Chapter 20 Admitting Mistakes, Keeping Promises, As You Wish (Three-in-One) Murder...
"What's with all this talk of certainty? Men's words are just lies."
Deprived of all vision and most of hearing by the electronic restraint device on his head, Fu Ze, bored out of his mind, changed his sitting position three times in five minutes.
The handcuffs on his wrists collided with each other as he moved, producing a series of crisp, bell-like metallic clanging sounds.
"Can you please shut up for even a moment?" Mu Wangzhuo, sitting opposite Fu Ze, looked up angrily.
Fu Ze also gave Mu Wangzhuo face, temporarily fixing his posture in a one-handed chin-resting position, but he still didn't stop talking, asking to himself: "Tell me, this Snake Eyes is already dead, what did Yuan Jianxing take him for? Could it be that your Tribunal has developed some technology that can extract the memories of the dead?"
Mu Wangzhu snorted coldly: "Instead of worrying about snake eyes, you should worry about yourself."
Hearing the extremely unfriendly tone, Fu Ze frowned and looked at Mu Wangzhuo in confusion, following the direction of the voice: "I was just asking a question, why are you being so rude? Do I have some personal grudge against you?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Wangzhuo felt the veins on his temples suddenly bulge, as if they were about to break through the blood vessel barrier and cause him to bleed on the spot.
How could this guy have the nerve to ask, "What personal grudge do you have against me?"
How can the conflict between us be described simply as a holiday?
Perhaps it was the atmosphere that set the scene right, and the fact that he was in the executor's territory, Mu Wangzhuo stood up decisively and walked to Fu Ze's chair. With a single effort, he turned the chair and Fu Ze around 180 degrees and casually deactivated the electronic restraint device around Fu Ze's neck.
Suddenly his vision was restored, and Fu Ze, caught off guard, squinted as he was blinded by the white light coming from above.
Without the noise-canceling barrier and restraints, Mu Wangzhuo's furious voice boomed in his ears: "Look what you've done!"
With a perfunctory reply of "I'm watching, I'm watching," Fu Ze slowly opened his eyes.
What came into his view was the lobby of the adjudication bureau.
This wasn't Fu Ze's first time at the adjudication headquarters, nor was it his first time here as a suspect, but it was his first time in the executive officer's office area.
The office area occupies five consecutive floors, all connected by a huge central circular atrium, which at first glance resembles a vertical pit.
The cool, white light fell from the highest point of the dome, pouring down like quicksand across the five-story space, and was then cut into beams of light of varying sizes by the diagonally connected corridors between the floors and the semi-transparent partitions between different departments.
Fu Ze was currently located on the top floor of the entire office area. From this god-like perspective, he could see the working status of different departments almost at a glance, giving him a feeling of attending court.
Besides connecting the various floors, this atrium has another important function. At its center is a huge holographic projection, which is currently displaying a simulated model of V City.
Countless dots and lines shuttle, converge, and flicker within and on the surface of the blue-white semi-transparent model, simulating and monitoring the heartbeat and pulse of V City in real time.
At any other time, Fu Ze would definitely have remarked, "This is so high-class; your executives have excellent working conditions."
But seeing V City now marked with various warning messages, making it a veritable "sea of red," he wisely kept quiet.
But Mu Wangzhuo had no intention of letting Fu Ze go.
"Didn't you just ask me what grudge we had? Now you know." He placed his hands on the back of Fu Ze's chair and said in a sinister tone, "Thanks to you, almost all the executives have been called back to work overtime tonight."
By saying this, Mu Wangzhuo placed Fu Ze and the other executives on opposite ends of a scale and decisively determined their relative importance.
If it were any other shameless villain, they might have immediately started arguing with Mu Wangzhuo.
But Fu Ze immediately lowered his head and apologized very sincerely:
"sorry."
Although he had perfectly legitimate reasons, both legally and morally—driven by his survival instinct, he needed to find out the whereabouts of the [Key] to maintain his "death by substitution" as much as possible—he did indeed cause trouble for the Enforcers and V City.
