No Smoking in Public Places!

Hum... Roar! Inside the garage, after half a month of silence, the fifth-generation Nettuno engine roared to life once more. The high-frequency rumble shook a layer of dust into the air. Bai Zhou sat in the driver's seat, staring at the steering wheel and the dizzying array of buttons, a hint of perplexity on his face. He was searching his memory for the details of Liu Zhen's driving, as well as the scenes of Fang Xiaoxia playing the racing game *Horizon* over the past few days, hoping to glean some technique from them. Crow had not taken the passenger seat. Instead, she perched lightly on the hood right in front of him, calling to mind the gilded Spirit of Ecstasy on a certain luxury car. "So this is Liu Zhen's safehouse? It's... somewhat different from what I imagined." "I suppose it is," Bai Zhou nodded from inside the car. This was Crow's first time in the garage. Taking advantage of the dim lighting, she looked around. To Bai Zhou, it looked like nothing more than a pile of flashy clothes and wristwatches, but Crow could tell at a glance that these garments, with their immaculate tailoring, were all expensive, in-season designer pieces. There were even genuine, glittering gold chains hanging from the coat racks as accessories for each outfit. Beside a top-of-the-line PC equipped with custom water cooling stood an ultrawide monitor, a vertical E-ink display, and a standard LCD screen. Mounted on mechanical arms in three directions, the triple monitors enveloped the ergonomic chair before the standing desk. On a small table nearby sat a vinyl record player, flanked by stacks of secondhand records. Carelessly tossed on top were two game controllers, one black and one white. Evidently, Liu Zhen had extracted plenty of perks from the Major. The luxury gathered here was proof enough. Whenever someone died at Base 36, Adjutant Han would hand out watches and gold bars to keep spirits high, and everything Liu Zhen received had ended up in this room. Yet these were the only "luxuries" present. In the mini-fridge beside the ergonomic chair were rows of chilled Coca-Cola and bottles of the strongest erguotou. An ice maker, plugged in and humming, sat right on top of the fridge, ready for use at any moment. A cabinet was stocked with cigars. Most of them leaned toward the cheap side, sharing a common trait: they were smooth to smoke and thick enough to look ostentatious when clamped between someone's teeth. It was intensely down-to-earth, and intensely Liu Zhen. "Every Extraordinary has their own safehouse, but they're typically filled with neatly arranged weapons, lubricated firearms, and red strings intersecting in midair to link photographs and news clippings to various targets." Crow was at a loss for how to evaluate the place. "Yet here... well, it's quite interesting." Perhaps "indulgent" was the better word. While others packed their safehouses with tactical supplies, Liu Zhen had poured his heart into creating a secluded gaming den. Beside it even stood a remarkably comfortable-looking cot, with a ceiling-mounted projector hanging above. It was easy to imagine that when this man had time off, he didn't go home. After finishing exhausting, death-defying shifts, he would hole up here, drinking erguotou while playing games and watching movies. When weariness finally claimed him, he would collapse drunkenly onto the cot, drifting off to the muffled soundtrack of a film. It was completely contrary to Crow's understanding. "What you described sounds more like a secret agent or a hitman. I've seen that in the movies you people on Blue Star make." Bai Zhou had spent plenty of time watching movies and anime with Fang Xiaoxia over the last few days, and Crow's words sounded increasingly familiar. Crow replied, "Art comes from life. How do you know the instructors of those elite government agents aren't Extraordinaries, or that some occultist isn't hiding among those directors and producers? "After all, the mystical world is never far away. The Extraordinaries behind the curtain are often right beside us." In Crow's view, a safehouse should be a covert redoubt, and the lives of most Extraordinaries resembled those of shadowy assassins and spies. She was clearly that kind of person herself—a cold, trench-coated assassin with a long blade in hand and a crow perched on her shoulder. She had done just that when she hid a large pack of equipment and the Extraordinary weapon Light-Shadow Harmony beneath the floorboards of Private Room 101 at L'Ambroisie. But Bai Zhou countered, "Big Brother Liu definitely wasn't that sort of person. "What kind of hitman loves starting his day with spicy pepper soup, carries around a promotional thermos given away with tea leaves, and still pins a rose to his lapel while strutting through the streets in a flashy white suit?" In Bai Zhou's eyes, Big Brother Liu had always been an ordinary, grounded man. Honest, vain, loyal, stingy, and eager for petty gain; he was never short on cash, yet never missed a chance to take advantage of the free cafeteria food, occasionally throwing his weight around as an official. He took his work seriously, feared his wife, adored his daughter, and loved dispensing unsolicited advice... A fully fleshed-out person, just like any ordinary soul. A good mentor, and Bai Zhou's good older brother. "Since an Extraordinary can be anyone around us, they can naturally be an ordinary person, too." Bai Zhou surveyed the room. In his mind's eye, he seemed to see Big Brother Liu sprawled drunkenly on the cot, nagging at him: *Clothes make the man, kid. Now that you're in the city, you have to look the part. Don't go embarrassing me out there...