely naked and was twisted into a knot. The old man’s limbs were strangely intertwined and kept stretching on the ground—he seemed to be looking for his knife.
Yin Ren mentally clicked his tongue.
If he continued to dawdle, healing Xie Baocai might no longer work. The old man was vicious, but he hadn’t had time to kill anyone. In case Xie Baocai really went crazy here, the two of them would really have to bid farewell to Shian.
Perhaps thinking the same thing, Zhong Chengshuo glanced at Xie Baocai, who kept crawling all over the floor. “You, take the old man out. Help me fix the rope outdoors and don’t come back in.”
“You…”
“There’s a flaw in the movements of those soft limbs.” Like a fish swimming in water, Zhong Chengshuo deftly dodged the attack. “There’s a place where the movement is irregular, and the number isn’t right. It should be protecting something… These black holes are gaps, right?”
Zhong Chengshuo spoke while avoiding the soft limbs. He tied two climbing ropes firmly around his waist and flung them casually. One was firmly stuck on the guardrail outside the window, and the other one he threw to Yin Ren. “Fix this on the anti-theft door next door. Hurry!”
This kid wants to take the initiative to enter the gap.
Yin Ren took the rope and just sighed. He didn’t even have time to feign fear.
“After you go in, no matter what you touch, don’t open your eyes.”
Zhong Chengshuo paused for a moment.
“Just an intuition. I think I remembered something just now.” Yin Ren clenched the hidden knife tightly. “Go, great hero.”
Zhong Chengshuo nodded at him. He yanked the slippery, fishy soft limbs away and dashed towards the target black hole.
The next moment, his figure was engulfed in darkness and completely disappeared from the apartment.
As if the pause button were pressed, all the soft limbs all over the room froze. The “cat” seemed to be confused for a while, and then it fell into a rage. Countless soft limbs wrapped around the ropes; some trying to pull on the hook stuck to the window rail while others grabbed the fixed end of Yin Ren’s hand.
Yin Ren didn’t leave according to Zhong Chengshuo’s instructions.
With a casual kick, Xie Baocai was kicked to the wall and knocked unconscious. Yin Ren smiled at the “cat”. In front of it, he slowly sent the rope hook into his chest and abdomen.
The rope hook passed through the gap in his shirt and was embedded into Yin Ren’s skin, as if an umbilical cord were protruding out of him.
With the rope hook fixed, Yin Ren took out the knife and twisted his hand into a flower. “It’s so much easier now… Ah, I forgot, you don’t understand human language.”
[How about this. Can you understand now?]
Yin Ren didn’t open his mouth when he “spoke” but instead an uncomfortable vibration echoed in the room.
[Let that person take Gao Mengyu away. There’s more to talk about—I tied this rope to my spine. You can’t take it away.]
The “cat” hesitated for a moment, and its fourteen eyes darted around frantically. It no longer meowed but instead started making a discordant growl that was full of resistance and anger.
[…Is this animal sane?]
“Squeak Ahhhh—Ahhhhhhhh!!!”
The “cat” hissed loudly, and its soft limbs unfolded like a screen, revealing dense and treacherous patterns in them. They kept changing moment by moment, almost sticking to Yin Ren.
It eventually stopped nesting in the gap and exposed its entire body.
At the intersection of countless soft limbs, there were fourteen crimson spheres stuck together. The sphere had soft, grape-like pieces of black and gray flesh that were covered with dark holes that were as thick as a finger.
Among them, a large piece was lighter in color and slightly lacking in shape, like newborn tissue that hadn’t yet grown.
However, even with this almost messy appearance, it was still a symmetrical beauty. At first glance, this thing looked a bit like a corrupted “ten-foot curtain” flower or a thin rib cage of some kind of animal.
…In short, there was no resemblance to a creature like a “cat”.
When it came out, Yin Ren narrowed his eyes.
[It’s not good to use one trick repeatedly. It’s easy to see through—if you want to pollute cognition, you must first parse their memories. Come, I’ll open my memories up to you.]
Yin Ren didn’t move. The room was full of soft limbs swarming all over, squirming frantically as they wrapped Yin Ren into a cocoon.
A few seconds passed.
Then, a noise sounding like a scream emerged. All the soft limbs seemed to have touched fire as they all shrank back and retreated abruptly, then they froze in mid-air.
[Is my memory very interesting?]
“Squeak… Ahhh… Ah… Ahhhhh…”
[What did you say? There’s someone guarding outside? It’s okay, I’m not going to use my evil qi.]
Yin Ren stopped playing with the knife and instead muttered a string of syllables. Those syllables were rapid and rhythmic, like a ballad passed down from ancient times.
If Fu Xingchuan was present, the cultivator would recognize it as soon as he heard it. It was undoubtedly an orthodox technique that humans could use.
Yin Ren’s long hair had fanned out and was frozen in mid-air. There was a stomach-churning distortion that appeared in the air, causing the furnishings of the apartment to shake slightly and make subtle rattling noises.
Suddenly, the chanting stopped.
[Wait. I don’t want to use my own blood.]
Yin Ren moved to Xie Baocai, who was unconscious, and slashed the old man’s arm with the knife while he kept grumbling, “It’s not that I’m afraid of pain. It’s really because you young people are too impulsive and scream bloody murder at every turn. The little girl didn’t even do anything wrong. This is just a scratch. Consider it compensation for other people’s spiritual loss…”
Scared “cat”: “…………….”
Putting away a handful of blood, Yin Ren stood back in his original position and put on his solemn expression again.
As soon as he loosened his hands, the blood turned into a pea-sized blood bead and spread out in the air. The rhythm of the ballad suddenly accelerated, and the blood beads in the sky spit out countless filaments that wrapped around the soft limbs like a snake and then suddenly tightened.
Weird blood silk hung in the air, and like this, the “cat” was completely bound.
Yin Ren’s black hair was still floating, and his eyes were red. He squeezed his hands as he gave a smile that was so pure it was frightening.
[You’re not from “this side”, are you? I have heard of things like you.]
