Inside the Cultural Palace, Lin Fojiao, chief manager of the black market, sat in a chair, forcing himself to stay awake as he listened to the snack vendor's report.
Something big was about to go down in the black market tonight!
"Manager Lin, the folks from the Birch Gang are back again, poking around everywhere for news on Li Qi."
"Let them poke around," Lin Fojiao said with a yawn. "Li Qi hasn't shown up, has he?"
"By the time he does, I'm afraid it'll be too late."
"We already asked Ah Hui to warn him. He shouldn't be coming." Lin Fojiao yawned again.
The snack vendor couldn't put his mind at ease. "Just a moment ago, I saw Tang Changfa striking up a conversation with those Birch Gang people."
"Who's Tang Changfa?" Lin Fojiao rubbed his eyes, on the verge of dozing off.
"Tang Changfa is the guy Li Qi set up here to do business. He ran into the Birch Gang folks on the first floor just now, and they even went out of their way to—Manager Lin, are you listening to me?"
Lin Fojiao had started snoring.
The snack vendor gently shook him awake. "Manager Lin, wake up! Our eyebrows are on fire!"
"Ah!" Lin Fojiao started awake and hastily rubbed his eyebrows. "They're not burning at all! You brat, you dare fool me!"
"Manager Lin, if Tang Changfa clashes with the Birch Gang, Li Qi will definitely come, and then things will blow up!"
Lin Fojiao waved a hand. "We'll cross that bridge when he gets here. If push comes to shove, we'll just call Ah Hui again."
"Ah Hui went to Puluo Province! She isn't in Yuezhou and can't help! Manager Lin? Manager Lin?"
Lin Fojiao tried to blink, but once his eyes closed, he truly couldn't force them open again.
***
Tang Changfa was currently talking business with two members of the Birch Hermitage. They hadn't crossed paths by accident; Tang Changfa had sought them out deliberately.
This was on Li Qi's orders: stir up trouble tonight.
The two Hermitage members were a man and a woman. The man was named Lucharyov, and the woman was named Goncharova. Both were Lavshas, and neither spoke fluent Huan, making communication a bit of a struggle.
Their assignment today was to scout for information on Li Qi in the black market. Besides Goncharova and Lucharyov, three other Hermitage members were lurking undercover elsewhere on the premises.
Goncharova was a student of President Migelov and the leader of this reconnaissance mission. In accordance with the tasks previously assigned by Du Wenming, she brought people to the black market every few days. If they spotted Li Qi, she was to contact the other Hermitage members to converge on the black market and corner him. If they caught wind of Li Qi's movements, she would notify the other senior figures so the leadership could collectively decide whether to shift the ambush location.
Unless strictly necessary, Goncharova did not permit her subordinates to make purchases in the black market; after all, the Hermitage's funds were far from abundant.
Yet for some reason, Goncharova found Tang Changfa to be an honest, upright man. Whether doing business with him or gathering intel through him, it felt like an eminently reasonable choice—one well worth paying a price for.
Tang Changfa invited the two up to the second floor. "Whatever you two want to buy, just tell me straight. If I have it in stock, we close the deal on the spot. If not, I'll arrange for a shipment immediately, without even charging you a deposit! Everything I sell here is brand-name goods from Puluo Province. Our shop is a century-old establishment from Puluo! When you buy from me, you can set your mind completely at ease. I'd never let you get the short end of the stick!"
Goncharova roughly grasped Tang Changfa's meaning. Gesticulating, she said, "Things from Puluo Province, very good. We like. What we want most, is Puluo Province's tonic."
"Tonic?" Yan Cui'er was taken aback. "What kind of tonic?"
Goncharova mimed using a finger as a straw and made a slurping motion, saying to them, "Like this. Drink it down, and then, full body of power!"
Yan Cui'er was stunned. "Hong'er, what did she just say? Drink it down?"
Yan Hong'er was also rather startled. "She said you get a full body of power. That's good stuff! I just don't know if the shopkeeper would be willing to give it to us."
