Wang Ping said, "It doesn't seem like it, but it's still much better than finding someone like Zhang Xiaohu. I'll lend you a suit and tie first, then find a briefcase to put it in. That should be enough to fool you for a while. As for what happens later, we'll talk about that later."
Zhao Qiang quickly got dressed up, and as soon as he put his briefcase in his pocket, Wang Ping laughed, "I was wrong, this isn't a teacher, this is just someone collecting electricity bills." People of their generation definitely had never seen anyone collecting electricity bills in the countryside before; they must have come from nowhere.
Zhao Qiang said, "You've put me through all this trouble and now you're saying it's no good? Are you kidding me?"
Wang Ping chuckled: "No, no, it's just that my expectations were too perfect. Let's leave it at that and come on, let's go to my house."
Xu Changhe was driving, and Wang Ping told Zhao Qiang to get out of the car from a distance. The two walked into a residential area, and Zhao Qiang looked them up and down as they walked, saying, "Your family must be quite wealthy."
Wang Ping said, "Generally speaking, my dad works for PetroChina, and my mom secretly runs a few gas stations. However, it's usually my uncle and aunt who manage the business. My mom spends most of her time at home, mainly taking care of my studies."
Zhao Qiang said, "I bet you're not very good at studying."
Wang Ping said, "Congratulations on guessing correctly. I personally believe that our country does not need bookworms in the future, so I am willing to go out into society to practice more, rather than wasting time on memorizing and solving problems. That is really an insult to life."
Zhao Qiang was speechless. He somewhat agreed with what Wang Ping said, but he didn't want to say it out loud so as not to mislead her further. It was impossible to predict what kind of talent they would cultivate for the country in the future.
Before going upstairs, Wang Ping instructed Zhao Qiang: "If my mom asks later, just say it's from the Academic Affairs Office. You arranged for me to clean the library today, but you forgot to inform our homeroom teacher, so I'm coming to explain in person."
"I'm from the Academic Affairs Office? In charge of sanitation?"
Wang Ping said, "Yes, just say what I tell you to say. Go upstairs."
On the third floor, in the east-facing apartment, Wang Ping opened the security door herself with her key and said respectfully to Zhao Qiang, "Teacher Zhao, please come in. My home may be a bit messy. My mother isn't very diligent, so please bear with me."
Zhao Qiang puffed out his chest, let out a soft "uh," and strode into the living room, saying, "Not bad, not bad, the home's decor is very high-end."
Wang Ping glanced around and saw no one in the living room. She called out, "Mom, Mom, Teacher Zhao from our school is here."
A woman poked her head out of the study. "Xiaoping? Your father and I have something to discuss. You go and talk to your teacher. We'll be done soon."
Wang Ping was stunned for a moment: "Mom, these are our school teachers. What are you and Dad discussing? What is more important than our teachers!"
The woman looked anxious. She completely ignored her daughter's questioning and didn't even greet Zhao Qiang before going into the study. Wang Ping was a little embarrassed: "My mother isn't usually like this. I think she might be on her period."
Zhao Qiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "It's alright, we'll just wait a bit."
About twenty minutes later, Wang Ping's mother came out of the study, followed by a middle-aged man who was a bit fat but had a very dignified air, like a leader, except that he looked more anxious.
Wang Ping's mother forced a smile and stepped forward to greet Zhao Qiang: "Teacher, hello. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. What brings you to our home...?"
Wang Ping asked, "Mom, did our homeroom teacher call you?"
Wang Ping's mother suddenly realized what was happening and reached out to grab her daughter's ear: "You brat, where did you run off to so early in the morning? Tell me, why did your teacher say you skipped class?"
Wang Ping quickly dodged her mother's hand: "Mom, Mom, listen to me, Teacher Zhao came to our house in person to explain this matter."
Wang Ping's father came over and shook hands with Zhao Qiang: "Teacher Zhao, thank you for your trouble."
Zhao Qiang quickly said, "It's no trouble at all. It was my mistake. I arranged for Wang Ping to clean the library during the morning self-study session, but I forgot to inform her homeroom teacher. I sincerely apologize for the impact my mistake had on Wang Ping."
Wang Ping's mother said, "She wasn't skipping class, was she?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Mm."
Wang Ping said, "Mom, you can rest assured now. I'll have Dad arrange lunch for us to treat Teacher Zhao to a meal."
