Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 280

“Since I don’t know your name, I can only use ‘you’ to address you.

I represent the provincial governments of Jiangxia, Zhelin, and Cheng’an. As per your request, I am officially responding to your letter in an official capacity.”

The female anchor spoke in a calm and not very loud voice, yet in the old and dim underground space, it swept through like a breeze. The people slowly moving in the subway station seemed to be inspired, as they all simultaneously lifted their heads. In the bright studio, the female anchor also lifted her head. With a solemn demeanor, she steadied her breath before saying, “We agree to some of your demands.”

The people in the station couldn’t believe their ears, and the quicker ones started exchanging surprised looks with others around them.

In fact, those who were protected by the government every day found it difficult to believe deep down that the organization meant to ensure their well-being and prosperity would one day compromise and remove their protection, leaving them exposed to the sinister intentions of the opposition. Naturally, some people began to vent their anger.

“Motherfuckers!”

“They’re spineless!”

However, just as the crowd was about to get excited, the female anchor’s voice sounded just right again.

“But please do not misunderstand. By ‘some’, we mean that since you possess the ability to arbitrarily take innocent lives, we agree to participate in the voting game arranged by you, to decide certain matters by public opinion. However, we cannot agree with the way you’ve constructed the game. Therefore, I have a new proposal.”

After emphasizing the word “I,” the news footage changed accordingly.

It revealed a much brighter landscape than the studio, with green mountains and muddy rivers. You could almost feel the long wind brushing through the mountains. As the wind blew, the camera descended and focused on a majestic and solemn cluster of dark gray buildings.

Surrounded by green mountains and with muddy water in the front, it was the Min River No.1 Prison.

Many viewers couldn’t immediately recall the name of the prison, but they could still recognize it from its distinctive architectural style. The dim subway station erupted in suppressed gasps, resembling the sound of the murky waters of the Min River hitting the rocks.

Fang Aizi also looked up; the young girl had already found a seat to sit cross-legged. At this moment, she had taken out a roll of lemon-flavored hard candy from her pocket and put two pieces in her mouth.

The old-fashioned hanging color TV displayed the pace of a movie as the scene faded out and then faded back in.

The magnificent scenery became tiny, and the smallness originated from the pale-yellow light source in the dim space. It was a pitch-black and narrow room, with walls built from square cement bricks, smooth and well-lit, exuding the cold and ruthless atmosphere typical of a prison’s solitary confinement cell.

In the room, there was a small hanging lamp, and beneath it sat four men.

One was burly, another was dark-skinned, one had tattoos covering his head, and the last one resembled a thin black cat.

All four men were wearing prison uniforms, sitting silently under the lamp, facing the camera with indifferent expressions.

The off-screen voice of the female anchor resounded once again as she continued to read the letter.

“These four individuals were randomly selected from prisoners at Min River No. 1 Prison, and coincidentally, they symbolize four very emblematic criminals: a swindler, a robber, a thief, and a murderer. I have no intention of explaining in detail the reasons for their imprisonment, but if the game proceeds smoothly, all their case files will be made public online, and anyone can freely access them. Therefore, my proposal is as follows: in order to avoid causing greater harm and casualties, I suggest that the three provinces concentrate their voting on these four individuals. Each person with a registered residence and residence permit in the three provinces will have the right to vote with their real names—one person, one vote—to decide the life or death of these four individuals. The voting period will be 24 hours. If, after 24 hours, the voting result indicates that the four individuals should be executed, I will personally carry out their executions, as a substitute for the planned poisoning operation in any city. If the result is the opposite, you may continue your poisoning activities in the manner you desire.”

The female anchor paused after reading the letter while her cold gaze scanned the audience below, giving everyone a moment to think. She struck the right balance, as if she had practiced it a thousand times, suppressing any foul language that might have been uttered by the people.

“I believe that the minority replacing the majority scheme is more reasonable for the following reasons: First, as previously mentioned, it can gradually reduce unnecessary casualties. Second, your proposed plan could easily lead us to sacrifice a certain city, guiding the votes towards that city. However, once you accept my proposal, my government and I will not interfere with the citizens’ choices. Second, quality is more important than quantity, and extreme situations can better expose problems and raise awareness of deeper issues.”

The female anchor’s tone remained calm, reciting the reply letter with the ordinary tone of reading an instruction manual. “Of course, I think a fairer approach would be to raise the stakes. I wonder if you would consider changing it to: If the four criminals are voted to be executed, you will provide a complete treatment plan for the neurotoxin and related agents to our side.” At this point, she once again gazed significantly at the camera, though her tone was as calm as the person who wrote the letter. She continued, “These proposals are merely my humble opinion, and all decisions should be made by you. If you agree to some of my proposals, please launch the new voting system on your website at exactly 12:00 GMT. We will synchronously launch the online and offline voting procedures one minute later, and voting will be conducted in a real-name system—one person, one vote. The voting results will be broadcast live to ensure fairness.”

“Please believe in our sincerity, and I hope you will carefully consider and reply.

Sincerely,

Lin Chen.

September 3, 2016.”

Without giving the audience any time to comprehend their emotions, the female anchor calmly turned the letter over and displayed it in front of hundreds of millions of viewers.

Indeed, it was a handwritten letter, with the words “Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau, Jiangxia Province” written in red at the top of the stationery. The entire content of the letter was handwritten with a fountain pen, just the length of a high school student’s essay.

The handwriting was elegant, just like the person himself. The director also happened to focus the final live shot on the two words “Lin Chen” and the personal seal.

If the original letter was like blazing fireworks, then this reply was like a refreshing breeze in the mountains.

The entire letter was well-organized, well-reasoned, and without any provocative tone. Even the text format matched the one used by the sender, making it appear more like a straightforward instruction manual.

However, only a small group of people who knew Lin Chen’s whereabouts were aware that this letter wasn’t an instant reply. Long before Lin Chen entered Hongjing Detention Center, this handwritten letter had been sent urgently from Hongjing and arrived at Yongchuan TV Station before the Meicun Clothing Market incident occurred.

In other words, several hours ago, Lin Chen had already made a corresponding reply to a letter he would never have seen.

Therefore, when the National Yongchuan TV Station ended the BREAKING NEWS broadcast, most viewers’ first reaction was to start counting down. However, the officials in the Hongjing Municipal Bureau were different. Xing Conglian stood in the glass room, and everyone outside looked at him incredulously, as if they wanted to burn holes in his old face.

This made Xing Conglian want to stay in the glass room, but Shen Heming patted his shoulder and said, “Let’s go out together.”

As soon as the glass door was pushed open, all kinds of miscellaneous inquiries squeezed in through the gap.

“Lao Xing… Is Lin Chen…” the public opinion expert probed.

“Still in the detention center?”

“Yes.”

“Then… Did someone else write the reply letter?”

“He wrote it himself.”

Xing Conglian said indifferently, but before he could finish his words, the entire hall erupted into incredulous exclamations again.

“Consultant Lin… knew in advance?”

“This is too incredible.”

“But… Four prisoners… This is too audacious!”

“Minister Shen?”

The police officers whispered to each other, discussing the matter among themselves.

This should have been a moment that made Xing Conglian proud, but as he looked at the officers, who seemed visibly relieved, his brows involuntarily furrowed.

This was the change brought about by Lin Chen’s letter, relieving everyone from the dilemma they were facing temporarily and taking the burden off their hearts because someone had taken responsibility in their place.

However, he knew very well that this was just the beginning—a brief calm before the storm. When everyone woke up to the reality of the situation, they would understand the magnitude of the problem.

At this moment, the usually cold and strategic expert suddenly spoke up. “How does he know that the other side will agree?”

Xing Conglian’s gaze pierced through the crowd and fell on the person’s face. Smart people always grasp things earlier.

The person paused and added, “He also revealed our backup plan. Although this might facilitate the other side’s acceptance of his plan, fundamentally, it still confines us to a passive position, which isn’t right.”

Xing Conglian looked at the cold and confident eyes, not saying anything.

……

While the discussions within the police station were concerned about Xing Conglian’s reputation and Lin Chen’s accurate predictions, on the crowded platform of the underground subway station, no one cared about such matters. It was always terrorists holding hostages to threaten the government, but now the situation seemed to have reversed, with the government holding hostages to threaten the terrorists. This sudden reversal of the plot unexpectedly swept away the oppressive atmosphere, as if the old ventilation system had been reactivated. People picked up their backpacks and resumed their activities and conversations.

“Is that Lin Chen a member of the police?”

“It seems like it.”

“Is he crazy?”

“I don’t know…”

“What level is the police at now? Is that reply letter a joke?”

“Huh?”

“The bad guy wants us to pit all the cities in the three provinces against each other. Focusing on these four criminals, isn’t this a distraction tactic? Do they really think the bad guy will agree?”

“Yes.”

Passersby ignored the short-haired girl sitting cross-legged nearby and didn’t even spare her a glance. This time, the girl didn’t refute anything; she simply crushed the hard candy in her mouth.

The same discussion was taking place in the subway carriage that had already departed the platform.

A girl with a ponytail wearing the Fengjing School uniform gritted her teeth, as if she hadn’t recovered from the humiliation she had just experienced. She had to say something to ease her anger.

“Hmph, the government’s think tank can only come up with such a rotten idea. They really believe that just by changing the plan, the mastermind will agree? I never thought they could be so stupid,” she said coldly. “Besides, this is a morality war, or even a battle for public opinion. If they really go through with this, the law will be nonexistent. Innocent people will be executed, and anyone can be sacrificed. It makes me sick.”

The girl next to her, who had been meekly nodding, also added, “But I think… it’s not a bad idea to have just four criminals. After all, one of them is a murderer. To put it bluntly, if they die, they die.”

The girl with the ponytail raised an eyebrow half-heartedly and said nonchalantly, “Think about it this way, even you think it’s no big deal for four criminals to die, not to mention others. Do you really think the bad guy won’t realize something so simple? How could he agree?”

“Yeah, I also think it won’t work.”

“They’re really dumb. It would have been better to go with that ‘induced voting’ plan. They are just a bunch of clueless pigs, wasting opportunities!” The girl with the ponytail was deeply disappointed and wished she could criticize them for thousands of words.

However, she didn’t realize that, within the time it took to read a letter, the atmosphere on the subway train had returned to normal.

People chatted, read novels, pointed at their phone screens, and whispered to each other, no longer troubled by the difficult choices they were forced to face.

……

The television was still on, but Shen Lian was focused on observing Lin Chen.

She could see it in his serene gaze—the hand that held the water glass, the hand that wrote that letter. Because she was a lunatic, only she could truly comprehend the madness concealed within that seemingly ordinary letter—a madness that even made her shudder.

“You really betrayed your own teammates, Lin Chen. I really underestimated you. I’m sure those fools are now relieved after being deceived by you.”

Lin Chen took a sip of tea, shaking his head helplessly. “Yes.”

“So, you’re really going to play it like this?” She knocked on the table unusually, asking Lin Chen with surprise.

“Yes.”

“And you’re really capable of killing those four prisoners?”

“Of course, the prison is equipped with a lethal injection drug.”

“Why, why can you come up with such a simple and interesting thing? It’s too interesting.”

Shen Lian sighed, the chains on her wrist jingling with her movement.

But what surprised her even more was that Lin Chen actually answered her question seriously.

“Because I’ve considered too many solutions. Whether it’s public opinion control or induced voting, there are many ways to unite people. The power of the state authorities is stronger than I imagined.”

“Then why don’t you use those methods to pass this off easily?”

“Because no matter how I think about it, it feels wrong.” Lin Chen gently stroked the edge of the cup. “The choice should not arise from inducement; it should come from the heart to be sincere. Since our fundamental difference lies in our differing views on human nature, I shouldn’t lose my courage.”

“Seeking courage from a low-probability event, you’re so naive and cute.”

“You mentioned probability, and that’s right.” Lin Chen spoke slowly but sincerely. “After all, psychology is a science, and in a way, the game he designed is a psychological test. Since it’s a test design, I’m more professional in this aspect than him.”

Although Lin Chen said “more professional”, Shen Lian understood very well that he meant a lot more professional.

She sarcastically smirked and patiently listened as Lin Chen continued, “The problem with his test design lies in the insolubility of the results. It’s unsolvable for us, but isn’t it the same for him? Therefore, I changed the test structure to better detect the psychological traits of the group targeted by this test and eliminated the significant interference from the government’s influence. I thought I did a decent job, don’t you think?”

Looking at Lin Chen’s confident and frank expression, Shen Lian smiled. “Indeed, not bad.”

Upon receiving praise, Lin Chen’s face, which had been slightly lowered, suddenly lifted, and his eyes were clear, as if he could see through people’s hearts.

“So, do you think he will agree with my changes?”

In that moment, Shen Lian felt as if she was being pierced by that gaze, and she finally realized that Lin Chen had been looking at her all along, but he wasn’t really looking at her.

