New Deathsworn and Ripples of Daily Life
The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, cutting out alternating stripes of light and dark on the wooden floor.
Lin Feng woke up from a not-so-deep sleep. The precise biological clock he had developed in the detention center meant that even in a relatively comfortable environment, he rarely slept in.
His headaches seemed to have improved somewhat due to the stability of his environment, but the occasional muffled thuds from upstairs—whether from a jump rope or furniture being moved—still served as a reminder of the helplessness of urban living.
He rubbed his temples, his consciousness sinking into the system space that only he could perceive. The daily summons was like opening an unknown blind box, carrying a faint glimmer of anticipation.
"Call."
The cold, mechanical voice rang out as expected. "Ding! Summoning successful! Acquired assassin: Du Mingyuan."
Information flow influx:
Name: Du Mingyuan
Position: Director and Chief Physician of the Municipal Mental Health Center (Municipal Psychiatric Hospital)
Status: Healthy
Activity area: This city
Skills: Diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, management of medical institutions, and networking resources (medical/health system).
Loyalty: 100%
The director of a mental hospital? Lin Feng was slightly taken aback. This identity was somewhat unexpected, but upon closer examination, it made perfect sense.
The system's call seems to be becoming increasingly "down-to-earth," penetrating deep into the capillaries of the social structure. The resources and connections wielded by the director of a Municipal Psychiatric Hospital, especially in specific areas, should not be underestimated. This might play a role in some unexpected places.
This summoning also reminded Lin Feng of another assassin he had previously summoned who was connected to the mental hospital— Chen Meijiao.
A man with a feminine name but who is actually male suffers from a severe mental disorder. His condition is quite unique and extreme, suffering from severe body integrity identity disorder mixed with bizarre delusions. He stubbornly believes that the world is "asymmetrical" and wrong, and that only "half" is truly complete and beautiful.
This distorted perception drove him to cut off his own ear, and when he tried to chop off his left hand with an axe, his family discovered him in time and forcibly sent him to the mental hospital that Du Mingyuan now manages.
Chen Meijiao's loyalty is beyond question, and the system guarantees that. However, the uncertainty surrounding an absolutely loyal person whose mental world has completely collapsed and whose behavior cannot be judged by common sense is alarmingly high.
He was like a bomb that could explode at any moment, and the extent of its blast could be unknown. Although he was absolutely obedient to Lin Feng's orders, a single misstep could cause unpredictable destruction and chaos.
Lin Feng has no intention of taking him out of the hospital for the time being. Letting him continue to receive supervision and treatment in a professional institution is a safer option for everyone.
This piece may only be valuable in certain extremely special circumstances, and now, the time is far from right.
After reviewing the information on both the new and old assassins, Lin Feng glanced at the digital clock by his bedside; it was almost time. He got up, washed up, and changed into a casual suit that Lawyer Zhou had prepared for him in advance, one that suited the atmosphere of the law firm.
Although the fabric and tailoring were of the highest quality, when worn by him, he seemed to lack the sophisticated air of a seasoned Lawyer Zhou, and instead displayed a youthful naiveté that belonged to his age. However, his overly calm eyes diluted this naiveté, making him appear somewhat enigmatic.
After being unemployed at home for a while, although he had a steady stream of income from his online store and was financially secure, the long period of idleness left him feeling inexplicably empty and bored.
He needed to experience and understand the surface rules of how this world operates. So a few days ago, he mentioned to Lawyer Zhou that he wanted to find something to do. Zhou Wenyuan was extremely efficient and immediately invited him to his law firm to work as an assistant.
Lin Feng studied law in college, and although he dropped out midway due to a wrongful conviction and currently only has a high school diploma, he still has a basic understanding of legal concepts and frameworks.
Given Zhou Wenyuan's position at Junyue Law Firm—he is no longer an ordinary partner, but a top lawyer with the greatest reputation and the widest range of cases, and his relationship with the firm leans more towards deep cooperation, giving him a great deal of autonomy—assigning an assistant is truly just a matter of a word.
Moreover, in a law firm, especially for interns or assistants just starting out, daily work is filled with a lot of basic and service-oriented tasks: picking up takeout, collecting packages, photocopying documents, delivering materials, organizing case files, and even helping to clean the office. The firm's management wouldn't care about Lin Feng at all; they'd just assume he was one of Great Lawyer Zhou's relatives doing an internship.
After getting ready, Lin Feng walked out of the bedroom. In the living room, Lü Yi was already waiting, looking very energetic. Today, he had changed into a relatively low-key black tracksuit, but his tall stature and eyes that always exuded a sense of "eagerness" still made him stand out from the crowd.
During this period, Lin Feng has made many enemies. Although the fraud gang seems to have been scared off, there's no guarantee that some members might have escaped and harbor resentment; Sun Tingting's family appears peaceful on the surface, but given the grief of losing her daughter, it's impossible to know what extreme actions they might take; and then there's Zhang Qian, who died from her injuries—does anyone in her network want to stand up for her?
Better safe than sorry. Having Lü Yi, a highly capable and absolutely loyal "mentally ill" person, as a bodyguard is the safest option. Fortunately, Lawyer Zhou's apartment has a three-bedroom, two-living-room layout, with ample space, more than enough for the two of them.
"Boss, good morning! Shall we go and cause trouble at a big law firm today?" Lü Yi asked with great interest, his thought process as peculiar as ever.
"Go to work." Lin Feng corrected him succinctly, and took the lead towards the door.
The two walked out of the apartment one after the other and arrived at the elevator. The corridor was quiet in the early morning, with only the slight rustling of the elevator cable. They pressed the down button, and the indicator light slowly started to flash from the number "12".
With a "ding," the elevator doors slid open.
There were already people inside the elevator. A slightly plump middle-aged woman was carrying a cloth shopping bag. There was also a little boy, about eight or nine years old, who was probably her grandson, wearing a school uniform and carrying a large schoolbag.
However, the atmosphere inside the elevator car was far from peaceful. The little boy was clearly overexcited, or rather, lacking discipline. He was using the elevator car as a racetrack, spinning rapidly around the narrow space like an out-of-control top, making "whoosh" sounds to imitate the engine.
He would occasionally and deliberately bang his hands and feet against the inner wall of the elevator, making dull thuds. The entire car would shake slightly uncomfortably with his running and banging.
The middle-aged woman seemed to have long been used to it, or rather, powerless to control him. She just kept muttering, "Oh dear, little darling, slow down, don't bump into things and hurt yourself..." But her advice was weak and ineffective. The little boy ignored her and, because of the "audience" (Lin Feng and Lü Yi), ran even more happily and bumped into things even louder.
Lin Feng's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. This unbridled behavior in a confined public space, and the resulting sense of insecurity, instinctively displeased him.
But he wasn't one to meddle, especially since the other person was a child; he couldn't be bothered to waste his breath. He walked into the elevator expressionlessly, stood in a corner, and stared at the constantly changing floor numbers, as if all the noise and swaying around him were irrelevant.
Lü Yi followed him in. He glanced at the little boy a couple of times with curiosity, seemingly appreciating his behavior. However, he kept his "bodyguard" duties in mind and didn't make any unnecessary movements. He simply stood half a body length to the side and in front of Lin Feng, subtly forming a protective stance.
The elevator doors slowly closed, carrying the four people with their own thoughts, along with the continuous sounds of running and colliding, and began to descend.