Chapter 182 The Imposing Little Boss

The commotion outside did not disturb the family members who were practicing their meditation inside the wooden house.

Some of them were meditating in a daze, while others were fast asleep.

After passing the wooden house, Chen Zhenzhu followed the crowd and went straight to the third floor.

Apart from the open-air corridor, the entire three-story building consists of tiny windows, each no bigger than a palm. Unlike the dark exterior, the interior is brightly lit when the curtains are drawn.

Shen Zhenzhu discovered that many of the people who captured her were unfamiliar faces, none of whom she had seen at the Qigong lectures.

When the woman with the braided hair saw Shen Zhenzhu, she looked surprised. She handed a lot of materials to other believers and said to Shen Zhenzhu, "Come with me, I'll arrange accommodation for you."

Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Don't I live in the wooden house anymore?"

This time, the woman with the braided hair didn't get impatient and patiently explained, "That's where inferior people live. You've passed the test of the Goddess, and you're no longer a lamb, but my true brother and sister."

"We meet again." Ma Lei emerged from behind the braided pigtail, patting his chest and saying, "You're so heartless! You were so busy running away that you didn't even think to save me."

Shen Zhenzhu said coldly, "I thought you were dead."

Ma Lei rubbed his fat belly and laughed heartily, then turned to the woman with the braided hair and said, "See? I've made her hold a grudge against me."

The woman with the braided hair said, "When the next batch of newcomers arrives, you stay here and let the third brother go out to greet them."

The lecherous look in Ma Lei's eyes was gone. He said seriously, "No need. Next time, I'll go again when it's Lao San's turn."

The girl with the braided hair said, "Whatever you want."

Unlike their relaxed mood, Shen Zhenzhu noticed the distinct internal structure of the three-story building. The first floor housed the dining hall and offices, the second floor provided accommodation and activity areas, and the third floor was a separate area for study and the Mother Goddess.

The room assigned to Chen Zhenzhu was a separate cubicle, containing only a bed and a simple cabinet.

"Change into your robes and go see the Mother Goddess." The woman with the braided hair glanced at the time and muttered under her breath, "Today's been a long ordeal. Anyone else would have been caught by now."

After she left, Shen Zhenzhu opened the cabinet and saw the folded black robe. Putting it on made her feel gloomy.

Upon exiting the room, I saw the number "25" on the door.

"Over here." Teacher Fang's voice came from the front. She walked from the stairwell to Chen Zhenzhu's side and said with satisfaction, "I knew you could do it. Of all the people who came, you are the only one who succeeded."

Shen Zhenzhu asked her, "What about the people in the wooden house?"

Teacher Fang said nonchalantly, "Keep the valuable ones aside, and use the worthless ones as fuel."

Several more people dressed in black robes came out from behind, and Teacher Fang pulled Chen Zhenzhu upstairs.

Upon reaching the third floor, the hundreds of square meters were filled with people dressed in black robes, creating a ghostly atmosphere.

Nighttime is the time for "study" on the third floor. It is far from the wooden house and well soundproofed, so even Chen Zhenzhu did not realize that more than twenty people lived inside.

They lived on the island alongside the "lower beings" in the wooden huts. During the day, the "lower beings" studied, while the men in black robes slept and moved around on the third floor. At night, the "lower beings" were confined to the wooden huts, and the men in black robes would emerge.

They are like soulless ghosts, not treating their own kind as equals, exploiting and consuming them.

"We need more people with special abilities; the navigator of the 'Sky Ship' hasn't awakened yet." The Mother Goddess, sitting at the forefront, said coldly, "We need more energy and gold to cook for the navigator. Our time is running out. We don't belong to this material universe. If we want to return to our home in the higher universe, if we want to return to heaven, we must act quickly!"

The goddess spent a considerable amount of time analyzing the current situation and was quite adept at brainwashing her followers. Shen Zhenzhu believed that the psychology books found in the tunnel belonged to her. During her interactions with Shen Zhenzhu, she could even fake her own reactions to evade Shen Zhenzhu's detection.

At the end of the "study", the goddess called Shen Zhenzhu and said, "I have a family member who is imprisoned in Shen City. Can you find a way to get him out?"

Shen Zhenzhu knelt on the futon at her feet, thought for two seconds and said, "I can say that he is involved in Liancheng's case and transfer him here to assist in solving the case."