She was just a pawn, a chessboard, a springboard, a link… She was the medium through which Lin Chen and that person engaged in their remote confrontation.

He was looking at him through her; as long as she was here, Lin Chen would never leave this small room.

Realizing that she had the privilege of witnessing such a great battle, Shen Lian trembled with excitement.

“Why wouldn’t he? Thank you for coming up with such a despicable game. This is exactly what he wanted!”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 279

It was a river meandering through the green hills.

During the rainy season, the river surged and roared, but between the narrow green mountains on both sides, it appeared as a turbid and narrow stream.

Like an old man’s runny nose, it exuded decay and a pungent smell.

This was the initial impression of the Min River, not because of the river itself, but due to the surrounding buildings.

Looking up, one could see the crisscrossing power lines spanning the sky and the towering concrete walls. Approaching the prison, the only thought that filled one’s mind was awe. This was the Min River No. 1 Prison, where over 95 percent of the province’s serious offenders were incarcerated. Most of them would never breathe the air of freedom again.

However, Yan Guiqiu was different from those people; he was among the fortunate five percent. He was a thief, to be precise—a habitual thief, and being in and out of detention centers was nothing new to him. But being locked up in the Ming River No. 1 Prison was a first for him.

To be honest, he was skilled at his craft, and he never got too greedy while stealing. Getting caught this time was purely due to bad luck. While trying to evade the owner of the house he was robbing, he had the sudden idea to jump onto the outdoor air-conditioning unit. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell from the fifth floor, only breaking his leg.

The judge probably thought that if he could survive such a fall, they might as well give him the maximum sentence and let him “recuperate” in prison.

Today marked Yan Guiqiu’s 350^th day in No. 1 Prison, which meant that in less than a week, he would be released after completing his sentence. Perhaps due to excitement, he ate a bit too much for lunch and couldn’t fall asleep during nap time. In the afternoon, during outdoor time, he limped around the playground.

The most formidable troublemakers in the entire prison were at the parallel bars in the northeast corner, while the second most difficult character, the black boss, was at the base of the southwest wall. Yan Guiqiu took one glance and decided on his walking route. Prisoners of his rank needed to be discreet and cautious during their outdoor time, trying their best to go unnoticed, much like black mice.

Around the tenth minute of his walk, a commotion appeared at the parallel bars in the northeast corner. Two prison guards were talking to a troublemaker there. Yan Guiqiu watched for a moment, then changed his direction.

He lowered his head and massaged his leg, but when he looked up again, he suddenly realized that the black boss was nowhere to be seen from the southwest corner.

Yan Guiqiu had a bad feeling about this; two big shots being taken away without any apparent reason wasn’t a good sign. Just then, someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned around and saw someone standing behind him—smartly dressed, with cold and stern eyes.

It was a face he had never seen before.

……

The more people there were, sometimes, the quieter it got.

The subway carriage was packed with commuters and students returning from school, crammed together with the distinct smell of egg waffles, leather, and resin seats. The air was stifling, and the atmosphere in the carriage seemed to have been crushed by some earth-shattering news, leaving it in absolute silence. No one was talking, and everyone was glued to their phones.

The sound of the television mounted on the wall was turned extremely low, leaving only the suppressed noise of the train wheels rolling on the tracks.

A girl wearing a Fengjing school uniform was squeezed into the corner by a group of commuters. She tried to make herself smaller between the door and the seats.

Although they all took the same subway, her classmates kept their distance from her. After all, no one wanted to commute with a “criminal” like her.

Her face was pressed against the closed subway door, and outside the window was a dark tunnel. She closed her eyes and seemed to doze off. With her short black hair trimmed thinly, she looked more like a cool young boy, but she was indeed a girl.

The silence and oppressiveness continued.

After passing through a dark and gloomy tunnel, shiny billboards appeared on both sides. The girl’s fair face was illuminated with various colors.

Perhaps it was the sudden appearance of bright lights, or maybe because the train had finally stopped, bringing a trace of flowing air into the stuffy subway carriage.

The silent carriage started to stir again. The commotion had no specific reason; it arose from the restlessness of each individual.

The high school students, squeezed into the aisle, began to talk, whispering and exchanging messages on their phone screens.

You didn’t even need to listen; just by looking at their expressions, you could tell what they were talking about.

“Do you really have to vote? Where would you choose to go?” The girl with a ponytail finally finished scrolling through her Weibo and pulled the handrail while asking the person next to her.

“Fuck me, why are you so loud? And why are you asking me before telling me your own answer?”

“I’m just asking, but I think the most correct way is to abstain from voting.” With the gradually noisy atmosphere in the train compartment, the girl’s voice grew louder. “If everyone abstains from voting, then everything would be fine.”

The other person lowered their voice and said, “If you don’t vote, you’re giving the decision-making power to the psychopaths. That’s what he said.”

“Do you just believe everything he says? Do you really want to vote? Making a choice means indirectly killing someone. No one has the right to decide on someone else’s life.” The girl’s voice grew louder again, impassioned.

As if someone pulled the emergency brake on the noisy atmosphere, the surroundings suddenly quieted down. The passengers pretended to be busy with their own things, but it seemed like they were all stealing glances at the girl who was speaking. Perhaps sensing the attention of those around her, the girl became even more courageous, and she continued her advocacy. “This is a moral game; he wants us to kill each other. It’s impossible to solve, so the best choice is to do nothing and avoid making mistakes!”

In the stuffy and oppressive subway space, the girl’s words resonated.

Every person who heard her words on the subway had their own thoughts, but nobody would discuss morality and law with a young girl on the subway, as it didn’t concern them. So, the only one who would challenge the girl was another girl—a confident and sharp young girl.

In the next moment, someone in the corner between the seat and the train door spoke up.

She said, “That’s not right.”

Her voice was calm yet refreshing, and the passengers instinctively turned to look, only to see a slim girl pressed in the corner.

Her hair was very short, and her eyes were amber-colored. When she slightly narrowed her eyes and lifted the corners of her lips, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth.

The girl with the ponytail who was criticizing pursed her lips, as if she felt insulted. “Fang Aizi!”

“Uh, that’s me,” Fang Aizi said while straightening her posture and adjusting her backpack hanging lazily on her arm.

The girl with the ponytail shivered, as if feeling some kind of conspiracy or something else in the air. She mixed her words, saying coldly, “What were you saying just now? I didn’t hear clearly!”

“I said you’re wrong,” Fang Aizi repeated.

“Why am I wrong?”

“You don’t have the qualifications.”

“Why do you say I don’t have the qualifications?!” The girl with the ponytail was still angry. “Everyone has the freedom to express their opinions. Why don’t you let me speak?”

“Because not everyone has the qualifications to make others stop and listen to what they have to say,” Fang Aizi paused and said calmly, “at least you don’t.”

“You sound like you have the qualifications. Who do you think you are, a bad girl who has been in a juvenile detention center?”

“I certainly don’t.” Fang Aizi felt bored quarreling with this girl. “But I believe that if she makes a choice, it’s her choice. You can’t criticize others for indirectly killing someone just because it doesn’t align with your views. Killing is a serious accusation.”

“You make such a good point. Then what do you suggest we do in the current situation?” The girl with the ponytail gritted her teeth and asked again.

The train announcement sounded, indicating that the train was about to arrive at the station, knocking on everyone’s stifling and suppressed hearts.

All eyes turned to the girl again, but this time, it wasn’t out of gossip or curiosity. They genuinely wanted to hear something useful from her.

However, they were disappointed.

The girl furrowed her brows in thought, and in the end, she shook her head earnestly and said, “I don’t know.”

“You still don’t know!” The girl with the ponytail retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Fang Aizi didn’t say anything further.

Their hope of getting an answer was shattered, and the passengers’ moods became somber and gloomy once again.

They were just ordinary people.

As ordinary people, they had ordinary loved ones, friends, and mentors. They had various ordinary concerns and ties to this city or that city. Therefore, when faced with the need to make a decision, they truly didn’t know how to choose, not even as resolutely as a high school girl.

The dilemma of indecision tormented everyone; the air grew tense again, but the areas outside the train windows finally started to brighten.

The train came to a stop, the guardrail opened, and the doors opened. The girl with short hair, carrying her backpack, slowly walked off the train, following the somber crowd.

But suddenly, as if realizing something, she didn’t look back, nor did she look at anyone else. She just gazed up at the old-fashioned lights on the old subway platform and said, “But I think there will always be someone who knows what to do.”

The girl’s voice was as clear as water, and in the dim underground space, the television screens slowly lit up.

On Yongchuan TV, the female anchor sat quietly at the news desk and slowly pulled out a piece of ordinary stationery from an old leather envelope, bearing the header of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.

She lowered her head to look at the stationery, then raised her head, and with slightly parted lips, she calmly said, “Hello, I hope this letter finds you well.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 278

Hongjing Detention Center.

In the dreary interrogation room, the program of the open letter recitation by the female anchor from Yongchuan TV came to a temporary end.

A fresh glass of water was refilled in front of Lin Chen.

“Your government is even ‘braver’ than I imagined,” she almost admired. “I can’t tell anymore who the real sociopaths are.”

“Of course, it’s still you guys.” Lin Chen could only respond helplessly, using a tone of not daring to compete with her.

“What’s your next move?” Shen Lian asked curiously, then smiled. “Since you’re here, it seems you have no intention of leaving, which means you have been prepared from the beginning.”

Lin Chen held the glass of water without giving any committal response.

“Wow, let me guess, are you so hypocritical that the next step is to play the sacrificial tactic?”

This was probably the most relaxed and exciting moment for Shen Lian since she met Lin Chen again. When a woman was excited, she tended to be talkative. “I have an idea; do you want to hear it?”

“Please speak.”

“In this way, considering various economic and population factors, select one city from nearly 20 cities in the three provinces that is most suitable for sacrifice and control. Manipulate the accounts to disguise them as willing sacrifices from the local residents and induce everyone to cast their votes for that poorest and most backward city. When the results are out, wow, the spirit of voluntary sacrifice of humanity triumphs over the wicked sociopaths, successfully breaking the deadlock. And after the incident, you can write some brilliant reports—it will be so magnificent. What do you think?”

Shen Lian asked Lin Chen this way.

Holding the water glass, Lin Chen looked at the lady in front of him, who rarely showed her claws. He replied with four words, “This is not beautiful.”

He answered.

……

Not beautiful.

It referred to the means not being beautiful, the matter not being beautiful, and human nature, which was also not beautiful.

Lin Chen was an idealist, and this was a fact that Xing Conglian had long understood clearly.

Therefore, when he heard the solution he had once proposed being spoken by this strategy expert, Xing Conglian felt himself being severely mocked. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words to respond.

“Will this plan be seen as the government compromising with the sociopaths?”

“I think it’s feasible, and it can turn the tables on them.”

“But after the voting ends, won’t the sociopaths become desperate?”

“They will only ruin themselves by breaking the rules they set. They will become a laughingstock.” The strategy expert spoke coldly. “I’m 70% sure.”

Everyone in the small glass room started to discuss this plan seriously.

Xing Conglian knew better than anyone the feasibility of the plan. The only way to counter selfish human nature was through the great spirit of voluntary sacrifice.

If they manipulated a batch of accounts using Wang Chao, they wouldn’t have to worry about the risk of exposure.

But Xing Conglian thought it was indeed not beautiful to do it this way.

He looked at the people in the glass room and also at those outside the glass room, who seemed to have sensed something and cast clear gazes at him. He felt as if he had returned to his earliest and youngest days, when he hadn’t seen so much darkness and bloody killings, when he was full of passionate persistence and trust in this world.

Trust, that was extremely important.

Xing Conglian finally made up his mind.

He raised his left hand, not too high, and looked at everyone. He spoke his words with solemnity. “I don’t agree.”

All the eager discussions in the glass room came to a halt.

Except for Minister Shen and a young man fiddling with a computer, the others in the room couldn’t fully comprehend the unwavering determination contained in this short phrase.

Shen Heming fell silent.

However, since the young man standing in front of the glass panel raised his hand to express his stance, he had to stop and listen to the other person’s words seriously.

So, he also raised his hand and said to the others in the glass room, “Everyone, leave, except Xing Conglian.”

……

National Yongchuan Television Station.

The skyrocketing viewership ratings and the banging on the door complemented each other. Deputy Director Zhao Ren stood in the main control room outside Studio 1.

In front of the main control station, dozens of televisions were playing various programs, and the dense electrical noise made people’s heads ache. Zhao Ren picked up the intercom on the table and shouted inside, “Tell the security not to knock randomly. I haven’t been kidnapped!”

His irritable voice was transmitted through the earpieces to every staff member. Soon, Zhao Ren heard a chorus of complaints through the earphones.

“Are you going through menopause, boss?”

“Lower your volume; I’m going deaf.”

