Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 471 The Lower Professor
When Lu Chongming returned to his residence, the quiet room was empty.

"Mr. Illusion?"

He called out, and the coffin in the living room jerked violently. Although he knew perfectly well what was inside the coffin, the sudden movement was still a bit frightening.

呲——

The high-tech coffin was opened, and Zheng Fan laboriously slipped into Cheng Fei's body and emerged, clutching his forehead as if he had bumped it.

"Why did I have to use such a sturdy coffin that's so slow to open?"

It seems that he has fallen into some kind of self-doubt.

“Generally speaking, there is no need for coffins to be opened and closed repeatedly,” Lu Chongming said meticulously.

“You’re right, but Cheng Fei’s coffin is different. He deserves it,” Zheng Fan said solemnly.

What makes it worthwhile?

Lu Chongming, not understanding these things, could only ask about the important matter: "Did you suddenly call me back because of some clue?"

"Let's have someone tell your fortune, so we can figure out if you were affected by anything strange last night, even in places we can't see," Zheng Fan said casually.

"Fortune telling? Is it the kind that involves palmistry or face reading? It seems so suspicious..." Several stereotypes immediately popped into Lu Chongming's mind.

"I don't know either, but the other party seemed quite professional."

"major……"

As they were talking, Lu Chongming's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out to check.

"In a hurry?"

"No." Although he said that, Lu Chongming was still slightly surprised. "A large-scale terrorist attack occurred in a small to medium-sized gray neighborhood. Although it has little to do with us, the entire bureau will issue a warning."

"Very large?"

"The situation after the earthquake was quite serious. According to our limited understanding, the terrorists had a large stockpile of weapons, which caused the situation to escalate rapidly. It should have been suppressed by now."

But this kind of thing is probably just a microcosm of the gray neighborhoods in most cities.

Zheng Fan's phone rang at that moment; it was Lin Yilin calling.

“Mr. Illusion, we were just starting to investigate the smuggling activities from Jiangwen Street when we discovered that a terrorist attack had recently occurred in a neighborhood where smuggling was concentrated.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fan reached out and snatched Lu Chongming's phone. Lu Chongming instinctively tried to take it back, but of course, he couldn't possibly snatch it from Zheng Fan.

"Is the neighborhood where the terrorist attack occurred Nicole Street?"

"It seems you learned from Lu Chongming that the current handling bureau is quite sensitive, and this kind of news should be fully circulated internally as a warning." Lin Yilin immediately understood the source of Zheng Fan's news.

Do you have more detailed information?

"I'm trying to delve deeper, but this is just a superficial issue, and the chances of finding the clues you're looking for are slim. What I want to talk about is something else. After the earthquake, a rough estimate emerged that Jiangwen Street accounted for more than half of the smuggling volume. Although it itself absorbed a large amount of smuggling, this figure is already quite exaggerated."

“Indeed, this is what a free city within a free city looks like.” Zheng Fan nodded in agreement.

"It is obvious that explosives will explode once they are delivered to dangerous individuals. In some cases, the source of the attack can be traced, while in others it cannot. One particularly noteworthy case is a poisoning incident in a marginal gray neighborhood. Although the area was only the size of a small town, the poison was discovered and contained before it could spread, but it still resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people."

For Zheng Fan, three hundred is nothing, and compared to the exaggerated death toll of the recently concluded earthquake, it's not even a fraction.

However, it is not common for an event to result in the deaths of hundreds of people after an earthquake.

While the number of people who died sporadically over several months is certainly far greater than this figure, in reality, many armed conflicts that appear to be large-scale and cause considerable destruction may actually result in very few civilian casualties.

Many of these incidents involve deaths and injuries on both sides of the conflict, and some are even simply instances where two system owners meet on the street and engage in a fierce, dark duel.

There are countless instances where a mountain is destroyed but only one person dies. Zheng Fan looked at Lu Chongming.

Lu Chongming shrugged and said he had never heard of this.

"There's no news here."

“On the one hand, the method of poisoning is relatively rare and covert; on the other hand, the area is very remote, almost entirely mountainous and quite underdeveloped. There isn’t even a special office for the crime investigation department; only the local police station handles various matters. Since it was confirmed that there were no supernatural factors, there was no need to escalate the case to the special office,” Lin Yilin explained softly.

"Are the drugs used in the case related to smuggled goods that flowed out of Jiangwen Street?"

"That's right, the police in that area are still persisting in their investigation. For the police, this is no small matter. It's just that their efforts are too easily overlooked in the current environment." After saying that, Lin Yilin said, "I'm going there to do some on-site investigation. There are some things I'm particularly concerned about."

"Personally taking action?" Zheng was surprised, which meant that Lin Yilin had changed from "just helping out" to "having an interest in investigating the matter herself."

"Hmm, it's a good opportunity to take Toast and the others out for a walk, otherwise I think they really won't be able to resist."

"sorry to bother you."

"It's alright, you're an adult who's always out and about." Lin Yilin teased Zheng Fan unexpectedly.

The call between the two parties came to an end.

"Miss Lin Yilin, would you like to help me personally?" If Lu Chongming had to say who he respected more, Zheng Fan or Lin Yilin, it would actually be Lin Yilin.

For him, although Zheng Fan was unfathomable and an indescribable illusion, at least he was very relaxed with him during this period of time. He was really like an older brother who took care of him and helped him get by.

As for Lin Yilin, although he knew that she was human like him, it was precisely because they were both human that Lu Chongming felt even more awe for these kinds of people who could do many "inhuman things".

People are so easily deceived by appearances, a fact that Lu Chongming himself had to admit.

"She's become interested, which is a good thing. Being interested gives her a lot more motivation than just helping out perfunctorily."

"Thank you so much. I really don't know how I can ever repay you both."

"I couldn't afford to pay it back anyway, so I didn't expect you to. Being a good little thug is good enough for you." Zheng Fan said bluntly, handing Lu Chongming his phone back.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the hallway by the door.

Lu Chongming quickly got up and took out his weapon.

Then Niu Qianliu yawned and walked out: "Hmm? Is this kid giving such a warm welcome?"

“Uh…” Lu Chongming immediately realized that he had gone too far.

It's not that he's overly sensitive; today's series of experiences forced him to act this way. He has a constant feeling that the enemy's hand and feet are lurking everywhere.

I thought they had called me.

"How did the meeting with the old acquaintance go?" Zheng asked, sitting on the sofa.

"It didn't go well. She and I split the bill. How can a woman split the bill with a man?"

"What? Going Dutch isn't good? Did you try to pick her up by pretending to be a gentleman and get rejected?" Zheng Fan looked at him with suspicion.

Although Niu Qianliu was a good teacher, many people's personal ethics and qualities in other matters can be almost separated; that's just how complex people are.

"As a junior I haven't seen in a long time, she should treat me!"

Lu Chongming and Zheng Fan exchanged a silent glance.

Holy crap, this middle-aged professor is really something else.

(End of this chapter)