A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Ji Zuodao stood outside the cell, looking at the people inside through the iron bars, a lollipop dangling from his mouth—lychee flavor, sweet and refreshing.

Next to him, Su Xiaoxiao was holding a laptop.

The screen displayed a satellite map of Jinghai City, densely marked with red dots. Each red dot marked the location where a spy had been captured.

"Seriously..."

With a lollipop in his mouth, Ji Zuodao mumbled, "I acknowledge the techniques these people use for tracking and disguise."

He held up a finger and pointed through the iron bars at a spy inside dressed as a sanitation worker:

"Look at that guy, his sweeping posture is so standard, and his movements of pushing the garbage cart are so skilled. You can tell he's been practicing."

"And that guy dressed as a deliveryman, his knocking technique and the way he handed over the package were exactly the same as a real deliveryman. If I hadn't known beforehand that they were spies, I definitely wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if I had run into them on the street."

He withdrew his hand, moved the lollipop from the left corner of his mouth to the right corner, and made a crisp "snap" sound:

"In an era before advanced surveillance, even Conan wouldn't have been able to find out anything with their skills. They were absolutely professional-level, top-notch."

Su Xiaoxiao looked up at him and asked, "So how did you find out?"

Ji Zuodao grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his smile carrying a hint of smugness and cunning: "Because they live in the present."

"These spies' tracking techniques are indeed impressive, but no matter how impressive they are, can they be more impressive than a surveillance system equipped with intelligent AI?"

"Once the system scans, it finds that someone has been appearing on the same street at the same time every day for several days in a row, even though this person doesn't live in that area or work there. They neither go shopping nor buy anything, so the system will automatically flag them."

He shrugged, with a "See, how simple" expression on his face:

"It's so accurate, like an open-book exam."

Su Xiaoxiao was silent for a few seconds, then lowered her head and continued typing: "Times have changed."

"Absolutely."

He leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, stared at the ceiling, and suddenly remembered a joke.

That's a story about a genius thief.

It is said that there was a young man from the thieves' guild who was exceptionally talented and had a remarkable physique, a thieving prodigy who was a once-in-a-century talent.

He practiced rigorously in the coldest and hottest winters, honing his skills to perfection.

He can scale walls and rooftops as if walking on flat ground, unlock locks in the blink of an eye, and stealthily rummage through bags and pockets without anyone noticing. Even while sleeping, his fingers are practicing the art of picking flowers and leaves.

His master said, "Alright, go out of the mountains. There's nothing in this world you can't steal."

The young man, full of vigor, headed down the mountain with his small bundle on his back. But when he got to the bottom, he saw—

Good guy.

People everywhere on the street aren't carrying wallets anymore.

To buy something, simply scan the QR code with your phone, and with a "beep," the payment is complete.

I got on the bus by scanning a QR code with my phone, and with a "beep," I was on.

Even beggars on the street have put up a QR code for receiving payments next to their bowls. They can scan the code to receive money, and they're too lazy to even bend down and pick up the coins.

The young man stood on the bustling commercial street, watching the crowds come and go, clutching his unique skill honed over twenty years, when he suddenly realized he didn't know what to steal anymore.

cell phone?

Cell phones are everywhere, but each one has a power-on password, fingerprint unlock, and facial recognition. Even if stolen, they can't be opened and can be located and tracked in the blink of an eye.

A car?

The cars are equipped with GPS tracking, so if you steal one, you won't be caught by the police until you've driven three blocks.

wallet?

Who the hell still uses a wallet?

The young man squatted on the curb, looking at the gleaming iron wire he had inherited from his master, and fell into deep thought.

This story teaches us a lesson: times have changed, and some things, no matter how well you practice them, can't keep up with the changes.

Ji Zuodao shook his head:

"The wheels of time keep rolling forward, and those who can't keep up are destined to be crushed under them. Luckily, I joined the ranks early and am now eating the government's rice."

Honestly, it's a good thing that when he was a heretical practitioner, he only caused trouble in small places.

If they had come to a big city like Jinghai to cause trouble back then, they probably would have ended up in jail the moment they started.

The Jinghai 749th Bureau was unusually quiet this afternoon.

It was at this moment that Zhu Cheng walked into the lobby of Bureau 749.

He changed into a gray-blue traditional Chinese jacket with Chinese knot buttons.

Instead, he changed into a navy blue Zhongshan suit, with the collar buttoned up neatly and a section of white shirt cuff peeking out from the sleeves, looking clean and sharp.

Her hair was also styled, combed back meticulously to reveal her full forehead.

After tidying herself up, she looked much more energetic and exuded an indescribable charm.

A kind of innate nobility that emanates from within.

He looks like a young prince who came from an old royal palace, or a legitimate heir of a century-old brand.

Standing there, he stood in stark contrast to the hurried investigators around him, as if he were someone from another era who had wandered into this jungle of steel and concrete.

He stood in the center of the hall, neither impatient nor flustered, waiting quietly, like a tree transplanted into unfamiliar soil.

Although the environment has changed, the roots are still there, the spirit is still there, steady and unhurried.

The young woman at the front desk looked up at him, then looked at him again, and couldn't help but stare at him for a few more seconds.

He thought to himself: Who is this? He's quite good-looking, but he doesn't look like someone who's here to report a crime.

Zhu Cheng noticed her gaze, nodded slightly, and gave a polite but distant smile that was neither cold nor overly warm.

Just right.

He was about to explain his purpose when suddenly, he heard light footsteps behind him, accompanied by a crisp, slightly childlike voice:

"Qiqi is back!"

Zhu Cheng turned around.

Then I saw a little girl, carrying a pink backpack, skipping and hopping as she ran in through the front door.

She was wearing a white T-shirt, with a light yellow knitted cardigan over it, light blue jeans, and white sneakers with slightly loose laces, but she didn't notice and just kept running inside.

She ran into the hall and immediately saw Zhu Cheng standing in the center.

Qiqi paused for a moment.

She tilted her head, looked up at the unfamiliar young man in front of her.

Those big eyes blinked, like two black grapes just pulled from the water, crystal clear, filled with the unique curiosity and wariness of a child.

Zhu Cheng was also looking at her.

He looked at the little girl in front of him—

She had a round face, a small nose, and slightly pursed lips, as if she were sizing him up.

Her hair was tied into two small braids with pink rubber bands, which swayed as she walked, giving her a lively air.

A strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside him.

This is His Highness.

That little girl who had been sleeping in the ancient tomb for hundreds of years.

She looked no different from any other child.

It can laugh, run, jump, curiously observe strangers, and tilt its head to think.

But Zhu Cheng knew that one of the most noble bloodlines in the world flowed in her veins.

That was the bloodline of the Ming Dynasty's royal family; like him, he was a member of the Zhu family.

Zhu Cheng sighed softly to himself.

But he didn't show these emotions.

He simply bent down, took something out of his pocket, opened his palm, and handed it to Qiqi.

It was a small toy.

Made of wood, about the size of a palm, carved into the shape of a small bird.

The bird was painted with colorful paint, and the feather patterns on its wings and tail were clearly visible. Even its eyes were painted so vividly that it looked like a real bird.

The most amazing thing is that if you gently flick the little mechanism under the bird's tail, the little bird will flap its wings and make a "cheep cheep" sound, so lifelike that it looks just like the real thing.