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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
I immediately thought, "Could Gong Ping'an be possessed by the Frenzied Spirit?"
"Absolutely not!" Kong Xuan firmly denied.
"Oh?"
"If it were you, would you still go resign after going berserk?" Kong Xuan raised an eyebrow at me.
Thinking about it, that made sense. If I went berserk, I would definitely rush to the office, grab my boss, and give him a beating, then leave him with a line: Take ten thousand to buy medicine!
"By the way, Qingcheng, last time you felt like there was an invisible person helping you, right? We felt it this time too." I recounted what happened at the Emperor Club, which made everyone frown again. Who exactly is this Invisible Man?
"Let's not worry about the Invisible Man for now; after all, he is helping us. What’s important now is to find Gong Ping'an. Also, we discovered something new here," Lingfeng took out a cigarette and passed it around, lighting one for himself and taking a deep puff before saying slowly, "Director Li may have been possessed!"
Director Li! The head of the Star City Public Security Bureau, Li Dexin!
Wow, this Spirit really knows how to pick its targets, going for someone in such a high position.
"Qingcheng, come talk to them; you're more authoritative on this!" Lingfeng gestured for Xiao Qingcheng to add her input.
Xiao Qingcheng cleared her throat and waited for us to look at her before raising the ancient book, Yin Yang Essays: "Earlier I was just suspicious, but after reading the section on spirits in this ancient text, I can basically confirm that Director Li is possessed by the Dual-Faced Phantom, because his behavior is drastically different in front of superiors and subordinates—he's like two different people!"
"What kind of difference?" I asked curiously.
"In front of his superiors, he is submissive and respectful; in front of his subordinates, he is domineering and overbearing..." Before Xiao Qingcheng could finish her sentence, both Fatty and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Xiao Qingcheng shot us a sideways glance: "What are you laughing at?"
"I wonder if you might be mistaken? This situation is too common; everyone behaves like this now. It's just particularly obvious in officialdom and workplaces. To put it bluntly, this has become a survival skill for humans. If you don’t act subservient in front of your superiors, they won’t feel their authority in front of you and will think you don’t respect them. Similarly, if you don’t act superior in front of your subordinates, you won’t earn their respect." I had quite a bit of insight into such social dynamics, feeling a surge of superiority in emotional intelligence: "Qingcheng, it's not just you; this bustling world is beyond your understanding as an outsider..."
Xiao Qingcheng furrowed her brows and finally couldn't help but interrupt me, "Zheng Nan, I've been in the capital since I debuted at thirteen. Do you think I don't know this?"
"Uh..." I was momentarily taken aback.
"Everyone has a side that is not known to others, and I understand that. However, no matter how different personalities may be, some core essences cannot be changed. For example, Zheng Nan, you are shameless in front of me, but in front of Guo'er, you are shy like a first love. On the surface, you seem like two different people, but regardless, we can see your core essence, Zheng Nan—honest, witty, and optimistic. These are the most prominent parts of your humanity."
I was at a loss for words; was she praising me?
"Perhaps my explanation isn't clear enough. Let me put it this way: a person cannot have opposing personalities. You might be a sunny and outgoing person who can occasionally pretend to be deep and introverted, but that is only occasional; it can't be constant. Some things cannot be faked. And now Director Li has completely split into two people—two entirely different individuals with completely opposing personalities." Xiao Qingcheng seemed eager to convince us and tirelessly provided examples.
"Alright, let's not argue about this! Even if Director Li is that Dual-Faced person, remember, you owe us a favor!" Fatty's remark instantly made Xiao Qingcheng's eyebrows stand on end.
Lingfeng chimed in with a smile, "Alright, alright! Originally I thought Xiao Qingcheng would have more authority here, but forget it; you guys are just being unreasonable. This is useless. Let's start dividing the tasks. I'll handle Director Li with Qingcheng over here, and I'll send someone to check on Gong Ping'an's whereabouts as well. As soon as there's news, I'll let you know. Zheng Nan, you guys should go to Tongtong Toy Store and ask Hao Zhitong if you can get any clues. By the way, who was that other person?"
"I haven't gone to find that pig killer yet; I'll take care of this matter since it's just a few questions at Tongtong Toy Store." I glanced at Fatty and suggested, "How about we split up?"
Fatty was excited and thumped his chest loudly: "Ghost Brother, you understand me! I'll take care of Tongtong Toy Store!"
"You got it wrong; I'm the one going to Tongtong Toy Store while you find that pig killer!"
...
After exiting the police station, we decided to head to Tongtong Toy Store first since it was already afternoon and most meat vendors were likely closing up shop. Just as we got into a taxi, my phone rang—it was Tang Zian calling.
"Zheng Nan, where are you?" Tang Zian sounded somewhat anxious.
"I'm at the Civic Center, preparing to go to Longzhou Road."
"Do me a favor and hurry over to Haitang Road Eight Horses Badminton Hall," Tang Zian urged.
"What happened?" I asked in surprise.
