Chapter 80 Sacrifice, Designation, the partner across from the ginger ale has designated someone...
Back at the V City Trial Bureau, Yuan Jianxing intentionally or unintentionally filled his time to the brim.
If it weren't for his physical condition preventing him from doing so, and the fact that Xu Xiezhi had arranged for numerous spies to keep a close watch on him, he probably would have personally gone to the front lines to arrest people.
As many old cases are reopened, more and more people who possess the ability of the "key" and use it for personal gain are being arrested and brought to justice.
To Yuan Jianxing's surprise, the vast majority of them had no connection whatsoever with the Dragon Spine.
Those who have connections must go through at least two or three intermediaries to even get in touch with the Dragon's Backbone.
At the same time, when these people were asked how they obtained the power of the [Key] and how they knew how to use it, they couldn't give a coherent answer.
In the end, it can only be concluded that it was something that suddenly "bumped into" one day.
Even worse, some people initially had no idea what the "key" the executive officer was referring to actually meant.
What puzzled Yuan Jianxing the most was that none of them knew what the [key] looked like, or even whether the [key] had a physical form.
This contradicts Snake Eyes' statement on the rooftop that "Rhinoceros Horn brought a box containing objects resembling pebbles to the Cummins Group laboratory."
As the situation became increasingly complicated, Yuan Jianxing began to show signs of going mad.
He retrieved all the case files that might be related to the "key," including those concerning Wan Chuanqiu, and then locked himself in his office, letting the sky outside the window change from dark to light and then back to dark.
Looking through the small window, Yuan Jianxing's office had changed from its usual neat and orderly state of being organized into categories.
Countless colorful projections of various sizes floated on the snowflake-like documents pasted on the walls and floors, the layers upon layers of text making one's scalp tingle.
Yuan Jianxing sat in the center of the documents, his eyes bloodshot, with several empty coffee cups beside him.
His notebook, open on his lap, was covered with numerous coded symbols.
The handwriting, which was initially neat and clear, gradually became messy and chaotic.
This didn't look like an office work session; it looked more like a silent sacrifice.
It was as if Yuan Jianxing was sacrificing himself, making a desperate gamble to fulfill a promise that no one knew about.
Just then, Mu Wangzhuo was summoned by Xu Xiezhi to be the one to take the lead.
"Director Xu has assigned you some miscellaneous publicity work to help you change your mood and refresh your thinking," he said in a drawn-out tone as he squeezed into Yuan Jianxing's office.
In fact, having Yuan Jianxing do odd jobs is like having a rocket-level engineer do assembly line work, a complete waste of his talent.
But it's obvious to anyone with eyes that if Yuan Jianxing continues to endure this, the outcome of the "Key" incident might not even be certain before he collapses.
"What is it?" Yuan Jianxing looked up and gestured to Mu Wangzhuo with his eyes to "speak if you have something to report, otherwise you may leave the court," as he was still busy.
“There’s a joint charity program that needs to use part of the Adjudication Bureau building for filming.” Mu Wangzhuo handed the publicity department’s documents to Yuan Jianxing, and then piled up the scattered coffee cups next to him and threw them into the trash can.
"You don't have any other important tasks, so you'll just be there to show up."
Seeing Yuan Jianxing's haggard and almost emaciated appearance, Mu Wangzhuo felt a nameless anger rise in his heart.
He really wanted to grab this guy by the collar and spit on him: How could the chief of the dignified Adjudication Bureau have fallen into such a grotesque state because of a little bit of love? What kind of nonsense is this!
But he swallowed those words back as soon as they reached his tongue.
Firstly, setting aside the other reason, Yuan Jianxing was indeed exhausted from working tirelessly for the Judgment Bureau's most important task recently—the [Key].
Secondly...
Ultimately, Fu Ze died protecting Yuan Jianxing.
Even for someone as strong-willed as Yuan Jianxing, it would be too harsh to ask him to let go so quickly.
So in the end, Mu Wangzhuo simply and casually reminded her, "Take some time to tidy yourself up. Don't lose your status as the second most handsome person in the adjudication bureau."
Clearly, he's reserving the title of "most handsome man" for himself.