Yan Cui'er licked her lips. "I'll find a chance to ask. It's just the two of us sisters—how much could we drink anyway? Our shopkeeper isn't stingy."
Tang Changfa frowned. "What nonsense are you babbling? Even if the shopkeeper has good stuff, would it ever be your turn to drink it?"
Yan Cui'er huffed. "You want to keep it all to yourself?"
"How would I keep it to myself? I'm an upright man! I run an honest business—I don't have time to chat nonsense with you two!" Tang Changfa waved them off and turned back to the two Lavshas. "You're talking about Puluo Province's harmonizing agents, right?"
Goncharova nodded. "Yes, harmonizing agents! With power!"
"See, that's where you're out of the loop!" Tang Changfa chuckled. "In Puluo Province, that stuff isn't called a harmonizing agent. It's called a medicinal pill! It's a wonderful treasure that increases cultivation!"
Goncharova nodded repeatedly. "You are right! What we want are medicinal pills!"
Lucharyov muttered in a low voice in Lavsha, "Medicinal pills and harmonizing agents are two different things."
"I know they are two different things," Goncharova said, glaring at him. "Do your job. I don't need your lectures."
Though Tang Changfa couldn't understand Lavsha, he could tell from their expressions that their ranks were not equal.
Goncharova clearly outranked Lucharyov. As long as he played along with her, the rest would be easy.
Tang Changfa looked back and called out, "Yan Hong'er, hurry up and fetch the pills!"
Medicinal pills were hard to come by in the first place, and today wasn't even a restock day. Where on earth was she supposed to find pills?
Squatting behind the counter, Yan Hong grabbed a piece of leftover perilla ciba cake, rolled and kneaded it in her palms, fashioned two round pills out of it, and handed them to Tang Changfa.
Tang Changfa glanced at the color and presented them to the two. "Feast your eyes, you two. This is the Jade Green Pill. Swallowing one grants three years of cultivation. It is the absolute pinnacle among pills!"
Lucharyov picked up a pill, examined it, and shook his head. "I have never heard of such a pill."
Tang Changfa smiled. "Of course you haven't! Go ask around in Puluo Province—how many people spend their whole lives without ever seeing a pill of this caliber!"
Ignoring Lucharyov's attempts to stop her, Goncharova brought the pill to her nose and sniffed it. "This pill, how much money do you want for it?"
"If anyone else came asking, I wouldn't sell it for less than two hundred. But you two are guests from afar, so I'll grit my teeth, take a hit, and sell them to you for one-fifty a pill."
Goncharova thought that didn't sound expensive at all. "You mean one hundred and fifty Huan yuan?"
Tang Changfa frowned. "Is this your first day doing business here? Does anyone talk in plain yuan in the black market? One-fifty obviously means one hundred and fifty myriad! One point five million!"
Goncharova was stunned. "You want 1.5 million?"
Tang Changfa seemed equally astonished. "I've already marked it down so much, and you still think it's expensive?"
Goncharova shook her head vigorously. "What kind of medicine could possibly be worth so much money?"
Holding the pill, Tang Changfa replied, "You get what you pay for! You have to look at what kind of treasure this is!"
Lucharyov glared at Tang Changfa. "This is fraud! Do you truly think we are that easy to fool? Is there no order, no rules whatsoever to your business here?"
Tang Changfa laughed. "Foreigner, why don't you tell me what the rules are?"
"We are not buying." Goncharova took Lucharyov's arm, turning to leave.
Lucharyov didn't want to leave just yet; his temper flared, and he wanted to teach Tang Changfa a lesson.
Goncharova furrowed her brow and ordered Lucharyov in Lavsha, "We must go. I want to leave right now!"
It was a direct command. Goncharova was President Migelov's student. Even though Migelov had vanished, she remained a high-ranking figure within both the Birch Hermitage and the Ferry Gang, far above Lucharyov in status. Lucharyov dared not defy her.
Tang Changfa stepped ahead to block the doorway. "Hold on, don't be in such a rush to leave! We talked it through, added it up, and I worked up a sweat laying it all out for you. My sincerity is plain to see, so at least leave something for my trouble!"
