Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

On a sunny afternoon at Jiangnan University, the sun was shining brightly, warming you up nicely.

On the large lawn in front of the library, Su Ming leaned against a camphor tree, with a glass of lemonade almost empty on the small table in front of him, the ice cubes having mostly melted.

Zhang Hao sat opposite him, spitting as he recounted his "epic" victory in the game last night, where he single-handedly took on five opponents and ultimately turned the tide of the battle.

"...In that instant, I flashed forward and anticipated all his predictions!" Zhang Hao said, gesturing wildly, almost sweeping the lemonade off the table in his excitement.

Su Ming listened half-heartedly, nodding occasionally, but his gaze lingered on the students laughing and playing in the distance. This carefree ordinariness was something he had longed for for a long time.

Just then, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket with a unique, low-pitched frequency.

He only configured this vibration mode for one software program.

Su Ming took out his phone and turned on the screen.

The Zhongxun APP interface popped up automatically, the entire screen was covered in a deep blood red, and in the very center was an urgent order pinned to the top.

[Mission Type: SSS-level Top Secret Search]

[Mission Objective: ... (Insufficient permissions, to be unlocked upon acceptance)]

[Mission Location: ... (Insufficient permissions, to be unlocked after acceptance)]

[Task Reward: ...]

The figure in the "remuneration" column was so long that even someone as well-off as Zhang Hao couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

"Holy crap!" Zhang Hao suddenly leaned closer, his eyes wide like saucers. "Brother Su, this... which Fortune 500 company is trying to poach you? This must be eight figures, right? After tax?!"

Su Ming ignored him and continued to look down.

At the very bottom of the order, there is a line of handwritten small characters, the handwriting is vigorous and powerful, carrying a sense of war and battle.

[Posted by: He Zhenshan (verified account)]

Su Ming stared at the name, remaining silent for a few seconds. He picked up the glass of lemonade, finished the last sip, and then flicked his wrist, sending the empty glass arcing through the air in a beautiful parabola before landing precisely in a recycling bin twenty meters away.

The entire movement was fluid and fast, so fast that Zhang Hao only saw a blur.

"Brother Su, this job..." Zhang Hao snapped out of his daze, looking at Su Ming's overly calm profile, and tentatively asked, "You're not... really going to take it, are you? This doesn't look like a legitimate job."

Su Ming put away his phone, stood up, and patted the grass clippings off his pants.

He turned to look at Zhang Hao, the afternoon sun casting a golden glow on his face and gilding his faded plaid shirt. He smiled, radiating an unprecedented ease and composure.

"Go ahead," Su Ming said matter-of-factly.

Zhang Hao was stunned: "For that money?"

"No." Su Ming shook his head, then corrected him seriously, "It's to earn tuition fees."

Zhang Hao: "..."

He felt that Su Ming was insulting his intelligence, but he had no evidence.

"Wait here for me," Su Ming said, and walked towards the security office.

Zhang Hao stood there, watching Su Ming's back, feeling that Su Ming was different from any other day.

If Su Ming in the past was a sharp blade hidden in its sheath, its edge concealed, carrying a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay; then now he is like someone who has sheathed his sword and is leisurely basking in the sun in the courtyard.

Security Department Duty Room.

Li Changfeng and Lao Zhao sat upright, staring intently at the figure walking towards the trash can on the monitor screen.

"He finished drinking," Old Zhao said.

"Mm," Li Changfeng replied.

He stood up.

"Um."

"He's walking towards us!" Old Zhao's voice suddenly rose, and his hand instinctively reached for the unopened bottle of nitroglycerin pills under the table.

Li Changfeng's Adam's apple bobbed. He forced himself to look away from the monitor, straightened his back, and pretended to be working diligently.

Su Ming did not come in.

He simply walked to the window of the duty room, bent his finger, and tapped the glass three times.

Li Changfeng and Lao Zhao exchanged a glance, then reluctantly opened the window.

"Uncle Li, Uncle Zhao, good afternoon!" Su Ming leaned on the windowsill, smiling brightly. "You've worked hard."

"No...it's not hard work." Old Zhao's lips twitched as he forced a kind smile. "It's for the students, after all."

"It's like this." Su Ming took out his phone from his pocket and waved it. "I just got a job, and I might need to take a few days off from school. Could you two uncles please tell my counselor for me?"

Li Changfeng's temple suddenly throbbed: "What kind of work?"

"A legitimate missing person notice, officially certified," Su Ming said casually.

Old Zhao's hand had already touched the medicine bottle.

"Oh, right," Su Ming added, as if remembering something, "This time time is tight, the mission is heavy, and the journey might be a bit long. If you still want to come, that's fine too."

Li Changfeng and Lao Zhao felt a sudden jolt in their hearts.

Su Ming continued slowly, "However, it will cost extra."

"What?" Li Changfeng wondered if he had misheard.

Su Ming pushed up the black-rimmed glasses he'd somehow acquired and smiled slyly.

"I've done the math. Although you two won't be of much help, I'll have to take care of your food, clothing, lodging, and transportation along the way. Most importantly, I'll have to be constantly on my toes to ensure your safety, which will be a huge drain on my energy and a potential risk."

He held up two fingers and waved them in front of the two of them.

"So, if you still want to get some experience points by following along, you'll have to pay protection money this time."

A long silence fell over the duty room.

Looking out the window at the face that was smiling like a little fox, and then at Old Zhao next to him who had already started fumbling to unscrew the medicine bottle cap, Li Changfeng suddenly felt that his more than 20 years of military service had been wasted.

Su Ming smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the two frozen expressions.

He straightened up, turned to leave, took two steps, then turned back and shouted into the window:

"By the way, Uncle Li, I'll settle the score with you for the life I owed my mother last time when I get back!"

After saying that, he didn't linger. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, put his hands in his pockets, and joined the bustling crowd on campus. With light steps, he walked towards the road that led to the school gate and also to the unknown journey ahead.

The setting sun cast his shadow long and long, like an unfinished poem, or a legend that never ends.

(End of the book)

P.S.: It's finished!

This book is officially finished! Thank you so much to all my readers for accompanying me all the way!

To be honest, I have read every single comment carefully. I sincerely thank all my readers for staying with me and supporting me all this time. It's truly heartwarming.

At first, I just wanted to write the daily quest lines in the story, but as I wrote, the plot slowly went astray and I couldn't stop it. It was too difficult to bring it back to the original path, so I simply followed the story and finished the whole thing.

Throughout the story, watching Su Ming repeatedly embark on missions and venture into different regions, he is never short of warm-hearted and reliable people by his side. He has Li Changfeng and Lao Zhao accompanying him on his journeys, fighting side-by-side, and the old general silently supporting him, looking out for him through thick and thin. Along the way, he also meets a diverse group of friends, including Hassan, Zhuoma, Gu Changfeng, and Ling Qiao. Each character adds a vibrant and lively element to the story.

Many scenes and places in this book are fictional, and the names are all pseudonyms chosen on the spot. Just enjoy the pictures and don't take them too seriously or make them resemble reality. It's purely a story creation.

Thank you all for your understanding of all the shortcomings in the book and for accompanying this group of people through all the stories. All good things must come to an end. The story officially concludes here. Our connection remains, but we will part ways for now.

Goodbye everyone! I wish all my fellow book lovers happiness every day, good health, and all the best.

See you in the next book!

Love you guys!