Chapter 100: Surveillance

Qin Qing cheered inwardly for Jiang Luo.

Suddenly, someone called out.

“Officer Qin.”

After being called twice, Qin Qing finally realized they meant her.

“It really is you, Officer Qin. I thought I’d mistaken someone else for you.”

Yan Xianghua.

Qin Qing had met him before while assisting the Wuning Sub-bureau in the investigation of the Taiyi Ziwei Sect. She had even directed him to seek help at Baiyun Temple to save his daughter.

He was also one of the four people who appeared in her search for “investors friendly to female entrepreneurs.”

Qin Qing had noticed that he’d invested in quite a few projects today. He did so casually, without seeming to care much about returns.

Compared to the last time they met at Baiyun Temple, Yan Xianghua had accumulated much more merit. His daughter had probably recovered, and he’d been doing many good deeds since.

“Officer Qin, what brings you here today?”

“Oh, just here to maintain order,” Qin Qing said, smoothly telling a little lie.

Yan Xianghua became wary and asked in a low voice, “Is there a dangerous person around today?”

Qin Qing: “…”

Qin Qing replied, “Not really, just being cautious.”

She just didn’t want to explain why “Officer Qin” had the identity of a young entrepreneur.

She changed the subject. “How’s your daughter doing?”

As soon as his daughter was mentioned, Yan Xianghua became talkative. “She’s doing great, and I really have to thank you for connecting us with Daoist Wuwang. Since that treatment, she hasn’t even caught a cold, and she’s grown taller. Baiyun Temple is so popular that I went up at 3 a.m. on the first day of the new year and still couldn’t get the first incense offering.”

Qin Qing tugged the corner of her lips. “Honestly, there’s not much difference.”

“The Daoists say that too, but I just wanted to offer the first incense of the year to make a good impression on the Patriarch.”

Qin Qing remained silent.

As long as you’re happy.

Yan Xianghua’s tone suddenly shifted, lowering his voice. “A few days ago, someone contacted me again, asking me to prepare money for medicine. This time, the pills supposedly last two years—and the price is even higher.”

Qin Qing immediately knew he meant someone from the Taiyi Ziwei Sect.

“What method did they use to contact you?”

“Text message, but it disappeared right after I read it.” Yan Xianghua looked grim. “But I’m sure I saw it. I wanted to report it to the police, but without evidence…”

Occasions like this made it easier to talk.

“Got it. I’ll sync this with the bureau.”

Yan Xianghua looked relieved and said, “Looks like the Taiyi Ziwei Sect may have some dark arts, but they don’t hold a candle to the Daoists of Baiyun Temple in skill or virtue. It’s been nearly half a year, and they still don’t know Miao Miao is fully recovered.”

Heh…

Qin Qing didn’t gain more useful information about the Taiyi Ziwei Sect from Yan Xianghua’s logs, not even through tag searches.

After leaving the party, Qin Qing went to the train station.

It was always crowded here.

She booked a platform access ticket and found a quiet corner to open the System Panel and begin tag searches.

[Tag: Currently attempting theft. Hits: 0]

[Tag: Sin Value > 50. Hits: 0]

