◎Can Prophecies Not Be Changed?◎
The sun was setting, painting the sky with vibrant colors that reflected off a tall building, making it glitter brilliantly.
Inside a conference room on one of the upper floors, a low female voice resonated: “According to the Dongchuan City news report, at 6:32 PM on June 14th, at the third traffic light intersection on Jianzhuang Avenue, a red sports car was speeding. After running a red light, it collided with a tanker truck, causing a massive explosion. Both the sports car driver and the tanker driver died on the spot. Other casualties are still being tallied…”
Several elderly men dressed in [1]“Tang-style (唐装)” refers to a traditional Chinese-style outfit, not clothing from the Tang dynasty in a strict historical sense. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1668841_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1668841_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Tang-style clothing sat in the room, watching the footage of the casualties in silence. The room was oppressively quiet.
Xing Chu pushed open the door and saw this scene.
His clothes were still stained with dust and blood. He hadn’t had time to change, rushing back from the scene of the incident while leaving the rest of his team behind to assist the police and hospitals.
“Master, Senior Uncle, I’m back, sorry for being late.”
He first bowed to the elders. A slightly younger middle-aged man stood up, helped him to his feet, and asked with concern, “Are you and the others alright?”
Xing Chu shook his head and reassured him, “We’re fine. Please don’t worry, Master.”
Qiu Zhan Bin let out a slight sigh of relief and patted him on the shoulder. “As long as you’re all safe, I can rest easy.”
Elder Chen, seated at the head of the table, also slightly relaxed the tension in his face, but he didn’t allow much time for the master and disciple to catch up. “Xing Chu, report today’s mission.”
Xing Chu nodded respectfully. “Yes.”
“I was ordered to Jianzhuang Avenue to prevent this disaster.” He walked to the front of the conference room and connected the miniature recorder he had been carrying on his shoulder to the large screen, extracting and displaying the most important footage.
“I contacted criminal investigator Meng Yu and arranged for some traffic police, under the pretext of checking for dangerous goods, to intercept vehicles heading toward the third traffic light on Jianzhuang Avenue starting from 6:25 PM. Everything was proceeding smoothly until the red sports car suddenly recklessly charged through. At 6:32 PM, it collided with the tanker truck, causing the explosion.”
Having spent the entire afternoon coordinating, preparing in advance, and assisting the police and hospital after the incident, Xing Chu hadn’t even had a sip of water, and his lips were dry and chapped.
“The strange part is here.” He licked his lips and continued, “Master has said that even if we foresee certain events, we cannot change them, only minimize their impact.”
“But according to the prophecy, it should have been a white sedan that collided with the tanker. This afternoon, that car didn’t appear on Jianzhuang Avenue at all, and the vehicle that ended up causing the accident suddenly became a sports car.”
Qiu Zhan Bin, the only one among them who had some understanding of divination, frowned. “I noticed that inconsistency while watching the news just now.”
Elder Chen’s brows were tightly furrowed, his weathered gaze unreadable. After a long silence, he said, “This can only mean that someone else, besides us, interfered with this matter.”
His words immediately plunged the entire conference room into silence once again. That someone unknown, with uncontrollable power, was not good news.
Having weathered many storms in his life, Elder Chen paused thoughtfully, then instructed Xing Chu to track the white sedan, hoping to find clues about this mysterious person.
Like the stabilizing force of the investigation bureau, his few words immediately reassured everyone in the room.
After the meeting ended, Xing Chu followed Qiu Zhan Bin out of the conference room. Qiu Zhan Bin asked, “How are things going between you and Meng Yu from the criminal investigation team? Have you gotten used to working together?”
Xing Chu gave a bitter smile. “He does follow my arrangements, but his way of thinking is really twisted. Yesterday he even gave me a copy of The Story of Science and told me to read it more when I have time.”
Qiu Zhan Bin burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder. “That kid’s grandfather is a scientist, his father is a soldier, and he himself became a police officer. You could say he grew up under the banner of science. It’s normal for him to see us as oddities.”
“This time, using the police to look for someone will be faster. I’ll have a word with his superior, just go to him for help without worry. We’re all working for the country. Even if he doesn’t understand, he can still put in some extra effort to help.”
Looking at the shrewd, fox-like smile on his master’s face, Xing Chu couldn’t help but shiver.
The last person who made Qiu Zhan Bin wear that kind of smile had been tricked out of even his wife-saving money and was now willingly working at the Investigation Bureau.
Good luck, Meng Yu!
Catching the smell of sweat on him, Qiu Zhan Bin looked disgusted. “Go wash up and clean yourself properly. There’s no rush to find people right away, rest well before getting back to work.”
Xing Chu raised his arm and sniffed it. There really was a smell. His face flushed red in embarrassment. “Yes, Master.”
Si Ning Qing had to call Zhong Yao several times before the call finally connected. Hearing the despondent tone of the girl on the other end, she hurried over without delay.
Not far from the school was South Lake, known for its beautiful scenery and long a popular spot for visitors to take photos.
At this moment, the slanting rays of the setting sun shone down. In the distant sky, among faint clouds, the heavens were dyed in layered hues, reflected onto the clear lake surface, making it shimmer with many colors.
Zhong Yao sat directly on the pebble path by the lake, her chin resting on her drawn-up knees, her eyes vacant as she stared at the amber-colored water before her. From time to time, she sniffled, looking like a stray kitten with nowhere to go, pitiful and heartbreaking.
When Si Ning Qing arrived and saw this scene, she was so startled she nearly lost her breath.
“Yao Yao, what are you doing running over here?” Without realizing it, her tone carried a trace of reproach.
Zhong Yao, tears brimming in her eyes, threw herself into her arms. “[2]阿 + 名字 (ā …) – intimate, friendly jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1668841_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1668841_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Ah Qing~ I, I… hic~”
There had been far too many things happening over the past few days, all of them far too fantastical. She wanted to talk about them but didn’t know where to begin, and in her anxiety she let out a hiccup.
That single hiccup instantly melted the heavy atmosphere between them. The corners of Si Ning Qing’s lips lifted slightly as she failed to hold back a laugh, while Zhong Yao covered her face in shame and indignation.
So stupid, this was really too stupid.
Si Ning Qing cleared her throat lightly, forcing down her smile, and said, “There’s no rush. Take your time and tell me slowly.”
Zhong Yao took a deep breath and began, “It all started the night before the CET-6 exam…”
The two of them had grown up together, and Si Ning Qing had always been the person Zhong Yao trusted most. Zhong Yao had no defenses at all, pouring out her strange experiences of the past few days like beans tumbling out of a bamboo tube.
Her phone had long been set to silent, so she completely ignored the messages sent by a certain little spirit creature:
【Shut up, don’t go telling people things so casually!】
【You stupid woman, you’re going to make me furious!】
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