Since people could stray into gaps, something on the “other side” could get lost too. Their fate was not much better than that of those who entered the gap—if they couldn’t find supplies in time, they could only die in despair in a strange world.
Of course, there are evil things that could survive and form communities on this side of the world, and thus they were dubbed monsters by the inhabitants of this world. This one looked like it had good essence, which meant Gao Mengyu had raised it well.
Based on its current performance, it had the strength to “go home.”
[Don’t be afraid. I won’t kill you.]
The “cat’ trembled and made weird growling noises from time to time. Yin Ren leaned closer and touched the stiff, soft limbs of the “cat”.
He put his hand on the “wound” that wasn’t the right color.
A gentle evil qi brushed over the piece of flesh and blood, which gradually became full and flat. All fourteen human-sized eyes turned to Yin Ren, and all twenty-eight pupils were locked on him.
The “cat” stopped growling and stayed in place in confusion.
[Okay, now you can go home faster.] Yin Ren petted the nearest eyeball.
“Meow.” The cat purred from the thin hole in its flesh.
[Knock it off. After that person leaves, you must immediately return to the other side of the gap and never come here again. As for Gao Mengyu, we’ll take care of her—we have the ability to do so.]
“……Meow.”
……
When Zhong Chengshuo poked one hand out of the gap, it had been less than thirty minutes since they entered unit 1413.
Yin Ren quickly pulled out the rope hooked inside his body and let it fly on its own towards the neighboring door. He yanked a fleshly limb and wrapped it around his waist in an effort to look moribund.
“Cat”: “……”
It could only resign to its fate and cooperate.
Zhong Chengshuo tightened the rope and crawled out of the gap with great force. His entire body was filthy and covered with gray-yellow translucent mucus, and a thin girl was tied behind him. The mucus on the girl’s body was thicker, and her long hair was tangled in a ball as her head was hanging limply.
Her body was slightly undulating, but it could be seen she was still breathing.
As soon as Zhong Chengshuo crawled out, he saw Xie Baocai unconscious and his partner was entangled hard by the soft limbs. His hair was disheveled and covered in blood, and he looked as if he could no longer hang on.
“Zhong Ge, I can’t anymore—you run—don’t—don’t mind me—”
Zhong Chengshuo gritted his teeth and cleanly retracted the rope. He used the rope to form a noose and directly put it around Xie Baocai’s ankle. He then immediately rushed towards Yin Ren, grabbed him by the waist, and abruptly pulled him out.
After saving him, Zhong Chengshuo carried Yin Ren on his shoulder, causing his glasses to knock askew. Gao Mengyu was tied to his back, while Xie Baocai was dragged by his hand as he rushed towards the corridor elevator.
Yin Ren: “…” As expected from a young man. His physical strength is really good.
Yin Ren’s head was facing behind, and he could see unit 1413 when he looked up.
[Go.] In the shaking field of vision, Yin Ren ordered silently.
A limp limb stuck out the door, waved at him, and then shrank back.
When they rushed into the elevator, the atmosphere of unit 1413 completely disappeared.
The gap was completely closed, and the “cat” had left.
The moonlight was bright, and the uninhabited room was quiet. There was still blood and mucus on the floor. All the knickknacks in the apartment were smashed into a mess by Xie Baocai, but fortunately, there was no serious damage.
There was only one thing missing in Gao Mengyu’s apartment.
The books on the table were scattered all over the place, and the pen had fallen to the floor with a little bit of ink leaking out. Only the cat-patterned tablecloth was missing.
……
The indiscriminate cleaning plan was launched on time that night, and all evil spirits in Fanghua Apartments were cleaned up and the last remnants of the gap disappeared. The twelve-hour observation period had passed, and the tenants gradually moved back in.
Xie Baocai was taken by Shian and underwent interventional treatment for cognitive pollution. The old man himself wasn’t seriously injured, and the treatment was timely, but due to his age and physical fitness, he probably would get some minor sequelae, such as physical fatigue or being particularly afraid of cats.
Xie Baocai didn’t have time to hurt others, and he was too old to be dealt with legally. However, the Haigu police sent a special personnel to check on the situation, and the two parties decided to discuss follow-up measures.
Gao Mengyu was taken to Haigu People’s Hospital. She wasn’t injured, but her body was severely deficient. After a period of recuperation, she would make a full recovery.
Her disappearance was characterized by the outside world as “accidentally stuck in the gap of the old building”, while they explained to Lin Bei that she “was haunted by an evil spirit, but the corrupted thing has been eliminated”.
Although she was cut off from water and food for nearly a week, it was unknown whether the environment in the gap was special, but that night, Gao Mengyu regained consciousness.
She opened her eyes in a trance and saw Lin Bei beside her. Gao Mengyu struggled a bit and subconsciously tried to get up.
“It’s okay.” Lin Bei’s tone was blunt, but she still helped tuck Gao Mengyu in. “Don’t panic. That old man won’t harm you again.”
Gao Mengyu opened her mouth, and some tears flashed in her eyes.
She hesitantly stretched out her hand and grabbed Lin Bei’s clothes. Lin Bei pursed her lips, and her expression became a little stiff. After a while, she breathed a sigh of relief and bent down and put her mouth close to Gao Mengyu’s ear.
“Your cat? Didn’t Qiqi die a while ago… Um, the wounded cat you rescued? I see. I’ll help you get in touch.”
Lin Bei called the Shian Cooperation Group and directly initiated a multi-person call.
Soon, someone joined the call.
“What’s the matter?” The voice on the other side was brisk and pleasant. It should be Yin Ren.
“Mr. Yin, Mengyu woke up. She’s looking for her cat. Did Shian find anything?”
“Don’t worry, Miss Gao. We have properly housed your cat and arranged for special treatment.”
Gao Mengyu didn’t show a relaxed expression. She mustered all her strength to force her voice from her throat.
“Can… Can you give it back to me? I know it may be a bit… strange… but…”
Gao Mengyu had a sensitive mind, and after being scolded several times, she noticed some abnormalities.
But this was her only friend.
In those nights where she was on the verge of collapsing, Gao Mengyu would hold it tightly and bury her head in those soft limbs. The cat was reluctant at first, but as time passed, it would separate those soft limbs and pat her gently on the back.
