Encore④ · Mojito

Foreword:

Our fundamental vow in spiritual practice is to liberate all sentient beings from suffering.

The Van Persie father and daughter went to great lengths to survive.

Father Luo Ben wrote down sixteen names, all of whom were distant relatives and high-ranking officials in the Yellowstone People's camp. To uncover the truth, he needed to find the real source and gain the trust of the Big Sister. He even wrote down the details of the treasury where the gold and silver treasures were hidden.

These people like to put their ill-gotten gains in tombs because they distrust the banking system. After all, they've laundered so much money, and they're afraid their assets will become someone else's achievements.

The daughter, Lena, implicated the two sons of the Transportation Department's chief prosecutor and even wrote a melodramatic novel detailing how she repeatedly used her body as leverage to seduce various officials into engaging in power-for-sex transactions.

The father and daughter collaborated to write over 1.8 million words.

--It shows the whereabouts of money and valuables, the social network of people involved, the actual witness information on officials' embezzlement, the brothels that provide wives and mistresses for the wealthy, the money laundering, gold burning, tourism, gambling and other entertainment projects, the food and clothing shops that cooperate with the public accounts, and the construction companies with dual accounts.

To clearly describe the deeds of these sixteen beasts, Luo Ben went to great lengths, struggling to survive and being extremely careful in every aspect. His writing conveys a sense that "without me, you cannot capture this person."

Xue Ming's diary had long been filled, turning into a book catalog, which would eventually pile up into thirty-two thick volumes. The threat of death had made the father and daughter incredibly creative and talented, turning them into human typing machines. They finished half of the diary in just three days, and after resting for a few days at the administrative center of Forty-Eight District, the document was almost finished.

It's important to know that Clearwater Bay is a large area.

--There are more than 1.6 million people here, and the number of employees in various departments and management agencies is 16,117.

How many people did Consul Luo Ben and Lena implicate through their combined efforts?

It's roughly ten thousand people, just a rough figure. Judging from the employee groups and the documents from various units, anyone in this place who holds an official position is inevitably involved in crimes.

This number does not include their parents, siblings, and immediate family members, nor does it include maternal relatives or extended family members.

Xue Ming finally understood what Luo Ben meant when he said, "A lot of people will die, Forty-Eight District will be paralyzed."

Clearwater Bay is a colony with a diverse population and a family-based social structure. It was originally inhabited primarily by Latinos and Europeans. Later, extraterrestrial beings were introduced.

The people living here all have their own community and social circles. It's easy to kill someone, but it's extremely difficult to eradicate these networks while ensuring that the person's relatives, parents, children, friends, and other family members are not implicated.

In the lavishly decorated reception room of the consul's capital, Luo Ben handed in his answer, and the tide of battle turned, as if he had presented the War King with a difficult problem.

On the armed train, he was a guest, but now he's the host, even preparing tea for the Big Sister. He spoke with a grin.

Drink it while it's hot.

Xue Ming remained silent.

She's only good at killing, not at managing people.

As Meteor said, politics is very far removed from these young people; these difficult problems should be left to the boss to handle.

If we were to deal with these 10,000 people immediately and imprison them all, even the labor camp in Yellow Bull Town combined with the prison for serious offenders wouldn't be enough. If we were to treat them as drug traffickers and accomplices and kill them all, the entire Forty-Eight District would descend into chaos.

The idea that in fairy tales, all the bad guys die and the good guys are naturally exonerated is impossible.

When drug addicts run out of drugs, they will find ways to produce them themselves, becoming new drug dealers.

When an old ecological niche becomes extinct, a new species immediately takes its place; this is the enormous inertia of life's evolution over more than 500 million years.

"What? Don't you like it?" Luo Ben lowered his head, but raised his eyes with a meaningful look. "Why don't we hand this over to the Transportation Department? Have them hold a few meetings, set up a special task force, and give the previous Hunter King a few more difficult problems."

Xue Ming remained silent, lost in thought about how to create a mass grave.

"This matter has nothing to do with you." Luo Ben called Lena over and had his daughter by his side. After all, he could die for his three sons, but not for his daughter—she was his own flesh and blood.

Xue Ming: "It's alright now?"

Luo Ben said with great enthusiasm.

"Yes, it's alright now. I only received news last night that the troops from Guangling Zhixi have finally arrived. Exactly 1800 men, no more, no less. I've done everything I promised you. I've also learned—"

"--You're only here to crack down on drugs, not to fight organized crime or corruption, right?"

That seems to be the case, that's definitely the case, it seems to be a principle that can't be bypassed no matter what.

There are so many people in the world who stop in their tracks when faced with this truth, and never move forward again.