Zhao Ren didn’t bother responding to these insolent remarks. He lowered his head to watch Yongchuan TV, which was broadcasting weather news, and then glanced up at the clock above the main control station. Only five minutes left until the agreed time, but his phone remained silent.

To make matters worse, his assistant came over with an urgently prepared video file and asked anxiously, “The things that Consultant Lin requested are all ready, but there’s still no word from the higher-ups. Are we really going ahead with the original plan?”

“And what else?” Zhao Ren replied with impatience.

“Although the satellite broadcasting truck and positions are set up at the Min River, should we ask them to withdraw if it doesn’t work out?”

“Scram!” Zhao Ren cursed.

However, his assistant, as stubborn as a rock, refused to leave. “Boss, didn’t Consultant Lin say that if they can’t persuade the higher-ups, we shouldn’t take matters into our own hands? This is a big responsibility we’ll be taking!”

Zhao Ren raised an eyebrow and said coldly, “Responsibility, huh? I love taking responsibility the most.”

……

People left quickly.

During the process, there were some slight doubts, but both he and Xing Conglian had such expressions that no one dared to speak up.

The glass door closed again, and Shen Heming looked at Xing Conglian and asked, “Conglian, do you really want to stand and talk to an old man like me?”

Xing Conglian didn’t sit down immediately. He casually reached into his pocket, took out a flattened box of cigarettes, and then sat down next to Shen Heming, offering him the cigarettes.

Shen Heming didn’t care about the row of “wooden stakes” standing outside the glass room. He picked up the cigarette, and Xing Conglian took out a lighter and respectfully lit it for him.

Then Xing Conglian began to speak in a low voice, speaking quickly and systematically. Shen Heming listened silently throughout.

After 15 seconds, Xing Conglian stopped narrating.

15 seconds. Indeed, it was very short.

But within this time, Shen Heming felt unprecedented ups and downs in life.

At first, he thought Lin Chen’s plan was really clever, avoiding traps and minimizing losses. He should have readily agreed without hesitation.

Then he felt anxious; at his age, there were few moments when he was overwhelmed by fear in an instant.

He began to speculate on possible outcomes and then realized the source of his anxiety: he and the young strategist both fundamentally lacked a deep sense of trust in people.

This was their biggest difference from Lin Chen.

Shen Heming took a deep breath and finally felt a sense of inexplicable shock. He didn’t know where this shock came from, but he hoped that Lin Chen was right.

After blowing out a smoke ring, Shen Heming looked at Xing Conglian with a burning gaze, as if he were eagerly waiting for his answer.

“Is this not the same brand of cigarettes?”

Holding the cigarette butt, Xing Conglian slowly turned it around, and it was empty, with only a very ordinary white cigarette.

Xing Conglian was stunned, as if he didn’t expect Shen Heming to play him like this. So he said somewhat irritably, “That brand is expensive.”

The young man had moss-green eyes, deep and serene. This was the impression Shen Heming had of him when they first met.

At that time, Xing Conglian was still very young, but of course, he wasn’t considered old now either. Shen Heming had asked for assistance from the international organization that Xing Conglian represented during the evacuation of nationals. They effortlessly completed the communication work that would have cost countless manpower and resources.

He stood on the deck of the returning ferry, looking at the devastated foreign territory ahead and the fellow countrymen huddled together on the ferry behind him. At that time, Xing Conglian stood on the coastline and waved at him.

Shen Heming could never forget that scene.

Amidst the blue sea and sky, a handsome mixed-race youth stood tall in the wind, covered in dirt, looking exhausted, but his green eyes were deep and calm, like mountains and seas.

At that moment, Shen Heming thought that despite humans constantly fighting against each other, there was still goodwill between them. Malice was real, and so was goodwill.

As Shen Heming recalled this memory, Xing Conglian interrupted him, “What do you think?”

Shen Heming said, “In theory, I should trust your judgment since you have a lot of experience dealing with difficult problems. But while your plan seems to minimize losses, it also has the potential to lead to irreparable consequences. I need to ask, why did you agree?”

“The reason I agreed is the same as yours,” Xing Conglian said firmly.

Shen Heming sneered, “Is that so?”

Xing Conglian searched for words and thought for a moment before saying, “According to Lin Chen, his plan minimizes losses, and it is easier for superiors like you to accept.”

“Why do I feel uncomfortable hearing you say that?” Shen Heming asked.

“You feel uncomfortable because, deep down, you don’t agree with the term ‘superiors’. It often implies a lot of coldness and calculation, deception, and the use of state force to maintain social stability. In short, it’s not a good term.” Xing Conglian paused. “Lin Chen said that too.”

“What else did Lin Chen say?” Shen Heming asked, somewhat annoyed.

“He said that if you feel uncomfortable with the term ‘superiors’, it means you don’t truly agree with the other plan deep down. You have an idealistic nature, and you hold immense trust and goodwill towards the world. Because of that trust, you dare to take a risk. Of course, I don’t entirely agree with his view, but whatever he said, it applies to me too.”

Shen Heming furrowed his brow, “He is indeed better at talking than you.”

Xing Conglian earnestly nodded. “He also wanted me to tell you that if you doubt that the sociopath won’t agree to his plan, it’s because he understands him better than you. What the man wants is not killing or bloodshed; all he wants is to expose the ugly side of everyone’s hearts, to make people lose hope in human nature. So, a fairer and more effective game that aligns with his goals is bound to be accepted.”

Shen Heming fell into contemplation; what Lin Chen said was indeed enough, yet still not enough to persuade him.

He turned around and saw Wang Chao, who was ready with a laptop in hand, standing outside. He also noticed the various expressions on the faces of the people around the young man—excitement, earnestness, worry, and determination. Suddenly, he realized that he really wanted to find something beyond “benefits” and “gains”.

With this in mind, Shen Heming finally countered Xing Conglian, “You’ve said it all. What else can I say?”

Xing Conglian gazed at him, gradually unfolding a smile, and said firmly, “You can say, let’s go with this plan.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 277

Mu Wenhua was also watching TV.

A kind-hearted colleague covered her shift, allowing her to get away. Before going downstairs, she passed by the entrance of the opposite electronic chain store.

The crowd had already dispersed a lot, but as she passed by the row of shop windows, it felt as if she had stepped into a surrealistic story. The characters on each TV screen were moving in a uniform manner. The anchor seemed to be trying to connect to a mysterious network, and a large block of text appeared on the screen.

Although the flow of people in the mall didn’t visibly decrease, there was an eerie silence around her, and she could only hear the sound of her hurried and quiet footsteps.

She stepped onto the escalator, and the black steps moved slowly downward. During this time, she kept checking her phone and saw thousands of messages in the WeChat group for her child’s class. Although the teacher had repeatedly explained that their kindergarten was very small and the children were very safe, many parents kept asking about their children’s well-being.

Mu Wenhua held her phone and even saw some forwarded messages in the WeChat group about detoxification methods. She felt it wasn’t right, but she didn’t have the courage to say anything. In special times, people could only take care of themselves. She put her phone away and looked up. For some reason, she felt that everyone in the mall was whispering.

The cashiers were huddled close together, and customers were talking in hushed tones.

Although she couldn’t hear the exact words, it seemed like everyone in the world was discussing drugs and poisons—things that were once distant but suddenly became dangerously close.

Everyone’s eyes gleamed with panic, fear, excitement, and fanaticism. This scene finally made her feel scared.

She stuffed her phone in her bag and rushed down the escalator in her sneakers. She ran past the corner, then descended another level, repeating this process until she finally reached the mall’s exit. However, when she looked up, she saw a large screen on the square directly in front of her. Under the logo of Yongchuan TV station, a simple letter was being slowly opened.

A grand and splendid female voice descended from the sky—

“Dear fellow citizens. I hope this letter finds you well.”

The same female voice gradually echoed in subway stations, on buses, on passersby’s phones, and inside the small shops at the school entrance.

It belonged to the female anchor of Yongchuan TV station.

“I apologize for meeting you all in this manner. I have no intention of introducing myself because who I am is not important. You can call me a sociopath or a terrorist, as I represent a portion of abnormal individuals who cannot integrate into society.”

These voices had the same frequency and identical pace, yet they presented different textures through various electronic devices. When combined, they collided and resonated like blooming flowers, reverberating between the small cities in this vast universe.

“Here, we announce our responsibility for the riot at Meicun Clothing Market; we take responsibility for the attempted attack at Meicun Train Station; we take responsibility for the recent sporadic incidents of violence in Yongchuan; and we take full responsibility for the collective adverse reactions to Nao Kangning.

Our actions disturb your daily lives, but they are necessary. We hope for your understanding. However, throughout human history, there have been moments that arrived without warning, appearing as misfortune in incomprehensible ways, yet, to a great extent, they changed the world.

Since the 6^th century B.C., the Greeks established the earliest democratic system through voting. Now, the group I represent hopes that even in our resistance against society, you can obtain such rights as well.

To ensure the fairness of the game and uphold your spirit of freedom and democracy, if your government agrees, we will grant each resident the right to choose the next target for our attack. The specific process of granting this right can be supervised by representatives from both sides.

If your government chooses not to let you have this right, I have no choice but to follow our interests in determining your fate.

I look forward to your response and wish you an enjoyable game.

Best regards.”

The last note lingered in the air, dissolving into the vast horizon. The contact information on the letter was shown on the screen, and then the image faded away.

The whole process was quick and straightforward, yet it felt slow enough to require a long time to regain one’s composure. As the letter was put away, the female anchor’s face reappeared. One could imagine how many people were left in shock and bewilderment in front of countless screens, big and small.

Hongjing Municipal Bureau, inside a glass-walled room.

Someone raised the remote control and turned off the TV with a snap. The entire transparent room felt like it was made of solid ice, emanating a cold and stern atmosphere filled with icy shards.

Xing Conglian looked up, gazing at the elderly man who had turned off the TV. Each of Lin Chen’s stages of deduction had been realized one after another, and for those long-standing figures in power, it was nothing short of a challenge.

The old man’s gaze, hidden behind his glasses, was deep and meaningful, but none of them spoke first.

Therefore, the public opinion expert who rushed into the glass room from the outside became the first person to break the ice. “Captain Xing, Yongchuan TV station may have been bought off by the other side. We must send someone to take control.”

Xing Conglian looked at this Director Chen and, for the first time, felt that most people were overly kind-hearted. He put one hand in his pocket, and Minister Shen pointed to an empty seat, gesturing for Director Chen to sit down and close the door.

“Private stations like BAS are one thing, but Yongchuan TV station, without our approval, broadcast the letter from a sociopath under the guise of a national TV station, causing social panic and shifting the pressure of dialogue onto us. It is a huge challenge to the government’s authority… We can’t tolerate it; otherwise, other online media will be even harder to control…” The public opinion expert explained while walking, and Minister Shen listened thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand, glancing at Xing Conglian.

“No need,” Xing Conglian said.

At this, the elderly man with a profound expression said, “I thought so too. It’s not easy to explain so much to us.”

Xing Conglian knew that, in that instant, the old man probably understood all of his thoughts. Indeed, while explaining to these people, he was also delaying them, preventing them from interfering with Lin Chen’s plan.

But it had come to this point, and no one could turn back time to when they entered this glass room.

He and Lin Chen never intended to control the situation in such a dark way.

Because since this was about igniting the fire of human nature, Lin Chen wanted that fire to burn even more brightly and majestically. That was Lin Chen, more audacious than anyone else.

And he stood here only as a representative of Lin Chen, and naturally, that was what he thought.

“Captain Xing, Yongchuan TV… It was you?” The public opinion expert asked in shock.

“It was my idea,” Xing Conglian said.

Several glances in the glass room darted towards him. Some were suspicious, some were contemplating, and some were restraining their anger.

Suddenly, another government strategy expert who rarely spoke slowly spoke up, “I also agree with Captain Xing’s approach.”

That young man sat in the shadow of the light, and Xing Conglian could only see the several drafts spread out on his desk, covered in dense lines and paths. “Since this matter will inevitably erupt into a public opinion frenzy, it’s better for the national TV station to step forward and represent the government in releasing information openly and effectively. Moreover…” He paused, “This is why Captain Xing and Consultant Lin previously reported the news of Shen Lian’s arrest. The psychological exposure effect means that people are more likely to have a natural favorability toward familiar people. I think… Captain Xing and Consultant Lin probably have a series of response plans prepared, right?”

Xing Conglian admired the calm and composed strategy expert in the corner. In a certain sense, when he looked at the other, he seemed to see Lin Chen.

But he also knew that this person could never be Lin Chen.

Minister Shen lightly tapped the table and asked his subordinate sitting in the corner, “You tell us your thoughts and handling suggestions for the current situation.”

