Chapter 56: Criminal Investigation World (6)

Lin Yuetian had been quite busy during this period.

The wanted notice had been issued, and police were stationed at all major highways, train stations, and high-speed rail stations leading out of the city. Every person and vehicle leaving the city was being inspected, and every public tip-off was taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. Jiang Shaoxuan’s true identity and residence had been uncovered—his parents had passed away, he lived alone, worked at an ordinary company, was financially stable, exercised regularly, and had records of psychiatric treatment. His home and workplace were under surveillance, and all his acquaintances had been questioned. Now that he was on the run, this unstable factor wouldn’t be able to jump around for long.

Lin Yuetian was working alongside the police force for protection, and the female worker who had narrowly escaped death was also under police guard at her residence.

At this moment, Lin Yuetian received a phone call.

“Hello… detective.” Jiang Shaoxuan sounded frantic on the other end. “I saw your work number and name on your detective agency’s website—Lin Yuetian, right? I know you have a way. Get me out of the country! I need to escape!”

Lin Yuetian chuckled mildly. “Are you insane? Jiang Shaoxuan, you’re a dead man walking. Why would I help you?”

“Don’t you want to know who I have with me?” Jiang Shaoxuan seemed to kick someone nearby. “Fuck, don’t play dead! Say something to your boyfriend.”

“Help me!! Lin Yuetian!! Save me!!” Huo Chengye’s voice came from the other side.

The system sighed. “Ah, he really sounds pitiful. But this guy still hasn’t given up, huh? I thought he’d just kill Huo Chengye to get revenge on you, but turns out he actually wants to use him as leverage to make you help him escape…”

“Of course, I expected this,” Lin Yuetian calmly explained. “If Huo Chengye just died like that, how would I complete Task Two?”

On the surface, however, Lin Yuetian showed anything but calm. His tone was a flawless imitation of utter shock and furious outrage: “He’s my ex-boyfriend—but Jiang Shaoxuan! Don’t you dare touch him!”

Jiang Shaoxuan let out a cold laugh. “Hah… Then figure out a way to get me out of the country. Otherwise, your boyfriend dies with me… Those people all think I don’t know about him, but I know you have a deeply loved boyfriend. You’d better think this through carefully.”

“I told you, we’re just exes. I don’t have any feelings for him at all… Besides, this isn’t something that can be done easily. Let me think it over…” Lin Yuetian gritted his teeth, trembling all over—so convincingly that even the system clicked its tongue in admiration of his acting skills. “At least let me see him first, okay?”

“We both know that’s impossible, detective. Stop playing tricks.” Jiang Shaoxuan’s voice was jittery, unstable. “I don’t believe you really… hmm? No feelings? Don’t joke with me, detective. I read all your blog posts—I was moved to tears by your deep love, so don’t even think about lying to me. If you don’t want anything to happen to your little boyfriend, you’d better behave.”

“He was moved to tears? By those ‘why does love fade away’ posts?” The system was utterly stunned. “What kind of emotional standard is that? Only a true veteran of twenty years in the Shamate subculture could say this with a straight face.”

“I think my writing is quite good,” Lin Yuetian said confidently.

“Damn.” The system trembled. “The urgent need for universal education in the cyberpunk world is becoming more apparent by the second.”

“Stop distracting me. You’re ruining my performance,” Lin Yuetian quickly shut down the internal conversation, then clenched his teeth and continued his act with anger and grief intertwined. “Jiang Shaoxuan! You… at least—at least let me talk to him for a moment! Otherwise, how do I know that wasn’t just a recording…? What if you’ve already killed him…?”

Jiang Shaoxuan fell silent for a moment, then came the sound of a phone being handed over.

“Chengye, are you okay?” Lin Yuetian asked.

“I…” Huo Chengye gasped for air before snapping angrily, “Lin Yuetian, I got kidnapped because of your damn job! Hurry up and save me already!”

Lin Yuetian replied, “…Huo Chengye, I suggest you speak to me politely. I’m a person with a strong sense of justice. Helping you escape by releasing a dangerous criminal would be a serious violation of my principles. I’m struggling with this decision. If you keep running your mouth, my rational side might just override my emotions.”

The system commented, “That was actually a pretty high-level response.”

“When have I ever lacked sophistication?” Lin Yuetian asked, both puzzled and confident.

“Praising you was clearly a mistake,” the system said in a flat tone. “You have absolutely no shortage of self-confidence.”

Jiang Shaoxuan had been listening to their conversation, likely on speakerphone. Hearing Lin Yuetian’s words, he was enraged and immediately started kicking and punching Huo Chengye again. “I still need to get the hell out of this country! You better behave! Can’t you even say some nice words?!”

When Huo Chengye spoke again, his tone was much more subdued. “A relationship lasts a hundred days, Yuetian. We had so many good times together, didn’t we? We met in college, we held hands and went on dates every day, we talked about our future after graduation, we said we’d grow old together—Yuetian, of course I love you! Please, save me…”

Lin Yuetian took a deep breath, voice heavy with sorrow. “Chengye, you betrayed me, and now you’re getting married, ruining another girl’s life. I’m really torn on whether to save you… Do you really love me? Would you get back together with me?”

Huo Chengye panicked for real this time. He shouted, “I love you!! Yuetian, I love you!! I swear I’ll get back together with you! We’ll be together forever! Didn’t you want to travel to Europe? Save me, and we’ll go together! I love you, I really love you!!”

“Task Two, make Huo Chengye confess his love to you—completed,” the system announced, full of pity.

Of course, it would be. Lin Yuetian sometimes harbored a fleeting tenderness toward his mission targets, but the shelf life of that tenderness was short—lasting at most until the mission was completed. Based on Lin Yuetian’s usual modus operandi, the system could essentially treat the mission completion notification as the funeral bell for the target. The moment the task was done, Lin Yuetian would demonstrate what true mercilessness looked like, sweeping them away like autumn leaves in the wind.

Sure enough, Lin Yuetian immediately said, “I believe you love me, Chengye. Since you love me, please respect my profession. I cannot disregard the safety of so many innocent citizens for your sake—I’m sorry, but I’m a police officer.”

“? How many movies have you secretly watched behind my back? You’re mixing up roles, big guy. Aren’t you a detective?” the system complained.

Jiang Shaoxuan finally panicked. “Lin Yuetian, are you fucking insane?! You don’t care if he lives or dies?! Don’t you love him?!”

“I do,” Lin Yuetian replied, bright yet sorrowful. “But I want to be a good person.”

“You’re playing me?!” Jiang Shaoxuan fell into a desperate rage, unable to accept that his one hope of escape had just been snuffed out. “It takes time for the police to get here—I could kill him a hundred times over before they arrive! Do you fucking believe I won’t fucking kill him right fucking now?!”

“Jiang Shaoxuan, go ahead and do it,” Lin Yuetian said coldly. “If you don’t, you’re my son.”

Without hesitation, he hung up the phone.

“Looks like we can celebrate the mission’s success in advance?” the system remarked.

“But of course.” Lin Yuetian gave himself a small smile in the mirror.

—

—Shamate (杀马特, Shāmǎtè) was a Chinese subculture from the early 2000s, mainly among rural youth and factory workers. It featured extreme hairstyles, heavy makeup, and flashy punk-inspired fashion. Shamate thrived online but faded by the late 2010s due to ridicule. Recently, it’s been reevaluated as an important working-class youth movement.