Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 517 516 The Real and Fake Second Master
The sight of Fornes was something Shunzi had never seen in his life.

Looking at everything around her, Shunzi's eyes revealed not curiosity, but a hidden sense of defensiveness and fear.

Fang Youliu noticed Shunzi's gaze and asked with a smile, "What did you see?"

Shunzi was silent for a moment, then whispered, "...Monster."

Fang Youliu was taken aback when he heard this. He could understand the meaning behind Shunzi's words, but he could not understand Shunzi's feelings.

For Fang Youliu, who came from the Academy of Mystic Arts, although the style of Fornas City did not quite match the temperament of Xuan Kingdom, in Fang Youliu's eyes it was just an industrial city with more characteristics of the Heretoz Empire, and not particularly strange.

So he didn't understand Shunzi's feelings and asked, "There are factories in Fancheng too, you've seen them before, why are you so surprised?"

Shunzi shook her head: "It's different."

But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different.

But Feng Xiuhu knew it.

Sail City does have many factories, but most of them are limited to light industries such as textile mills and processing plants. What we see in Fornas City right now, however, is all heavy industry.

The massive machines were everywhere, and the endless groans of steel were omnipresent. For Shunzi, who was seeing this scene for the first time, he could not describe the tremor in his heart, so he could only use the monotonous word "monster" to summarize his feelings.

Shunzi instinctively tried to put his hand on the gun handle, hoping to gain some confidence, but he found nothing—the double-barreled shotgun had been confiscated by the police before he arrived.

Feng Xiuhu saw this scene and could sense Shunzi's unease.

Shunzi disliked this place; it was a subconscious resistance that arose after witnessing firsthand the immense power unleashed by machines that was beyond human comprehension.

He put his hand on Shunzi's shoulder, and Shunzi turned around to look at him.

Feng Xiuhu pointed into the distance: "Do you see that steam?"

Shunzi nodded: "I saw it."

Feng Xiuhu chuckled: "That's them panting, just like oxen plowing the fields or horses pulling carts."

Shunzi smirked, "So it was just a tin-clad beast."

After saying this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled at Feng Xiuhu, saying, "Brother, I'm not afraid anymore."

Feng Xiuhu nodded slightly. Shunzi may be uneducated, but he is actually quite smart.

Looking around again, Shunzi's eyes lit up with curiosity. He chuckled and muttered, "Hey, you know what, no matter how loudly that tin-skinned beast barks, someone still has to pull the reins and crack the whip."

The patrolman next to him scoffed disdainfully: "Where did this country bumpkin come from? Does he really think it's as easy as herding cattle or leading horses? Anyone who can make a metal shell move is a skilled worker, someone with good craftsmanship!"

Feng Xiuhu chimed in, "I also have a driver's license, can I drive with a C1? How are the wages calculated for skilled workers?"

The police officer turned around and sized you up: "You?"

He rolled his eyes: "You wish! The wages that Fornas City pays its workers are the highest in the entire Yu'ai Prefecture. Many people want to work in the factory but have no way to make money. You, a bandit, can forget about it."

Shunzi glared indignantly: "We're not bandits!"

The police officer, somewhat afraid of him, took a step to the side: "Whether it's right or wrong isn't up to you to decide. If Second Master and Third Master say you are, then you are."

Feng Xiuhu was confused: "Why should we believe Ma Erye's words? They're not from the bandit gangs. Even if they were bandits, they wouldn't recognize them."

The constable sneered, "You little punks are already worrying about the big boss's business? I might as well tell you, Second Master and Third Master are sitting high up in the government office right now, recruiting soldiers and horses—oh dear!"

Before he could finish speaking, the patrol captain suddenly appeared from behind and kicked the talkative officer, sending him staggering. The patrol captain said with a stern face, "Watch your tongue."

The police officer lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing this, Feng Xiuhu and Fang Youliu exchanged a glance—something was going on here.

……

Not only Feng Xiuhu and his two companions were escorted back to the city, but also many other legitimate bandits who were captured alive.

The group walked through the noisy streets for quite a while before finally arriving at the police station in the city center.

Although he didn't uncover any more secrets along the way, Feng Xiuhu still managed to glean a considerable amount of information from the officers' casual conversations.

For example, today's plan was actually a large-scale operation personally led by a patrol chief. At first, Feng Xiuhu was puzzled because a patrol team only had a dozen or so people, but there were far more than that number present. Only then did he realize that there was more than one patrol team.

In the police station, besides the lowest-ranking police officers who do the work, the next level up is the police captain, who is responsible for managing a police squad; above the police captain are the patrol chiefs and deputy patrol chiefs, with a patrol chief in charge of several police squads; and in a city's police station, there are usually only two or three patrol chiefs.

As for those above the patrol chief, there's not much to introduce. They are officials who sit in offices, not those who work hard outside.

Getting back to the main point, Feng Xiuhu learned from the conversation between the police officers that today's operation was a trap set by the police specifically to target Hei Sanniang and her notorious bandit gang.

It's not hard to guess from this result that this wasn't the first time Hei San Niang had bombed foreign railways.

Unfortunately, the police officer Siqi made a mistake – he didn't expect that Hei Sanniang was a cautious person. Not only did she lead the main force of the bandits in disguise and hide, but she also did not go to the front line herself. This is why she was able to escape in time after the incident.

This is why Feng Xiuhu and the other two were caught up in the undeserved disaster of being forced to take the blame.

The group was then taken to the police station and locked in iron cages.

Because of the large number of people, they no longer had the privilege of being in a single cell, and Feng Xiuhu and his two companions were crammed into the same cage with a group of legitimate bandits.

Just as Feng Xiuhu was wondering how long it would be before he could see "Second Master" and "Third Master," Fang Youliu took out cigarettes from his pocket without saying a word and distributed them to the bandits in the prison cell.

Fang Youliu, while smoking cigarettes and smiling obsequiously, said, "My fellow heroes, we all value righteousness when we're out on the road. When the police come to interrogate us, please remember to testify for the three of us. We really aren't bandits."

The bandits took the cigarettes and coldly sized up the three men, but none of them responded.

Just then, the outer door suddenly opened, and several figures walked in.

Everyone turned their attention to it.

The two leading figures were the most conspicuous – one was short and stout, looking like a large urn; the other was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole.

The short, stout man had squinting eyes and a smile on his face. His jacket was stretched taut, and he held two copper balls in his hands. The tall, thin man was stern and much taller than the average person. He had to duck when passing through a doorway to avoid bumping his head on the door frame.

A middle-aged man in a formal Western suit accompanied the two men. He eagerly led the way, saying, "Second Master, Third Master, please be careful where you step. The prison is such a filthy place, full of filth. It would be unseemly if you got your shoes dirty."

The short, stout "Second Master" chuckled and replied, "Director Yan, what are you saying? My brother and I have seen all sorts of filth along the way. I've even broken into the prison in Qianyu City, haven't I?"

Yan Huaizheng, the director of the police station, nodded repeatedly with a smile.

"nonsense!"

Suddenly, an untimely voice rang out, and everyone turned to look.

Inside the cell, Feng Xiuhu earnestly corrected him, "Who said he broke through? He clearly got in through connections and backdoors!"

(End of this chapter)