Goncharova didn't understand what he meant at all. Lucharyov stepped in front of her, shielding her behind him. "We bought nothing. Why should we give you money?"
"Won't pay?" Tang Changfa flared up as well. Grabbing a wine bottle by the door, he smashed it against his own forehead, leaving only the jagged bottleneck clutched in his hand. Pointing it right at Lucharyov's face, he snarled, "If you don't pay up, don't even dream of walking out this door today!"
Lucharyov said, "What kind of logic is this?"
"I don't have any logic to waste on you!" Tang Changfa jabbed the broken bottleneck toward Lucharyov's neck.
Lucharyov possessed dark abilities, while Tang Changfa's maneuver looked no different from a common street thug's brawl.
By rights, Lucharyov had nothing to fear. Yet gazing into Tang Changfa's eyes, he couldn't help trembling. Whether that jagged bottle ended up wounding him or wounding Tang Changfa himself, the sheer madness in the look filled Lucharyov with profound dread.
Goncharova remained relatively calm. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and unleashed a piercing soprano note in flawless bel canto style.
*Ahhh—*
The shrill, high-pitched resonance shattered teapots and teacups, blew out the glass display counter, and sent tearing pain through everyone's eardrums, leaving their heads spinning.
This was her technique, serving simultaneously as an attack on enemies and an alarm to summon other members on the premises.
Yan Hong'er, who practiced vocalizing on regular days, stretched her vocal cords and screamed right back at Goncharova.
This wasn't reckless flailing; it was a method Li Banfeng had taught her. Knowing the opponent might employ Sound Cultivator methods, she aimed to disrupt the enemy's rhythm with her own voice.
Goncharova was not a true Sound Cultivator. She was a dark-energy user without a pathway, gifted with extraordinary dark abilities centered around sound.
Yet under Yan Hong'er's interference, Goncharova's tempo was indeed thrown off. She hastily adjusted her breath to reclaim her rhythm, but just as she was about to open her mouth again, Yan Cui'er grabbed a piece of ciba cake and hurled it straight into Goncharova's throat.
Goncharova coughed twice, the sticky cake clinging stubbornly to the back of her throat.
Yan Cui'er shouted, "You've been struck by our family's lethal venom! That throat of yours is finished!"
Goncharova looked on in sheer shock. Her Huan wasn't very good, so she couldn't fully comprehend Yan Cui'er's words.
Yan Hong added an explanation: "You've been poisoned! You can't speak anymore!"
As she spoke, Hong'er deliberately mimed clutching her own throat in choking agony.
Goncharova panicked and looked toward Lucharyov.
Lucharyov was currently locked in combat with Tang Changfa, and he gestured frantically for Goncharova to flee.
In close-quarters melee, Tang Changfa actually held his own. His combat experience was visibly superior to Lucharyov's. However, Lucharyov's dark ability was peculiar: his flesh was sticky, like a patch of adhesive candy, clinging tightly to Tang Changfa.
For a moment, Tang Changfa couldn't pull away. "Damn it, ran into a Glue Cultivator!"
Lucharyov wasn't technically a Glue Cultivator; he merely possessed an ability akin to one. His raw combat strength wasn't particularly formidable, but thanks to this peculiar power, he could pin down enemies at critical moments to protect Goncharova. If any unforeseen mishap arose during an ambush against Li Qi, he could also temporarily trap Li Qi in place.
Tang Changfa wasn't about to play into that. Willing to sacrifice a layer of skin and flesh, he wrenched himself violently free from Lucharyov's grip. Drenched in blood, he roared at the two, "Neither of you is walking out that door today!"
Goncharova attempted to negotiate. "We do not know you! Why are you making things difficult for us?"
Tang Changfa bared his teeth. "Taking money to eliminate trouble—that's our job!"
Goncharova didn't understand the phrase. Lucharyov explained in Lavsha, "Someone hired them. They are hitmen!"
Goncharova gritted her teeth. "Who wants us dead?"
