Contact Appears

"Finally, I could get off work."

Le Yu had led a squad of agents through a full day of work and finally finished arresting all the targets that afternoon. Though it was their duty, Lan Yan approved an early dismissal today as a reward for their efficient work.

Today's operation had also refreshed Le Yu's understanding of the Statistics Department: despised by gods and hated by ghosts, arrogant beyond measure.

Apart from nearly causing a riot at the military academy, in most other places, people avoided the Statistics Department like the plague. Fear was the prevailing reaction. People like Le Yu, dressed in black vests, were even secretly cursed as Black Dogs—no one dared offend them openly, so they could only mutter a few curses behind their backs.

How should he put it? If you were an outsider to the Statistics Department, you would definitely hate it. But most people within the department viewed it favorably, and some were even proud of it.

First, the pay was high and the benefits were good. That was the foundation; the Qian Family being able to eat meat every day was proof enough. Second, there was a difference in perception. Ordinary people saw the Statistics Department as a secret-police organization that persecuted progressives and controlled public opinion, while the agents saw themselves as righteous enforcers maintaining public order and eliminating rebels.

Most agents recognized the legitimacy of the Radiant Court's rule, so they naturally regarded the Anti-Light Faction as the source of chaos. Their thinking was: "If you don't agree with the Court's policies, then step forward and change the Court, rather than becoming Anti-Light Rebels who only know how to curse and commit crimes."

Moreover, the working atmosphere within the Statistics Department was fairly good. Everyone was just an ordinary person with joys, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Director Lan Yan was also very considerate toward his subordinates. Many agents felt that although they suffered grievances, they were satisfied as long as their work received recognition from their superiors and the Court.

Ai Lili was rather extreme in that regard—so long as she received praise from the Director, she would be itching to arrest a few more Anti-Light Rebels for fun.

After changing clothes, Le Yu bid his team goodbye and left the First Squad office. In the corridor, he ran into Kui Zhao and the Third Squad captain, Yin Guyue.

Kui Zhao stood with both hands behind his back, hawk-nosed and wolf-eyed. The most eye-catching thing about him was naturally his long braid hanging down to his waist, making Le Yu wonder whether it would dangle into the toilet when Kui Zhao took a dump...

Kui Zhao suddenly stopped. "Captain Qian."

"Hello, Deputy Director Kui."

"I heard you completed the mission perfectly."

"It was my duty."

"I booked a White Dragon Fish at Zhuli Restaurant tonight. Would Captain Qian honor me with his presence?" Kui Zhao patted Le Yu's shoulder, a faint smile appearing on his cold face. "Fewer than ten White Dragon Fish are produced each year. If you miss this chance, who knows when you'll get to eat one again?"

Without hesitation, Le Yu shook his head. "Sorry, I need to go home and have dinner with my family. Deputy Director Kui, perhaps another time."

The smile on Kui Zhao's face deepened. Releasing his hand, he said, "Then another time."

Kui Zhao seemed to have only asked casually. After Le Yu refused, he merely exchanged pleasantries and said no more. Yin Guyue glanced at Le Yu, his expression calm and unreadable, then left alongside Kui Zhao.

After Kui Zhao and Yin Guyue turned the corner, Le Yu heard Chen Fu come up behind him and say, "Brother Qian, well done. No need to get mixed up with Kui Zhao."

"What do you mean?"

Le Yu left the Statistics Department office building with Chen Fu following behind him. Chen Fu lowered his voice. "You know Kui Zhao and Yin Guyue are together, right? Now that the Fifth Squad was wiped out after its rebellion, the Third and Fourth Squads are both under Kui Zhao's command. The only action squads directly under Director Lan Yan are ours, the First and Second Squads."

"But Kui Zhao... I think... um..." Chen Fu shook his head. "He's too radical. He's usually hot-tempered, easily angered, and obsessed with glory. If he becomes Director, the Statistics Department will definitely become much harder to survive in. We might as well keep supporting Director Lan. What do you think, Brother Qian?"

Wherever there were people, there was conflict. Le Yu was not naïve enough to think there were no factional struggles within the Statistics Department. He simply had not expected those struggles to involve him.

But on second thought, the First Squad commanded by Qian Yuliu now accounted for roughly a quarter of the Statistics Department's combat strength. Naturally, he was qualified to participate in this game of power—as a chess piece.

"So, we belong to Lan Yan's faction now?" Le Yu asked.

"More accurately, we belong to the Statistics Department's faction," Chen Fu corrected him. "Whoever is Director, we listen to them. Has Director Lan specifically tried to win you over, Brother Qian?"

"No."

"Then which side do you plan to take?"

Le Yu fell silent for a moment, recalling Qian Yuliu's thoughts before saying, "If I stand with Lan Yan, I'll have a chance to become Deputy Director when Kui Zhao falls. If I stand with Kui Zhao, then when Lan Yan falls, it still won't be my turn to become Deputy Director."

Chen Fu was slightly stunned. After thinking about it, he realized it was true—if Kui Zhao truly rose to power, he would naturally promote his old subordinates from the Third and Fourth Squads first, not a later arrival like Qian Yuliu. With that analysis, there was no question which side Qian Yuliu would choose.

