Capítulo 185: Chapter 185: Why Do I Feel Like I'm Not Taken Seriously?
A car accident in the bustling downtown area, especially one involving a minivan colliding with a luxury car, naturally attracted a large crowd of onlookers. They all loved a good spectacle, especially snapping photos with their phones and posting them on their social media feeds to grab some attention. It was a cool move.
Immediately following the crash, Xu Zihao made his grand entrance, kneeling on the ground and wailing over the shattered pieces of…something.
He was taken for a lunatic.
Another scene ripe for gossip.
He liked to show off, but was thin-skinned and didn't want to lose face in front of everyone.
"I'll find you!" he declared, scooping up the fragments of his sword and scurrying away.
"What a strange guy," Lin Fan muttered, scratching his head. He then patted the hen's head and noticed the minivan was gone. "They left quickly," he thought. "They didn't even stick around to talk."
At the Special Department…
One-Eyed Man was receiving a visitor he wasn't particularly eager to see, at least not at the moment.
"Why aren't you staying put in Qing Shan? What are you doing here?" One-Eyed Man asked.
The person he least wanted to see right now was Hao Ren.
That guy was a real pain.
They had known each other for decades; if he couldn't figure this out, he'd lived in vain.
Hao Ren pulled up a chair and sat down, smiling. "Just came to take a look. Nice office you've got here. Look at this decor, and these desks and chairs. Definitely not ordinary stuff. Expensive, right?"
"I'll give you a set," One-Eyed Man said flatly.
He was feigning calmness, trying to keep Hao Ren under control. He couldn't show any weakness, otherwise, things would get tricky.
"Thanks," Hao Ren replied, not standing on ceremony. Then he sighed. "Hey, are Lin Fan and Old Zhang around? I kind of miss them. The patients at Qing Shan miss them a lot too."
As expected.
One-Eyed Man knew exactly why Hao Ren was here.
He never thought for a second that Hao Ren was there to visit him.
Not even a fleeting thought.
One-Eyed Man lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and looked directly at Hao Ren. "Alright, we're old friends. Just tell me what's on your mind. Don't beat around the bush. It's giving me a headache."
Hao Ren began, "When Qing Shan Mental Hospital was founded, the goal was to provide a home for every mental patient. We've been working hard all these years, and we don't receive any institutional funding. We're entirely self-sufficient. Some families who bring patients can afford to contribute a little, but for the poor families, we take them in for free. We operate at a loss. If it weren't for the kind-hearted people who help us every year, it's hard to imagine how we'd survive."
Playing the victim card!
He's playing the victim card again.
One-Eyed Man looked at Hao Ren, not wanting to say much.
"More money."
He cut to the chase, voicing Hao Ren's true intentions. "You're going around in circles, and it's giving me a headache. I'll just say what you really want."
Simple, right?
"That's not a bad idea," Hao Ren smiled.
One-Eyed Man cursed playfully, "You're completely obsessed with money."
"You can't say that. If your Special Department didn't have fixed funding, with all those people depending on you, I doubt you'd be as calm as I am now," Hao Ren retorted.
Qing Shan Mental Hospital's expenses were substantial.
Whenever an opportunity arose, he naturally had to make a good profit.
If only every patient in Qing Shan were as powerful as Lin Fan, he'd be laughing all the way to the bank.
Was Hao Ren's approach excessive?
Not at all.
Lin Fan had lived at Qing Shan Mental Hospital for so many years, with room and board, and even hospital care included. He lived a carefree life. Now that he finally had the ability to give back to Qing Shan Mental Hospital, it wouldn't be in vain for Hao Ren's years of dedicated care.
"How much do you want?" One-Eyed Man asked.
"How much are you willing to give?" Hao Ren countered.
He wouldn't make the first move.
He had no idea how much One-Eyed Man was willing to offer. Asking for too little would be a loss. It was better to let him name the price.
They both fell silent.
Neither spoke.
Knock, knock!
A knock came at the door.
"Come in."
When Xu Zihao entered, both One-Eyed Man and Hao Ren were surprised. They clearly hadn't expected this silly kid.
"Uncle, I'm here to see you."
Xu Zihao placed the sword fragments on the desk. Then, seeing Hao Ren, he exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Hao, you're here too!"
One-Eyed Man said, "Close the door behind you."
Xu Zihao obediently closed the door.
Because of the younger generation's arrival, their private discussion had to end. If he found out, what would become of their dignity?
"What's this all about?" One-Eyed Man asked, pointing to the fragments on the desk. The sword was made of special metal alloys by headquarters. It was sharp and durable, something even a City-Level expert might struggle to damage like this.
Seeing it broken into so many pieces could only mean one thing: someone very powerful was involved.