Sounds of fighting echoed from the corridor outside. Yan Hong'er threw open the door and called out, "Director Du, over here!"
*Director Du?*
Lucharyov showed no reaction; he didn't know who Director Du was.
Goncharova, however, reacted violently. She knew exactly who Director Du was, but she couldn't fathom why he would turn on them.
Could those rumors be true?
That to secure his official post, Du Wenming had systematically executed acquaintances, including numerous members of the Ferry Gang?
And now the blade had turned on them?
Goncharova wanted to check the hallway, but Tang Changfa stepped aside to clear the doorway. "Go ahead! Step out and you're dead!"
Yan Hong'er told Goncharova, "You're afflicted with lethal venom and can't speak! What is a Sound Cultivator good for without a voice?"
Yan Cui'er added, "Let them leave! Leave them be! We've done our part, now we just wait for our reward!"
Lucharyov took Goncharova by the hand, but just as they were about to bolt out the door, a severed head dropped down right before them.
Seeing the blond hair, Lucharyov was terrified. Although the face was caked with blood and filth, he could still barely make out the features.
It was Ilikov, one of their subordinates.
Ilikov had originally been on the first floor. Upon hearing Goncharova's cries, he had rushed to the second floor to reinforce them, only to run into an ambush and lose his head.
Before the two could recover from their shock, two more blond heads tumbled down at the threshold.
Lucharyov froze, not daring to move. Those were also their men. All three subordinates were dead now. Should they really step out?
At this critical juncture, Goncharova's mind remained relatively clear. Even under the influence of a Fool cultivator technique, she retained basic logic: staying here meant certain death.
She charged out the door first, with Lucharyov right behind her.
Out in the hallway, they saw a figure clad entirely in pitch-black standing in the middle of the corridor.
His feet splayed outward in an exaggerated duck walk, his back arched, his shoulders slouched. With the backlighting obscuring his face, his posture was remarkably stiff.
Just looking at that bizarre posture, Goncharova was certain of his identity: this was Du Wenming.
She called out to the figure in Lavsha, "Leader, I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation!"
The black-clad figure raised his left arm, his left hand dangling limp.
Then he raised his fingers and wagged one at Goncharova.
To Goncharova's interpretation, the figure seemed to be refusing any explanation.
In reality, what the figure meant was that he couldn't understand a word of Lavsha.
With a sideways slide, the black-clad figure closed the distance between them.
Lucharyov shoved Goncharova away and lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the figure.
"Run!"
Goncharova looked back at Lucharyov, reluctant to leave.
"This is my honor!" Lucharyov shouted, holding the figure fast. "My lady, most beautiful lady, you must live on!"
The black-clad figure began leading Lucharyov into the String-Puppet Marionette Dance. Goncharova knew all too well that once someone began dancing with Du Wenming, there was zero chance of survival.
With no other choice, tears welled in Goncharova's eyes as she dashed down the stairs.
Lucharyov continued clutching the black-clad figure with all his might.
Yet the figure slipped effortlessly from his grasp without losing a single scrap of skin or flesh.
Because he had no flesh. This black-clad figure was not Du Wenming; it was Li Banfeng's shadow.
He had only just learned the String-Puppet Marionette Dance, practicing from the manual Du Wenming had given him. Relying on a Journey cultivator's nimble footwork, he had managed to pick up a few basic steps.
However, he wasn't a Dance Cultivator and couldn't kill using Dance Cultivator techniques.
Before Lucharyov could fathom what was happening, the shadow swung down a scythe.
Lucharyov still tried to fight back, attempting to make his flesh stick to the scythe.
As long as he trapped the weapon, he could buy more time and give Goncharova a better chance to escape.
Unfortunately, the scythe wouldn't stick—it was coated in oil.
The blade swept across Lucharyov's neck. A trace of coldness washed over him, his consciousness cut off, and his head tumbled to the floor.
The shadow produced the blood pendulum and the glove. The oil had to be recovered; no traces could be left behind.
