บท 24: Chapter 24 So there's only one truth
Wang Yunxiao and his buddies were released.
There were no explanations, no compensation; the guards in grey uniforms simply opened the cell door, called out their names one by one, and tossed them onto the street without another thought.
It was still early; if they ran, they might even make it in time for the school cafeteria breakfast.
In fact, having no resolution was the best resolution of all.
If they had followed the official procedures, their records might have ended up with a permanent stain.
It was never a big deal to begin with. Acting as if nothing happened, like they were doing now, was the best outcome.
Minors shouldn't be involved in these social issues. Adult troubles should naturally be resolved by adults. After all, no one has "hero" written on their face, nor does anyone expect a child to save the world.
Authors who force kids to drive big cars... no, pilot giant robots don't count.
Principal Zhou never wanted him involved in the first place. Now that the fish were caught, it was time for them to return to Qinghe Middle School to study and avoid further danger.
But Wang Yunxiao found it hard to swallow his pride.
"I'm glad you could talk a bit more on the phone, but I don't like the tone of your voice," he said.
How dare such a nondescript scoundrel threaten me?
Do you doubt the sharpness of my sword?
Youtiao noticed Wang Yunxiao's expression change and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Big brother, do you have a plan?"
Wang Yunxiao nodded and said, "Little Gourd usually doesn't leave the school, and she's unlikely to have any distant relatives coming here to look for her."
Posing as a family member claiming there has been an accident is a common trick to abduct children.
It might work at other schools, but Qinghe Middle School is a closed boarding school; the security guards wouldn't casually let someone in, nor would they directly approach a student. According to proper procedures, they should notify the head teacher, and since the head teacher knows Little Gourd's background, they wouldn't easily fall for such a simple trick.
After giving it some thought, Youtiao said, "Normally, the class leader hangs out with Little Gourd. If someone from the class leader's family comes..."
Wang Yunxiao nodded and responded, "That's a problem. You all go back and keep an eye on both the school entrance and Little Gourd. If something happens inside the school, go to Sister Liu; she's got a gun. If someone really has a death wish and tries to abduct someone at the school entrance, hold them down for me. Don't kill them, though, just wait for me to decide their fate."
Guozi, puzzled, asked, "Big brother, aren't you coming back with us? Where are you going? And who are you after?"
Wang Yunxiao thought for a moment, then nodded, "You come with me."
Guozi might not be the brightest in other areas, but when it came to fighting, he was especially sharp and could even sense the anger in Wang Yunxiao's heart.
After seeing the others off, Wang Yunxiao took Guozi to a breakfast stall opposite the police station, sat down, and ordered two sets of pancakes with fillings and tofu brain, and started to eat without a word.
Besides the five taels of silver in his pocket, he also had two pieces and five mao six fen from yesterday's winnings, which was more than enough for a treat to console himself. Not that he didn't want to bring Youtiao and the others, but there would be some physical labor later, and he needed to fuel up first.
"The person who called on the phone is an idiot, lacking both knowledge of Jianghu World customs and common life sense," he said.
As Wang Yunxiao ate, he explained to Guozi in a low voice, "No matter what threats he made to a police chief, he has committed a huge taboo. Throughout history, such people have never met a good end. If he really had the ability to carry out his threats, he would be a straightforward criminal force, right in line with the government's crackdown campaign. And if he doesn't have the ability... Well, I estimate he doesn't, he's just gotten carried away by whatever little skill he's acquired and forgets his place. How many households in our area could even afford a phone? If we wanted to trace it, it would only take minutes to pinpoint his location."
Guozi gulped down his tofu pudding, his head bowed as he drank eagerly.
"Our unexpected trip to the police station yesterday wasn't necessarily something he was prepared for. Even if he was ready, to be able to monitor the school while designing traps at the police station suggests that this person is hiding around here, not far from us."
In this era, transportation relied mostly on walking; even on the busiest streets of Nanshi, one could hardly see any cars, let alone in our residential area. Most buildings were single-story, and the few two- or three-story restaurants and shops had no place for cars, not even for parking.
If this person didn't run off yesterday, it's already too late for him to try escaping now.
Hearing his arrogant tone over the phone yesterday, Wang Yunxiao didn't think he would have the awareness to counter surveillance.
And sure enough, just as he expected, while he was halfway through his pancake with Guozi, he saw those in grey military uniforms exit the police station, and instead of getting into vehicles, they spread out down the adjacent street.
Qiao Hongyi stepped out of the police compound, cast a cursory glance around, and immediately spotted Wang Yunxiao and Guozi hiding not far off and eating breakfast.
His gaze wasn't particularly piercing, yet Wang Yunxiao couldn't help but feel his hairs stand on end.
For a fleeting moment, he felt as if every inch of him was being seen through, leaving nothing hidden.
It was as if secrets buried deep within his heart surfaced involuntarily, presenting themselves like pages of a book being flipped and inspected at will.
Of course, this was just an illusion.
In reality, Wang Yunxiao's heart was steady, and his mind was clear, empty of anything but the thought of hunger.
It wasn't until Qiao Hongyi withdrew his gaze and turned to leave that Wang Yunxiao finally relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
Was this the "Advisor" that old man was talking about?
Scary stuff!
Wang Yunxiao still didn't know the name of the place where Huo Qingyang worked, which likely was some kind of covert agency specializing in handling special affairs, also informally known as "the relevant department."
It looked like Qiao Hongyi was Huo Qingyang's colleague, specifically chosen to handle this target, a more suitable candidate perhaps?
If even "the relevant department" had Advisors, and some even held high positions, it indicated that this wasn't some mysterious unknown Evil Technique but a safe, standard Cultivation Method.
Besides the Advisor, were there other similar Cultivation Dharma Gates?
Wang Yunxiao was highly curious about this, but obviously, he was not in favor right now, lacking any reliable way to access such knowledge.
No... it couldn't be said there was no way at all.
The old man in the cell who took a liking to him, wasn't he fond of him? Though it was his lockpicking skills that had caught the old man's attention.
But Wang Yunxiao believed it was only because he hadn't had a chance to show off his other talents.
At a suitable opportunity in the future, he could visit this old man and learn more about the secretive information of this world from him.
Perhaps this old man would become his mentor for newcomers?
Although he still hadn't seen the system come online, Wang Yunxiao still held very high expectations for the benefits and treatment of a transmigrator.
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