"How come Han still isn't out?"
Meanwhile, several cars were parked in the open space in front of the Public Security Bureau's compound.
At the head of the line was a sleek, high-end black sedan. Its door was open, and Xu Ji sat on the running board, two bandages stuck to his forehead.
A little farther away, a whole cluster of cars was parked. A group of rich young men dressed in every color under the sun waited there timidly. Not one of them dared come over and speak to Xu Ji.
Standing beside Xu Ji was a thin man in a black suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He seemed to smile at everyone he looked at. He had come to pick Xu Ji up, and as Xu Ji's father's personal assistant, he shared the Xu family name.
Now he was patiently speaking to Xu Ji, who insisted on waiting there until Han Su came out. "Why don't you head home first? I'll arrange for someone to wait here for Mr. Han."
"Your father was very worried when he heard what happened to you. From now on, you can forget about touching a steering wheel for at least two years."
"It wasn't my fault..."
Xu Ji grew agitated as soon as he heard that. "We saw a ghost, Brother Zhuzi! Don't you believe me? If it weren't for Han, I'd have lost my life there."
"I believe Mr. Han helped you again this time. In return, we'll make sure he leaves the Public Security Bureau safely."
Assistant Xu said, "Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
Xu Ji immediately looked displeased.
He turned to the secretary, who wore the same smile no matter what was happening and whose clothes and hair were always immaculate. "Brother Zhuzi, why does everything you say today sound so harsh?"
"When you see Han in a bit, don't talk as if everything's a transaction. Han's my brother. Remember that."
"I know a lot of people associate with me because of the Xu family, or because of my dad. But Han isn't like that. He's a friend I genuinely want to make, from the bottom of my heart."
"Especially since he saved my life!!"
"..."
The secretary wasn't surprised by Xu Ji's complaints. He patiently and gently explained, "You're about to graduate. You should understand that every relationship—including friendship, love, and family ties—is, at its core, a transaction."
Xu Ji flew into a rage. "You..."
The secretary smiled and waved a hand. "There's something else you need to be careful about."
"This matter isn't over. It may have only just begun. Do you really think it's as simple as one insignificant illegitimate son of the Zhang Family dying while you were street racing?"
"You brought the Disaster Management Bureau into this. That alone is a serious matter—a matter of life and death."
"..."
Xu Ji refused to accept that and argued, "I didn't pick a fight with them! Besides, people at the club were talking about that thing. They made it sound like some storybook. I'd heard of it before; I just thought it was fake..."
"Be quiet."
The secretary suddenly spoke, his expression turning chillingly cold.
Only after Xu Ji had been cowed did he continue, "Have you heard of Secretary Number 5 in Azure Harbor?"
Xu Ji was baffled. He ventured, "A temporary worker?"
The secretary ignored him and continued, "Qinggang City has four secretaries, each responsible for different affairs."
"Their jurisdictions overlap in many areas, and they work together on many matters. But they aren't the only ones who run Qinggang City."
"The four secretaries are often on television and in the newspapers. But Secretary Number 5 never works with the others, and ordinary people don't even know he exists."
"Yet his position is far more extraordinary than that of the other four secretaries."
"Let me give you an example."
He turned to look at Xu Ji. "If one day your father decided to enter politics, accepted an appointment from above, and became the head of Qinggang City's Administrative Hall, then I would be the Number 1 Secretary at his side."
"The Number 2 and Number 3 secretaries would also be chosen from the Xu family's companies and among society's elites."
"But Secretary Number 5 would still be Secretary Number 5. Nothing would change."
"The Bureau of Abnormal Disaster Assessment, which he oversees directly, is the same. If a department under his direct management gets involved, everyone has to make way for it."
He watched Xu Ji's expression, confident that the education he'd received since childhood had made him understand how serious this was. Then he slowly asked, "Do you know what would have happened to you if you weren't a son of the Xu family?"
Xu Ji sensed the gravity of the situation and slowly shook his head.
The secretary said flatly, "You'd be hypnotized, or disposed of as a deep-contact subject."
Xu Ji was stunned. "A contact subject? Disposed of?"
The secretary didn't answer. He continued on his own, "By hypnosis, I mean real hypnosis."
"Once they hypnotized you, no one could guarantee your mind would remain untouched. You'd lose your chance to take over the Xu family's businesses. Then your poor parents, at their age, would have to think about having another child..."
Xu Ji: "?"
The secretary sighed and looked at Xu Ji with regret. "This time, your father used his connections and influence to spare you that punishment."
"But in return, you have to promise never to tell anyone about what happened that night, and never to discuss it with anyone."
