7:00 AM, at the police station.
Officer Chen, who had just finished his shift and was preparing to head home for some rest, nodded to Xiao An, who had come to take over. He grabbed his jacket and started walking toward the door.
The young officer, who had only recently become a full-fledged member of the force, greeted him enthusiastically before quietly stifling a yawn behind his back.
As his eyes squinted mid-yawn, several surveillance feeds in Xiao An’s field of vision suddenly vanished, replaced by a void of pitch black.
A few stark, bone-white characters flickered into existence in the center of the screen.
【Good morning, everyone.】
Xiao An’s morning drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of tension. He bolted upright, his chair screeching sharply against the floor.
"Chen-ge!"
Someone had hacked into their system!
...
Several officers gathered around the large screen, their gazes filled with scrutiny and suspicion.
The few people currently in the station had rushed into the room, only to see those four words give a spirited little hop before quietly fading away.
Then, a few more words jumped out.
【I have taken over the surveillance of this room. There is no need to worry about being unable to communicate with me.】
The tone was flat, as if the speaker had performed a trivial, insignificant task.
The officers were stunned.
What arrogant words! *Don't you know we can arrest you directly for doing this, you bastard?!*
"What do you want?!"
"I urge you to cease your intrusion into our system immediately! Do you realize we monitor the city's situation at all times? What if an accident happens because of your actions?!"
【There is no need for tension. I am merely here to assist you.】
【I will maintain a watch over the real-time surveillance feeds. Do not worry; everything is normal for now.】
The bone-white font dissipated like ash, sending a chill down the spines of those watching.
Assistance? What kind of assistance required these sorts of methods?!
The perpetrator's clearly transgressive actions, paired with the "considerate" nature of the latter half of the sentence, felt inexplicably eerie.
It was like a monster donning a human skin, pretending to be an orderly, rational being.
The officers could only ask tentatively, "...What kind of assistance?"
【The address for Serial Number HY03.】
The screen flickered, and a location marker appeared on the left side.
【Although the target has lost a certain degree of mobility, I hope you arrive as soon as possible to prevent any accidents.】
【A reminder: do not let him see the sunlight.】
【This offer will not wait. I wish you success.】
The lines of text displayed on the black screen elegantly dissolved. The screen faded from pure black back to its normal state, leaving only a restless, grey-white location marker bouncing on the left side of the display.
The officers looked at each other, seeing both hesitation and calculation in one another's eyes.
The newcomer didn't actually know what "Serial Number HY03" referred to, but seeing the solemn and serious expressions of his seniors, he could guess that this was likely a high-level target of interest.
...But the question now was, was the information on the screen reliable?
After a brief discussion, the most veteran officer reached a conclusion.
"Regardless of the circumstances, we need to make the trip."
...
Ye Xuan’s consciousness drifted back from the gloom, his mind a chaotic mess.
In his last memory, after finishing his communication with his contact, he had been lying quietly on the ground waiting. Suddenly, the night-filled sky in his vision had been eclipsed by the silhouette of a young man.
After that... he couldn't remember clearly.
He only felt as if he had recalled many past events—many things he thought he had already forgotten.
Ye Xuan opened his eyes. Before he could even determine where he was, the dilapidated warehouse door was violently kicked open. Fully equipped police officers, weapons in hand, quickly locked onto him.
*Tch. At this level, even without a weapon, I can still—*
Just as Ye Xuan moved to act, a tearing sensation in his body made him go cold.
...Even if he was injured, making a clean getaway shouldn't be a problem.
However, his stiff, lagging limbs completely refused to follow his instincts.
*Damn it, damn it, damn it!!*
Ye Xuan’s pupils dilated as the people around him cautiously closed in.
A fragment of a memory from last night, something he should have forgotten, suddenly flashed through his mind.
The youth’s deep blue eyes had submerged him like the deep sea. His consciousness had been coerced, sinking deeper and deeper into that dark, profound oceanic realm, losing itself.
"...Until the sun rises."
The other’s voice had been flat and cold, yet it had seared an irreversible mark into his mind.
*Damn it!*
Only now did Ye Xuan realize with a shock that the youth had actually hypnotized him.
But by the time he realized this, there was no longer any chance to escape.
—
Shen Feibai was dragged out of bed by Mo Yuan and hurriedly brought to the police station.
He was completely bewildered. "What's going on? What happened?"
Captain Wang, coming toward them, saw them and his eyes lit up. He pulled the two of them straight toward the station's infirmary.
Shen Feibai was utterly confused, but then he saw Ye Xuan lying on a bed through the glass window.
He paused in surprise.
Mo Yuan was also stunned when he saw Ye Xuan’s horrific injuries, finding it somewhat hard to believe.
Both of them turned to look at Captain Wang simultaneously.
After learning the sequence of events, the two were speechless.
Shen Feibai: "Ha... so, a Good Samaritan?"
Captain Wang massaged his temples and said helplessly, "...We can't exactly call that mysterious person a Good Samaritan, can we? He hacked into our system."
"Though... it's true he didn't cause any damage. But he broke the rules! ...Even if he did help us capture a criminal, and his merits might offset his faults, he still needs to receive some 'education' from us!"
Shen Feibai felt a fair amount of goodwill toward this mysterious person with their unique way of doing things. "Then there's no problem. Wasn't I scolded like that the first time I dealt with you guys?~"
He flicked the badge on his collar, his eyes curving. "Aiya, and aren't I a specially appointed officer now?"