[Tag: Life Value < 5. Hits: 27][Tag: Happiness Value < 60. Hits: 3,274][Tag: Monthly Income < 2000. Hits: 710][Tag: Currently experiencing emotional abuse (PUA). Hits: 312][Tag: In pain. Hits: 444][Tag: Suicidal tendency. Hits: 119][Tag: In need of help. Hits: 407][Tag: Believes they can be helped. Hits: 1]…Her fingers flew over the keyboard, inputting tags faster and faster, numbers cascading across her retina like a waterfall.Qin Qing’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.Suddenly, her temples throbbed violently, a sharp pain in her head like a delicate nerve being forcibly plucked.For an instant, she lost all her senses. Her legs gave out.Shi Jiang moved fast, catching her mid-fall.Alert, Shi Jiang scanned the surroundings and quickly asked, “Describe the sensation!”Qin Qing: “…”Enduring the pounding pain, she pushed Shi Jiang away and said, “I’m fine. There’s a boy in red twenty meters away at your four o'clock, choking on cherries. His parents are chatting and not noticing.”Shi Jiang looked up, locked onto the target, gave Qin Qing a glance, and shot off instantly.Not to mention how Shi Jiang saved the boy, Qin Qing could still walk and move afterward.But the pain in her head didn’t subside, so Shi Jiang took her straight to the hospital via a special registration process.Qin Qing had a guess about her condition: just as computer operations require server power, her frequent tag usage in a short time had likely caused something akin to server overload.The tag data from the train station had caught her off guard.The tagging system gave her access to more knowledge—but she couldn’t help each one with precision.This made her briefly feel disheartened.But she quickly figured it out: life has its own resilience.Just like Jiang Luo, who, even without Qin Qing, could struggle through her hardships and thrive.Qin Qing couldn’t offer people a sterile incubator—nor was she capable of doing so.And perhaps because of this, she received greater rewards for helping those capable of influencing or transforming the wider environment.Like when she saved Yang Zhongjiao and earned 200 Experience Points in one go—the highest in history.Qin Qing was kept under observation at the hospital.Unable to go to the bureau, she synced Yan Xianghua’s information with Lin Feng.Her original intent was to see if they could monitor Yan Xianghua’s phone and trace the message’s origin.But Lin Feng said it was better to talk in person.Qin Qing couldn’t sleep but kept her eyes shut, enduring the pounding pain in her temples.Lying still for too long without sleep made one side of her shoulder ache with stiffness.Suppressing the discomfort, she tried to roll over—only to realize she couldn’t move at all, as if her body were frozen.Qin Qing was certain she was fully conscious.Alarmed, she struggled to open her heavy eyelids.Shi Jiang was sitting by the hospital bed, reading, just three steps away.Qin Qing wanted to call out, but her mouth wouldn’t open—no sound came out.Even the always-alert Shi Jiang didn’t seem to notice her gaze.Qin Qing struggled for a while, but eventually lost to her heavy eyelids and closed her eyes again.She heard someone humming a tune—no lyrics, just a melody—coming from somewhere vast and echoing.As the humming continued, her consciousness blurred.A cold touch landed on her forehead—a hand. Calloused, rough to the touch.That hand stroked her forehead, and the icy sensation, instead of repelling her, felt comforting—so much so that she wanted to lean into it.But it soon left her forehead and moved to her temple, gently massaging.After a moment, the nerve that had been causing her pain was gradually soothed by the cool energy and quieted.The pain eased; her brow relaxed.That cool hand seemed to brush through her hair, softly, over and over. Far gentler than when she usually petted Mumu.Her consciousness sank, and Qin Qing fell into a deep sleep.Who knew how much time passed—Qin Qing suddenly bolted upright as her awareness returned.Shi Jiang dropped her book and stood up.