Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Subway Station

The crowd had thinned a bit at this hour. Chen Zui, looking like a college student, stood at the entrance of Gate 2, headphones on.

People bustled around him—some paused to check maps, others waited for someone, and a few street vendors hawked their wares.

Chen Zui was rarely in such environments. As a mercenary, he and his team lived in ungoverned jungles, far from such order and peace.

Only occasionally, when a mission required a trip to the city, would he go. Even then, his focus was entirely on completing the mission smoothly, rarely with the leisure he felt now—truly immersing himself in the city, among the crowds, observing the world.

There was no sound in his headphones.

But a voice echoed in Chen Zui’s mind: Ao Tian was cheerfully singing, his voice so energizing it could make one brave enough to watch a horror movie.

Chen Zui: "Sweetheart, if you keep singing, we’ll have to switch to drift-bottle messaging."

Ao Tian: "What do you mean? You don’t like my singing?"

Chen Zui: "It’s not that your singing is bad."

Ao Tian grew excited.

Chen Zui: "Your singing is so good it distracts me from planning how to earn points for your upgrade. Don’t you want to become a more powerful system and amaze all the others? So let’s not sing anymore, okay?"

Ao Tian thought seriously: "Alright, but you have to succeed in the mission."

Chen Zui spotted Jiang Mo in his field of vision: "With you here, our mission will definitely succeed."

Ao Tian’s slight disappointment at not being able to sing vanished instantly, replaced by high motivation for their mission.

Jiang Mo appeared at the subway station, more sullen than usual. He wore a casual black plaid shirt buttoned to the top, likely with a black turtleneck underneath covering most of his neck. He moved as quietly as a shadow, his face hidden under the shade of his cap.

Chen Zui had already looked away, working on his phone and setting timed messages.

"Is he really not a ghost?" Chen Zui asked again.

"Really not," Ao Tian replied, secretly suppressing his doubt and quickly reviewing Jiang Mo’s profile again to confirm whether he was human or ghost.

Jiang Mo had ultimately chosen the second option—he wanted to see what the other party would do next.

Maybe he could even catch the person.

The unusual physical sensation made walking extremely uncomfortable. If he caught that person, he would turn them into a specimen, Jiang Mo thought viciously, his eyes scanning everyone around him. The other must be watching from somewhere.

This sick jerk had forced him to take time off today, preventing him from going to work with Chen Xiu.

Thinking of Chen Xiu brought back the scene he saw this morning—what was going on between Chen Xiu and Xiao Hang? Had something happened between them after just one night of not following Chen Xiu?

Damn Xiao Hang.

Another name was added to Jiang Mo’s specimen list.

The subway arrived, doors sliding open. Jiang Mo kept his head down as he stepped inside, moving to a corner spot with his back against the wall of the car for safety, allowing him to observe the entire car.

A few more people boarded, one of them a tall guy who caught his attention.

The man was almost 6'3", wearing a hoodie, a beanie, wireless earphones, and sunglasses—dressed stylishly but suspiciously covered.

Was he some kind of celebrity or artist?

From the lower half of his face, he looked handsome.

Jiang Mo pondered as the man took a seat, leaning back without moving further.

Just before the doors closed, another tall man boarded, his short sleeves tight over his chest muscles, revealing sturdy arms. He glanced around and stood by the central pole.

Jiang Mo’s attention shifted to this man—the one who had slit his throat had a similarly impressive build.

Was it him?

He discreetly observed, pulling out his phone to quickly send a text to "?" while keeping the man in his peripheral vision.

When the man took his phone out of his pocket, Jiang Mo’s heart pounded.

The man glanced at his phone for two seconds before putting it away.

Jiang Mo sent another text, and the man pulled out his phone again, then looked up at Jiang Mo. The moment their eyes met, Jiang Mo got goosebumps.

Got him!

It was him!

He hadn’t expected it to be this easy. This creep didn’t seem afraid of being caught, acting so boldly.

The underestimation infuriated Jiang Mo.

The train moved smoothly from station to station. People in the car were focused on their own affairs or resting with closed eyes, unaware of the standoff between Jiang Mo and the man—except for the eyes behind the sunglasses.

He's hooked.

A playful smile flickered in Chen Zui’s eyes as his hand in his pocket pressed a button on his phone.

The man only glanced at Jiang Mo before looking away. Jiang Mo gripped his backpack straps tightly, considering whether to confront him. But there were too many people here, and he was wearing that thing. If this guy were provoked…

People would definitely record it.

That’s how people were nowadays—they’d film any excitement, and within two minutes, it would go viral.