To everyone's surprise, after briefly glancing at the document, Yuan Jianxing immediately tossed it back to Mu Wangzhuo, saying, "Boring, I'm not going."
Mu Wangzhuo sneered, "You have no choice but to go. The other side of the cooperation specifically requested your attendance."
Upon hearing the words "designated name," Yuan Jianxing was instantly reminded of some unpleasant memories.
The last one to dare name him was Badger Tooth.
"I'm not going!"
His refusal became even more vehement.
But Yuan Jianxing wasn't the kind of person who didn't appreciate kindness. He appreciated both Xu Xiezhi's good intentions and Mu Wangzhuo's reminders.
He tossed a strand of his slightly long hair and said, "You want me to rest, right? Fine, I'll take the day off..."
"Heh, that's not true." Mu Wangzhuo threw the document back at Yuan Jianxing, forcefully interrupting his speech. "Your credibility regarding 'active rest' has been overdrawn for a hundred years."
Hara Mihoshi: ...
Indeed, after saying "I need leave," he began to plan how to sneak into V City University and find out what kind of shady business the so-called school-enterprise cooperation project in Longji was up to.
Walking to the window to water the pothos with its yellowing leaves, Mu Wangzhuo said casually, "I wonder how many people almost broke their heads for this spot, and yet you, the one who was favored, are ungrateful."
Yuan Jianxing keenly sensed the suspicious nature of his words.
Normally, if the publicity department wants to shoot a video, even if they beg and plead, not many people are willing to cooperate.
Why are they scrambling to go this time?
"Do you know who our partner invited this time?" Seeing that Yuan Jianxing's interest had been piqued, Mu Wangzhuo turned around and started keeping him in suspense.
Yuan Jianxing reluctantly played along with Mu Wangzhuo's theatrical desires, "Who?"
"It's Que Ling! The hottest star right now!" Mu Wangzhuo rushed back and whispered cheekily in Yuan Jianxing's ear, "And he's the one who specifically asked for you too."
Yuan Jianxing doesn't remember ever having any dealings with this big star.
After a quick recollection and deduction, he asked, "Didn't you tell Que Ling that I wasn't the one who caught him on the rooftop? If you didn't tell him, please do."
“I told them, I told them everything.” Mu Wangzhuo’s tone was bitter. “But they said it didn’t matter, and even appreciated it more.”
Hara Mihoshi: ...
Having served as an executive officer for so many years, he had encountered situations where victims developed feelings of affection for the executive officer who provided rescue, due to the suspension bridge effect or some other reason.
Rather, it's because of his good looks that this kind of thing happens quite frequently.
So later, Yuan Jianxing, who was so annoyed by this, simply chose to handle murder cases that no one else wanted to take on.
The person is dead; they can't just come back to life and cause this kind of trouble.
"To be fair, this is a mess you created. Are you going to leave it to someone else to clean up?" Mu Wangzhuo coaxed patiently. "Besides, I think this big star seems quite persistent about you. He won't give up until he sees you. I bet there will be more trouble later. You might as well just cut the Gordian knot."
Yuan Jianxing finally nodded, finding some merit in Mu Wangzhuo's words.
"OK."
-
Back home, Yuan Jianxing looked in the mirror for the first time in a long time.
As Mu Wangzhuo said, his condition was indeed a bit bad.
His hair, which hadn't been styled in a long time, was almost covering his eyes, and there was a faint dark circle under his eyes. His stubble had also grown out in a fine, thick layer.
Indeed, what a sight...
After taking a thorough shower, Yuan Jianxing tied her hair up with a small hair tie that had been given away as a free gift with some purchase, and stood back in front of the mirror.
She seems to be in better spirits, but she may still need some emergency care.
His gaze then fell upon the bottles and jars he had brought back from L City.
Having witnessed Fu Ze's smooth and efficient application process countless times, Yuan Jianxing perfectly remembered the order of their use and their corresponding effects.
He picked up several of the skincare products that the other person had described as "lifesavers for staying up late," opened the caps, and applied them to the corners of his eyes and eye sockets.
As the skincare products are applied, they blend together to create a very subtle and pleasant scent.
It's also a flavor that can evoke memories of the original star.
However, it was still somewhat different from the aura that Yuan Jianxing had directly sensed from Fu Ze.