"War King, I see this is your first time in Forty-Eight District. I'm afraid you've always lived a life of fighting and killing, someone who lives on the edge of a knife." Luo Ben added cautiously, "Hasben is the Cult Leader's son. According to the laws of Clearwater Bay, the children of the Madness Butterfly Sect have to be sent to labor camps to get an identity card, and they'll never have the chance to serve in the military—he doesn't qualify."

It is a gentle tone, eloquent and persuasive.

"By that logic, you've turned so many people into criminals, into achievements for you—what about their children? Are they all supposed to live like the children of criminals? The children are innocent."

It was a heartfelt and earnest persuasion.

"There's an old Chinese saying: 'If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.' In this place, who isn't greedy? Who doesn't commit crimes? Like this friend—"

Luo Ben pointed at Meteor, then looked at Meteor's phone; he was still playing a MOBA mobile game.

"If one person in the team makes a mistake, that's a sin; but if the whole team makes mistakes, that's a team decision."

Luo Ben said with a smile.

"The way to be an official is to pave a wide path for yourself, cultivate good relationships, isolate your enemies, and unite the people. That's what Lena meant. Isn't that what you've been doing?"

Xue Ming's phone rang, but he didn't intend to answer it. "What do you mean?"

Luo Ben explained.

"Before you came to Clearwater Bay, you had already sided with the Raptors Warriors in Hedland, and you had Duran and Flavia endorse you, right?"

Xue Ming: "Hmm."

Luo Ben: "Without these people helping you, you wouldn't have gotten into the Little Brotherhood. Right?"

Xue Ming: "Yes."

Luo Ben: "When you arrived in Bailong County, your teacher came to help you again. The first thing you did when you got to Clearwater Bay was to kill the militia of the Star Realm Gang to gain the Cult Leader's trust, right?"

Xue Ming: "Yes."

Luo Ben: "Your promises as the War King are far more powerful than mine as a consul. You immediately made the Mustang Mistress defect and surrender. Without the Star Realm Gang, I wouldn't be able to deal with the Little Brotherhood at all. At this time, you had Silver Bay and my daughter call out to me—you're asking me for troops. How could I refuse? You've fabricated all of this, haven't you?"

Xue Ming: "Yes."

Luo Ben: "Later, Sanhe Town fell into the hands of the Little Brotherhood. These benefits were used to lull the cult Cult Leader into a false sense of security. You deployed troops to separately kill the Little Brotherhood's cadres. This was all a well-planned scheme by you, Big Sister, you're really amazing."

Xue Ming: "What are you trying to say?"

Luo Ben: "I just feel that it's only natural that Lawrence died at your hands. You were talking about military strategy, while he was only talking about business. This wasn't even a battle on the same level. Do you know why I only gave you a little over eight hundred elite soldiers as the vanguard?"

Xue Ming: "I don't understand."

Luo Ben: "I'm afraid that if too many soldiers from Guangling Zhixi die, I'll be the scapegoat. These elite soldiers are the apple of Ming De's eye. The commanders of various battle groups have come here to take your command. If there are too many of them, they definitely won't submit to you—I'm very worried about your abilities. Organize and dispatch eight hundred men as a test."

Xue Ming: "Go on."

Luo Ben: "I thought this armed conflict would last a long time, and I was even thinking about whether I could ask the Transport Department and the Finance Center to allocate military funds."

Xue Ming: "Isn't it embezzlement and bribery?"

Luo Ben: "Well, I can't say it outright, it's not good to say it outright. Anyway, in just one hour, you actually beat the Little Brotherhood to a pulp, which I didn't expect. I'm very curious how you did it?"

"I stayed in Lawrence's Religious order for over half a month," Xue Ming revealed the secret to his victory. "I traveled all over Clearwater Bay, met almost everyone in the War Gang, remembered their main areas of activity, and had a clear understanding of their basic defense deployments. What reason could I possibly have to lose?"

This is Luo Ben's blind spot.

He thought for a while and finally understood how terrifying the War King was.

To travel to so many places in such a short time, to meet so many different people, to understand the living habits of the Zhanbang cousin and the Religious order leaders, and to understand the enemy's schedule and combat tactics—this is a miracle, an extraordinary talent.

"In short, War King —I don't know where you came from. I didn't see you at the harvest ceremony before." Luo Ben saw Xue Ming raise his hand and immediately pulled out a pack of cigarettes from under the table to hand it over. "Your future career is bright and promising, after all, you are very capable, but the way of officialdom is not as simple as you think."

Xue Ming pulled his hand away, opened Luo Ben's gift, and took out Marlboro cigarette and lit it.

Since switching character accounts, she has become addicted to nicotine—the intense mental activity has almost drained her, and in order to maintain her muscle condition, she cannot eat sugar, so she has to use nicotine to stimulate her nerves.

