Chapter 18: "Friendly Conversation"

A few minutes later, Chu Cheng had already boarded the aircraft with Luo Yajun, heading back to the surface.

As Chu Cheng understood it, this flight was like a shuttle, departing on schedule to transport the personnel from the mothership to the designated ground base.

This made him increasingly frustrated with the idea of having the headquarters set up as a flying tombstone; commuting on the ground was not convenient at all.

However, Luo Yajun also informed him that most of the staff on the mothership resided there long-term and rarely left the vessel. If the agents had urgent missions, they would be arranged a private plane instead of waiting for the shuttle like fools.

For Chu Cheng, this visit was merely to complete the necessary procedures for reporting, and he would not need to come here frequently in the future.

Upon reaching the ground base, the off-road vehicle, which Luo Yajun had previously arranged, was already in place. The two of them got into the car and drove in the direction of Jiangdu.

As soon as they got in the car and before Chu Cheng could even settle in, Luo Yajun had already lit a cigarette. He opened the car window, leaned back in his seat, and exhaled smoke while humming a tune.

He tried offering Chu Cheng a cigarette again. "Want one?"

"I really don't," Chu Cheng shook his head.

Chu Cheng was a clean-living young man who didn't smoke, drink, or style his hair in fancy ways. He was a model of virtue, except for occasionally staying up late and occasionally showing off. Even the young man downstairs who sold wolfberries praised his good health.

"They say smoking is harmful to health," Luo Yajun said casually, taking another deep drag of his cigarette and blowing the smoke rings out the window. He chuckled and continued with a mischievous smile, "But it doesn't matter. If there's one thing I've learned in the first half of my life, it's to seize the moment. You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an unexpected event, so you might as well enjoy today."

"Money can still be there, but if you lose your life..." Chu Cheng remarked.

"Hahaha, that's a brilliant summary," Luo Yajun agreed wholeheartedly.

"It's not brilliant, it's just wisdom."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Chu Cheng changed the subject. "I mean, where are we headed on this trip?"

"We're going to find an informant," Luo Yajun said succinctly. "We've identified a potential impulsive infection source, and that's where we're heading now."

"What do you mean by an impulsive infection source?" Chu Cheng asked, not understanding.

"Right, you don't know about infection sources," Luo Yajun realized. "Well, let me explain it to you simply. Infection sources can be categorized into many types.

For example, there are medium-based infection sources. These sources are usually objects, such as a pen, a cigarette, a sculpture, or a painting—basically anything. These mediums can infect nearby targets upon contact, but one target won't infect another."

Chu Cheng thought of the sculpture in the conference room of the Klein Tower.

"Another example is the impulsive infection source we're dealing with this time," Luo Yajun continued. "These types of sources are usually living organisms. They're called 'impulsive' because they can't infect other individuals in their normal state. It's only when their emotions are highly volatile and negative that they can potentially infect targets around them, and the intensity of their infectivity is also related to their negative emotions."

Chu Cheng thought of the couple who had a fight at school.

"So, like what happened at our school? They infected people around them when their negative emotions escalated during their argument," he said.

"Correct," Luo Yajun nodded. "But the incident at your school was just a minor event. The infection source wasn't strong, and the level of infection was low. It quickly returned to normal. Oh, by the way, speaking of which..."

He put on a serious expression.

"The students' infection levels were low, and they could easily recover. However, once it exceeds 50%, there's no hope. And once it goes beyond 80%, unless you're one of us, your consciousness as that person is already dead."

"Infection levels above 80% no longer represent humanity. They become something else entirely. Always remember this and don't consider them as humans. It's a bloody lesson," Luo Yajun said.

Chu Cheng caught a glimpse of the story behind the words. He guessed that there might have been something that happened in the past, but Luo Yajun didn't intend to continue.

"Let's focus on the target we're looking for on this trip," he said.

As he spoke, Luo Yajun reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a photo, handing it to Chu Cheng. Curious, Chu Cheng took a look. Wow, the guy in the photo had a hairstyle reminiscent of a labor camp, with a round head, round body, and a tight-fitting T-shirt that revealed his belly. He wore a large gold chain, almost as if he had "Don't Mess with Me" written on his face.

Chu Cheng had heard people say that those who used to run the streets wore gold chains so they could sell them in times of emergency. But over time, it had become a fashion statement. However, looking at the guy in the photo with his faded chain, it seemed like it wouldn't fetch much money.

"Shao Risheng, member of a local gang. This guy's gang has been involved in several murders recently. So, this trip is to gather information and assess the situation," Luo Yajun explained.

"If things have really gone haywire over there, then we'll take care of it."

"And if they haven't?" Chu Cheng asked.

"If they haven't? Well, then it's not our concern," Luo Yajun replied nonchalantly.

Chu Cheng thought about it and realized it made sense. Their organization, based on a flying tombstone, was essentially a madhouse where they took care of the lunatics but turned a blind eye to crimes.

This model reminded him of a notorious tax agency in his previous life in a certain country.

Murder? If it's just disturbance, then no problem, you're on your own.

Tax evasion?

You're finished. Even if God Himself showed up today, He couldn't save you, I'm telling you.

"Unless we come across significant clues and evidence related to a major murder case during our investigation, and only we have that information," Luo Yajun added.

"Oh? In that case, we would make an exception and pursue it?" Chu Cheng asked.

"No," Luo Yajun chuckled, cigarette dangling from his mouth. "We would report it to the police."

Chu Cheng: ...

Well, it sounded reasonable.

After about half an hour, Luo Yajun parked the car across from a bar.

Chu Cheng looked up through the car window and saw the neon sign hanging above, flashing the words "Qiaoxi Bar." Some of the strokes seemed to flicker and fade, possibly due to poor contact.

"Right here?" Chu Cheng asked.

"Seems like it. This is one of their hideouts, and according to the intelligence, Shao Risheng is usually here," Luo Yajun replied.

Luo Yajun unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, but stopped Chu Cheng from getting out.

"Just wait here for me," he said. "I'll go and ask them a few questions in a friendly manner. I'll be back soon."

He emphasized the word "friendly" heavily. Chu Cheng seemed to understand something, so he remained silent and nodded obediently, staying in the car.

He sat in the car, watching the detective light up another cigarette and put it in his mouth, then cross the street and walk towards the bar opposite.

Chu Cheng sat there bored for a few minutes, when suddenly he heard a piercing wail coming from the bar across the street. The intensity of the scream reminded him of the agonizing cries from the classic animated series "Tom and Jerry" when Tom gets his tail caught in a door, gets hit by fireworks, or gets stung by bees.

Soon after, he heard sounds of a fight, the thud of heavy objects being thrown to the ground, the shattering of glass, and even the deafening sound of gunfire.

After a moment, the glass on the street-facing side of the bar shattered with a loud crash. A round figure crashed through the broken glass and rolled onto the sidewalk, groaning like a dead pig.

The bar door was pushed open again, and Detective Luo Yajun walked out, adjusting his clothes while still holding the cigarette in his mouth. As he opened the door, Chu Cheng could vaguely glimpse the chaos inside and the scattered bodies lying everywhere.

Luo Yajun leisurely walked towards the person lying on the ground, flipped him over, and placed his foot on the man's chest. Calmly, he said, "Alright, Mr. Shao, are you ready to talk now?"