Kidnapping

Don’t be fooled by the long hours in the rules—when there are no customers, you can totally sleep.

Chen Miemie woke up a bit early.

As he squeezed out through the gap, he ran into Old Man Yu from next door.

Old Man Yu rubbed his eyes.

“You’re the young fella from yesterday?”

Chen Miemie nodded and introduced himself again: “My name’s Chen Miemie. I’ll be settling down around here from now on.”

Old Man Yu’s body trembled slightly, and it took him a moment to steady himself. “Looks like you found your spot.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Back in the day, Old Lao Song would always show up out of nowhere, just like you did. I used to think it was his [mystique], but it turns out it was just his way of stepping out.”

“Old Man Yu, aren’t you scared?”

“Scared of what? I’ve seen this for years. Even if Old Lao Song came back to life and showed up in person, I’d still tell you I’m not scared.”

“Alright, take care.” Having greeted him, Chen Miemie turned to leave.

But Old Man Yu grabbed his arm.

“Even though I don’t know exactly where your shop is, since you’re here, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Our street is about to be demolished. The Scholar Academy has already started going door-to-door to sign compensation agreements.”

Chen Miemie frowned.

Demolition now of all times? He just got here, and they’re tearing it down? Ridiculous.

“What’s everyone else think?”

“Half are for it, half against it.”

“The price isn’t right?”

“Price is part of it, but I hear some people are pulling strings behind the scenes, trying to make a quick buck. That’s not even the main issue.”

“What else is there?”

“Well, some of the younger folks are okay with it—swap their old place for a new one, even if they have to chip in a bit extra.

But us old-timers? Most of us don’t want to leave the familiar place. If I lose this shop, I don’t know what else I’d do. Even if we had more time, going somewhere strange with no old friends or purpose—we’d probably lose a few years off our lives.”

“If they don’t want to move, just hold your ground. They can’t force you out, can they?”

Old Man Yu’s face flickered with sadness.

“In the end, they’ll get their way. You can’t fight the power.

Word is, they’re planning to build a huge amusement zone here—a real fairy-tale park.”

Chen Miemie didn’t care about compensation or plans. If things moved too fast, he wouldn’t even make three months before packing up and admitting mission failure.

“No way. I’m against it too,” Chen Miemie said with righteous indignation.

Old Man Yu shot him a sidelong glance and snorted. “What right do you have to disagree? Do you have the property deed?”

Chen Miemie shrank back. He couldn’t even tell anyone where his shop was, let alone get a deed. And even if the place had one, it wasn’t his.

“Who came up with this plan?”

“What, are you planning to go to the higher-ups? Don’t even think about it. This project—from planning to execution—is all handled by Cicada, one of the Six Scholars.”

“Cicada? Doesn’t sound like a good guy.”

At that, Old Man Yu tensed up, glancing around nervously. Seeing no one nearby, he whispered urgently,

“Watch your mouth. Scholar Cicada is famous for his vast knowledge, long-term vision, and high prestige. Badmouthing him on the street could get you reported.”

“And what if I get reported?”

“Cicada is a very vengeful creature.”

Chen Miemie took the advice. “So where does this Scholar Cicada usually work?”

“At the Scholar Academy, of course.”

At noon.

Chen Miemie and Loop, both wrapped up tightly with masks on, sat in an empty reception room at the Scholar Academy.

The Scholar Academy was the administrative body of the city of Fengshuguan, similar to the City Hall in Sixiang City.

Besides handling government affairs, the Academy was also a higher academic institution, housing many pure scholars with no political power but immense knowledge and prestige.

Cicada, one of the Six Scholars, was having a very bad day.

He knew he’d been set up, and the person behind it was far more powerful than him.

His codename, Cicada, wasn’t just for show. He always dressed in pure black, with several cicadas hidden on his shoulders.

Among the six great scholars, he was the only one with a [Mystique] rating of 4—the rest were all 5 or above.

But that [Mystique] 4 wasn’t a weakness; it was his pride.

Making it to the top seat with such a low rating showed just how outstanding his other abilities and contributions were.

Today, that lack of mystique cost him.

He was heading out for lunch when a sprinkler system watering the lawns soaked half his body.

This forced him to strip off his wet clothes and remove his watch.

At this point, he thought it was just an accident.

But what happened next made it clear he’d been plotted against. Losing his watch cut him off from the outside world.

The walk from the changing room to his office turned into a path he could see but never reach.

The route before him was warped; no matter where he went, he couldn’t get to where he wanted. He had fallen into a [Path of Sinking].

The only direction that made progress was toward the reception room.

Even before entering, he knew someone was “looking” for him.

At the reception room.

Chen Miemie looked at the pale-faced man in black and greeted him warmly.

“Scholar Cicada, I’ve long admired you. Here, this little cicada’s for you.”

Cicada took the small cicada Chen Miemie handed him with a dark scowl.

It was one of his constant companions—the flying cicadas. When he first fell into the trap, he’d sent one out for help.

Now even the cicada had fallen into their hands.

“What do you want?” Cicada’s voice was cold.

Chen Miemie sounded like a villain: “Your existence is interfering with our plans.”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“Stop the Fairy Tale Street demolition project.”

“Why? For the sake of future development, that old block is going to come down sooner or later.”

Cicada began to relax. He realized the young man didn’t want to kill him; otherwise, he wouldn’t be wasting words.

“I don’t care about your future development. Stop it now.”

“Impossible. This project has been in the works for half a year. Multiple stakeholders have already invested, and the construction plans are set.”

Chen Miemie wasn’t there to argue. He wasn’t a crusader for justice or some advocate for the weak. He wasn’t even on the side of good. He was here to achieve his own goal.

“Your turn,” he said to Loop, stepping aside.

Loop stepped forward, holding a disposable cup in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other.

Cicada was already tied firmly to a chair with a spiderweb-like restraint.

She pinched a small lock of Cicada’s hair, snipped it into fine bits, let them fall, then gently swirled the cup of water.

Loop’s voice was calm, with an undercurrent of excitement:

“There’s a game called ‘Swallowing a Thousand Needles.’ Of course, people can’t swallow real iron needles. But this brew of hair bits, once it goes down, the tiny fragments will stick to your intestines, digging into every spot. Without a specific type of [Mystique], even stomach pumping won’t get rid of them. A thousand needles, for the rest of your life.”

Watching Loop circle around and approach him, gradually bringing the water cup closer to his mouth, Cicada inwardly groaned: He had run into a tough customer.

Even though what Loop said was intimidating, as a scholar, Cicada wasn't so easily coerced.

Just as he was about to activate his hidden means, he seemed to find the voice of the masked Loop slightly familiar.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"Stop, I'll do as you say."

Chen Miemie didn't respond. Since Loop didn't hear Chen Miemie's call to stop, she didn't halt her actions.

She pinched Cicada's mouth and forced the water down his throat.