“Traffic police! Joint patrol units! Local precinct! Anyone you can mobilize, mobilize them for me!”
On a bustling commercial street, a plainclothes Supervision Office Jeep tore through traffic, setting off a storm of angry horns. In the driver’s seat, Chen Miao was roaring into his phone like a madman.
“I don’t care how many people you have or how many cars you’ve got. If anyone is even ten minutes late, tomorrow the Supervision Office will come flatten your entire family—!”
On the other end, Bureau Chief Wang was baffled. “La-la-late for what? What happens if we’re late?”
If you’re late, the first base-raid tragedy in the history of the Shenhai City Supervision Office is going to happen, and tomorrow morning you and I will be sliced into Peking duck right alongside that Zhao bastard by Shen Zhuo!
“Team Leader! Team Leader!” Just then, the tech team in the back shot to their feet in wild delight. “We found the location! He’s at the entrance of Baifu Jinjiang Hotel!”
“Hotel? What hotel?” Bureau Chief Wang was even more confused. “Did Supervisor Shen send you to conduct an anti-vice raid?”
“...”
The entire car choked up in wordless misery.
Chen Miao raised a tearful smile. “Bureau Chief Wang, I’ll be honest with you. Someone is backdooring our crystal. If we don’t raid that hotel within ten minutes, we’re both dead, and tomorrow every evolutionist in Shenhai will be buried with us. Do what you think is best.”
Bureau Chief Wang: “What—?!”
Chen Miao hung up and floored the gas.
The engine rumbled. Several plainclothes Supervision Office vehicles turned at the same time and accelerated, shooting away through a chorus of furious horns.
Not far ahead, beside the city’s riverfront.
The four words Baifu Jinjiang shone brilliantly beneath the night sky, bright with flowing light.
“This must be Young Master Bai. A pleasure, a pleasure!”
“You’ve grown up so much in the blink of an eye. You’ve finally returned to help your uncle shoulder the burden!”
“What a fine young man, truly a fine young man...”
In the banquet hall on the hotel’s top floor, a grand reception was in full swing. Bai Sheng, rarely dressed in a black formal suit, moved through the glittering crowd with practiced ease under his uncle’s guidance.
A business rival caught his uncle by the arm and teased him with a smile that hid a blade. “Chairman Bai has finally waited until his dear nephew came home. At last you’ll be able to catch your breath a little. How enviable!”
The current chairman of Baihe Group was, in fact, only in his early fifties. He was short, plump, round, and rather cheerful-looking, though his smile carried a trace of bitterness.
“Of course, of course. I’ve been wanting to retire and enjoy my old age for years. Looks like it’s finally about to happen. Hahaha—”
“Is it really that simple?” someone whispered in a luxurious corner. “The old man has children of his own. Is he really going to watch the family empire get handed to his nephew?”
Someone beside him who knew the inside story gave a low laugh. “What do you know? The empire was built by Bai Sheng’s parents in the first place. Before they passed, the couple left their only son absolute controlling shares, solid and untouchable. It was only because he was still underage at the time that his uncle got the chance to act as guardian...”
“Even then, the old man won’t just obediently step down, right? He can’t lose to his own nephew, can he?”
Not far away, Bai Sheng moved through the reception. He was devastatingly handsome, tall, and long-legged, but the false politeness on his face and the perfunctory smile at the corner of his mouth still betrayed his inner boredom and impatience.
“Who knows? It’s not like the world is short on rich second-generation heirs who look polished on the outside and rotten underneath.” The person who had spoken earlier curled his lip with subtle meaning. “The Bai family’s empire is going to be lively from now on...”
“—Oh, isn’t this President Zhang? We absolutely have to get reacquainted!”
Bai Sheng gripped the hand of a business rival who had come specifically to watch the show. With his other hand, he clapped the man hard on the shoulder, acting so affectionate it was as if he had just run into a dear uncle he had not seen in eight hundred years.
“Back in kindergarten, your esteemed son and I were closer than real brothers. Every day after school, we’d form a gang and go fish out your golden arowana. That two-hundred-thousand-yuan overback golden arowana of yours? I personally taught your son how to roast it. Do you still remember the taste, President Zhang? Hahahaha—”
The unfortunate President Zhang’s smile had already twisted out of shape.
“My son has grown up now. He’s much more mature these days. He no longer fools around the way he did back then...”