The person nodded and said, “Captain Xing’s analysis just now reminded me to pay attention to the deep motivation of these sociopaths. Although I’m skeptical about whether he can achieve his ultimate goal, the letter indicates that they have several objectives in creating the poisoning case.” He paused for a moment and continued, “First, they want to attract some deeply hidden sociopaths in society to join their frenzy. Second, they want to design it so that every voter who has no choice becomes the murderer. Third, they aim to use bystanders to accuse residents of the three provinces, intensifying internal conflicts among the people. The fourth and most important point is to prove that selfishness and ugliness are the true nature of humanity. All those self-righteous moral standards are just decorations that hide ugliness, causing contradictions and distrust among people.” He asked, “Am I right, Captain Xing?”

Xing Conglian nodded.

“In that case, to achieve this series of objectives, although he appears to be manipulating ‘medicine’ as a tool, he is actually influencing people’s minds through planning the direction of public opinion. And public opinion is the public’s perception of the events.” The seasoned strategy expert said, “His brilliance lies in the fact that when the first person votes, a sense of mistrust has already arisen. And if you abstain from voting, you pass the fate-deciding opportunity to someone else. Therefore, in the short term, since voting cannot be avoided, we must manipulate public opinion.”

“Captain Xing didn’t communicate with me and acted on his own; this part of the work is difficult for me to carry out.” The public opinion expert still felt uneasy.

“There’s nothing wrong with Director Chen’s approach of controlling and guiding public opinion to avoid the public’s distrust towards society and human morality; of course, this is something we must do,” the young man in the corner said solemnly, “but the premise of all manipulation lies in the viewpoint. What kind of public opinion do we want to guide? What kind of views do we want to instill in the public to prevent the achievement of the sociopath’s goals?”

Xing Conglian felt the dark yet faintly burning gaze from the corner and calmly said, “I would like to hear the details.”

Then, he heard the word.

—”Sacrifice.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 276

At the time of the incident, Mu Wenhua was working.

In a sense, Song Shengsheng once again changed her life.

She gave up being a housewife and chose to send her daughter to daycare, trying to be a little braver and open a new chapter in her life.

She took on a receptionist job at a children’s playground in the mall. Although the job wasn’t great and the pay was low, she had to shuttle back and forth every day. Nevertheless, it was her first brave step to face life after being away from society for over two years.

At first, she didn’t realize what was happening. She bent down to take off a child’s shoes while a grandmother wiped the boy’s sweat with a large towel. Suddenly, Mu Wenhua noticed the old woman’s ears twitching as if she heard something. The grandmother’s actions to comfort her grandson came to a halt.

The elderly always had keen senses, and Mu Wenhua followed the direction of the sound to realize that the commotion was coming from a chain electronics store diagonally across the children’s playground.

Since it wasn’t yet mealtime, the mall was relatively empty, but a crowd had gathered at the entrance of the electronics store. People were standing on tiptoes, looking like something magnetic was attracting each passerby’s footsteps.

Mu Wenhua couldn’t help but rise on her toes as well. She saw the distinctive red mark of breaking news flashing on the window display TV, but she couldn’t hear any sound. She felt lost and didn’t know what to do, thinking to herself, ‘If the world has become this bad, what else could be terrifying?’

So, she just furrowed her brows, took a deep breath, and turned around to take out the clothes for the children from the cupboard.

Around that time, her phone rang.

“Honey, quickly take a leave and pick up our daughter from daycare. They said all public places are dangerous!” Mu Wenhua answered her phone, and her husband’s voice was trembling and loud, catching the attention of the elderly lady nearby.

“What happened, dear? Calm down and tell me slowly,” she said apologetically to the old lady, lowering her voice.

“There’s an attack. They announced that they will attack all public places. Online, they said that malls and schools are high-risk areas.” The man’s words were urgent and incoherent. “I still have a meeting now; there’s no time. Go and pick up our baby; just listen to me! I also need to call my parents!”

“Honey, what’s going on exactly?” Mu Wenhua’s heart tightened, but she felt lost and didn’t know what to do. “What happened?”

However, the man had already hung up the phone, and the rapid “beep…beep…” sound seemed to signify something.

The old lady snatched the coat from her hand with a look of distrust in her eyes, but Mu Wenhua didn’t hesitate and wrapped up the child before leaving.

As she looked around, more and more people gathered at the entrance of the electronics store, and those stuck inside were trying to get out while those outside were trying to peer inside for news. The mall’s transparent roof cast a grayish light, making the vast space feel both noisy and ominous.

……

Hongjing Municipal Bureau.

After Xing Conglian put down the handwritten letter, the heavy tone he had while reading the letter seemed to reverberate in the small glass room.

After listening to the entire content of the letter, the public opinion expert who had been challenging Xing Conglian no longer had time to say another word to him.

He looked at Minister Shen, and the old man nodded. With permission granted, Xing Conglian immediately turned and left, arriving at his most proficient battlefield within thirty seconds.

The most elite online public opinion monitoring team in the entire Jiangxia Province was by his side, with Wang Chao still in the small glass room. The intensity of the online events continuing to escalate gave these officers no spare time to adapt to the change of command.

They seemed to act like machines, following each order one by one, but a gloomy cloud gradually spread across everyone’s faces.

Within a few minutes, there was a qualitative change in the public opinion situation compared to when Wang Chao discovered the anomaly and reported it.

——Listen to me, I’m an insider. Don’t go to public places. The more crowded the place, the more likely it is to become a target of attack!

——That thing is as dangerous as mustard gas. The government has been hiding the truth from us. They have no solutions at all!

——What should we do then? Can we only compromise? The government won’t really agree to their demands, right? There are so few of us in this small place, we’ll be doomed!

Online discourse had already taken a very frightening turn.

The public opinion expert calmed his breath and quickly deployed the tasks. Deleting posts, banning accounts, controlling large-scale internet water armies to flood major forums, gripping the sources of information, and preventing false information from spreading in a short time—this was what he excelled at.

“Notify all major provincial and municipal television stations and online media for a video conference.” He glanced at the time. “In three minutes.”

The telephone conference started quickly.

The video conference screens of the emergency contact persons from various major media gradually lit up.

The public opinion expert sat in front of the display screen, watching one image after another and one face after another, and his expression grew colder and colder.

Clearly, even though the police had issued orders again and again, private television stations didn’t care about administrative prohibitions.

The video window of BAS TV, the first to release the news, was pitch-black, and they didn’t even bother to send representatives to attend the conference, displaying an arrogant and infuriating attitude.

The emergency contact persons for each media outlet were visibly agitated and anxious.

With a stern face, the public opinion expert cleared his throat, but before he could speak, the local television station, which had taken the lead in the video conference, began a series of attacks against him.

“Our news hotline is about to explode!”

“We don’t know how to report this. The anti-social elements are sending their messages to our mailbox!”

“Even if you don’t let us broadcast, online self-media is already making a huge fuss about it.”

Chaotic voices rang out, and the public opinion expert slammed the table. “Quiet!”

The water glasses on the table shook, and the screens followed suit.

And at that moment, he suddenly noticed something. In the upper left corner of the telephone conference screen, the video grid that originally belonged to the National Yongchuan Satellite TV was also pitch-black from beginning to end, with no response.

……

The public opinion expert’s intuition wasn’t wrong; something indeed happened at the National Yongchuan Satellite TV.

The atmosphere in Studio 1 of the TV station was tense. Every staff member present had turned off their phones and all other communication devices. The emergency contact person who should have been coordinating with the police stood grimly behind the camera. To prevent any unforeseen situations, they even locked the studio door from the inside using a rusty key found on the spot.

The previously energetic female anchor, who had been exchanging arguments with the expert, now seemed like a different person. She sat upright at the anchor desk as the makeup artist was busy giving her a more solemn look.

At this moment, solemn applause echoed in the studio.

Everyone, who had been busy in the hall, instantly turned their gaze to a chubby man standing under the spotlight.

He was the Vice Director at the National Yongchuan Satellite TV, named Zhao Ren. Several months ago, it was he who went against public opinion and decided to broadcast the confrontation between Lin Chen and Li Jingtian via satellite.

Zhao Ren held a rusty key in his hand.

“Anyone unwilling to do this can raise their hand now.”

The hall fell silent, and everyone looked at the chubby man with a gaze as if they were looking at someone with a mental disorder.

“Boss… that’s enough…”

“Stop acting,” said the No. 1 camera operator.

“Anyway, at most, we’ll receive administrative punishment, and if someone has to go to jail, it’ll be you,” the female anchor said earnestly.

……

The sense of panic continued to spread, and the invasion of the realm of consciousness was always silent but irresistible; it was human nature.

In the entire area of the three provinces, the only government department that remained quiet was probably the Hongjing Municipal Detention Center. There was a glass of water on Lin Chen’s desk, and there was no tense atmosphere between him and Shen Lian.

The news on Yongchuan Satellite TV came to an end.

While other television stations were actively following the latest developments in the event, Yongchuan Satellite TV was playing a very light and pleasant potato chip advertisement.

Shen Lian hummed a tune to the familiar music and seemed very satisfied after seeing Lin Chen’s manipulation of public opinion.

“Consultant Lin truly keeps his promise.” Miss Shen Lian’s toes gently swayed under the table, filled with the joy of a young girl.

Lin Chen took a sip of water, put down the cup, and said, “The attack in Meicun happened as scheduled. After proving his abilities, he’s probably going to declare the next phase of action to the whole society?”

Shen Lian didn’t even look at him. Her full attention was completely absorbed by the piles of potato chips.

“Yes, that’s about right,” she casually replied. “You have a phone, why ask me? Just make a call or check Weibo.”

“Does that mean he’ll directly start a public opinion frenzy online and declare war?” Lin Chen asked.

Shen Lian glared at him, showing her dissatisfaction with his clichéd question.

Lin Chen smiled calmly and explained, “The continuous series of events will cause a domino effect in public opinion. The ubiquitous self-media and grassroots opinion leaders will replace the government as the voice. Their evaluations will lead to a ‘diffusion effect’ of panic. In the process of public opinion spread, netizens act as detectives, continuously analyzing and summarizing the hearsay information, leading to a greater ‘inflation effect’. Finally, the government becomes the center of all pressure and tends to make some mistakes, ultimately igniting the explosive emotions in everyone’s hearts… Suspicion, distrust, and hatred, the darkest and most distrustful emotions in human nature will be aroused again. At that time, all he has to do is extend a helping hand to these people, and he might be seen as a benefactor. It’s somewhat like Stockholm syndrome. This is probably the pattern. Am I right?”

Lin Chen’s explanation was a bit long that the advertisement for the potato chips had already ended. Yongchuan Satellite TV moved on to another very quiet and atmospheric kitchen and bathroom advertisement.

Shen Lian didn’t respond to him. Her eyes shone brightly as she admired the half-naked handsome man on the TV. Lin Chen knocked on the table, and she reluctantly glanced at him, saying, “If you know so much, go and command the public opinion battle to save the country and the people. Why are you standing in front of me?”

“I’m here to accompany you to watch TV,” Lin Chen said straightforwardly.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 275

After the elderly man finished speaking, an electric tricycle drove against the flow of people towards the direction of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.

Although it was late afternoon, the sunlight outside the building was still bright, and there was no shortage of police officers coming and going at the entrance of the Municipal Bureau.

“Lao Zhang, time to check the packages!”

The delivery guy from Shunshui Express stopped the tricycle, knocked on the window of the Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau’s gatehouse, and shouted.

“Take it easy,” the gatekeeper, Lao Zhang, said slowly as he flipped a newspaper.

The delivery guy immediately fell silent, nervously glancing into the courtyard of the Municipal Bureau, and started unloading the packages one by one from his tricycle. “This case is huge! Do you have any insider information, Uncle Zhang?”

Lao Zhang had been the gatekeeper of the Municipal Bureau for ten years and had rich counter-surveillance abilities. He wouldn’t disclose any insider information just because of a delivery guy’s inquiries.

He pushed his rattan chair, walked out of the gatehouse with his hands behind his back, and said as he walked, “That’s not true. There are big cases every day.”

He squatted down and checked each package for suspicious names and phone numbers, just like a king inspecting his soldiers. If he found any problematic items, he had the authority to call the person out or put the mail through an X-ray machine.

Especially at times like this critical moment, his inspections were even more meticulous.

The Shunshui Express delivery guy finally finished moving all the packages. The weather was still scorching hot. He wiped his sweat while humming a tune and returned to the black-painted electric tricycle. He took several letters from the package hanging on the front of the tricycle, used them as fans, and handed them to Lao Zhang with a leisurely sway.

The gatekeeper’s hand had thick calluses. If the Shunshui delivery guy observed carefully, he would notice that these calluses were caused by firearms, not any kind of manual labor. However, ordinary people wouldn’t have such keen perception.

When the letters were handed over, the cheerful expression on the gatekeeper’s face changed. Among the four printed letters, which were reminders from the Social Security Center and credit card repayments, there was one that looked different from the uniform machine-printed ones. The gatekeeper took out a handkerchief from his front pocket, placed it between his fingers, and slowly pulled out the letter.