It was her giant, quiet, soft cat.
Yin Ren was silent for a moment.
“It has a home, Miss Gao,” he said softly. “It always wanted to go home.”
“I know. I know… Cough. I was going to wait for it to heal and let it go… Can I take a look at it…”
“You should rest first. Someone from our company will talk to you about it later.”
Gao Mengyu’s cognitive pollution must be treated as soon as possible. It was only a matter of time before she knew the truth. On this point, Yin Ren didn’t intend to prevaricate.
Gao Mengyu stopped talking, and just as Yin Ren was about to end the call, she suddenly spoke up again.
“You’re more professional than me,” she muttered cautiously. “It… doesn’t hate me…”
“I heard from our leader that it hates video equipment like cameras because it doesn’t want to be discovered by too many people. If it doesn’t want its picture taken, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Yin Ren smiled.
“But it still left you a picture.”
“Why…?”
“Why what?” Lin Bei was confused.
Yin Ren, however, understood. “Things like that cat have always been sensitive to emotions. Maybe it just thinks you’re very similar to it.”
“…After all, to it, our world is equally terrifying.”
That was why it tried to pollute the cognition of people nearby and defined itself as a “cute and harmless” creature in the eyes of most people.
In a strange environment, there were weird beings going about their business everywhere. It waited in place to heal its wound, hiding in this vast world, trying to find a safe haven.
It was equally fearful, helpless, and lonely.
99% of human emotional analysis of monsters was self-serving. However, there were no absolutes. There were still 1% of “other possibilities” in this world.
Gao Mengyu was silent for a long time as the tears in the corner of her eyes became a little heavier.
“I understand,” she said weakly. “I’m sorry. I caused a lot of trouble for everyone…”
“It’s okay. I wish you a speedy recovery.”
The call ended.
“You’d better take care of yourself first and take care of your business while no one is looking for you,” Lin Bei said. “Speaking of which, I happen to have a Mr. Rose project in my hand, and I’m going to write a powerful proposal.”
Lin Bei was peeling an apple and had a sneer on her face.
The truth could also attract a large amount of traffic. Besides, the company of “Mr. Rose” originally planned to abandon the account, so there wouldn’t be too many opinions.
“The patient can’t eat yet…”
Seeing Lin Bei peeling apples, the nurse raised her concern in a low voice, but before she could finish speaking, she heard a crisp crunch and saw Lin Bei take a bite of the apple.
Nurse: “……”
Gao Mengyu: “Pfft.”
“What are you laughing at?”
“I never thought you would come see me.” Gao Mengyu stared at the ceiling of the ward. “I know, you actually have been…”
“We’re friends now,” Lin Bei interrupted Gao Mengyu and took another bite of the apple. “I admit, my personality isn’t very good. Anyway, let’s go out for a meal once you get discharged.”
“Beibei.”
“Hm?”
“……Thank you.”
Gao Mengyu recovered quickly and was discharged from the hospital a week later. The police gave her a hand-stamped apology from Xie Baocai and promised to arrange a safer—or at least one that the Xie family couldn’t find—residence for her. As for the deposit and the cost of moving, Shian would fully cover it.
After all, two impulsive kids messed up her home.
Shian arranged professional psychological counseling and comprehensive cognitive therapy for her, with which Gao Mengyu fully cooperated. Seeing that she wanted to get some fresh air, Shian released her early and returned her to her daily life.
In order to consolidate her cognition, Shian specially made a cognitive rehabilitation webpage for her…
Cats have one head, two ears, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
Cats have an undivided cylindrical torso, four legs, and a tail.
Cats usually do not exceed one meter in length, and their posture is similar to that of cats such as tigers, lions, cheetahs, ect..
Cats cannot speak or walk upright. The normal cat diet is 100-200g of cat food per day.
Please listen to the cat’s call in the recording in time and compare it to the call you hear.
Please log in to the website every day and watch 30 minutes of cat videos. Pick out 10 cat pictures and upload a hand drawn cat sketch.
※Note: Please check the completed entry above. If you find that your cognition doesn’t match the description of the entry, do not check it.
After a week had passed, Gao Mengyu completed her rehabilitation, and her cognition recovered. Now she could distinguish between a “real cat” and “that thing” in her memory.
Gao Mengyu walked into a pet adoption center.
Dozens of cats were sitting or lying in cages, making soft purring sounds. They had small, furry bodies, soft paws, and two pointed ears.
Gao Mengyu stood between two rows of cages and ticked off the numbers on the webpage one by one.
She had already sketched a standard cat picture, but to this day, her finger still stopped in front of the number 1 entry for a few seconds.
“Qiqi,” she called in a low voice.
That was the name she gave to her deceased cat, as well as “that thing”.
She wondered if it liked it.
With a tap on her finger, Gao Mengyu checked off the number 1 entry and stared at the “confirm correct” pop-up window. If today’s rehabilitation self-test could be completed, she would be judged as being “fully recovered” by Shian.
She didn’t like to lie, but she really wanted to leave a little… warm souvenir.
Gao Mengyu took a deep breath and clicked “yes” on the pop-up window.
Another pop-up window appeared.
[Shian Corporation congratulates you on your recovery and wishes you a happy life.]
“Hello!” Gao Mengyu put away her phone and waved to the staff.
“Hi miss. Do you want to adopt an animal?”
“Yes.”
“Which one do you want to adopt? Do you want me to introduce you to some?”
“No, I’ll take this black one. Black cats can calm the house.” Gao Mengyu smiled. “I want to name it ‘Qiqi’.”
In Gao Mengyu’s eyes, the cats were attracted by the voices of the two and turned their heads one after another.
It was bright there, and all together, they blinked a total of fourteen eyes, full of curiosity.
……
As for the “two impulsive kids” at the center of the incident…
On the night Gao Mengyu woke up, as soon as the call ended, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were sitting in separate interrogation rooms.