* Everything here bore his brother's imprint; these were the precious relics he had left behind in this world. Yet this was a forgotten corner. Few people knew Liu Zhen had kept so much here—not even his wife and daughter, who had never truly understood what his job entailed. After a moment's thought, Bai Zhou stepped out of the car. Moving with maximum speed, he began carefully gathering every last item. Cigars, clothes, scarves, gold bars, the projector, the record player, and the computer tower... Bai Zhou stowed them all into his little Trojan wooden horse for safekeeping. Perhaps, once his own name was cleared, he would find an opportunity to deliver these keepsakes to Liu Zhen's daughter, Liu Huahua. He hoped that chance would come. As he packed swiftly, Bai Zhou remarked offhandedly, "I'm reminded of a story from Wancheng." "Another one?" Crow gave him a peculiar look. Bai Zhou nodded. "It's about that red-robed Grand Mind Mage who traveled west... Did I mention his eldest disciple was a monkey?" "..." Crow fell silent. Bai Zhou continued, "Before meeting the Grand Mage, that monkey spent his life hiding in his Water Curtain Cave. "It was a corner forgotten by the world, where a lonely, foolish monkey had no one to talk to but himself... But it was safe and carefree. He could always be himself without restraint. So the Water Curtain Cave was the safehouse that foolish monkeys relied on most. "Everyone has their own Water Curtain Cave," Bai Zhou said. Bai Zhou's cave had been in Wancheng, while this place was Big Brother Liu's. "I actually want a safehouse like this, or a secret base. Whether it's safe doesn't really matter, nor does it matter if there are weapons and supplies. What matters is having a place where no one can disturb you, where you can unwind, eat, and drink." It took him barely over a minute to clear most of the room, his hands moving so fast they left afterimages. "The older you get, the more you realize that simple things are a rare luxury. Just like how I don't even have a simple safehouse of my own." Within two minutes, the spacious garage was left with only a few wardrobes and the large cot. As he held those belongings, Bai Zhou could distinctly feel the man's lingering presence, especially when he picked up the cigar boxes and caught that familiar scent. Humans truly were strange creatures, Bai Zhou thought. The more accustomed you were to someone's presence, the more you took them for granted. Yet the moment you understood they were gone, they seemed to be everywhere. "Other people have plenty of holes to retreat to, but not me... I have nowhere to go." Bai Zhou shrugged and made a dry joke at his own expense. "All I've got is an outdoor air conditioning unit." "So these past few days at Fang Xiaoxia's, you hesitated every morning to leave, only to find a new excuse each time—that your injuries hadn't fully healed, that the weather was bad, that you'd stay just one more day..." Crow had observed his inner conflict all along, a faint trace of pity flickering in her eyes. "Until Sunday arrived and you had no choice but to depart, hurrying off once more. Am I right?" "Yes..." Bai Zhou admitted frankly. He climbed back into the car. A press of a button, and the convertible roof retracted. The seat adjusted with a soft hum, angling back and warming up automatically. With a sharp rustle, Bai Zhou slipped his arms from the sleeves of the security uniform and donned his pitch-black trench coat once more. "And now, even that place won't exist anymore." Before the spider-web console, he rested his hands on the carbon-fiber steering wheel, his expression turning calm. "So, I'm going to save her." In the next instant, the headlights at the front of the sleek, aerodynamic frame flared like a beast opening its eyes. With two low hums, the garage door rolled upward. Amidst the thunderous crescendo of the engine, Bai Zhou pressed the accelerator. A familiar yet alien push against his back hit him instantly. The swan spread its wings, bursting from its cage! Even in downtown Tinghai, Bai Zhou's Maserati was an eye-catching sight. For an elegant swan, its engine roared like a prowling beast. The rolling wave of sound drew heads all along the sidewalk—a sensation that felt strangely familiar. Yet the last time Bai Zhou had sat in the passenger seat under the gaze of passersby, he had felt only embarrassment. This time, seated behind the wheel, he paid no heed to the curious stares. His expression was stern, weighed down by heavy thoughts. A brooding young man in a trench coat behind the wheel of a Maserati was bound to attract people with ulterior motives. While waiting at a red light, a girl gathered her courage and stepped up to flirt, only to be turned away by Bai Zhou's flat response: "Sorry, I'm on my way to pick someone up." "Who could be that lucky...?" The heavily makeup-clad girls who prided themselves on their looks retreated one after another. Even a burly man with long hair and an effeminate tone came over to strike up a conversation, winking as he asked Bai Zhou for a cigarette, only to leave dejectedly when met with Bai Zhou's utterly innocent, clear-eyed stare. "I offered him a cigar, but he didn't want it... What was his problem?" Bai Zhou felt today bore a strong resemblance to a day in the past. Back then, he had learned about the special nature of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms for the first time. Wearing a Huami wristband in the passenger seat, he had looked out upon this dazzling world of neon and luxury for the very first time, seated bashfully at the