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Chapter 33
Bai Sheng: “It’s all because I care too much about giegie~”1The term “giegie” is a homophone for “哥哥” (gēge), which means “big brother” or “brother” in Chinese.
A man in his early thirties, dressed in gray, carried a takeout bag through a dusty, low-rise corridor. He briskly ascended the stairs, stopping in front of his own anti-theft door.
Through the crack in the door, faint whimpers of dogs could be heard. They seemed to be the two dogs adopted from the rescue group the day before. Unfortunately, the person who adopted them was an older lady, well past her prime, and even if she were to blackmail with nude photos, they wouldn’t be able to sell them for money. However, it was fortunate that both of them were large breed dogs this time. Large breed dogs endured torture better, as nowadays, the sponsors who commission videos didn’t like to see small dogs being killed anymore. The bigger the dog, the more valuable it was to sell…
I should call Huang Kaiqi to come over early tonight and take the dogs away, the man thought to himself.
After all, I’m just a planner. I don’t personally get my hands dirty. If the neighbour next door hears the dogs barking constantly, they’ll start to suspect something.
He pondered how to deal with these two dogs, and several novel, cruel, yet profitable ideas flashed through his mind. For a moment, his nerves were heightened with excitement. Humming a tune, he pushed open the door, but in the next instant, his steps abruptly halted:
“Who are you?”
In the living room ahead, a high school girl in a school uniform sat on the sofa. Two large, thin dogs nestled by her feet, their bony frames wrapped in bandages covering numerous wounds. They affectionately wagged their tails at her.
“You, are you…”
The girl raised her eyelids, her gaze cold and sharp: “Zhang Zongxiao?”
Her fair and lovely face made Zhang Zongxiao recognize who she was in an instant—the girl who had been blackmailed with semi-nude photos a few days ago!
How did she find her way to his door?
Zhang Zongxiao was immediately thrown into chaos, but panic was quickly replaced by ruthless aggression. He casually picked up a pry bar from the side of the door, concealed it in his hand, and sneered at the girl, “Oh, missing big brother so much that you came knocking on my door? Today happens to be a leisure day, so let me accompany you…”
The pry bar suddenly slipped from his hand, as if guided by an invisible force. Then in a swift motion, it shot forward like lightning—
Smack!!
Blood sprayed from Zhang Zongxiao’s nose and mouth as his head slammed heavily into the door.
This blow was truly brutal, and it took him some moments, perhaps seconds or minutes, to barely regain consciousness from the intense dizziness. Blood gushed continuously from his nose and mouth, and his mouth was filled with fragments of his own teeth.
“…” His whole body trembled violently, and he tried to get up with all his might. However, a foot extended in front of him, followed by a forceful stomp that pushed him back to the ground.
The girl weighed the pry bar in her hand and examined the darkened blood and rust, as if witnessing countless helpless little creatures struggling and their brains splattering under this iron rod.
She smiled, “Do you know what homotypic revenge means?”
Zhang Zongxiao opened his mouth, but besides intermittent groans of pain, he couldn’t make any sound at all.
Of course, he couldn’t speak. Both rows of teeth on his right side were completely shattered, and transparent fluid was steadily flowing from his nasal tube. It was cerebrospinal fluid.
“In 1776 BC, the Code of Hammurabi was engraved on basalt pillars by the Babylonians: ‘If one damages another’s eye, his eye shall be destroyed; if one knocks out another’s tooth, his tooth shall be knocked out.’ Thirteen hundred years later, the ancient Romans refined homotypic revenge in the Twelve Tables of Law, believing that one who harms another’s limbs should have their limbs broken to truly settle the blood debt.”
“—The only downside is one little thing.”
The girl’s movements were deliberate as she held the pointed end of the pry bar just above Zhang Zongxiao’s eyeball, looking down at the terrified and trembling man at her feet:
“Homotypic revenge usually occurs within the same social class, but you really can’t be compared to innocent animals.”
Zhang Zongxiao uttered a desperate and incomprehensible plea of mercy, his pupils reflecting the sharp tip of the pry bar. The girl revealed a gentle smile:
“I granted you treatment equal to that of animals. You should consider it the greatest honor.”