Yin Ren: “It’s all my fault. I wanted to get a better performance, so I went with Zhong Ge. If I hadn’t encouraged it, Zhong Ge would certainly not… Haa…”
Yin Ren: “Don’t fire me. Isn’t the result quite good? I can write a review. I don’t have a salary, and there’s no other place I can go… Please understand…”
Yin Ren: “Uh, a monster? I did see it, but I’m okay now. Maybe it was too focused on attacking Xie Baocai.”
At the same time, in another room.
Zhong Chengshuo: “It’s all my fault. Yin Ren was willing to help be the lookout, but I should have refused. Why did I think this? Well, Gao Mengyu still had the possibility of being alive, and the facts proved that I was right.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “I didn’t intend to obstruct the ‘indiscriminate cleaning’ from the beginning. From the time we entered the building to the time we came out, it was only 35 minutes and 12 seconds. It’s just that we had to lie about getting a USB flash drive, but actually went in to save someone… In this matter, the only thing I feel guilty about is Yin Ren. It’s fine to punish me. Please don’t fire him.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “I saw the monster… It should be some kind of terrestrial mollusk, but unfortunately it has disappeared, so I can’t give a firm conclusion. Impact? It didn’t affect me.”
The two each said the same thing. Their description of the incident was clear and consistent.
The two of them thought Gao Mengyu was still alive, and based on the path taken by the Public Security Bureau, they identified Xie Baocai as the suspect. The two used Xie Baocai to lure out the monster, and Zhong Chengshuo took the opportunity to rush into the gap and rescue Gao Mengyu.
Then the indiscriminate cleaning spell was activated, and the monster was successfully eliminated, which sounded reasonable…
…My ass.
Something was wrong with these two boys. If it hadn’t been for the defeat of several Black Seal veterans by that “cat”, Fu Xingchuan might still buy it.
But he couldn’t think of what else they could do. Could it be that the “cat” had recognized Xie Baocai and then ignored everything else?
Fu Xingchuan was pacing up and down in the office and almost tripped over Professor Li’s outstretched leg.
“Lao Li, what are you doing?”
“There’s something obviously fishy about those two, and it may not be due to the influence of the unknown Evil Spirit.”
Professor Li took a sip of his tea and narrowed his eyes.
“Fu Xingchuan, if you were a freelance cultivator and this same scene appeared before you, would you single-handedly go and save someone?”
Fung Xingchuan clicked his tongue. “Would.”
“Do you think Liang Shan would?”
“That kid definitely wouldn’t. He can’t handle it…” Fu Xingchuan suddenly paused halfway through speaking. “Lao Li, let’s pass this. There are so many people who act bravely for good, but you can’t say that ‘nothing bad will ever happen to them’.”
“To save strangers, the person who’s doing it must have at least a little certainty. However you look at it, those two boys did not have this level of confidence—after that kind of experience, Zhong Chengshuo’s mental stability is a bit abnormal. And how did Yin Ren, who you said has average talent, survive the cognitive pollution without protection?”
“Uh, because that thing just wanted to deal with Xie Baocai…”
“They couldn’t determine this in advance, but they still acted anyway and even succeeded. To say that both of them are foolhardy and hot-headed… Fu Xingchuan, hot-headed people can’t pass Shian’s entry exam.”
Fu Xingchuan was silent.
“Two people with no experience in cognitive pollution. In addition to being ‘reckless’ there’s another possibility.” Professor Li’s face was calm. “No one in Shian knows this possibility better than you—”
“It may be the ‘confidence of the strong’.”
Fu Xingchuan wiped his face a few times. “But you have no evidence.”
Li Nian: “Yes, everything is just my inference. Of course, they may have just joined the company and want to show off. I’m just reminding you.”
“Just tell it to me straight. You’re not one to gossip.”
Professor Li put down the thermos and looked out the window. At this height, he could see half of Haigu.
“I do have an idea,” he said.
“Fu Xingchuan, Yin Ren is a Black Seal. You can figure out how to check on him yourself, but Zhong Chengshuo is my subordinate, so I should be qualified to suggest it.”
“I applied for him to observe ‘Shian’s Evil Spirit’.”
The author has something to say:
Xiao Zhong: A man who has not only seen an Evil Spirit, but also eats and lives with an Evil Spirit and even carries it on his back.
Xiao Yin, lost the opportunity to visit his same kind!
Half an hour later, at the self-service buffet grill.
“Okay, I probably understand the situation.” Liang Shan sighed. “You’re at the nearby barbecue restaurant, right? Send the phone directly to the Public Security Bureau. I’ll report it immediately, but don’t have too much hope.”
Zhong Chengshuo’s phone was on speaker, so the sigh coming from the other end was clear.
“Gao Mengyu has been missing for nearly a week, and she has no fresh water supplies, so she’s in danger. Evil things can feel emotions such as ‘fear’ and ‘hostility’, but it’s difficult for them to understand the concept of ‘death’. Even if that unknown evil thing really has the intention to protect Gao Mengyu… guarding her body is considered protection for it.”
Zhong Chengshuo was silent.
“Xiao Yin should be fine. Xiao Zhong, can you understand?”
“Yes.”
Zhong Chengshuo’s answer was given with great certainty. Liang Shan was a little surprised. He paused for a while before continuing, “There was an accident in Fanghua Apartments last night. That evil thing is very difficult to deal with. In order to ensure the safety of the people around, Shian is likely to perform an ‘indiscriminate cleaning’.”
Yin Ren leaned closer. “What happened at Fanghua last night?”
“Don’t you know they sent the big guns to room 1413 last night? They all developed cognitive impairment at the same time, and they all saw that their companions had a few more eyes and hands. As a result, they almost attacked each other.”
Liang Shan lowered his voice.
“Listen up, you two. Those guys were equipped with anti-illusion equipment. Minister Fu stamped it—Phenomenon C-A1, ‘Cognitive Pollution’. It’s even more harmful than the gap.”
Zhong Chengshuo: “The difference between it and hallucinations…”
“Take the ‘cat’ you found as an example.”
As if he were afraid the two newborn calves weren’t afraid of tigers, Liang Shan’s tone was particularly serious.
“Have read ‘Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio’*? Evil things either physically turn into cats or use magic to confuse you. The latter is the classic illusion. Your perception of the ‘cat’ has not changed, but your senses are blinded.”
