At eight in the morning, Finance University.
Yang Chen walked into the classroom with a backpack slung over his shoulder. His gaze swept around the room and paused briefly at Qin Ze's empty seat. Without changing expression, he sat down at his own desk, opened his bag, and organized the materials he had finished yesterday.
Professor Li had not arrived yet, and the atmosphere in the classroom was relaxed. The eight members greeted one another and chatted. The women discussed entertainment industry gossip, while the men talked about current affairs and politics, criticizing the news and government policies.
Wang Shiyu, wearing glasses, looked around. "Huh? Qin Ze isn't here today?"
"Probably late."
"He's only been here a few days, yet he's late every other day."
"He got in through connections. He doesn't care about that stuff."
"Whatever. Just do your own work."
For once, Yang Chen did not offer an opinion. His face was slightly pale as he nervously typed a message on his phone. Then his expression stiffened, and he said nothing.
A moment later, his phone vibrated with a message notification. Yang Chen hurriedly picked it up and unlocked the screen. The other party had replied: "My family has connections. I can handle this, but send me another five thousand."
Yang Chen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as though a burden had been lifted. He immediately transferred five thousand to the other party.
Five thousand yuan was gone just like that. It still hurt to think about it, but if this matter could be settled, he would have been willing to spend ten thousand.
Before long, Professor Li arrived. He clapped his hands and said, "Qin Ze won't be coming anymore. Yang Chen, you will continue to be responsible for this group's work. Finish the calculations he didn't complete yesterday. You'll have to work a little harder."
Everyone exchanged looks.
Yang Chen could barely conceal the joy on his face. He said loudly, "Don't worry, Professor. It's my duty. I'll make up for Qin Ze's missed progress today. I definitely won't hold everyone back."
Professor Li nodded in satisfaction. He had an Open Class that morning, so after giving a few instructions, he hurried away.
Whispers rose in the classroom as they discussed Qin Ze.
"He was doing fine. Why isn't he coming anymore?"
"Maybe he couldn't handle it. He's still an undergraduate, after all. He can't adapt, and he doesn't have the pressure us graduating students have."
"True. Qin Ze seemed pretty decent."
After a few remarks, they stopped discussing that junior who had "given up halfway." Qin Ze had not been in the studio for long and had barely interacted with them. If he left, then he left; it was not worth making a fuss over. They were graduating students, and most of their peers had gone out for internships. Few remained at school, and even they rarely paid attention to the Campus Forum. Otherwise, they would already have known about Qin Ze's title as the Slap-in-the-Face King.
The mindsets of current students and graduating students were worlds apart.
Qin Ze got up early, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and ate the thick porridge his mother had cooked and brought to the hospital. He could barely get out of bed, and any larger movement pulled at his wound. Because his intestines had been injured, the doctor said that, to reduce the burden on his stomach and intestines, he could eat at most one bowl of porridge a day. The rest of his nutrition had to be maintained through IV drips.
Qin's mom was a virtuous homemaker. After delivering the porridge to Qin Ze, she said, "Oh dear, the quilts at home haven't been aired out for days; the floor hasn't been mopped for days; the package I bought online the day before yesterday needs to be opened... Son, stay in the hospital and recover properly. Mom is going home to take care of things."
Qin Ze lay alone in bed, lonely, empty, and cold, silently watching television.
"Ding. Host, please note: system energy is insufficient. In seven days, the system will absorb the host's vitality."
A long-unheard voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
Qin Ze shuddered. "Didn't you absorb it once last week?"
"The system absorbs energy once every half month on average." The system's voice carried no emotion whatsoever.
"Fuck, I'm injured right now. You're a system, yet instead of helping me, you're kicking me while I'm down. Have you no shame?" Qin Ze panicked.
He would never forget that hollow feeling of jerking off seven times in one night.
His current body could not endure a second time. Qin Ze had basic mastery of traditional Chinese medicine and knew this aspect inside out. After the system kicked him while he was down, his wounds would heal more slowly. He might even be left with a chronic condition, leading to endless future trouble.
"Debts must be repaid, and devices without power must be charged. It is only natural." The system's voice replied.
"What a fine 'only natural.'" Qin Ze covered his face. "I have nothing to say. You really are a parasite, aren't you?"
"Rest assured, Host. Based on your current physical condition, your injuries will be fully healed in seven days."
"Really?"
"My programming does not include a lying function."
His phone rang with its default ringtone. Qin Ze ended his conversation with the system, picked up the phone, and saw the caller ID: Qin Baobao.
Qin Baobao had taken the day off to handle Qin Ze's matter with the Old Man.
"Hello? What is it?"
"The Police Station really refused to open a case. They insist it's a civil dispute, and that bitch even cursed me and dad out." Qin Baobao's voice was filled with overwhelming resentment.
Qin Ze said nothing and listened as she rambled on. The Police Station would not issue an Injury Assessment Commission, and the procuratorate had replied: complaint received, please wait. Then it vanished without a trace.
They had hit wall after wall.
"There is a video online of you getting stabbed, but dad's colleague from the law school said, 'Because there isn't a complete video, it will be hard to use it as evidence.' It was probably filmed by a passerby on their phone, so it isn't complete. The internet cafe's surveillance footage was taken away by the Police Station." Qin Baobao said aggrievedly, "The Old Man smoked an entire pack of cigarettes this morning. He's been frowning the whole time."
After hearing this, Qin Ze was silent for a long time before laughing. "So this is what they call officials protecting one another. I've learned something today, really learned something."