The dim and chaotic hallway had tightly closed iron doors for each household.
A few seconds later, a heart-wrenching and terrifying scream tore through the silence, causing a rat near the trash bin to scurry away instantly.
***
Woo-woo—
Sharp honking approached from a distance as two vehicles from the supervision office drove into the residential area. Before the cars even came to a complete stop amidst the piercing brake sounds, Chen Miao personally led a team rushing out of the cars.
“Team one, block the front door; team two, block the back door; two people each to guard the elevator and fire escape. The rest follow me upstairs!” Chen Miao instructed while walking, “That guy surnamed Zhang lives in 1505; the others come with me!”
“Yes!”
The well-trained inspectors moved swiftly. Chen Miao led the charge into the residential building, his brows furrowed. The dossier he had received from Shen Zhuo replayed in his mind.
[Zhang Zongxiao, residing in Ganjingzi District, frequents various rescue groups, deceives aid-seekers by posing as a pet doctor on social media to obtain money for medication, and is the primary creator of animal cruelty videos.]
[Zhang Zongxiao is responsible for adopting cats and dogs and devising cruelty plans. Huang Kaiqi was responsible for executing them, and Wang Ping was in charge of contacting buyers. These three individuals were part of the same cruelty syndicate.]
“But this person surnamed Zhang is not important.” In the office before departure, Shen Zhuo flipped open the second page of the dossier. The girl’s photo was obscured below the neck, revealing only a cold, snow-white face staring at Chen Miao. “—The dangerous one is her.”
“Why?” Chen Miao was filled with suspicion.
Shen Zhuo didn’t directly answer; he simply gestured with a wave of his hand without raising his head.
Bai Sheng, sitting with one leg crossed over the other on an office chair, immediately pulled out a recorder from his pocket and handed it over with a polite demeanor. Shen Zhuo took it and pressed the play button, and the voice of an inspector came through it:
“Are you sure she isn’t the one? Should we take another look?”
Principal of Boyi High School: “Listen to me, she really isn’t. We’ve checked twice already…”
The inspector sounded a bit anxious, “But this girl was right outside your school gate when the accident happened this noon, wearing your school uniform and even carrying a backpack!”
“Oh, she really isn’t a student of ours,” the principal desperately swore. “All our teachers were arranged to come for identification; not a single person could recognize her. We even asked those teachers on vacation at home! Listen to me, who knows where she got that uniform and backpack? She really is not from our school!”
“What, this girl is impersonating a student?” Chen Miao’s scalp almost exploded: “Then doesn’t that mean…”
“Yes, everything was planned.”
Shen Zhuo casually tossed the recorder back to Bai Sheng, not sounding surprised at all: “Time, place, scene setup, the assailant’s persona—every detail was flawlessly designed. She could have easily killed Huang Kaiqi in a hundred different ways, but she chose the busy street corner at noon today, just a few hundred meters away from the Shenhai City Supervision Office. Even after the attack, she calmly came up to me, thanked me, and casually provided details about animal fur.”
Chen Miao, shocked, opened his mouth but only managed to squeeze out a voice, “But… but why?”
Shen Zhuo’s ten fingers, wrapped in black gloves, looked slender. He gently closed the dossier, “Currently, we can’t be certain, but one thing is clear – she wanted to get our attention.”
“She came for the Shenhai City Supervision Office.”
“1505!” “It’s here!”
Chen Miao abruptly stopped in front of the anti-theft door with the number 1505. Several inspectors exchanged glances.
“Zhang Zongxiao?” Chen Miao knocked on the door, making a clanging sound. “Zhang Zongxiao!”
There was no response from inside.
Without any hesitation, Chen Miao gave the door a firm pat and directly asked, “Little sister, we mean no harm. Are you inside?”
“…”
A few curious heads peeked out from several households in the distant corridor. However, upon seeing Chen Miao and his team dressed in the white uniforms of the supervision office and wearing the metallic collars of evolutionists, they immediately jumped in surprise and hurriedly retreated, slamming their doors shut.
“Chen-ge,” one inspector asked almost inaudibly, “What should we do? Should we break down the door?”
