Chapter 2

In the following days, Su Mu did not leave the hospital. He took this time to thoroughly digest all the information that had flooded his mind. It turned out that the tadpole-like characters that had spun out from the Official List were actually the insights of all the officials throughout history, systematically explaining the art of political maneuvering.

Despite having struggled in the system for a year, Su Mu was still a rookie. Suddenly seeing these political strategies, he felt like a thirsty traveler, desperately absorbing everything. Every day he absorbed and digested, and Su Mu felt that he had been too weak and foolish before. He realized that being an official could be done in such a way.

During these days, Su Mu also learned more about the Official List. It turned out that this mysterious list could only be used five times a day, and it would not show more than five people. Moreover, these five uses could not be accumulated; whether used or not, the list would reset the next day.

The reason it was called the Official List was simple: it targeted those who held official positions. As long as you were an official and had physical contact with Su Mu, no matter how small your position, the Official List could display your information.

This was already astonishing, but what shocked Su Mu even more was that the Official List could level up!

As long as enough energy was injected, the Official List could provide Su Mu with more information, and the source of this energy was jade!

...

After eight days, when all the information had been fully digested and absorbed, Su Mu seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, exuding a completely different aura.

Su Mu's background was simple: he came from an ordinary farming family. His parents worked day and night to support his education. His sister even dropped out of junior high school to marry early and help with the family, often sending money to Su Mu.

Witnessing the hardships of his family, Su Mu felt deep pain and became even more determined to study hard. During his four years of university, he took on countless part-time jobs, doing whatever he could to help ease the family's burden.

In such circumstances, Su Mu had always harbored a strong ambition: "I must become an official, a high-ranking official, with significant power, so that all the children in the country can have food to eat and books to read, so that all poor families are no longer burdened by life, and so that every household can live a happy and peaceful life."

"Truly, it seems that heaven favors me. If I can't seize this opportunity to advance, I will be ashamed. Official List, rest assured, I will not let you down!"

A smile appeared on Su Mu's lips, and in the morning sunlight, he quickly packed his things. In fact, he didn't have much; even the clothes he was wearing were bought by Ye Xi. His old clothes had been ruined while saving someone.

"Are you really leaving?" Ye Xi asked, somewhat reluctantly.

"Of course!" Su Mu smiled. "If I don't leave now, I might be completely dismissed from my position when I return to Heishan Town. Ye Xi, remember that you said you would help me in two days."

"Of course, I always keep my word!" Ye Xi nodded. "I have already prepared quite a bit. When I have fewer classes in a few days, I will come to find you. But when I come, you have to treat me to a meal, and I want to try the local specialties!"

"Sure, no problem!" Su Mu said, patting his chest.

"I'll see you off!"

"Okay!"

Throughout this time, Ye Xi never mentioned Ye Anbang's identity, and Su Mu never asked. Although he wanted to find such a powerful backer, he was not willing to do so through such means. In his friendship with Ye Xi, Su Mu did not want any ulterior motives, and he felt that this was a good relationship.

"Su Mu, wait for me, I will definitely come to find you!"

As the car left the station, Ye Xi suddenly waved her arm and shouted loudly. The wind blew, fluttering her white dress, and time seemed to freeze in the sunlight. In Su Mu's eyes, there was only a blooming lily, and he smiled contentedly as he watched Ye Xi's graceful movements.

"Ye Xi, I am now penniless. Even if I want to pursue you, I don't have the qualifications. But you can rest assured, as long as you give me enough time and agree, I will come to propose to you with honor."

Beep!

After several hours, the long-distance bus finally arrived in Xingtang County, which was already noon. Even though Su Mu was eager to return, he couldn't neglect his own needs. After getting off the bus, he found a small stall near the station and ordered a bowl of noodles to eat.

Compared to Heishan Town, Xingtang County was undoubtedly a paradise. The streets were clean, and neat rows of poplar trees lined both sides. The dense shade provided some relief from the summer heat.

After finishing his noodles, Su Mu boarded the bus back to Heishan Town. It was important to note that there was only one bus to Heishan Town, and if he missed it, he would have to wait until the next day to return.

"Wait!"

Just as the bus was about to start, a figure darted out from the side, panting and hurriedly walked up, sitting down next to Su Mu.

"Brother, is it okay if I sit here?" the man asked with a smile.

Unlike the others, the man was dressed neatly and simply, with a rather handsome face that always wore a smile. He had short hair, exuding a sense of sharpness. As soon as he sat down, he started chatting with Su Mu, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and offering one.

"Come, brother, have a smoke!"

Su Mu was not surprised by the man's actions; in Xingtang County, such things happened almost every day. If there was an empty seat next to you, you couldn't just leave it unoccupied. A three-hour ride would be boring without some conversation.

"Huh!"

Su Mu took the cigarette without pretense, and as he did, his finger lightly touched the man's, causing the list in his mind to appear. The information that appeared surprised him. He didn't expect to meet an official, and this official even had some connection to him.

Name: Xu Yan!

Position: Deputy Chief of Heishan Town Police Station!

Hobbies: Martial Arts!

Intimacy: 40!

There was only one deputy chief in the Heishan Town Police Station, named Zhang Weiguo, who had always been at odds with Su Mu, always trying to cause trouble for him. How did Xu Yan appear now? Had something significant changed in the police station during his absence? Had Zhang Weiguo been transferred or demoted?

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Xu Yan, heading to Heishan Town to work. May I ask your name, brother, and where you work?" Xu Yan smiled at Su Mu.

From the moment he sat down, Xu Yan had already spoken three sentences, but he was honest and didn't make up a name to fool Su Mu.

