pjbooks Chapter 1: The Wanted Criminal's ID Card
Chapter 1: The Wanted Criminal's ID Card
"Ring ring, ring..."
The alarm clock rang as expected, and indeed it did, at 6:30.
Lu Yan closed his eyes and subconsciously reached out to touch the left side, but couldn't find the alarm clock. He then raised his right hand to touch the other side.
Unfortunately, nothing came. He slowly opened one eye. The cramped ceiling stretched to the rows of computers in the beverage cabinet, the computer fans whirring, and there was an indescribable smell of smoke. He slapped his forehead, remembering that he had spent the night in an internet cafe. He straightened up abruptly and casually took off his still-ringing headphones.
He thought to himself: This seven yuan is a real loss. I lost at least three yuan while I was asleep... well, maybe four.
I stretched and glanced furtively to the side. My classmate and best friend, Wang Kai, was banging away furiously, shouting with undiminished energy:
"Hey, make way for me! Holy crap, let me fire one shot too, just one shot will do!"
Lu Yan peered out and saw a rusty iron gate on the screen, surrounded by people. Wang Kai's character was squeezed out on the outside, unable to even get a shot, let alone fight monsters. He was so anxious that he jumped up and down like a stray dog waiting for someone to finish relieving themselves.
With a snap, Lu Yan placed his hand on his left shoulder.
Wang Kai, weighing a hundred and eighty pounds, shuddered, his neck shrinking back in fright. He turned his head and saw it was Lu Yan, immediately letting out a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but mutter:
"You're so scary, Brother Lu, you're going to scare people to death!"
Your grip strength is exactly like my dad's; I thought he was the one coming to the internet cafe to catch someone.
Final exams are just around the corner, and I finally managed to get out and have some fun. If he catches me red-handed, I'll be beaten to a pulp!
Lu Yan patted his belly: "With that bulky outfit of yours, who could possibly take you down?"
Wang Kai said confidently, "This old guy served in the army for two years when he was young. He doesn't know how to hold back when he hits people. Only I, Kaiye, am thick-skinned and can withstand his abuse. Seventeen years of rain, snow and wind have allowed me to answer the call of the motherland and grow strong to this day."
Lu Yan blinked and gestured with his chin towards the time display in the lower right corner of the screen.
"Let's go, it's almost time."
Yes, I paid the internet fee at 8 o'clock, but school starts early reading at 7:30. It will take me more than half an hour to get there. Damn it, I don't know how you found such a remote internet cafe!
But you really want to be late? You might be able to get away with it from your dad, but the stern-faced guy might not let you off the hook. You might even get multiple punishments and a school-wide reprimand.
Listen to your brother, stop now, Kai. The people outside might all be your dads!
Wang Kai stared at the screen for a while, reluctant to leave. The character was still huddled to one side, the M4A1 in his hand like a powerless poker. Sigh, he couldn't fire this shot no matter what.
He sighed and was about to take off his headphones. With a soft snap, he felt another hard slap on his shoulder. He muttered something under his breath, then suddenly realized something was wrong. This time, the slap was on his right, while Lu Yan was clearly to his left.
Wang Kai's heart skipped a beat. He slowly looked up and a familiar square face came into view, except that it was wearing a tall, well-brimmed hat.
He stammered, "Dad...Dad, aren't you going to work at the police station?"
Wang Xiuying squinted, as if a chill was seeping from between her teeth: "You old rascal, huh? You're so reckless, aren't you? Skipping class, aren't you? You're so cruel, aren't you? You've been through so much, haven't you? Heh heh, let's leave that aside for now and talk about it in detail when we get home."
Hmph, you're the one who found this shift for me today!
Don't call me dad. You are my dad, my biological dad. That's incredible, Wang Kai, Brother Kai. You even dare to use the ID number of a wanted criminal.
The internet cafe manager was so terrified he almost peed his pants. Even the hotline for reporting the commotion was trembling, and there were armed police officers lying in wait outside. The commotion almost alerted the higher-ups.
Lu Yan gasped, as if the air itself had thinned. His gaze fell on Wang Kai's face, as if he were seeing him for the first time.
Wang Kai shrank back, his voice barely audible:
"...It was dark at the time, and I...how could I have known that the poster on the telephone pole was for a wanted criminal? I just thought...I just thought it was probably a missing person notice or something, so I figured I might as well use it and it wouldn't be a problem."