Goncharova reached the first floor, where the snack vendor blocked her path. "Where are you going? What happened?"
"Get lost!" Goncharova shoved the snack vendor aside and bolted out of the cinema.
The snack vendor phoned Lin Fojiao. "Manager Lin, everything's gone to hell in here!"
A yawn sounded from the receiver. "Did you see Li Qi?"
"Not yet."
"Then... keep waiting."
***
Goncharova burst out of the Cultural Palace. She planned to head straight to the Hermitage's nearest safehouse and assemble reinforcements immediately.
Turning into an alleyway, a group of people suddenly emerged, cutting off her path.
Goncharova forcefully coughed up the remaining ciba cake stuck in her throat, took a deep breath, and prepared for a fight to the death.
Shen Jingye stepped forward, taking the lead in negotiations. "Ma'am, do not panic. We mean you no harm. We received word of an incident at the Cultural Palace and need to conduct an investigation into the matter. Please cooperate."
Goncharova asked in a hoarse, raspy voice, "Who are you people?"
To this moment, she firmly believed she had been poisoned and that her vocal cords were ruined.
Shen Jingye didn't want to expose their identities out in the open. Li Qi stepped up beside him and flashed his badge. "I am Li Qi of the Dark Star Bureau. A violent incident occurred at the Cultural Palace, potentially involving the illegal use of dark abilities. Please come back with us to the bureau to assist with the investigation."
*Li Qi!*
The moment she heard that name, Goncharova felt she was about to bid this world farewell once and for all.
*Before I die, I must fight one last time. I cannot submit like this, I cannot give up! Even if I take down just one enemy, I won't have betrayed the president's trust and charge!*
Summoning all her courage, Goncharova glared at the crowd with bloodshot eyes.
Then she clasped her hands behind her head and squatted on the ground.
Thinking was one thing, courage was another, but actual execution was something else entirely.
Goncharova's justification to herself was that she had to live on, carrying Lucharyov's sacrifice with her.
***
Once Goncharova was loaded into the car, Tangyuan glanced around, unable to spot Lightbulb.
"Where did Lightbulb go?"
Zhong'er was also curious. "I saw him just a moment ago. He vanished right as the operation started."
Tangyuan called Lightbulb's phone. Before long, everyone saw Lightbulb jogging out from an alley.
Tangyuan was furious, keeping her voice low. "Where did you run off to? This is an active mission! Where is your discipline?"
Lightbulb said, "Right after we got in position, Director Li asked to borrow some oil, so I gave it to him."
Tangyuan asked curiously, "What did he want oil for?"
"He didn't say," Lightbulb replied, shaking his head. "He took the oil and left. He took quite a lot, and my own reserves were running a bit low. I was worried I'd drag the team down during the mission, so I hurried off to find some greasy food to replenish my oil."
Tangyuan frowned. "He took the oil and left? You didn't leave anything out in between, did you?"
Lightbulb was taken aback. "Leave out what? I'm telling the honest truth!"
Zhong'er said, "Did you finish replenishing? Seeing you sweating all over, you still look a bit weak."
"I'm not weak!" Lightbulb shook his head, looking at the others. "I'm really not weak! I've replenished it all! Director Li just borrowed some oil, he didn't do anything else, really!"
***
At the Dark Star Bureau, Goncharova remained largely silent. She said not a single word about the Birch Hermitage, nor did she offer any explanation as to why she had gone to the Cultural Palace tonight.
Her only request was medical treatment for the poison, though she couldn't explain what poison she had actually ingested.
Shen Jingye said to Li Qi, "Don't put me in a bind here. Lives were lost at the Cultural Palace. If I don't hurry to solve the case and stay here interrogating her instead, higher-ups won't let me off easily."
Li Qi said earnestly, "Little Shen, would I ever lead you astray? Once you interrogate her thoroughly, the homicide case will be solved too. Just take her to the interrogation room and use the Virtue Cultivator equipment to question her. Why make it so complicated?"
Shen Jingye said, "She's a foreign national, and she isn't even a suspect—she's a victim! If I throw her into an interrogation room, that's my head on the chopping block!"
