one day ago.
Zhongjing Xiacheng District, a lane at the junction of Donggu District and Nanjiang Port.
It was midnight, and there was no one around. Occasionally, there were a few barks, which were obviously from cheap mechanical dogs, and the barks were dull and stiff.
There were five small pontoon boats parked in the lane, their fires and lights turned off, and they made no sound.
The third pontoon was filled with smoke. K was leaning on the sofa in the back, biting a cigar. The twinkling stars were reflected in the porthole glass next to him.
The man sitting next to him had a sinister face and a fierce expression, but he spoke softly: "Boss, there is one more thing. Last week, Qinghetu took over the Luofi Trade Center, plus the previous Yinshi Commercial District and Dongjiang Port. , Song’s hand stretched out a little too long.”
"Yeah," K looked blank.
"Watanabe Haruyoshi is preparing to retire, and Sonoya will take charge of Bay City in the future. Both the Federation of Trade Unions and Qinghetu intend to take over Ichiban Street, but the joint meeting has not expressed its position."
"Um."
The man fell silent, tilted his head and lit a cigarette, exhaled a large puff of smoke, and asked, "What should I do with the more than 30 million in cash in the warehouse?"
"Let's talk after the Spring Festival." K lowered his head and dusted off the cigarette ashes that fell on his lap. "Old Xiao, we must pay close attention to human affairs."
"The First Cause of All Realms"
"There is no problem in screening newcomers, but if you want them to work, they still need someone to guide them," Xiao said thoughtfully. "At present, most of the experienced people have been taken to Denali by Lawrence, including those from the 'Scampia Brotherhood' That group of people..."
"Who is doing well during this time?"
"I have a guy named Levi who does a good job," Xiao thought for a while, "The boyfriend of Tao Chong's daughter Tao Yiran is with Levi."
"Huh?" K smiled, "What's the kid's name? Xiao Dou, right?"
"right."
"How is Xiao Dou doing?"
"It's a solid job."
"Where are people?"
"To Denali, too."
"Really, okay, let Levi start leading people."
"OK."
At this time, someone lightly knocked on the car window.
The cabin door opened, and the person outside the door whispered: "Boss, people are here."
Xiao then got out of the pontoon and waited.
After a moment, Tao Chong appeared at the entrance of the alley and approached cautiously.
"Please," Xiao gestured with his hand.
Tao Chong took a deep breath and got into the pontoon.
The hatch closed, and K said slowly: "We meet again, Mr. deacon."
"Mr. K," Tao Chong sat stiffly and looked extremely nervous.
"Today is the 17th. Counting the days, the exam will be held in a dozen days. How are we preparing?" K took off his sunglasses and smiled gently.
Tao Chong was covered in cold sweat: "It's okay, it's okay."
"You, please relax," K reached out and patted Tao Chong's leg, "I heard that she has signed up for a few cram schools recently and has to go to Xicheng to attend classes early every morning... Hey, you have to pay attention to the balance between work and rest. .”
"Okay, okay."
"I have already said hello to Li Ru. Your daughter will definitely be admitted. The exam is just a formality."
"Thank you, Mr. K," Tao Chong swallowed, "You called me here this time..."
"There are some photos for you to take a look at." K casually turned on the holographic projection in the center of the cockpit. "It's very interesting..."
Photos emerged one after another, taking pictures of the same wall, including panoramic views and local details.
"This is..." Tao Chong leaned forward, staring at the image, his lips moving, silently reciting the words in the photo.
for a long time.
He asked with a pale face: "Where was this taken?"
K smiled and said nothing.
"Bring me from existence to existence, bring me from darkness to light, take me from death to eternal life," Tao Chong said in a trembling voice, "This prayer is calling the Creator."
"Go on."
"'The eternal torrent always sweeps over all that is, crossing both realms and drowning them in between', this is one of the mottos of the Son 'Prosvedon', which declares the power of the Creator, these symbols ...are all beacons that guide believers to the promised land. There are also these, which represent the earth, fire, water, air and time respectively. They form a triangle, which represents the most pious repentance and willingness to sacrifice one's life. There is also this sentence... ..." Tao Chong explored his upper body and brushed the photo with his trembling palms, as if he was touching the words and symbols composed of dried blood, his eyes becoming more and more fanatical.
K noticed something was wrong and immediately turned off the holographic projection.
Tao Chong was stunned for a moment, then collapsed on his seat, sweating profusely.
"Old Tao, you hide a lot of things from me," K said casually, "This is a bit inappropriate, what do you think?"
"I didn't, Mr. K, I really didn't..."
K lowered the porthole glass and stretched out his hand to shake it.
A series of footsteps approached from the front and back.
Tao Chong's voice was urgent and he shouted incoherently: "No, no, I really didn't lie to you. I am just the deacon in Zhongjing. There are four deacons in Zhongjing. There is a priest above me and the Holy Father. It is a ritual to summon the Creator. Only the Holy Father and the priest are qualified to master it. When I went to see the priest a few years ago, he happened to assist the Holy Father in completing the summoning ceremony. There were traces on the ground, and I realized the purpose of these prayers and symbols... Just now I, I don’t know what’s wrong, I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I really don’t understand the summoning ritual.”
Several dark shadows appeared outside the porthole window.
K turned around and smiled: "Choose one, my wife or my daughter."
"No, no, no, I, the Creator, yes, the Creator created the sanctuary to listen to confessions. In an eternal place that is invisible and intangible, there is one in Zhongjing. There is an eternal place in Zhongjing. Priest, Father St. Via, He must know where it is. Please, the Holy Father does not allow us to access secrets. We wear masks at gatherings and the teachings are all made up by people. But the Creator is real. There really is a Creator. Yes, there is eternity in Mexico City too. The land, the invisible and intangible eternal land, if you ask Via, he knows, he must know..."