If you do something wrong, you should apologize.
Mu Wangzhuo, who had prepared a long speech, suddenly fell silent.
Even though his observation skills weren't as sharp as Yuan Jianxing's, he could still sense a very pure sincerity in Fu Ze's words.
On second thought, no matter how angry I am, ultimately it's because the official execution is inferior in skill.
Because he was less skilled than the other person, he was easily deceived by this person's words and forcibly took Yuan Jianxing away.
The subordinates he had assigned to keep an eye on the enemy were not as skilled, so even though he organized several rounds of searches at different stations, the enemy still managed to escape.
Those who went on the mission at night were not as skilled as the others. Even with the Kangming Group interfering and trying to kill Snake Eyes, which was an inherent disadvantage, there was no reason why they would be so easily intercepted by the other party in the final stage.
In short, we still need to strengthen training and prepare contingency plans to prevent similar incidents from happening again... Wait, why am I reflecting on this?
While Mu Wangzhuo's mind was racing, Fu Ze finished apologizing, suddenly looked up, widened his eyes, and innocently said, "Speaking of which, it's getting late, I'm a little hungry. Do you have anything to eat? Drinks are fine too."
Distracted from his train of thought and almost getting stuck on a rut, Mu Wangzhuo angrily retorted, "No! Didn't you say before that drinking water at this time would make your face swell?"
“But Yuan Jianxing told you to take good care of me before he left. If I starve to death, how will you explain it to him?” Fu Ze wanted to spread his hands to show his goodwill, but the handcuffs on the prison chair restricted his movements, so he could only shrug instead.
Mu Wangzhuo's face darkened, and he thought to himself: This man is a prime example of making a mountain out of a molehill.
Although that's what they say, Mu Wangzhuo really can't do anything to Fu Ze.
The reason... really is what Yuan Jianxing said before disembarking the heavy loader—
"Keep an eye on him until I get back."
His statement is virtually identical to his earlier statement this morning, "When I'm not around, have someone keep an eye on him."
The only difference was that this time, Yuan Jianxing gave Mu Wangzhuo a meaningful look while speaking.
Feeling guilty, Mu Wangzhuo immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Yuan Jianxing's gaze.
Adhering to the belief that "one cannot fall into the same pit twice," Mu Wangzhuo was determined to fulfill Yuan Jianxing's request this time, no matter what.
Therefore, even though his phone was already filled with eight hundred urgent messages from the South District urging him to return, he remained unmoved in Yuan Jianxing's office, putting into practice the other party's instruction to "keep an eye on him".
This "keeping an eye on him" obviously includes meeting Fu Ze's basic survival needs; otherwise, he would "keep an eye on him until he dies."
With that in mind, Mu Wangzhuo opened the cafeteria system of the Judgment Headquarters and ordered two of the still-available set meals according to his own preferences.
A few minutes later, the food was delivered by a four-wheeled robot and thoughtfully placed in front of the two of them.
"Excuse me, I don't want fruit pie." Fu Ze pushed the steaming cardboard packaging aside with disgust. "This kind of food, which is made by chopping fresh fruit into a puree, cooking it in a pot, mixing it with sugar that is good enough to keep a mummy from decaying for a thousand years, and finally stuffing it into a greasy and crumbly pastry, is truly a spectacle created by the Creator based on related inspiration after having a nightmare."
After hearing Fu Ze's description, Mu Wangzhuo felt that the mango pie in his mouth no longer tasted good.
He felt extremely regretful for having joined Fu Ze in criticizing Yuan Jianxing in the early hours of the morning.
retribution!
This is the retribution for those who "colluded in evil"!
"So when will Yuan Jianxing be able to make time to see me? If it's him, he shouldn't make me wait too long, right?" Fu Ze picked out a barely edible hot dog from a plate of food, scraping off the barbecue sauce and salad dressing with its own wrapper as he asked, "Although this guy always has a stern face, he seems like the type who keeps his promises."