The priestess nodded slightly and asked her, "What procedures are required?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "The procedures don't need to be too complicated. We happen to have a case in our team, and the suspects are two brothers. I can have him impersonate one of them. However, it needs approval from higher-ups, and I'm not sure if it can be kept secret."

The goddess stroked Chen Zhenzhu's head with satisfaction and said, "You have done your best."

"yes."

The man with the braided hair brought out Chen Zhenzhu's old cell phone and said to the goddess in front of Chen Zhenzhu, "It's been ringing a few times these past two days." He then stared at Chen Zhenzhu.

Shen Zhenzhu slapped her forehead and said, "I was so excited when I came here that I forgot to ask the team for leave!"

The goddess looked at a certain person in the black robes. Teacher Fang said from the group, "After Shen Zhenzhu got on the bus with me, she went straight here by boat. She didn't call to ask for leave. It's my fault for overlooking that—"

Ring ring,

Ring ring.

At that moment, Chen Zhenzhu's mobile phone rang.

With her beloved mobile phone right in front of her, Shen Zhenzhu wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she looked at the Goddess.

As the phone was about to end, the goddess nodded: "Answer it, and get this over with quickly."

Shen Zhenzhu pressed the answer button, swallowed hard, and asked, "Hello?"

Across from him, Director Liu launched into a tirade: "Where are you? As the captain of the criminal investigation team, why didn't you report? How many days are you going to be absent without cause?! There's an arrest operation tonight, everyone else is here, but you're not. If you want to work, then work; if you don't, then resign now!"

Chen Zhenzhu grabbed her mobile phone and quickly explained, "I'm not feeling well, so I'm taking sick leave. I'll hand in the doctor's report later—"

"You think you can just skip work without a word if you're not feeling well? If I'm not feeling well, am I supposed to cancel all the police duties in Liancheng?" Director Liu yelled angrily, "I never thought you could be the captain in the first place. You're inexperienced and your abilities are so-so. How could the city bureau leaders let a little girl like you be the captain? Do you even deserve it?... Hey, did you hear me?!"

Shen Zhenzhu glanced at the goddess, then looked away shyly and said softly, "You're right. I need to take a few more days off. I'm not feeling well, and the doctor has found other lesions that require further examination. I'm not entirely useless, so please stop scolding me."

Director Liu completely ignored Shen Zhenzhu's explanation and continued to berate her. Someone in the black robe couldn't help but laugh out loud. Shen Zhenzhu was caught in a dilemma—holding the mobile phone was awkward, but not hanging it up would be too embarrassing—so she could only send a pleading look to the Goddess.

"...I'll give you two days at most. You must write a self-criticism when you get back. I'm going to report your situation to the municipal bureau!" Director Liu said in a deep voice at the end, "Don't think I'm joking!"

Before Shen Zhenzhu could reply, Director Liu angrily hung up the phone.

The woman with braided hair put away her cell phone, and Chen Zhenzhu lowered her head, dejectedly nestled on the prayer mat.

“My child, don’t be sad.” The Mother Goddess sighed, then said inflammatoryly, “If you encounter a leader who opposes you, you can tell me. Whether it’s a car accident, jumping off a building, or poisoning, you will make him disappear from your sight. We will train you for a few years, and you can slowly infiltrate and strengthen our power. Then the Liancheng Public Security Bureau will be entirely under our control, and you will be the god of Liancheng Public Security.”

Shen Zhenzhu looked at the Goddess with excitement: "Really? Is it possible?"

The goddess coaxed her like a child, saying, "When you go back this time, I'll bring you some money. You can use it to build relationships. Don't be reluctant to spend it. As long as I'm here, we'll have an inexhaustible supply of money."

"Thank you, Mother Goddess. I will certainly live up to your expectations," Shen Zhenzhu said, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.

The goddess guided her back to the group and said slowly, "Tomorrow another batch of newcomers will arrive on the island. Some have been here before, and some are coming for the first time. The situation will be similar to this time. Prepare as usual, don't let them notice anything amiss, and do your best to make them valuable."

"yes."

"yes."

......

Shen Zhenzhu returned to her cubicle, unsure how to describe the day's events. Before going to sleep, she tried to review her actions, fearing that a single slip could lead to utter ruin.

Fortunately, I got through to Director Liu and asked him to give me a piece of his mind to buy time. The people in the information department will definitely be able to locate the problem.

The cunning and shrewd Director Liu should understand that she has made a significant discovery here.

Two days.

Hang in there, the pearl will sink!