"Old Tao," K shook his head and interrupted, "last time you said there was a secret channel, I checked, and the freight arrived in Denali..."
"Yes, the secret channel must be true, I didn't lie to you!"
"But I didn't find anything in Denali. The warehouse is empty." K pinched Tao Chong's thigh with a smile on his face. "What do you think is going on? The Creator moved the goods away?"
"The secret channel must be true, it must be true..."
"Think slowly, don't be in a hurry," K leaned back on the sofa and said calmly out the window, "Be quiet when you work. It's so late, don't disturb the neighbors."
The chaotic footsteps sounded again and disappeared quickly.
"The Land of Eternity! The goods must be in the Land of Eternity!" Veins stretched on Tao Chong's face. "Denali is a transit station. It's not in Denali, but in Mexico City. Have you checked the Alliance of Human Destiny? Via is The deputy secretary-general of the Alliance for the Destiny of Mankind, he has the ability to transfer goods out of Denali!"
K sighed: "The eternal land is invisible and intangible. How can we find it?"
"The motto of the Holy Son says that as long as you go to the eternal land once, you will be able to see the eternal land in the future. If you take Via with you and force him to lead the way, you will definitely find it."
"Okay," K nodded, took out the lighter, and relit the cigar.
Tao Chong glanced in the direction of his home and said anxiously, "Mr. K, I have told you everything I know."
"Ah, thank you," K pulled out a cigar, "Do you smoke it?"
Tao Chong opened his mouth and glanced in the direction of home.
The next moment, he held K's wrist violently and said hoarsely: "There is a person who knows more than me. He led me to join the Natural Sect." He seemed to have exhausted all his strength when he said this.
"Old Tao, you told me before that you joined the Natural Sect on your own."
"He taught me how to read, gave me a job, and lent me money when I got married. Several times when Ranran got sick, he used his medical access permit to treat Ranran..." Tao Chong lowered his head, "I don't want to …”
"You should give him a chance," K said earnestly, "If you help me, your daughter will have a future. If he helps me, he...does he have any children?"
"have."
"Then his child's future will be bright. You are repaying him." K stretched out his hand out of the window, waggled his fingers, and then handed the cigar to Tao Chong, "Try it, it's top quality from Bay City."
——————————
Fuji number.
After hearing K's story about meeting Tao Chong, Li Liang raised his eyebrows and said, "Why do you sound like a villain?"
"Forgot the word 'like'," Cain chuckled: "If Mr. King of Spades is not a villain, then there is no bad guy in Zhongjing."
"It's faster this way," K said casually.
"That's great," Li Liang couldn't laugh or cry, "Then who is Tao Chong's benefactor?"
"The place where he works is a retired deputy manager of Gunan Steel Plant. He is in his sixties. His son also works at Gunan Steel Plant, and his daughter works as a salesperson in a shopping mall in Yinshi Business District. He has many relatives, and the whole family consists of more than ten people. Everyone lives in Donggu District.”
Mizuno said without thinking: "I remember that this person did have close contacts with Tao Chong, but I have never found out that this person is related to the Natural Sect."
"Tao Chong may have hinted that someone is investigating the Natural Sect," K said casually, "I personally checked this person named Yao Zhengping. His resume is very clean. He was injured when the goblins invaded. During this time, he has been resting at home. Nothing suspicious."
"Well, let's get in touch with it," Li Liang thought for a moment, "The Eternal Land...can't be seen or touched...you can see it once you go there...it sounds like..."
Cain, Mizuno and K looked at each other, obviously thinking of the same place - the abyss, weapons base, maintenance drone base, subway station and backup spacecraft base.
"It sounds like the Emerald Dream," Allen rubbed his chin, "The junction of Belaya and Aqilu will have similar characteristics. Well, it is true that many civilizations call the Creation Titan the Creator, but the fundamental world How could a place like this exist?”
Li Liang glanced at Allen, who was thinking hard, and said, "Go out first, and we'll talk later."
"Wait a minute," Cain pointed to the fully automatic medical device that was treating Kujo Yui, "Sonoya and I are waiting for her here, you go first."
Li Liang nodded,
Watching the three people disappear into the passage, Mizuno said softly: "I just read the examination report. Your uterine retroversion is a congenital dysplasia."
Cain scratched his head and hesitated: "What are the consequences of this disease?"
"It's not easy to get pregnant."
"What else?"
"Gone."
Cain breathed a sigh of relief, put his hands on his hips and said, "That's good."
"I think it's better to get some treatment," Mizuno tilted his head and smiled.
"What are you treating? I'm not planning to have a baby," Cain snorted, holding the diagnostic instrument with his robotic hand, spreading his other arm and raising his eyebrows, "How do you think of these clothes?"
———
Returning to the main control hall, Li Liang stopped.
"Wait for them."
"Well," K took out his cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette and handed it over.
Li Liang hesitated for a moment, then took it, lit it up close to K's lighter, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
K held the cigarette case and lowered his eyes.
next moment.
Li Liang's voice came faintly: "Keep an eye on Tao Chong, some people will react if they are under too much pressure."
"good."
"How is Zhongjing doing lately?"
"Qinghetu is expanding very quickly."
"The Gate of Spiritual Reason will be opening during the Spring Festival. Before the opening, if I hear anyone engaging in petty tricks for the sake of big gains, I will scold them."
"clear."
"If Song is disobedient, find someone who is obedient. Do you need me to teach you about this kind of thing?"
"I know," K always lowered his head.
Allen on the side looked at Li Liang, then at the cigarette case in K's hand, and wondered: "Uh, K, what kind of cigarette is that of yours?"
