Yan Tuo didn’t understand. “Death penalty? Is the man a juror?”
In his impression, the death penalty in foreign countries is mostly voted on by jurors, and he really doesn’t know if this is the system in China.
Thinking about it again, no; he is very familiar with the people in the form, and he has also analyzed it from all aspects. Most of the occupations have no threshold: partial physical work, flower breeding, waiters, bar singing, or something. Jurors are relatively professional; there is really no such thing.
Lin Ling said, “I don’t know either. The man was probably afraid that the driver would be suspicious. After hanging up the phone, he explained that he was a criminal of theirs, and he had not yet been sentenced. A poll appeared in the newspaper to see whether there were more people in favor of the death penalty or those who were not. The driver was fooled without thinking much about it.”
“But if you think about it carefully, what does it mean to ‘it’s useless if you oppose it, everyone has already voted’? The death penalty is imposed by the court, not by the people. It also emphasizes ‘having to follow the rules,’ which is very strange. In short, it’s very strange, not to mention it still comes out of the mouth of a person who is ‘suspected of being a landlord.'”
“Who is sentenced to death? It can’t be Jiang Baichuan, right? We still have to vote to decide, and the landlord still talks about democracy?”
Yan Tuo’s heart beat sharply, and he forced himself to calm down. It’s not like Xiong Hei is just playing; he broke Jiang Baichuan’s half a foot. Lin Xirou wants to kill him; isn’t it a matter of raising his hand? Is he guilty of asking for other people’s opinions?
Before hanging up the phone, he asked Lin Ling, “How have you been sleeping at night lately?”
Lin Ling knew what he was referring to. “It’s okay.”
Yan Tuo breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t think too much; maybe you were too anxious during that time.”
Lin Ling was silent for a while and said softly, “It is also possible that during this time, everyone went out, and only I was here.” Everyone went out, and the pervert who sneaked into her room late at night also went out.
This possibility cannot be ruled out. Yan Tuo said, “Go to bed at night, lock the door, and make sure the camera device is fully charged. In case you wake up when something is happening, don’t resist, and don’t alert the person. Everything will wait until the person is gone.”
Lin Ling snorted, her voice trembling a little.
Yan Tuo hardened his heart and ended the call. He didn’t offer any soft words of relief; he was not an old hen, and he couldn’t protect her under his wings. Besides, she can’t be too dependent on him. What if one day he dies?
After hanging up, he studied the men.
Two people went to Shihe. One is named Chen Fu, in his early thirties, currently living in Linyi, Shandong. He is a forklift driver and, at first glance, appears to be a powerful type. The other is Han Guan, in his twenties, living in Changsha. He is handsome but has a slightly greasy look and works as a security guard for large-scale events, often appearing at auto shows, star concerts, and other occasions.
Going to Stone River… Yan Tuo’s heart moved. Could it be that he was going to support the Nanba monkey head?
Looking at the three on the farm, if they didn’t appear on the same table, they really couldn’t beat the eight poles.
The oldest one is called Li Yueying, in her sixties. She opened a paper-cutting shop in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, and Yang scissors are considered a national intangible cultural heritage.
The youngest is called Feng Mi, in her early twenties, from Xiamen. She sings in a bar and is well-known in the local area.
The last one is a man named Yang Zheng, in his forties, who engages in flower farming in Kunming.
Two went to Shihe and three went to the farm, which shows that the matter of the farm is more important.
Gotta go to the farm.
***
After Nie Jiuluo returned to the hotel, she took a long sleep. In that long sleep, she had a dream: she had opened an international touring exhibition, and the pavilion was elegantly decorated. She wore a golden, dazzling long dress with a hollow back and walked on an expensive, soft carpet.
In the lounge, journalists from various countries were waiting to interview her.
She stopped when she was about to reach the door.
Lao Cai asked from the side, “What’s wrong?”
She replied, “Alas, the goal of life was achieved so easily, and it was a bit empty.”
……
It was such a beautiful dream that the moment she woke up, she almost forgot where she was. The afternoon sun was particularly gentle and golden, making it hard to remember that it was a cold winter through a layer of glass.
Nie Jiuluo lay down lazily for a while, then got up and packed her luggage. Jiang Baichuan’s matter had already been asked of Yan Tuo, Xing Shen had gone to meet Yu Rong, and it was time for her to go home.