*Also known as Liaozhai, is a collection of classical Chinese stories by Qing dynasty writer Pu Songling.
Zhong Chengshuo: “Oh…”
“But ‘Cognitive Pollution’ is different. What you see is the original appearance of the evil thing. It replaces your perception of the concept of ‘cat’.”
“You think it’s a cat. The cat in your memory will look like it, and even a normal cat will look like the evil thing… But your brain’s feelings about cats being ‘cute’ and ‘lovely’ have not changed.”
“Once it is completely contaminated, you won’t notice anything strange. If you don’t intervene in time, the effect of cognitive pollution will be permanent.”
“But the actual size of a real cat is different, and so is the touch.” Zhong Chengshuo frowned. “Even if the cat in Gao Mengyu’s eyes is a monster, the movements of others touching the cat would be unreasonable if she wouldn’t see the problem, no?”
Liang Shan suddenly laughed.
He seemed to think of something and was laughing to himself on the other end of the line for half a day before he adjusted his mood.
“Perception is transmitted to the brain through various organs, and that thing directly rewrites your brain. You see, many people experience confusion in taste and smell when they are sick—it’s not that the taste of things has changed, but there’s a problem with the brain itself, so vision and touch are affected.”
“Well, I can understand now.” Even though he knew Liang Shan couldn’t see him, Zhong Chengshuo still nodded.
“Okay, you guys behave yourselves. I still have work to do over here—”
Just then, Yin Ren opened his mouth slowly. “Liang Ge.”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you laugh just now?”
“……”
“Haha, I’m just thinking to myself. Guess why I was assigned to the Public Security Bureau as a civilian?”
Liang Shan’s laughter was still hearty, but at this moment, this heartiness made people’s hair stand up.
Yin Ren: “Um… No, I can’t guess.”
“I have poor metaphysical talents, but Shian was willing to give me a Black Seal just because I have an ability that’s not worth mentioning.”
“I see the world in which the human eyes are ‘vertical’.”
“I only realized this after Shian intervened… I should have been contaminated by Cognitive Pollution when I was a child.”
“Working in the Public Security Bureau, I occasionally come into contact with suspects or corpses with ‘normal’ eyes. Whenever this happens, I can report it to Shian as quickly as possible—after all, I only have the concept of ‘human’ contamination. No matter what those things are, they aren’t humans.”
Yin Ren: “……”
Thousands of years had passed, and the evil in the world had become like this. Yin Ren had never heard of this practice where people would compete to see who could enact their illusions more smoothly.
Zhong Chengshuo stared at the phone that was still on speaker while lost in deep thought.
Finding that the two of them were silent, Liang Shan said, “Hmph. What? Scared—”
At this moment, Zhong Chengshuo suddenly said, “Ah, I get it. It’s like using someone who’s lactose intolerant to identify the authenticity of milk.”
Liang Shan: “…” This light atmosphere was suddenly spoiled.
Liang Shan cleared his throat. “Well, that’s that. If you don’t want to become like me, you two should be good and go back to the hotel.”
However, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t let Liang Shan go. He raised his voice. “Mr. Liang, does ‘indiscriminate cleaning’ mean killing that creature? Even if Gao Mengyu is still alive?”
“Shian confirmed that it has no communication ability, and it was clearly hostile throughout the whole process. It’s completely uncontrollable and may cause large-scale Cognitive Pollution at any time.”
Liang Shan’s voice sank a bit.
“You two, don’t just characterize this as ‘protection’. It protected Gao Mengyu as an objective result, but not necessarily as a motive. Never use human emotions to speculate on the idea of evil beings. Judging from the current case, 99% of the results is human-made.”
“…Got it.”
Zhong Chengshuo hung up the call.
“Yin Ren, you go back to the hotel to rest first.”
Yin Ren didn’t answer directly. “Why? Haven’t you given up yet? Do you think that thing is protecting Gao Mengyu?”
Zhong Chengshuo: “I don’t care about its motivation, but Gao Mengyu may still be alive… According to Miss Fang Yuanyuan, my type is minimally affected, so I have the capital to negotiate with it.”
Yin Ren squinted at Zhong Chengshuo. “You’re a really nice guy.”
A very wonderful person who obviously wasn’t good with people but harbored unnecessary enthusiasm.
“Those are two lives.” Zhong Chengshuo smiled. “And I already have a direction.”
Yin Ren stuffed the end of the ice cone into his mouth as he thought for a few seconds and returned with a brighter smile.
“We’re partners. For your sake, I must follow suit—don’t look like that. I’ll just be your lookout. I’ll run away as soon as something goes wrong.”
“…Okay.”
……
Near Fanghua Apartments.
Xie Baocai sat in the shade on his foldable chair as he stared at the entrance to the apartment.
The woman had been missing for almost a week.
That bitch broke the old Xie family’s legacy and killed his nephew—Xie Baocai had two brothers, but Xieo Chao was the only male in the younger generation. Although Xie Chao didn’t like studying, he had a competitive personality and had earned a lot of money.
He was such a good child, but he was killed because of that person surnamed Gao.
He heard that Gao Mengyu broke up with Xie Chao because he accidentally strangled her cat to death, causing Xie Chao to chase her for several months. As a result, on his path to win back that woman, Xie Chao died in a car accident.
His good nephew never stole or hurt anyone, but it was all because of an animal… Just because of an animal!
Now that Xie Chao was gone, that bitch couldn’t afford to pay, even if she had several lives. Xie Baocai’s teeth seethed with hatred.
Knowing what had happened to Xie Chao, Xie Chao’s father almost suffocated and was bedridden. Even Uncle Xie Baocai had nightmares for a long time; his dreams were full of his good nephew crying and suffering.
Even during the day, there were vague whispers in his ears, sounding like Xie Chao.
This was a death in vain! Gao Mengyu must pay with her life.
Anyway, he had turned 75 and had a tumor. Xie Baocai planned to turn himself in after killing Gao Mengyu and then give a good cry for repentance. He had already done some research. Even if the police caught him, it would be difficult for them to give him the death penalty.
