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墨書 Inktalez
All night long, the police in Dragon City had not slept. The members of the task force gathered downstairs at a café called Prison Island, owned by a beautiful woman in her twenties. It was already early morning, and according to the lunar calendar, it was New Year's Eve, yet the café remained open, and the owner had not gone home to celebrate.
Everyone sipped cup after cup of coffee, with Yuan Jun nearly slumped over the table. The others were also drowsy, except for Jiang He and Old Shao, who were looking out through the glass window at the Square.
Jiang He stared blankly at the square, seemingly unable to relax for even a moment.
Meanwhile, Old Shao was chatting casually with the owner.
"You're not going home for New Year's Eve?" Old Shao asked her.
"I finally managed to escape; why would I want to go back? I haven't been home in three years," she replied. "New Year's is a time for family reunions, but people like us probably just watch the sunrise and sunset, then wait for the next sunrise."
"Prison Island Café," Old Shao said. "Often, we see ourselves as prisoners, thinking we are on an isolated island. When I was a bit older than you, I thought that way too, but later I realized that eventually, you will meet someone who makes you feel like you're not alone."
The owner scoffed at Old Shao's words. "I don't believe in that nonsense about love. Once this café starts making money, I'm going to a strange city to open a Prison Island bar. Bars make more money than cafés these days. My life goal is to make money; everything else is out of my consideration."
Old Shao chuckled. "If only it were that simple. The truth is, for thousands of years—whether in health or sickness, among nobles or commoners, men or women—who can truly escape this matter?"
"Have you met such a person?" the owner asked.
Old Shao nodded. "I met someone when I was young, but back then I felt like I had nothing—no car, no house—nothing to take responsibility for, so I always avoided it. But after my fiancée passed away, I realized that love is love; even if it's just a fleeting happiness, it's better than a lifetime of regret. You're still young; I hope you understand this but also hope you don’t have to understand it through bad experiences."
The owner seemed to ponder his words and gently asked, "What’s your name?"
Old Shao replied seriously, "My name is Shaoshilin; I'm a criminal investigator."
"I've given myself a name: Rouge," she responded.
At noon, there were only twelve hours left until the countdown.
The clock in the square chimed twelve times, waking everyone who had dozed off in the café.
At that moment, Guan Deng spoke up, "A message has arrived."
Everyone jolted awake and gathered around Guan Deng.
"Dear followers of Guan Deng, I imagine you have been waiting for a while? Please come to Weiyang Road before three o'clock; someone will tell you what to do. Remember to wear our attire; the new world begins with the new year."
Jiang He glanced at Old Shao and said, "The Criminal Consultant has finally assigned tasks to his most loyal followers. It looks like it's a two-person team. I'm heading to this location right now to see what the Criminal Consultant is up to."
Old Shao replied, "If you leave now, we probably won't be able to meet like this until the case is over. Jiang He, you're a smart person; you're much better than I am at adapting to situations. I don't have much to advise you on, just one thing: I know you've always been willing to risk yourself to catch the Criminal. My only request is that you come back alive; we still have the New Year to celebrate."
Jiang He nodded as he pulled out his gear from the backpack he was carrying.
Old Shao used his earpiece to inform everyone that a "target" would soon be passing by the Cultural Center, and that no one should take action to ensure Jiang He could reach the destination mentioned by the Criminal Consultant safely.
Guan Deng pointed at his phone and then at his computer, saying, "PS positioning."
Old Shao understood Guan Deng's meaning and asked, "So you mean we can always know Jiang He's location?"
Guan Deng nodded.
After a brief silence, Old Shao turned to Rouge and said, "Boss, it seems we'll be using your shop as a temporary command center. The view through the glass directly faces Cultural Square; it's indeed a good spot. The annual rent must be quite a sum, right?"
Rouge shrugged. "You guys do whatever you want; after all, I'm not paying the rent. Do as you please."
Jiang He had already donned his outfit and mask. He simply said, "I'm leaving."
