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墨書 Inktalez
The most beautiful sight in the Water Town is the rain, with misty waves stretching for miles. Traveling by car feels like drifting through a dreamlike fairyland. The journey from Suzhou and Hangzhou to Binhai takes just an hour, allowing one to appreciate much of the Jiangnan scenery.
In a window seat, Mulin Shen leaned lazily against the glass, gazing at the view outside. Despite the beautiful scenery, his mood was far from good. After six months of setbacks, his spirits had nearly sunk to freezing point. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake off the burdens of failure and laziness that clung to him like a heavy shroud. He was troubled by the upcoming wedding banquet of Ruhua, where classmates would gather, and he feared he would once again become the butt of jokes, just as he had been over a decade ago.
What had gone wrong?
Why did it seem that no matter how hard he tried to do something well, he only ended up doing worse?
He reflected on his mistakes with his meticulous mind but couldn't pinpoint the root cause of his struggles.
Let’s not even mention exams; the chances of passing were slim, and perhaps he wouldn't even qualify. Being expelled from school and having fought before would surely affect one's future—wasn't that too harsh? It was just a conversation in the office; it wasn't as if anyone couldn't handle it.
His culinary career had also hit a dead end. The memories of grueling training still haunted him; it was designed to teach frugality to an extreme degree, where cutting costs was the only measure of success. While costs had indeed been reduced, the quality suffered. Just thinking about the filthy water used for washing vegetables made his stomach churn.
If he became a chef and opened a restaurant, there wouldn’t be many good ingredients available. Mulin Shen recalled how apprentices endured grueling training day in and day out, paying tuition fees with heavy hearts. If given a chance to turn things around, he would likely seek to reclaim tenfold or even a hundredfold from customers and colleagues alike.
This was a form of psychological balance; society offered him certain treatment, and in return, he would give back what he received—exploitation, deceit, and being treated like a servant. Who could expect any gratitude from such experiences? Not retaliating would be a blessing.
Having been influenced by newfound freedom, Young Master Mu could not accept this humiliation nor could he bear to humiliate others in turn. Thus, he chose to leave Binhai for nearby Suzhou and Hangzhou in search of work. Unfortunately, the seemingly glamorous life of a white-collar worker was not as appealing as it appeared.
To earn more commissions and bonuses, one needed to take on more orders; to do that required learning how to undermine colleagues and poach their clients. Mastering these cutthroat tactics was essential; otherwise, someone might see your excellence as a threat and trip you up or whisper behind your back to the boss. On top of dealing with this mental pressure came endless overtime.
White-collar? It should be understood in reverse; it meant that every penny earned came at a cost far greater than that of Migrant Workers.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, his mood gradually sank further into despair. He found himself missing Baldy—the man with faith lived life with vigor. He even began to reminisce about life in the Mental Hospital, where individuals were untouched by external disturbances; their inner richness was solely for their own enjoyment—a source of immense satisfaction.
By the way, there’s Jia Fangfei, that woman who seriously listens to him talk about investments even in bed. Why do I feel an inexplicable fondness for her now?
The car drew closer, the outline of the distant city becoming clearer, and within my heart, that feeling of homesickness grew stronger…
…………………………………
…………………………………
“Master, is this person suitable? He doesn’t seem to fit our type of case,” Guan Yiqing asked.
Shen Lingchen replied without turning around, “The best qualities of an informant are disguise, observation skills, and judgment. If he has been mixed up in a Pyramid Scheme before, then these won’t be a problem.”
Pyramid Scheme, a place where con artists gather, a hub of Brainwashing; it’s hard to say what kind of odd talents can emerge from there. What is known is that this person escaped from a mental hospital and gradually rose to the top in a Pyramid Scheme. This piqued Shen Lingchen's interest.
“But Master, he might not listen to us. He doesn’t have any leverage in our hands,” Guo Wei expressed his concern.
“Wrong. I wouldn’t dare use someone who has leverage against us,” Shen Lingchen said. “Do you know why pyramids cannot be built by slaves? Because under coercion, there will only be passive work and resentment… Only when one approaches a task with ease and joy can it be done well. This is what is meant by ‘the one who knows is not as good as the one who enjoys it; the one who enjoys it is not as good as the one who finds joy in it.’”
Guan Yiqing took a step forward and asked, “So you mean he finds joy in this?”