“Pain unbearable? I’ll get the doctor.”Qin Qing checked herself—there was no pain at all. In fact, she felt invigorated, like she’d just had the most restful sleep.She stopped Shi Jiang. “How long did I sleep?”Shi Jiang checked her watch and replied, “If we’re only counting real sleep, less than fifteen minutes.”Only fifteen minutes?Shi Jiang asked, “How do you feel now?”Qin Qing replied, “Fantastic!” She felt like she could punch out a bull.She added uncertainly, “It just feels like I had sleep paralysis.”Shi Jiang looked at her. “…I’m calling the doctor.”Just then, the door opened, and a tall, curly-haired man stepped in.Seeing Shi Jiang by the door and then Qin Qing, he grinned shamelessly. “Come on, Qin Qing and I are old friends. No need to stand at the door to greet me.”It was Lin Feng.He was wearing a new leather jacket, and his hair was fluffy—strands bouncing as he walked.Those strands of hair looked unusually carefree—just like Lin Feng’s current state.It seemed things had been peaceful in the sub-bureau’s jurisdiction lately, with no major cases.Lin Feng walked into the hospital room without the slightest formality, pulled up a chair, and sat down openly.“That old lady just now—she family?”“What old lady?” Qin Qing and Shi Jiang asked in unison.“Why the big reaction?” Lin Feng ran a hand through his hair. “Right before I came in, an old lady walked out of this room. I brushed past her at the door.”Shi Jiang said, “Impossible! Before you came in, there was no one else in this room! And the door was never opened!”“Did I mistake it then? Maybe she came out of the room next door. About 178 centimeters tall, white hair, wearing a rather distinctive silver dress and a purple coat. She probably hasn’t gone far, should still be in the hallway.”Shi Jiang pulled open the door and chased out.Lin Feng looked puzzled.He studied Qin Qing for a moment. “Tsk tsk… you’re in the hospital again? Doesn’t look like you’re in bad shape, glowing with health. What’s it for this time?”“Nothing serious, might be discharged tomorrow.” Qin Qing was thinking about the sleep paralysis just now and the old lady Lin Feng saw, and answered casually.Lin Feng stared at her, looking like he was about to dig for more.Qin Qing quickly cut him off, “Fate-related business, don’t pry.”Lin Feng rolled his eyes.Before long, Shi Jiang returned.“No sign of anyone.” She stared at Lin Feng. “I checked the security footage. There was no old lady like that in the hallway.”Lin Feng tugged at his leather jacket, wrapping it tighter around himself.“You two telling me hospital ghost stories now.”Shi Jiang replied coolly, “You’re the one who started joking.”Clearly, she’d already decided this was one of Lin Feng’s pranks.With his usual flippant attitude, it was hard to blame her.Shi Jiang didn’t waste any more energy on Lin Feng. She told Qin Qing, “I’m going to get food.”“Get an extra one,” Lin Feng quickly leaned toward the door. “I haven’t eaten either. I’m not picky—just don’t make it too bland.”Shi Jiang said nothing.Lin Feng grinned wide enough to show his gums.“Thanks, comrade.”Only then did Shi Jiang glance at him before heading out.Qin Qing said, “You—”Lin Feng interrupted, “Heh, with her poise and that stride, if you told me she wasn’t from the System, I wouldn’t believe it.”Then he waved a hand. “Don’t worry, I know the rules. I won’t ask too much.”He brought up the matter of Yan Xianghua again.“The bureau’s investigation into the Taiyi Ziwei Sect, including that previous sudden death case, has all been handed over by Deputy Chief Zhang. The info from Yan Xianghua is no longer being followed up internally.”He sighed. “We originally thought it was just an ordinary street scam. Looks like it might be a much bigger mess.”Qin Qing didn’t reveal too much, only said, “As long as someone’s handling it.”But in her heart, she thought she still needed to contact Zhang Yao for more details.“How’d you know I was in the hospital?”“Deputy Chief Zhang told me. When did you two get so chummy?” Lin Feng asked, then added, “Others from the bureau wanted to come too, but I stopped them. I came first to see what was going on with you.”“So you came to steal my hospital food?”“Come on, don’t be so stingy. You said yourself it’s nothing serious.”“…”Not only did he come empty-handed, he mooched a hospital meal and even took a big apple on his way out.The hospital didn’t find anything wrong. Qin Qing herself felt fine, her health stats hadn’t dropped at all. After a full night’s rest, she was discharged early the next morning.She wasn’t even home yet when she got a call from Lin Feng.“I pulled the surveillance from half an hour before and after I entered your room last night. There really was no sign of that old lady. The footage was backed up and analyzed by the tech team. Current conclusion: the surveillance wasn’t tampered with or overwritten.”Lin Feng said self-deprecatingly, “But the problem is, if my eyes are that bad and I mistook someone, I might as well quit being the head of criminal investigation.”He gave a final reminder: “Something’s off about this. Tell that comrade of yours to stay alert.”