Zhao Qiang kept giving Wang Ping meaningful glances. He was in a hurry to see the guy who had witnessed the robot murdering humans, and he wouldn't let Wang Ping waste time on eating.
Wang Ping's mother hesitated for a moment, and Wang Ping's father said, "Teacher Zhao, I'm so sorry, we've come at an inopportune time. There was a small accident at my home that I need to deal with, so I really can't entertain you today. How about this, Xiao Ping, you take your teacher out to eat, and I'll reimburse you for whatever it costs."
Wang Ping said, "Really? Then I'm taking our teacher out to eat."
Wang Ping's parents probably didn't have the time or inclination to greet her. They waved and let Wang Ping leave with Zhao Qiang. After they went downstairs, Zhao Qiang said to Wang Ping, "Something happened to your family."
Wang Ping sighed and said, "Recently, someone has been competing with my dad, and I guess he lost."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Aren't you worried?"
Wang Ping said, "What's the use of me worrying, uncle? Can you help my dad?"
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "I'm not an official, I just work for the space agency."
Wang Ping said, "I want to help my dad, but I don't know how to start."
It was still early before lunch, and since Zhao Qiang had helped Wang Ping, she couldn't refuse any longer. So she took Zhao Qiang to find her friend. The car was parked outside an old residential area. It was too small for an SUV to drive through, so they had to walk. They walked through the old residential area and past dilapidated bungalows. This area was actually considered the city center, but it was probably an old urban area that hadn't been properly renovated. Land prices had been driven up to exorbitant levels, and no developer was willing to take on the redevelopment of such urban villages anymore.
Wang Ping led Zhao Qiang into a courtyard house. In fact, courtyard houses are not popular in Tiannan City. The so-called courtyard house here is just a row of bungalows built around the original courtyard, which adds a few rental houses for no reason. Before they even went in, they could hear a lot of noise inside. The first thing they saw was a group of young people with their arms exposed gambling.
Wang Ping went inside and knocked on the glass door. Someone looked up, still holding their cards, and said, "Pingzi, what brings you here? This is a wolf's den. Be careful, or you'll get eaten."
Wang Ping snorted: "Which of you dares! Where's Chongzi? I need to talk to him."
The guy who was gambling said, "He's sleeping with his girlfriend inside."
Wang Ping stepped inside, and Zhao Qiang naturally followed. After entering through another door, there were two beds, each with a person lying on it. On one of the beds, there were two people, a man and a woman. The man was shirtless, wearing only shorts, while the woman was wearing a bikini, with most of her breasts exposed. The man was holding on tightly with one hand.
Zhao Qiang couldn't bear to watch, yet these people were sleeping so openly, ignoring the deafening shouts outside. What kind of tough guys were these?
Wang Ping seemed used to this. She went straight to the guy in the bed with the other man and patted his butt, saying, "Hey bug, get up, I need to talk to you."
The young man on the bed woke up, and the woman woke up as well. When she opened her eyes and saw Zhao Qiang, she smiled at him seductively with a sleepy look in her eyes. Then she used her hands to adjust the position of her bra. Zhao Qiang blushed. Damn, this is too open. Is she a woman shared by all the men here?
Wang Ping noticed Zhao Qiang blushing, and she was very pleased with herself, as if this showed her maturity and poise.
The insect reluctantly got out of bed and asked, "What are you doing?"
Wang Ping said, "My friend here needs your help."
The insect sized up Zhao Qiang: "Who? I don't know him."
Wang Ping said, "He's under my protection. He came to Tiannan City to work while looking for his younger brother."
Zhao Qiang was taken aback. Looking for his younger brother? They hadn't discussed it like this just now.
Wang Ping winked at Zhao Qiang, and Zhao Qiang had no choice but to admit it.
The insect said, "What does it have to do with me that he's looking for his brother?"
Wang Ping said, "Of course it's none of your business. He suspects that the person you saw killed that day might be his brother, so you can help him take him to the scene. Maybe you can find his brother."
The insect looked Zhao Qiang up and down again: "I didn't see anything. You can take him away."
(Thanks to dvid问天 for the 100 coins! Thanks to China Star for their support!) RO!
Volume 2 [786] In the Machine of Evolution
It turned out that the bug was very sensitive about this matter, and his reaction displeased Wang Ping, who said, "Bug, you're really not giving me any face."
