Huai Shi opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling, steel railings, and the IV drip hanging beside him, as well as the steel positioning ring on his foot.
It was obvious that he was lying in a prison.
To be precise, it was the detention room of the Special Affairs Department. There were no guns pointed at him, nor were his soul abilities prohibited.
No, Director Fu probably wished he could quietly escape from here, right?
That way, he could happily execute him in five minutes...
He slowly moved his limbs and felt the weakness of his body, as well as hunger.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Two days." A girl sitting in a wheelchair outside the cell, reading a book, answered without lifting her head.
"Oh."
Huai Shi nodded slowly, yawned, and propped himself up from the bed. After a long sleep, he finally woke up and felt a sense of exhaustion and tiredness.
As he gradually regained consciousness, he heard screams coming from the neighboring cell. "Let me out! Let me out! I'm innocent, I don't know anything!"
He paused for a moment and looked curiously at the wall next to him. "Who's next door?"
"Qian Wen's son, Qian Yuan. He's a useless waste who got scared after his father died and confessed to everything with a little pressure."
Even though Qian Yuan was next door, Ai Qing's words were not polite at all. She glanced deeply at Huai Shi and added, "Thanks to you, the operation to clean up the Qian family went smoothly, despite some unpleasant incidents."
"No need to thank me." Huai Shi smiled innocently. "It's what I should do."
"Did you hear which part of my words was thanking you?"
Ai Qing asked coldly. "If you really appreciate it, you shouldn't have killed Qian Wen in a different way after putting down your gun. Attacking the Special Affairs Department staff, looting the armory, carrying out attacks in public places, seriously endangering public safety, and torturing and killing an unconvicted suspect... Even if his crimes were proven afterwards, it was still a serious abuse of power and violation of regulations. Any of these alone would have been enough to sentence you to life imprisonment in the Abyss Prison. Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?"
"Uh..."
Huai Shi was speechless and sighed after a long time. "Sorry."
"This is the most sincere apology among all your apologies."
Ai Qing 'complimented' sarcastically, closed the book, and asked without mercy, "So, tell me, after seeking revenge at all costs, what have you gained?"
Huai Shi remained silent for a long time and awkwardly scratched his face.
"I really want to say that revenge doesn't bring anything, but... to be honest, I'm really happy." After saying that, he couldn't help but clasp his hands together in a begging gesture. "I'm sorry, I unintentionally turned into a pervert."
He felt like he was a pervert.
Shouldn't ordinary people feel empty after revenge?
Why did he feel so happy?
This doesn't seem right...
"It's not that perverted. Feeling joy after revenge should be expected, right?" Ai Qing almost burst into laughter. "If it were me, I would probably cry tears of joy, maybe even more absurdly than you."
Before Huai Shi could breathe a sigh of relief, she continued, "However, it is indeed regrettable what you did."
"Huh?"
"Qian Wen was just a disposable glove, a dog that couldn't decide who to bite."
Ai Qing took a deep breath and said bluntly, "The one who really pushed the Huai family into the pit was the current head of the Yin family, my great-grandfather, Yin Xing. In other words, I am also one of your enemies who caused the destruction of your family."
Huai Shi was stunned and looked at her in surprise. After a long time, he nodded slightly.
There was no sign of anger or shock.
Instead, it seemed like he suddenly realized something.
"So that's how it is?"
He scratched his head and finally understood some things. Then, he widened his eyes in surprise. "Wait, so your real surname is not Ai?"
"..."
So, is that the main point?
"Are you not even a little bit regretful for not killing me?"
"Are you regretting not eradicating the root?"
Huai Shi calmly retorted, "Although I don't really understand what happened specifically, you and your great-grandfather are completely different, right? Besides, I just defeated a boss, and you're telling me there's a second playthrough. I don't really feel anything. Maybe we should discuss it later?"
"..."
Ai Qing didn't answer, nor did she try to explain anything. After a long silence, she sighed softly.