“Exactly. He studies Abnormal Psychology, law, and criminal psychology. His experimental subjects are those psychologically unstable individuals with numerous offenses… Last year’s Shaanxi Province 6.22 operation’s main suspect, Lu Hongbo, was consistently identified as a Mental Patient by judicial authorities. Can you imagine that such a person could be involved in a Pyramid Scheme worth millions?” Shen Lingchen questioned.
“So what role does he play in all of this?” Guo Wei asked.
This made Shen Lingchen hesitate for a moment. Regarding the more detailed Case Situation, he chose to remain silent and simply said lightly, “It’s bigger than you think and bigger than I think. Just as we were trying to find him, we alerted Commissioner Zhang from the City Bureau last night. He called me to advise caution; we absolutely must not force him. His identity and background are not ordinary.”
"Well, right now we're all in the dark. What good does it do to bring him in?" Guan Yiqing said.
Shen Lingchen turned his head and smiled unexpectedly. "Trust me, it will be very useful. Every form of crime is actually a manifestation of some kind of twisted psychology. As police officers, we see the actions and the harm, but people like him can delve into the minds of criminals."
"Wow, then why not recruit him into the team?" Guo Wei said sourly. Shen Lingchen seemed to be putting Mulin Shen on a pedestal, which felt unfair.
"He actually applied for a position last September when your City Bureau publicly recruited Patrol Officers. He signed up," Shen Lingchen suddenly stopped, turning back to look at his two apprentices. They were surprised and waiting for the outcome, which was Shen Lingchen chuckling as he continued, "But the recruitment office turned him away without even considering his application. Given his background, he probably has no chance with government agencies or enterprises under the current system."
They hit a funny note again, and Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei burst into laughter, feeling a strange sympathy for this genius.
At that moment, the three had already entered the high-speed rail station. After discussing for a moment, they decided it would be best to get acquainted here and hopefully take him out for a meal to chat. Shen Lingchen was aware that his image wasn't great, so he instructed his two apprentices on how to approach him.
"Don't be too polite; it's all about soft and hard tactics."
Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing accepted their orders and murmured to each other. Master Shen talks one way but thinks another; he says to be polite but is clearly preparing to drag someone in.
As they entered the reception area, it was quite a coincidence that while Guan Yiqing was further investigating Mulin Shen's whereabouts, he discovered that Mulin had purchased a ticket back to Binhai for that morning. The real-name system had its advantages; Skynet could monitor everyone's movements in real-time. Upon receiving this news, the three dropped everything and headed straight for Mulin Shen.
"Yi Qing, do you think Master Shen has gone a bit overboard?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it—first looking for old crooks in prison, now chasing after informants who have been out of the game for a long time. He's doing everything except the actual work. He hasn't even visited the crime scene or interviewed the case officers. Widow Ma and Mourning Hair just popped up without any follow-up checks. I feel like we're going off track here."
"If you can do better, then go ahead and take on such cases yourself."
"I don't have that kind of ability."
"If you don't have the ability, then shut up and listen to the master. I actually think we've learned a lot. We never realized before that we live in such a dangerous environment. Just look at the people in the detention center; those who are just thieves could fill a whole truck."
"Compared to our population base, after all, that's just a small group. We can't let that disrupt the overall harmony... The train is coming. Should I say something or will you?"
"I'll take it from here. The master has always underestimated the effect of beauty; if he can't conquer the suspects, I refuse to believe he can't win over an informant."
Guan Yiqing straightened his collar, glanced down at his appearance, and confidently walked toward the train that had just come to a stop.
"Hey... handsome."
In the bustling crowd of travelers, Guan Yiqing finally spotted Mulin Shen among the pedestrians. She waved her hand, but he was looking down and didn't see her at all.
"Hey... handsome."
Guan Yiqing squeezed through the crowd and caught up, patting Mulin Shen on the shoulder. Xiao Mu turned around, slightly surprised.
"Handsome... let's get to know each other." Guan Yiqing extended his hand in greeting.
Xiao Mu didn't reach out, remaining cautious. Guo Wei also pushed his way forward, standing cheerfully in front of Mulin Shen. Xiao Mu asked warily, "Who are you?"
"We are..." Guo Wei was about to introduce themselves when Guan Yiqing interrupted him with a playful smile and said, "You... guess."
Xiao Mu looked at them seriously while Guo Wei remained silent with a smile. To be honest, he didn't believe in their abilities; they looked quite inexperienced. Even in middle school, they would have seemed like troublemakers—definitely not as impressive as they appeared. Xiao Mu stared at Guan Yiqing for two seconds, then glanced at Guo Wei a few times before pointing at Guan Yiqing and saying, "You are... a police officer."