As a result, he finally found Gao Mengyu’s address. He didn’t know if that girl saw the knife he was wielding, but that bitch suddenly disappeared out of thin air.
How was this possible? If someone was living, they had to exist, and if someone was dead, they would leave behind a corpse.
But Xie Baocai was patient.
He had no wife or children, and the last thing he lacked was time. Since Gao Mengyu had disappeared, he had been squatting nearby almost seamlessly, even sleeping in the utility room opposite the apartment.
Gao Mengyu had vanished into thin air. This bizarre event was the topic of discussion all around. Recently, the building had been closed off and groups of people had gathered. The first thing Xie Baocai did when he woke up every day was to inquire about Gao Mengyu with the old men and women who were watching the excitement.
But today, he seemed to have had a strange encounter.
Xie Baocai was smoking a cigarette casually when a young man came over. That person was good-looking and wore glasses. He seemed to be a simple student.
“Hello, are you Mr. Xie Baocai?”
“Yes, who are you?” Xie Baocai became vigilant.
“Xie Chao’s colleague, Xiao Zhong.” The young man scratched his head nervously. “Xie Chao showed me your picture, so I felt you looked familiar… Do you live nearby?”
“Sorta.” When he heard that this was his baby nephew’s colleague, Xie Baocai relaxed a bit.
“Are you also here because of Gao Mengyu?”
Xie Baocai narrowed his eyes. “Oh, not really. There’s lots of people watching the excitement.”
“I heard through the grapevine that the police want to catch Gao Mengyu,” Xiao Zhong said in a low voice. “She seems to have lost her mind a few days ago and was hiding in a garbage chute without saying a word, so the anxious apartment manager called the police. They found her two days ago. She was unwilling to leave even if she died and threatened to blow the whole building up.”
“Tsk, tsk—” Xie Baocai clicked his tongue loudly.
The tenants were quickly evacuated, and professionals brought advance equipment into the venue, which lined up with the developments that he saw.
Xiao Zhong: “Now the police have found that there aren’t any explosives in the building. They plan to arrest her in the middle of the night.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“We want to sneak in to make a video, so we should work together—you’re also a relative of Xie Chao, so it works out. Uncle, we know Xie Chao died because of her. That woman was scared of ghosts knocking on her door, so she went and gone crazy.”
Crazy? Xie Baocai swallowed.
So what if she’s crazy? She still has to pay with her life.
“Okay, uncle will go with you. Uncle also wants to talk to that little girl.”
He fumbled around in the bushes for a while and pulled out a cloth satchel, which contained his sharpened boning knife.
“You don’t need to take the bag. It’s too heavy. We can buy whatever you need.”
For some reason, Xiao Zhong’s tone was a bit odd, and there was a subtle hint of regret in it.
“It’s a little knick-knack that I always bring with me. I’m used to it.” Xie Baocai grinned as he spoke slowly and stickily.
“Young man, when are we leaving?”
At the same time, room 1413.
A dark gap opened in the void.
The gap was hanging in the air, and countless jellyfish-like soft limbs protruded from the edge of the gap. There was no hair on the soft limbs, and the color was close to rotten meat. Its surface was full of layers of precise folds, looking like brain grooves.
Its dozens of soft limbs were as thick as a human leg, constantly stretching, almost filling the room. They were perfectly symmetrical, and at first glance, they looked like a deformed flower, emitting a creepy geometric beauty.
In the depths of the darkness, at the roots of countless soft limbs, fourteen red lights of uniform size lit up one by one.
“Creak… Creeeaaakkkk…Creak…”
It seemed to sense something, making a noise as if nails were scratching on a blackboard. Several seconds passed, and the sharp sound gradually became distorted and mellow.
“…Meow,” it whimpered.
The author has something to say:
“Full Server First Kill”
When Xu Yue woke up, he found that he had become a monster.
To the left, there were two slimes—the old couple next door. To the right, there was a young dragon—the junior high school student downstairs. They all met and were equally bewildered by their different races.
It wasn’t until Xu Yue accidentally opened his personal status bar.
(Former) Game Developer Xu Yue: ……
His game successfully launched, but something seemed off.
A holographic game in which a whole community is trapped in, striving to find a way out (?).
Kinky Thoughts:
The author note is a sneak peek for her next work, Full Server First Kill (title roughly translated). It hasn’t been released yet as of now. Most likely, she will start on it once Evil As Humans is completed.
This is the last of the free chapters on jjwxc. If you’ve been enjoying the novel so far and are able to, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
The bed was too soft. Yin Ren slowly turned over and changed his lying position. He ignored Liang Shan and clicked on the first chat history forwarded by Lin Bei.
It was easy to find Gao Mengyu. Her avatar was a hand-painted winged cat, and her WeChat name was also “Feather Cat”.
The group chat started normally. Everyone talked about their cats and dogs. After the dog owners finished talking about dog food brands, cat owners also began to exchange their experiences with raising cats. The atmosphere in the group was quite harmonious, and from time to time, someone would send photos of their pets.
Perhaps it was this peaceful atmosphere that moved Gao Mengyu. When the topic was cats, she couldn’t help but interject.
[Don’t Forget Your Original Intention: Haha, I prefer white cats.]
[Don’t Forget Your Original Intention: [picture]]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: So cute! My family is a big orange~ It’s too fat, so I won’t post a picture~]
[Feather Cat: So cute.]
[Feather Cat: How many eyes does your cat have?]
No one spoke in the group for a while.
A few minutes passed.
[Kyle: You’re very funny.]
[Kyle: By the way, what do you guys think of Royal Cat Food? Has anyone bought this brand?]
[Kyle: [picture]]
[AAA~Robbery: Expensive.]
Someone started a new topic, so the chat proceeded as normal again. People invariably ignored Gao Mengyu, and she didn’t speak out again.
Yin Ren: “Huh.”
He then clicked on the second chat history.
This time, it was different. It was still the same group with a similar topic, but they were talking about how to pet a cat.
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: My family likes it when I scratch its chin, but I prefer the belly, hahaha.]