"That's hard to say." After eating the hot food, Mu Wangzhuo's originally agitated mood calmed down a lot, and he even had the willingness to answer Fu Ze's question again. "Even if Yuan Jianxing is nominally the CEO, he is just a high-ranking soldier. He doesn't have as much freedom as you think."
Fu Ze nodded in understanding and finally began to eat.
At this time, the courthouse canteen only had ready-to-eat pre-made food such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pies, and sandwiches, and their appearance was terrible after being microwaved.
Even so, when that wrinkled and unremarkable hot dog was wrapped and lifted by Fu Ze's five fingers, its value seemed to skyrocket dozens of times, becoming something that could be cooked and told a thousand or eight hundred words by the chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Although Mu Wangzhuo can now clearly classify Fu Ze as part of the opposing camp, he still has to admit that the guy in front of him, with his innocent appearance and annoying personality that can make people furious, is indeed very attractive.
Damn it, this man is incredibly cunning.
Forcibly shifting his gaze aside, Mu Wangzhuo repeatedly reminded himself to stand firm and said in a gruff voice, "You've eaten, and you've answered the questions. Now you'd better stay put for the rest of the time."
However, the conversation just now reminded Mu Wangzhuo that after getting off the heavy loader and handing the person over to him, Yuan Jianxing should have taken Snake Eyes' body to the examination department of the Trial Bureau.
Judging from the timing, the results should be out soon.
Hopefully, we'll get some good news.
*
Looking at the test report sent to his phone, Yuan Jianxing frowned.
At the very bottom of the lengthy report, which spanned dozens of pages, was a concise summary: The test results showed that the deceased did not have any pathological mental disorders.
This means that he must formally treat the fantastical tales that Snake Eyes uttered at the top of the Fengyue Building, which sounded almost like nonsense to outsiders, as valid evidence.
Key, rhinoceros horn, bridge, blockade...
Yuan Jianxing recalled word by word everything that Snake Eyes had said at that time.
Indeed, if we take the supernatural power of the "key" into account, then many of the inexplicable events that have occurred in L City over the past two months can be well explained.
However, listening to only one side of the story and directly adopting it is not the proper way for an executive to act.
The video recorded by the heavy loader, with its appallingly low resolution, should currently be being processed and converted into high-definition by the Ministry of Information at a rapid pace.
He will later have to present this report and the AI-processed high-definition video footage to the senior management of the adjudication bureau.
There was nothing to prepare for Snake Eyes' report, since what he heard was exactly the same as what was shown in the video.
The problem lies with the other person at the scene...
While listening to Snake Eyes recount the truth about the Charon Crossing incident, Hara Kensei would occasionally spare some attention to observe the man's condition.
Unlike when he played a cat-and-mouse game with Snake Eyes in the hotel, where he acted as he pleased and even with a hint of contempt, this man listened to Snake Eyes very attentively.
Even more strangely, Yuan Jianxing felt that he could sense a bit of... inexplicable fatigue in the other person's expression?
This is a very contradictory emotion in that context.
After all, if it were any real criminal, at the moment when their wish was fulfilled after such great effort, no matter how much they usually restrained and endured, they would inevitably reveal a sense of joy in victory.
This small, subtle contradiction, which others might not even notice, is like a grain of sand in Yuan Jianxing's shoe when it falls into his mind. Whenever Yuan Jianxing thinks about it, it makes him very uncomfortable.
Yuan Jianxing didn't consider himself an overly generous person, so of course he couldn't accept being in such an uncomfortable state all the time.
Now, the culprit who caused his "discomfort" should be dragged to Mu Wangzhuo's office and kept under strict guard.
There's still some time before the information department releases its results, which gives me just enough time to go there in person and ask a few more questions.
Moreover, he had recently promised that he would "definitely" visit the other party.
We cannot break our promise.
*
"Your movements were so gentle, I knew it was you."
Having regained his sight before, Fu Ze, now freed from his electronic restraints, acted with ease, raising his eyes to look at Yuan Jianxing at a leisurely pace.
