Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

When blood rushes to the head, there is a buzzing in the ears; when the blood recedes, the limbs become cold and numb.

Vision was sometimes blurry, sometimes overly clear, allowing you to see every speck of dust in the cracks between the floor tiles, the faded edges of the posters on the wall, and the finest wrinkles on the uniformed personnel.

He began to recall uncontrollably: the osmanthus fragrance he smelled during his walk this morning seemed fainter than in previous years; during the ping-pong game at noon, he could have lobbed the ball that Lao Liu returned with more spin; the orchid on the balcony at home, he wondered if his wife remembered to water it... These thoughts flashed by like fragments, only to be swallowed up by a larger darkness—he remembered the distorted faces, broken teeth, chained necks, and the young man's chillingly calm eyes in the video.

His bladder felt tight in waves, but he dared not move.

The silent figures around him were like lifeless sculptures, but he knew that if he made the slightest move, their gazes would immediately lock onto him.

The feeling of being watched from all angles, without any blind spots, is more nerve-wracking than direct insults and beatings.

He felt like a lab rat in a glass case, with all his struggles and ugliness being recorded.

……

"Train KXX has passed XX City and is expected to arrive in Yingtian City in 3 hours."

Wang De'an could no longer sit still.

The hard plastic surface of the folding chair became unbearably fuzzy.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the narrow space, framed by invisible boundaries, his steps unsteady, as if he were walking on cotton.

The blanket slipped to the ground, but he didn't bother to pick it up.

I broke out in layers of cold sweat, and the Tai Chi uniform underneath clung tightly to my back, making me feel wet and cold.

He tried to take a deep breath, but the air he inhaled got stuck in his chest and couldn't get into his lungs.

My mind felt like a swarm of startled wasps was buzzing around, making it impossible to form any coherent thoughts.

One moment they felt there might still be a chance, and the court suddenly realized that there was no room for compromise with such a rebellious personality; the next moment they despaired and realized that even with bizarre methods like Zhou Mingyuan being directly "fixed," would ordinary interception and arrest really be useful?

Will I end up like that, conscious but trapped in a "living coffin"?

When fear reaches its peak, it breeds twisted impulses.

His gaze swept around: clean walls, sturdy doors and windows, nothing sharp or usable.

Even the mineral water bottle was soft.

The uniforms may appear casual, but their positioning is ingenious, blocking all angles from which he could potentially harm himself or cause chaos.

They even took away the slightly stiff canvas belt from his pants beforehand.

He slumped back into his chair, ran his hands through his sweaty hair, and tore at his scalp as if to relieve the pressure that was about to explode inside his head.

A few gray hairs remained under his fingernails.

My mouth was filled with a strange taste. I didn't know if it was because my gums were bleeding from excessive tension or if I had unknowingly bitten through the inside of my mouth.

……

"Train KXX has passed XX City and is expected to arrive in Yingtian City in 30 minutes."

When the news arrived, Wang De'an was slumped in a chair, his body twitching uncontrollably every few seconds, like a dying fish out of water.

30 minutes, 1800 seconds.

For the first time, he felt so clearly how long the unit of "second" was.

He could hear the subtle yet clear "click" of the second hand on his watch, each sound like a direct blow to his temple.

He began counting aimlessly, from 1 to 60, and then repeating the cycle, trying to anchor time in this way and resist the increasingly turbulent, terrifying images of various horrific scenes flooding his mind.

But when I count to ten or twenty, my attention suddenly wanders, abruptly interrupted by a video frame, and then I have to start all over again, which makes me even more anxious.

……

"Train KXX has arrived in Yingtian City."

Wang De'an's breathing suddenly became rapid, his chest heaving violently, as if he had just finished running a long marathon.

He suddenly jumped up from the chair, the movement so forceful it almost tipped the chair over, and then there was another round of silent adjustments around him.

He rushed to the window—though he was immediately blocked by an invisible barrier and a line of sight—and stared intently at the still heavily guarded area outside and the silhouettes of the sleeping residential buildings in the distance.

It takes at most fifteen minutes to walk from the train station to his neighborhood.

Back then, we carefully selected a "good" neighborhood that was close to several government offices we frequented, offered convenient living, and was quiet amidst the hustle and bustle.

At the time, I was quite proud of my foresight in securing such a convenient location at a price that wasn't exactly top-tier.

The more smug I was about my "convenience" back then, the more I hate that damned "convenience" now.

Why choose this location? Why is it so close to a transportation hub?

……

"The target entered a noodle shop near the station and ordered a bowl of noodles."

Wang De'an was stunned at first, then an absurd and overwhelming joy suddenly rushed to his head, making him dizzy.

He wants noodles! From ordering, waiting for the noodles, cooking the noodles, to finishing them... this process must take at least ten minutes, right?

If the water in the kitchen isn't boiling hot enough, and the water takes a little longer to boil, it might take an extra minute or two.

If there are other diners at this time, requiring a queue, or if the chef is unusually slow... then the time will be even more unpredictable.

These extra ten minutes, seemingly out of nowhere, were like a mirage appearing in the desert, giving him a fleeting moment of respite.

He was almost grateful for that bowl of noodles.

But this ecstasy came quickly and went even faster, soon being overwhelmed by deeper sorrow and fear.

How arrogant and carefree the other party was!

And how much I was tormented.

Wang De'an could almost picture the young man sitting in the noodle shop, calmly picking up a mouthful of noodles, perhaps even blowing on it.