Chen Miao turned around and spoke softly, “Yang Xiaodao?”
The young man had an expressionless face as he was pushed forward from the back of the crowd. He still held the dinner that Bai Sheng, with a face full of fatherly love, had given him before they left—a bag of Huang Xiong Gan Cui instant noodles with a packet of pickled vegetables. The cheap dad even forgot to add a couple of ham sausages.
Bang! Bang! Chen Miao gave the door two final knocks and loudly declared, “Little sister, we’re going to break down the door. If you’re behind it, move away!” Then, he gestured toward the anti-theft door with a nod at Yang Xiaodao, indicating him to take charge.
Traditional hydraulic door breaching tools have many inconveniences, such as the need for charging, portability issues, and unsuitability for complex terrains. If using evolutionists’ abilities, traditional powers like freezing, lightning, flames, etc. might inevitably cause collateral damage. For instance, dealing with the aftermath of Chen Miao’s ice arrows would be troublesome due to the scattered ice shards.
However, with Yang Xiaodao’s green, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient abilities, these concerns were nonexistent. The young man lived up to expectations. He lifted his foot with an expressionless face, and the next moment—Bang!!
The entire anti-theft door flew like a projectile, crashing with a thunderous sound into the living room.
“Don’t move!” “Shenhai City Supervision Office!” “Stay still, hands up!”
The group rushed in through the smoke, and Chen Miao stormed into the entrance, sweeping his gun back and forth in the chaotic living room. No one was there.
Reports came simultaneously from different directions: “No one in the study!”
“No one in the bedroom!”
“The toilet is empty!”
—The entire house was vacated long ago, leaving only the lingering dust in the air and a faint trace of blood.
At this moment, Yang Xiaodao’s voice came from behind: “…Hey.”
Chen Miao turned around and looked in the direction indicated by Yang Xiaodao.
On the floor behind the main door, there was a pool of blood, mingled with tiny white fragments.
There, a punctured and murky ball lay on the ground. Chen Miao slowly crouched down, locking eyes with it for a moment.
It was an eyeball.
***
“That’s how it is.” Half an hour later, Chen Miao’s voice, filled with helplessness, came through the phone: “Zhang Zongxiao got beaten up violently and was taken away while unconscious. According to the surveillance footage from the residential area, the girl in the school uniform is the one who took him away. She was dragging Zhang Zongxiao like a dead dog, with a bloodied pry bar in her hand… I have to say, the little sister is quite bold.”
In the supervision office, Shen Zhuo sat behind a spacious desk, exhaling silently.
“Understood,” he said calmly. “Let Director Wang assist in checking the surveillance. You can withdraw.”
“Yes!”
It wasn’t surprising, really. A girl with an unclear background but meticulous methods and obviously high intelligence couldn’t be caught so easily, especially considering that the clue about animal fur was deliberately left by her.
If the supervision office hadn’t noticed anything suspicious through those few dog hairs, if they hadn’t traced the cruelty syndicate through Huang Kaiqi, she probably would’ve had to find more ways to drop hints, ensuring the supervision office noticed her actions as soon as possible.
The little girl clearly wanted the supervision office to chase after her, but why?
Where did she intend to take Zhang Zongxiao?
After dealing with the last bit of business for the day, Shen Zhuo glanced over the records of illegal activities and civil disputes involving evolutionists in Shenhai City over the past half month. He systematically approved each report in the document. It was already past eight o’clock.
He closed the computer but didn’t get up to leave the office. Instead, he reached for the case file again, leaning back in his chair, carefully flipping through the pages, pondering. When he reached the timeline of the cruelty syndicate’s chat records, he suddenly sensed a subtle inconsistency.
However, just as he was about to examine it more closely, there were two knocks on the office door, followed by a familiar and teasing voice:
“Hey, beauty, what are you doing? Have you eaten yet?”
Shen Zhuo looked up.
Bai Sheng was leaning against the office door frame, his young and handsome appearance standing out. In each hand, he held a massive takeout bag filled with an array of skewers—over a hundred iron skewers in total. The unique aroma of barbecue filled the entire office.
