The Curtain-Callers' "Role"

No one spoke along the way, and no one paid them much attention. Soon, they reached the car.

Shen Bai told Shi Yu and the others to get in first, then turned to Liu Yiyi.

Liu Yiyi and Huo Qiuliang showed no intention of getting in, and the car could not hold that many people anyway.

Shen Bai said to Liu Yiyi:

"I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, but Xi Yao has already helped us treat the lingering mental damage suffered by the hospitalized teachers and students."

Liu Yiyi froze for a moment.

"That fast?! Didn't we only tell her after discovering the problem last night? She came so quickly? Where's Yaoyao?"

Shen Bai paused at Liu Yiyi's delighted expression before saying:

"Xi Yao seems very busy on her end. You know Lichuan only has one more person than we do, and none of them are particularly good at fighting. If anything happened while she was away, it would be a disaster. Besides... the higher-ups in her jurisdiction aren't as straightforward as ours. Xi Yao has things to do every day."

Liu Yiyi had been delighted to hear that Xi Yao had come, but at Shen Bai's words, her face fell.

"What can those idiots at the top do besides play dirty tricks and hoard money and power? If it weren't for them, back then I-!"

"Yiyi!"

Shen Bai sharply cut Liu Yiyi off. Looking at her already angry expression, he sighed and said:

"Stop dwelling on what happened back then. We'll find the truth sooner or later, but getting angry now won't help, no matter how angry we get. Calm down. We have plenty of time."

Liu Yiyi bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"Right... right... sooner or later, we'll find out who did it..."

There was undisguised bitterness in Liu Yiyi's voice.

"Who killed Sister Yuan... sooner or later... I'll find them..."

Shen Bai patted Liu Yiyi's shoulder, then gave Huo Qiuliang a look.

"All right, get some rest, Yiyi. I'll patrol tonight. I'm going to take the kids home first. Xiao Liang, take Yiyi home."

Huo Qiuliang caught his meaning and quietly edged over to Liu Yiyi.

"Let's go, Yiyi. It's evening, and it's cold tonight."

Liu Yiyi did not feel cold. The power of Smelting hammered within her body; her blood could boil.

But she watched Shen Bai's retreating figure as the slanting sun stretched his somewhat thin shadow and brushed the white car with a shade of darkness.

"...Let's go. It has gotten chilly."

Liu Yiyi patted the hem of her police uniform, smoothing out a few little creases, then walked toward the police station with Huo Qiuliang.

Sitting in the car, Shi Yu watched Shen Bai draw closer, then withdrew his gaze.

I can't get too curious. I shouldn't try to guess what the boss is thinking.

Shi Yu lowered his head slightly and reined in his thoughts, ignoring Hu Zihao, who was looking around from the passenger seat, and Han He beside him. Soon, he cleared away his stray thoughts.

Shi Yu had already discovered certain drawbacks to Thought. Whenever his curiosity grew too strong, it always gave him too much information, much of which he did not need. Some of it was even harmful to him.

So he had to curb his curiosity, or sooner or later, he would stumble because of it.

Click, clack.

The car door opened. Shen Bai smoothly settled into the driver's seat and glanced around at the reservists in the car.

"I'll drop Hu Zihao off first. His place is closest. Then Shi Yu and Han He."

Shi Yu nodded to show he had no objection, but there was something he had wanted to say all along and had kept to himself because so many people were around.

How did Han He staying at my place become the default?!!

Didn't we say at first... actually, I guess we never did say how long he would stay.

But normally, wouldn't he stay for one day, then find somewhere else after we went out together?

Watching the buildings and trees rush backward, Shi Yu thought:

Could it be... Han He is actually as poor as I am?

That makes sense. Neither of us has any family left. In theory, we're both living on assistance, so it's perfectly normal that he can't find himself a new place to stay. Han He did say his home was far away.

At that thought, Shi Yu sighed.

Why should one poor guy make things hard for another...

Hearing Shi Yu's sudden, inexplicable sigh, Han He glanced sideways. The melancholy on Shi Yu's face left him a little puzzled.

But soon, realization dawned on Han He as he remembered.

Huo Qiuliang said he would treat Shi Yu to a meal today, but Shi Yu never got to eat it. That's why he looks so disappointed.

Han He gave an almost imperceptible nod, confirming his own theory.

I'll buy something tasty later.

Amid Hu Zihao's cheerful chatter, Shi Yu and Han He completely missed each other's thoughts and raced off in their own directions.

Just like Liu Yiyi's motorcycle.

"Y-Y-Yiyi!!! Slow down!! I'm not in any hurry!!"

Terrified, Huo Qiuliang clutched the seat on either side and squeezed the pillion seat beneath him tightly between his legs. The wind billowed his collar into a round opening. Huo Qiuliang felt that without his helmet, the features on his face would have been blown clean off.

Huo Qiuliang genuinely felt as though his soul was chasing after his body. He swore he would never ride with Liu Yiyi again!! He swore to heaven!!

But Liu Yiyi turned a deaf ear to Huo Qiuliang's screams. Accompanied by the motorcycle's roar, the two sped through the alley and into the distance.

