I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

Cheng Fang took the pen away and casually put the report into the folder.

"Go home and rest today."

Lin Ye lay on the medical bed, his voice still a little hoarse.

"Shall we continue tomorrow?"

"continue."

Cheng Fang answered without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Ye closed his eyes.

really.

Tang Zhi sat next to her, holding a glass of glucose water, and said, suppressing a laugh, "Your expression right now looks just like a dog that has just come ashore and has been told to swim two more laps."

Lin Ye turned to look at her.

"Thank you, the scene is even more hopeless now."

Qin Zhao leaned against the doorway and coldly added, "At least dogs can swim."

Tang Zhi burst out laughing.

Xu Mian stood in the corner, holding the documents, and whispered, "The doctor said it's best for him not to be stimulated right now."

Qin Zhao glanced at her.

Xu Mian immediately lowered her head, pretending that she hadn't said anything.

Cheng Fang did not participate in the casual conversation.

He placed the training schedule on the bedside table, his tone still calm.

"Today is just to get a feel for things, not to embarrass you."

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

Cheng Fang looked at him.

"If you go out on fieldwork now, you'll slow down the team."

"Those who encounter members of the Candle Shadow Society will die quickly."

The words were harsh.

But Lin Ye did not refute it.

Cheng Fang continued, "You may not like the Seventh Division, you may not like training, you may not like being assigned tasks."

"But now you're being watched."

"If you want to live, you have to train."

The medical room fell silent.

Tang Zhi stopped smiling.

Qin Zhao didn't deliver the final blow.

Lin Ye looked at the white light panel above his head.

The light was so bright it made my eyes a little sore.

After a long pause, he finally said, "I understand."

Cheng Fang nodded.

"Back to the dorm in half an hour."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Qin Zhao followed.

Xu Mian was a step behind, and when she reached the door, she turned back to look at Lin Ye.

"You weren't the worst today."

Lin Ye turned his head to look at her.

Xu Mian said in a very soft voice, "It was just that the second group was the first to faint."

After she finished speaking, her ears turned red, and she quickly walked away with the documents in her arms.

Tang Zhi laughed so hard her shoulders were shaking.

Lin Ye lay on the bed and sighed.

"Does your team, Group Two, always go through this step-by-step approach when comforting people?"

Tang Zhi handed him the glucose water.

"You'll get used to it. Our focus here is on authenticity."

Half an hour later, Han Xu came to pick him up.

He was holding Lin Ye's personal cell phone and an encrypted cell phone issued by the Seventh Bureau.

"My personal phone has undergone a security check and is usable."

Han Xu handed him the phone.

"Communications leave a trace. Don't say what you shouldn't say."

Lin Ye took the phone.

The moment the screen lit up, dozens of unread messages popped up.

Most of them come from Qingcheng.

It was sent by Uncle Zhao.

I have the Gu family's phone number.

There are also a few missed calls.

Lin Ye looked at the red dots and suddenly had a strange feeling.

It hasn't been long at all.

It felt like a lifetime had passed.

He used to be most afraid of unread messages.

rent.

Demand payment.

Notification of interview failure.

Now look what's happened.

Ancient Tomb, Seven Sites, Candle Shadow Society, Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Superpower Squad – each one more outrageous than the last.

His world upgraded too rapidly, without even a buffer period.

Han Xu glanced at him.

"Can you walk?"

"able."

Lin Ye propped himself up on the bed.

My legs are still weak.

Tang Zhi said from the side, "Slow down. In your current state, you could easily kneel down and kowtow while walking."

Lin Ye held onto the edge of the bed for a couple of seconds to recover.

"Thanks for the reminder, it's impossible to guard against."

The way back to the dormitory is not far.

The sounds from the negative seven training area were blocked by the door, and the elevator went up, with the numbers jumping back to the ground floor layer by layer.

When the door opened and the light from outside shone in, Lin Ye felt a little uncomfortable.

The building on the seven ground floors still looks like an ordinary unit.

The corridor was old, with some parts of the walls slightly yellowed, and several half-dead green plants on the windowsill.

Someone walked by carrying documents and holding a cup of soy milk.

If it weren't for the coldness of the bracelet on his wrist, Lin Ye would have almost thought he was just attending an absurd onboarding training.

Han Xu escorted him to the dormitory entrance.

"Don't run around today."