Hearing how calm he sounded, Qin Baobao said tearfully, "Your sister is so angry she's about to cry. Can you take this more seriously?"
Qin Baobao was losing her temper. If she had been in the hospital room, she would have used her Face-Grabbing Divine Skill on Qin Ze's face.
"If it's Star Arts Entertainment Company, it should be no problem, right?" Qin Ze said abruptly.
Qin Baobao did not understand. "What do you mean?"
"Entertainment companies are the best at using Internet Troll Armies. Sis, don't you agree?" Qin Ze said. "I'll send you a video, and you'll understand."
After saying that, he hung up and sent her the video he had recorded last night. He had originally intended to use it as complaint material or to threaten Wang Guomin, but a sudden idea had changed his mind.
We might not have the surveillance footage, but we have this.
Five minutes later, Qin Baobao called back. Once he answered, his sister's shriek came through the phone. "Ah... Good little brother, your sister loves you the most."
Qin Ze thought, If you loved me, you wouldn't treat me like a servant. Chuckling, he said, "You get it now, right?"
Qin Baobao had always been exceptionally intelligent and understood instantly. "You mean we hire an Internet Troll Army to blow this up and make it go viral online."
"Officials nowadays are lazy. They would rather avoid trouble than deal with it. As long as no one dies and nothing major happens, they can keep taking it easy forever." Qin Ze smiled. "We'll create public opinion and draw social attention. Hmm, the title could be: Shocking! Nephew commits an inhuman act, police uncle covers the sky with one hand and disregards the law."
I am a professional Keyboard Warrior.
Qin Baobao laughed loudly. "How about this instead: Shocking! A police officer actually did this to a twenty-two-year-old man."
Qin Ze's eyes lit up. "Not bad, Qin Baobao. Come apply to the Shocking Department tomorrow."
Qin Baobao made a kissing sound over the phone. "Your sister will spoil you when she gets back. Let's handle business first."
That afternoon, a video spread wildly online. Its hot search index surpassed one million, and it received tens of thousands of replies.
In just one day, it became a trending Weibo search: #MurderWithoutConsequence, A Mere Police Officer Covers the Sky With One Hand#
Qin Ze could not help smiling. What a clickbait title. He tapped into the post and watched the video. It was exactly the thirteen-minute video he had secretly recorded that day.
The Weibo post had been published by someone claiming to be Qin Ze, the victim. The writing was excellent, every word seemingly written in tears and blood. One line in particular—"Petty officials cover the sky with one hand, but I refuse to believe this world has no law"—made Qin Ze want to slam the table in praise.
Qin Ze swiped through the Weibo comments.
"This is so China. When will we ever achieve real democracy?"
"A rotten apple. Nothing less than execution can appease the public outrage."
"These days, connections let you become king. Ordinary people are nothing."
"Big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp. Heh heh heh."
"Fuck, that thirteen-minute-thirty-second video gave me goosebumps all over. I wanted to rush in and chop that guy and that fat woman full of asterisks to death."
"It reminds me of a saying: Your salary and riches come from the people's flesh and blood. The common people may be easy to oppress, but Heaven is difficult to deceive."
"Keyboard Warrior upstairs, if you're so capable, go do it yourself."
"Ding. Checking for idiots."
"Ding. OP, your takeout has arrived."
"Check all you want, I'm still saying it. I'm deeply disappointed in this country. I don't give a f—"
"Wang Guomin: You idiots think you can overturn the heavens? I've got people backing me. I even dare to fuck the sky."
"May that family die horrible deaths."
"If one day I have no one to rely on in old age, please bury me in the News Broadcast..."
"Nothing is sadder than a dead heart. After watching the video, all I felt was chills and despair. Only when something like this happens to you do you understand how helpless and powerless it feels."
"A bunch of Keyboard Warriors. Couldn't it just have been a fight? Do you know the truth? If you don't, stop talking shit."
"The stabbed guy apparently beat someone into the hospital too. If you ask me, neither side is innocent."
"How impressive. He lost a fight, couldn't compete with their connections, so he went online to seek sympathy."
"Send them both to prison. Nothing wrong with that."
"Are you idiots? This is real. I remember seeing the video of the stabbing this morning. It was uploaded by onlookers."
"You people upstairs are the fucking idiots. Didn't you see the video from this morning? A group of people beat one guy and even stabbed him. He was acting in self-defense when he injured them. If it were me, that guy's grave would already have grass three feet high."
"Am I the only one who noticed that the girl hogging the camera is fucking gorgeous? Ten out of ten for her figure, perfect side profile, and a great voice."
"A beauty like that gets a nine from me. The last point can only be given after trying her out."
"Brother-in-law will settle this for you, little brother-in-law."
"Little brother-in-law, which hospital are you in? I'm planning to come over and propose to your sister."
Qin Ze closed Weibo and let out a long breath.
As a veteran Keyboard Warrior, he knew that incidents like this were the easiest to stir up public anger. With an Internet Troll Army fanning the flames, it was hardly surprising that it had climbed into Weibo's headlines and become a hot search topic in just one day. Given its current popularity, it was only a matter of time before massive public pressure formed and the relevant authorities stepped in.
He was not worried that this would lead to any bad consequences. First, everything was true; he was not spreading rumors. Second, a mere local police captain could not truly cover the sky with one hand. Once the higher authorities learned of the situation, their first reaction would definitely be to thoroughly investigate and give the public an explanation.
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