“…” Shen Zhuo said, “Mr. Bai, you really make yourself at home.”
“Naturally.” Bai Sheng walked into the office, using his foot to push open the large armchair in front of the desk. He said with a smile, “I’ve always seen myself as a future master of the country and the successor of socialism.”
Currently, the biggest concern in the entire supervision office was the fear that Shen Zhuo’s fish-raising skills might go awry and everyone would lose the support of Bai-ge, their S-class golden thigh. Therefore, everyone went out of their way to please him behind the scenes—Chen Miao even knew to bring an extra cup of milk tea for his Bai-ge. Bai Sheng could enter and exit the supervision office without swiping his access card, and the guards eagerly opened the door for him.
“Eat.” Bai Sheng laid out a table full of barbecue, with abalone, oysters, beef, crab, and even a bowl of lobster congee. “One can’t work properly on an empty stomach, and being hungry is not good for the body. Come, try these two skewers.”
Shen Zhuo said, “I’m not…”
“Specially ordered for you, lamb kidneys.”
The air fell silent as Shen Zhuo looked at the two skewers of grilled lamb kidneys in Bai Sheng’s hands. After a moment, he politely replied, “Thank you, my kidney function is fine, no need to supplement. You go ahead.”
“What are you thinking, Inspector Shen?” In an instant, Bai Sheng wore an expression of unparalleled innocence, shock, and confusion. “Lamb kidneys are rich in iron, which can ensure a sufficient number of red blood cells, improve blood oxygen levels, and enhance brain efficiency in thinking—why are you so sensitive about kidney function?”
“…”
Shen Zhuo remained silent for a while, gazing at Bai Sheng’s incredibly sincere face. Finally, he spoke slowly, “There’s something that has puzzled me for a long time.”
“Hmm?”
“How did you manage to survive until adulthood without being crippled before evolving to S-class?”
Bai Sheng playfully blinked his eyes and personally served Shen Zhuo a bowl of lobster congee. He said with a smile, “I’m very rich.”
As the eldest son of the Baihe Group, Bai Sheng was the sole heir to the massive family trust. According to his parents’ will, if something unfortunate were to happen to him, the vast majority of the family’s wealth would be completely donated.
Therefore, the only requirement people around Bai Sheng had for him since childhood was: survive, don’t die.
For a child from a normal family, this might not be a challenge, but for Bai Sheng, it was quite difficult. Perhaps it was due to his naturally talkative nature and a penchant for trouble. From a young age, he was known for being socially audacious in the upper echelons of society. In kindergarten, he once led a group of wealthy kids to play with throttles in a line. If he saw two groups of troublemakers fighting on the street, he couldn’t resist going up and saying a few words, infuriating them to the point where they stopped fighting altogether, and even teamed up to chase and beat him.
It was all thanks to having the money to afford professional bodyguards working in shifts that he managed to grow up without someone beating him to death with a brick. Even so, he almost gave his own uncle a heart attack with all the troubles he caused.
Facts have proven that being too audacious could bring retribution. Five years ago, Bai Sheng went rock climbing in the mountains, insisting on reaching the mountain top while others only climbed halfway. As a result, in the middle of the night, a meteorite fell from the sky and pierced through three layers of camping tents. It bounced up and hit him squarely on the back of his head, rendering him unable to take care of himself. If it hadn’t been for the fact that it was an evolutionary-source meteorite, he would have lost his head on the spot. Even so, he spent half a month in the hospital before waking up, only to evolve into a rare S-class.
After years of suffering, they finally reaped the rewards. All the investors in the trust company cried tears of joy—although the fact that this troublesome guy could evolve was quite annoying, at least he wouldn’t talk himself to death prematurely.
Bai Sheng was a classic carnivore, and perhaps due to evolving into an S-class, his demand for meat seemed limitless. With a seemingly elegant but actually stormy speed, he cleared most of the barbecue from the table. Glancing up, he noticed Shen Zhuo still leisurely sipping the bowl of congee, casually flipping through the case file on the table.