......

Shen Zhenzhu slowly closed her eyes. In her dream, many bizarre and fantastical scenes appeared. When she woke up in the morning, she had huge dark circles under her eyes.

The aroma of food filled the cafeteria on the first floor, where several women in gray aprons were busy in the kitchen. Unlike their relaxed demeanor outside, they worked efficiently and without the slightest sign of slacking off.

Shen Zhenzhu sat at the dining table with her rice bowl in hand, surrounded by a dark, imposing black robe. Her appetite was successfully extinguished.

The plate contained golden millet porridge, salted duck eggs, and shredded mustard greens, as well as two meat buns.

Chen Zhenzhu took a sip of millet porridge and felt her dead stomach finally come back to life. After finishing breakfast, she left two meat buns uneaten.

"Come over here first to help screen Liancheng personnel. Suitable candidates will undergo testing, and those who pass the test will be allowed to go to the island." The woman with the braided hair led Chen Zhenzhu to the second floor, where countless personnel files were laid out on a huge round table.

The walkie-talkie in her braided hair buzzed, and when she answered it, the voice on the other end said, "We've arrived on the island."

"Understood." The woman with the braided hair pointed to a seat and told Chen Zhenzhu to sit down, "Choose someone who is rich, ambitious, and has special abilities. Especially special abilities; once you believe they are real, you must report it immediately."

Shen Zhenzhu obediently replied, "Yes, I will carefully distinguish them."

The girl with the braided hair said, "Keep up the good work, I think you're pretty good."

"yes."

After the woman with the braided hair left, Shen Zhenzhu saw the men in black robes working at the round table stand up.

They stood in front of tiny windows, watching the people who were joyfully arriving on the island with indifference and blankness.

Shen Zhenzhu believed that she had also been watched when she arrived on the island.

She, too, dressed in a black robe, found a small window, stood before it, and gazed silently, so very silently...

......

the next day.

After getting up and having breakfast, Shen Zhenzhu practiced her skills with the Divine Mother and then went to the "office area" to continue her work from yesterday.

The voice of the president with the goatee giving a lecture could be clearly heard up to the third floor.

Sitting next to Shen Zhenzhu were unfamiliar faces, exchanging personal information.

"This guy should be able to swindle more than 50,000 yuan. His family also owns two apartments. His father used to be the factory manager of a tire factory, so it's impossible that he didn't take advantage of the situation. He also has two older sisters and a younger sister, and he always puts himself first. Last year, he got into drug use after being introduced to drugs by his brother, and his mother even asked his sisters to buy him drugs."

"No amount of money in a drug addict's family is ever enough. Let's see if his parents and sisters can raise the money quickly. Once they've tested him enough, we'll bring him over to make a big bet. Otherwise, he'll squander all the family's money."

"This guy here is interesting. He says he can have precognitive dreams. He once dreamed about college entrance exam questions. He also said that the Queen Mother of the West told him that dinosaurs are about to make a comeback and that humans will become their food."

"That's pure nonsense. If you're sick, go to the hospital. Next."

......

Shen Zhenzhu flipped through the various personal profiles, all of which were clues she had gathered while teaching and imparting her skills in the community.

Unable to determine whether there were any further tests for her, Shen Zhenzhu focused solely on the selection process according to the requirements of the braided hairstyle.

"There's a person with special abilities who can swallow a hundred sewing needles and then squeeze them out of their belly button." Real special abilities are one in a hundred, and once a person with superpowers is discovered, it must be reported immediately.

Shen Zhenzhu took his materials and handed them, along with the other materials that had been selected, to the braided man. The braided man glanced at them and put them aside: "The Goddess wants to see you. Go to the third floor."

"yes."

Shen Zhenzhu went up to the third floor and saw that the Goddess was still meditating in the study room.

Shen Zhenzhu stood quietly to the side, waiting.

Half an hour later, the goddess breathed a sigh of relief and beckoned to Shen Zhenzhu: "Water."

Shen Zhenzhu immediately poured her some water and handed it to her: "You were looking for me?"

The goddess took a sip of water, opened her eyes, and said, "The transfer request you sent to the Shenshi Public Security Bureau yesterday should have been approved. My man has already left the Shenshi Detention Center and will be arriving in Liancheng soon. Once you get back, find a way to release him."

"Understood." Shen Zhenzhu didn't ask when she could leave, and stood obediently to the side.

The priestess then said, "You look much better in the black robe."