[KK*: Pinch its paws!]
[Super Xiaobin: It must be the tail.]
[AAA~Robbery: Don’t like being touched.]
[Feather Cat: I like to touch the place where many of its legs meet.]
[Feather Cat: What’s that part called?]
[Kyle: ….]
[AAA~Robbery: ? Is there a psycho in this group?]
[AAA~Robbery: What kind of B* did you raise. Send a picture.]
*Slang for pussy. This is originally in English for the word [bi] (逼). In this sense, it’s also a double entendre, as pussy can also refer to a cat.
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: Don’t make noise~ Look at my little milk cat~]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: [picture]]
[AAA~Robbery: Don’t interrupt. If you’re sick, you need to be treated.]
[AAA~Robbery: @Feather Cat, send pictures or you’ll be kicked from the group.]
[Feather Cat: I’m going to take a picture right now. I just picked it up, and it’s a little shy.]
[Xixiu, Tian Tian?::*&1111 kg 7{![Picture?Film]]
[Feather Cat: It doesn’t really like cat food. I’m going to try raw meat.]
[AAA~Robbery: …]
[KK*: This joke isn’t funny.]
[Super Xiaobin: @Aizhen Clinic, Dr. Song, can we kick this person? You have to be sick to send this kind of thing.]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: @Feather Cat, everyone is chatting nicely. What are you doing? Is this funny to you?]
[Feather Cat: What’s wrong? The picture I sent is the same.]
[Feather Cat: My family just has a different skin color.]
[Feather Cat: It may be because I just picked it up and it’s a little weak. It doesn’t want to go out, so I can only raise it slowly.]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: [chat history of group chat]]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: You, take a good look at these normal cats. What do you mean the pictures we sent are like yours?]
[AAA~Robbery: I can’t transfer the picture posted by this woman. It’s weird. It’s all garbled code.]
[AAA~Robbery: Can you do it?]
[KK*: The forwarding here is also garbled. I can’t save screenshots of the photos or do screen recordings. The files are all broken.
[KK*: Toxic.]
No wonder the records forwarded by Lin Bei were all garbled.
Yin Ren then clicked on the third chat history. It was normal compared to the first two. The content was generally “AAA~Robbery”. This person posted a video of Mr. Rose in the group. They were talking about the “ex-girlfriend” and the wording was very unpleasant. Gao Mengyu didn’t hold back and jumped out to refute their words as an “acquaintance of the ex-girlfriend”.
AAA~Robbery’s mouth was poisonous, and he directly cursed her out and mocked her for her previous abnormal messages.
At this time, the group admin finally came forward and kicked out Gao Mengyu, who was “mentally troubled”.
According to Lin Bei’s supplementary explanation, the contributor was AAA~Robbery. He claimed that Feather Cat was an acquaintance of the woman, sent all her messages to Lin Bei’s assistant, and kept asking how much he could get paid for it.
The abnormal pictures in the records could only be displayed on AAA~Robbery’s phone. Lin Bei had made an appointment with that person, but this matter was too weird that Lin Bei herself didn’t want to go.
“Zhong Ge, shall we go together tomorrow? Do you want to tell Liang Ge first?”
“Uh, huh…?” Zhong Chengshuo rolled over and let out a drowsy grunt.
This guy actually ignored the messages and went to bed early!
Yin Ren felt that he wasn’t being lazy enough, so he tossed his phone to the side and decided to talk about the matter at dawn.
—-
The next day, Liang Shan looked at the empty hotel room and threw a middle finger into the group chat. Though he was still angry, he dutifully dictated a few hundred words of caution.
His tirade ended with “For the sake of your lives, don’t go near room 1413 of Fanghua Apartments anymore.”
Yin Ren didn’t have time to respond to him.
In order to avoid rush hour, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo had left early and were already sitting in a self-service BBQ restaurant opposite of AAA~Robbery.
AAA~Robbery’s real name was Wang Qiang. He had no job, no money, and usually made ends meet by doing mundane daily work. He spent most of his time in internet cafes. Wang Qian was thin and dull. He had shrewd eyes that kept darting around. His hair was long and greasy, as if he hadn’t washed it in a long time.
According to Lin Bei, this person didn’t have a pet but worked part-time in a pet clinic.
“Tsk, that rich woman said buffet, so I thought it was one of those high-end buffets.”
Wang Qiang filled up his plate full of meat, and there was a pile of beer bottles at his feet.
“Let me start by saying that the contribution price and the interview are separately calculated. Don’t fool me. I know you guys play short videos and make lots of money… Hehe, you’re with that rich woman, right?”
When he said this, he stared casually at Yin Ren with a wretched look of “I get it”.
‘If this guy dies, he might become part of a Grievance Basket,’ Yin Ren thought with some malice.
Still, his lamb chops were more important.
The tender lamb was grilled on an iron plate. The aroma of scorched fat rushed straight to his nose. The lean meat was marinated in a garlic sauce, and juices flowed out as it sizzled on the fire, revealing a delightful, tender flavor. Yin Ren casually glanced at Wang Qiang. He didn’t respond and continued to concentrate on grilling the meat.
“What’s that look supposed to mean, huh? Laozi* is annoyed by sell-outs like you.” Wang Qiang stretched his neck, and his face tensed.
*It’s an arrogant way to refer to yourself. Translated would be like I, this great one.
His spit splattered indiscriminately, and a few drops splashed onto Yin Ren’s lamb chops.
Yin Ren’s smile froze, and his chopsticks clicked as he pinched them together. Lord Ghost King had to bid goodbye to his lamb chops with a sorrowful gaze as his mind ran through 108 ways on how to take care of Wang Qiang.
Forget it. Killing was against the law, so he had to think of a more roundabout way…
Zhong Chengshuo: “Apologize.”
Seeing Zhong Chengshuo suddenly speak up, Yin Ren turned his face quite unexpectedly.
“Why? Is he your concubine?” Wang Qiang grinned at Zhong Chengshuo.
Zhong Chengshuo remained calm. “Wang Qiang, born on March 16, 20xx. From Province D. In 20×4 and 20×6, was detained twice for sexually harassing women.”