"In my current state, is it safe for me to run around?"

He pushed the door open, went in, and closed it.

The room fell silent immediately.

A bed.

A table.

A table lamp.

Outside the window, the sky above the capital city was a grayish-white, and in the distance, a few old pine trees swayed gently in the wind.

There are no green hills.

There is no night shift booth.

Uncle Zhao's enamel mug is not available.

There were no dead people making endless noises at night either.

Lin Ye sat down at the table and turned on his personal cell phone.

The first message was sent by Zhao Shoushan.

I type very slowly, and my punctuation is a bit messy.

Xiaolin, Lele and I have everything arranged, so don't worry about us. Lele said she'd treat you to ice cream next time she sees you. Although I'm not very educated and don't know exactly what you've been up to, I know you've helped us. Thank you. Wherever you are in the future, don't overexert yourself; staying safe is the most important thing.

Lin Ye stared at it for a long time.

Uncle Zhao didn't ask what was wrong with Qingshan.

I didn't ask what Hyun-gyu was.

I didn't ask him where he went.

He just said, "Thank you, don't be stubborn."

This is more heartbreaking than asking further questions.

Lin Ye typed a few words, then deleted them.

In the end, he only replied with one sentence:

Uncle Zhao, please take good care of Lele. I'll treat you to a meal when I get back to Qingcheng.

After sending it, he stared at the screen for a few seconds.

He used to think that Qingshan Cemetery was just a temporary place to stay.

The salary is high, but living in hell is still bearable.

He'll leave once he's made enough money from bargain hunting.

The best option is to go abroad and find a small place to relax.

Seaside, sunshine, coconut water.

No boss, no payment requests, no trouble.

Looking back now, my wishes back then were as simple as starting quests in a newbie village.

The second message came from Ning Zhi.

She changed her profile picture.

What used to look like a casually taken street scene has now been replaced by the exterior wall of the news building.

Lin Ye clicked on it.

I started a new job covering social news, and finally I don't have to be treated like a temporary worker anymore. Thank you for what happened in Qingshan. Although there are still many things I don't understand, I know you didn't lie to me. Lin Ye, live well. If I ever write a really good article in the future, I'll leave you an anonymous thank you.

Lin Ye smiled.

Reporter Ning is still Reporter Ning.

Even the expression of gratitude felt like a written script, with a hint of stubbornness at the end.

He replied:

Hope everything goes well at your new job. No need for anonymous thanks, I'm afraid of becoming famous.

Ningzhi quickly replied with a cat-eye-rolling emoji.

This is followed by the sentence:

I know you want to get rich quietly.

Lin Ye stared at the words "get rich quick in a low-key way" for a moment, then paused.

This was originally his goal.

Find a bargain.

Get rich overnight.

It's best to earn it quietly and leave quietly, without anyone noticing.

But when did things start to change?

Behind the secondhand market is a fake antique shop.

The forgery of antiques has brought to light a long-standing feud within a wealthy family.

The old grievances of the wealthy family have once again been linked to the Qingshan Cemetery.

Next are the Tomb Raiders, the Ancient Tomb, Lai Changqing, Xuan Gui, the Seventh Bureau, and the Candle Shadow Society.

Each one is more outrageous than the last.

Yet each item is intricately linked.

Like a chain being pulled out, the first link is on a secondhand stall, and the last link is dragged into a world that is experiencing a spiritual revival.

My phone vibrated again.

This time it's Xiaoman (Grain Buds).

She sent a voice message.

Lin Ye clicked on it.

Xiaoman's voice came from the phone, still with that cold, indifferent, and slightly arrogant tone.

"The boss told me to ask you if you're dead or not."

"I told you you're tough, you shouldn't die anytime soon."

"By the way, you still owe me a late-night snack. Don't even think about getting away with it."

End of audio.

The room was quiet for a while.

Lin Ye couldn't help but chuckle.

After laughing, my chest slowly sank.

The fact that Xiaoman can still speak like this shows that things are at least superficially stable in Qingcheng.

Gu Wantang is still dealing with matters concerning the Gu family.

The secondhand market is still open.

Uncle Zhao and Lele were settled.

Ningzhi went to a new job.

Those people are retreating back to their old lives.

Only he was pushed onto a different path.

He typed back to Xiaoman:

While alive, accounts are kept.