Despite working non-stop for so long, Hara Kensei still performed with meticulous attention to detail.
If it weren't for the oil stains on the hem of his clothes from when he was fastening the buckles, Fu Ze felt that Yuan Jianxing could turn around and walk out the door and be on a TV show, being filmed from every angle by eighteen cameras.
Because it was at the arbitration headquarters, Yuan Jianxing wasn't wearing a uniform hat, so Fu Ze's attention was immediately drawn to that slightly upturned ahoge (cowlick).
It was precisely because of this tuft of hair that, despite Yuan Jianxing still wearing that aloof expression, people still felt more courageous to approach him.
Pulling out the chair that Mu Wangzhuo had vacated behind the desk and placing it in front of Fu Ze, Yuan Jianxing sat down upright, at eye level with Fu Ze.
"What do you think of what Snake Eyes said?" he asked, his tone so casual that it was as if he were treating Fu Ze as an ordinary colleague.
Putting aside the prison chair Fu Ze was sitting in, judging from their postures alone, perhaps a more apt description is... a blind date.
Fu Ze chuckled softly, "As an executive officer, is it appropriate for you to ask me, a prospective prisoner, this question?"
Unlike the emergency at the hotel, he and Yuan Jianxing no longer had any reason to be enemies. In addition, he had already won two rounds in a row against Yuan Jianxing, so Fu Ze was willing to give this defeated opponent a friendly look.
From Yuan Jianxing's perspective, this person's current attitude is like a lizard that has just shed its skin crawling into your palm and wrapping its newly grown, slender tail around your little finger.
It's cool and refreshing, delicate and soft, and very comfortable.
But Hara Kensei, oblivious to romance, deliberately flipped the little lizard off his hand.
“Then let’s change the subject.” He sat up straight and leaned forward, looking down at Fu Ze. “Why did you eavesdrop on what Snake Eyes was trying to tell me?”
Upon hearing this, Fu Ze felt that the two of them had returned to the tense standoff they had experienced earlier that morning.
Alright, alright, practice makes perfect.
Fu Ze blinked. "Because of curiosity."
"Tell the truth." Yuan Jianxing's expression hardened.
"Okay, because it's useful." Fu Ze could only come up with the "real" reason he used to appease Snake Eyes.
But Yuan Jianxing didn't have snake eyes, so he wouldn't be easily fooled.
"What's the use?"
"I can't explain the specifics to you right now, but in short, this key and I are inextricably linked."
After Fu Ze finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the office.
Yuan Jianxing was caught in a vortex of judgment and thought, while Mu Wangzhuo was waiting for further instructions from Yuan Jianxing.
"Speaking of which, given the current situation, I shouldn't be the focus of your executives' investigation, right?" Fu Ze broke the silence and brought up another topic. "Since we already have Snake Eyes as a pretext, why not use this as an excuse to target the Kangming Group?"
Mu Wangzhuo, standing to the side, curled his lip: "If it were as simple as you say, the CEO of L City would have wiped out Kangming Group long ago."
Is procedural justice really that important?
“It’s not important,” Yuan Jianxing answered Fu Ze on behalf of Mu Wangzhuo. “It’s just that for most people, the correct procedure can be used to avoid additional responsibilities.”
“Oh, I see. You’re not one of the majority. So you came to me in the middle of the night, choking me and forcing me to confess, because you thought I was the murderer.” Fu Ze turned his neck, trying to show the person opposite him the remaining bruises on his skin.
Yuan Jianxing remained unmoved by the winds, saying, "As it turns out, I was right. Once again."
"That's a pity, a few 'most people' dragged you down." Fu Ze smiled slyly at Mu Wangzhuo, who was trying to further reduce his presence.
Just then, Yuan Jianxing received a notification that the information department had released its processing results.
"Then what should we do with him? Just leave him here?" Mu Wangzhuo, who had been copied and replied by Yuan Jian, helplessly showed his phone to the other party. "Although I really wanted to help you to the end, I really have to go back to the South District now."