Wang Qiang’s expression changed drastically. He pointed to Yin Ren’s long hair tremblingly. “You two are cops? Impossible. Cops don’t look like him.”
“That’s a wig,” Zhong Chengshuo stated solemnly.
Yin Ren: “?”
Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses. “We’re not police officers, but we work closely with them. This time, we’re conducting inquiries and providing remuneration in accordance with regulations. The entire process is recorded, so please be cautious with your words and actions.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, comrades. I wasn’t thinking when I opened my mouth. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind.”
The color of Wang Qiang’s face disappeared in an instant. He shrank back into his chair and even moved his chopsticks more uniformly.
Yin Ren discovered a shocking thing—as long as he didn’t get closer to the other party, Zhong Chengshuo was very good at communication in a sense.
“Comrades, look, this is the photo sent by that crazy… person.” Wang Qiang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles as he took a bite of his meat while holding his phone to show them.
Wang Qiang’s phone screen was dirty and had cobweb cracks on it, making it difficult to see things. Even so, it couldn’t; hide the weird feeling of that picture.
[Feather Cat: I’m going to take a picture right now. I just picked it up, and it’s a little shy.]
[Feather Cat: [image]]
[Feather Cat: It doesn’t really like cat food. I’m going to try raw meat.]
The picture was a selfie of Gao Mengyu. She covered her face with a smiley sticker. In the photo, Gao Mengyu was leaning against the door of the bedroom that was facing the living room. There was sunlight in the picture, showing that it was obvious that it was the day when it was taken.
However, there was no light in the living room.
On the other side of the bedroom door, it was as dark as a tomb. That darkness was neat and regular, without the usual fuzzy edges, and looked extremely unnatural.
Gao Mengyu used one hand to take the selfie while the other was stretched out in the direction of the living room, as if stroking something from the other side of the door. Her hand was engulfed in that darkness, and the border line at her wrist was neat, like it was dipped in thick black ink.
Coupled with the cute smiley face she covered herself with, this picture made people feel uncomfortable all over.
“Isn’t this scary?” Wang Qiang muttered. “I don’t know what that woman is thinking, posting a picture like this. It’s not that I won’t send it to you, but I can’t get this broken picture out. There must be some kind of virus on it.”
“We need to take this phone away, and we will compensate you for 150% of the market price of the new phone.”
“This picture is very important. You have to at least add…” Wang Qiang paused halfway as if he remembered something, and his tone changed. “Look at me. You’re doing this for business, so can’t you just double it?”
Zhong Chengshuo gave him a deep look.
“…Okay as much as you stated!”
After receiving the payment, Wang Qiang quickly pulled out his SIM card from his phone and gave them a toothachey smile. “Comrades, I still have something to do, so I’ll go first.”
When Wang Qian’s figure disappeared, Zhong Chengshuo pinched two napkins and used them to hold up Wang Qiang’s phone and carefully put it in the evidence bag without touching it.
Yin Ren had already finished four plates of garlic lamb chops and was happily roasting diced beef.
Zhong Chengshuo: “Your guess is right. Gao Mengyu did raise something. According to the timeline, she should have raised this ‘abnormal creature’ a month ago.”
“Mm-hmm.” Yin Ren chewed happily as he nodded.
“All the kinds of raw meat are a preference for that thing, and so far, it seems to like brains the most. Looking at what she said in the chat room, she seems to think she was saving a cat.”
“Indeed… Zhong Ge, do you want ice cream? I’ll go get some.” These were all guessed by Yin Ren. While he listened with his ears, his eyes drifted elsewhere—the sky was the limit when it came to the evil things he had seen, but this was the first time he saw an ice cream cone.
Zhong Chengshuo turned a deaf ear as he pulled out his phone and skillfully traced the timeline.
Gao Mengyu discovered an unknown evil thing a month ago, treated it as an injured cat, and bought it all kinds of meat.
But the pressure from Mr. Rose was too great, and this incident didn’t successfully distract her.
Four weeks ago, Gao Mengyu and Wang Qiang quarreled in the pet group. Nearly three weeks ago, Xie Chao died. Two weeks ago, Gao Mengyu told a “horror story” in a entrance exam small group chat. Nearly a week ago, Gao Mengyu disappeared, and Lin Bei was harassed by the ghost of “Mr. Rose”.
Zhong Chengshuo didn’t touch the roasted meat. He was frowning at the timeline. Yin Ren had already stuffed two pounds of meat into his stomach and was going to the dessert area to make an oversized ice cream cone. When he sat down, humming a little song, the potatoes in front of Zhong Chengshuo had gone mushy.
Yin Ren’s hand holding the cone trembled a bit.
“The potatoes are burnt.”
“I got it.”
The two spoke almost simultaneously.
Yin Ren: “…You go first.”
Ice cream didn’t wait for anyone, and he couldn’t be bothered to vacate his mouth for the time being.
“There was a place I couldn’t figure out before. Gao Mengyu said, ‘I don’t dare to go out. It’s so cold outside and it smells like roses everywhere’, but Lin Bei was the one that was continuously harassed by anomalies and couldn’t rest properly… It wasn’t that the anomaly didn’t want to do anything to Gao Mengyu, but that it couldn’t enter her home.”
“The ‘cat’ rescued by Gao Mengyu was living in her apartment. Whether intentionally or not, it protected her.”
Zhong Chengshuo took a bite of the roasted potato and chewed on it mechanically. Yin Ren couldn’t bear to watch anymore, so he replaced the potatoes with freshly roasted sweet corn.
Zhong Chengshuo chucked up the corn and continued to speak. “That ‘cat’ can keep anomalies out, but the watcher in her ‘horror story’ was a living person. If it really intends to protect Gao Mengyu, what will it do?”
The values of other creatures were different from those of humans. Just like real cats would offer dead mice or cockroaches to people like they were sharing prey, humans may not want or need it.
Considering the angle of that “cat” trying to protect Gao Mengyu was to hide her…
“Gao Mengyu might still be alive.”
The author has something to say:
Unexpectedly, the chat history can really be seen!
Kinky Translations 