With a loud slap, Wang Xiuying's hand almost landed on Wang Kai's forehead, leaving a bright red mark.
Wang Kai hissed and gasped for breath, his head drooping as he tried to act like a harmless little chick.
Pressing down on Wang Kai's head, Wang Xiuying raised her eyebrows: "You really don't know Liu Tong?"
You need to understand, he's not some ordinary wanted criminal. He just killed three people in downtown Montreal. Damn it, the crime scene was less than 100 meters from the local police station. He's extremely arrogant and has a very bad influence. The higher-ups are furious. They'll dig three feet into the ground to find him, arrest him, and bring him to justice!
Kid, even if you were the leader's son, let alone my son, if you got involved, I couldn't protect you right now!
Upon hearing this, Wang Kai shrank back even further, wishing he could sink into the chair, his throat trembling with sobs as he murmured:
"I confessed, I confessed everything! I bought the ID number from someone for five yuan. Who knew that bastard would try to fool me with a wanted criminal's ID number?" He said through gritted teeth by the end.
Wang Xiuying pulled up the brim of her hat, turned Wang Kai's computer chair around, and scrutinized him seven or eight times with a sharp look in her eyes. She then stared intently into his eyes before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
As long as they're not accomplices!
Wang Kai and Lu Yan were unaware, but he knew perfectly well that Liu Tong was no ordinary murderer, but a qigong practitioner skilled in assassination and combat techniques.
Such a person, let alone committing murder, should be treated with extreme caution simply for entering Mengcheng territory!
Qigong, qigong, the world has really changed. Sigh, it makes people both love and hate it!
Wang Xiuying tapped her fingers on the computer screen, looked back at Wang Kai, and said with exasperation:
"Look at you, all sleazy and unruly. Anyone who didn't know better would think you had no parents."
Pack your things and come with me to the police station to give a statement. It'll be an explanation for you, for me, and for the brothers who've been out in the cold all night."
Wang Kai muttered, "I never had a mother," and Wang Xiuying's eyelids twitched suddenly, her expression softening slightly.
He let out a long sigh, stepped to the side, looked at Lu Yan, and spoke in a much gentler tone:
"Xiao Lu, you're a good kid. In two months you'll be a senior in high school. Listen to me, don't hang out with Wang Kai. No matter how badly he does in the future, he can still take over my job and make a living. You're different, understand?" He paused, then couldn't continue.
As for what was different, Lu Yan knew perfectly well that his father had died shortly after his birth in a flooding accident at the 414 Mine, 100 kilometers away, and his mother had to raise him and his sister by selling vegetables on a shoulder pole, which was already very difficult for her.
The whole family is counting on me to defy fate, and we really can't afford to delay.
But his classmates are all paying to enroll in martial arts tutoring classes, while he, on his own, doesn't even know how to get started with qigong. In this day and age, how can an ordinary student who doesn't know martial arts change his fate?
My grades in humanities are already at their lowest point, and with these grades, there's no way I'll get into a qigong university or any martial arts academy.
Let alone practicing Qigong and becoming a local ruler or governor, even in scientific research, ordinary people cannot compare to martial arts students.
They can stay up for three days and three nights straight, processing hundreds of thoughts every minute, while I can barely climb six floors without getting out of breath. They're practically from different species. No wonder those crazy researchers at the Adaptive Evolution Lab keep pushing the "New Human" project.
Lu Yan thought to himself, eliminating the old humans and embracing the new humans may not be wrong, but I don't want to be eliminated at the starting line and become the foot pedal and cannon fodder of the times.
Unfortunately, practicing Qigong is too expensive. Not to mention myself, even Wang Kai and Uncle Wang on the other side would probably have a hard time supporting it.
Feeling frustrated, he agreed to Wang Kai's invitation to stay up all night online last night, even though he only slept for half the night.
Lu Yan remained silent for a moment, then picked up his cotton-padded coat and put it on. "Uncle Wang, I understand. I won't delay your case any longer. I'm going to school now."
Wang Xiuying watched him leave, took the walkie-talkie from her waist, and said solemnly:
"Attention all units, the target has been verified."
Liu Tong isn't here; it's just a high school kid using his ID number. Lift the alert and return to base.