Villain? No, I'll catch up with the protagonist after passing the civil service exam.

The old street area of ​​Nancheng, Jinghai City.

On an early autumn afternoon, the wind carried a dry, earthy smell.

A gust of wind swept by. The faded red awning at the entrance of the convenience store rattled loudly in the wind.

Under the awning, an old freezer was humming loudly.

The compressor casing was covered with a thick layer of black grease. Two greenbottle flies buzzed around the rice cooker containing the tea eggs.

Gu Shao was wearing a white vest with the words "Serve the People" printed on it.

He was bending over, stuffing bottles of soy sauce, which had just been delivered, one by one, into the bottom of the shelf.

The back of the vest was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to the skin.

He straightened up, took the yellowed towel draped around his neck, and hastily wiped the sweat from his face.

Just then, the sunlight at the doorway was blocked.

Two men in black leather jackets stepped across the threshold. Their leather shoes clicked twice on the slightly sticky floor tiles.

Young Master Gu didn't even look up. He straightened the last two bottles of soy sauce.

"Take what you want yourself. The chilled soda is on the bottom shelf of the freezer, scan the code here..."

He patted the dust off his hands with a towel and turned around.

Upon recognizing the person's attire, Young Master Gu stopped what he was doing.

These two people didn't open the freezer.

The one on the left has a buzz cut and a dark red scar on his right cheek. The one on the right wears a black mask and keeps his hands in his jacket pockets.

The two of them carried an inescapable chilling aura.

"Young Master Gu."

Scarface grinned, revealing a few teeth stained yellow from smoking.

"It's been years since I last saw you. You seem to be living a very down-to-earth life."

Gu Shao's heart skipped a beat.

It felt like I had swallowed a lump of iron, and it was sinking down into my stomach.

He knows this type of person all too well.

Back when he was a spoiled rich kid, spending money like water in nightclubs, he was surrounded by these bloodthirsty lackeys.

But that's no longer possible. He's a legitimate small business owner who pays his taxes on time every day and waits for the green light to cross the street.

Young Master Gu tossed the towel over his shoulder.

He forced down his wildly beating heart, tensed his legs, and tried to stop himself from trembling.

"What are you doing?"

He raised one eyebrow, adopting his old, nonchalant tone.

"If you're buying something, pay up. If not, get out of here and don't block my business."

Scarface wasn't angry. He stepped forward and rested his elbow on the scratched glass counter.

"Young Master Gu, don't be in the rush to kick them out."

He lowered his voice and moved closer. The strong smell of cheap tobacco emanating from him hit Gu Shao's nose.

"Have you heard of the 'Night Owl' in the western suburbs?"

Scarface tapped his fingers on the glass twice.

"Our boss values ​​your past reputation in the underworld, as well as the network of wealthy second-generation individuals you have."

Gu Shao's Adam's apple bobbed. Cold sweat began to pour from his palms.

Night owl? Underground black market?

These four words exploded in his mind like a death knell.

Scarface took a black USB drive out of his jacket pocket and gently placed it on the glass counter.

"We recently got our hands on a batch of great stuff. High-tech gadgets. The profit margin is lucrative."

He reached out and tapped the USB drive twice.

"The boss has spoken. If you're willing to come out of retirement and help us distribute this batch of goods to our old rich friends, we'll give you 30% of the profits."

He stared into Gu Shao's eyes. "This is much more than you could earn selling soy sauce here your whole life."

Gu Shao clenched his back teeth.

He knew that if he showed even the slightest fear at this moment, or said he was going to call the police, it would be disastrous.

The two desperados were carrying knives that could stab their own spleens at any moment.

He chuckled and reached out to move the USB drive aside.

"Thirty percent?"

Gu Shao curled his lip, feigning a greedy and disdainful look, his eyes gleaming.

"Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? I used to lose more than that in one night at the casino. The risk is so high, you can keep 30% to buy your coffins."