“I know, I know.” Bai Sheng interrupted warmly. “I knew your son matured a lot after the summer he graduated kindergarten, when he practiced touching electrical sockets barehanded at home and got beaten so badly he spent two months in the hospital. You learn wisdom from every setback, don’t you? Hahahaha—”
Learn wisdom from every setback, my ass! You little bastard were the one who led them into playing with sockets!
Chairman Bai grabbed his precious nephew away, finally saving his business rival from the edge of eruption. He squeezed out a face full of fake smiles.
“President Zhang, don’t take it to heart. He doesn’t know any better. He’s still a child. I’ll definitely teach him a lesson later.”
A twenty-seven-year-old child, my ass!
The rival left smoking from all seven orifices.
Chairman Bai was exhausted. Before he could find a mirror to check how many more strands of his precious remaining hair had fallen out, he heard Bai Sheng sigh and pat him on the shoulder.
“Uncle, I’ve greeted most of these old family connections. You go ahead and stay busy. I’m leaving.”
“Where are you going?”
Bai Sheng drained the last mouthful of wine in his glass and said carelessly, “To check on the ‘Unfinished Building.’”
The moment he heard those three words, Chairman Bai’s face changed. He forgot everything else and hurried after him, lowering his voice nervously.
“You’re going there again? Why don’t you go home and sleep? Why are you always running off to hang around with a bunch of evolutionists?”
Bai Sheng’s absurdly long legs carried him one step for every two of his uncle’s. He walked straight through the glittering reception, not forgetting to throw a frivolous smile back at several beautiful women sending him looks along the way.
“It’s fine, Uncle. I’m just giving those evolutionists who can’t adapt to society a place to stay. It’s not like I’m raising a gang of future criminals.”
“But...”
“Besides, aren’t you an evolutionist too, Uncle?”
A rush of grievance shot straight into Chairman Bai’s heart.
He really was.
When his older sister and brother-in-law passed away, little Bai Sheng had only been eight. The family fortune was enormous, the young heir tender and vulnerable. It would be impossible to say Chairman Bai had never entertained any calculations of his own.
But unfortunately, Bai Sheng had been born sharper than a ghost and slicker than oil. He was also the sole beneficiary of an overseas family trust. No one could touch him.
Chairman Bai had no choice but to give up his other thoughts and honestly serve as regent, waiting for his precious nephew to graduate so he could retreat to the second line.
Who would have thought that five years ago, a sudden meteor shower would descend upon Earth, and Chairman Bai would wake up one morning to discover that he had evolved?
Although he was only Class D, weak in strength and without any ability, his intelligence and physical condition had undergone a complete transformation.
More importantly, at the time, in order to maintain social stability, policies had been heavily tilted in favor of evolutionists.
Chairman Bai was instantly filled with ambition. He felt a brand-new life unfolding before his eyes and was just preparing to declare himself king and accomplish great things when terrible news arrived.
His precious nephew had evolved too.
And he was S-Class.
One of only twenty or so S-Class evolutionists in the world. The peak of humanity.
Killing a Class D like him would be as easy as playing around.
Chairman Bai hid under his office desk and nearly cried himself unconscious. The sensible Bai Sheng crouched beside the desk and comforted him like this:
“It’s fine, Uncle. Why would I kill you? Relax and keep working hard. My empire still needs you to make money.”
On that bright and breezy afternoon, Chairman Bai—the Bai family crown prince’s long-suffering regent of an uncle—sobbed so loudly that half the top floor of the group headquarters could hear him.
“Uncle,” Bai Sheng said, standing in front of the elevators outside the banquet hall. He had one arm around his uncle’s shoulders, as if he were hugging a short, round potato. With a sigh, he said, “There’s something I’ve thought about for a long time, and I still want to tell you from the heart.”
Chairman Bai choked wordlessly. “What?”
“You really should listen less to people trying to stir things up.”
Bai Sheng casually straightened his uncle’s tie and said earnestly, “After all these years, don’t you know what kind of person I am? I’m incorruptible, noble in character, and have no interest in money whatsoever. I’ve never once thought about becoming a capitalist.”
Chairman Bai looked at his nephew’s hundred-and-eighty-thousand-yuan custom suit and the Jaquet Droz watch worth over four million on his wrist, then fell into deep thought.