“Look at you; your eating habits are really terrible. You can’t even focus while eating.” Bai Sheng pulled out two bottles of Wahaha AD Calcium Milk from his pants pocket and handed one to Shen Zhuo. He grinned and asked, “Dessert after the meal; care for some?”
Shen Zhuo was skeptical, “Where did these come from?”
“I won them in a competition of throwing stones to skip on the water with the owner’s child at the barbecue place.” Bai Sheng emphasized, shaking his index finger, “I specially won these two bottles!”
“…”
“No, thanks.” Shen Zhuo remained expressionless. “There’s only one barbecue shop on the three nearby streets. Everyone at the supervision office orders takeout from there. Remember to ask Chen Miao to buy two bottles of Wahaha and bring them back, or else your picture will be displayed at the owner’s door for a year.”
Bai Sheng was completely unconcerned about his perfect, 360-degree no-dead-angle photos being publicly displayed for a year. He had even made plans with his new friends to have another skipping stone competition next time. After gulping down the bottle of AD Calcium Milk, he peered over and saw Shen Zhuo still engrossed in the case file. Bai Sheng asked with interest, “Any discoveries?”
Shen Zhuo put down his spoon, leaned back in his chair, and furrowed his eyebrows slightly: “I just feel something is off.”
Bai Sheng wasn’t surprised, “Because the photos were photoshopped?”
Shen Zhuo glanced at him, indicating how he figured that out?
The nude photo was indeed photoshopped, but after Huang Kaiqi’s computer was confiscated by Director Wang, the photo was processed to be blurred, and no one had the opportunity to examine it closely. The only possibility was that the S-class dynamic vision was too incredible. In that split second when he opened the chat records at Huang Kaiqi’s house, he had already spotted traces of Photoshop on the photo.
Considering Bai Sheng’s personality, his first reaction would likely be to avoid looking at it, and he wouldn’t bother examining whether the photo had been edited.
“Just a guess.” Bai Sheng shrugged. “This girl is too smart. I guess she has many ways to deal with different problems, not to mention photoshopping a picture isn’t that difficult.”
Shen Zhuo nodded, his ten fingers loosely crossed on the desk. “That’s why, I feel something is off.”
“How so?”
“Too hasty.”
Separated by an office desk, from this angle, Shen Zhuo’s lines extended gracefully from his chin to the neck, appearing elegant and exquisite in the play of light and shadow, disappearing into the deep shadows of his collarbone.
Bai Sheng rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at that small patch of skin as if missing even a second would betray the regret of longing for the person in the photo every night. He casually asked, “Hasty how?”
“Three days, three individuals, three different times and places, from planning to execution without the slightest delay, the efficiency is astonishing. But in contrast, Huang Kaiqi’s chat records show that Zhang Zongxiao disguised himself as a compassionate person 20 days ago, tricking a stray cat from a little girl’s hand, and then immediately started extorting nude photos. In other words, from realizing that the other party was part of the animal abuse group to using powers for revenge, this girl waited a full half-month.”
“It doesn’t seem like her,” Shen Zhuo leaned back in the armchair, shaking his head. “Moreover, during this period, she even sent a photoshopped nude photo once, clearly to buy some time.”
Previously doing everything possible to delay and now suddenly retaliating at lightning speed—this contrast was not just slightly off, it was a glaring difference.
“Hmm.” Bai Sheng absentmindedly contemplated for a moment, asking, “Could it be that she didn’t make up her mind until three days ago when she finally realized the stray cat had been abused, prompting her swift retaliation?”
“—Not making up her mind?” Shen Zhuo chuckled. “With her formidable ability, she could have directly confronted them, taken the cat back, and disabled those people. Why wouldn’t she make up her mind sooner?”
Bai Sheng seemed to have an epiphany and finally caught a glimpse of the meaning, “So you think…”
“I think there’s something off about her ability.” Shen Zhuo paused, stating, “There are two possibilities: first, Wang Ping and Huang Kaiqi’s ‘rabies’ incident wasn’t her doing. During the delayed half-month, she was seeking accomplices. However, considering she went alone to confront Zhang Zongxiao, this possibility is low.”
Bai Sheng, intrigued, asked, “And the second?”
