Chapter 2

The main body of the city was still asleep in the darkness, with neon lights and street lamps adorning the scene. The urban light mist spread to the sky, reflecting a cloud pattern filled with ominous implications.

The earthquake clouds had not dissipated, but fortunately, the crows were still sleeping on the street trees, preserving the tranquility of the early morning.

On a large tree near a high-rise apartment, Ink had some sensation. It opened its eyes, saw Luo Nan run past the tree, and then closed its eyes to doze off again.

Xia Cheng, such a megacity, had high-rise buildings connected by magnetic tracks, sky bridges, green corridors, and self-walking conveyor belts, forming a dense forest intertwined with branches and vines.

Luo Nan was like a tiny insect, sipping the morning dew, and advancing step by step in the forest.

His lips and teeth slightly parted, his throat, mouth, and nasal cavity fully vibrated, producing a sound that initially sounded like the buzzing of insects.

In fact, Luo Nan was repeatedly reciting the sixteen characters: "My heart is like a prison, my heart is like a furnace; my heart is like a mirror, my heart is like a country." Due to the continuous and condensed pronunciation, and the integration with his breathing rhythm, this peculiar sound was formed.

Occasionally, people who got up to jog in the morning would pass by him, intrigued by the sound, they would turn to look. He, however, remained focused, maintaining a relatively steady pace and rhythm.

After an hour of continuous exercise, Luo Nan turned onto a self-walking conveyor belt to cross the wide space between two high-rise buildings. This was a predetermined "rest stop" where the exercise paused, but the recitation did not.

His breathing was still relatively smooth, but the prolonged resonance caused a slight oxygen deficiency, making his skull feel faintly swollen. However, compared to the gradually accumulating and spreading effects of the drugs, this was minor.

The drug he injected before leaving contained psychoactive components that were gradually taking effect.

In fact, any normal person, including long-term addicts, would die instantly if such a high dose of pure psychoactive drugs were injected intravenously, as the sudden disruption of the nervous system would be fatal in the shortest time.

However, after more than five years and nearly two thousand gradually deepening and continuously adjusted tolerance processes, Luo Nan, while outwardly indistinguishable from a normal person, had undergone subtle and profound changes in his internal nervous system structure.

He was still alive and seriously felt the changes in his body.

More than twenty psychoactive components broke through the blood-brain barrier, acting like more than twenty invisible chisels, selecting different target neurons for repeated modifications and carvings.

This "carving" was destined to be rough and violent.

The brain itself has no pain sensation, but under the influence of the drugs, the dozens or even hundreds of neurotransmitters it secretes, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, glutamate, and neurotensin, released tidal waves of information, which, through the conduction of neurons, affected every part of the body, every organ, and every corner.

It was impossible to describe how it felt, and Luo Nan did not want to describe it. He could only say that it was much better than the initial convulsions, incontinence, and even heart and lung failure.

To change the basic structure of the human body, which had been passed down for generations, within a few short years, inevitably required a price.

Luo Nan had long accepted this.

He closed his eyes and focused more on the recitation and breathing.

Luo Nan's recitation and breathing technique was passed down from his grandfather. It was nominally an "auxiliary" to the drug's carving, but how could human will control changes at the cellular and molecular level?

So Luo Nan believed its main function was to maintain mental focus, activate the blood and qi, and also to engage in the rather mystical "visualization."

Luo Nan closed his eyes, and the regular tetrahedron corresponding to the "sixteen-character mantra," along with its inscribed and circumscribed spheres, clearly appeared in his mind, rotating layer by layer around the center, as if right before his eyes.

After about ten seconds, Luo Nan opened his eyes and sighed.

The visualization was running smoothly, everything was fine.

At this point, the self-walking conveyor belt had only traveled a little more than halfway. Luo Nan relaxed and observed the city in the early morning. Not far away was a street of nightclubs in Xia Cheng.