"What about foreign nationals?" Li Banfeng retorted, annoyed. "If that's how you're going to put it, I won't bother using other methods. Send her straight to the interrogation room!"
"You have other methods?" Shen Jingye's eyes lit up. "Director Li, stop making things hard for me. If you've got a way, use it quickly! Let me tell you, if the higher-ups pressure me over this and derail the main task, don't come crying to me. You know how easily certain incidents can divert attention—especially something like this. If the higher-ups shift their focus away from Du Wenming, our real business will be completely stalled!"
On that point, Shen Jingye was entirely right: the best way to cool down a hot topic was to create an even hotter one.
Li Banfeng dismissed the others, intending to speak with Goncharova alone.
Goncharova was on high alert. "What are you doing? Are you going to use illegal methods to interrogate me? I want to contact my lawyer! I will fight for my rights! You cannot treat me unlawfully!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "You're overthinking it. We don't intend to continue interrogating you. The higher-ups take the Cultural Palace incident very seriously. Director Du has requested that we hand you over to him."
"Hand me over to whom?" Goncharova's face instantly went pale.
"To our superior, Director Du. I heard he's a friend of yours. Perhaps he can provide you with the necessary assistance. This transfer is being carried out in secret; most people in the bureau won't even know. I'm just giving you advance notice. Someone will be here to pick you up in five minutes."
With that, Li Banfeng walked away.
Sitting in the room, Goncharova began to tremble all over.
She repeatedly clutched at her hair, pacing back and forth across the floor.
She could not fall into Du Wenming's hands. Absolutely under no circumstances could she end up with him.
She wanted to escape, yet dared not take a single step outside.
Five minutes felt agonizingly long, yet terrifyingly short.
Li Banfeng told Zhong'er and Tangyuan, "You two go in and tell her it's time to leave, then move her to another room."
That was simple enough—just moving to a different room, wasn't it?
The two entered the room, and Tangyuan said, "Time to go."
Goncharova shook her head frantically. "No! I'm not going anywhere! I'm staying right here!"
Tangyuan was bewildered. It was just changing rooms; why was this woman resisting so fiercely?
Zhong'er kept a stern face. "We didn't come to discuss this with you. This is our assignment, and we only need your cooperation."
With that, he reached out.
Goncharova shoved Zhong'er away with force, sending him slamming into the wall, nearly injuring him.
At Zhong'er's current level, dealing with Goncharova was far too difficult.
Tangyuan was no match for her either and was just wondering how to report this to Li Qi.
"I'm not going!" Goncharova snarled in a mix of Lavsha and Huan. "Don't any of you come near me, or I'll fight you to the death! Call Li Qi over! I have critical information for him! Bring your most important people here!"
Before long, Li Qi and Shen Jingye entered the room together.
Goncharova told them, "I have important information for you. The one who killed those people at the Cultural Palace was Du Wenming!"
Li Qi shook his head with a laugh. "That's absurd."
"It's not absurd at all!" Goncharova yelled. "He belongs to Xuehuapu, to the Ferry Gang, and to the Birch Hermitage! We work for him, and he wants to kill us to silence us!"
Li Qi sighed. "How could I possibly believe such a thing?"
Shen Jingye, on the other hand, was deeply intrigued. Pulling up a chair, he sat down. "I believe you. Don't rush. Tell us everything, slowly."
The fact that Goncharova could speak Du Wenming's name proved that Du Wenming hadn't placed any curse techniques upon the Hermitage members.
Goncharova knew quite a lot. Tonight had yielded a massive harvest.
***
The following dusk, Du Wenming rotated his neck a full one hundred and eighty degrees, carefully inspecting his back.
The staining agent had vanished completely.
Though a few scars remained, Du Wenming could easily provide a reasonable explanation for them.
This storm had finally blown over.
Du Wenming said to Yu Yaoming, "In a little while, I'll take you to the laboratory first, and then I'll return to the city center. There might be a few bumps during this time, but I am still me. I will reclaim everything that belongs to me."
