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墨書 Inktalez
Fang Shanshan was attacked and has gone missing.
Han Ming, anxious to the point of developing blisters on his lips, vented all his frustration on Xiao Qiang. The two of them fought like roosters in the police station, grabbing each other's collars and twisting each other's arms, their faces flushed and their voices raised in a heated argument.
The old officer Zhong Xuan was overwhelmed, sweating profusely as he tried to separate them. Just when things calmed down a bit, a call came in. The phone screen displayed that Kabo Corporation's lawyer, Juyue, requested to meet with Zhong Xuan.
Due to the commotion caused by Xiao Qiang and Han Ming at the police station, neither of them could leave and were temporarily detained in a holding cell. Lao Zhonghuan decided to keep them together since they seemed to enjoy fighting, allowing them to continue their brawl.
Han Ming was intentionally entangled with Xiao Qiang under the latter's suggestion. It seemed that Xiao Qiang had something to say to him but couldn’t do so in front of so many people.
In this desperate situation, the two had no choice but to resort to a ploy, creating a scene so they could stay together and discuss the bizarre incident involving Fang Shanshan, speculating about where the root of the problem lay.
Han Ming knew well that there were surveillance cameras in the holding cell. Once inside, he shook his head at Xiao Qiang, signaling him not to say anything.
They both sighed deeply and squatted down with their heads in their hands, remaining silent for a long time.
Feeling the urge for a smoke, Han Ming instinctively reached into his pocket. He found a piece of chalk that he had absentmindedly stuffed in there earlier that morning. He picked up the chalk and glanced around before finally focusing on a corner that might be out of reach of the cameras.
Xiao Qiang stared intently as Han Ming raised his index finger and shushed him playfully with a wink. Understanding the cue, Xiao Qiang slowly moved to squat in that corner as well.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" came the raspy shout of Officer Zhong Xuan from the viewing hole of the holding cell.
They quickly stood up and walked over.
"You two come out."
Xiao Qiang and Han Ming exchanged glances, unsure of what Lao Zhonghuan wanted now.
"Kabo Corporation has withdrawn its investigation into the vice president incident. They found this in the vice president's office." Zhong Xuan pulled out a note but snatched it back before they could get a good look at it.
"What is it?" Xiao Qiang asked, pressing for more information.
"It's a suicide note."
"???" Xiao Qiang was taken aback. Han Ming was stunned as well; both of them were left speechless. "Is that for real?" the former asked incredulously.
"Yes, it's true. You can go back now," Zhong Xuan said to Xiao Qiang. He then turned to Han Ming, "Regarding Fang Shanshan's case, you need to cooperate actively; otherwise, we won't be able to help you."
The series of events had been too dramatic and felt somewhat bizarre. Xiao Qiang was troubled by Kabo Corporation's issuance of the vice president's suicide note. "Can I take a look at the note…?"
"You, kid, better weigh your own worth," one of the police officers beside Zhong Xuan sneered at Xiao Qiang with disdain.
"Oh really?" Xiao Qiang quietly gathered strength in his hands, waiting for the right moment to deal with this guy when he was alone.
Zhong Xuan brought over some documents for Xiao Qiang to sign before leaving.
"I can help you find Fang Shanshan's lawyer," Xiao Qiang's words astonished both Han Ming and Zhong Xuan.
Zhong Xuan's eyes lit up with excitement. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely, but I have conditions."
Zhong Xuan nodded eagerly, "Go ahead and state them." As he spoke, he instructed the officer who had mocked Xiao Qiang earlier to bring over a chair for him to sit down.
Xiao Qiang didn't turn around or sit down; he simply said coolly, "It looks like there's dust on the chair."
The officer paused for a moment, his face filled with contempt. "Suit yourself; if you don't want to sit, then don't."
Zhong Xuan was still waiting for Xiao Qiang to come up with a plan.
"I need to sit down and discuss this properly."
"Of course." Zhong Xuan shot a fierce glare at his subordinate and said, "Wipe that down."
"..." The subordinate grumbled as he quickly wiped the chair clean, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, this chair has never been empty; how can it be dusty?"
"Ignore him, let's talk," Zhong Xuan said with a forced smile, addressing both Xiao Qiang and Han Ming. "Sit down and let's discuss."
"Can I take a look at the surveillance footage first?"
"Sure. Hey, Li Baoqing, bring out the tape from Fang Lawyer's surveillance."
The surveillance footage began to play, and Xiao Qiang's expression darkened as he watched the strange creature appear on the screen. He pondered for a moment before saying, "It's her."
"Who?" Zhong Xuan and Han Ming asked in unison.
"The Serpent Woman, a mutant."
"A mutant?" Fear flashed across Zhong Xuan's face as he nervously asked, "Does she eat people?"
"Fang Shanshan Lawyer is not in immediate danger; she's just bait," Xiao Qiang replied, frowning. As he spoke, he stood up from his seat and whispered to Han Ming, "I'll go find her alone; you need to keep Zhong Xuan occupied."
Han Ming turned to Zhong Xuan and said, "We have a history together; remember?"
Zhong Xuan chuckled and replied, "Of course I remember. Fang Shanshan Lawyer helped my cousin win his case."
"Well, just remember. You know what I'm up to, right?"
Zhong Xuan politely replied, "In front of a real person, one doesn't speak falsehoods; we both know what's going on."
"Let me be clear with you, but don't spread it around just yet." Han Ming said mysteriously. He called Zhong Xuan aside and recounted everything that had happened in detail.
Zhong Xuan's eyes widened in shock. "There's no record in history of robots making mistakes."
"Just because there isn't a record doesn't mean it can't happen. A robot suddenly malfunctioning should be due to someone secretly altering its second principle program and standardizing the serial numbers used by the robots. Then, they could have turned violent against themselves. A suicidal robot might have had its principles tampered with and implanted with a Bionic Core to decode quantum encryption."
Zhong Xuan was confused by what Han Ming was saying. However, he couldn't bring himself to believe that the robots could rebel against humanity. If that were true, wouldn't Kabo Corporation suffer greatly? It could even lead to bankruptcy.
"I don't quite understand what you're saying, but right now, finding Fang Shanshan Lawyer is the priority. Xiao Qiang..." Suddenly remembering something, he rushed out of the inner room, checked outside to see if anyone was around, frowned deeply, and hurried back inside to ask Han Ming, "Have you seen Xiao Qiang? When did he leave?"
Han Ming pretended not to know and feigned surprise. "He was just here; how could he have disappeared?"
Zhong Xuan went out to ask others if they had seen the suspect named Xiao Qiang. Everyone shook their heads, claiming they had no idea and didn't remember anything.
Han Ming had secretly given the motorcycle keys to Xiao Qiang. He returned to his spot as dawn broke. Standing in the lowly slum, he gazed at the city shrouded in mist, which appeared like floating palaces in mid-air. The twinkling lights dotted the landscape like stars, and Fang Shanshan must be hidden somewhere in this city by the Serpent Woman.
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