It was precisely this subtle difference that once again reminded Yuan Jianxing of the undeniable fact—Fu Ze was gone.
As the saying goes, a person's passing is like a marble being launched into a small chamber of someone else's heart.
Whenever you think of the other person through the big and small things in your life, it's like a marble hitting your heart, triggering a sudden wave of sadness.
As time goes by, the atrium will grow larger and larger, and the frequency of the marble hitting the wall will decrease.
But the grief itself will not diminish in the slightest; it remains unchanged.
-
The next day, following the instructions in the document, Yuan Jianxing arrived at the combat training ground behind the Adjudication Bureau half an hour earlier than the start time.
The huge venue was cordoned off with black and yellow tape early on, and the surrounding area was also full of vehicles carrying photography and video equipment.
It seems the propaganda department has really put in a lot of effort and resources to project the image of the adjudication council and take this opportunity to appease public opinion.
Although Hara Mihoshi himself wasn't particularly interested in such things, as the chief, he had to treat all work matters equally.
Even when considering individual initiative, for work you enjoy, strive for 100%. For work you dislike but still need to complete, aim for at least 90%.
Fortunately, for Yuan Jianxing, most things, even if he just goes through the motions, are more than enough to get a 90 out of 100.
Just before he was about to enter the combat training field, someone called out to him.
"Is that Chief Yuan Jianxing?"
Yuan Jianxing turned around and saw a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a bright yellow hoodie standing behind him, panting as he carried something.
"It's me, what's up?" Yuan Jianxing asked.
"That's great, that's great." The man straightened up and handed the bag in his hand to Yuan Jianxing. "Could you please help me take this inside and give it to Que Ling?"
Seeing that Yuan Jianxing did not take it immediately, the man quickly took out his ID card to show it and added, "I am his assistant Kang Lele. I have other urgent matters to attend to and I really don't have time to go in and find him."
Considering that he was supposed to be dealing with Que Ling today anyway, Yuan Jianxing agreed.
Kang Lele solemnly handed the bag to Yuan Jianxing and complained in a low voice, "This ginger ale is really hard to find in V City. It's something that any convenience store in L City can have, but here it's only sold in a few vending machines at the train stations."
The staff who were debugging the equipment nearby heard Kang Lele's complaint, laughed, and said in a teasing tone, "You think big stars are easy to please?"
"I'm paid well, so I'm happy to serve you!" Kang Lele retorted on the spot.
Turning back and seeing that Yuan Jianxing hadn't moved, he asked with great concern and caution, "Mr. Yuan? What's wrong?"
Feeling the familiar weight, Yuan Jianxing tightened his grip slightly and said calmly, "It's nothing, I'll bring it."
Having received Yuan Jianxing's affirmative reply, Kang Lele was completely relieved. After exchanging a few words with the staff member, he hurriedly ran away.
Watching Kang Lele's departing figure, the staff member snorted and turned to the work channel to say, "OK, all units in position, let's test the sound effects first."
As he finished speaking, a melody began to play from the speakers placed throughout the venue.
This melody is familiar to anyone living in this country.
The most famous part is that its prelude and main melody are taken from the chiming of the clock tower in L city at dusk.
For a moment, Yuan Jianxing felt as if he had returned to the clock tower square that day, with the afterglow of the setting sun and white doves circling around.
By the time he came to his senses, he had unconsciously wandered into the interior of the training field.
Although the chimes in the sound system had become faint, they could still be detected.
Looking around, Yuan Jianxing couldn't spot Que Ling in the chaotic crowd.
Just as he was about to ask others about the whereabouts of Que Ling, his subconscious made Yuan Jianxing raise his head.
Where his upward gaze fell, a figure was looking down with its head slightly lowered.
Sunlight, fragmented by the surrounding branches, shone on half of his face, the flickering light and shadow making his exquisitely sculpted features appear exceptionally lifelike.
Who else could it be but Que Ling?
In stark contrast to her Baroque aristocratic attire when she was abducted on the rooftop, Que Ling was now dressed in standard combat camouflage, and her hair, which had been waist-length, had been cut into a standard split.
"We meet again," he said with a relaxed smile. "Chief."
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