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墨書 Inktalez
A gentle knocking echoed through the empty building, each sound resonating distinctly. Xiao Mu, who was flipping through the materials left by Ye Tianshu, lifted his head and pondered for a moment before politely saying, "Come in."
Politeness was instinctive, but today he hadn’t encountered anyone courteous; those rough individuals simply barged in without knocking.
The door slowly creaked open, revealing a figure clad in olive-green police uniform, half-hidden in the doorway. Xiao Mu's eyes widened in disbelief, growing rounder with each passing second. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, collapsing onto the table, shaking with mirth until tears streamed down his face.
It was Baldy—Baldy of all people! Even in a police uniform, he looked like a rogue who had somehow infiltrated the ranks of law enforcement. His appearance lacked any semblance of righteousness; it felt like a waste of that uniform. The more Xiao Mu laughed, the more awkward Baldy became, his discomfort only making him look worse, which in turn made Xiao Mu laugh even harder.
Zhang Quan observed that Xiao Mu seemed to be in good spirits and felt relieved. It was past mealtime, and the takeout box remained untouched on the table. This guy appeared quite bold, casually flipping through Team Leader Ye's folder while the remote lay nearby. The surveillance footage showed he had watched the collected video materials more than once.
After a long while, once Xiao Mu had laughed enough, Zhang Quan finally spoke up: "Let me reintroduce myself. I’m a police officer. My badge number is 00892."
"Forget it; Baldy was cooler before," Xiao Mu replied with a grin. After the initial shock wore off, all that remained was amusement. It was hard to believe someone who looked so much like a thug could be part of the police force.
"I think so too," Zhang Quan chuckled, looking at Xiao Mu expectantly. He cautiously asked, "In the surveillance footage, it seemed like you were studying the characters involved in this Pyramid Scheme."
"Just a bunch of lunatics; there's nothing to study," Xiao Mu replied disinterestedly.
Zhang Quan walked over to him slowly and picked up the folder from the table, glancing through it casually. "I never expected you were telling the truth; you really are a rich second generation."
"But everything you've said has been false," Xiao Mu retorted with a pout.
Zhang Quan didn’t respond to that jab and continued flipping through the folder as if talking to himself. "You chose to major in Abnormal Psychology; you must have studied Behavioral Psychology and Social Psychology, maybe even touched on Judicial and Criminal Psychology. Am I right?"
"Wow? Baldy, you're quite cultured! No wonder you threw out that phrase about East-West Fusion the other day," Xiao Mu exclaimed with surprise and laughter. This guy played the role of a bad guy too convincingly; if he had left midway through their conversation, it would have been hard to imagine he was actually a police officer.
"I really can't observe details like you do, and I certainly can't read people's minds as well as you... That day at Xiangzhuang, you managed to persuade over thirty people to leave. You did a great job; even our Team Leader Ye praised you," Zhang Quan said.
"Really? I thought they would use that as an excuse to detain me for illegally participating in the Pyramid Scheme... If that's worthy of praise, then I really solved a problem for the Pyramid Scheme," Xiao Mu replied.
"Of course it's worthy of praise. If things had escalated, some might have escaped, but those who couldn't would have been harmed," Zhang Quan said, slowly bowing to Xiao Mu. "Thank you. On behalf of all the officers from the Provincial Department Anti-Illegal Pyramid Scheme Task Force, thank you."
Xiao Mu was taken aback, feeling overwhelmed by such a deep bow. He instinctively stood up, but when Zhang Quan thought he was touched, Xiao Mu quickly sat back down and waved his hand dismissively. "Cut it out with that. Are you planning to lock me up? Hurry up; I just want to get a good night's sleep."
"You must think the police will coerce you?" Zhang Quan asked.
"Isn't that the case?" Xiao Mu replied warily.
"Do you really see the police as so incompetent?" Zhang Quan teased.
"Your certainty in saying that is the correct answer," Xiao Mu said.
Clearly incompetent, Zhang Quan lowered his head awkwardly and then smiled. "Maybe you had a bit of an unpleasant encounter with my team this afternoon. I apologize on their behalf. But you really gave them a hard time; their daily allowance is only a little over ten yuan, and they all offered it to you."
Mentioning Lian Qiang and Ma Fenghuo made Xiao Mu smirk. "It's fine; I've forgiven them. Tell them not to hold grudges. After all, I didn't fare well in your hands either. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to get back at them."