The envelope was made of cowhide paper, and the back was sealed with a blood-red wax seal. In elegant calligraphy on the front, it was written, “To Xing Conglian, Hongjing Municipal Bureau.” Under the sunlight, some parts of the letter were reflecting light, making it blurry.

……

Xing Conglian didn’t receive the letter immediately. The reason wasn’t that he was in a meeting with senior officials, but rather that the situation hadn’t yet reached his area of control. What arrived before the letter was the first wave of public opinion frenzy.

In the network department area of the hall, things exploded without any regard for diplomacy.

The first person to jump up was Wang Chao.

Although he was still wearing a baseball cap indoors, he displayed an entirely mature level of control beyond his age in his area of expertise.

Chewing on lemon-flavored gum, he glanced at several screens around him, his eyes sweeping through the surging data streams. He didn’t even need to input any commands, yet he had already made a preliminary judgment on the situation.

Despite furrowing his brow, there was no sign of nervousness or anxiety in his eyes.

He patted the shoulder of the person beside him, indicating that they could temporarily take over his position, then he headed straight for the small glass room at the end of the hall.

“Boss, there’s movement online!” Wang Chao didn’t care how many provincial-level officials were in the glass room. He didn’t even knock; he just pushed the door open and reported directly to Xing Conglian. Xing Conglian hesitated for a moment, giving Minister Shen the opportunity to ask, “What’s going on?”

Wang Chao pursed his lips.

Xing Conglian nodded to him in agreement. With the instructions received, Wang Chao rushed to the computer in the corner of the glass room and opened his laptop, which was connected to the main screen.

Another screen embedded in the wall beside the glass panel lit up with an icy blue light, causing a moment of discomfort.

Unfazed by the others in the room, the teenager immersed himself completely in his cold and precise world of calculations. He gathered the data from the control room, and on the screen appeared several bar charts, which belonged to the government’s public opinion monitoring software—clumsy in appearance but easy to operate.

Wang Chao selected the section with “harmful words”, and in the next second, all the bar charts became colorful and continuously climbed, resembling the body of a snake.

“Thirty seconds ago, the combination of keywords ‘betting’ and ‘poisoning’ on the internet has exponentially increased.” Wang Chao explained as he quickly dragged the mouse to the next screen.

Instantly, a nebula-like scene appeared with countless bright white dots on a deep blue background.

Wang Chao clicked on the source data in the center of the nebula. It was a Weibo post, and the sender’s IP was located in a shopping mall in a certain city with a massive crowd, making it difficult to determine who actually sent the Weibo in a short period of time. The post contained only three images, without any text, indicating that the sender was well-versed in evading network monitoring.

The first image was a screenshot of the hidden result of the dark web vote, displaying the time in the lower right corner.

The second image showed the scene of a riot in Meicun’s clothing market from a peculiar angle, and in the lower left corner, a person raised their wrist to reveal a steel watch, with the focus of the entire photo on the watch’s time while the crowd surging into the clothing market in the background was entirely blurred.

The third image didn’t have any time information; it was a cold and programmed security inspection notice sent by higher authorities to various subway entrances in Meicun.

Clearly, these three images were put together to imply a message: before the tragedy in the Meicun clothing market occurred, the government’s higher-ups had already known about the impending attack, made various preparations, and even successfully avoided problems at the train station. However, they concealed this information from the public, leading to the tragic incident at the clothing market.

There was no denying that the sender of this Weibo post was a master of public opinion manipulation.

They directly aimed the blame at the government, implying that they were concealing information from the public. After all, what could generate more public interest than criticizing the government?

After completing everything, Wang Chao looked up with sharp eyes, and only asked three words, “What to do?”

“Do you still need to ask? Of course, it’s controlling the situation under guidance!”

“How to control?” he asked, as if he were challenging the public opinion experts of the higher authorities. He effortlessly pulled up several typical remarks.

——Damn, this is too insane.

——Isn’t this a terrorist attack? Damn, all they do is shit, and when something happens, they don’t dare to even fart.

——Are they crazy, these people!

——What’s the website? I’m voting to destroy Hongjing. I’ve been annoyed by those idiots in Hongjing for so long.

As Wang Chao adjusted the data, the nebula on the screen expanded even more.

The public opinion expert slammed the table. “Explain to the public that the government did indeed receive information in advance about the attack and had made preparations. In order to prevent social panic and aid the investigation, they did not inform the public of the overall situation. The relevant details are still under investigation. Please believe that the police have the ability to solve the case. Besides official announcements, do not believe any rumors… And…” He thought for a moment before continuing, “We also need to shut down this source and trace the individuals involved. Do I need to teach you how to handle this kind of situation?”

Wang Chao didn’t follow orders; his attitude was evident. In the entire glass room, he only listened to one person. Xing Conglian faced Minister Shen directly, and from the moment Wang Chao entered, the elderly man’s face had turned very unsightly.

“I know what you’re thinking, but making premature judgments without concrete evidence can be intimidating to the public and threaten social stability. What if the criminals take advantage of this?” The old man paused and said, “Xiao Liu’s plan is the most secure. You focus on solving the case…”

Before Xing Conglian could speak, Zhang Xiaolong became the second person to interrupt the meeting. The female officer held a bag of evidence, no longer as timid and shy as before. “Captain Xing, the gatekeeper received a letter addressed to you.” She picked up the envelope and continued, “We’ve checked it, and there’s no powder-like substance inside.”

Xing Conglian nodded calmly and accepted the bag of evidence. Meanwhile, on the embedded screen behind him, Wang Chao opened the last message:

——Po Master* gave me the method for online voting. Let’s all vote to destroy Yongchuan!

*It refers to people who publish posts, videos, audios, and pictures on the internet. Generally, referred to as the landlord or Weibo blogger on forums.

……

At the same time Xing Conglian received the letter, the same letter was also sent to Fengchun TV station.

The only difference was that the mail wasn’t delivered through traditional means of dispatch.

The letter appeared in the email inbox of every employee in the news editing department at Fengchun TV station, sent through a mass mailing list.

Some people treated it as junk mail and didn’t open it, but others were compelled by the subject and clicked to open the entire email, which was designed to look like an animated letter.

Like magic being instantly lifted, the sealing wax fell off, and the animated email popped up and then automatically opened itself. The black calligraphic letters landed on every pair of pitch-black pupils.

In the first two minutes, after many people were eager to open the letter, no one spoke. But the confusion and bewilderment after reading it were quickly engulfed by an icy and horrifying atmosphere.

The sound of chairs and tables being pushed open echoed in the open office, and those with quick reflexes had already taken screenshots and saved the email, and some even lifted their phones to take pictures.

The editor-in-chief rushed out of his private office and shouted loudly to the entire office, “What are you doing? Taking pictures and screenshots to upload to social media? Do you think the police won’t come knocking on your door?”

But in the next moment, the flashlights and camera shutters clicked, like the best mockery.

The editor-in-chief’s face turned pale. Seeing this, the editor, who couldn’t resist taking the photo, courageously raised his hand and said, “Boss, this is huge news. Even if we don’t report it, other media will. And it’s not the police who will give us bonuses…”

The editor-in-chief was taken aback. His face became gloomy, but it seemed like he couldn’t find the right words to refute at that moment.

Just then, a journalist in the corner, who had been refreshing Weibo, shouted, “BAS TV station has already sent out a ‘Breaking News’ post!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 274

All was silent, as eternal as the dark night.

The cold and damp air from the central air conditioning blew down, carrying a strong scent of coarse-grained bloodiness.

If it weren’t for the footsteps and voices from outside, bringing a bit of vitality, the elderly people in the room would probably take a very long time to recover.

However, there was another advantage of being elderly—they were not easily swayed by others. The life experiences of the elderly made them stubborn and resistant to novel and radical ideas.

Xing Conglian thought that this was probably why that person wanted the elderly in society to die thoroughly.

“Nonsense.”

After listening to Xing Conglian’s long theoretical explanation, Minister Shen paused for a long time before raising his aged head and answered disdainfully.

“Yes, do they think they can decide the future of humanity with just a vote?” Another elderly person was also finally awakened and joined in. “I think the most likely outcome is that this matter will be forgotten in a few years. Why does he think he can change the future genetic direction of the entire human race? Is he crazy?”

“Professor Zheng is right. The worst-case scenario is that he will eventually prove that everyone is selfish, and people will start killing each other for their own interests again. But in the end, society will return to stability because the number of psychopaths is too small to make a significant impact.”

“2%,” Xing Conglian said.

“What did you say?”

“In the Hale Psychopathy Checklist, the most extreme psychopaths account for 2% of the total population, and this figure remains constant across various racial and ethnic groups.”

“Exactly, it’s only 2%. How much impact can they make?”

“You’re wrong.”

“Are you trying to argue with me, Xing Conglian?”

“The extreme tendencies in psychological scales are based on statistical significance. But what if the mental state of the population has already deviated?”

“Regardless of any deviation, society needs to develop through cooperation and dedication. When individuals in a population are always ready to sacrifice themselves for the collective interest, that population becomes more competitive. In a society where people kill each other, human populations will gradually perish and cannot achieve victory. Nature has never been a blind arbitrator…”

“It’s the majority oppressing the minority. Those psychopaths affecting population stability are the ones being abandoned by nature!”

The elderly people were arguing back and forth, but Xing Conglian interrupted them.

“You lost.” He looked down at these “elderly” people condescendingly.

At this moment, Xing Conglian seemed possessed by Lin Chen—sharp, cold, and ruthless. Of course, he was also standing here on behalf of Lin Chen.

The elderly people were taken aback by his sharp remarks, and some of them even started coughing.

“When you start considering the practicality and likelihood of his ideas and try to find reasons to criticize him, you have already fallen into his trap,” Xing Conglian said. “What he wanted was discussion. With discussion, there would be different opinions, and he would gain more and more supporters because of this incident—the supporters you thought didn’t exist but actually do.”

The director of the Provincial Public Security Department had been patient with Xing Conglian until now, but even he couldn’t help saying, “So, what do you suggest? Block the news and ban discussions?”

“Blocking the news is the worst way to handle a crisis.”

“Then shut down the internet and ban the voting website.”

“In the long term, we can thoroughly study the TERN isomer, but in the short term, it’s impossible. So, the hostages in his hands represent the safety of all citizens. If he really makes demands on us and forces the voting website to go online, do you dare to prevent that page from displaying?” Xing Conglian asked.

“Xing Conglian, you’re really wicked.” The expert from the Network Department suddenly remembered something and slapped the table. “From the very beginning, it was you who led us into this predicament! Even if the Dark Web is currently a blind spot for our monitoring, once this voting game dares to go online, we have a thousand ways to monitor it, track the criminals’ IP addresses, and even manipulate the results. All of that can be done!”

“Yes, even if he wants people from every city in three provinces to vote, why should we do as he says? We can make plans in advance and direct the results to what we find acceptable, right?”

“Public opinion on the internet can also be manipulated. It’s not that difficult,” said the public opinion expert.

“So what? Which city are you ready to sacrifice?” Xing Conglian asked.

A cold shower poured down again, and the enthusiastic discussion in the command room stagnated and solidified. Unwilling sacrifice and strategic analysis after voluntary dedication were completely different concepts.

Even if they could seamlessly execute this plan, they were still stepping into a pre-arranged trap. That person had a way to expose the ugly core beneath all the beautiful decorations.

“It’s not feasible here, and it’s not feasible there. Can you provide a solution then?”

……

Lin Chen turned on the TV.

Before this, he had been busy in the interrogation room, and the young officer responsible for installing the TV belonged to the prison’s technical department.

The boy hadn’t experienced any truly cruel events, but after hearing the terrifying information casually mentioned by Lin Chen, his face turned pale. It was a state of “I’m about to throw up, but I can’t.”

After Lin Chen nodded at him, he was finally allowed to leave the small gray room.

Shen Lian raised the corners of her mouth again, looking contemptuously at the closed door.

Lin Chen picked up the remote control and turned towards the TV, asking her very gentlemanly, “Do you need any special proof to confirm that this news is indeed from a live broadcast and not edited to deceive you?”

The woman shook her head, appearing to trust him.

He then increased the volume a bit and put down the remote control.

Finally, there was a bit of modern civilization in the room. The news program had progressed to the next stage, and the female anchor was summarizing all the events that had occurred in the past few days. From Nordren to Tan Kang, from the nursing home to Zhourui Pharmaceutical, the news summarized the sequence of events from beginning to end, and Shen Lian was finally allowed to leave proudly.

The previous attack incidents were terrifying enough, and the news only dared to mention “ongoing intensive research” regarding the TERN isomer.

Probably, because the director also thought that they couldn’t continue to scare people like this, the next phase of the news finally became somewhat reassuring.

