Carp Pond

After leaving the "Silence" office, Chen Miemie walked straight out of the municipal library.

Destination: the underground world contact point.

Following the address provided by "Silence," Chen Miemie arrived at "Secondhand Book Paradise."

Getting out of the sedan, Chen Miemie looked at the trees and artificial lake before him, feeling a bit puzzled.

"No wonder 'Silence' said this place is a park — it's all greenery, and I don't see any books. Why is it called 'Secondhand Book Paradise'?"

With that doubt in mind, Chen Miemie walked into the park.

The park named "Secondhand Book Paradise" was tastefully arranged. Amid the vast green spaces, waterways wound gracefully, covered bridges intersected, and every so often there were small pavilions for people to sit and rest.

Each small pavilion had a number on it, used to identify which pavilion it was.

After walking for less than about 10 minutes, Chen Miemie arrived at Pavilion No. 13.

A man of medium build was already sitting inside the pavilion.

The man wore a gray long gown, a pair of sunglasses, and a hat with the brim pulled down low, covering most of his face.

When he noticed Chen Miemie's arrival, the man was startled at first, as if he'd been caught doing something wrong, but when he saw it was just a young person with no attempt at concealment, he frowned slightly, seeming dissatisfied.

He had no intention of talking and hurriedly left.

Chen Miemie walked over to where the man had been standing.

Outside the pavilion was the artificial lake, with a lovely view — clusters of trees in the distance, shimmering water, and a gentle breeze that was quite pleasant.

"This should be the right spot."

Chen Miemie pulled a small bag from his pocket. Inside the bag were many tiny round pellets, each about the size of a sesame seed — like miniature pills — giving off a faint scent of grass and wood.

He poured a few dozen into his palm and scattered them onto the lake.

One second, two seconds — starting from the third second, ripples began to appear on the surface. The ripples grew from small to large, and then, hundreds of plump red koi fish gathered and appeared.

In a short while, the water beneath Chen Miemie was packed with large carp. The water was clear and the fish were vivid and beautiful.

The fish had all come for the feed, and Chen Miemie wasn't stingy — he tossed the entire bag into the water.

The big koi in the water went into a frenzy over the food, all crowding into an area of just a few square meters, and some were even pushed out of the water.

Chen Miemie saw it was about time, so he moved on to the next step. He took out a prepared slip of paper and tossed it into the pile of fish.

The slip disappeared instantly among the constantly shifting mass of fish.

The koi scrambled around for a while, and then, realizing there was no more food, dove to the bottom just as quickly as they'd come, gradually vanishing from sight.

This was how the underground world delivered tasks and messages.

Those in the know would write the task they wanted to publish, along with the reward, on a slip of paper, and it would be carried by some unknown fish to some unknown place.

The people who published tasks and those who accepted them never met face to face — it was all mediated by operators within the underground world.

The underground world was full of gossip, complex in its composition, and its members were wary of each other. The people involved stayed deeply hidden, and even "Silence" didn't know everyone's identity or contact information. Some people, Chen Miemie had to find on his own.

After watching the koi, Chen Miemie felt that today was bound to be his lucky day, and his mood was good.

He took a leisurely stroll along the park's covered bridge.

After wandering seemingly casually for about twenty minutes, he stopped beside someone who looked like a tourist.

"So, are you taking the job or not? I don't have time to wait two days and come back for an answer."

The tourist was a fair-skinned young man, clean-cut and polite, with a look of confusion: "Sir, what do you mean?"

"Cut the act. You already took my slip of paper. Are you taking the job or not? Just give me a straight answer."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The man didn't want to engage and tried to leave.

He'd only taken two steps when his foot got caught on something, nearly tripping him. He looked down, but the thin cord had already vanished — there was nothing at his feet.

When he tried to move again, he was tripped once more.

"The third time, it won't be a trip. Your leg will leave your body." Chen Miemie offered a friendly warning.

The man put on an angry face: "What are you doing! We don't even know each other."

"But I know your fish. Your luck is running out — this is your last chance."

The man dropped his fake anger: "How did you figure it out?"

His answer came in the form of a cut across his face, as if carved by a blade.

Drops of blood instantly trickled down his cheek.

He reached up and touched it, smearing blood across half his face.

Chen Miemie wasn't in the mood for nonsense: "You're here to answer, not to ask."

"This request of yours, I can't decide on my own. I need to go back and report to my superior."

"Fine. Lead the way."

"I won't take you there. If you're going to kill me, just do it." The man closed his eyes.

"What, has the underground world started practicing loyalty now?"

"I don't have any loyalty. But if I bring someone along and expose my contact, I'd be tortured and die a miserable death. Better to die at your hands — at least it's quick."

"Should I call you tough, or just clever? Who told you that falling into my hands gets you a quick death? Loop, he's yours."

Loop appeared behind Chen Miemie as if out of nowhere.

She stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and dragged him into a nearby corner, stuffing a cloth into his mouth along the way so he wouldn't scream later.

Within ten minutes, Loop dragged the man back out.

On the surface, he looked unchanged, but the way he spoke had completely shifted. The cloth taken from his mouth was stained large and red.

"I'll take you there now. Follow behind me, pretend you don't know me. When we arrive, I'll signal the number three with my hand."

"Excellent. Then I'll be in your care." Chen Miemie smiled, sounding very polite.

The two walked one after the other, leaving the park, and Loop vanished once more.

Walking behind him, Pure Water whispered into Chen Miemie's ear: "This guy's level of secrecy isn't high. His ability is interesting — he should be able to control the koi."

Chen Miemie smiled: "Good thing I have you. I was worried you might lose track of the fish."

Pure Water was rarely smug: "How could that happen? Anything in the water can't escape my senses."

They hadn't walked much longer when the man passed by the entrance of a shop, pointed to the owner inside, and made the agreed hand signal for three.

Chen Miemie looked up and saw it was a clothing dry cleaner's shop, its sign red in a way that was a bit harsh on the eyes.

Inside, there was a young woman, around twenty-something, with a bun on top of her head, of medium height, spraying some kind of cleaning solution onto a hanging garment.

Chen Miemie walked in.

She only turned her head for a quick glance before pausing what she was doing:

"Oh, it's you. If I'm not mistaken, that guy who just passed by sold me out?"