"You guys go ahead and do your work, I can stay here by myself," Fu Ze suggested, receiving two suspicious glances in response.
“This is the Adjudication Bureau. If I were here after you’ve already plundered everything, what kind of bloodshed could I possibly cause…” Fu Ze reached out and showed Yuan Jianxing and Mu Wangzhuo the silver bracelet that already had several marks on his wrist, “Then I wouldn’t be sitting here now, wearing the token of love you gave me.”
Aside from the tokens of love, this statement is indeed true.
If Fu Ze can truly unlock his handcuffs and leave the prison chair without any external assistance, and finally escape successfully through the layers of protection of the Trial Bureau, then for the few steps he takes, several people from the director down to the gatekeeper of the Trial Bureau will have to be punished.
And so, Yuan Jianxing and Mu Wangzhuo left the office, leaving Fu Ze alone.
Slurping the almost completely flat drink from the meal, Fu Ze complained inwardly: "They're moving way too slowly."
Of course, the target of his criticism was not Yuan Jianxing, but Kangming Group.
Through the snake eye incident, Fu Ze completely confirmed the connection between his "death and rebirth" and the [key], and also decided on his next course of action to get the [key] into his own hands.
As for how many times or how to "turn things around" in the process, he was fearless and even adept at it.
By first rescuing Snake Eyes and then killing him, creating such a grand spectacle both inside and out, it was bound to be seen by someone from the Kangming Group.
Even if the Dragon Spine doesn't pay attention to these things, the relevant information should have reached his ears by now, with reports going up the chain of command.
Based on Kangming Group's previous handling of the researchers and their assassination of Snake Eyes, Fu Ze didn't believe they would let him, someone who knew about the existence of the [Key], go unpunished.
If they send someone to kill him, he can use the "death in place of life" method to infiltrate the Kangming Group from the opposite direction, directly overtaking them and saving a lot of effort.
As for Yuan Jianxing, Fu Ze doesn't need to worry about him.
Unlike Snake Eyes, whose death was as light as a feather, if it is confirmed that Yuan Jianxing was killed by the Kangming Group, then the Adjudication Bureau can buy up the Kangming Group without hesitation.
No, this is called having a legitimate reason for attacking.
Just as Fu Ze was calculating, a beam of purple light, reflected from the optical coating of a sniper rifle scope, struck Fu Ze precisely between the eyebrows through several layers of bulletproof glass, like a ghostly flame.
However, Fu Ze was completely unaware of this. After the recount was over, he adjusted his posture once more, curled up in the prison chair, and fell asleep in a relaxed state.
*
Half-asleep, Fu Ze heard people whispering in the room.
The whispers took place not far behind him.
By prying open his eyelids a crack, Fu Ze could vaguely see two figures dressed in executive officer uniforms.
An executive with her hair piled on top of her head excitedly nudged her colleague with her elbow, pointed at Fu Ze, and exclaimed in a low, excited voice, "It's him! It really is him! That little internet celebrity from the Fengyue Building!"
The ponytail-wearing executive pinched her forehead. "Alright, alright, you're not tired enough tonight, are you? Hurry up and put your things down and leave."
Pretending to still be asleep, Fu Ze saw the executive with his hair in a bun dart up to Yuan Jianxing's desk like a deer, looking around.
"Since we're already here, let's take a look. I really want to know which new executive is so lucky to be assigned to work under the former chief executive as a trainee executive."
The executive with the ponytail widened her eyes instantly. "Are you crazy? You want to mess with the former CEO's computer?"
“I’m not stupid.” The executive in charge of hairdressing glanced helplessly at his colleague. “Of course, I’ll find a paper copy. There are no security cameras in the original chief’s office. As long as I look at it and put it back in its place, everything will be fine.”
Hearing this, the executive with the ponytail felt a little relieved. Then she asked curiously, "Do people still read paper documents in this day and age?"
"You don't know this, do you? Our former CEO is a super stubborn conservative in this regard." The hairdressing executive shook his head. "He said that this can inspire creativity and also allow him to record things at any time."