When these bad habits surfaced, Xue Ming was startled, because the gunsmith neither smoked nor drank, and had no vices even under mental pressure.

This body's Madness Index is too high.

Even a C- is too high.

Luo Ben's tone was sincere, a gesture of compromise.

"I beg you on behalf of the people of Forty-Eight District. You know there's an old Chinese saying: 'Weapons are inauspicious instruments; even sages use them only as a last resort.'"

"Now that the ringleader has been brought to justice and the Religious order has been wiped out, it is the perfect time to sweep away the old and welcome the new year, a time of vibrant life and flourishing things. We really cannot afford to wage a major war, nor can we shed any more blood."

"When I heard Ming De's order, it was to send you to kill criminals and drug lords. I'm afraid Ming De doesn't want you to end up causing widespread bloodshed and devastation."

Xue Ming: "You speak so fluently with idioms and classical Chinese, are you preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam?"

Luo Ben chuckled, "I'm not very talented, I'm a PhD. Otherwise, with my family background, I wouldn't have reached this position. It's all thanks to my good wife and the support of her relatives that I'm where I am today."

"Your wife is dead, how are you going to explain this?" Xue Ming asked immediately.

Luo Ben patted Lena's arm. "Things are different now. With War King Lena still alive, there's an explanation—as for the cause of his wife's death, we can make it up."

"Your family..." Xue Ming suddenly didn't know what to say, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. "You're fucking terrifying."

"If you want to climb up, you have to pay the price." Luo Ben's expression suddenly changed, as if shedding his friendly facade, his face darkening. "Big Sister, you're capable, you have the hands to kill, something many people envy. What about the common folk? What about us? We wear the cloak of civilization while doing the things of beasts—that's the standard answer the Madness Butterfly Sect gives us—but often, for those of us caught in the middle, if we want to rise above others, this is probably the only way."

It only took a second for him to go from sinister and vicious to beaming with smiles.

"Otherwise, how can I put it that the most terrifying animal in this world is a human? Big Sister —I've said all the nice things I could think of, what would you choose?"

The Guangling Zhixi team has arrived, totaling over 1,800 people, which is more than enough to capture these 10,000 people.

But as Luo Ben said, the community has no managers, the settlement has no leaders, and a large number of vacancies have suddenly appeared in the political and legal organs.

What should be done about the backlog of civil affairs, the unemployed in various districts, and the homeless workers left behind by suddenly disappeared business owners?

This is not something Xue Ming can handle; she is not capable of doing it.

But Forty-Eight District must not continue to be a paradise for drug addicts.

At that very moment--

--Train Plack the train conductor pushed open the door and entered.

Xue Ming hadn't expected that this close advisor of the BOSS would suddenly visit at this critical juncture.

"Oh!" Mr. Wood's eyes widened. "If I'd known you were this kind of person, I would have asked you to wear a flight attendant uniform last time."

Xue Ming was taken aback. "Teacher Ke?"

Wood walked unhurriedly into the drawing room, glanced at Luo Ben, and then asked Xue Ming.

What are we waiting for?

Xue Ming scratched his head. "Mr. Luo Ben just told me a lot. He said that if we continue the investigation, following the list he provided—many people will die. I don't know what to do."

"You're only twenty-four." Wood Plark shrugged dismissively. "Thinking about all this trivial stuff, are you preparing to be an adult?"

Luo Ben recognized Plark; he was Galahad's magic professor and the teacher of many psionicists.

"Mr. Plark, why did you come so suddenly? I haven't had a chance to visit yet."

"You ask me why I'm here?" Wood pulled out H16T hallucinogens from his pocket and lightly tapped the plastic bag against Luo Ben's forehead. "What do you think, Luo Ben Van Persie? This stuff can make psionicists lose their psionic abilities, and it can make ordinary people shoot down Phantasms. Who do you think was the idea to send the War King here?"

Xue Ming's entire operation revolved around Wood Plark's discussion with the BOSS about the Nameless Organization's organizational structure.

It could almost be said that it was Teacher Ke dispatched Jiang Xueming to carry out this drug bust mission.

"I heard it just now," Wood continued. "You asked our wise and powerful Big Sister —asked her if she was here to crack down on drugs, and she certainly was."

What followed was somewhat horrifying to Luo Ben—

"--As for cracking down on organized crime and combating corruption..."

Wood used his deadly bare hand to gently pat Luo Ben's cheek.

"That's not something a young girl like her can handle, so of course I have to follow behind, right?"

Finally, the moment arrived, and the governor's legs went weak, knowing that disaster was imminent.

Wood sat down next to Luo Ben, hugging his knees, as if they were sitting on a heated brick bed in his hometown in Northeast China.