With that, he opened the café door and stepped outside, leaving behind a gust of cold wind.
Jiang He’s unusual attire attracted quite a few glances, but it didn’t cause any commotion. It was unclear whether people were accustomed to such outfits or simply unaware of the significance behind them.
Jiang He hailed a cab, and the driver, seeing Jiang He’s outfit, seemed unfazed. Instead, he spoke with interest, “Are you all going to some kind of performance tonight? I've picked up quite a few people dressed like you today. Where are you headed? No need to meter it during the New Year.”
“Just take me to Weiyang Road,” Jiang He replied. “What about the others? Are they also going to Weiyang Road?”
The driver shook his head. “There are many of you. Each time it’s a different place. I’m curious, though; I wonder what you all are up to.”
Jiang He’s mind raced. The Criminal Consultant was indeed someone with exceptional counter-surveillance skills. By dispersing different followers to various locations, he aimed to avoid any undercover agents infiltrating their ranks and capturing all the followers at once. The driver continued chatting away, but Jiang He barely responded.
Upon reaching Weiyang Road, Jiang He spotted someone in identical clothing from a distance. He quickly instructed the driver to stop, tossed a fifty-yuan note out, and got out of the car.
Approaching the person, Jiang He asked, “Did you receive the message too? What are we supposed to do next?”
A rough male voice replied, “Don’t ask anything. Just do what the Master tells us. Follow me; I have something for you.”
Jiang He followed closely behind this person, scrutinizing him, but from his appearance and attire, he looked exactly like Jiang He—there was nothing distinguishing about him at all. Reluctantly, Jiang He continued onward with him. They turned down a narrow alley where the man pointed to a tattered cardboard box and said, “This is it. Don’t worry; I’ll put it on you first.”
With that, he pulled out something resembling a necklace from the side of the alley and moved to place it around Jiang He’s neck. “Put this on first.”
Jiang He took the item and examined it closely; it felt slightly heavy in his hands and resembled a black collar. At the front of the collar was a small square box that looked like a buckle.
“What’s inside this box?” Jiang He asked cautiously.
The other man stood motionless before Jiang He as if waiting for him to respond beneath his mask. After a moment, he said, “Are you questioning our Master’s decision? If you can’t accept this, take off your clothes and leave; you’re not worthy of wearing this outfit.”
The man appeared somewhat agitated, and Jiang He noticed that he was already wearing one of those black collars.
Jiang He understood that to find a drop of water in a glass of water, he had to become water himself. Without further hesitation, he slipped the collar over his head. As he pushed it forward with both hands, it clicked tightly around his neck. Instinctively, he reached for it with his hands; while fastening it was easy, removing it seemed nearly impossible—as if this design had never intended for anyone to take it off in the first place.
At that moment, Jiang He suddenly caught a faint whiff of gunpowder, identical to what he had smelled on the mask that day.
Jiang He's mind raced; he was certain that these items belonged to the Criminal Consultant, as there had always been a scent of gunpowder surrounding them.
"Hand over your phone," the other party said.
Jiang He knew that Guan Deng's phone was modified. If he handed it over, he would no longer be able to contact Old Shao and the others.
Jiang He countered, "What about your phone?"
The other person pulled out their phone and, in an instant, threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces. Jiang He also took out his phone and, with determination, hurled it to the ground, shattering it completely.
Jiang He continued, "Now that we've both smashed our phones, how will the Master contact us?"
The other person replied, "You don't need to worry about that; the Master has his own ways."
Jiang He nodded as the other person bent down to pick up a box of items. As they walked toward Cultural Square, they said, "When the time comes, we'll act separately. As long as they are followers, you just need to let them wear this collar. The collar has a tracking device; the Master will be able to see where we are and identify those who are disobedient. We will expel them all, leaving only those who listen to the Master's words."
"But I still don't understand what exactly we are supposed to do," Jiang He asked next.
The other person suddenly stopped and said firmly, "We are about to create a new world."
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