Many people said that Xia Cheng's nightlife truly began at midnight, and the early morning was just the afterglow. As for the daytime, it was merely a mechanical recharging phase. In this vast and crowded city, every cluster of lights was a playground for people's pleasure, especially in the most bustling nightclub district.

Under the neon lights, a group of men and women, dressed in disarray, stumbled out of a nightclub. Because someone in front slowed down a bit, the person behind bumped into them, and they tumbled into a heap, writhing like fat worms, unable to get up.

They were not angry; instead, they pushed and pulled each other, laughing and joking, clearly exhausted from an all-night party, with only the excessive secretion of dopamine still conducting between neurons.

They were so carefree and indulgent, as if saying: Look, this is how young people should live!

In the chaos, a luxury flying car, in an unmanned state, glided down the street and stopped at the side, its classic butterfly doors opening stylishly.

Among the writhing bodies, a tall man finally struggled to his feet. During this time, he almost kissed every woman around him, and amid the laughter and curses of his companions, he grabbed a long-legged woman, half-dragging, half-carrying her into the car.

The neon lights of the nightclub street clearly illuminated the man's face, and Luo Nan recognized him.

"It's him... a good specimen, I suppose."

Luo Nan's heart stirred, and he observed the men and women more closely. After half a minute, the ever-present loose-leaf notebook came into play. He used an electronic pen to quickly sketch the rough outline of the area on the paper-like soft screen.

The self-walking conveyor belt carried Luo Nan for 75 seconds. After deducting the previous consumption, in the remaining few dozen seconds, only a rough sketch with messy lines formed under his pen. He had no intention of continuing, and when the conveyor belt reached the end, he put away his pen, glanced down, and left directly.

As he turned his head, he saw that the man who had caught his attention was somehow aware of his presence, lifting his face to look over in a daze.

Their gazes crossed in the air, but Luo Nan did not pay much attention. He continued his morning run, still reciting the continuous syllables, forming a buzzing sound like the wings of an insect.

As for the slight noise coming from a distance, it was naturally filtered out.

Xie Junping felt he was going crazy.

His throat-shredding calls had no effect; the figure on the self-walking conveyor belt still left without looking back.

The friends and one-night stands at his feet were still laughing and joking under the influence of stimulants. The "long-legged" woman he had just found attractive was hugging his waist, giggling and trying to unbutton his pants.

Xie Junping was really going crazy.

"Get lost!"

He forcibly pushed the "long-legged" woman away, dove into the car, and locked the doors regardless of the group of useless people outside. At this moment, the "light film" invisible glasses produced by Quantum Company analyzed the data collected and projected it onto his retina.

The "sneak photographer" on the sky bridge appeared in the instant photo, showing a blurry side face. The "plum and bamboo pattern" emblem of Zhi Xing College on the sportswear was circled in red.

Shortly after, the "Phantom" car's AI brain also analyzed the environmental data automatically recorded by the security system, and the results were transmitted back in sequence.

This was much clearer than the emergency photo, but there was no room for侥幸.

When Xie Junping saw the "sneak photographer" with a hood, still holding a notebook and writing, he punched the steering wheel.

The flying car honked, and a fool who was knocking on the window was startled backward. Before his butt hit the ground, the flying car had already started and sped away.

He was seen, he was seen!

Xie Junping pounded his head. If it were a different time and place, a sociable rich boy with some private life issues wouldn't be a big deal, but the current situation was different.

According to the association's arrangement, he should have been in the satellite city of Mangzhong, responsible for a post-disaster charity donation event. Last night, he was indeed in Mangzhong, but to attend a party, he left the team, drove hundreds of kilometers, and returned to Xia Cheng. He originally planned to return immediately after the party, but he was caught red-handed by a student from his own school.

He was currently vying for the Elder Medal of the Honor Association and trying to advance further in the student council, a critical stage to establish his "status in the circle," equivalent to a "major election."

If held to the standards of a political figure, lying, breaking trust, and being two-faced were necessary qualities, but if exposed, it would be fatal... fatally stupid!