Xiaoman replied instantly:

That's fine. Just don't die out there, otherwise it will be difficult for me to get reimbursed.

Lin Ye stared at the line of words, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a message came in from Gu Wantang.

It's not a voice message.

It is a text.

I'll handle things in Qingcheng, so you don't need to worry about it. There are some things you can't say, and I won't ask. But I roughly understand that on the path you're on now, ordinary people can't offer much help.

Lin Ye stared at the text, his finger hovering over the edge of the screen.

Gu Wantang is too smart.

She's so smart that she doesn't need to know everything to guess part of it.

She didn't ask any further questions.

They didn't say "I'll help you."

Because she knew that some things couldn't be touched by money, connections, or business tactics.

The second message came in quickly.

Lin Ye, take care. Come back and visit when you have time; the door to the Gu family home will always be open for you.

If you need money, just tell me directly, don't be shy. You have many other skills, but you're especially good at pretending to be poor and putting on a brave face.

Lin Ye looked at the sentence "The door to the Gu family will always be open for you," and something stirred slightly in his heart.

He originally thought that his relationship with Gu Wantang was more of a collaboration.

She has a family-oriented mindset.

He had a clue that Qingshan had heard.

They've worked together to dismantle schemes and also encountered pitfalls together.

But now, all she says is: "Come back and take a look."

This isn't a business discussion.

This isn't about cooperation.

Yes, I'm coming back.

My phone vibrated again.

Gu Wantang sent a third message.

Also, Lu Zhixia is in the capital. Although she's aloof, she's reliable and has connections. Since you live nearby, you can keep in touch.

Of course, it's just for work purposes.

Don't overthink it.

Lin Ye stared at the last three words and remained silent for two seconds.

Then she slowly smiled.

He replied:

Mr. Gu, I've remembered the option of borrowing money.

The other side replied quickly:

The important thing is to take care of yourself, not to borrow money.

He replied:

Understood. Less talk, more life.

Gu Wantang replied with a period.

Lin Ye looked at the period and thought it was very much like Gu Wantang.

calm.

restraint.

But not indifferent.

He put his phone on the table, and the room fell silent again.

The wind blows through the old pine tree outside the window, causing its branches and leaves to sway gently.

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

To be honest, he didn't want to stay in Division Seven.

I really don't want to.

Here, you need to swipe a card to eat, swipe your access card to enter, and even report your movements.

But he also knew that he had no choice now.

The Candle Shadow Society has already set its sights on him.

If he leaves the Seventh Bureau now, he might be put into a car and taken away before he even leaves the capital.

Or, to put it more simply, it would be disposed of directly.

Lin Ye looked at the training schedule on the table.

Cardiorespiratory endurance: Failed.

Upper limb strength: unqualified.

Moving under load is unacceptable.

Evacuation capability is substandard.

The reaction to avoidance is unacceptable.

Every "failure" is glaringly obvious.

He used to want to be rich because he was terrified of being poor.

For the first time, he had such a clear desire to become stronger.

It's not about being a hero.

It wasn't to save the world.

He's not that noble.

He just wanted to live.

He wanted to be able to escape without having to wait for someone to drag him away when danger struck again.

If the Candlelight Society were to target him again, he would either be taken away or killed.

He wanted to ensure that people like Uncle Zhao, Ning Zhi, Gu Wantang, and Xiao Man, who had been implicated by him, would at least not get into trouble because of him.

He didn't want Cheng Fang to train him until he was dizzy and his vision went black.

But he has to practice.

Because being weak means having no choice.

He had understood this principle once before when he was poor.

Now, I understand it in a different way.

Lin Ye picked up his pen.

My hands are still a little sore.

He turned to the last page of the training schedule.

The blank spaces are very clean.

He looked down and wrote four characters on it.

First, survive.

After he finished writing, he stared at those words for a long time.

Until the bracelet vibrated slightly.

The encrypted phone lights up.

Han Xu sent a notification.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, the second field preparation group will have a field general knowledge lesson.

Location: B7-204.

Note: Participation is not permitted on an empty stomach.

Lin Ye looked at the last line and remained silent for a few seconds.

It feels like this line was added specifically for him.

He put down his phone and looked again at the four words on the training schedule.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

In the capital, there are dead people chatting in the green hills at night.

But Lin Ye knew that from that night on, he would never be able to go back to that night shift where he only wanted to pick up bargains and get rich quick.