"Hehe, I'll pass that along, but I doubt they'll have the chance," Zhang Quan chuckled as he put down the clip.
Xiao Mu slowly got up, realizing it was time to leave. He scoffed, "The next thing you're going to say is that you're taking me away, right? Let's go; it's been fun getting to know you, Baldy. When I get out, I'll look you up."
As Xiao Mu spoke and stood up, his nonchalant and cynical demeanor seemed to be his true nature. Zhang Quan thought that this guy had probably seen a lot of the world; he had even visited American prisons and showed no signs of fear.
"Please... I'll personally see you off. It's currently 7:40 PM, and your flight at 9 PM goes directly to Binhai. Local law enforcement will be there to meet you and ensure you get home safely... The ticket is booked; since you don't have an ID, I arranged it through Airport Security. Don't worry; no one will stop you," Zhang Quan said while pulling out his phone to show the ticket confirmation call.
The sudden turn left Xiao Mu stunned. He stared at Zhang Quan, disbelief etched on his face as he asked, "What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"
"I want to tell you that not all police are incompetent. When you look back in the future, at least you'll have seen a good cop... There's no trick, let's go. We need to hurry; it takes about forty minutes on the road," Zhang Quan said briskly.
Xiao Mu quickened his pace to keep up, pressing for more information. "Hey, Baldy... no, Bald Brother... no, Officer Comrade, what about this..."
"Just stick with Baldy; it rolls off the tongue."
"No, no, that's too rude. Thank you! I thought you were going to detain me. Isn't the case still ongoing?"
"There are other officers involved, and there are other informants and whistleblowers. It's fine; we'll put in some effort. At worst, we'll just expend a bit more energy."
"But..."
"What's wrong? Do you want to stay behind? I wouldn't mind that at all. Love it."
"Cut it out! Are you trying to set me up?"
"Heh heh... Afraid of being trapped? Then hurry up and let's go!"
The two paused briefly in the hallway before rushing downstairs. A car was already waiting at the entrance. The members of A Group sat in the front while Zhang Quan and Xiao Mu took the back seat. As they drove out of the gate, Team Leader Ye stopped them. He handed a bag of small fruits into the car and looked at Xiao Mu in the darkness, saying, "Don't hold a grudge against us, kid. Sometimes we get impatient wanting to deal with those scoundrels who harm others; sometimes we do rush things a bit... Take this for the road. When you come back to Chang'an, visit me at the City Bureau; after all, you've helped us a lot... Off you go."
There was a sense of resignation in his words, tinged with regret and unwillingness. In the darkness, Xiao Mu's expression was unreadable; however, when the car window closed, the heavy bag of fruit landed in his lap. Zhang Quan reached over and grabbed an apple, munching on it as he said, "Linzi, don't believe him; he's just putting on a show."
"That was meant for me! Who told you to eat it? That's rude," Xiao Mu snapped at Zhang Quan, clutching the fruit tightly in his arms and feeling its weight in silence for quite some time.
They were indeed racing against time. As they passed by the airport expressway entrance, Zhang Quan reminded him that those Pyramid Scheme guys were looking for him everywhere but wouldn't dare approach a police car. Aside from that, there was no further conversation. In the afternoon, things had turned sour with those few people; he could clearly sense their hostility. Xiao Mu even suspected that they were just putting on an act, waiting for him to soften up before falling into their trap.
As the car came to a screeching halt in front of the airport terminal, Xiao Mu felt a sudden sense of relief wash over him. A wave of guilt surged within him as he glanced at the few beleaguered police officers nearby. He really shouldn’t have put them through this ordeal. Even now, the driver was still fuming, refusing to spare him a glance.
Once inside the terminal, accompanied by Airport Security, he passed through the security check. Zhang Quan handed a plane ticket to Xiao Mu, hesitating as he looked at him, as if there were a thousand words to say but all were swallowed back. Quietly, he reached into his palm, which was damp with sweat, and pressed several bills into Xiao Mu's hand. Xiao Mu tried to refuse, but Zhang Quan insisted, shoving the money into his hand while saying, “Take it. You have half an hour left; grab a meal… and get some rest before you head home.”
“Thank you… thank you,” Xiao Mu sniffled, glancing at the two officers. Lian Qiang had nothing nice to say and rolled his eyes, muttering, “No need to thank me. Just don’t let me see you again; that would be the best gratitude.”