"You too," Xiao Mu pointed at Guo Wei, revealing the truth.
"Not so simple, right?" Guan Yiqing, feeling a thrill of excitement, asked as Guo Wei exclaimed, "Wow, how did you guess? We've never met you before."
"Easy to guess. You two have already revealed many flaws on your first meeting," Xiao Mu replied confidently. As he walked with an air of superiority, the two naturally became his followers. Guo Wei, still in shock, pressed on, "What flaws?"
"First, there are only two types of people who hit on others at the station: those looking for customers to stay in a hotel or those trying to get someone on board. Since you’re not trying to lure someone in, you must be looking for someone. Second, I came back unexpectedly and knew someone would be waiting for me here; who else could do that besides the police? Third, you two are smiling—he's grinning slyly and she's smirking mischievously. I not only know you're police officers but also that you're up to no good," Xiao Mu said, stopping in his tracks. The two were infuriated by his words; Guan Yiqing gritted his teeth and glared at Xiao Mu, not expecting such a result. However, Xiao Mu just smiled and raised a finger, asking, "Want to hear the fourth?"
"What?" Guan Yiqing snapped.
"The fourth is that I've seen your photo; you've even disguised yourself as my sister... I recognized you at a glance," Xiao Mu said with a mischievous grin.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Guo Wei was furious.
"Oh, so clever! You guessed it right away..." Xiao Mu laughed, taking out his frustrations from recent encounters on Guo Wei. With a dismissive expression, he said bluntly, "Is it illegal to do it on purpose? Is it a crime to deliberately avoid committing a crime? Get lost... The last thing I want to see right now is police; I just got fined a thousand bucks."
Xiao Mu's anger flared even more as he shouted a couple of times before grabbing his clothes and turning to leave without caring about the police or the beautiful women around him. This left Guan Yiqing bewildered while Guo Wei was so enraged he wanted to confront Xiao Mu. Guan Yiqing quickly pulled him back and shook his head, signaling that causing a scene in this environment would only lead to more trouble with the police.
Suddenly, they noticed Shen Lingchen approaching Xiao Mu. They thought Shen Lingchen was going to intervene but were surprised when he merely brushed past Xiao Mu as if they didn't know each other at all and walked straight toward them. Disappointed, Guo Wei remarked, "Master Shen, this guy is taking out his frustrations on us for his own mistakes."
"Disappointed?" Shen Lingchen asked with a smile.
"Yes," Guan Yiqing replied incredulously. "How is he any different from those suspects in the detention center? He's just as shameless and reckless."
It seemed that their hopes for this genius had been dashed.
"Ha ha, I'm quite disappointed too." Shen Lingchen chuckled as he rummaged through his pocket, revealing a delicate wallet. His two disciples watched intently, glancing in the direction of Xiao Mu. Could it be that he had taken something from Xiao Mu?
The two exchanged glances, surprised that their master possessed such skills. Upon opening the wallet, they found Xiao Mu's identification card, bank cards, and a stack of cash. Shen Lingchen looked around and remarked with genuine disappointment, "Your alertness is too poor. It seems the rumors were wrong... Just wait and see how long it takes him to realize."
Shen Lingchen tossed the wallet to Guan Yiqing, displaying an expression of great disillusionment, as if someone with such low alertness was truly not to his taste.
Xiao Mu indeed had not noticed anything amiss. As he reached the exit, he felt something was off. He turned back several times and caught sight of a nondescript middle-aged man passing by him. Yes, the oddity lay with that person; his gaze was sharp, which was why Xiao Mu felt an unsettling comfort. If he were just an ordinary passerby, he wouldn't have drawn Xiao Mu's subconscious attention at all.
In truth, he didn't want to provoke the police. Although he enjoyed that kind of thrilling life, it was merely a fleeting desire in his heart. Countless experiences had proven that individuals like him—libertarians who disrupted public order and undermined harmony—would be scorned and despised by the system. What the system needed were idealists like Baldy, who were steadfast in their beliefs.
He quickened his pace but absentmindedly patted his pocket as he exited. Suddenly, he realized the problem; memories flooded back about why that middle-aged man's behavior had seemed strange. The issue lay in his own pocket—it was completely empty.
"Those damn Striped Uniforms stole my stuff... Damn it, just wait."
Fury surged within Xiao Mu as he turned on his heel and sprinted toward the Police Station Office...
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