All of this left Xu Ji deeply unsettled. When he finally understood, the first thing he thought of was the key question. "What about Han? What'll happen to Han?"
"That's what I'm about to tell you."
Assistant Xu said calmly, "Given his status, encountering something like this at this particular time would normally leave him with only one outcome: hypnosis."
"He might not even be considered worth using their limited hypnosis resources on. They could choose the second option instead."
"However, he did save your life—twice. So we'll make sure he comes out safe and sound, and we'll pay him a very substantial reward."
"And in return..."
He paused, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Your friendship with him will end here."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Xu Ji's face flushed as he listened. He slammed a hand on the table and stood up. "Han got involved in all this because he was with me. He saved my life!"
Compared to Xu Ji's anger, Assistant Xu remained exceptionally calm. "You're angry because you don't know what trouble you just got into. Or rather, that's not quite right. You didn't get into trouble—you got caught up in someone else's scheme."
"That boy from the Zhang Family was too ambitious. He wanted to use this method to get a job under Secretary Number 5."
"But someone must have used him, too. In the end, he lost his life."
"Of course, the investigation hasn't uncovered the truth yet. But I've already shared my suspicions with your father. Someone probably wanted to use what happened to him to frame you and turn you into an anomalous contact subject."
"The consequences of this are even more serious than murder."
"..."
"I haven't killed anyone, damn it..."
Xu Ji was as helplessly furious as ever. He suddenly flung out an arm, pointing at the group of rich young men waiting in the distance. "It wasn't just Han and me who saw it. They saw it too, didn't they?"
"They were outside the shadows. They aren't deep-contact subjects."
Assistant Xu didn't even look at him. He only said quietly, "Also, everything I just told you is what your father wanted me to pass along. If you have a problem with it, you can take it up with him."
"I..."
Assistant Xu cut him off. "Believe me. If Mr. Han knew what this meant, he'd be grateful to our Xu family."
"Perhaps, in all of Qinggang City, only our Xu family could..."
"Which one of you is Assistant Xu?"
At that moment, Assistant Xu was interrupted.
Xu Ji and Assistant Xu looked up at the same time. A woman in a black suit emerged from the Public Security Bureau, her expression cool and detached. Her gaze settled on them, and she walked over with a document in hand. She said flatly:
"Sign here. You can leave."
"This..."
It was Assistant Xu's turn to look surprised. He took the document and glanced over it. When he saw Xu Ji's name, he was taken aback. "And the other one..."
The woman in the black suit cut him off. "He's being kept here."
"What?"
Assistant Xu's expression shifted, and Xu Ji was already growing anxious. He had just vehemently opposed Assistant Xu's suggestion, but now he looked even more panicked.
He hurried forward and called out, "What are you going to do to Han?"
Assistant Xu grabbed Xu Ji's arm and stepped forward himself. He didn't act arrogant this time, doing his best to keep his voice calm as he said, "I've already met with Miss Li."
"And I know the Ghost Truck incident on Highway 59 has been spread so widely that its threat level has..."
"Investigator Li?"
The woman in the black suit looked up at him, a mocking glint seeming to flicker in her eyes. She smiled. "Her influence is considerable under normal circumstances, but this time, it won't help."
"Before that, I have a question for you!"
She looked at Xu Ji. "Your statement says practically nothing, so I'm going to ask you directly. When you encountered that strange truck, did your friend show any other unusual behavior besides chanting a spell?"
Xu Ji froze for a moment. He thought of the terrifying color seeping from Han Su's blind right eye and shook his head with conviction. "No!"
The woman in the black suit turned her gaze slightly. "You're sure?"
Xu Ji said, "I just thought he looked really cool. Does that count?"
The woman in the black suit shook her head. "Sign the form."
Seeing that the capable woman was growing impatient, Assistant Xu quickly regained his composure.
Clearly, even he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
But he quickly adjusted his attitude. Taking the document, he asked, "Then may I ask whether Mr. Han will face the first outcome or the second?"
"Him?"
The woman in the black suit lifted her chin slightly. Her smile was hard to read. "Neither."
Upon hearing this, Assistant Xu froze in place. He'd been the one just now insisting that Xu Ji not say they had seen a ghost, but now he looked as if he'd seen one himself.
Only after the woman with the flaxen hair had left did Xu Ji seem to snap back to his senses. He hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"What are they going to do to Han?"
"..."
Assistant Xu slowly shook his head. "Do you know that before the boy from the Zhang Family died, he used everything he had to secure himself a path?"
Xu Ji: "Huh?"
Assistant Xu said, "That path has fallen to your classmate."
Before you continue