Scarface was taken aback for a moment, then laughed even harder.

This is the greedy, spendthrift son they've been looking for.

"Fifty percent!" Scarface held up five fingers. "Young Master Gu, this is the bottom line. As long as you nod your head, I'll take you to see our boss tonight to inspect the goods."

Young Master Gu pretended to stroke his chin.

He stared at the five fingers, pretending to hesitate for a long time. Then he suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Fine! Let the bold get rich, and the timid starve!"

He lowered his voice and glared fiercely at Scarface.

"I've been holed up in this lousy place for two years, I've had enough! What time tonight? Where to meet?"

Scarface patted the glass counter with satisfaction.

He pulled an old-fashioned, non-smartphone from his pocket and tossed it next to the soy sauce bottle.

"Wait for the call."

After he finished speaking, he winked at his accomplice next to him.

The two turned and walked out of the convenience store, disappearing into the crowd in no time.

The red awning outside the door rattled loudly in the wind.

Until those two figures completely disappeared.

The strength that Gu Shao was holding on with all his might suddenly dissipated with a "snap".

It was as if the bones in his two legs had been removed, instantly turning them into two soft, cooked noodles.

He took two steps back and landed heavily on his buttocks on the stack of Tsingtao beer boxes behind him.

The cardboard box was deformed from being crushed, making a dull creaking sound.

"My goodness..."

Gu Shao opened his mouth wide, like a fish out of air, gulping in air into his lungs.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

It got into his eyes and stung terribly. He didn't even bother to wipe it away.

He reached out and grabbed the black USB drive and the old cell phone from the counter.

My hands were shaking so badly that my phone slipped off the glass table and almost fell to the ground.

My head was buzzing.

Night owl? Loose cargo? High-tech?

These words, put together, immediately materialized into three words in his mind: death row inmate!

He's the kind of person who spent three whole years in prison operating a sewing machine.

Those days were like an assembly line, with cabbage for every meal. When the discipline whistle blew, no one dared to even stretch.

He finally got his sentence reduced.

I'm finally able to sell eggs peacefully under this shabby awning, earning a penny or two in profit. Every night I can lie in bed and get a good night's sleep.

Now you want him to help distribute goods on the black market?

The image of Lu Jingyan's expressionless face flashed through his mind instantly.

He was wearing a faded old police uniform and holding a thermos.

He could send someone to prison for half their life just by flipping through a couple of pages of a case file.

Article 225 of the Criminal Law...

As Gu Shao trembled, he uncontrollably began to recite the legal education booklet that the neighborhood committee had just distributed a few days ago.

"For serious offenses, the sentence is imprisonment for up to five years... For particularly serious offenses, the sentence is imprisonment for five years or more..."

He swallowed several times. He felt a chill run down the back of his neck.

Even if you had nine lives, you wouldn't be enough to keep up with Officer Lu in this line of work!

He wiped the cold sweat from his face.

Without any hesitation, he frantically pulled his smartphone, with its cracked screen, from his crotch pocket.

Unlock. Open the Contacts app.

My finger swiped randomly across the screen and found a number with a special note saved on it.

The nickname is: "The living ancestor you should never mess with".

He pressed down hard with his thumb.

The receiver beeped with a waiting tone. With each beep, his heart clenched tighter.

This is a chance to make a name for myself! This is my lifeline! I have to seize it!

We must not follow the path of crime and depravity that those stupid alien criminals take!

"Click."

The call was connected.

A deep, steady male voice came from the other end, with a slightly cold and hard quality.

Who is it?

When Gu Shao heard this voice, it was like hearing a get-out-of-jail-free card.

He suddenly sprang up from the beer crate.

His knee slammed hard against the glass counter, making a dull thud. He didn't even have time to cry out in pain.

The call connected, and Gu Shao stood ramrod straight with his legs together, shouting into the phone in a tearful voice, "Commander Lu, help! Someone is trying to induce a law-abiding citizen to commit a crime!"