Away from Home

About ten minutes later, two Public Security officers came to his door.

Only after confirming their badge numbers and identities did Guan Tong open the door and explain what had happened.

"Based on the information you provided, we had our colleagues pull up nearby surveillance footage," one officer said. "The footage showed that after those two suspects posing as Public Security officers ran out of the residential complex, they got into an unlicensed black sedan."

"After our colleagues tracked the car using camera technology, they discovered it entered an area without surveillance coverage. We have already sent people to search it."

Guan Tong asked, "Those two actually knew where the surveillance blind spots were?"

"Yes, and that is what concerns us. The city is too large to be completely covered by surveillance, but the fact that they found an uncovered area shows they are not ordinary criminals. They must be organized."

Organized crime?

That made Guan Tong feel even less safe.

He said to the two officers, "They know my address now, and they even told me to wait for them. I do not think my home is safe anymore. I want to move somewhere else."

"Of course," one officer said. "There are now a great many vacant homes in every city, and Yunhua is no exception. Um... because Rule One killed too many people. There is a policy now: people without a place to live can apply, and the authorities will provide housing free of charge."

"Then I want to apply for one."

"Alright. I will send you the application link later. If you have no further information to provide, we will head back first. If you remember any useful details about the suspects, you can call us again."

As the two officers prepared to leave, Guan Tong thought for a moment and said, "Wait. Could I leave with the two of you in your car?"

The two froze, not expecting Guan Tong to say that.

"You are leaving tonight?" an officer asked.

"Yes," Guan Tong said. "There is a chance those two might come back. Since this is organized crime, I want to leave tonight and eliminate every risk."

"...Alright. You are certainly cautious enough. Pack up quickly and come with us."

"Thank you."

Guan Tong did not have much to pack. He could collect food and clothing for free after finding a new place to live, so there was no need to bring them.

He simply took his phone, slung on a small backpack, and went downstairs with the two officers.

After leaving the residential complex and sitting in the back seat of the Public Security vehicle, Guan Tong finally felt somewhat safe.

The officer driving asked, "Where are you planning to go? We can give you a ride."

After thinking it over, Guan Tong said, "I want to go somewhere safe. Do you know where that might be?"

The officer in the passenger seat joked, "The safest place is definitely the Public Security Bureau, but we cannot just accommodate ordinary citizens overnight."

"How about this?" the driver said. "We will take you to Limei Hotel for now. It has been converted into free housing. Anyone whose housing application has not been approved yet can stay there."

"Since there are a lot of people there, it should be fairly safe. Besides, the hotel is only one street away from the Public Security Bureau. If there is any danger, we can get there quickly with one phone call."

"Alright, then let us go to Limei Hotel. Sorry for the trouble, you two."

"Do not mention it. Remember to come to the bureau later and make a statement. I do not think this case is so simple."

"Yeah," the officer in the passenger seat added. "There seem to have been several similar cases in Yunhua recently..."

Inside an abandoned factory, the two young men who had knocked on Guan Tong's door knelt on the floor.

Sitting before them was a vicious-looking middle-aged man with a face full of flesh. He wore a Knuckle Duster on his right hand, stained with blood.

The blood belonged to the two young men. Their faces were bruised and swollen, and they had clearly just been beaten.

The middle-aged man stared at them and said coldly, "I told you, the task handed down to me was to get ten people rated 'Ordinary.' I only asked you two to get three, but after a whole month you still have not finished. Tell me yourselves, are you worthless?"

"Yes, Brother Hu, we are worthless!"

"Brother Hu, we had almost gotten the third one today, but that kid was crafty. He would not open the door for us!"

"Yeah, we could not scare him while posing as Public Security officers. Instead, he called the Public Security Bureau, so we had no choice but to run."

After hearing them out, the man called Brother Hu laughed.

The moment he laughed, the two young men kneeling on the ground began to tremble, knowing things had gone terribly wrong.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Brother Hu sprang to his feet and kicked each of them in the temple. They screamed and toppled onto their sides, looking like they were about to die.

Brother Hu spat. "Pah. Drag them out and bury them."

"Yes."

Several lackeys nearby dragged the two away. Then Brother Hu summoned several more young men.

"Now is your chance. Do you know what to do?"

"Please tell us, Brother Hu!"

The young men stared nervously at the Knuckle Duster on his hand.

Brother Hu said slowly, "It is simple. Go through the residential complexes one by one and find the people still alive. Figure out how to control them, then force them to add you as friends on their Personal Terminals. If they refuse, beat them hard. Keep beating them until they agree to add you."

"After they add you, force them to reveal their Mind Power values. If it is above 80, knock them out and bring them to me. I will hand them over to those above, and once the rewards come down, every one of you will get a share."

One young man asked, "Then, Brother Hu, wh-what if they are below 80? Do we bring in the ones below 80 too?"

Brother Hu grinned. "The people above are not interested in anyone below 80. Just kill them. That will keep our existence from being exposed."

The young men looked at one another, all of them shaken.

"Do you understand?" Brother Hu's expression darkened. "Let me tell you this: once you get on my boat, do not even think about getting off. If you do not want to do it, I will kill you pieces of trash first."

"Understood, Brother Hu!"

"We will do it!"

At that moment, one young man could not resist asking, "Um, Brother Hu, what do the people above want with so many people whose Mind Power is over 80?"

Hearing that, Brother Hu walked over and patted the questioner's face. "Tired of living, are you? Is that something you should be asking about? Do not ask what you should not ask."

"Yes, Brother Hu. I will not ask again..."

"Get lost and get to work. Bring me at least one person above 80 each week!"

The young men hurried away. At that moment, a trusted subordinate walked up beside Brother Hu.

"Boss, I actually do not think getting too deeply involved with those people is necessarily a good thing. Once they are done using us, I am afraid..."

Brother Hu said, "Do not worry. I have been around long enough to understand that. Anyone who does not take free gains is a fool. I will take that group's gold first. If they try to burn the bridge after crossing it, I have leverage to bite back at them too."