The insect said, "I'm only doing this to give you face. Otherwise, I would have chased him away long ago. How could I let him stand here?"
Wang Ping said, "Alright, I won't argue with you anymore, just give me the money."
Zhao Qiang didn't understand and thought Wang Ping was asking Chongzi to give him money. When he saw Wang Bi glare at him, he quickly took out money from his pocket. He didn't have much cash on him, maybe five or six thousand, and gave it all to Chongzi. This made him seem like someone who would do anything to find his younger brother.
Seeing that Qian Chongzi's expression had visibly softened, it seemed that the saying "money makes the world go round" was indeed true. Chongzi said, "Money is a good thing, no one dislikes it, but it's not easy to earn. I've taken your money, so I have to do something for you, otherwise how can I have peace of mind? Although we're lowlifes in the underworld, we still have to uphold the principle of loyalty. Pingzi, is this kid really not a cop?" Wang Ping said, "Where do you see him as a cop? Besides, what are you afraid of if he is a cop? Zhang Xiaohu and I can handle him."
With Wang Ping's promise, Chongzi agreed: "Okay, I'll take you. Let's go, the air here is bad, it's good to go out and breathe some fresh air. To be honest, I'm really tired of this kind of life, I really want to one day wander the world with the woman I love." Chongzi looked weathered, and at this moment he really had a manly air. The woman on his bed was probably attracted, or maybe she was attracted by the money in Chongzi's hand, she leaned into Chongzi's arms and said: "Brother Chong, are you going to take me wandering the world?"
The insect shoved the woman away, yelling, "Get the hell out of here! You rotten woman, I'd rather bring a dog than take you with me!"
The woman angrily kicked the bug away: "Get lost!"
"The bug led Zhao Qiang and Wang Ping away from the rented house," he said to Zhao Qiang. "You help me kill this bitch next time. With your muscles, you'll definitely give her a good time."
Zhao Qiang broke out in a cold sweat. "Let's get down to business first. I'm not interested in women."
The insect, however, became interested: "Oh, so you're interested in men. That's a tasteful interest."
Zhao Qiang fell silent. Chongzi muttered a few words and then shut up. Once they were out of the urban village, Wang Ping pointed to the SUV parked ahead: "I borrowed the car. Let's drive there." Chongzi didn't suspect anything and rushed into the passenger seat. Zhao Qiang and Wang Ping had no choice but to get into the trunk. Chongzi directed Xu Changhe to drive, while Wang Ping fiddled with Zhao Qiang in the back.
"You really like Nanshan?" Zhao Qiang said, "I just said it offhand."
“If no woman likes you, you can hire me, it’s cheap,” Zhao Qiang said. “I’ll think about it.” The car drove further and further into the desolate area, but the road became wider and wider. These people really had a unique way of doing things. “This area is where we race cars,” Chongzi said. “You won’t see a soul during the day, but it gets really lively at night. It seems like there’s a crackdown going on these days, so nobody comes here anymore. That night I was wandering around this area…” Then I needed to pee and looked for a place to relieve myself, and that’s when I ran into him. “If your brother were a decent person, he wouldn’t be here. He doesn’t seem like a good guy either.”
Zhao Qiang remained silent. The insect pointed to the Xuchang River and stopped the car. It got out and led Zhao Qiang to an abandoned house. It was probably the site of a roadside shop, which was abandoned as the place declined.
"It's in here, you go in." A couple who came to watch the car chase got killed while they were doing their business inside. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean your brother and sister-in-law were a couple, so I won't go in. The scene might be a bit gruesome, you can see for yourselves, I'll wait outside. After pointing out the location, the bug left.
Wang Ping wanted to go in but didn't dare. Zhao Qiang, however, didn't hesitate and stepped inside. The place didn't have spacious doors or windows, so it was a bit dark inside. A strong musty smell mixed with a strange stench filled the air. Zhao Qiang's X-ray glasses were already on, and he didn't detect the presence of any robots, so he wasn't on guard. What came into view was a pile of dilapidated dining tables, and in the corner was a circular bar. It was hard to tell that the place had once been quite upscale.
Behind the bar lay two broken human-shaped objects. The X-ray glasses could only scan out their general shapes under night vision, so Zhao Qiang had to go over to take a closer look. He casually turned on the flashlight switch on his watch, and a beam of light, no less powerful than a searchlight, illuminated the room. Wang Ping, who had been hesitant about whether to come in, immediately followed behind him when she saw Zhao Qiang turn on the flashlight. Light always gives people a sense of security.