Shen Zhenzhu flattered, "The golden robe draped over your body is dazzling and radiant."

"You did very well, even better than I expected. Thank you for your hard work."

"Serve the Goddess wholeheartedly!" Chen Zhenzhu almost blurted out.

The goddess was amused by her and waved her hand, saying, "Go eat, today has only just begun."

The newly arrived believers had finished their day's lessons and eaten their only meal. They returned to their cabins and were disciplined to behave themselves.

Shen Zhenzhu and a group of people in black robes appeared under the cover of night, passed through the wooden house, found the door of the secret passage, and entered the underground.

They are nocturnal, hiding during the day and active at night, like wandering ghosts.

"Our 'Navigator' is still asleep. Let us call upon him until he rises again and leads us onto the 'Sky Ship' to a carefree, advanced universe."

The priestess held a candle and murmured incantations. Shen Zhenzhu and a group of people in black robes circled the young man on the sickbed in prayer.

The atmosphere was somber and eerie.

Shen Zhenzhu saw the young man's eyeballs trembling rapidly under his eyelids. As the goddess's strange prayers grew faster and faster, he suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at Shen Zhenzhu!

Chen Zhenzhu forgot to breathe and mechanically followed the footsteps in front of her.

He found her.

"What are you looking at?" The goddess asked excitedly, cupping her brother's face in her hands as she saw his reaction. "Is there something here that interests you?"

The young man's eyes swept over Shen Zhenzhu and then landed on the man in front of her.

The goddess followed the gaze to the man and asked him, "What do you have on you?"

The man stepped forward fearfully and took out a piece of fruit candy from his pocket: "I...I didn't finish it. I was thinking...I was thinking of saving it for tonight."

The goddess took the fruit candy and held it out to the young man: "Is this it?"

The young man's eyes moved up and down to indicate confirmation.

The priestess was so excited she was almost incoherent, telling everyone present, "Do you see that? Our 'Navigator' has an incredible sense of smell! He is restoring!"

Amid cheers from the crowd, the goddess peeled open a piece of fruit candy and fed it to the young man, saying gently, "Eat the candy, and then eat your meal properly later."

Shen Zhenzhu saw the young man slowly close his eyes, a fleeting look of despair in his eyes.

The men in black robes waited to the side, while the Mother Goddess cooked a bowl of "Mao Xue Wang" (a spicy Sichuan dish). She spooned it into the young man's mouth, humming a song softly.

After the young man finished eating, someone in a black robe stepped forward to massage him and change his oxygen tank.

The goddess chatted with the young man for a while in a good mood, then belatedly remembered to assign tasks to the men in black robes: "One team will be on duty in the woods, and the second team, led by Chen Zhenzhu, will check discipline inside and outside the area. Today is their first day here, so don't let them off easily."

Shen Zhenzhu never expected that she would become a minor leader and, after receiving orders from the Goddess, would even be given a spear as a weapon.

As a shallow-minded girl who only wanted to get rich and become a high-ranking official, Chen Zhenzhu swaggered around with a gun after becoming the squad leader.

First, we arrived at the location of the Qigong lecture, searched around, and checked the hygiene. Then we went to the kitchen of the bungalow and saw busy workers in gray aprons, looking arrogant and imposing.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the cabin, they heard people talking through an open window. A man and a woman, oblivious to the danger, were flirting at this time.

"Hey, hey, hey, no whispering!" Chen Zhenzhu walked to the front of the wooden house, pounded on the window frame with her fist, and scolded, "Did you come here to receive cosmic energy or to find a partner?"

Wearing a floral shirt, Ma Lei leaned against the window with a grin: "We're all family, why be so strict? It's not like I'm the only one talking to her, there are other people talking in front of us."

The woman next door chimed in, "Yeah, why are you being so fierce? What's wrong with us chatting a bit more if we're getting along well?"

What's wrong? I'm trying to save you.

With a stern face, Chen Zhenzhu brandished her dagger and pointed it at Ma Lei's nose, saying, "Discipline has been broken! Drag him out and give him ten lashes as a warning to others!"

The woman cried out in fear, "You can't do this!"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Are you going to break the rules again?"

The woman glanced at Ma Lei with a wronged expression, then shrank back and closed the window.

Ma Lei glared angrily at Chen Zhenzhu, and silently said from a corner where the woman couldn't see him, "You wait."

Let's wait and see, let's get revenge first!