"Bye, Shi Yu, Han He! See you when we get the notice!"

After reaching his destination and thanking Shen Bai, Hu Zihao turned back and called to Shi Yu and Han He.

"Yep. We'll keep in touch if anything comes up."

Shi Yu answered, while Han He waved to Hu Zihao beside him.

Hu Zihao nodded, then turned toward home. Soon, he disappeared from their sight.

Watching Hu Zihao leave, Shi Yu thought:

Hu Zihao really adjusts quickly. He was like that at school too... Although I used my ability to make him believe me at first, he accepted everything that followed very quickly.

Watching Shen Bai start the car again, Shi Yu asked:

"Shen Bai, will Hu Zihao be in danger if he's on his own over the next few days? Will the Curtain-Callers really give up that easily?"

Shen Bai concentrated on turning the car around, but his voice came steadily.

"Don't worry too much about Hu Zihao. The Curtain-Callers follow a pattern. If it's clear that the target has already been in contact with the authorities, there will only be one more attack afterward... If that fails too, they'll abandon the target."

Shi Yu gave this a little thought, and soon a guess formed in his mind.

Ever since acquiring Thought, Shi Yu had needed far less time for all his deductions. Thought increased the likelihood that his thinking would lead toward the truth. Combined with his strengthened logical abilities, it made Shi Yu feel like a detective who could predict the future.

Though he was not actually all that smart.

"To test the authorities' strength?"

Shen Bai did not turn around, but one eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly. He remembered what Huo Qiuliang had told him yesterday.

"Shi Yu is exceptionally sharp. That kid has a lot going on in his head."

Shen Bai slowed a little to avoid someone running a red light ahead. The roads were getting busier-it was rush hour now.

Shen Bai tapped lightly on the steering wheel and spoke to Shi Yu, who was feeling uneasy about having suddenly spoken up:

"You're right. It's a habit of the Curtain-Callers. If everyone they send out fails after clashing with the authorities, they'll quiet down and keep a low profile for a while."

The light at the next intersection was red. Shen Bai slowly stopped, and more and more cars piled up behind them. He continued:

"If they manage to get away unscathed, the Curtain-Callers will push their luck and try to eliminate the authorities' people as well."

Just as I thought.

Listening to Shen Bai, Shi Yu gained a rough understanding of the Curtain-Callers' role.

Rats.

They come out during the day to steal something, and keep going if they succeed. If they get beaten, they switch to nighttime. If they get beaten at night too, they start sneaking around.

"So, Shen Bai, the two Curtain-Callers we caught today count as the authorities taking action too, right? They shouldn't attack again after this, should they?"

Shen Bai nodded in confirmation and answered:

"That's why there's actually no need to worry too much about Hu Zihao. But caution comes first in everything, so I'll keep watch for a while longer, especially over Hu Zihao's mother. She's actually the one who needs protection most. The Curtain-Callers are unscrupulous. Using family members as leverage is nothing unusual for them."

Shi Yu had already suspected as much. He habitually considered the worst possibilities. Never mind the Curtain-Callers-even now, Shi Yu believed the authorities would also use people's families to threaten them.

It was a very dark mindset, but Shi Yu saw nothing wrong with making such assumptions. It was better than being unprepared when something bad really happened.

But in any case, it was good that Hu Zihao and Aunt Feng could stay safe.

After all, Hu Zihao and Han He had been through life and death with him. All three of them were in the same situation now, and Shi Yu hoped they could all stay safe.

That way, he would have some support too. Huddling together for warmth was better than being alone.

When Shi Yu did not answer, Shen Bai specifically added:

"I've assigned He Siying-you met her today, right? The round-faced girl with long hair. She'll stay beside Ms. Feng all day today. As long as there are no problems over the next few days, we can stop worrying."

"Ah, that's great. Then there shouldn't be any problems."

Hearing Shen Bai speak again, Shi Yu hurried to answer. Coming back to his senses, he spotted the lights at the entrance to his residential complex through the window.

Some vegetables had already been set out outside the supermarket at the entrance. The supermarket was always busy when people got off work.

Shi Yu suddenly remembered his completely empty refrigerator. He hurriedly spoke to Shen Bai, who was about to drive inside:

"Shen Bai, no need to go in. We can get out here. I need to buy a few things anyway."

Hearing Shi Yu, Shen Bai stopped turning the wheel and slowly pulled over. Looking into the rearview mirror, he said:

"All right. You two stay safe too, and don't be too impatient. In a few days, the higher-ups will send down the paperwork, mainly to add you to the police system. Then you'll be issued some standard equipment... though most of it isn't much use. I'll let you know when the time comes."

Shi Yu nodded, glanced at Han He, who had stopped spacing out beside him, and said to Shen Bai:

"Okay, thank you, Shen Bai! See you then."

Shen Bai nodded and slowly drove off after Shi Yu and Han He got out. In the rearview mirror, the two were gently waving.

Watching the car drive away, Shi Yu slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Good. Everyone seems pretty nice.

Just as the slightly socially anxious Shi Yu was still marveling that he really was going to become a "police officer," Han He poked him from beside him.