Chapter Two: The Director Requests Your Presence

After being lifted up, I saw a group of police officers gathered around. Some were familiar faces, others I didn’t recognize. The one holding me was none other than the beautiful woman who had been undercover in my shop.

I said, “We seem to get along pretty well, huh? You didn’t quite get enough of me earlier, so now you’re back?”

She wore a serious expression and said, “Official business. Li Shucheng, we now suspect you are connected to this car accident. Please come with us. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can be used as evidence against you. You have the right to legal counsel. If you can’t afford one, we can provide a free lawyer. Please cooperate.”

I smiled slyly, “Why do these words sound so familiar?”

The woman snapped angrily, “Cut the crap and come with me!”

Just as I was about to follow her, a stout man approached. This guy was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, clearly someone accustomed to luxury—either a wealthy man or a company boss.

He blocked our way and said, “Wait a minute, you can’t take him!”

She replied, “Why not? This guy was skulking around the body. It’s obvious he wasn’t doing anything good—probably trying to cover up evidence.”

The stout man said, “Who the hell are you?”

She responded, “I’m Song Linlin, criminal investigator from the city’s Public Security Bureau. And who are you, fatso?”

I didn’t expect this young woman to introduce herself so boldly, looking fearless as if she were a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.

The man arrogantly said, “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? Let me tell you, I don’t even have you little girls in my sights! To scare you, I’ll just say this: I am the deputy... no, the director of the Paranormal Affairs Bureau, Liu Shan.”

I said, “Liu Chan, the last emperor? Didn’t he kick the bucket thousands of years ago?”

Liu Shan corrected, “Not Chan, Shan.”

“Isn’t that basically the same thing?” I continued. “Oh, I get it, you’re the deputy... no, Director Liu Shan of the Paranormal Affairs Bureau.”

Liu Shan said, “Don’t insult me like that. I’m here to save you—you should be thanking me.”

Song Linlin pinched me and said, “Ignore me, huh? I don’t care who you are, this person is coming with me!”

Liu Shan cursed, “Damn it! Nobody dares to challenge me! Who the hell do you think you are, blocking my way? Anyway, this person’s coming with me today, whether you like it or not! Take him away!” With a wave of his hand, ten men, all looking like soldiers, stepped forward. They took off their coats, revealing bulletproof vests underneath, and suddenly, each one held a rifle. They looked like a heavily armed bank security detail. Ten men, ten guns, forming a circle around us.

Seeing this, I said, “Alright, heroes, let’s talk this through calmly. Put down the guns, sit down, have some tea, and negotiate like civilized people.”

But frankly, none of them seemed to have any intention of backing down. Song Linlin shouted in frustration, “You... you’re carrying controlled weapons and threatening police officers! You... you...” She was so angry she could barely speak.

Liu Shan said, “What’s the problem? Let’s see what this is first.” He pulled out a black ID badge, embossed with a Taiji Bagua diagram on the cover. I recognized the arrangement as the sequence of the Innate Bagua. Below was a gold-embossed stamp that read “Paranormal Incident Investigation and Research Bureau.” Inside was Liu Shan’s photo, along with his name, ID number, position, birthday, and other details. Looking at his big head and his stupid grin, I instantly thought of He Shen from the classic TV series “Iron Teeth Ji Xiaolan.” And sure enough, his position was deputy director.

Song Linlin glanced at it and said smugly, “Oh, not bad for a fake ID. Want me to add a charge for forgery?”

Liu Shan said, “Look closely. This is the real deal, can’t fake it! Believe me, one word from me and you’re out of a job.”

I said, “Let me see that.” Taking it, I examined the ID carefully, feeling for the security features. Then I said, “No mistake, this is genuine. They’ve updated the design—I hardly recognized it.”

Liu Shan looked surprised. “How do you know the locations of the security features?”

I said, “Not surprising. I used to work in this field. I designed several of these security features myself, so of course I know them. Looks like you’re the real deal, not a conman. Alright then, that’s enough playing around. Let’s go. I’m sure our esteemed director is getting impatient.”

Song Linlin said, “Hey, you guys—”

I said, “Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with me.” Finally, Liu Shan, the ten men, and I all got into a van headed for the city’s villa district—the headquarters of the Paranormal Affairs Bureau.

No one knows who suggested placing the headquarters in the villa district, near the coast in a detached mansion. Apparently, it’s the largest villa in the whole area. Important documents and the office of the Special Investigations Division Chief are housed here.

We spent nearly an hour driving there. I was playing on my phone while Liu Shan slept soundly, snoring like a hog, impossible to wake. Only when I called out, “Time to eat!” did he suddenly jump up and smack his big head against the roof.

He whined, “Hey, can we not play jokes like that? It’s boring. Ouch... that hurts... You owe me a meal to make up for my injury and my fragile little heart.”

I said, “Fine, fine, I’ll treat you, just be good. But you’re paying. We’re here, get out, hurry up!” The twelve of us entered and arrived at the director’s office.

The director was at least fifty, about six feet tall, sitting in a swivel chair with his back to us.

I said, “I’m back. Don’t you want to see me face to face?”

He turned around. His face was square and dignified, features well-defined, with deep wrinkles. His face reminded me of a person with a similarly shaped face—someone I dared not even think about. That person was definitely terrifying beyond measure...

For readers to ponder.

Question: Author, why did you choose the pen name “Yi Dao Xin Xing”?

Answer: It comes from “Fire Pearl Forest,” chapter 63: “Yi Dao Xin Xing: The Way of Change follows the heart, originating from the primordial chaos; the Great Way follows nature, stemming from the divine immortals.”