“The police have made a breakthrough in the case investigation. It is reported that the number one suspect named Shen Lian was apprehended by the police yesterday evening,” the female anchor said with composure and paused for a moment before continuing, “The police spokesperson stated that the interrogation against Shen Lian has been swiftly and orderly underway, and they believe a breakthrough will be achieved soon. Now, let us follow the footage to review the situation at that time…”

The scene faded in, and the background music started playing first. It was a fast-paced tune often used in movies during the final counterattack of the righteous side. With the breaking news reported by the news anchor, all the city’s police officers were mobilized, and the red and green lights flickered as police cars weaved through the streets.

The signboard of the nursing home appeared next, but it only received a symbolic shot. The scene then transitioned to the map of Hongjing, with traffic cleverly diverted. This depicted the situation when Lin Chen set a trap to catch Shen Lian.

Finally, numerous police cars stopped in front of the Zhourui building.

The camera kept moving up, reaching the top floor, and suddenly stopped.

The background music also came to an abrupt halt.

There was no more background music, nor were there fast-paced editing shots. The corridor was pristine, and the atmosphere was unusually calm.

At this moment, the figures of Lin Chen and Shen Lian appeared on the TV screen.

The news footage switched to the surveillance video from yesterday afternoon, which would not have been obtained by ordinary media if the police hadn’t released it.

The evening sunlight was gentle, and the police consultant in the video was talking to the number one suspect.

They each held a vial and lightly tapped the bottle caps, as if they were old friends.

……

The high-level officials in the Municipal Police Bureau command room also saw this news at the same time.

The news narration was, “At that time, the suspect Shen Lian attempted suicide. In order to stop her, the police negotiator finally agreed to administer a high-dose drug to save her life and create an opportunity for further negotiations.”

After this segment ended, the screen switched back to the broadcasting center. The female anchor looked to her side and said, “Next, we will invite special guest commentator Editor-in-Chief Zhang to analyze the intentions behind the police’s actions.”

The camera shifted, and a man in a polo shirt appeared next to the female anchor. After pondering for a moment, he pretended to be considering the question and said, “Honestly, I currently cannot fathom the intentions behind the police’s behavior. But I’m afraid that for the public, the police’s compromise with the criminals isn’t good news.”

“We need your specific analysis,” the female anchor requested.

Editor-in-Chief Zhang pushed his glasses up. “I suspect that the police made their judgment based on certain intelligence. They believe that Shen Lian herself is of great importance, so in order to gain her cooperation, the police consultant had to risk his life.”

“In other words, the police don’t have an exact way to counteract the drug used by the criminals?” the female anchor asked.

“That’s right. Unless internal core personnel reveal relevant data, it’s impossible to thoroughly research a compound in a short time, let alone find an immediate treatment method.”

“But can the negotiator’s act of exchanging his own safety for the chance of the suspect surviving be compared to capitulating to terrorists? This behavior seems like self-sacrifice, but in reality, it might boost the criminals’ morale. Is it truly an effective strategy?”

While the Editor-in-Chief Zhang was still explaining, the people in the small glass room had already reacted.

The “elderly” naturally wouldn’t be foolish enough to think that Lin Chen’s appearance in the news was an attempt to “take credit”.

“Are you all crazy?” The head of the provincial department was the first to slam the table with his fist.

“Who allowed you to act on your own without approval?”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to!”

Xing Conglian was the first to be criticized. “This was something Lin Chen had promised Shen Lian a long time ago,” he said.

“Don’t think I don’t know Lin Chen’s personality. The conditions he agreed to at that time and what he’s doing now are completely different in nature!” The head of the department was furious. “You could have simply fabricated fake news to deceive Shen Lian, but instead, you released it openly. Isn’t it just to stir up social discussion?”

Xing Conglian shrugged, remaining non-committal.

“Since you’ve already speculated on the sinister intentions of the criminals, shouldn’t you be more cautious in controlling public opinion? Now you dare to pour oil on the fire, afraid that the current panic isn’t enough?”

Another person chimed in, “Ha, they’re just telling the criminals: we know what you want to do, and we’re not afraid of your tricks!”

“But if it really triggers a large-scale social discussion, wouldn’t that fulfill the intentions of these anti-social individuals even more?”

“It’s also possible that their motives aren’t that profound at all; they just want to kill people… just like…”

The public opinion expert was about to say more when Minister Shen raised his eyes, interrupted him, and said to Xing Conglian, “In the end, your speculations about the future development of the case are just guesses.”

Xing Conglian nodded. “Indeed, they are speculations.”

The elderly man interrupted him. “In other words, there’s also a possibility that the second round of city voting may not happen at all, right?”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 273

Inside the Hongjing Detention Center, the police officers were installing a television.

Lin Chen had agreed to something with Shen Lian, and from the very beginning, he had no intention of avoiding it.

Shen Lian sat with her legs crossed, looking like a lovely little girl, eagerly anticipating the black screen to light up.

“Where was I…?” Lin Chen got a little distracted by turning his head, so he asked suddenly.

Shen Lian raised her handcuffed hands, pinched her thumb and index finger together, pretending to pull out a long thread, but she didn’t say anything.

Lin Chen nodded. “In the beginning, after facing a true moral dilemma, I was lost. To fill my state of ignorance, I read many books discussing the origin of morality and human psychological evolution. But the more I read, the more bewildered I became. The things I firmly believed in, such as fairness, justice, freedom, reason, kindness, and goodness… were they truly existing, or just constructs invented by people to maintain human society?”

He spoke eloquently and didn’t shy away from this experience. In fact, at that time, he believed that in order to defeat the opponent, he must unravel the answers. However, everyone knew that no one could unlock the real answers.

Shen Lian, on the other hand, sat with her arms crossed, her contempt evident in her gaze. Being someone with such strong beliefs, she naturally looked down on the indecisive Lin Chen.

“Some philosophers might choose suicide, probably for the same reason, as the purposeless chaotic state can easily make people feel lost.” Lin Chen placed his hands on the table and casually continued, “In principle, I should have committed suicide too. But one day, I suddenly realized, why do I have to find definite answers?”

He looked at Shen Lian and smiled. “You see, this is where he and I fundamentally differ.”

“Social contract, natural law, collective subconscious, selfish genes… I can recognize and understand many viewpoints, and I also understand the criticisms against these views. Therefore, I am confused, as I cannot find something absolutely correct. But he is different. He is obsessed. He surveys the history of human evolution, finds something he approves of, takes it as a life-saving straw, as the ultimate truth, and instills it in all of you. He desperately needs the recognition of those he considers as his kind, and he even needs the society he rebels against to accept his views. Faced with such a madman, all I, an ignorant and powerless person, can do…” Lin Chen paused and looked at Shen Lian, saying, “All I can do is figure out what he believes in, what he is thinking, and what he is planning in my area of expertise, and then… defeat him.”

The interrogation room was really small, with gray-white walls, and his voice dissipated completely upon hitting the walls. Outside the iron window, the flowing clouds seemed to freeze, and there was not a single sound in the silence.

“Pfft.”

Shen Lian laughed.

The woman looked at him as if watching a pitiful insect. Lin Chen thought it was normal for her to do so.

“He used the isomer of TERN to prove the physiological inevitability of so-called criminal behavior. He used the trolley problem presented to everyone to demonstrate the widespread selfishness among humans. He wants to prove that the morals held by most people in this society regarding matters of personal interest are false and fragile. That’s an obvious motive, but… then what?” Lin Chen lightly tapped his fingertip on the broken tabletop between him and Shen Lian and said, “Even if he proves it, so what? The stable social contract established among people in this society won’t shatter into pieces because of a madman’s game. So until I saw the term ‘balancing game on a tightrope’, I couldn’t understand what he really wanted.” Lin Chen paused, and his expression suddenly froze. “In fact, he is even crazier than I imagined.”

……

Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau, Command Room.

Xing Conglian wasn’t very good at doing this kind of thing, but at this moment, Lin Chen was struggling to break Shen Lian’s spiritual belief. Therefore, he had to take on some other tasks.

He tapped the glass panel and said, “The original meaning of this term is a hypothesis that specifically refers to subtle moments in the evolution of human morality. Let’s take an example. Forget all the concepts about modern society—no skyscrapers, no luxurious living. Let’s go back to Africa 45,000 years ago when anatomically modern humans existed.” He paused and continued, “Yes, that’s right, modern humans just like us.”

Xing Conglian pointed at everyone in the room and said, “We were all together, but at that time, we didn’t have any moral or legal concepts like we do now. We were no different from chimpanzees. If you encroached on my territory or took my woman, I would kill you without any problem. Some theories suggest that it was the selfishness of genes that led to our selfish behavior. Each one of us was a born ‘egoist’ back then. But as time went on, more and more people lived in tribes, and mistakes started to appear.”

“I’m physically strong and capable of arbitrarily killing others, posing a serious threat to your safety. I also have supporters behind me, leading to a confrontation. At this point, the highly respected Minister Shen stepped forward and said that I should be killed. As other members of the tribe, you couldn’t tolerate me any longer, so you united and killed or expelled me and my followers. Those who responded to Minister Shen’s call to confront me were warriors with qualities like loyalty, bravery, and empathy; they are ‘altruists’.”

“Waves of extremists were eliminated, and the tribe gradually stabilized. Stability made the tribe more competitive, which allowed for better reproduction and growth. This is the result of natural selection. The definition of morals gradually solidified through the reproduction of altruists, and rules, laws, and social contracts emerged. This is the group selection theory* of the origin of morality.” Xing Conglian looked at everyone present and said solemnly, “But, is all of this truly the inevitable result of natural selection?”

*Proposed mechanism of evolution in which natural selection acts at the level of the group, instead of the level of individual or gene.

He didn’t give everyone time to ponder. He asked directly and decisively, “Did a dangerous moment exist during the process of human evolution when the forces of ‘egoists’ like me and the forces of ‘altruists’ like you reached a delicate balance? It was a life-or-death moment. Once either side gained the upper hand, society would take on two completely different forms. If you won, society would become what you desired. But if I succeeded, the descendants carrying my genes would lead the entire human society into the abyss I expect.”

With his hands in his pockets, Xing Conglian spoke extremely coldly. “This is the balance on the tightrope—a truly great moment that will determine the future form of human society.”

……

A remote control was placed in front of Lin Chen.

Lin Chen picked up the remote control, nodded to the police officer in thanks, and asked Shen Lian, “So, what is his real purpose?”

He asked and then answered, “I think his purpose is not to immediately create this moment. He has a much deeper plan; he wants to plant a seed of selfishness in everyone’s hearts.”

“This seed is planted in the hearts of the choosers, the abstainers, and even the observers. Through generations of human reproduction, the seed grows and gives extreme egoists like you, who are not accepted by society, a possibility in the future.”

“One day, the egoist population will eventually grow to a terrifying scale, and at that moment, humanity will once again face the balancing game on the tightrope, getting another chance to make a fateful choice.”

“That is what he truly aims to achieve.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 272

Hongjing Municipal Bureau, Command Center.

The sound of ringing phones echoed throughout the room as nearly thirty police officers sat in rows, answering the latest news from various sources.

“Understood, is it on the main road in Meicun?”

“Connecting you to hotline three.”

“I’m sorry, this information is currently classified. We will inform you of any updates in a timely manner.”

They were like weavers sitting on a dense web of information, gathering and refining countless pieces of information, condensing them into concise and useful reports, and submitting them upward once again.

The hall was filled with bustling voices as the officers weaved and shuttled around. So much so that when the Provincial Bureau Chief accompanied by others arrived, no one paid excessive attention to him either.

The visitor was dressed in the simplest iron-gray overalls, with the cuffs and collar washed to a pale white. Paired with gray hair and the most ordinary gold-rimmed reading glasses, he looked no different from an old man taking care of his grandchildren on the street.

The only difference was that the old man looked weary, with traces of exhaustion around his eyes and brows. Yet, even so, you could still sense the authority characteristic of someone in a higher position from the gaze hidden behind the reading glasses.

In fact, if there were no special circumstances, the officers present would only be able to see this level of leadership on television throughout their entire lives.

Behind the old man were police experts, emergency response department specialists, medical department professors, and even Mr. Zhang’s dream mentor, Academician Zhang, following closely behind.

In the entire hall, the first to notice the situation was Comrade Zhang Xiaolong, the deputy head of Xing Conglian. A female officer stood up from her seat and saluted. She was about to inform the Chief of the situation when the old man waved to them, saying, “Please sit, do whatever you need to do,” before leading the massive entourage across the entire hall and arriving at the entrance to the command room on the innermost side.

A floor-to-ceiling glass partition separated the hall from the command room, like two separate worlds.

The noise from outside and the quietness inside formed a sharp contrast. In the spacious room, there was only Xing Conglian, sitting quietly in front of the TV, smoking and watching the news about the impending attack on Meicun.

The Provincial Bureau Chief thought of knocking on the door, but the old man stopped him. The group of people stared at the screen through the glass, as if watching a silent film.

