"Double-Sided" Operation

Chen Nan was not particularly surprised by the child's reaction, because it was plain for all to see.

Since he could use his mind to control those little creatures, it would certainly affect ordinary people as well. He simply had not taken the initiative to do so, because that would violate his principles.

Though this was not a manifestation of equality for all living beings, Chen Nan had never intended to treat all living beings equally. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never use mental power to interfere with humans. That was his bottom line.

At the same time, this was also a rule in the Transcendent world. Chen Nan had looked into it thoroughly, so naturally, he could not cross that line.

But before that rule, there was another qualifying condition: when a Transcendent was harmed by an ordinary person, and that harm could cause losses to the Transcendent's life or property, the Transcendent could use supernatural power to fight back.

The Transcendent would bear no responsibility for any consequences resulting from this.

This was a principle far broader than lawful self-defense. Therefore, there had been absolutely nothing wrong with what Chen Nan had just done.

He returned to the bedroom and shut the door, a peculiar feeling filling his heart. Hurting that child was not something that made him happy. All he felt was helplessness.

The small bedroom had a wardrobe and a desk he could use. After Chen Nan finished setting up all ten listening devices, he began downloading the corresponding software onto his phone.

The system could connect to quite a few devices and display them all centrally on his phone. It was very convenient.

Now that he had the equipment, he considered how to use it. Once he had a rough idea, he needed to take the next step. That would have to wait until tomorrow; he needed to make a trip to the city government.

Although Chen Nan could control small animals, the range of that control was extremely limited. Roughly speaking, it only covered the entire residential compound.

That was why, when Chen Nan had used rats before, he had always kept some rats around him on standby to relay his orders.

If he wanted to do something at the city government, he had to personally go there before he could get it done accurately. For him, that was undoubtedly a risk.

But he could not avoid taking risks. The longer he delayed, the more dangerous it became for him. He did not know what actions the Orphanage had taken.

And at the Orphanage, chaos had erupted the very day Chen Nan escaped.

Little Black Ox was subjected to a brutal interrogation. Fortunately, he remembered Chen Nan's words and only said that he knew nothing. Since he had always been known as a foolish child, he managed to muddle through and avoid losing his life.

When Wang Yifu inspected the hole dug by the rats, connected it with his missing property, and then recalled what Li Yu and Xun Xin had told him, a chill ran down the groove of his spine.

He understood that Chen Nan was an enormous hidden threat.

He was like a freshly born cancer cell. Even if he was tiny and inconspicuous, the slightest negligence could deal Wang Yifu a fatal blow.

Thus, he knew that he absolutely could not wait for that cancer cell to grow into a force.

So, he contacted his second brother, Wang Yide, determined to drag Chen Nan out from within Wu City.

He knew his second brother's methods, and Wang Yide had never disappointed him in such matters. Yet even so, his fat face still trembled, and unease continued to gnaw at him.

Information and photographs concerning Chen Nan had already been distributed, and Wang Yide began putting things into motion.

First came the various stations, where personnel had been arranged to watch at all times for any sign of Chen Nan. People had also been stationed at checkpoints on every road to ensure that Chen Nan could not leave the bounds of Wu City.

After that, more people were sent out to conduct a carpet-style search throughout Wu City.

Wang Yide even went to the police department every day to review surveillance footage from every district in the city.

But how could an ordinary person enjoy the privilege of going to the police department and reviewing such surveillance footage? Wang Yide was merely the owner of a club; he held no official post whatsoever.

With this combination punch, finding someone was only a matter of time.

And Wang Yifu's order to his younger brother was this: once that child was found, there was no need for any preparation—kill him on the spot. He was only an orphan. When the time came, arranging for a few girls to have some fun and giving out a few gifts would make it all go away.

Thus, Chen Nan appeared to be fine for the moment, but in truth, he could lose his life at any time.

Naturally, luck played a part in this as well. It all depended on what fate had in store for him.

Chen Nan planned for half the day, and it was nearly eleven at night. Feeling extremely hungry, he took out the electric pot and cooked a packet of instant noodles with an egg and several slices of ham.

After eating, he found it very delicious. Once the hunger in his belly was resolved, it gave him a comfortable, wonderful feeling. But just as he stood up to wash the pot, his vision suddenly went black, and he fainted.

He regained consciousness almost as he fell, only feeling weak and light-headed, as though his blood sugar had dropped.

