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Chapitre 15

It was another text message from He Xi, but this one was even shorter than the previous one, containing only two words.

"Fool."

I stared at those two words, stunned. What had I done to make her call me an idiot?

That's strange. She told me the case was closed first, but then she didn't reply to my texts. Now that I've waited so long, she's texting me again saying I'm an idiot.

But if I call her now and ask her why she called me an idiot, wouldn't that make me look even worse...?

I held my phone, my brows furrowed. The case was closed, then it jumped to "idiot." What's the connection between the first three words and the last two?

My stomach growled, and I abruptly looked up at the even darker sky.

I'm such an idiot.

He Xi told me the case was closed. Closing the case meant she had returned Huang Zhi's body and no longer needed to spend all her time cutting and examining it. This meant she had more free time now, and after being so busy for so long, everyone wants to relax. Besides, it's time for dinner!

However, it's quite difficult to deduce the subtext from just three words without appearing foolish.

Without saying a word, he immediately dialed He Xi's number.

"Are you still at the police station? I'll be there soon. Where would you like to have dinner?" I said in an extremely obsequious tone.

He Xi simply hummed softly.

As if receiving a divine decree, I rushed to the street, waving and shouting, "TAXI, TAXI! Oh no, taxi, taxi!"

Chapter Twelve: The Strange Office

The subway waiting hall was brightly lit, while it was already late at night outside.

He Xi walked ahead, and I quickly followed behind.

A gentle breeze begins to stir.

"That's enough. How much longer are you going to follow me? We're done." He Xi suddenly stopped and said to me with a cold face.

I stammered, unable to speak.

"That's it. Don't let me see you again," she said with a disdainful look.

Lights came on in the dark passageway, and suddenly the wind picked up.

"Give me another chance, I can definitely do it, you..." Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped across the face. Along with the burning pain came a crisp sound and the surprised looks of the people around him.

Although it was a small station, and there were very few people waiting for the train at this time, He Xi was the kind of woman who could attract attention wherever she went. So even though no one was watching us, the two of us were undoubtedly the focus of attention around us. This included a mother with her daughter, a couple sitting on a bench, a middle-aged man working the night shift, and a subway security guard.

I stared at He Xi in surprise, never expecting her to hit me.

A sly glint flashed in He Xi's light blue eyes, but in the blink of an eye, she glared back fiercely.

The rumbling grew louder and louder as the subway roared in, the wind blowing through her hair and dancing around her ears.

"Don't call me, I'll change my phone number." After saying this, He Xi stepped onto the subway. The piercing alarm sounded, and the doors slowly closed, as if instantly separating her into another world, quickly disappearing from her life.

The wind stopped, and the lights in the passageway dimmed, turning it pitch black again.

I walked to a bench, sat down, covered my face with my hands, and slowly curled up into a ball. The subway came and went, and people returning home late passed by, but I was completely oblivious. If He Xi really left me, what meaning would this world have?

I don't know how much time has passed. People's moods can control time; sometimes it goes fast, sometimes it goes slow. But now, the clock in my mind has been stopped for a long time.

"Hey!" I felt a tap on the shoulder.

I looked up and saw a subway security guard. I think he had been watching me for a long time.

"The last bus just left," he told me.

"Oh," I replied, then lowered my head again.

“I said, you can’t just sit here forever,” he said.

I slowly stood up, and I'm sure I looked completely bewildered at that moment.

I walked away, but not towards the exit. Instead, I went to a vending machine, stared at it blankly for a while, and then suddenly punched the vending machine.

"Hey!" the security guard shouted as he ran towards me.

I ignored him and kicked him hard again.

"Clang!" A can of cola rolled out of the vending machine.

"Thank you for your patronage, and welcome back again," an electronic voice said from the vending machine.

The security guard ran over, looked at the vending machine, and shook his head: "Don't take your anger out on this. Luckily it wasn't broken, otherwise you'd have to pay for it."

I stared at him blankly, but it was as if I was looking elsewhere.

"This world means nothing to me anymore," I said in a dejected tone.

The security guard was a middle-aged man in his forties. He looked at me with a strange gaze for a while, then patted me on the shoulder.

“You’re right, this world is inherently meaningless,” he said. “People will always encounter many troubles in their lives, but if they have faith, they can overcome any obstacle.”

"Faith? God?" I glanced at him. "I have no faith, I have nothing."

“Faith isn’t just about God.” He smiled at me. “Anyway, I’m about to get off work. I’ll walk with you for a bit in the dark and we can talk.”

"Whatever," I said in a nonchalant tone.

But deep down, a huge cheer rang out in my heart.

After building up such emotions for so long, enduring countless stares from passersby, and delivering such superb acting, I finally managed to hook you.

Also, I can't wait to settle the score with He Xi right now. The original script didn't include her slapping me! While actors can have a certain degree of improvisation, this is unacceptable. I'll definitely get my revenge, with interest. How will I get it back? Hehe, just thinking about it is exhilarating.

At this moment, the middle-aged security guard walking beside me, pretending to be a kind-hearted uncle, is named Yuan Ji. The reason for all this dates back to the night before last.

That day, I successfully completed my date with He Xi. Although I didn't end up going to her house for coffee, I knew that things had to be done one step at a time.

I whistled and hummed a little tune as I returned to my building. There, I was blocked by someone.

"Are you Nado?" she asked.

I nodded.

She looked me up and down.

