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Chapter 1: Serve the People
"Dinner's on the table, heat it up yourself."
"Don't stay up late tonight; you have the Awakening Test tomorrow."
A middle-aged man, dressed in a somewhat outdated but neat suit, was holding a rose between his teeth, carefully fixing his hair in the mirror.
Although he was middle-aged, his good looks bestowed upon him a unique mature charm. His slightly roguish smile, especially, had a way of enchanting older ladies.
Yu Sheng sat at the dining table, appearing somewhat distracted, and responded half-heartedly.
After getting ready, the middle-aged man took out a small bottle of perfume and sprayed it into the air, letting the fragrance evenly cover his body.
"If there's nothing else, I'm off to my date!"
"Good luck with your test tomorrow!"
With that, the middle-aged man, humming a tune, left the house.
After his father left, Yu Sheng took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Is this the police?"
"I'd like to report a crime."
"There might be an indecent incident tonight at about eight, in room 302 of the Sophie Hotel."
"Yes, I'm sure, I saw his room card."
"My relationship with him?"
Yu Sheng paused for two seconds: "He's my father."
"It's alright, to Serve the People is an unshirkable duty."
"Goodbye, officer."
After hanging up, Yu Sheng's mind wandered again.
His name was Yu Sheng, and the man who had just left was his father, Yu Sanshui.
However, the word 'father' seemed blurry in his memory.
He had lived in Sin City since he was young, and it was only a few months ago that he found out he even had a father.
Sin City was too dark.
No rules, no laws, and certainly no fairness.
Survival meant doing whatever it took.
Until he finally obtained that precious slot and walked out of Sin City.
Tomorrow would be his eighteenth birthday, the day of the Awakening Ceremony.
But...
How many Stripes would his egg hatch into?
And the Scroll that had always been in his mind, lifeless as if dead, would it undergo some change after the Awakening?
The more Yu Sheng thought, the more his mind raced.
Night gradually fell.
Yu Sheng sat at the dining table, eating his meal with care, chewing slowly and thoroughly. Even though the food was quite ordinary, it seemed to him as if it were something of great value.
Yu Sanshui?
Yu Sheng glanced at the time; it was already past nine in the evening.
Had the comrades at the Security Bureau failed?
"Speak."
Yu Sheng answered the phone with a hint of lethargy in his voice.
On the other end, Yu Sanshui's voice was filled with annoyance: "Some damned snitch reported me! I'm at the Security Bureau, they're insisting I was Engaging in prostitution."
"This is a matter of mutual consent, can you even call it prostitution?"
"I need you to bring some money to bail me out, or I reckon I won't be getting out for a few days!"
Yu Sheng replied with an even tone: "I don't have any money."
"I know you don't, go to my bedroom, there's a box under the bed."
"In the box, there's a key."
"Turn left out of the door, that key will open the back door of Widow Wang's house."
"There's a vegetable vat by the door, the money is underneath."
"But be careful when you open the door, she has a fierce dog!"
The situation was melodramatic, indeed.
It was rare for Yu Sanshui to spill everything in one breath.
"Fine."
Yu Sheng hung up the phone and followed the instructions, indeed finding a stack of red notes under the vat.
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About 2000 in total.
He collected the money without any change of expression, returned home, washed the dishes, swept the floors, and tidied up the bed.
A little while later, the phone rang again, from the Security Bureau.
Yu Sheng answered.
"Yes, I am Yu Sanshui's family."
"No bail."
"I believe that to curb such malpractices, it's essential to purify the social environment."
"So please, I ask you to reform him thoroughly."
"Sure, time isn't an issue."
"As long as it turns him into a person who can contribute to society, all of this is worthwhile."
As he spoke, Yu Sheng's expression grew stern: "Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendship! These are the positive energies that Mo Pavilion has always advocated!"
"Even as ordinary people, we are always ready."
With that, Yu Sheng ended the call and collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep in the embrace of the night.
In his sleep, an ancient scroll slowly unfurled in Yu Sheng's mind, its contents faint and indistinct, as if portraying something, but it was too dim and blurred to make out.
A sliver of starlight shone through the window, enveloping Yu Sheng.
...
Come morning, Yu Sheng opened his eyes, washed up, and prepared breakfast.
After everything was ready, he slung his backpack casually over his shoulder and left for school.
Growing up in Sin City, going to school was a novel experience for him.
At first, he had entered the school gates with anticipation, but after getting to know his classmates, he felt that school was rather mundane.
Somewhat childish.
A group of kids who had never seen blood, daydreaming about how they would one day be invincible heroes, maintaining world peace.
At the school gate.
Many parents were excitedly sending their children off to school.
The annual Awakening Test could determine the fate of most people.
Without enough talent, and barring any extraordinary encounters, one was likely to end up in the working class for life.
With good luck, and the right connections, one could join the Security Bureau and perhaps lead a more comfortable life.
Along the way, he saw several classmates, but didn't greet them, and they almost instinctively ignored Yu Sheng.
In the classroom.
The homeroom teacher stood at the podium, her expression icy.
Liu Qingfeng, a retired veteran who had come from the front lines, was rumored to have fought at the Demon-Suppressing Pass. Unfortunately, a demon beast had torn off his right pinky, leaving him unable to grip a sword tightly. He had ended up in this remote little city, taking up the position of a teacher.
He always kept a stern face, training them in the manner of the military, which led to endless complaints from the students who nicknamed him Madman Liu behind his back.
"In one hour, the Awakening Test will begin!"
"You might be dreaming of the moment when you awaken, blessed with great talents, advancing rapidly in your cultivation, slaying demon beasts, protecting the city, and being revered by thousands."
"But really, how many can achieve such feats?"
"To bathe in blood for the enemy's defeat, ensuring the prosperity of humanity, is indeed admirable."
"However, serving the populace from behind the lines is no less significant!"
"So, keep a level head!"
"In this last hour, adjust your mindset."
As Liu Qingfeng's cold and realistic voice fell, the classroom grew quiet.
No one refuted his words.
They knew that Liu Qingfeng was speaking the truth.
"Serve the People..."
"Or be the people who are served..."
It was then that Yu Sheng's voice quietly rose.
In the silent classroom, it was distinctly audible.
For a moment, his classmates were petrified.
They were on the verge of tears.
It turned out...
They weren't even worthy of serving the people.
Everyone understood this in their hearts, but to have it said out loud...
It unavoidably weighed heavily on the mood.