Bai Sheng said, “My lifelong dream and pursuit is to fight for peaceful coexistence between humanity and evolutionists, and to dedicate my life to protecting Earth!”
“...”
For a moment, Chairman Bai had no idea what to say. After a long while, he solemnly applauded his nephew.
“So, the company’s management rights won’t change in any way. Uncle managed the household before, and Uncle will keep managing it in the future.” Bai Sheng humbly accepted the applause and said kindly, “We’re uncle and nephew, blood relatives. If anyone tries to sow discord between us again, just call me. I’ll be responsible for humiliating eighteen generations of their ancestors.”
Chairman Bai had never expected his nephew not to force him out. The surprise came so suddenly that his mind went blank. Then a surge of fierce, burning familial affection rose in his chest.
“Xiao Sheng...”
With a ding, the elevator arrived. Bai Sheng waved and walked in.
Chairman Bai hurriedly followed him into the elevator, rubbing his plump hands together and not knowing what to say. After a long while, he managed to blurt out, deeply moved,
“Xiao Sheng, what do you want for your birthday this year? Do you like that fourteen-million-yuan 918 sports car? Uncle will buy it for you, all right?”
Bai Sheng looked at him lovingly and smiled faintly.
“Don’t waste the money, Uncle. You’ve worked hard all these years. With the dividends I receive as the largest shareholder, I could buy an entire sports car production line. How about I give you a 918 instead?”
“...”
All of Chairman Bai’s emotions went straight to the dogs.
The transparent sightseeing elevator descended from the top floor, overlooking the hotel’s entire resplendent interior.
“This time, I’m planning to stay in Shenhai and not leave. I want to realize my pursuits and ideals.” Bai Sheng stretched lazily, then declared with solemn dignity, “I want to become someone who contributes to society.”
Chairman Bai sobered immediately and said coldly, “Contribute to the GDP of the sports car industry?”
“No. I’m going to take the civil service exam.”
Civil service?
Civil service was good. Stable. Respected. Most importantly, it meant he would not go running around causing trouble.
A trace of hope rose in Chairman Bai. “Then which department do you want to apply for? Preferably something relaxing, not too far from home, with more girls your age...”
“Don’t worry, Uncle. It’s right by home.”
Bai Sheng paused, then announced with ringing conviction,
“I’m going to apply for the Shenhai City Supervision Office!”
“Pfft—”
Chairman Bai’s blood pressure instantly shot to one-eighty. His heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs all trembled together. He stared at his nephew, tongue-tied.
“What did you say? Do you know who the current Supervisor of Shenhai is? Shen Zhuo! It’s Shen Zhuo! Haven’t you heard of him while you were overseas?”
“Oh, I’ve heard.” Bai Sheng was full of admiration. “I heard Supervisor Shen is an extremely gentle and extremely nice person. Warm, friendly, deeply beloved, and famous among evolutionists all over the world...”
Chairman Bai nearly had a heart attack on the spot. “Nonsense! Shen Zhuo is—”
Out of reflex, he looked around, then lowered his voice in terror.
“He’s Hitler! Voldemort! You-Know-Who! There are rumors that he secretly used evolutionists for human experiments and killed who knows how many of them! He also likes electrocuting people for fun!”
Bai Sheng calmly laughed twice. “Those are all rumors. Seeing is believing; hearsay is false. How can we convict him without personally investigating? I believe Supervisor Shen must be kindhea—”
He suddenly caught sight of a corner of the hotel lobby.
His voice and expression froze at the same time.
“?” Chairman Bai turned back blankly.
In the corner of the hotel lobby, in front of the guest elevators, Zhao Jun was quietly instructing his driver.
“The room the buyer booked is on the sixteenth floor, same as ours. Go tell them I’ll settle things here first, then come over for the transaction...”
“Yes!”
Zhao Jun was supporting “unconscious” Shen Zhuo, his face unable to conceal his urgent greed. Holding the keycard he had just obtained, he swiped it beside the guest elevator.
“...”
High above in the sightseeing elevator, Bai Sheng wore an unreal, sleepwalking expression. He pinched Chairman Bai hard.
His long-suffering uncle nearly jumped up with a howl. “What’s wrong with you?”
Bai Sheng said in shock, “Someone came to our family’s hotel to commit suicide.”
“What?”
In the distance, the elevator doors slowly closed. Zhao Jun and Shen Zhuo disappeared behind them.
