Mother had always been much smarter than Father.
Father and Auntie Zhang's faces instantly filled with shock, followed by excitement and joy.
"He... is finally going to make a decision? Has he had enough of those useless people in the Association who do nothing but occupy their positions?" Father murmured.
Auntie Zhang was much calmer. She asked,
"Is now... the right time? He's unquestionably the strongest, but no one has ever seen the chairman take action... no, no one has ever even seen the chairman..."
Holding a cigarette between her fingers, Mother smiled wryly through the swirling smoke.
"Perhaps the chairman doesn't even exist, and it's all just a bluff by the useless people at headquarters... Of course, now isn't the right time. But the fact that he's started thinking along those lines is already the best thing. From the first public confrontation over the Cuckoo Project to the beginning of the preparations, hasn't he been getting closer and closer to the Lord of the Abyss? The Godfather? That's a story about betrayal and loyalty..."
Father and Auntie Zhang nodded slightly, anticipation flashing in their eyes.
In the villa garden, Old Sun the gardener, tending to the flowers, and Old Chen the driver, washing the car, wore similarly expectant smiles...
When Wu Qian left, he gave Li Fan the day off.
Li Fan spent the entire afternoon in the home theater, fast-forwarding through all three Godfather movies. He did his best to study the godfathers' mannerisms, bearing, and even their voices.
After finishing The Godfather, he found Akira Kurosawa's Ran and watched that too. Those old movies really did have a certain charm; the manner and bearing of the rulers in them were worth learning from.
Feeling that he had more or less mastered the bearing of these big shots, Li Fan then found undercover cop movies like Infernal Affairs and New World and immersed himself in them.
His main goal was to study the mental fortitude of undercover agents and the pitfalls they should avoid.
It was all in preparation for finding some instructional material for his involuntary undercover career.
Auntie Zhang came and went many times during that period, bringing Li Fan drinks and fruit. In the evening, she brought the food straight into the home theater, sparing everyone the awkwardness of eating together and giving both Li Fan and the others in the household a huge sense of relief.
Meanwhile, Father, Mother, the gardener, the driver, and the others waiting outside gradually confirmed one of their suspicions.
Every movie Collector watched was about betrayal!
In those movies, the boss never came to a good end!
What he intended to do was already obvious!
Of course, it was best not to discuss such things openly. Everyone understood without needing to say it.
Collector probably didn't want to publicize it himself, either.
After all, one had to stockpile grain and wait to declare oneself king.
Whenever the people in the household encountered one another, they wore knowing smiles and exchanged a look that said everything without a word.
Li Fan himself didn't know much about what was happening in the villa.
Not knowing how to face "Mom and Dad," and with no idea what the real Collector liked to do in his free time, he stayed in the home theater until after eight that evening.
His eyes hurt from watching movies.
At that point, he almost found himself missing work.
The Dissection Department only worked from three to five every afternoon, just two hours. That was downright ridiculous.
If things didn't improve, he'd secretly write an anonymous complaint to the director after a while and suggest changing the work schedule to a normal eight hours.
At that moment, Li Fan hated the mastermind behind the Unity Society even more.
He immediately called Father and Mother over, told them that those bastards from the Unity Society had infiltrated Gu City, and ordered them to be on their guard and spread the word that the target was to be captured alive.
Father was stunned on the spot. He couldn't believe Collector had such a thorough grasp of what was happening outside, even while undercover in the Anomaly Bureau.
He quickly reported to Li Fan how he'd previously encountered an attack by the Unity Society.
After all that commotion, it was past ten by the time Li Fan returned to his private bedroom suite to rest.
The night was utterly silent.
After spending the entire day doing his best to keep up the act, Li Fan finally relaxed a little as he lay on the soft bed.
He was in the enemy's lair, surrounded by fiends. He couldn't afford to make the slightest mistake.
Father, Mother, and Auntie Zhang had all treated him with utmost respect today, but that was because they thought he was Collector. If they realized their Collector was just an ordinary man, Li Fan reckoned he wouldn't even know how he'd died.
Besides, everyone in the villa had worn ambiguous smiles when talking to him today, winking and nudging him. It had made Li Fan wonder if his cover had been blown.
