Chapter 17: That Road
"Why isn’t Old Han out yet?"
At this moment, in the open space in front of the Public Security Bureau compound, several cars were parked.
At the forefront was a sleek black luxury sedan, its door open, with Xu Ji sitting on the car steps, two band-aids stuck on his forehead.
Not far away, there was a cluster of parked cars, and a group of flamboyantly dressed rich playboys were huddled together, waiting timidly on the side, with no one daring to approach Xu Ji.
Standing beside Xu Ji was a thin man in a black suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, seemingly smiling at everyone he looked at.
He was the one sent to pick up Xu Ji, and he was the personal assistant to Xu Ji’s father, sharing the same surname, Xu.
At present, he was patiently saying to Xu Ji, who insisted on waiting here until Han Su came out, "Let’s go back first, I’ll arrange for someone to wait here for Mr. Han."
"Master knows you’ve encountered such a situation, he’s very worried. From now on, for at least the next two years, don’t even think about touching a steering wheel."
"It wasn’t my fault…"
Xu Ji became anxious and said, "We saw a ghost, Brother Zhuzi, don’t doubt me. If it weren’t for Old Han, I would have lost my life right there."
"I believe Mr. Han must have helped you again this time. In return, we will ensure he leaves the Public Security Bureau safely."
Assistant Xu said, "Why don’t you go back and rest? Isn’t that better?"
Xu Ji looked displeased upon hearing this.
He said to the always-smiling secretary whose outfit and hairstyle were never out of place, "Brother Zhuzi, why do your words sound so harsh today?"
"When you see Old Han later, don’t talk about deals and transactions. Old Han is my brother, remember that."
"I know many people approach us because of the Xu family and my father, but not Old Han. He is someone I truly, from the bottom of my heart, want to be friends with."
"Especially because he saved my life!!"
"……"
The secretary was not surprised by Xu Ji’s complaints. He patiently and gently explained, "You’re about to graduate, so you should understand that whether it’s friendship, love, or even family bonds, isn’t every relationship essentially a transaction?"
Xu Ji was furious. "You…"
The secretary waved his hand with a smile and said, "Also, you need to be careful."
"This matter isn’t over yet. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Do you really think it’s just about that insignificant illegitimate son of the Zhang family who died during your street race?"
"You’ve alerted the Disaster Management Bureau. That alone is a huge, life-threatening matter."
"……"
Xu Ji was unconvinced and retorted, "It’s not like I provoked it first. Besides, people in the club talk about that stuff all the time like it’s storytelling. I’ve heard it too. I just thought it was fake…"
"Shut up."
The secretary suddenly spoke, his expression chillingly cold.
Xu Ji was startled into silence before slowly speaking, "Do you know Secretary No. 5 of Qinggang?"
Xu Ji was stumped by the question and tentatively replied, "A temp worker?"
The secretary ignored him and continued, "There are four secretaries in Qinggang City, each responsible for different affairs."
"There’s a lot of overlap in their jurisdictions, and they often cooperate, but they are not the only ones managing Qinggang City."
"The four secretaries frequently appear on TV and in newspapers, but there’s only one Secretary No. 5 who never collaborates with the others and whose existence is unknown to the public."
"However, his unique status is far beyond what the other four secretaries can compare to."
"Let me give you an example."
He turned to glance at Xu Ji and said, "If one day, your father decides to enter politics, accepts a higher appointment, and becomes the Director of the Administrative Office of Qinggang City, then I would become his Secretary No. 1."
"Secretaries No. 2 and No. 3 would also be selected from Xu family enterprises and elite circles of society."
"However, Secretary No. 5 will still be Secretary No. 5. That will never change."
"The Disaster Management Bureau, which he directly oversees, is the same. Whenever a department under his direct command appears, everyone must give way."
Looking at Xu Ji’s expression, he was confident that Xu Ji, with the education he had received since childhood, already understood the gravity of the matter, and only then did he slowly say:
"Do you know what your fate would be if you weren’t a Xu family child?"
Xu Ji sensed the seriousness of the situation and slowly shook his head.
The secretary spoke calmly, "Either undergo hypnosis, or be eliminated as a deep contactee."
Xu Ji was dumbfounded. "Contactee? Eliminated?"
The secretary didn’t respond and continued on his own: "By hypnosis, I mean true hypnosis."
"Once you undergo their hypnosis, no one can guarantee that your mind will still be clean, and you will lose the chance to inherit the Xu family’s business in the future. It’s a pity for Mister and Madam—at their age, they’ll have to consider having a second child..."
Xu Ji: "?"
The secretary sighed and looked at Xu Ji with pity. "This time, it was the Master who used his connections and influence to spare you from that punishment."
"But as the price, you must promise never to speak of that night’s events to anyone, and you must never discuss it."