Shen Zhuo pondered for a moment and slowly said, “The second, both Wang Ping and Huang Kaiqi’s ‘rabies’ incidents were her doing, but during that preceding half-month… she didn’t possess that ability yet.”
The two locked eyes, each knowing that the other was thinking of the same person.
—Liu Sanji.
“Not another second evolution, right?” Bai Sheng rubbed his chin, seemingly surprised. “The only person I know who can suddenly grant abilities is someone named Rong. Could this be related to your fanatical pursuer again?”
Shen Zhuo took a deep breath, displaying remarkable composure. Then he calmly repeated, “Speak sensibly, don’t go off the rails. He is not my pursuer; I simply don’t have that many—”
The internal phone on the desk rang, it was a call from the secretary in duty.
“Hello?”
“Supervisor, we received a virtual meeting communication key. The Central Supervision Office wants to request an immediate meeting with you…”
“Who?”
“Uh, it’s Chief Yue.”
The air fell silent for a moment. Bai Sheng then revealed a smile even more perfect than an emoji, adding a touch of irony as he said:
“—’simply don’t have that many pursuers.'”
Shen Zhuo covered the receiver with one hand and glanced at Bai Sheng. The latter met his gaze and shrugged, then innocently leaned back, implying that he wouldn’t avoid anything and wasn’t afraid to face people.
“…”
Shen Zhuo pinched the bridge of his nose and said into the phone, “Connect him in.”
A projector on the office ceiling automatically extended, countless beams of light then appeared in mid-air, intricately weaving a lifelike three-dimensional virtual projection.
Bai Sheng sat at the desk with an air of an incarnated film emperor, looking down upon the world. His arms crossed casually, and his long legs sprawled unabashedly. Every strand of his hair was perfect enough to grace the cover of a fashion magazine. His youthful and confident face could easily become the star attraction at a nightclub.
The next moment, Yue Yang, impeccably dressed and serious, appeared in the office: “Shen Zhuo…”
Immediately after, he paused in surprise.
“Oh, sorry, sorry,” Bai Sheng miraculously changed his demeanor in a second, quickly pulling his legs together and standing up. With a sincere expression on his face, he apologized carefully, “I just happened to drop by. Inspector Shen has been busy all day and forgot to eat. I was really worried, so I came to bring some food.”
Then he turned to Shen Zhuo, his eyes shimmering with the earnestness and shyness typical of young people:
“It’s all my fault. I was worried that Inspector Shen was working too hard and might be exhausted. Oh, Chief Yue must have a lot of work-related matters to trouble Inspector Shen with, right? You two can talk; Inspector Shen, remember to rest early after finishing your work. See you later!”
Yue Yang: “……………”
A thousand words choked in Chief Yue’s throat. He opened his mouth helplessly, unable to say anything.
Shen Zhuo supported his forehead and gritted his teeth at Bai Sheng, “Sit down!”
Bai Sheng had been waiting for this moment.
He immediately sat back down, sitting upright in front of Chief Yue, placing his hands on his thighs, looking dignified, amiable, and tolerant, like a main wife, courteously and kindly asking:
“May I ask, Chief Yue, what business do you have with Inspector Shen? Any trivial matters can be handled by me.”
In a daze, Chief Yue felt a sensation similar to Granny Liu2“Granny Liu” is a character from the classic Chinese novel “Dream of the Red Chamber” (红楼梦). The expression is used in modern Chinese to describe someone, usually simple and unsophisticated, who is overwhelmed by new experiences and luxurious surroundings entering the Grand View Garden.3“大观园” (Dà Guān Yuán) is the name of a grand estate in the Chinese classic novel “Dream of the Red Chamber” (红楼梦).
He closed his eyes, forced himself to take five deep breaths, internally counted to ten, finally struggling to break free from the dazzling and terrifying light of the S-clsss individual. Then be barely regained composure and coughed forcefully:
“…The surveillance at the Evolutionist Specialist Hospital in the Central District revealed that three days ago, on that night, Rong Qi and a few of his subordinates were seen at the hospital entrance.”
“According to surveillance analysis, Rong Qi might have… visited Su Jiqiao’s ward.”
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