Chapter 2: Log

The car phone rang.

Lin Feng casually tapped it, impatiently saying, “Speak, speak, speak.”

“Captain Lin, the fingerprint comparison results are in. The suspect has been confirmed as the wanted fugitive, Gui Cheng.”

Lin Feng chuckled twice, “That son of a bitch… Notify the jurisdiction where the incident occurred to come pick him up. I’m busy as hell here, and I still have to help with other cases to catch fugitives.”

He grumbled, but it was clear he was in a good mood.

He ruffled his hair, making the greasy strands look even greasier.

Qin Qing silently lowered her head.

Just moments ago, the instant Lin Feng received the call confirming the criminal’s apprehension, Qin Qing heard a prompt that others couldn’t hear.

[Directly assisting in the apprehension of a major case criminal, Experience Points +32, triggering the activation of the Experience Point Statistics System.]

[Accumulated Experience Points Level 1 (32/10), level promoted to Level 2, reward: Energy Points +2, activating the Energy Exchange Mall.]

[Accumulated Experience Points Level 2 (22/20), level promoted to Level 3, reward: Energy Points +5, Illustrated Guide*1.]

[Special Reward: Consecutive promotion of two levels, rewarding the activation of the Log System.]

At the same time, the Panel Screen in front of her also displayed a text version.

Compared to before, an experience bar appeared at the very top left corner of the light screen.

[Level 3 (Experience: 2/40)]

An energy bar and a mall icon appeared at the very top right corner.

[Energy: 7] [Mall]

There were other people in the car, so Qin Qing didn’t stare at the light screen for too long. Staring at a focal point in the void for an extended period would look too strange.

Lin Feng was a hothead; he’d complain about anything he saw.

Listening to his irritable remarks all the way, Qin Qing was brought to the detachment. She expected to see the legendary “little black room,” but her statement was taken right in the office. It was nothing much, just a formality, as Lin Feng had already asked most of the core questions in the car.

{T/N Little Black Room = secretive detention/interrogation room, often used to pressure suspects.}

Lin Feng looked at the notebook in Xiaopingtou’s hand, then snapped it shut. “Alright, your contribution is significant. The bonus is uncertain, but it’s definitely coming. Remember, next time if you encounter something like this, just like today, ensure your own safety first. Then notify the police, understand? Don’t act rashly and approach them yourself. Catching criminals is our police’s responsibility, not the people’s duty.”

Qin Qing nodded. Nothing was more important than her own life.

Lin Feng called Xiaopingtou, “Xiao Song, you send our hero home.”

Qin Qing stood up, “No need, I’m not going home yet.” She slowly explained amidst Lin Feng and Xiao Song’s puzzled gazes, “I want to try the beef noodles you mentioned next to the detachment.”

Xiao Song looked at her with a very curious expression.

Lin Feng was also stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Oh haha, alright, alright, then I must treat you.”

He and Xiao Song escorted Qin Qing out, and even pointed out the location of the noodle shop, which was about 50 meters diagonally opposite the main entrance.

“I’m telling you, when you go, don’t order anything else, just order the Luxury Beef Noodles, and tell the boss to put it on my tab. I’ll settle it all at the end of the month.”

Qin Qing didn’t stand on ceremony with him; she had brought them a significant contribution, so a bowl of noodles was nothing.

“Thank you, Captain Lin.”

Lin Feng and Xiao Song watched Qin Qing enter the noodle shop before turning back.

Xiao Song sighed, “This girl’s composure is too steady. After encountering such a big incident, she can still think about eating noodles.”

Lin Feng slapped him on the head, the latter scolding, “Nonsense! If she wasn’t composed, how could she confirm the suspect’s identity without alerting him, notify the police, and describe the criminal’s features so clearly? Learn from her!”

Qin Qing walked into the noodle shop. She originally thought the “Luxury” in Luxury Beef Noodles was an adjective, but after looking at the menu, she found that the first item listed was: Luxury Beef Noodles, 45 yuan.

It stood out like a crane among chickens compared to other noodles that generally averaged only ten-odd yuan.

She chose it without hesitation.

When it was served, it was indeed luxurious. Large chunks of beef, 2 cm square, were piled high in the large bowl, almost obscuring the noodles.

The broth was rich, the meat tender, and the noodles chewy; it was indeed delicious.

As she lowered her head to eat, the Panel Screen projected onto the dining table.

Qin Qing could finally examine the new content on the System Panel with peace of mind.

First, the Energy Mall.

There were two main categories available for purchase: Attribute Categories and Panel Settings Items.

In Attribute Categories, the purchasable items were diverse, each with a brief description.

For example:

Combat (3 Energy Points): Includes display of Attack, Defense, Agility, and Magic attribute values.

Wealth (1 Energy Point): A comprehensive evaluation of wealth score. For detailed wealth breakdown, further purchase of the upgraded version is required (3 Energy Points).

Path (1 Energy Point): Can display the movement trajectory map of the subject from birth to the time of viewing.

Relationship (1 Energy Point): Relationship network graph. Individuals included in the relationship network must have a specific relationship. This includes but is not limited to blood relations, high affection intimacy, high physical intimacy, and high hatred. Note: Individuals on the Relationship Map are only displayed; to query detailed information about individuals, an upgraded version must be purchased (5 Energy Points).

Talent (3 Energy Points): Initially displays the top three Talents with a score ≥60. The number of displayed Talents can be increased at 1 Energy Point/each.