Moreover, Xia Cheng was experiencing continuous earthquakes, and people's psychological resilience was declining. What was not a big deal in normal times might now become a big deal; what was a small matter before might now become a major issue!

Yes, it was a major issue!

The car phone rang, from the group of friends. Xie Junping had left in a hurry and forgotten to arrange many things. He quickly answered, and before he could speak, Lian Yu's slurred curses came through:

"Xie Junping, you bastard!"

The background was filled with the laughter of his friends.

Xie Junping closed his eyes. Yes, he had forgotten... Lian Yu, the woman who had just tried to unbutton his pants, actually had a boyfriend, who was also a member of the Honor Association!

"Damn!"

Xie Junping slammed the steering wheel again, so hard that the car's AI brain warned him, but after this release, he finally regained some clarity from the hangover and panic.

Calm down, stay calm! As long as it's not immediately exposed online, there's always a chance to salvage the situation.

He tried to keep his voice calm and said softly, "Lian Yu, go wash your face, I have something to tell you..."

Lian Yu was still drunk: "Xie Junping, you're a... "

"Go wash your face, now!" Xie Junping roared, wishing he could shatter the car phone.

The anger of a king can cause a million deaths; the anger of a scholar can cause blood to flow for five paces!

But the other side hung up the phone, and Xie Junping could only vent his anger by banging his head on the steering wheel...

He forced himself to calm down. He was quite self-aware, knowing he was just a "commoner," with average intelligence and ability, relying on family connections and a bit of social skills.

But how had he managed to get to this point in the highly competitive Zhi Xing College? It was simply by being a competent boss, paying appropriate compensation, and entrusting professional matters to professionals... damn, professionals!

Xie Junping slapped the steering wheel again. What was the point of getting entangled with Lian Yu? What professional qualities did she show besides seducing men?

Once his thoughts were clear, he immediately put Lian Yu out of his mind and dialed another number. The waiting tone was a very gentle female voice:

"Hello, Azure Affairs Office at your service. From 9 AM to 5 PM on workdays, and all rest days and holidays, all services are charged as overtime. Thank you for your cooperation."

Xie Junping rolled his eyes.

A moment later, a clear and energetic voice, completely different from the recorded one, sounded: "Long time no see, Sheep."

Xie Junping was immediately defeated by this nickname. Wanting to argue but lacking the courage, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Ying Ying, good morning, is Boss Wu not around?"

"Hey, are you sure you want to see the boss?"

"…No, no, no, finding you is fine, finding you is fine!" Xie Junping slapped his head, he was really drunk today, why argue with this crazy girl?

"You're right, anything you tell me is the same. After all, whoever it is, they'll still charge you, hehe!"

Xie Junping wanted to eat the car computer, but now was not the time to be picky. He got straight to the point: "I got into some trouble today and need your help to handle it."

He quickly described what had happened and sent the captured photos and videos for further analysis.

Soon, Ying Ying responded: "A sneak photographer? Should I admire your imagination?"

"It wasn't a sneak photographer?"

"Standing on the self-walking conveyor belt, waiting for you to come out of the nightclub, and then taking a photo?"

"Uh..." Xie Junping was stumped.

Although she was harsh, "Azure" was undoubtedly professional. About half a minute later, Ying Ying provided a location coordinate:

"Regardless, let's do a verification first. Without considering complex factors, if that person was just passing by, they are likely an early morning jogger. It's not a holiday today, so their destination is probably Zhi Xing College. Go there and wait."

Xie Junping found this reasonable and immediately turned the flying car onto another magnetic track, increasing its speed. About five minutes later, he arrived at the location Ying Ying had specified. It was a pedestrian overpass in a high-tech development zone, with a good environment and a major route to the college, making it a popular choice for morning joggers.

The flying car stopped at the north end of the overpass, and then came the wait. Xie Junping was restless, but at this moment, a formatted chart appeared on his retina, a personal profile extracted from Zhi Xing College's database.

The electronic photo showed a quiet and introverted-looking young man, somewhat handsome, with no smile on his face.