Captain Wang: ...*Can you even compare the two, you brat?!*
"That's why you're currently lax in discipline and act recklessly." Mo Yuan first took a jab at Shen Feibai, then interpreted Captain Wang’s concern. "But you are at least salvageable. Based on Captain Wang’s description, that mysterious person likely doesn't have your 'lively' temperament."
"Possessing such ability—if his intentions are even slightly impure, he could cause immense harm."
Captain Wang nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! Sigh, that's exactly what I was thinking!"
Although they had caught Ye Xuan, they weren't as excited as one might imagine.
A few years ago, news had come from other cities that police systems were frequently being hacked. Since then, they had heavily reinforced their own firewalls, even bringing in top-tier national technical consultants to help.
They thought they could rest easy, but today, the system had been easily breached.
What was most chilling was the mysterious person's consistently calm and rational tone.
Captain Wang’s experience in reading people told him that this person was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
One bomb had finally been defused, only for a mysterious person of unknown danger and unknown allegiance to appear. They couldn't feel happy at all.
"That's why I called you two here." Captain Wang patted them both, speaking earnestly. "Put aside your other work for the next few days and focus on finding this mysterious hacker. The department has also assigned personnel responsible for this area; you two just play to your strengths! That deduction stuff..."
"While we'll also work hard, you guys are usually faster at sorting out these sorts of things that lack leads. So, work hard, young men! I'll do my best to meet any investigative requirements you have!"
Shen Feibai’s tone was light. "Alright, alright~ Be optimistic. It might not be that bad. Maybe you'll get another externally appointed officer~"
Mo Yuan’s expression was serious. "Understood. We will do our best to investigate."
...
Ye Xuan, who was undergoing treatment, heard the faint conversation in the hallway. He lifted his eyelids and glanced out the window.
His gaze lingered on Mo Yuan’s face for a moment, a flicker of doubt rising in his eyes.
*Strange...*
He carefully studied the other’s features, his confusion deepening.
*He looks so familiar?*
But the medication injected during his treatment made his brain groggy. He was only awake for a fleeting moment before his eyes closed again, and he fell into a deep sleep.
—
【Mu Ran: So exciting!】
Mu Ran, who had watched the system hack the police from start to finish: OwO
After the System left last night, Mu Ran couldn't sleep at all. Then, at 3:00 AM, he received a string of messages from the System.
At that time, the System was ruthlessly squeezing all intelligence regarding the Organization out of Ye Xuan’s mind. As soon as he got information, he sent it through their mental link—both as an archive and to synchronize their information.
Just as the System finished questioning all the intel and was considering how to handle Ye Xuan, Mu Ran sent a cheering emoji.
【Mu Ran: Super great!~ Thanks for the hard work~】
Mu Ran still remembered the System’s previous low mood. When the System stopped updating information, he made sure to give a timely, positive response.
Since Mu Ran was also awake, the two simply continued discussing how to break the current situation where the System was being framed as an illegal resident.
The System’s previous perception hadn't been wrong; there was indeed a mole from the Organization within the police force, specifically working in coordination with them. Not only could they use the police's comprehensive identity database to pull up others' identities, but they could also tamper with them slightly.
That was how Ye Xuan had learned about the System’s status as an "unregistered citizen." Because the System’s high combat prowess had been discovered by a high-ranking member of the Organization with significant power, Ye Xuan had been sent to recruit him.
Destroying a target's sense of existence in normal society was one of their basic methods.
That was why Ye Xuan had followed him to the shop that day. ...However, his interest in Mu Ran had been genuine; otherwise, he might have just killed him the second they met.
Mu Ran: ...*I don't know if I should be relieved or not.*
But given the current situation, it seemed that the only way to explain the System’s lack of identity was to rely on that Organization.
【Mu Ran: Hmm... not necessarily. Being an unregistered citizen doesn't mean you'll definitely be arrested. The key now is to find the mole in the police station and expose their methods. Then the situation where he tried to drag you down yesterday can be explained.】
【Mu Ran: ...Ah, but the problem is, how should this 'truth' be told?】
【System: We need to gain their trust.】
The System looked down, gazing thoughtfully at the silently lying Ye Xuan.
【System: I have some ideas.】
After their discussion, they decided not to rely on their own identities at all. Instead, they would fabricate a mysterious hacker who only existed on the internet and use his mouth to reveal the truth.
The System’s true form was a lifeform existing within data streams; hacking into this world's network was incredibly simple for him. The difficulty of this plan was practically zero.
So now, the key was to increase the credibility of the "hacker's" words.
【Mu Ran: Hehe~ So let's send that bad guy to the station!~】
Having arranged everything for Ye Xuan, the System hacked the police system precisely at 7:00 AM and began his performance.
Mu Ran, watching from the side, was very excited, feeling that this performance was both "chuunibyou" and cool.
Ending the performance, the System stepped out of a phone booth.
Inside his head, Mu Ran was asking happily.
【Mu Ran: Since they've diverted some of the police force, can you come back now?】
The corners of the System’s mouth turned up slightly. Just as he was about to give an affirmative reply, a tangible gaze from the shadows made his expression sink.
He looked up. A small red dot moved with his motion, settling right between his eyebrows.
A woman’s soft, warm greeting came from behind him.
"My, we finally meet."
Wu Nian, wearing a red dress that reached her ankles, stood behind the youth.
Her lips were curved in a gentle smile, her eyes soft, and her tone mild.
"You beautiful big thing."