Meanwhile, he himself continued to be slowly tortured, second by second, inside this cage.

He slid back to the ground, leaning against the cold wall, his eyes vacant.

His lips twitched nervously, as if he wanted to cry or laugh, but in the end, he couldn't form any expression.

The second hand was still ticking away.

Walking towards the moment when that bowl of noodles was finished.

……

"The target has finished eating his noodles."

"The target has paid the bill."

"The target has left the noodle shop."

"The target has reached XX block."

"The target has reached XX Street."

"The target is about to enter XX residential area."

"The target has entered the XX residential area."

……

Wang De'an looked up and, without realizing it, had already walked to the window.

Outside the window, the uniformed personnel and those solemn-looking people had quietly left sometime earlier.

Dozens of colorful flags were planted on the ground, without any patterns or markings. Their sole purpose was to indicate that the person you were looking for was in this direction.

Wang De'an twitched the corner of his mouth, when suddenly a strong force came from behind him.

Wang De'an was staggered out of the activity room.

He turned around and saw several people from the fast shift and the discipline department quickly leaving through the side door.

He turned around again, and a young man was walking towards him.

"Wang De'an?"

"Yes, it was me..." There was no point in making excuses. At the same time, the past dozen or so hours had not been entirely meaningless. During this time, Wang De'an had found the most suitable solution for himself from several ideas.

"You seem to have known I was coming?"

"I know, I know," Wang De'an raised his hand and slapped himself several times. Each slap was solid. In just a few seconds, Wang De'an's cheeks swelled up and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He forced himself to lift his dizzy head and tried to focus with his swollen eyes: "I was wrong in every way. I was blinded by greed and only thought about my colleagues. I didn't think about the interests of the masses."

"Hehe," the other party chuckled, "Let's talk about what other preparations we've made."

“I plan to go to the most crowded places every day and frankly tell everyone about my journey so that others can learn from my experience.”

The other person nodded.

“I plan to change cities every now and then, either once a week or every two weeks, and in the most densely populated areas, to call on society to always put people first.”

The other person nodded again.

“I plan to go to kindergartens or primary schools every weekend and other holidays to promote Chinese culture and traditional virtues to the most promising people, to set an example of virtue and to take myself as a warning.”

"I'm preparing..."

……

Two hundred meters away, inside a makeshift command vehicle, multiple screens were transmitting high-definition, infrared, and low-light enhanced images in real time.

The sounds were clearly audible: the crisp sound of Wang De'an slapping himself, his swollen and indistinct confession and proposed solutions—every word was recorded and analyzed.

The commander of the operation in Yingtian City stared at the main screen, looking at Wang De'an's disheveled and miserable appearance. He clicked his tongue softly and sighed with admiration: "What a talent! No wonder he's been playing the law for decades... Even in this situation, his mind is still so clear."

Some people don't understand.

Commander's explanation:

"If you repent every day, you won't be silenced and won't be able to speak normally for the rest of your life..."

"Changing cities every week will prevent me from being locked up or having my life taken. After all, the longer I live, the more publicity I can generate..."

“Going to places frequented by minors to give lectures every weekend is inappropriate for physical punishment; it would frighten the plants and flowers…”

"Tsk tsk, so thoughtful... If it were me, well, if it were the imperial court... for the sake of subsequent propaganda effects, I might actually let him go."

……

After explaining the plan, Wang De'an looked nervously at the person opposite him.

"You've thought of everything so meticulously," the young man nodded for the third time, "Is it really possible to do?"

Wang De'an was overjoyed and nodded rapidly. Before he could speak, he swore in his heart with absolute sincerity: "As long as I can get through this, I will definitely do this for the rest of my life!"

“But you can think of things in such detail,” the young man said, a puzzled look returning to his face. “Why didn’t you think of that for Shu Yu back then?”

Wang De'an was stunned.

"Isn't it just that I don't care?" Zhang Qiliang smiled.

"Me too."

After saying that, Zhang Qiliang stepped forward, crushed Wang De'an's ten fingers, shattered his ankles and knees, took away twenty years of Wang De'an's life, and deprived him of his sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. He also gave Wang De'an a permanent buff.

I'm immoral.

57. Drinking Alone Under the Moon (Thanks to the generous donation from the great Shuofeng)

Train KXX.

After leaving the residential area, Zhang Qiliang went straight back to the train station where he had just left.

Since we're already out here, and we've worked for a week straight, we should take a break.

Occasionally letting your mind wander is also a way of being true to yourself.

So, on the side of the ticket hall, under the electronic screen flashing various train schedules, Zhang Qiliang closed his eyes and pointed randomly.

The fingertip is tapping on a train that is about to depart, which is scrolling information on the screen: K4477, Yingtian → Yunshan.

The train was slow, green-skinned, and there were plenty of standing tickets available. The entire journey took seven hours, and the final stop, "Yunshan," was a small mountain town in central China that I had never heard of or even imagined visiting.

When fate brings you together, that's the one.

Zhang Qiliang noticed that he had a standing ticket, so he swiped his ID to enter the station and stepped into the dilapidated carriage.

A few workers carrying large woven bags were squeezed together at the connecting point. The hard-seat carriage was full of travelers. Children were crying, adults were talking and laughing loudly, and noisy short videos were playing on their phones.

After passing through several carriages, Zhang Qiliang found a relatively quiet corner at the end of a hard-seat carriage near the dining car.