Yu Yaoming looked worried. "There's no food in the laboratory. At least there were fish at the pond."
Du Wenming smiled. "The fishpond isn't safe either. Someone took my money, which means someone knows that place belongs to me. I brought along some roasted fish meat; eat that for now. By tomorrow evening at the latest, I will bring you food—abundant food. Above all, remember: do not go anywhere. In this world, only I can protect you. I cannot retrieve those crucial components from your laboratory right now, so you need to devise an alternative experimental plan and minimize the need for key equipment."
Yu Yaoming nodded and followed Du Wenming to the factory.
Once the factory shift ended and the workers had all departed, Du Wenming went to the entrance of the dark-dimension space and produced a brass key.
He inserted the key into the familiar slot and turned it several times. The lock seemed to click open, but the entrance to the dark-dimension space failed to reveal itself.
Someone appeared to have added an extra lock to the door.
Du Wenming tried several more times to no avail, realizing this place had become dangerous.
"Someone has been to our laboratory. It's no longer safe here; we must leave immediately." Du Wenming led Yu Yaoming away from the factory and found a basement in an urban village, temporarily settling him in.
He returned to the city center and walked straight toward his office building. He was going to officially cancel his leave with his superiors in his capacity as Director Du. As for his whereabouts over the past few days, as long as he provided a plausible reason, his superiors wouldn't probe too deeply.
***
Work had ended at the Dark Star Bureau. Shen Jingye intended to treat the enforcement squad members who had taken part in last night's operation to a meal. Chen Changrui claimed his wife was ill; Zhong'er said he had just taken a harmonizing agent and needed to recuperate; Mingxing said he had a new girlfriend and had plans to go to the cinema; Lightbulb chimed in that he had taken a liking to Mingxing's girlfriend and planned to go along to the movie.
Tangyuan and Mijian stated that female comrades were not suited for such drinking occasions.
When Li Qi had treated them before, many of them had eagerly attended. This was an outright refusal to give Bureau Chief Shen any face!
Swallowing his irritation, Shen Jingye ordered some takeout and went to drink with Li Qi instead.
Down in the garage, Lightbulb was still teasing Mingxing. "What does your girlfriend look like? Introduce her to me."
Mingxing spat toward Lightbulb. "When my son turns one month old, I'll have him call you god-brother!"
Amid the banter, Mingxing got into his car, stepped on the gas, ran two red lights, and drove straight home.
Upon arriving home, Mingxing hurried impatiently into the bedroom and took out a radio transmitter.
*Dit-dit-dah-dah—*
Mingxing adeptly tapped out a telegram.
***
Walking along the street, Du Wenming stopped in his tracks as the watch on his wrist began vibrating in a rhythmic pulse.
*A warrant has been issued for your arrest. Birch has sold you out.*
Du Wenming looked into the distance. His office building was less than two kilometers away.
His office, his daily itinerary, his dedicated vehicle, and his personal driver were all inside that building, less than two kilometers away.
Du Wenming silently turned around, left the city center, and headed back toward the urban village.
***
In the basement, Yu Yaoming sat beside the long conference table, trembling.
He could hear footsteps descending the stairs.
They didn't belong to Du Wenming; they were slightly heavier than Du's tread.
Someone had entered the basement, and Yu Yaoming had no idea who it was.
"No need to fear. I possess the power of wisdom!" Yu Yaoming rubbed his face. In the past, he genuinely wouldn't have been afraid, but ever since being effortlessly subdued by Li Qi, he harbored immense doubts about the power of wisdom.
"No need to fear, I have power—power that belongs to wisdom!" Yu Yaoming kept psyching himself up as he stood from his chair, bracing for battle.
"You truly have no need to fear. Power drawn from wisdom is always worthy of trust." A slender man appeared before Yu Yaoming.
Yu Yaoming fought to maintain his composure and asked, "Who are you?"
With a gentle smile, the man answered, "I sell books. Books are the fountainhead of wisdom."
Chapter 571