"It's meaningless to say anything now, Huai Shi," she said. "Originally, the convenience that the Astral Society could provide for you, the opportunity for you to become stronger, was something I thought I could control. But in reality, I cannot even control my own fate. Now, it seems that this absurd delusion should come to an end."
She no longer discussed the previous topic and returned to Huai Shi's situation, like a lawyer. "Although you have the righteousness of blood revenge, your previous actions are still criminal. Fortunately, the Jinling branch has not yet determined the nature of this matter, and the Social Security Bureau has not conducted a severe investigation. Perhaps they will only start the real trial after the incident with the Cleansing Citizens is over? During this period, I will try my best to help you reduce your sentence. If the situation is not good, you can transfer to the Social Security Bureau. With your talent and potential, they probably won't mind your mistakes."
As if in a hurry to leave, she finished talking about everything that would happen next in one breath. "As for Director Fu, although he is furious, it's mostly just empty threats. There are many sympathetic people in the Special Affairs Department, and most of the time, they will give you some freedom. I hope you can rest here in peace."
"Is there anything else you need?" she asked. "If it's not too much, I can bring it for you."
"Um..."
Huai Shi pondered for a long time and asked hesitantly, "Can I have a qin? If I don't practice for too long, I'm afraid I'll lose my touch."
"Just that?"
"Just that."
Ai Qing nodded then.
She was about to leave.
But before turning the wheelchair, she suddenly said, "I have one more question."
"Ask."
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
"Why did you choose to stay in the Astral Society?" She looked into Huai Shi's eyes and asked seriously, "You should know in your heart that even without me, you wouldn't have any problems, right? Why bother with the Astral Society's troubles?"
"I don't know."
Huai Shi answered frankly, but Ai Qing clearly didn't accept that answer. She continued to look at him calmly until he scratched his head and pondered for a long time before finally reaching a conclusion.
"If I have to give a reason, it should be you."
"Me?" Ai Qing almost burst into laughter at this answer. "Risking your life for a disabled girl? Is there something wrong with your taste? Or is it because you have a special liking for certain types of games?"
"No, no, no..."
Huai Shi hurriedly waved his hand. "I just... really envy you."
He looked at the girl outside the cage seriously and said, "Because you seem very courageous."
In the silence, Ai Qing didn't say anything. She just looked at him with a complex gaze.
After a long time, she shook her head slowly.
"No, Huai Shi," she turned and left, "I have never had such a luxury."
.
.
When Ai Qing left the detention room, she saw Director Fu smoking at the door.
It seemed that quitting smoking was not easy for him, as there were always obstacles.
"Is that little bastard still alive?" he asked.
Ai Qing pointed behind her. "He's locked up here. If you want to see something, you can go anytime."
"Forget it, I might accidentally shoot him dead."
After finishing dozens of reports in the past two days, Director Fu's eyes were red. "The higher-ups are now saying that he's temporarily under supervision. I guess they'll start the trial after this is over, right? What's the attitude of the Astral Society?"
"In Xinhai, I represent the Astral Society."
Ai Qing answered bluntly, "He's my employee. What do you think of this attitude?"
Director Fu looked at her in astonishment. "Are you crazy? Are you going to take the blame with him?"
"Why not?" Ai Qing retorted, "In your eyes, am I not a crazy woman?"
"..."
Director Fu stared at her blankly for a long time, stomped out the cigarette butt, sighed, and turned to leave.
Only Ai Qing sat quietly in the wheelchair, gazing at the sunlight reflecting on the ground in the distance.
For some reason, memories from the past came to her mind.
The happy childhood, the sudden calamity, the dark hospital room, her own legs being lost, and the boy who accompanied her and played games together.
It was too long ago.
The memories gradually became blurred and unclear.
She couldn't even distinguish what was real and what were lies she made up to escape... Perhaps from the beginning, they were never from the same world?
She pushed the wheelchair and left.
Then, a crow popped out of the bushes, its head bobbing.