"Do you remember Zeng Xian from Haitang Road? Jiang Chengguang from River Gang somehow gathered twenty to thirty thugs and relentlessly pursued Zeng Xian's dozen or so subordinates. After Zeng Xian injured three or four of them, he retreated to Badminton Hall, where they are now in a standoff," Tang Zian said rapidly, leaving me dumbfounded.
Are you acting out a gangster movie? Fighting, retreating, confronting—it's all professional jargon. Why should I, an outsider, step in when you won't even handle it yourself? Well, that's not the issue; the real problem is what can I do in such a chaotic brawl? I don't believe I can take on a group by myself; that's something out of a Sun God drama, impossible in reality. Clearing my throat, I asked, "What do you mean by calling me? Do you want me to help you call the police?"
"I'm in Beijing right now," Tang Zian quickly replied. "I've dispatched over ten brothers to Qinghu District, but there's a skilled fighter on Zeng Xian's side, and no one here can match him. So, I need you to come help me stabilize the situation."
I almost forgot that the Tang family was all in Beijing. I immediately agreed and called a taxi to head toward Haitang Road.
Haitang Road isn't far from the Civic Center; both are in Qinghu District. Normally, it would only take about ten minutes by car. However, as luck would have it, our taxi brushed against a private car on the way. Since both parties had insurance, we had to stop and wait for the insurance company to arrive.
After cursing and getting out to call another taxi, we lost nearly half an hour. By the time we reached Eight Horses Badminton Hall, Jiang Chengguang's people had already left. Two men stood at the entrance of Badminton Hall—one with thick eyebrows and big eyes and the other bald and shiny—both wearing grim expressions as they approached me.
It seemed these two were specifically waiting for me. The one with thick eyebrows introduced himself as Aguang, while the bald man was Amin. They led us to an SUV, and after ten minutes we arrived at Qinghu People's Hospital. We rushed straight to the emergency room, where the lights were on and about ten men stood outside with dark expressions, either sitting or standing. They all gathered around as soon as they saw us.
"What happened?" I asked Aguang. "Who are they trying to save inside?"
"It's Brother Zeng!" Aguang replied, his voice trembling despite being a sturdy man. "Ghost Brother... you came too late; we all came too late..."
This surprised me greatly; people in the underworld value swift vengeance and rarely shed tears over bloodshed. I've never seen anyone cry like this before—could he be an extra?
But after hearing Aguang speak, the three of us fell silent.
These men had come in groups from different parts of Qinghu District—seventeen in total—who were elite members of the Tang family in Qinghu District. They had waited until everyone arrived before heading together to Badminton Hall. When they got there, they witnessed a shocking scene.
Most of Zeng Xian's men were down; the only one still standing was Huang Zhiquan. He held a machete in his right hand while his left hung limply at his side—it seemed it had been broken by someone. His face was smeared with blood, and half of his nose was sliced off, flapping loosely on his face.
Huang Zhiquan was truly a man; he even managed to push his nose into his mouth and swallow the blood before striking down a nearby man with a buzz cut from chest to abdomen with his machete. A toothy brute next to him lunged at Huang Zhiquan's ribs with a knife; Huang Zhiquan slightly sidestepped so that the knife pierced through his own abdomen while his own blade cut through the toothy brute's throat.
Seeing Huang Zhiquan in such a tragic yet heroic state ignited fury in the seventeen men who had just arrived; they shouted and charged forward. The opposing side was already terrified by Huang Zhiquan's reckless bravery and retreated without fighting, quickly escaping through the back door.
Upon seeing his brothers come to aid him, Huang Zhiquan let out a series of choking sounds that seemed like laughter or perhaps wailing before collapsing backward. Aguang and the others didn't bother pursuing Jiang Chengguang's men but instead surrounded Huang Zhiquan and held him close.
"Brother Zeng... is still... alive?" Huang Zhiquan gasped for a long time before finishing this sentence.
Someone brought the unconscious Zeng Xian in front of Huang Zhiquan, touched Zeng Xian's nostrils, and choked out, "Brother Zeng is still breathing; he is alive!"
"Then... then... that's good! Tell... him... I am very loyal, I didn't... didn't bring him... shame. Cough... cough... In the next life... I will still be... his brother!" Huang Zhiquan struggled to finish this sentence, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he passed away just like that.
...
After listening to Aguang's recounting, my nose tinged with bitterness, and my eyes felt swollen, as if something was about to flow out. I blinked desperately but didn't know what to do.
"Motherfucker, I'll avenge you!" Fatty shouted angrily from the side, his face a mess of tears and snot.
"Brother Zeng had eleven brothers here; four died in battle, and the rest were all seriously injured. Besides Brother Zeng, two other brothers are still being rescued," Aguang wiped away a tear and said bitterly, "According to the seriously injured brothers, there was a master on the opposing side who was very powerful; Brother Zeng was severely injured by him."
"What was that guy's name?" I took a deep breath.
"Yang Zhou!"
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