The TV screen showed the tragic scenes from the Meicun clothing market. The incident happened during the peak period of shipping in the afternoon. The escalators were crowded with workers carrying large and small packages. Due to many blind spots in the surveillance, it was impossible to determine the exact location of the incident. Someone rushed to the escalator and madly rushed downward. As a result, the crowd pushed and fell off the escalator, resulting in trampling and crushing. The uninformed crowd desperately tried to escape but never made it out.

The camera panned across a brown blood stain from top to bottom, and children’s sandals were left on the railing.

There were no casualties in the footage, and the scene had already been cleared. Under the hazy white incandescent light, there were only large patches of disarrayed, colorful clothing, like soulless shells, drifting gently in the air.

The news footage ended, and only then did the old man push open the door.

On the LCD screen, the TV had already switched to the hospital. The host was reporting on the list of casualties and missing persons, and each name sounded extremely heavy.

Xing Conglian stood up to inquire, but when he turned around to see the old man, there was no surprise or shock in his gaze. He furrowed his brows, and his eyes were as deep as a pond.

“Minister Shen,” he calmly saluted the old man and then put his hand down. This attitude surprised many people around.

“Don’t waste time. We have already seen the latest briefings on our way here. Can you catch the criminals within 24 hours?”

Unexpectedly, the Minister was straightforward. He sat down with his entourage of experts around the circular table in the command room and spoke to Xing Conglian in such a manner.

“It’s difficult.” Xing Conglian only replied with two words.

“What do you mean?” The old man suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp. “Facing so many victims, you’re telling me it’s difficult? If you can’t do it, get out of this position, and I’ll replace you with someone else!” The old man slammed the table, scolding him angrily.

Xing Conglian stood in front of the glass curtain wall covered with densely packed strategies and didn’t become fearful because of the old man’s anger.

The news was now interviewing eyewitnesses at the clothing market. A middle-aged woman covered in blood looked traumatized as she said, “I told them not to push, not to push, but nobody listened; everyone went crazy.”

Xing Conglian raised the remote control and lowered the volume.

“This isn’t a simple attack case,” Xing Conglian said.

The old man was impatient and asked, “I don’t need to hear the difficulty. When can we get Shen Lian’s confession?”

“Shen Lian’s confession may not be as simple as catching a criminal,” Xing Conglian said, showing no respect for the senior leader in front of so many people.

“Xing Conglian!” Minister Shen didn’t raise his voice, but real anger finally appeared in his eyes.

The chief secretary hurriedly signaled to the police captain in front of the glass panel.

However, Xing Conglian didn’t accept it. “There is no point in getting angry with me here.” He paused and said very clearly, “The criminals are just creating a time gap between us fully researching the drug and the huge social impact it causes.”

“Isn’t the current social impact bad enough?” Minister Shen said coldly.

“Compared to what they want to achieve, what we have now is just an appetizer.”

Xing Conglian’s voice had a metallic and deep quality, and he didn’t deliberately make the statement eerie, but it still sent a shiver down the spines of many present.

“What exactly are the criminals demanding? So far, no organization or individual has claimed responsibility for this matter.” Fearing that the old man might get a heart attack from Xing Conglian’s fearlessness, the head of the provincial department intervened.

“Demands?” Xing Conglian’s gaze turned cold. He turned around and wiped off a large area of useless water-based pen marks on the glass panel behind him, then wrote down the words in red.

The edges of the writing looked blurred, and the old man squinted.

Xing Conglian stopped and looked down at all the experts in the office. He said in an unprecedentedly cold tone, “Killing—what’s so remarkable about killing? His goal is to destroy people’s hearts.”

Many experts who were well-prepared with disciplinary knowledge were shocked by his words, but they quickly understood.

“The blind arbitrator talks about the purposelessness of natural selection…” Academician Zhang looked at the glass panel and said, “And… human evolution… morality, and genes?”

“Yes, genes.”

Xing Conglian calmly recounted Lin Chen’s views to them, saying, “More and more research has shown that antisocial personalities or some criminals may be born with criminal genes. For example, the warrior gene codenamed MAOA affects people’s brain neurotransmitters, making them emotionally abnormal, irritable, and difficult to control; or the mutant gene that produces a large amount of 5-H2TA receptors weakens the prefrontal cortex function, causing emotional disorders and impulsive behavior.”

Xing Conglian hadn’t finished speaking when he was interrupted.

“Genetic determinism is the most powerful argument for exculpating criminal behavior. How can a police officer like you endorse this view?” an irritable medical expert said.

“I don’t endorse it, but it is a view accepted by the criminal. Therefore, we believe that the mastermind behind all these events represents the criminal group and conveys two perspectives. First, all human behaviors defined as crimes are influenced by the brain, and the criminals do not need to take responsibility for their actions. And this is why he wants to develop and spread this drug that deprives people of their humanity.”

It was as if Xing Conglian was speaking on behalf of Lin Chen, who should have been the one to explain all this.

Emergency room footage appeared on the TV.

Even though the TV volume was already lowered to the minimum by Xing Conglian, the inhuman roar still seemed to permeate the screen and reach beyond the curtain.

“If the TERN isomer affects the human brain and causes people to commit crimes, can they avoid responsibility for their criminal behavior?” Xing Conglian asked, but he didn’t give anyone time to answer. “The answer is yes because we now classify all drug-influenced individuals as victims.”

He continued, “Furthermore, if a criminal takes the TERN isomer again and commits a crime, would they be exempt from punishment? The answer is very likely, as we cannot discern the details of how everyone is affected by the drug.”

“And if you think this is already a malicious intent, then the hidden problem of the criminals is even more deadly. In the mass panic incidents, a third scenario inevitably arises: many individuals not affected by any drug commit violations against others simply to protect themselves. Should they be held responsible for this?” Xing Conglian pointed to the TV screen and asked the most thought-provoking question. “If our answer is that we cannot determine or convict, then the criminals will ask this world—why should they be held accountable for their criminal actions?”

Xing Conglian’s presence was imposing, and his eyes revealed a cold and cruel gaze.

Someone immediately retorted, “The premise is flawed. The TERN isomer causes a specific situation, but under normal circumstances, people can control their behavior.”

“They believe they can’t; they are inherently psychopaths.”

“That’s sophistry. The law constrains human behavior, regardless of individual will. Whether you can control yourself or not has nothing to do with whether the law can constrain you!”

“Why should the law constrain me?” Xing Conglian questioned.

“Natural law, social contract…”

“I don’t care about society. I am an independent individual!”

“The essence of a person lies in their social nature!” an expert who argued with Xing Conglian shouted.

At this moment, Xing Conglian suddenly stopped.

He withdrew his previous aggressive momentum, lowered his raised finger, and looked into the distance as if peering through the long history. Calmly, he asked, “Then, what if social morality itself… is wrong?”

No one answered this question.

The room fell into a silence as dark as night, reminiscent of his mood when Lin Chen asked him this question.

Xing Conglian knew bringing up Lin Chen at this time was inappropriate, but it was also reasonable.

At that time, Lin Chen sat in the library with a calm gaze, explaining to him the terrifying thoughts behind all these events.

Lin Chen asked him, since people always like to dig deep and ask about the ultimate answer to the question of “why someone becomes a criminal”, what exactly is the ultimate answer?

Xing Conglian couldn’t answer, and he didn’t even want to hear Lin Chen’s response to this question.

Because Lin Chen’s contemplation on this question clearly pervaded the three long and gloomy years after Huang Weiwei’s death. It was the question that the mastermind raised and tormented his soul day and night.

What is morality?

Why are laws based on morality formed?

Why do people become criminals when they violate legal rules?

“If this were just an ordinary criminal, when he proves that we lack an objective standard for defining criminal behavior, he has already achieved his purpose,” Xing Conglian said. “But obviously, the criminals we are facing this time are ambitious. They are anti-society, not against the social system but against the moral principles that each of us relies on for survival.”

Since Xing Conglian had been confrontational, Minister Shen remained silent until now. The old man raised his head and slowly spoke. “If… social moral principles… are not trustworthy?”

“Yes, since everything is the result of random choices, there is actually no morality, no justice, no goodness, and no moral standards that we have constructed. Human nature is inherently selfish, and we can do whatever it takes for our self-preservation, so actions that align with our nature cannot be considered wrong and should not be punished.”

Though this idea was grand and terrifying, it also appeared ludicrous due to its grandiosity.

One of the strategy research experts sitting down couldn’t help but chuckle. “A fool’s dream, like ants trying to shake a tree. How can he prove human nature is selfish by spreading chaos and poisoning everywhere?” The middle-aged man pursed his lips and pointed at the TV. “The more he does, the more people stand up to prove he’s wrong.”

The news had moved on to the next stage, no longer reporting the chaos at the Meicun clothing market, but instead, it began to narrate the act of heroism that occurred at Meicun Train Station.

A young train station intern named Lu Xiaotian prevented a poisoning incident at the train station. However, due to ingesting too much of the drug, Lu Xiaotian suffered acute brain failure and was in critical condition.

The news report used extremely touching language, and in the corridor outside the hospital room, the reporter almost used all the honorable and righteous words to describe this young person who was only 22 years old.

While many in the command center showed pity in their eyes, Xing Conglian didn’t turn to look. He coldly interrupted the moment, saying, “You’re so stupid,” to someone.

A strategy expert slammed the table and stood up. His level was higher than Xing Conglian’s, so he confidently scolded, “Xing Conglian, who do you think you are? Until now, you haven’t explained anything logically. You’re just talking nonsense, and no wonder you can’t catch the criminals or extract confessions!”

With one hand in his pocket, Xing Conglian looked down at the strategy expert who questioned him not far away.

Actually, how could the culprit be without reason? With just a few words of verbal infringement, they managed to divide people who should have been united. Then, when it comes to life-and-death interests, who can guarantee that the moral values held by this society will not be shaken?

Xing Conglian said, “I call you stupid because you have seen the briefing, and you should know about the voting incident that happened on the Dark Web. So, do you think the culprit is just inciting chaos everywhere merely to satisfy the desires of some internet perverts who want to see violent and bloody events?”

“You!” The strategy expert was rendered speechless by the question. He then retorted, “And you also said he wanted to prove that people don’t need to be responsible for their criminal actions. But this kind of proof is meaningless in reality. The force of law is not determined by him. Even if he’s dissatisfied, he has to accept it!”

“I said this was just an appetizer.” Xing Conglian turned around and drew a map of the three provinces on the glass panel with a bright red water-based pen. “The appetizer proves his ability to threaten our social security. After widespread coverage in the news media and causing a sense of insecurity in all the masses, he can move on to the second stage.”

Throwing away the pen, Xing Conglian pointed to the map on the glass panel and asked, “Suppose this voting didn’t occur on the Dark Web. Suppose that in the real world, everyone has the right to vote. Each resident of the three provinces has the power to select the next target for the attack. What do you think would happen then?”

It was like a gale blowing or a thunderbolt striking.

This was Xing Conglian’s mood when he heard Lin Chen’s question. And now, in this simple command room, in front of the scrolling TV news, everyone finally understood his feelings at that time.

Shock, followed by being at a loss.

But Lin Chen’s questioning didn’t end there. He asked Xing Conglian, “Xing Conglian, have you ever thought that the problem I faced back then was just a tiny human nature experiment with no great social significance? But what if now, he wants every person to face the same human nature experiment? If every resident in the three provinces has the power to choose the next attack location on a city-based level, do you think this really won’t shake the moral principles that our society relies on?”

Lin Chen’s voice was calm and slow. Now, Xing Conglian also repeated Lin Chen’s words to the people at the highest level of this country.

However, just like back then, Xing Conglian was at a loss, and the weathered old man in front of him also began to panic.

Xing Conglian thought, yes, each of them always claimed to believe in human nature. But deep down in an area that was hard to speak of, they didn’t believe that justice could overcome evil, that goodness could defeat ugliness, or that some people could eventually triumph over others…

In fact, they didn’t even believe in human nature itself.

“This is a balancing game on a tightrope,” Lin Chen said.

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Kinky Thoughts:

There are a lot of philosophical ideas here. The question of whether morality is inherent or learned is one of the main points, and such a question has been debated and theorized by countless philosophers and social scientists.

Personally, I think morality is simply a social construct. We have law and order only because there’s an inherent system already set up to satisfy the basic needs of human nature (food and shelter, which ultimately means survivability). Stability for these things supersedes everything else, so we can easily accept laws established through morality (in order to maintain the stability of our survival).

That is not to say that some people aren’t more “moral” than others. Chemicals in the brain and personality play a huge factor as well. Due to chemical imbalances, they can affect how people see morality and their actions.