……
This point is the dividing line between check-out and check-in. There are a lot of people at the front desk. Nie Jiuluo hesitated about which side to queue. A young man in front of her took the initiative to give up his position and said with a smile, “The beauty comes first.”
Nie Jiuluo glanced at him.
He looked very thoughtful, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, but she didn’t like this kind of man who emitted “I’m handsome” from every pore of his body.
She came first. Nie Jiuluo said “thank you,” didn’t even smile at him, crossed him, and handed over the room card.
The man was stunned but happened to receive a call coming in. He didn’t care about anything else and walked a few steps away to answer the phone.
Nie Jiuluo completed the formalities, and when she passed by his side, she heard him laughing: “Okay, okay, I’ll check out. I haven’t seen you for a long time; I’ll go over immediately.”
Loud noise in public; with this quality, he’s really sorry for that face.
Nie Jiuluo walked out of the lobby and hired a taxi to go to the station. Since there was no airport in the local area, she had to travel to Xi’an first and then catch a plane home.
The drive was lengthy. Bored in the back seat, she swiped through her mobile phone, and suddenly, “Burn After Reading” sent her three messages in quick succession.
Nie Jiuluo sat up straight.
The little character was messaging her again. She clicked on the app, where the first two messages contained photos of two men, and the third was text: Chen Fu and Han Guan are likely earth owls who will be entering and exiting Shihe in the near future.
Owls?
Nie Jiuluo’s heart raced as she examined the photos closely, her mind quickly burning the two faces into her memory. She licked her lips imperceptibly, paused for a moment, and then patted the back of the driver’s seat. “Master, I’ll give you more money; please turn around and go back to the hotel.”
Upon hearing about the increase, the driver nodded silently and turned the car around.
The man in the second photo, Han Guan, was the same one who had just assisted her at the hotel front desk. If he were an ordinary person, she might not have recognized him, as the photos sent by Yan Tuo were old and featured more rigid headshots. Han Guan’s hairstyle, demeanor, and clothing had all changed significantly since then.
However, Nie Jiuluo, who had studied sculpture, was sensitive to depth and spatial form. When she looked at a face, she could strip away the ornate exterior to quickly establish a general outline and relative position of the pure facial features.
She believed she was correct; that man was indeed Han Guan. He had evolved far beyond the typical appearance, belonging to the true essence of a “humanoid earth owl.” It was the first time she had come into contact with such a being.
She needed to figure something out: could she identify an earth owl by the viscosity of its blood? For example, the canine nose was useless against them—what about her knife?
Fortunately, as soon as they arrived at the hotel, she spotted Han Guan getting into a taxi. Nie Jiuluo pointed to the car and instructed the driver, “Follow that car. How much does your service cost for a day?”
The driver replied, “Four or five hundred.”
“I’ll give you five hundred. Just focus on me today,” she said. The driver nodded, not asking for further details. He had been in this business long enough to help catch traitors and gangs, encountering many strange situations. He settled in behind the car in front of him and followed it leisurely. After about ten minutes, they stopped in front of a restaurant.
A man in his thirties was already waiting at the entrance. As soon as Han Guan got out of the taxi, the two embraced warmly, patting each other on the back like long-lost friends.
Nie Jiuluo recognized the other man instantly—Chen Fu, with his square face, prominent jaw, and drooping eyes.
She took note of the driver’s number and instructed him to wait nearby before exiting the car and entering the restaurant.
The establishment was quite upscale, featuring a central hall with semi-enclosed private rooms. The partitions were made of wooden boards rather than solid walls, leaving the upper part open.
After the early meal rush, the restaurant was nearly deserted. The waiter attempted to lead Chen Fu and Han Guan to a table in the hall, but Chen Fu objected, “Isn’t there a private room available?”
The waiter explained, “The private room isn’t open at the moment…”
Chen Fu shot him a glare. “If you don’t open one, you’re just causing trouble. I’ll sit where I want.” He tugged on Han Guan’s arm. “Let’s go; I want a private room.”
With his imposing figure and fierce expression, the waiter had no choice but to comply, leading the two into the private room.
Nie Jiuluo observed from a distance and memorized the location of the room. Just then, another guest approached the entrance, prompting an idle waitress to greet them hurriedly.
Nie Jiuluo pondered for a moment, then raised her head, her eyes glistening. She whispered, “Can I sit in the private room?”