"What's going on?" Chen Nan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered worriedly.

Having been malnourished for so long, he truly feared that something might be wrong with this body. As the saying went, the body was the capital of revolution. If his body failed him, what the hell was he supposed to struggle for?

But after he got up, every abnormal sensation was gone, which put Chen Nan somewhat at ease.

After washing the pot, Chen Nan assumed that he had simply been overthinking and not resting well, so he went to bed.

The instant he turned off the light, he suddenly saw patterns and colors appear before his eyes. The phenomenon vanished in a flash, almost like an illusion. He jerked upright in fright.

What had appeared before his eyes seemed strangely familiar, yet he could not say what it was. Or rather, he did not even dare be certain that he had seen anything at all.

"Am I seeing ghosts?" Chen Nan muttered to himself.

No matter how he blinked or strained his eyes, that earlier phenomenon did not appear again.

In the end, he could only conclude that his eyes had played a trick on him. He was indeed sleepy by then, so he lay down and went to sleep.

He slept until dawn. Chen Nan washed his face and brushed his teeth as usual, then cooked noodles for himself again. Of course, eggs and ham were indispensable.

After breakfast, he took an apple and left the room. He turned on his mobile data, launched the map navigation, brought Da Huang with him, and set off.

His destination this time was the city government, but before going there, he had to change clothes. Naturally, he had to buy another set. After stuffing it into his backpack, he walked amid the tide of students.

Then, before reaching Taiping Elementary School, he slipped into an alley, changed clothes in a secluded corner, stuffed his old clothes into his backpack, and handed it to a dog to watch over. He changed into the new outfit and a baseball cap, then took Da Huang onto another street.

On the other street, Chen Nan hailed a taxi and headed for the city government. After getting out there, Chen Nan noticed a conspicuous warning: Surveillance Cameras in Operation.

He hurriedly lowered the brim of his cap and avoided the cameras. There were no cameras in the area where he lived; the only one was at the intersection leading in and out of Taiping Elementary School.

Chen Nan felt that the surveillance cameras were unsafe. After all, he was someone in hiding, and he had to be extremely careful about everything. But he had no other choice. What needed to be done had to be done; otherwise, he would have no hope of turning things around. He could only be as careful as possible.

After finding a relatively concealed spot that still gave him a good view of the city government entrance, Chen Nan began staking it out. While observing the city government, he had Da Huang remain alert.

In this manner, they waited until the noon break. As government employees filed out one after another, Chen Nan scrutinized them more and more carefully.

After some time, his target finally entered his sight.

He was a middle-aged man with regular features and none of that greasy air about him. His suit was crisp and spotless. He looked humble, but an aura of pride still shone through his every gesture.

Many people greeted him, and he responded warmly, displaying remarkably high emotional intelligence.

Then Chen Nan watched him get into his own car and drive away.

"Da Huang, follow him!" At the command, Da Huang immediately sprang into action. Chen Nan remained behind to continue waiting.

Since the city government was already located in the city center, and it was the rush hour after the noon break, traffic moved slowly. On top of that, the car had to stop at traffic lights along the way, so Da Huang had no trouble following it.

Chen Nan's only concern was whether Da Huang could sneak into that residential compound. People of that man's status generally lived in compounds with strict access controls. Outsiders were forbidden entry, and stray dogs naturally had even less chance of getting in.

Da Huang followed the car all the way to a residential compound called "Jiahao." At the main entrance, taking advantage of the guard's inattention, he slipped into the compound beside the car.

The car entered the garage, and the man waited for the elevator in front of Building Nine. At that moment, a patrolling security guard spotted Da Huang and immediately tried to capture and drive him away. But the man stopped him at once. "Hey, he's just a stray dog. There's no need to be so rough. We should all show a little compassion, shouldn't we?"

The security guard said somewhat aggrievedly, "Secretary Huang, we all know you're a good person. But the people in this compound have different standards. Some of them hate having stray dogs come in and keep filing complaints."

Secretary Huang smiled. "All right, just give the dog something to eat and drive him away afterward. It isn't easy for you either."

The security guard immediately said gratefully, "Thank you for understanding, Secretary Huang. As expected of a Prefecture Office secretary—your level and your realm are simply beyond ordinary people."

If Secretary Huang had possessed a tail, it would have been wagging by then. He comforted the guard with a few more words. The elevator arrived, and he entered it and left.