"Uncle, it's a long story. Let me start from the beginning. You see, I heard in Xia Du that Yan Hai City was overrun with evil creatures. When I heard that, I couldn't stand for it. You know I have a chivalrous heart, so I booked a flight and flew straight to Yan Hai City."
"While walking down the street, I caught the scent of an evil creature and immediately chased after it. I was just about to slay it, but then I ran into this guy. I don't know who he was, but he broke my sword!"
"Uncle, you have to avenge me! Harboring evil creatures is simply outrageous!"
Reaching the most distressing part of his story, Xu Zihao was at a loss for words.
Seeing his beloved sword shattered like this pained him deeply.
One-Eyed Man thought he had an idea.
"What did the evil creature look like?" he asked directly.
The only one who could be so brazen was the creature with Lin Fan.
"It looked like a chicken."
One-Eyed Man and Hao Ren exchanged glances.
Just as they suspected.
"And there was a gorilla."
The only thing that could intimidate Xu Zihao was that gorilla.
"A gorilla?"
One-Eyed Man was taken aback. How could there be a gorilla? There should only be an evil chicken, a rather weak one known to be Lin Fan's pet.
By now, almost everyone in the Special Department knew the chicken was an evil creature. They were all aware and took precautions, ensuring the chicken never gained access to any sensitive information within the department.
One-Eyed Man smiled faintly. "If that's the case, then I can tell you that the young man you encountered was Lin Fan. Do you know him?"
"No way, that was Lin Fan? I thought he seemed a bit…off," Xu Zihao said in disbelief.
He hit the nail on the head.
One-Eyed Man and Hao Ren inwardly praised his perceptiveness. He'd just arrived in Yan Hai City and could tell at first glance that the other person was "off." Good eye.
One-Eyed Man continued, "That chicken is indeed an evil creature, but it's his pet. I think there must have been a misunderstanding."
"Alright, but what about the gorilla? In my opinion, that gorilla's strength is at least level seven or eight," Xu Zihao said. He felt that the Yan Hai City Special Department's rules were a bit lax.
It was normal for members to have pets, but how could they keep an evil creature?
"What do you mean by a gorilla?" One-Eyed Man asked.
He was most concerned about the evil gorilla Xu Zihao mentioned.
Possibly reaching level seven or eight.
This was a serious matter.
And since the monitoring department hadn't detected it, it meant the creature had strong concealment abilities.
"It's an evil creature, and it looks quite powerful. But Uncle, that's not important right now. Look at my sword, what am I going to do?" Xu Zihao had originally planned to show off a bit in Yan Hai City's downtown area.
But he never expected things to turn out like this.
One-Eyed Man inquired about the location, promised Hao Ren they'd talk on the phone later, and headed to the monitoring department.
"Uncle, Uncle…"
Xu Zihao felt his position here was a bit awkward. "No matter what," he thought, "I came all the way here. To be ignored like this…they're not taking me seriously at all."
"I came to Yan Hai City to help you deal with evil creatures!"
"At the very least, they could invite me to a high-end restaurant for a meal."
He then turned to Hao Ren, smiling. "Uncle Hao, long time no see. I've missed you."
"Really?" Hao Ren patted Xu Zihao's shoulder. "How about Uncle treats you to a meal?"
"How could I let you spend your money, Uncle?" Xu Zihao feigned politeness. He considered himself someone of status. He knew of Uncle Hao's past exploits. Although he was in Yan Hai City now, back in Xia Du, Uncle Hao was a prominent figure.
Hao Ren smiled. "Don't mention it. Uncle will treat you to a good meal at the Qing Shan Mental Hospital cafeteria. Consider it a welcome dinner."
A bolt from the blue!
Unacceptable.
"No need to bother, I just want to get my sword fixed. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," Xu Zihao hurriedly waved his hands.
If it were a fancy restaurant, he definitely wouldn't refuse.
But going to Qing Shan Mental Hospital was unacceptable.
Uncle was just being mischievous.
"Alright then, Uncle won't force you. If you want to find Uncle, come to Qing Shan Mental Hospital," Hao Ren said, patting Xu Zihao's shoulder and leaving without looking back.
Xu Zihao was left alone in the office, dumbfounded.
He felt like he wasn't being taken seriously in Yan Hai City. "No matter what," he thought, "I'm a talented young man."
"Forget it."
"I'll just wander around the department. Maybe I'll run into a pretty girl or two to chat with."
Meanwhile…
One-Eyed Man had found traces of the gorilla.
"Chief, all we know right now is that this evil gorilla was in that minivan. I'll pull up the camera footage along the route to find it," Tang Wensheng reported.
One-Eyed Man replied, "Good. Notify me as soon as you find anything."
He was now particularly sensitive to evil creatures in Yan Hai City.
Based on his speculation, there were still many evil creatures hidden within the city.
They just hadn't been discovered yet.
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