"Chu Tao left?"
Jiang Che looked slightly puzzled. This didn't make sense.
According to his plan, Chu Tao was supposed to be stuck in a miserable situation for quite a while.
How could it have ended so quickly?
But soon, Jiang Che relaxed. Chu Tao had a system, after all. It was probably the system that bailed him out. After all, what kind of chosen one wouldn’t have a few tricks up their sleeve?
"Monkey, keep a close eye on him," Jiang Che said before hanging up the phone and returning to his indulgent lifestyle.
...
Not long after Chu Tao left, a graceful figure arrived at the police station in a patrol car.
Dressed in a police uniform with a neat ponytail, she exuded an air of sharpness and confidence.
Who else could it be but the cold and aloof police beauty, Wang Yanran?
"Yanran, how did the case go?" asked a petite female officer with a bun hairstyle, leaning in curiously.
"It went fine. By the way, Little Hui, how did your interrogation go? Did you get any useful information?" Wang Yanran asked casually as she removed her gloves.
Little Hui looked utterly confused. "Yanran, what interrogation? What information are you talking about?"
Wang Yanran chuckled. "What else? The case involving Chu Tao. Did you get anything out of him?"
But Little Hui's next words made Wang Yanran freeze in place.
"Yanran, who’s Chu Tao?"
Wang Yanran was stunned. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Little Hui with a scrutinizing gaze. For a moment, she even wondered if Little Hui had been replaced by someone else.
"Chu Tao. The guy who had millions of dollars of suspicious funds deposited into his account, possibly linked to overseas money laundering. You were supposed to be handling his interrogation."
Little Hui burst out laughing. "Yanran, are you messing with me? I have no idea what you're talking about. Have you been working overtime too much lately? Are you losing it?"
But Wang Yanran wasn’t laughing. Little Hui didn’t seem to be faking it. Without another word, Wang Yanran strode toward one of the interrogation rooms.
But the room was empty.
She turned sharply. "Where’s the person who was in this interrogation room? Did you let him go?"
A male officer who was questioned shook his head. "Deputy Director Wang, you must be mistaken. No one’s been in there."
Wang Yanran’s heart sank. A chilling sensation ran down her spine. How could everyone around her claim that Chu Tao didn’t exist?
But she remembered everything clearly!
"Surveillance! Pull up the surveillance footage!"
But when they tried to check the cameras, they found that all the footage had been corrupted.
It was as if some unseen force was trying to erase all traces of Chu Tao’s presence at the police station.
"Hmph... Hypnosis? A coordinated operation?"
Wang Yanran was a staunch atheist. She wasn’t scared, but she was calmly analyzing the situation.
"No matter how thorough you are, there’s always a slip-up. I don’t believe you can erase everything. Let’s see if you can delete Chu Tao from the national database too."
A cold smile appeared on Wang Yanran’s lips. With a quick search, she soon found Chu Tao’s information.
"Everyone, gather around. Investigate this man, Chu Tao, and his bank accounts. He was involved in a crime a few days ago, and you all need to be extra cautious. He’s part of a group that’s skilled in hypnosis."
The other officers in the station fell silent. Wang Yanran was highly respected in the police force. Despite being a deputy director, she had solved many of the station’s toughest cases.
They weren’t fools. The corrupted surveillance footage, combined with other evidence, made it clear that something was off.
Meanwhile, the junior officers broke out in cold sweats. Someone had the audacity to hypnotize police officers and escape custody?
This was no small matter!
Prison breaks were rare and explosive incidents, even across the entire Dragon Country.
"Notify the relevant personnel immediately. Issue an arrest warrant for the fugitive, Chu Tao, and post a bounty for his capture online."
Little did Chu Tao know, his mysterious actions had successfully turned him from a suspect into a full-fledged fugitive.
He had even skipped the trial process entirely and was now officially labeled an escaped criminal.
Wang Yanran thought of someone—Jiang Che.
She pulled out her phone. Jiang Che’s contact name was saved as "Little Bro."
As soon as the call connected, there was a series of heavy breathing and muffled noises on the other end.
Wang Yanran remained expressionless and put on her headphones.
"Jiang Che, what are you doing?"
"Oh? Yanran, what brings you to call me? I’m just out for a run... What’s up?"
Wang Yanran: "..."
I’ll just pretend you’re actually running.
"Chu Tao has escaped. He hypnotized the guards at our station and broke out. He’s not an ordinary guy. He might have a group backing him. Be careful..."
"Oh? Yanran, are you worried about me?"
"Tch... You’re impossible."
With that, Wang Yanran hung up, her face slightly flushed as she gritted her teeth.
"Damn playboy, always messing around with girls."
"Yanran, what’s wrong?" Little Hui asked softly.
"None of your business! Get out there and catch that guy. I want Chu Tao apprehended within 24 hours!"
Little Hui: "..."
Oh no, who pissed off the dragon lady this time? The whole station is going to suffer.
...
"Huh? I’m a fugitive now?"
[Host, you better run. Your escape has been discovered. If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.]
Chu Tao: "..."
"What the hell? Didn’t you say with you around, nothing could go wrong? What do I do now?"
[I’m not sure either. Something must have gone wrong. I suspect someone with the favor of fate is targeting you. You need to get out of here!]
Chu Tao’s mental state was truly shattered.
"What do you mean, someone with the favor of fate? Aren’t I the chosen one?" Chu Tao panicked, glancing nervously at every patrol car that passed by.
[Host, you’re not the only chosen one in this world. You’re just one of many. Some have even formed organizations...]
Chu Tao was stunned. It felt like he had just stumbled upon some major secret.
"So what do I do now?"
[Run.]
"Run, run, run! Where the hell am I supposed to run? I’ll just get caught eventually, won’t I?"
"I don’t want to live a life where I’m constantly looking over my shoulder."
Chu Tao slumped to the ground, feeling as if his future was shrouded in darkness.
He had always been a law-abiding citizen, never crossing the line. Even when his girlfriend cheated on him, he didn’t think about seeking revenge.
Now, all he wanted to do was cry.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like crying, and soon tears streamed down his face. "Why is my life so miserable? I grew up without parents, finally got a girlfriend, and she cheated on me. Just when I was about to make it big, I got targeted."
"I just want to live. Why is it so hard?"
With that, Chu Tao lit a cigarette for himself.
The city had gained another heartbroken soul.
But suddenly, Chu Tao seemed to remember something.
"System, who’s the chosen one targeting me? I’ll go join him. If I can’t beat him, I’ll join him. How about that?"
"I’ll split the money I make from squandering with him—99 to him, 1 to me. As long as I can get by, that’s enough."
[System: ???]