"In the past, you would think that the special envoys who came here, like the prosecutor and other organizations, were all bark and no bite, raising their hands high but letting them fall gently—this time it's different."

"If the house collapses, the people inside will be crushed to death by the bricks. Look, Glory doesn't know what to do. Because she's just the boss's darling, the crown jewel, of course she can't do this kind of hard labor."

Wood Plark's eyes were filled with the passage of time, the vicissitudes of life.

"How do you expect us to rebuild a house from the inside out? Tear it down from the corner? Tear it all down at once? That would definitely cause it to collapse, right? Also, in that game, if one person in a team makes a mistake, that's a mistake. If the whole team makes a mistake, then the game is over soon!"

Luo Ben nodded in agreement, trying to find a way out between the lines.

Wood continued, "While this girl was demolishing the drug dealer's old house, I figured the drug dealer's house wouldn't need repairs, it's very convenient. I trusted her with this task. After all, she's energetic, her demolition skills are top-notch, as for you—"

"Are you the pillar of this house? Are you one of us in this house?"

Luo Ben: "I must be!"

Wood pursed his lips. "I don't think so, Luo Ben, I don't think so."

Luo Ben: "I'm important! I'm important!"

Wood shook his head. "You didn't even call him 'Luo Ben' once. I've been listening outside for far too long, thinking of calling Glory to remind you that I'm furious. Only the Madness Butterfly Sect would constantly spout 'Ming De, and Virtuous.' You keep saying 'Ming De,' but you haven't even called him 'BOSS' once."

After saying this, Mr. Wood stood up and smiled at Xue Ming.

That smile chilled Xue Ming to the bone.

--Xue Ming believed that Professor Wood was a very complex person. According to the information he learned from Professor Victor, this man of unknown age had a mysterious background and was related to the Philosopher Foundation.

"Happy Chinese New Year, come home for the holidays." Teacher Wood extended his hand, then immediately withdrew it, as if realizing that one shouldn't shake hands with just anyone. "Look at my memory, I've had too much to do, I'm so busy—I've been running around like crazy trying to find a suitable academic team for Forty-Eight District, and suitable pharmaceutical or chemical industries, I've talked myself hoarse."

Xue Ming was very surprised: "Teacher Wood"

"Your mission is accomplished," Wood said. "As for the two behind you, they'll get to set off fireworks for the New Year."

Before Xue Ming could react--

--Wood Plark roared.

"Sexy Bomb!"

Strike the fiery detonation switch!

A burst of intense, bright light erupted from Luo Ben's face, his head exploded, and his body slumped to the side.

The loud explosion attracted Duran and Flavia, who were filled with inexplicable sorrow upon seeing the governor dead on the spot.

Once they've been used up, will they be the next ones?

Lena was terrified, her face and body covered in blood.

"War King, Big Sister, Biggest ..."

"That was just an agreement between her and you." Wood Plark leaned forward, giving a confident wink. "I'm taking full responsibility for this. I'm truly sorry for not making things clear beforehand. Miss Lena, you're different. Do you know why I didn't send you on your way immediately?"

Lena responded in a panic, guessing, "Because... because it's enough if only he dies?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." Wood shook his finger. "No, in B-movies with gore, violence, sex, and horror, female characters like you live for a very, very long time. Do you understand?"

Lena suddenly felt a strange mix of relief and sorrow. "You want me to serve you?"

A large hand grabbed Lena's head--

--The violent flames engulfed everything.

Wood Plark said so.

"They can live, but only for a few more seconds."

He sighed and turned to Xue Ming.

"Is she out of her mind? Has she only ever seen men whose brains are controlled by their lower bodies? I was just kidding, doesn't she understand at all? This is called British dry humor! I just learned it! Isn't it funny?"

Xue Ming wiped the blood off his face and put out his cigarette.

Mr. Wood has always been a top expert at manipulating people's mentality.

He thought for a moment, then glanced at Duran and Flavia—

--Duran was so frightened that he fainted on the spot.

It happened very quickly, but Flavia held on tightly and didn't let go.

The little black snake asked nervously, as if facing death, "Am I going to be blown up by you too?"

Wood tried to speak, then covered his forehead.

He seemed to want to say something but stopped, as if his hands and mouth were out of his control.

After several attempts, he finally stood with his hands on his hips.

"Let Victor worry about it! I don't care about this!"

In Xue Ming's eyes, this strange magic professor broke out of the window without even using the door—

Because Flavia and Duran were blocking the door, he felt awkward walking directly past the two sisters.

Meteor and Xue Ming looked at each other, bewildered, wondering what had happened.

They woke Duran, and the four of them sat beside the two corpses for a long time, pondering.

When Hasben called for dinner, they still had many questions, but they finally stopped thinking about them.