Thus, the question is, can these people be held accountable for their actions if what they are doing is inherently because of their genes. In a moral and civilized society, yes, since they pose an inherent risk to others and, by extension, the stability of our survivability. The bigger question now is, due to criminal actions, innocent people are now driven to act irrationally, which is outside their control. Can they still be held accountable when they commit crimes during such acts? Such is the gray area…

But I digress…

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Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 271

Hongjing Detention Center.

After hearing Lin Chen’s question, Shen Lian smiled. She raised the corners of her eyes, revealing her lips in a pleasant and mocking smile.

Lin Chen sat in front of her. Although he appeared to be a seasoned hunter, the slight hunch in his back and the lackluster look in his eyes delighted Shen Lian.

After all, no one understood better than her how terrifying the effects of drugs could be. People were merely puppets controlled by their brains.

She said, “Lin Chen, is this how you conduct interrogations? Being so straightforward and trying to trap me with simple questions? It’s not up to your usual standards.”

“It’s not a trap; I just ask whatever comes to mind. My style has always been more direct, as you know,” Lin Chen replied with a friendly tone.

However, before she could respond, Lin Chen suddenly leaned forward and nervously repeated the previous question, emphasizing his tone, “So, have you seen him?”

Shen Lian was a little displeased. Lin Chen had always been courteous to her, and for people like them, engaging in a conversation required some verbal fencing and skilled exchanges. Experts could duel with both real and feigned moves, but Lin Chen’s direct approach was simply insulting to her.

She was about to retaliate when Lin Chen leaned back comfortably in his chair. There was no luster in his black eyes, and his gaze seemed vacant, as if he were focusing on nothing in particular. He slowly said, “Oh… You’ve seen him.”

Shen Lian furrowed her brows. Lin Chen’s response made her feel strangely uncomfortable. She decided to seize the opportunity to attack his sore point, “How is your teacher doing?”

Lin Chen showed no signs of distress and maintained his leisurely attitude, saying, “Before talking to you, I called my teacher. He’s still in the ICU.”

“Is he out of danger?”

“Well, you know, unless it’s really bad, doctors won’t directly tell the patient’s family to prepare funeral clothes. So, I guess we can wait a bit longer.”

Lin Chen answered truthfully. Shen Lian continued to observe his every reaction. Looking at his pale face, he now resembled a paper man that could collapse at any moment.

She felt that she should be satisfied with this result. She even had the confidence to make Lin Chen vomit on the spot, but she also felt that she should be cautious.

As expected, during the brief pause she gave Lin Chen, after he talked about his teacher with an indifferent tone and his gaze seemed to be placed nowhere in particular, he continued, “By the way, is your teacher Duan Wanshan or someone else?”

Lin Chen knew exactly how to ask questions that could make people most uncomfortable.

He said, “I know Feng Peilin. I’ve also talked to Xiang Ye and Meijing. In my opinion, all of you are exceptionally intelligent people. People like you would willingly follow him, which means he must have a strong personal charisma, or his ideas must deeply resonate with you. You all believe that you are dedicating yourselves to truth and ideals because, at this level, the typical idol worship doesn’t apply to you.” After saying this, Lin Chen briefly glanced at her with a casual look and continued, “It’s interesting, isn’t it? The leader of a criminal organization doesn’t use common criminal methods; they prefer to brainwash people with things like ideology and ideals. One of the benefits of brainwashing is that even if you are secretly controlled by him, you all believe it’s ‘my’ own firm belief rather than ideas he has instilled in ‘me’.”

Shen Lian blinked but didn’t speak.

“I’ve always been curious about why your academic performance skyrocketed after the second year of junior high. At that time, I didn’t connect you with a case I dealt with before. But now that I think about it, it’s probably because of a certain special and stubborn dark side of you that attracted him. He used some methods to transform you into a completely different person from the cowardly and powerless you of the past. I think you must be addicted to his special charm; he can simplify the painful process of transformation, even though the pain is still there. However, he will make sure that your soul no longer endures any torment. My shimei once chose to avoid such life pain and submitted to a larger collective, even willing to die for what she believed in. But in reality, the only difference between you two is the different positions you hold in his heart. My shimei was the stepping stone he trampled upon, but you are the knife he holds in his hand.”

“After hearing you say that, I feel really miserable. I might as well just die,” Shen Lian said with a smile, not angry at all.

“It is indeed miserable, but you shouldn’t go and die.”

Lin Chen’s attitude was like that of an old lady advising her granddaughter not to fall in love too early. Shen Lian coldly responded, “You talk so much; you might as well show me some pictures of elementary school students helping old ladies cross the road. Maybe that could convince me.”

“I’m not trying to convince you. I just want to tell you that the ideas he instilled in you, including what you think is your independent thinking, are now beyond your control. You are under his control; you just haven’t realized it yet.”

Shen Lian found it quite amusing. “You still haven’t noticed it until now, Lin Chen? I am just one of his dogs, and I’m willing to bark. Do you even have the right to interfere?”

“You don’t actually want to be like this. I’ll prove it to you, but before that, please don’t die,” Lin Chen said.

At no time had Shen Lian been more annoyed by Lin Chen’s attitude of trying to influence people. She said irritably, “You can shut up now. Until I see your promised program on TV and achieve the effect I want, I refuse to say another word to you.”

“Sure.” Lin Chen leaned back on his chair, looking at the sky outside.

The wind came from the vast sky, making the air feel hot and dry.

……

Meicun Train Station was old yet bustling with people. This wasn’t because Meicun was highly developed, but because of its unique geographical location. Throughout history, it had been a transportation hub, where travelers from the south and north would rest in Meicun. Although its urban status had gradually been replaced by the neighboring coastal city Yongchuan, in the minds of some foreign visitors who weren’t familiar with the national situation of the country, Meicun was still considered a major metropolis.

Therefore, it was understandable that some people might have the whim to cause trouble in Meicun instead of Yongchuan.

But for the ordinary people of Meicun, it was just another boring and lazy afternoon.

Outside the train station, the underground passage was crowded with people, and the air carried a musty and rusty smell from the ventilation system. As the several incandescent lamps, which were much older than many people, gradually descended into the underground, it felt like entering a deep cave.

Travelers pulling their suitcases moved slowly, while women carrying children bent down to kiss their sleeping faces. Only those carrying single-shoulder bags walked quickly. They pushed and squeezed their way forward, slowly crossing the underground passage and heading upstairs.

Each person was oblivious to what was happening in the virtual world. This was the life of ordinary people—ordinary and mediocre, yet at any moment, they could be faced with a disaster.

However, the employees working in the train station today were more nervous than any other day. This nervousness stemmed from a sudden and highest-level security alert in the afternoon. The authorities demanded all station staff strengthen inspections, monitor all incoming and outgoing people, and conduct strict baggage checks, especially for powder-like substances in luggage.

Just now, a whole team of fully armed special police also entered the train station.

Liu Xiaotian’s father ran a detective agency that was on the verge of collapse. As a result, he had some knowledge about firearms, and this was the first time he had seen all the inspection station officers opening the safety catch of their revolvers.

But at this moment, he sat at the identity verification checkpoint, with thick steel bars on both sides and glass that could probably only be broken by bullets. After checking each ID card, he would glance at the steel plates, desperately comforting himself that it had nothing to do with him.

Although he reassured himself like this, he nervously scanned left and right through the glass, instinctively observing the state of each passing traveler.

Perhaps it was because of his father’s usual teachings, or maybe it was just his extraordinary intuition as a detective’s son, at around 4:30, he saw a pot-bellied middle-aged man. The middle-aged man wore a slanted business bag with gold-rimmed glasses and a shiny belt buckle, standing in the last line of the crowd entering the station.

With one hand on the phone and the other holding his ID card and recently retrieved train ticket, he appeared to be extremely busy, which was consistent with the typical characteristics of a businessman.

However, for some reason, Liu Xiaotian felt that there was something off about the man.

Of course, there were nearly a hundred people between him and the middle-aged man, so the distance wasn’t close, and he couldn’t see clearly.

Thinking back to the notice he had received earlier and the instructions from his superiors before starting the job, Liu Xiaotian felt that his nervousness might just be due to being overly sensitive. He shifted his gaze away and stamped another traveler’s ticket. But suddenly, he felt that the flow of people entering the station had slowed down.

He couldn’t help but look towards the security checkpoint, where there was a crowd of people around two large X-ray machines. At this moment, he heard a garbled voice from the intercom—someone had reported a situation at the security checkpoint. It seemed that someone from the countryside had brought a live chicken through the X-ray machine, and the train station security personnel had discovered it and were arguing with the person.

During this sensitive time, the station police were very vigilant, and the intercom was filled with busy instructions.

“Lao Wang, take Xiao Chen over there to handle the situation.”

“The rest of you hold your positions and don’t act recklessly.”

“Understood.”

Liu Xiaotian continued checking the ID cards while inexplicably thinking of the phrase “Sound in the East, strike in the West*”. He then cast another glance at the middle-aged man at the end of the line.

*(声东击西) Idiom referring to making a feint in the east but attacking in the west. Basically, concealing one’s intention by diversion.

The middle-aged man had already hung up the phone.

Finally, Liu Xiaotian realized what was wrong.

Most of the wealthy middle-aged men liked to speak loudly in public places, but this middle-aged man was different. Although he looked loyal to his outward appearance, there was an inexplicable depth and restraint to him. He was on the phone and seemed to be very busy, but after the call, he calmly put the phone back into his business bag. Nowadays, what kind of man would put his phone in his bag?

Liu Xiaotian could certainly find examples to refute himself, but in such a special period, he took a deep breath and without hesitation picked up the intercom to report, “Suspicious person spotted at Entrance B of the westbound station… Well, there’s a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.”

“Yes, it’s him. I feel he’s suspicious. Can you send someone over to question him?”

After quietly saying these words, he casually put down the intercom and pretended to be busy checking tickets and verifying identities. His heart was racing, and he felt dry in the mouth. On the one hand, he worried that his superiors might not care about his opinion, and on the other hand, he feared that he might identify the wrong person, leading to misunderstandings and embarrassment.

However, just when he was feeling anxious, the middle-aged man’s position was getting closer and closer to him. The distance between them was delicate, neither too close nor too far, neither advancing nor retreating, and according to the direction of the wind today…

He didn’t know why he suddenly thought about the direction of the wind. It was as if his subconscious told him that the man would take dangerous items out of his bag and spray them on the crowd.

Plainclothes officers were coming from inside the station. If the middle-aged man passed by his position and walked a few steps further into the crowd, he should meet the undercover police.

But at that moment, all the sounds around Liu Xiaotian suddenly quieted down. The voices of people talking, children crying, scolding for lost tickets, and farewells all disappeared in an instant.

He felt as if he had entered a state of extreme silence, yet his thoughts were incredibly clear. He stamped a small red inspection seal on the ticket and handed it back to the old lady in front of him. As the old lady moved forward, the middle-aged man moved one step closer. Liu Xiaotian inexplicably felt his blood boiling, and he abruptly opened the window, leaned out, and tightly wrapped his hands around the middle-aged man’s hands.

In the blink of an eye, there was no look of astonishment on the middle-aged man’s face, but Liu Xiaotian knew that something in the middle-aged man’s hand had broken. The faint sound of a glass bottle being crushed was deeply imprinted in his mind.

But he couldn’t let go. He knew he couldn’t let go. It was a very strange and brief moment.

He even felt like he had become a detached soul, watching as a young man suddenly burst into action, stretching out of the window in an eerie posture, entangling with another middle-aged man. The surrounding passengers were puzzled and simply stared at them in a daze. Two plainclothes police officers in the distance pushed through the crowd and rushed swiftly towards them.

The struggle between him and the middle-aged man seemed frozen in a state of stillness, yet within this absolute stillness, there was movement. The middle-aged man’s face slowly revealed a smile that completely contradicted his appearance, resembling blood dripping into clear water and slightly cracked lips.

The middle-aged man’s eyes showed an extremely cruel gleam, and the feeling of the glass embedded in his palm was excruciating. Liu Xiaotian couldn’t breathe, but he dared not let go. He even thought of death. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he struggled to swallow his saliva. In the next moment, the stillness ended, and motion resumed.

Screams, shouts, and the creaking sound of people pushing and shoving erupted like a burst of fireworks, making him feel dizzy and disoriented. Fortunately, he was certain that his hands still firmly grasped the middle-aged man’s hand, and he was sure he had exerted all his strength.

As for what happened next, Liu Xiaotian’s memory became extremely blurry. He only remembered the plainclothes officers arriving, and he gasped for breath as he collapsed against the window, hitting his head on the frame, looking incredibly foolish.

In a daze, he looked up at the large screen inside the station, amidst the bustling crowd. Instead of advertisements, there was the news from Meicun TV station. The face of the anchor flashed by, and he saw a scene of chaos somewhere. Shelves collapsed, and many clothes were scattered on the ground, vibrant and colorful but hard to discern clearly.

He seemed to see burlap sacks and people lying on them, as well as girls with blood on their fair cheeks.

Then, he knew nothing else.

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