"As expected of Brother Qian. You always pick the right option." Chen Fu sighed softly. "Want to grab a meal together? We haven't had Sizzling Pot in ages."

What the hell was Sizzling Pot...? Le Yu shook his head. "No, I'm going home to have dinner with my family."

Chen Fu blinked. "Wasn't that just an excuse you used to brush off Kui Zhao?"

"No."

Le Yu and Chen Fu looked at each other for a moment. Chen Fu scratched his head. "Then... it's still early. How about we find somewhere for a drink? Or we could play some battle cards?"

What the hell were battle cards...? Le Yu looked up at the sky. Since they had gotten off early, it was still light out. If he went home now, Qian Yuya definitely would not have finished school and started cooking yet. He nodded. "All right."

Chen Fu and Le Yu walked for several minutes after leaving the Statistics Department before spotting a tavern by the roadside and going in to sit down. The proprietor, who was settling accounts, politely said, "There are private tables upstairs. This way, gentlemen. A-Jian, we have customers!"

They took seats by the street on the second floor. Chen Fu glanced at the menu on the wall and told the waiter, "A pot of Pineapple Wine, plus Stir-fried Snails, Smashed Cucumber with Peanuts, and a few small dishes. Oh, Brother Qian, you don't drink. Would you like a pot of tea?"

Qian Yuliu was an abstinent man who never touched alcohol, which suited Le Yu just fine. He did not like drinking either, though there was clearly no cola here. After thinking for a moment, Le Yu asked, "What do children usually like to drink here?"

The waiter, A-Jian, blinked and hesitated for a moment. "Uh... Honey Five-Flower Tea?"

"Then I'll have that." Le Yu decided immediately. The name sounded delicious.

The food and wine arrived quickly. Le Yu tried the cucumber and peanuts, finding the peanuts here somewhat bitter. The Stir-fried Snails, however, were quite good, with plenty of chili and rich flavor. The Honey Five-Flower Tea was sweet, somewhat like the Rock Sugar Pear Drink from his previous life. The icy sweet tea paired with the refreshingly spicy snails, and Le Yu could not stop eating.

"Heh."

Hearing the laugh, Le Yu raised his head and discovered that Chen Fu had been staring at him the whole time. He had not even moved his chopsticks. A strange smile hung on his face, his lips resting halfway against the rim of his wine cup, his gaze seeming slightly unfocused. It made Le Yu's scalp tingle.

Could this guy be lusting after me... lusting after Qian Yuliu's body? Though Qian Yuliu really did look rather androgynous—handsome yet heroic, with a charm that made people want to face difficulties head-on and make things even harder for themselves!

Sure enough, no banquet was without ulterior motives, and no gathering was without schemes! Once I finish this cup of Honey Five-Flower Tea and this plate of snails, I'm getting out of here. Unless this guy invites me to dinner himself, I'll never meet him privately again!

"Brother Qian, you've changed?"

"Mm... huh?"

Le Yu blinked, straightened his back slightly, and composed his expression, making his snail-sucking posture appear more elegant and refined, in line with the public's image of Qian Yuliu as a refined scoundrel. "Have I?"

"You used to drink only mildly bitter Tie Luohan tea, and you never touched strongly flavored food like Stir-fried Snails." Chen Fu drained his wine in one gulp, set down his cup, and smiled. "I never thought that even Brother Qian, whom I believed would remain unchanged for decades, would change without realizing it."

So he wasn't suspecting Qian Yuliu had been possessed... Le Yu breathed a sigh of relief and casually said, "Well, when people grow up, they start liking things they didn't like before."

"Yeah." Chen Fu looked at the flow of people on the street. "When people grow up, they start liking things they didn't like before—money, fame, status, ideals... and then they change."

"Brother Qian, what were you thinking when you aimed at Mr. Lin and pulled the trigger?"

Chen Fu sounded as though he were merely chatting casually, but his eyes were fixed tightly on Le Yu. His upper body bent forward slightly, and his right leg stretched out to the side.

Based on his spiritual intuition and combat experience, Le Yu instantly imagined Chen Fu's next move: Chen Fu would gather light in his right leg and sweep it across, instantly smashing the table apart. The range of his leg attack would be just greater than the distance between their hands. With a wall behind him, Le Yu could neither dodge nor counterattack. He could only shield his head with both fists and take Chen Fu's strongest blow head-on!

Being an undercover traitor was way too hard. Not only would ordinary people spit on him, even his subordinates were becoming alienated from him. People in this world were cold and dangerous. Only the practical picture books Qian Yuliu had treasured gave him even a trace of warmth.

Le Yu thought for a moment, then gave his honest answer. "All things must die eventually, and some people need a little help."

"You couldn't save him?"

"I could only let him die with a little dignity."

Chen Fu fell silent. He drew his right leg back in, poured himself another cup of wine, and only spoke again after a long while. "Brother Qian, what you did was right. The Statistics Department's prisons aren't places for humans... There was no need to make Teacher suffer like that."