Skill (3 Energy Points): Initially displays the top three Skills with a score ≥60. The number of displayed Skills can be increased at 1 Energy Point/each.

…

Compared to her mere 7 Energy Points, these all seemed very expensive.

Qin Qing also saw a grayed-out option.

Log (10 Energy Points): Can display all event details of the subject from birth to the time of viewing.

So, this item, given as a special reward, was really that expensive?

She then looked at the System Panel settings category, which contained options for interface optimization and function expansion, all of which were very expensive!

But Qin Qing was drawn to one option.

Toggle (1 Energy Point): Blink twice consecutively to open or hide the System Panel.

This function was simply a godsend. The Panel Screen appeared as soon as she opened her eyes, and it was even above everyone’s heads within her line of sight. It truly affected her life in an extraordinary way; she hadn’t gone crazy yet, which meant her nerves were incredibly strong.

Qin Qing wasn’t born seeing these strange things. She had only been able to see the Panel Screen for less than a week.

At that time, she was frantically looking for a job… Well, not really frantically, just sending out a lot of resumes.

She wasn’t enthusiastic about working, but a person always needed a job, otherwise, it would be too out of place.

With her “three days fishing, two days drying nets” approach to job searching, it was hard to get results. She herself wasn’t in a hurry.

A week ago, she woke up in the morning, and a light screen System Panel inexplicably appeared in front of her.

She thought she was hallucinating from looking at resumes recently. After eating breakfast expressionlessly, she went back to sleep for a bit. When she woke up, the System Panel was still there.

Damn it!

Qin Qing first went to an ophthalmologist, then saw a psychological counselor.

The result was that her body and mind were as healthy as displayed on the attribute System Panel.

She calmly accepted the situation, but having something constantly flickering in front of her eyes was very annoying.

She didn’t tell anyone.

To verify the authenticity of the information displayed on the System Panel, she went to many places.

She ran back to her alma mater, wandered around the campus, and randomly greeted unfamiliar junior and senior students, calling out the names displayed on the System Panel above their heads.

The junior and senior students she greeted were either surprised and bewildered, or they tried to recall who she was while exchanging pleasantries. But without exception, the names displayed on the System Panel were all correct.

She also went to a hospital, where patients’ health, mood, and stamina data were generally lower than those of passersby.

She also went to a fire detachment a block away from her home, where those people’s stamina, health, and merit were higher than ordinary people.

She even deliberately found her father’s hidden stash of money in front of her mother while sweeping the floor at home, observing the fluctuations in their Mood Value.

After countless comprehensive verifications, the conclusion was that the data displayed by the System Panel was real and objective.

But what was the use of this thing?

She wasted a tiny bit of brainpower wondering if the world she was in was a game instance, and she was an awakened NPC, but she didn’t find anyone who looked like a player. Nor did she feel that this world had similarities to a game; the people she interacted with didn’t behave as rigidly as game characters.

She couldn’t figure it out.

Qin Qing had one advantage: if she couldn’t figure something out, she wouldn’t dwell on it. She’d leave it, and one day it would naturally become clear.

She continued her life as usual, not actively sending out resumes or going for interviews.

Today, after she had basically gotten used to life with the light screen, she suddenly encountered a wanted criminal with a High Sin Value, which unlocked a series of other functions in the System Panel.

So, the sole purpose of the System Panel was to reward good and punish evil?

Judging from the diverse attributes in the Energy Mall, it didn’t seem so. It just so happened that punishing crime was something that the attribute System Panel considered commendable.

This was reassuring; no matter what kind of existence it was, at least its core values were normal.

If Qin Qing unlocked all attributes, everyone in the world would be like an open book to her.

But what good would that do?

She didn’t know.

For now, she just browsed the Energy Mall and chose to purchase two attributes: Skill and Talent.

She blinked, the System Panel closed, and the world became clear.

She blinked again, the System Panel opened, and she looked at the boss.

Other basic data were normal, and Skill and Talent visibility were added.

[Talent 1: None
Talent 2: None
Talent 3: None]

[Skill 1: Braised Beef – 81
Skill 2: Dough Kneading – 65
Skill 3: None]

There were no Talents with a score greater than 60. And were Skills really that specific? Not even general cooking.

She then looked at the proprietress, who was similar to the boss. No Talents, and only “Organizing – 70” in her Skill list.

The newly added “Log” was in a collapsed state. Only after opening it did she understand why this item cost 10 Energy Points. Because it really was a log, too detailed, even listing how the boss used urine to mix mud and hit dogs when he was a child, and how he forgot to put salt when preparing noodle seasoning yesterday and was complained about by an old customer, all clearly recorded.

It was embarrassing.

It was worth noting that after the log ended today, a section with a different font color appeared below. The log time was actually in the future.

Shock! Could this log predict the future?

The current time was May 8th, 11:45.

At the end of the boss’s log, the area with faded gray text showed:

[May 8th, 12:20 Customer Wang Ronghua slipped on accumulated water in the store, sustaining contusions to his elbow and palm.]

[May 8th, 14:27 Paid customer Wang Ronghua medical and nutritional expenses totaling 1000 yuan.]

[May 9th, 21:50 Purchased a fruit basket from Fengshou Fruit Stall, paid owner Yang Si 199 yuan.]

[May 9th, 22:15 Visited Wang Ronghua at his home in Jingrongyuan with the fruit basket.]

Further down, the text was too faint to be seen.