A few seconds later I couldn't help but say, "It's so dark now, you can't see clearly. Do you want me to find a place with better lighting so you can see properly?"

“Okay,” she replied immediately.

I fainted.

"Ma'am, what can I do for you?" I asked quickly. There are two types of people you shouldn't beat around the bush with: smart people and simpletons.

"Let's talk somewhere else," the round-headed, big-eared woman said with a smile, then swayed as she walked ahead.

I hate people who put on airs... but I still obediently followed them. It's best not to mess with people who act like that.

A black Buick minivan was parked on the side of the road, and the door slid open automatically. The plump woman got into the car first, and then a large, fleshy hand reached out from inside the car and beckoned to me.

"Anti-cult?" I was slightly taken aback.

“This is indeed one of the core tasks of our work. These things are quite tedious, so we have to coordinate with many departments. The person the Municipal Bureau recently arrested happens to be a suspect we've been closely monitoring, and this matter is somewhat related to you.”

"Lü Wanqiang?" I immediately thought of him. "Is he a cult member?" What cult?

"It's a cult that's not too big yet, it's only been around for a few years and is still in its expansion phase." The plump aunt opened her thick left hand, pressed her right thumb against her palm, and rubbed it a few times. "We need to bring them down quickly."

She made the gesture with a smile, but it felt somewhat terrifying to me. Perhaps beneath that mass of fat lay a fierce and ruthless power.

“Lu Wanqiang is one of the inner circle members we’re keeping an eye on, or to put it another way, he’s already a devout follower of this cult. His motive for killing is very likely related to the cult. The fact that he did something so extreme and harmful to society has exceeded our expectations, so we need to speed up some of our operations.”

"What does this have to do with me?"

“Aren’t you very keen on investigating this case? Help us infiltrate this cult, and you’ll find out why Lü Wanqiang killed people. Besides, we also really hope to have a reporter who can cover our work in combating cults. Fighting on the front lines will give us firsthand material.” She slowly revealed her intentions.

"But didn't you just say that I'm an easily fooled child? Do you think I could infiltrate a cult so easily?"

"So, you've agreed..."

"Hey! Hey!"

"Don't rush. You can't just run into an old fox like me everywhere you go. Besides, young people need to be trained to grow."

"Is this mission too dangerous, and none of your men dare to take it on?"

"My men, they have to take it even if they don't want to," the plump woman said with a smile. "But it's better to avoid losses for me. Guo Dong said you're lucky and not easy to die."

I stared straight at her, a legendary technique of killing with a gaze.

The plump auntie didn't seem uncomfortable at all and handed me a thick leather envelope.

"Here's some information we've gathered, along with a few cult officials we recommend you contact. They're eager to expand; can you figure out a way to get them hooked? Alright, although this cult is a bit strange, it shouldn't be too dangerous. Or are you planning to give up on investigating the Huang Zhi case? If we investigate ourselves, all the results will be confidential, and you probably won't have a chance to find out."

I hesitated for a moment before taking the paper bag.

"Let me take a look at what's inside first; I haven't agreed yet."

"Well then, I hope you get a good night's sleep."

The car door opened again. Throughout the entire ordeal, the driver in the front seat remained silent and didn't turn around, like a wooden statue. I confirmed my earlier assessment: being this fat woman's subordinate must be extremely, extremely, extremely hard work.

"By the way, if you wanted to find me, why didn't you call first instead of accusing me of waiting for you at your doorstep?" I asked before getting out of the car.

"You won't forget about this fat woman when you wake up tomorrow, will you?"

"Of course not, but what does that have to do with my question?"

"Look, isn't this a great way to impress people and be direct? I like to surprise people. Sigh, being outside in this heat for even a short while makes me sweat all over, and taking a shower is such a hassle."

I hurriedly got off the bus and left without looking back.

Having studied the information the auntie gave me, I learned that this cult called the Holy Maiden Cult especially liked to lure those who had just suffered setbacks and blows into joining the cult when they were feeling down. So I chose Yuan Ji as my target and teamed up with He Xi to stage this charade, which successfully lured him in.

Of course, we couldn't have a deep conversation on our first meeting. Yuan Ji comforted me with a few kind words and then briefly discussed the issue of "faith." Seeing that I was interested, we exchanged contact information and agreed to meet again to talk more in-depth when we had time.

I didn't want to appear too proactive, so I waited for Yuan Ji to call me. A few days later, one night, the name I was waiting for finally appeared on my phone's caller ID. He warmly invited me to one of their parties. I hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed after his persuasion.

The cult gathering was not held in any eerie place, but in a middle school.

This is an ordinary middle school in northern Shanghai. Yuan Ji was already waiting for me at the school gate. It was just getting dark, not yet seven o'clock.

It's common practice for schools to rent out classrooms for rent, and it's unclear what pretext the renters use. If a cult's gathering on campus is exposed, the principal's job could be in jeopardy.

The gathering was held in a lecture hall twice the size of a regular classroom. I walked beside Yuan Ji and watched him greet people from time to time since the school gate, thinking that there seemed to be quite a few people attending the gathering.

Before entering, we had to sign in, and at that moment, even more and more spectators gathered around me. Yuan Ji's face was full of smiles, as if he were seeing his own family. He shook hands with some, patted some on the shoulder, and warmly greeted the people around him. He also introduced me, saying, "This young man is here for the first time." As a result, many smiling faces came over, looking very friendly.