head of a lavish motorcade under the gaze of thousands. It was very much like today. And yet, completely different. The Maserati soon cleared the city center. As traffic thinned, Bai Zhou pressed harder on the gas. Crossing an elevated bridge, Bai Zhou remembered that this was where Big Brother Liu had driven him out of the downtown district. At the time, he had taken in the wind and the scenery with wide-eyed wonder. At the foot of the overpass stood a convenience store. Bai Zhou remembered they sold a bottled water called "Cool Boiled Water." Back then, he hadn't understood why boiled water, freely available everywhere, could fetch such a high price simply by being sealed in a bottle. The car passed an artificial lake, its tranquil surface illuminated by bright streetlamps. Big Brother Liu had told him that when he had time, he should buy a bicycle and take casual rides around here. He had also told Bai Zhou to buy a car eventually, promising more than once that he would teach him how to drive. Yet now, Big Brother Liu was gone, his colleagues had become his enemies, and Bai Zhou had never bought that bicycle. Instead, he drove Big Brother Liu's Maserati, cutting through the Tinghai night alone with murder in his heart. Driving along the elevated bridge made Tinghai feel vast, so endless that one could never drive out of it. Driving past the quiet lake made the entire world feel vast, so lonely that one was always walking alone. Bai Zhou slammed on the accelerator. He shot across the overpass and flew down the lakeside highway, as though he could outrun time itself and leave it behind in his exhaust. As the familiar thrust pressed him back into the Alcantara seat, Bai Zhou suddenly remembered the day Liu Zhen had dragged him out. Big Brother Liu had spat out the window, and Bai Zhou, seated in the passenger seat, had sneezed out of nowhere. People always said a sudden sneeze meant someone was thinking of you. ...It turned out it was his present self. "Turn left. Wheel to the left." Perched on the Maserati's hood with her hands behind her back, Miss Crow's black coat whipped in the wind, standing in contrast to the upright Trident emblem just below her. Her low murmurs reached Bai Zhou's ears with crisp clarity, like those of a peerless navigator and a steadfast helmsman riding the waves. "Faster, a little faster... Red light in a hundred meters." The engine roared, and the car flew even faster. Before long, the Maserati pulled into a bustling commercial district bathed in neon. Beside a shopping mall hung a neon sign reading "Happy Charm KTV," flanked by smaller flashing letters: *KTV on the 11th floor*. Bai Zhou parked across the street. If he remembered correctly, this was where Fang Xiaoxia's class reunion was being held. The girl planned to celebrate her birthday here and receive surprises from her classmates. She had even visited the venue in advance, eagerly preparing something in secret. Bai Zhou didn't rush out of the car, nor did he make any reckless moves. Miss Crow, standing vigilant on the hood with her hands behind her back, warned him like a living radar. "Spiritual reaction detected nearby!" She tilted her head, as if listening intently, or sensing something in the air. "It's that quasi-Titled Extraordinary!" Sure enough. Soon, Bai Zhou saw two Maybachs and two vans cruising slowly into view in the distance. From the rear passenger window of the lead Maybach, the glass rolled down slowly. Leaning against the seat, "Teacher Sun" looked out with an impassive expression. He glanced at the KTV sign across the street and nodded, as if confirming something. "Teacher Sun" stayed put in the passenger seat, his lips moving faintly. Composed and utterly confident, he sat there like an anchor in a storm. A moment later, several burly men in suits stepped out of the vans behind him, suspicious bulges protruding from their waists. They looked around warily before heading with clear purpose toward the building housing the KTV, entering the elevator to head upstairs. No one noticed. Behind them, staying out of sight of the vehicles, a black cat silently followed. Melting into the darkness, the tiny silhouette scrambled up the exterior of the building. *** 11th floor, Happy Charm KTV. *"Back then I let go of your hand, turning away with only 'take care,' you couldn't even speak through the tears that flowed so long..."* The music blasting in the main hall was deafening. Past the lobby lay a maze of private rooms, the corridor walls lined with mirrored panels reflecting flashing lights, making it remarkably easy to lose one's way. "Is this the one?" Several burly men in suits halted before a door marked 8666. Muffled clamor could be heard through the soundproofed barrier. Every man wore dark sunglasses, and several had cigarettes dangling from their lips. Tall, broad-shouldered, and intimidating, their swagger had terrified the receptionist so badly that she hadn't dared approach to question them. "Should be it." They muttered to one another, confirming the room number. One of them reached out, grasping the door handle, and moved to push it open. Right at that moment— "Excuse me, gentlemen!" *Smack!* A hand clapped down onto his shoulder, halting his movement. The men stopped and turned around in unison. "Class reunion inside. No outsiders allowed!" The face of a handsome youth met their gaze. Wearing a black trench coat, the youth flashed a bright, slightly shy smile. "And one more thing—" His gaze shifted to the pungent, burning cigarettes hanging from their mouths. Keeping his polite smile, he gave a very serious reminder: "No smoking in public places!"