He'd been on edge the whole time. Only after closing the door and lying down had he felt a little better.
Not much better.
The heads that had filled the bookshelves in the small study off his bedroom had all been packed into suitcases. Eight huge cases stood against the wall, dark as eight coffins.
Every so often, a "thump, thump" came from inside. Maybe one of the heads was bouncing around.
Anyone who could sleep well in this kind of environment had to be a ghost.
Li Fan rolled over and pressed his ear against the pillow. He could just barely make out a faint rumbling from underground. It was so quiet he could hardly hear it unless he listened carefully, like some enormous creature crawling through the pitch-black depths.
Must be the subway passing by.
What a waste to build such a nice villa on top of a subway line.
The people in the Cleaning Association really didn't care about spending money.
Then again, the money had been conned out of someone else anyway.
I really want to go to work so badly... I've never wanted to work as much as I do now...
As his thoughts wandered in a daze, Li Fan fell into a deep sleep.
A little after eight the next morning, a ringing phone woke him.
When he answered, he found that it was Wu Qian.
"Fan, hurry over to the bureau and pull an extra shift. We've suddenly got a job. The whole department's working overtime, not just you! I know you just finished a night shift the day before yesterday and wanted to go home to spend time with your parents, but this job's urgent. We'll have to ask everyone to put in a little extra effort..."
Wu Qian sounded apologetic and a little long-winded. He seemed genuinely embarrassed to be calling someone in to work at eight in the morning.
Li Fan's eyes lit up. He sprang out of bed and hurriedly replied to the person on the other end,
"Sure thing, Chief Wu! No problem! I'll head over right away! Just tell me what the job is!"
Then he hung up.
On the other end, Wu Qian held his phone, swallowing the speech he'd prepared. He was deeply moved.
There really are good colleagues like this!
He'd just spent ages trying to convince the department's old hands to come in for overtime.
Little Li really was a good colleague. Promoting him to section chief had been the right call!
Li Fan quickly got dressed and walked out of the bedroom, his face already set in a cold expression. In a slightly hoarse voice, he said,
"Get the car ready."
Driver Chen, who had been waiting in the living room downstairs, immediately stood up. Dressed in a black leather jacket, he dashed toward the garage with crisp, practiced movements.
"I've prepared breakfast for you. Would you like to eat before you go?" Auntie Zhang asked cautiously. A pleasant aroma drifted from the dining room.
"I'll eat on the way," Li Fan said expressionlessly, heading for the door.
Father and Mother were also standing in the living room, gazing intently at Li Fan.
"The anomalous item you provided yesterday has arrived at headquarters. They're preparing to test it. We should have the results this afternoon."
"Would you like a team to back you up? We're ready at any time!"
Without looking back, Li Fan walked to the door and said coolly,
"No need."
A discreet yet luxurious sedan was already parked outside. Driver Chen respectfully opened the rear door.
Li Fan ducked inside. The door closed, and the car slowly pulled away from the villa.
Li Fan's face remained expressionless. He gently squeezed the upholstery with one hand, feeling the soft, comfortable leather, and marveled inwardly at how much nicer a good car was.
Driver Chen sat ramrod straight, and his driving was impeccable.
Though he weaved through the traffic, he drove with effortless fluidity, never slowing down for a moment.
He didn't speak, and Li Fan naturally said nothing either.
The two rode in silence all the way to a small side street beside the Anomaly Bureau, like they were in a hearse.
Li Fan got out, and both their tense backs relaxed a little.
Only after Li Fan had left did Driver Chen collapse into his seat and wipe away sweat again and again.
Serving beside a ruler is like living with a tiger.
When he arrived at the Dissection Department, Li Fan immediately noticed that one-eighth of the staff had already arrived.
The department head and deputy department head.
Seeing Li Fan arrive, Wu Qian was overjoyed.
"Fan, young people really are the best! So eager to get ahead! Oh, Xiao Ke's here too! Hurry, you two go start work in the Dissection Room! The Investigation Department sent over a few big jobs today!"
Ke Ke, wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, had entered the Dissection Department behind Li Fan. The two immediately followed Wu Qian toward the Dissection Room.
Inside, there were more than a dozen trees.
No, more than a dozen people.
They were people fused together with trees.
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