Not only did Su Mu not hit a smiling face, but Xu Yan's intimacy level with him was 40. In Shengjing City, Ye Anbang's intimacy level with him was only 40 because Su Mu had saved Ye Xi. Now, Xu Yan's initial interaction already showed such a high level of intimacy, making Su Mu feel more at ease.

"You can just call me Su Mu. Are you going to Heishan Town to work? Where are you going?" Su Mu smiled.

"Where else? Just a small government job. Looking at you, you don't seem like an ordinary person. Tell me, where do you work?" Xu Yan said, getting along easily.

"Don't call me brother, I can't handle it. Besides, I'm only 22, so I might be younger than you!" Su Mu said, smoking.

"What? 22? You are younger than me, I'm 25! I'm at a disadvantage, but it doesn't matter! I like you, so I'll call you brother. Brother, I'll be working in Heishan Town from now on. If you need anything, just find me!" Xu Yan said enthusiastically.

This level of enthusiasm truly matched his name, Xu Yan, like a flame of passion!

The two of them then smoked and chatted casually. Su Mu's smoking habit wasn't strong, but he didn't refuse a cigarette. As they talked more, Su Mu found that Xu Yan, despite his seemingly impulsive and straightforward nature, was actually very meticulous and had a sharp mind.

No matter how Su Mu tried to probe, he couldn't get any real information from Xu Yan. Each time he was about to ask, Xu Yan would cleverly change the subject.

After a few attempts, Su Mu decided to give up. After all, they had just met, and he hadn't revealed his true identity either. Why should he expect Xu Yan to do so?

The bus had been driving for about an hour, leaving the county and entering a narrow road. Compared to the asphalt road they had been on, this was a dirt road, winding and difficult to navigate. If not for the county's requirement to connect to Heishan Town, this long-distance bus would not have run here.

Screech!

Just as the bus left the asphalt road and hadn't gone far, it suddenly braked, causing all the passengers to lurch forward, and the cabin filled with screams.

"Damn, can't you drive? What are you doing!"

"You hit my child, you have to pay for medical expenses!"

"Drive slower, no need to rush, just get to Heishan Town before sunset."

...

The cabin was filled with various shouts, but before the driver could say anything, a loud bang was heard, and the closed door was smashed open. Four men rushed in.

All four were bare-chested, with tattoos of fierce tigers on their chests, exuding a wild and brutal aura. Each held a sharp butcher's knife, and the leader scanned the cabin, shouting, "Shut up, all of you, shut up!"

The entire cabin fell silent, and everyone looked at the four men in fear, some already trembling. Some children couldn't help but cry out.

"Shut up, if you cry again, I'll throw you out!" the leader, a scar-faced man, growled.

The children immediately stopped crying, and the scar-faced man, satisfied with his authority, brandished his butcher's knife and shouted, "Listen up, I only want money. Hand over your valuables, and you'll be fine. If I find anything, you know what will happen!"

"Damn, what bad luck, running into robbers!" Xu Yan muttered, but quickly raised his head, showing no fear, his eyes flashing with determination.

"They say Heishan Town is full of troublemakers and problems. I didn't expect there to be highway robbers here! Damn, do you think I'm just sitting here for nothing? Brother, don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen."

"Xu, are you going to take action?" Su Mu asked, not showing any particular reaction. In fact, from the moment the four robbers entered and spoke, he had no intention of letting them go. However, Su Mu was curious to see what this deputy chief, a state-level official, would do.

Cowardly and self-preserving?

Standing up for justice and fighting the robbers?

If Xu Yan chose the former, Su Mu would abandon him and have no further contact with the deputy chief. As a people's police officer, if he lacked the courage to stand up, he didn't deserve to be a police officer and should go home to sell sweet potatoes!

If Xu Yan chose the latter, Su Mu would not only help but also admire him from the bottom of his heart. Given Xu Yan's 40 intimacy level with him and his upcoming job in Heishan Town, Su Mu would build a good relationship with him.

"Brother, with your small build, don't try to be a hero! Leave this to me. Four little thieves, what can they do? Just watch!"

As Xu Yan said this, he waited until the four robbers started searching, not paying attention to him, and then suddenly stood up, rushing to the nearest one, punching him and kicking him away, sending the robber flying.

Boom!

The kick was powerful, knocking down the three in front. Xu Yan followed up, knocking down two more and kicking their knives under the seats.

At this moment, the scar-faced man suddenly jumped up, eyes filled with malice, and stabbed at Xu Yan's back with his butcher's knife. If he hit, Xu Yan would be dead on the spot.

"Damn, you dare to interfere with my business, I'll kill you!"

Xu Yan tried to turn but was held back by a thug, unable to move. The entire cabin held its breath, watching the scar-faced man about to stab Xu Yan in the back.

Damn, not this unlucky, to be killed on my first day on the job!

Bang!

In a flash, Su Mu appeared behind the scar-faced man, pulling him back and kicking his wrist, breaking it with a crisp crack. As the scar-faced man screamed, Su Mu didn't stop, kicking him until he was unconscious.

Although he didn't know why, after the transformation by the Official List, Su Mu's physical strength was several times stronger than before, making it easy to deal with these small-time robbers.

"Brother, thanks!" Xu Yan, having kicked the other three unconscious, smiled at Su Mu.

"Don't be so formal, I couldn't just let this thug hurt you!" Su Mu said.

"Ha, Su Mu, I'll take you as my brother! What a surprise, I didn't expect to meet such a brother on my way to Heishan Town! Since we're brothers, I won't hide anything from you. I'm actually the deputy chief of the Heishan Town Police Station, and today is my first day on the job." Xu Yan said loudly.

"Deputy Chief Xu!" Su Mu smiled. "Then I should reveal my identity too. I'm not the college student you think I am; I'm the deputy mayor of Heishan Town!"

"What? Deputy mayor!"

Su Mu's casual statement left Xu Yan stunned on the spot!