So Jiang Mo held back for now, his fierce, youthful eyes fixed on the man. He had no memory of this man—when had he started noticing him?

As he pondered, Chen Zui pressed a switch with his other hand.

Unprepared, Jiang Mo almost gasped, his pale face showing fear as he glared furiously at the man.

The tall man stood with one hand in his pocket, the other gripping a handrail, but he wasn’t looking at Jiang Mo.

A device activated silently, delivering a massage-like pleasure.

But who would get a massage in public? Jiang Mo didn’t want this pleasure either. Clenching his teeth, his eyes filled with murderous rage toward the man.

The man pulled out his phone, and within two seconds, Jiang Mo’s phone vibrated with a notification.

Fighting to stay calm, he took out his phone.

?: "You’re really not behaving."

Jiang Mo gritted his teeth, wishing he could dismember the man right now, all while feeling a surge of disgust.

?: "This is a small punishment for you."

?: "If you get off early, believe me, the next punishment waiting for you will be even harsher."

Messages came one after another. The subway began announcing the station, and under the stimulation, Jiang Mo reacted. All of this was because of that damned man. The moment the doors opened, Jiang Mo strode forward, grabbed the man, and jerked him out.

"What the fuck?!"

"Who are you?"

"Are you crazy? Let go of me!"

A few exclamations erupted among the passengers. Chen Zui stood up and moved to the door, but he didn’t get off. He stood there, taller than the doorframe, like an immovable god, watching as Jiang Mo, panicked and frantic, snatched the man’s phone.

At that moment, another message arrived on the man’s phone.

It was a number Jiang Mo was already familiar with.

"You got off early."

"I’ve been watching you."

Chill wasn't enough to describe how Jiang Mo felt at that moment. He glanced at the man in confusion, then looked around angrily and anxiously. The subway had already left.

"Fuck!"

He rarely swore, but this time it burst out in frustration.

He had been tricked!

Suddenly, his collar was grabbed, and the man yanked him up. "Are you fucking crazy or what?!"

The man cursed irritably.

Jiang Mo’s face was grim. "Who is the person messaging you?"

"How would I know?" The man, seeing station staff approaching, didn’t want trouble and shoved Jiang Mo before turning to head for the exit. He didn’t know who the other person was—they had just contacted him and told him to take Line 2 at the subway station. All he had to do was follow instructions to get 5,000 yuan (about $700).

Only a fool would turn down quick cash like that.

The texts he received on the subway were:

"Don’t reply to me. Put your phone away."

"Look at the man in the cap to your left."

"Hold your phone and pretend to be typing."

Jiang Mo hurried to the innermost stall in the bathroom. He was in agony.

Cold sweat trickled down.

Jiang Mo was on the verge of breaking down.

He took out his phone and sent a message: "Tell me the code!"

?: "Take a photo wearing what I gave you and send it to me. Then I’ll tell you and let it slide this time."

Jiang Mo wanted to chuck his phone.

But the pain was unbearable: "I threw all those things away."

?: "Locker #208, code 3369."

The stall door burst open from the inside. Jiang Mo took off his plaid shirt and tied it around his waist, covering his compromising situation. The black undershirt he wore was somewhat fitted, faintly outlining his abs.

He dashed toward the lockers.

With every step, pain and pleasure mixed—a sensation he had never experienced before.

He had to piss.

He hadn't been able to take a piss since last night.

Jiang Mo opened the locker as fast as he could, grabbed the bag inside, and rushed back to the bathroom.

Usually gloomy and skeletal, he was now tormented into a state of desperate urgency, even breaking into a run.

Disgusted but desperate, Jiang Mo opened the bag. When he saw the pink lace panties, his heart nearly stopped. The lace trim and pink sheer fabric made his hands shake.

But if he didn’t save himself now, he might end up permanently damaged. Swallowing his humiliation, Jiang Mo put them on. The thought of having to take a photo made him want to die.

But before he died, he would find the other person and drag them to hell with him!

Without even looking, he took a quick shot and sent it.

Chen Zui sat leisurely enjoying his coffee. Sunlight poured through the bright window, and the air conditioning in the café kept it pleasantly cool.

Coffee.

Cake.

The newly received photo on his phone was the perfect cap-off to this morning.

Chen Zui opened it.

The image was slightly blurry, likely because the phone was taken in haste, but it had a disorienting, gritty realism.

The pink sheer fabric barely contained anything. A glimpse of the side in the photo revealed Mr. Jiang.

Mr. Jiang was quite firm, and contrasted strikingly with the delicate sheer fabric.