While sharing gossip about Hara Mihoshi with her colleagues, she was also busy with her hands.
Thanks to the fact that the original owner of the star's desk had kept it in perfect order, and with a little bit of luck, the hair stylist quickly found his target.
A quick glance at the photo made her exclaim in surprise, "Wow, she's mixed race!"
Hearing her say that, Fu Ze suddenly became interested and leaned over the executive's shoulder to intently browse the document with her.
As the gaze shifted from the photo to the information panel, the once cheerful hairstylist's face gradually became distorted.
"How do you pronounce his name? I don't even know how to type it in the search box..."
"Богдан (Bogdan, Bogdan)"
Hearing the lazy male voice suddenly ring out in the room, the two petty thieves turned around abruptly.
Fu Ze calmly completed the second half of his sentence: "In the source language, this name means: God's grace. You're welcome."
Without offering any thanks for Fu Ze's explanation, and assuming that Fu Ze had witnessed everything she had just done, the hairdressing executive became visibly nervous and stammered, "You...you're awake? Why aren't you making a sound?"
"I just woke up, right when you started flipping through the files." Fu Ze told a white lie. "Relax, only heaven and earth know about this, only the two of you know, I don't."
After clearing his throat, the hairdressing executive immediately began to reconstruct the crime scene.
Seeing the other person's flustered movements, Fu Ze couldn't help but chuckle and said, "You inserted it in the wrong place. It should be placed below the file with the picture."
The two executives looked at Fu Ze with some surprise.
This person is very different from the crazy, desperate person they saw in the video files.
Just as the executive was about to have a chat with Fu Ze, both of their phones simultaneously beeped.
After reading the message, the ponytail-wearing executive sighed to the sky: "Someone actually caused trouble within 500 meters of the adjudication bureau. What are they trying to do?"
A string in Fu Ze's mind was touched.
"What are you daydreaming about? You've come here for a mission, aren't you going to leave?" He actually took the initiative and gave the order to leave, as if he were the owner of this office.
The executive with the bun hairstyle wanted to linger, but the executive with the ponytail dragged him away.
Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows of Yuan Jianxing's office, Fu Ze quickly calculated that about one-fifth of the executives had been transferred in this wave.
Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a huge crackling sound of an electric arc, the brightly lit office suddenly went dark.
"The power is out?"
Oh no! The file hasn't been saved yet!
"Is it because even God couldn't bear to see us working so hard tonight, and is forcing us to take a break?"
"I asked in the group chat, and it seems that only our area experienced a power outage."
"Who doesn't have much work to do? Just find the electrician in the logistics department on the second floor."
Without the cooling provided by the central air conditioning, the indoor temperature quickly began to rise as the executives breathed and talked.
Many people took the opportunity to go to other floors to enjoy the air conditioning, while the few who stayed behind suggested, "It's so hot, let's open a window for ventilation."
"Opening one door isn't enough, let's open them all."
"But it's against the rules to open them all. What if someone sneaks in..."
"The power's out and the surveillance cameras' gone, so what if we catch you breaking the rules? If you won't come, I will."
"Also, this is the 22nd floor, and there are no taller buildings nearby. Is it even possible for a human to get in? Who made this rule? They must be out of their mind."
"It seems that the former chief and deputy director made the suggestion..."
"Well, we still need to look at the issue dialectically."
Amidst the laughter and chatter, a dark figure crept in through an open window in the corner, then, like a gecko slithering along a bizarre path, swiftly attacked Fu Ze's location.
With a few almost inaudible sounds of screws being loosened, the exhaust fan in the corner of Yuan Jianxing's office was removed, and then the figure landed lightly on the ground without making a sound.
However, Fu Ze on the other side seemed to have anticipated the other party's arrival. Just as the other party looked up at him, he said, "If I were you, I wouldn't fire until the retreat route was arranged."
Just then, the full moon, which had been hidden by thick clouds, broke through the sky and cast its cool light into the office through the layers of glass of the Adjudication Bureau.