Sure enough, there were two corpses behind the bar. It seems the bug wasn't lying. And because this place is so remote and no respectable people come here, the corpses have been left here for a while without being noticed. Also, because all the doors and windows of the house were broken, the stench of the corpses wasn't too strong.
A man and a woman, their bodies so mangled it was impossible to tell which belonged to which. They had been torn apart by immense force; aside from the wounds, no other information could be gleaned. Wang Ping tried to enter the scene, but Zhao Qiang stopped her: "Don't disturb the traces on the ground."
Wang Ping stopped and asked in a low voice, "Is this what you're looking for?" Zhao Qiang replied, "More or less, but it's just a crime scene, so it's not very significant."
Wang Ping said, "No way, are you planning to erase my contributions?" Zhao Qiang replied, "Of course not. I already owe you two payments. Just ask when you want them."
Zhao Qiang also scanned the marks on the ground. They weren't ordinary people's footprints; they matched the robot's footprints. It seemed there was no need to suspect anyone else. However, judging from the degree of decomposition of the bodies, "these two people have been dead for some time. The robot has long since escaped to who knows where, so this discovery isn't very meaningful. We can just have the police clean up the scene after the bugs leave."
"Alright, let's go outside. The air quality here isn't very good." Zhao Qiang didn't want Wang Ping, who was quite old, to see the crime scene any longer.
Wang Ping successfully made Zhao Qiang owe her another favor, and she didn't want to stay any longer, so she was the first to leave. Zhao Qiang began to scan his surroundings. He just wanted to take a casual look, but this scan revealed something strange to him. There was a perfectly intact dining table far from the bar, with a bunch of things on it.
Zhao Qiang walked over, and Xu Changhe followed him in. "How's it going, Chief? Any discoveries?" Zhao Qiang had already reached the dining table. "Look what this is?" Xu Changhe didn't have Zhao Qiang's powerful biochip; he studied it for a while before saying, "A battery? A super-powered battery?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, it seems to have been extracted from our weapons."
Xu Chang'er asked in confusion, "What do you mean?" Zhao Qiang replied, "You think it was one of our people who did it?"
Xu Changhe said, "The people who have access to super-powered battery-powered weapons should all be special forces personnel. Even if they are not special forces personnel, the weapons are strictly controlled, and there would never be so many disassembled batteries."
Zhao Qiang said, "So it shouldn't have been done by our people."
Xu Changhe said, "You suspect it was done by humans?" Zhao Qiang replied, "Possibly." They were analyzing the best energy methods for us humans on the surface, and according to their energy methods, they should be superior to us. But now they are analyzing our energy methods. It seems that the robots on the surface are facing an energy supply crisis. They urgently need to solve the energy supply problem. The research site of this robot that murdered humans was discovered by humans. So it killed the two humans and fled the place.
Xu Changhe nodded: "It should be. I'll notify the special forces to handle the scene." Zhao Qiang nodded and then left first. Wang Ping was getting impatient waiting outside. Seeing Zhao Qiang, she said impatiently, "Hurry up and leave. I don't want to stay here for even a minute longer." After getting the money and doing the job, who would want to stay here?
Wang Ping winked at Zhao Qiang, signaling him to cover up the lie, otherwise, when the insect remembered later, it would be clear that Zhao Qiang hadn't come to find his brother. Zhao Qiang understood and said to the insect, "I checked, he's not my brother. Looks like I'll have to keep searching. Let's go."
Xu Changhe had already sent a message to the special forces, then came out of the house, drove everyone away.
Having finally shaken off Wang Ping's entanglement, Zhao Qiang and Xu Changhe returned to the Special Affairs Department's branch in Tiannan City. Tang Na was busy working, and upon seeing Zhao Qiang return, she immediately put down her work to make tea and add water for him.
Zhao Qiang said, "Notify Liu Jia and Xu Changhe to come to my office."
After Zhao Qiang connected the video signal to Yang Shiqi and Yang Shiyun, Liu Jia and Xu Changhe also came in. As Zhao Qiang's secretary, Tang Na naturally did not need to avoid the meeting, and Zhao Qiang started the meeting directly.
"Have you received the robot?" Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiyun.
Yang Shiyun said, "I have already disassembled a part of them and have a general understanding of their energy source."