At Shen Zhenzhu's command, the people behind her walked into Ma Lei's wooden house and dragged him out, showing no concern for Ma Lei's life or death.

Ma Lei lay prone on the floor outside the wooden house. With each lash of the whip, cold sweat beaded on his forehead: "Ah! Ah!—"

After the ten lashes were finished, Shen Zhenzhu had him dragged back. Facing the slightly ajar window, she shouted, "Anyone who doesn't follow the rules and treats the president's words like a fart, I'll teach them a lesson!"

The person behind Shen Zhenzhu reminded her, "Can we speak more politely?"

Shen Zhenzhu coughed, tucked the gun into her waistband, and continued her inspection with her hands behind her back, swaggering around.

This was her first inspection, and she didn't know if it would be the last. Shen Zhenzhu lingered in front of each wooden door for a long time, even pushing open the doors to check the personal belongings in the cabinets.

Her unconventional ways caused complaints from the new family members, but Chen Zhenzhu turned a deaf ear to them.

While inspecting the cabin, Chen Zhenzhu noticed that besides Ma Lei, there were several other people in black robes mixed in with the newlyweds, who approached them to extract information and monitor them.

Shen Zhenzhu continued to inspect each house, impatiently holding a black pen against the door as she arrived, completely unconcerned about soiling the door panel, arrogantly declaring: "Open the door for inspection!"

The first day on duty should have been peaceful and uneventful. If it had just been one more day, the island would have been flattened by the police.

However, things didn't go as planned.

As Shen Zhenzhu walked towards the last wooden hut, the advance team whispered a few words in her ear: "She said she wasn't feeling well and came back to rest during the day, but she hasn't come out since. Because we had other things to do, we weren't able to check on her in time..."

Chen Zhenzhu said angrily, "Why are you only informing me now about such a big thing?"

The man hesitated and said, "You weren't our squad leader during the day. We were still searching for you all over the mountains the night before."

"Oh...that's right." Chen Zhenzhu quickened her pace and walked towards the last wooden house: "Let's go take a look."

Shen Zhenzhu walked to the wooden house and first knocked on the door in a perfunctory manner. Before two seconds had passed, she pushed the door open.

"Where is he?" She stood with her hands behind her back, her face cold in the moonlight.

The people behind him rushed into the house and searched everywhere, but there was nowhere to hide in the cramped room.

"Someone...someone ran away."

"alarm!"

Shen Zhenzhu took out the iron whistle hanging around her neck and blew it sharply.

Immediately, whistles sounded one after another, carrying from the wooden house to the third floor, from the third floor to the woods, and even reaching the cliff she had climbed last time.

"No one in the cabin is allowed to come out!" After saying this, Shen Zhenzhu turned to the patrol team behind her and said, "Have four people guard the cabin, the rest of you come with me to search!"

"yes!"

"yes."

Regardless of whether this was yet another trial arranged by the Goddess, Shen Zhenzhu had to find the person who had run away.

As long as things stay peaceful until tomorrow night, everything here will be over. The prerequisite is that things must stay peaceful!

Shen Zhenzhu searched carefully with her flashlight when suddenly a deafening horn blared from somewhere in the woods.

A young man cried out in anguish, "Xiuzhen! Where are you! I'm coming to find you!"

Shen Zhenzhu exclaimed inwardly, "This is bad!" and quickly ran into the woods following the sound.

The patrol team in the woods quickly turned on their flashlights and searched for the source of the sound.

A voice came from the walkie-talkie on Shen Zhenzhu's waist. The person standing on the cliff, holding night binoculars, said, "It's in the northwest direction, about fifty meters from the cliff."

After the other party finished speaking, Chen Zhenzhu saw countless flashlight beams moving in a northwest direction.

The man climbed to the top of the tallest tree and shouted through a megaphone, "Wake up, everyone who's still sleeping! This is a giant island of liars! Everyone here is a conman who's trying to scam you out of your money! Don't be fooled! Xiuzhen, don't be afraid! I've called the police, and they'll be here soon!"

He cried out in anguish, "Xiuzhen, Xiuzhen! Please, you must live! I've called the police, I've called the police!"

Seeing that he had alerted the enemy, Chen Zhenzhu gritted her teeth and said, "Quickly capture him! This credit belongs to us!"

"yes."

"yes!"

-----------------------

Author's note: Pearl: Hurry up, or you'll get promoted again!

***

See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes! [Let me see]