Good that you understand. Don't walk behind me anymore. I'm afraid you'll kick my ass... Le Yu hurriedly sucked down more snails, planning to flee as soon as he was done. He would rather go home and wait for his sister to finish school than dine with these troublesome people. Who knew whether they would suddenly lose their minds and cause him trouble again?

"Brother Qian, are the choices you make always right?"

"Of course," Le Yu replied casually.

Chen Fu drank another cup of wine and said softly, "Brother Qian, I'm the sort of person who thinks a lot but rarely makes up his mind. My parents are craftsmen and don't have much education. They always say I bring honor to the family. Every time I bring something home, they're happy. When I go out, everyone fears me, and they think that means I'm capable..."

"But on the other hand, my old friends have grown distant from me, and my former classmates hate me. Oh, right, when you didn't get out of the carriage today, I went looking for Su Song and saw that Su Song's sister really was as beautiful as he used to brag. Seriously, Brother Qian, you really missed out by not getting out."

Chen Fu clicked his tongue. "No wonder Su Song refused to invite his sister out to meet us no matter how much we egged him on and flattered him back then. Otherwise, he'd probably have gained a whole bunch of brothers-in-law. But thinking about it, Su Song isn't bad-looking himself. How could his sister possibly be ugly?"

"Ah, if I could go back to those days, I'd definitely become Su Song's brother-in-law!"

"And that kid Feng Chuanliu—do you remember how we fought with them a few times back then? But not long afterward, during a dormitory inspection, the instructors found several romance picture books in our dorm. The entire dorm was punished and made to clean toilets for a month. You remember, right? Damn it, I only found out after graduation that Feng Chuanliu did it. During the inspection, he tossed several of his favorite picture books into our dorm to frame us!"

"If I could go back to that time, I'd definitely keep Feng Chuanliu's gift safe, then buy a few same-sex picture books and toss them into his dorm... Hahaha, when the instructor announced before the whole school what he found in Feng Chuanliu's dorm, it would be hilarious!"

"If I could go back to that time..."

Chen Fu shook the wine pot and found that not a single drop remained.

He stopped reminiscing and let out a long breath that smelled of wine. "Brother Qian, what we're doing now... is it right or wrong?"

"You're drunk." Le Yu asked the waiter for a toothpick and picked out the snail meat he could not suck free.

"Yeah, I'm drunk." Chen Fu smiled. "I'm just an ordinary person who gets drunk when he drinks, hesitates, and can't tell right from wrong. My parents' pride and my rise in status make me happy. My friends' disgust and other people's contempt make me feel wronged. I'm just a common man who can neither let go nor take hold."

"But Brother Qian, you're different. You always choose the right option, don't you?"

Facing Chen Fu's pleading gaze, Le Yu licked the spicy sauce from the toothpick and nodded.

"That's good, that's good." Chen Fu let out a relieved breath. "As long as I follow Brother Qian, I'll be right. Why think so much?"

"I can't do it anymore, I'm drunk... I'll go downstairs, settle the bill, and head home. Brother Qian, take your time eating."

Without waiting for Le Yu's response, Chen Fu swayed to his feet and went downstairs to pay.

Le Yu thought for a moment, then hurriedly called out, "Waiter, another cup of Honey Five-Flower Tea and another plate of Stir-fried Snails! My friend went downstairs to settle the bill, put it all together!"

Since you've already accepted Qian Yuliu's changes, then I won't hold back!

Qian 'Eating and Drinking for Free' Yuliu, reporting for duty!

Smack!

Le Yu seemed to hear Chen Fu tumble down the stairs. This story taught that drunks should not take stairs—they should jump directly from the second floor. A mere second-floor drop was nothing to an Awakened.

Watching Chen Fu's figure gradually disappear into the crowd on the street, Le Yu felt as though the responsibility on his shoulders had become heavier.

What did it mean to entrust something to the wrong person? This was what it meant—they never could have imagined that the person they entrusted was not the real Qian Yuliu, but a passing transmigrator.

I'll take things one step at a time... Le Yu was fairly relaxed about it. At worst, I'll just die for them to see...

Suddenly, Le Yu heard something cutting through the wind and instinctively raised his right hand!

Smack!

Le Yu caught a stone flying toward his head!

Someone was trying to assassinate me again!?

Le Yu looked around but saw no attacker who had thrown the stone, not even a single troublesome child. Besides, he could tell by touch that it was a small pebble. If this was an assassination attempt, it was far too gentle—the previous assassin had aimed a hand cannon at his head and fired again and again.

He opened his palm and found that the pebble was wrapped in a piece of silk.

It was a letter.

"To Meteor:"

"At the thirtieth hour of the upper left point, meet at Long Three Hundred and Corner Sixty."

"—Star-Picker"

Le Yu's eyes widened at once as he recalled what Lin Jinyao had said to Qian Yuliu: "No one besides me and Star-Picker knows your identity. If I die unexpectedly while you are still undercover, then Star-Picker will replace me and become your new contact!"

PS: This book is obviously a niche flop. Please, everyone, save this poor child!