“If you could control your emotions better, your future achievements would be greater. If you can’t manage your mouth, you’ll end up suffering,” Xiao Mu reminded him, which only infuriated Lian Qiang further as he pointed at Xiao Mu and said, “Old Horse, look at this brat… I really want to give him a beating. After so many years as a cop, I’ve never even flown on official business. With such good treatment, he doesn’t appreciate it.”
“Say less and get lost… Old Horse, drag him away,” Zhang Quan snapped angrily. Old Horse pulled Lian Qiang away from the scene. When Zhang Quan turned back around, his gaze met Xiao Mu’s. Suddenly, Xiao Mu spoke up: “Are you really hoping I’ll change my mind and become your risky informant? Why not just say it?”
“I don’t have the right to do that. Even if I did say it, would you agree?” Zhang Quan replied, a hint of hope flickering across his face.
Xiao Mu remained expressionless and coldly rejected him: “No.”
Perhaps truly desperate now, Zhang Quan forced a smile and patted his shoulder. “I understand. Actually, I wanted to send you off in Hanzhong… No matter what happened before, if you’re leaving now, don’t hold a grudge against us or against the police. This world is terrible; there are many bad people out there. Someone has to stand up against them; otherwise, it’s the good people who suffer… Just like the song you sang this afternoon, ‘I Was Here.’ Beyoncé performed it to commemorate 9/11; it praises those nameless heroes who reach out to help others in times of crisis… We may not be good people ourselves, but we’re not among the bad either. I hope you can understand.”
“I understand,” Xiao Mu nodded but then turned his words sour again. He rolled his eyes at Zhang Quan and said, “You’ve been brainwashed by the organization too; your ideals are too high and your hands aren’t dark enough. Don’t try being an undercover agent; if you encounter someone sharp-eyed, you’ll be exposed.”
With that parting shot, Xiao Mu left Zhang Quan staring blankly at his retreating figure as he disappeared into the crowd heading towards departures.
He left just like that—without looking back.
Zhang Quan ’s expression froze; he even forgot to wave goodbye. All his expectations evaporated into thin air. The police uniform he had donned with such care now seemed utterly ridiculous as he took it off and turned it inside out over his hat while walking dejectedly away. Behind him followed another pair of downcast figures waiting at the entrance for another driver who scoffed and said, “Look at that—three warm faces stuck to a cold backside! What did I tell you? It’s useless; this guy is just a loser.”
“Say less,” Ma Fenghuo gestured at Zhang Quan ’s grim expression and turned back to comfort him. “3326; we won’t have much longer until we wrap things up. It’s no big deal if we miss a few; the Earth won’t stop spinning without them.”
“You guys haven’t been in the Hideout; you don’t know how cunning those people are. We’ve uncovered quite a few dens over three months but haven’t found much in this past week alone. With my skills, I’m barely fit to be a driver or thug; but if we had someone who could stand on that podium… then all the General Managers in this area would fall within our sights for future arrests… tsk.” Zhang Quan lamented deeply about what could have been—a promising lead dashed in just a few days.
The other three were equally frustrated; it was truly the wrong time for such a setback. Outside the hall, they stood smoking, having lit one cigarette after another. Zhang Quan occasionally glanced inside, as if expecting Xiao Mu to reappear, but with each look, disappointment grew in his eyes. Old Horse said, "Let's go. We need to find out where those guys are."
"3326, get your head in the game," Lian Qiang urged.
"Whether I can go back is still uncertain. We have to wait until there's no wind before they might show themselves. I might not even be needed again," Zhang Quan replied.
"Then let's catch them. The Provincial Department is going in hard this time; they're going to investigate thoroughly," Ma Fenghuo stated.
Zhang Quan thought of something but hesitated to speak. From a police perspective, one could never fully grasp the intricacies of every crime. It was like how he always considered Pyramid Schemes to be child's play, yet so many had been deceived by them. That simple, straightforward, and effective method of Brainwashing was hard to believe in its power unless experienced firsthand.
Now, someone who understood it deeply had slipped through his fingers, turning all of Zhang Quan's once high hopes into a sense of lost regret.
The driver's car arrived just as the clock struck 9 PM. A flight took off into the sky, and Ma Fenghuo reminded them of it. Only then did they quietly get into the car. When Zhang Quan looked up, he only saw the flashing tail lights of the flight shining brightly against the night sky, while his heart felt as if it had fallen into a dark abyss.
A night without starlight or direction...
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