All of this left Xu Ji deeply shaken.
Once he came to his senses, he suddenly thought of the key point: "Then what about Old Han? What’s going to happen to him?"
"That’s what I’m here to tell you."
Assistant Xu said calmly, "With his identity, encountering this kind of situation at this point in time, hypnosis is the only possible outcome."
"He might not even be deemed worthy of hypnosis resources and could directly face the second option."
"However, he did save your life—twice—so not only will we ensure he comes out of the Public Security Bureau unharmed, we will also pay him a substantial reward."
"And the cost…"
He paused and said in an unquestionable tone, "Your friendship with him will end, completely erased."
"What the hell is this crap!"
Xu Ji’s face turned red with rage. He slapped the table and stood up: "Old Han only got into this mess because of me. He saved my life!"
In contrast to his anger, Assistant Xu remained unusually calm and said coldly, "You’re angry because you don’t understand what kind of trouble you’ve stirred up. Or maybe that’s not accurate—you didn’t stir up trouble, you fell into someone else’s trap."
"The Zhang family kid had ambitions too big. He tried to use this as a way to work under Secretary No. 5."
"But he must’ve been used too, and ended up losing his life."
"Of course, the investigation hasn’t revealed anything yet, but I’ve already expressed my suspicions to the Master. Someone probably tried to use his case to trap you and label you as a grotesque contactee."
"This incident is more serious than if you had killed someone."
"……"
"I didn’t f***ing kill anyone…"
Xu Ji erupted with his usual impotent rage, suddenly pointing to the group of rich playboys waiting nearby: "It wasn’t just me and Old Han who saw it—they did too!"
"They were outside the shadows. They are not classified as deep contactees."
Assistant Xu didn’t even look at him and spoke softly: "Also, what I’ve told you was all passed down from the Master. If you have complaints, you can talk to him."
"I…"
Assistant Xu interrupted him: "Trust me, if Mr. Han understood what this truly means, he would actually thank our Xu family."
"Perhaps, in all of Qinggang City, only our Xu family possibly…"
"Which one of you is Assistant Xu?"
But just then, Assistant Xu’s words were suddenly interrupted.
Xu Ji and Assistant Xu both looked up and saw a woman in a black suit with a cold expression walking out from the Public Security Bureau. Her gaze locked onto them, and she walked over with a document in hand, saying flatly:
"Sign it. You can leave now."
"This…"
This time, it was Assistant Xu’s turn to be surprised. He took the document and glanced at it. He immediately noticed Xu Ji’s name and looked puzzled:
"There should be one more…"
The woman in black interrupted, "He’s being held."
"What?"
Assistant Xu’s expression changed slightly, and Xu Ji grew anxious. He had just strongly opposed Assistant Xu’s plan, but now he was even more panicked.
He quickly stepped forward and cried out, "What are you planning to do with Old Han?"
Assistant Xu reached out and grabbed Xu Ji’s arm, stepped forward himself, and did not display any arrogance at this moment. He tried to keep his tone calm and spoke softly: "I just met with Miss Li."
"And I know that because news of the Ghost Truck on Highway 59 spread too widely, the threat level has already…"
"Investigator Li?"
The woman in black looked up at him with a trace of mockery in her eyes and smiled slightly. "Normally, she carries enough weight, but not this time. She can’t help."
"Before we proceed, I need to ask you one question!"
She looked at Xu Ji. "Your statement was basically blank, so I have to ask you directly—when you encountered that grotesque truck, did your friend do anything other than recite a spell?"
Xu Ji froze, recalling the eerie light in Han Su’s blind right eye. He shook his head firmly and said, "No!"
The woman in black tilted her head slightly. "Really nothing?"
Xu Ji said, "I just thought he looked really cool—does that count?"
The woman in black shook her head and said, "Just sign it!"
Seeing that this capable woman was starting to lose patience, Assistant Xu also quickly regained his composure.
Clearly, this situation had gone beyond even his expectations.
But he quickly adjusted his stance. As he took the document, he asked rapidly, "Then may I ask, will Mr. Han face the first outcome, or the second one…"
"Him?"
The woman in black raised her head slightly and replied with a faint smile, "Neither."
Hearing this, Assistant Xu was stunned on the spot.
A moment ago, he had insisted Xu Ji not mention seeing ghosts, but now his expression looked as if he had just seen one himself.
It wasn’t until the ashen-haired woman walked away that Xu Ji snapped out of it and asked urgently, "What the hell just happened?"
"What are they going to do with Old Han?"
"……"
Assistant Xu slowly shook his head and said, "Do you know that the Zhang family kid, before he died, used everything he had to pave a road?"
Xu Ji: "Huh?"
Assistant Xu said, "That road has now fallen upon your classmate."