The waitress paused, unsure how to respond to a request like that. Just as she was about to politely refuse, Nie Jiuluo continued, “I’m about to get married, but I found out he likes men. I just need to follow him…”
The waitress suddenly understood. “He’s with that… man, huh?”
Nie Jiuluo nodded, wiping away an imaginary tear. “I want to hear what they have to say. Can you help me?”
Given that they were both women, the waitress hurriedly agreed, “Okay, go on in.”
Nie Jiuluo then asked, “Please tell your colleague to keep it quiet. I don’t want them to know I’m next door.”
The waitress nodded solemnly, making eye contact with another staff member nearby to convey the urgency of the situation, signaling that everything would be explained later.
In this way, Nie Jiuluo slipped into the private room next to Chen Fu and Han Guan like a ghost, unnoticed by anyone.
She settled quietly, silencing her phone and taking deep, gentle breaths. Leaning against the partition, she strained to listen.
It was clear that the meal had already been served, and Chen Fu shouted, “Get out of here and don’t come back unless we call.”
The waiter, presumably aware of the situation, hurriedly exited.
Nie Jiuluo heard Han Guan laughing. “I thought I’d get to see Sister Lin this time, but Brother Xiong first said she was busy and then said she was gone. What a pity.”
Chen Fu sighed, “Sister Lin has it tough; let’s raise a glass in her honor.”
The sound of clinking glasses echoed through the partition.
Han Guan asked, “Brother Chen, which side did you vote for?”
Chen Fu replied, “Do we really need to discuss this?” He cursed under his breath at the frustrating rules. “What about you? Dogtooth?”
What did he mean by “dogtooth”? Nie Jiuluo felt her scalp tingle with anxiety.
Han Guan shrugged. “I voted the same way. After hearing about this, I couldn’t help but laugh. Brother Chen, you said everyone wasn’t affected by this, but he couldn’t help it? If he can’t overcome such a minor obstacle, what else do you expect him to do? Keeping him around is a curse.”
Yan Tuo had mentioned that these two “are likely to be earth owls,” and now, with the comment about “who isn’t here like this,” Nie Jiuluo could confirm their identities.
Chen Fu lowered his voice further. “But I heard that Brother Xiong wants to protect him.”
“Why?” Han Guan asked, intrigued.
Chen Fu continued in a hushed tone, “Isn’t this the legendary head-wrapping army showing its face? I understand Brother Xiong’s intentions. Now is the time to use people; instead of eliminating him, it’s better to leverage his abilities.”
After this, they fell silent, eating their food while the occasional sound of chewing filled the air.
When Han Guan finally spoke again, there was a nervous edge to his voice. “How many people are in the head-wrapping army? What do they know about us?”
Chen Fu laughed lightly. “Look at you, so cowardly. Don’t worry; we have Sister Lin on our side. I heard the head stalker is finished, the dog’s nose is ruined, and the mad knife is paralyzed—all the leaders are crippled. We’ve been sent here to see if we can clean up what’s left.”
Nie Jiuluo felt momentarily lost. Paralyzed? Who was this mad knife? Among their ranks, only the old knife could be linked to “paralysis.” Did the other side think the old knife was the mad knife?
Her heart raced at the thought that Jiang Baichuan might be misleading them.
Han Guan looked embarrassed. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I’ve heard so much about the head army that it’s messing with my head.”
Chen Fu sneered. “Stop overthinking it. You’ll see for yourself when you enter the monkey head this time. I heard they caught four of them.”
After this exchange, the atmosphere shifted again as they resumed pushing dishes around and refilling cups.
It was Han Guan who broke the silence again. “Did you see Sister Ying when Xi’an came over?”
“I didn’t see her,” Chen Fu responded. “Didn’t she go to the farm? I heard she’s not in good health.”
“I did see her,” Han Guan said. “She looked awful and was so weak.”
Chen Fu sighed. “There’s no way around it. She wasn’t selected for the blood sac. She was in the first batch, back during Xiong Hei’s time. She’s lucky to be alive. Before Xiong Hei, everything was disastrous; even after, things haven’t smoothed out. Back then, Sister Lin was inexperienced, and it all relied on luck. We’re behind now, becoming more meticulous, but it should be fine.”
What was a blood sac? Nie Jiuluo wanted to learn more, but the conversation lulled. After a while, Han Guan sighed, “It’s really not easy for us to survive.”
“Who says it isn’t?” Chen Fu chimed in.