Fu Ze was able to make out the appearance of the person who came by the reflection of the ground.
Compared to his current body's standard Chinese-style "internet celebrity" face, the newcomer's face had a higher degree of facial folds. Clearly, his Lucia ancestry played a significant role.
However, unlike the overly sculpted features of traditional Lucias, this person's facial features were surprisingly soft, coupled with skin as smooth as white porcelain and hair curled into a gentle arc, perfectly balancing the sharpness of his gaunt face.
What is most impressive is the pair of eyes with a gray base and purple tinge in the phoenix eyes that are extremely rich in oriental charm, just like a painter adding a highlight to the morning mist city painting he has created with his life's work.
“What a waste to use a clean identity that was so hard to create, only to discard it after one use.” Fu Ze shook his head regretfully, then looked directly into the gray-purple eyes of the newcomer through the reflection in the French windows. “Don’t you think so, Bogdan?”
Hearing the other party call out his name accurately, Bogdan, who was busy piecing together the gun parts he had previously disassembled and carried around his body, finally looked at the other party properly and said calmly, "Snake Eyes died at your hands, it was not unjust."
His voice was somewhat cold, like icicles hanging from a cedar tree.
But because he was too young, the icicles were not enough to cover the newly sprouted buds of the cedar.
Just then, a Hercules AXR was assembled and then pointed at Fu Ze's head by Bogdan.
"But it wouldn't be unjust for you to die by my hand."
Although he speaks fluent Chinese, one can still detect some of his foreign pronunciations if you listen carefully.
L City, where Kangming Group is located, is currently the second largest city after V City in the country, but its history is much longer than that of V City.
Over time, different ethnic groups have formed their own distinct residential areas here, and the people of L City have become accustomed to this mixed and diverse lifestyle.
However, "oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges." Bogdan's appearance might be commonplace in L City, but it is a rare sight in V City.
With his rare appearance and outstanding performance, Bogdan has a much higher chance of being selected by the high-ranking adjudicators.
This would make it much easier for Bogdan to approach Snake Eyes and kill him in some inconspicuous way.
If things hadn't gone wrong, Bogdan could have remained in the executive team, rising through the ranks while simultaneously opening back doors for Cummins.
It was indeed a brilliant move that achieved two goals at once.
"Really? If we were to clash head-on, the outcome would be uncertain. It's just a pity that I'm now a tiger fallen into the plains..." Fu Ze slightly raised his eyes, his expression revealing a clear mix of provocation and pity, "being bullied by dogs."
Bogdan remained unmoved and began loading bullets into the magazine. "Even if you try to provoke me, I won't let you go and have another fair duel with you."
Fu Ze shook his head helplessly, raised his hand and showed Bogdan the dense array of sensors between his wrist and the handcuffs. "Don't let the unremarkable appearance of these handcuffs fool you, they have all the necessary functions. If you kill me, Yuan Jianxing will know immediately and then blockade the Judgment Headquarters."
"Even if you look down on the Executives, your inside man wouldn't think they're fools, would he?" Fu Ze seemed considerate, but in reality, he had already begun to dig a pit for Bogdan.
Sure enough, when Fu Ze said the word "insider," Bogdan's upward movement faltered almost imperceptibly.
If there are pauses or hesitations in the movements, it indicates that there is something fishy going on.
Fu Ze naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by, and immediately began to take advantage of the situation.
"You haven't met your so-called partner before, have you?" he said jokingly, as if he was certain that his guess was true. "Ah, youth is wonderful, so easy to entrust with trust and life."
"Stop trying to sow discord." Bogdan's voice remained cold, but the slightly hurried emphasis betrayed his true thoughts.
Although Fu Ze seemed to have been threatened by Bogdan and stopped speaking, he still let out a snort from his nose, like an old rabbit seeing through a fledgling eagle's feint.
How could Bogdan not notice Fu Ze's subtle actions?
Just as the reloading was finished, in order to verify the working status of the various parts of the gun, he fired two shots into Fu Ze's forearm as revenge.