Bai Sheng could not wait for the sightseeing elevator to reach the ground. With a crash, he shattered the entire glass wall and leapt down from the height of four or five floors.
Countless shards of glass fell into the hotel fountain. Everyone in the lobby cried out.
Bai Sheng ignored it all. The instant he landed, he seemed to vanish on the spot. In the next moment, he appeared directly at the front desk and rapped two knuckles against the counter.
“What room did that idiot just book?”
The lobby manager stared at the young boss in horror. “What?”
Bzz, bzz—
Inside the guest elevator, the phone in Shen Zhuo’s pocket vibrated silently twice. That was Chen Miao’s signal, meaning reinforcements had already surrounded the target location and could provide support or move in at any time.
Zhao Jun knew nothing. He was still humming a tune, full of anticipation as he prepared to welcome a wonderful night.
Just then, the elevator dinged open.
Overjoyed, Zhao Jun was about to step out when someone suddenly stuck a hand into the doorway.
Blocking the elevator was a handsome young man. He was tall and straight, with sharp features and a streak of silver-white dyed into his black hair. It was Bai Sheng, who had sprinted all the way up to the sixteenth floor through the fire stairs in just over ten seconds.
A feral smile appeared on Bai Sheng’s face.
“Bro. What are you doing? Picking up passed-out drunks?”
A thunderbolt seemed to strike down in an instant.
Shen Zhuo: “...”
Zhao Jun was baffled. “You—what are you doing? Who are you? This is my friend!”
“Friend.” Bai Sheng sneered. He grabbed Shen Zhuo by the arm and pulled him over, shielding him behind his own body.
Zhao Jun was stunned. “What are you doing?!”
Bai Sheng blocked the obviously guilty and furious Zhao Jun with one hand while quickly checking Shen Zhuo from head to toe. The smell of alcohol was abnormally heavy, but he could not tell whether Shen Zhuo had been drugged. Suspicion immediately rose in his heart.
“Supervisor?” He reached out and patted Shen Zhuo’s cheek, asking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Shen Zhuo did not react in the slightest.
The Supervisor of Shenhai City was always dressed in a suit and shirt, cold and precise. But right now, his skin seemed steeped in the fragrance of strong liquor. His ink-dark lashes cast a shadow downward. The top two buttons of his shirt had come loose, faintly revealing his collarbone.
The thin fabric was wet with alcohol, and beneath Bai Sheng’s palm, the curve of his side was clearly tangible.
Bai Sheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His mind could not help drifting. He coughed as if to cover it, looked away, and asked softly,
“Did someone pick you up while you were passed out, Supervisor?”
Shen Zhuo: “...”
The motionless Shen Zhuo had not yet decided how to handle this scene that felt as if it had been struck by heavenly lightning when Zhao Jun flew into a rage.
“Who the hell are you? What does this have to do with you?! I told you, this is my friend!”
Bai Sheng mocked him without thinking. “Your friend? I can say he’s my boyfriend, too. If you don’t get lost by the time I count to three, I’ll hang you outside this hotel and light you up like a lantern for the logo. Want to try?”
Ding!
Another elevator door opened behind them, revealing Chairman Bai’s dumbstruck face.
“Wh-what did you say?”
Chairman Bai had rushed over with people to save the situation, only to be struck head-on by a bolt from the blue so powerful he nearly had a stroke on the spot. Trembling, he asked,
“Who is your boyfriend?”
The hotel security guards packed into the elevator: “...”
Under everyone’s stare, the suddenly outed Young Master Bai looked helpless. He spared a sliver of attention to clarify.
“It’s not like that, Uncle. Don’t get involved. Let me deal with this drunk-scavenging idiot first...”
At that moment, Chairman Bai recognized the “boyfriend’s” face.
After evolving, his eyesight was comparable to a fighter pilot’s. But right then, Chairman Bai would rather have been blind. He only wished he could drop dead from a brain hemorrhage on the spot.
He blurted out,
“Shen, Shen, Shen—”
Bai Sheng immediately tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
“—Shen-Shen-Shen-Shen-Supervisor Shen!”
The power of that title was practically no different from a nuclear explosion.
The scene fell into absolute silence.
Everyone’s souls nearly left their bodies. In perfect unison, they turned to look at Shen Zhuo, whose eyes were closed as he held one hand to his forehead.