The Hercules AXR truly lives up to its reputation as the second-best sniper pulse rifle among all currently available firearms. It boasts a fast response time, quiet firing sound, and its power can be infinitely adjusted according to the needs of the usage scenario.
If its magazine could hold only two bullets, it would probably have already taken the top spot.
The first bullet was launched at full speed under the impulsive force of the electromagnetic pulse, and it precisely embedded itself between Fu Ze's ulna and radius.
The second shot, which followed the first, pierced through Fu Ze's forearm and then remained in place.
The first bullet that was pushed out fell lightly to the ground after leaving Fu Ze's body, leaving a trail of blood between it and Fu Ze's forearm.
Because he had been mentally prepared beforehand, Fu Ze did not shout out as Bogdan had hoped.
But the pain from his forearm still made him break out in a cold sweat, while his uninjured hand convulsed involuntarily, causing his five fingers to twitch and tremble at a high frequency.
Sure enough, no matter what form it takes or how many times it happens, pain is still pain, and it never changes.
Although dissatisfied with Fu Ze's performance, Bogdan also verified the effectiveness of the gun he assembled.
He walked over to Fu Ze, picked up the first bullet, and put it back into the magazine.
Despite knowing that this was to reduce the number of clues left behind and make it more difficult for the executives to investigate, Fu Ze still chose to misinterpret Bogdan's actions.
Even as he hunched over in pain, pressed against the table of the prison chair, he lightly joked, "Reusing bullets? So frugal!"
Even though he couldn't see Bogdan's expression, Fu Ze could sense an barely suppressed anger emanating from him.
It's time!
"Although I don't know exactly who your employer is, I wish you a good evening." Fu Ze forced himself to sit up straight, letting Bogdan swing the gun at his forehead, and said casually, "If you're going to kill someone, please be quick about it. I'm in a hurry."
It was as if he was about to face not death, but rebirth.
Bogdan did not disappoint Fu Ze's expectations and pulled the trigger on the spot.
One, two...wait?
The situation seemed to have become somewhat awkward.
In the ensuing silence, Fu Ze realized the truth before Bogdan could react, "Alright, it was my oversight."
As he spoke, he pulled out the bullet embedded in his own fatal wound, reloaded the magazine, and thoughtfully chambered a round for the other man.
As he spoke, Fu Ze said earnestly, "Another poor kid who was deceived by Hercules AXR's advertising slogan. No matter how similar they are, when 'spears' clash, one side will inevitably suffer damage."
Clearly, the first bullet was the damaged "spear".
The undamaged "spear" was now embedded in Fu Ze's forearm.
Before Bogdan could understand Fu Ze's meaning, Fu Ze took the initiative and made a move.
He inserted his two slender fingers, the middle and index fingers of his left hand, into the wound on his right arm, stirring as he went deeper.
His movements tore open the wound that had just begun to heal.
Bright red blood, along with some severed muscle fibers, oozed from the wound, sticking upwards to the base of Fu Ze's fingers, and sliding down his skin to the ground, blooming into tiny flowers like lilacs.
Persistence pays off. Fu Ze finally caught the bullet and thoughtfully removed the broken bullet from Bogdan's magazine, putting the new one back in and chambering it.
"Now, please."
Bogdan, despite his strength, was bewildered by the "persuasion to kill" process from the other side.
If it weren't for the message from his "insider" about his retreat coming through his communication device, he probably would have remained stunned for a while longer.
After recalling his mission, Bogdan regained his composure and said to Fuze in a cold yet compassionate tone, "As you wish."
Fu Ze smiled and closed his eyes, awaiting the approaching peaceful sleep and dawn.
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Author's Note: Although I am currently unaware of the details, let's congratulate Brother Xingxing on officially joining the "No shortage of love in life, no shortage of people in [the community]" family. [Pity]
Daily updates have started, sisters! [Applause]
Please keep reading, don't let it wait until it's too long! This struggling author really needs everyone's support and companionship [crying emoji]
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