"What did you say you wanted to be?!"
Shi Qiang's hand, holding a cigarette butt, trembled, almost burning himself. His eyelids twitched wildly as he stared incredulously at the young man spouting nonsense.
"I think I was quite clear, wasn't I?" Emrys tilted his head, repeating, "I hope Mr. Shi Qiang can recommend me to General Chang Weisi to become the fourth Wallfacer."
"You? On what grounds?"
Shi Qiang twitched the corner of his mouth, scrutinizing the young man in front of him.
Just because you're handsome?
Don't be silly, being handsome is useless.
Besides, he, Shi Qiang, wasn't a homosexual and had no interest in pretty boys.
Emrys thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I can help humanity defeat the Trisolaran civilization—isn't that a reason?"
"...Do you think I look easy to fool?" Shi Qiang gritted his teeth, saying in an extremely exasperated tone, "Recommend you to be a Wallfacer? If I had that ability, why wouldn't I go be a Wallfacer myself? How could such a good thing fall into your lap?"
With that, Shi Qiang threw the finished cigarette butt on the ground, stomped on it twice with his leather shoe, patted Emrys' shoulder, and said seriously, "You, you're some rich lord, aren't you? Although I don't know who told you to come find me, I'm sorry—I can't do it. If you really have nothing to do, you can go bite a lighter."
Ever since Luo Ji's assassination, all sorts of strange characters had appeared—but ultimately, their goals were consistent.
Either they were ETO spies.
Or they craved the power of a Wallfacer.
Humans—they really were ridiculous.
Shi Qiang couldn't help but laugh mockingly; even at the brink of life and death, they didn't forget to engage in internal strife.
How did that saying go?
Internal conflict leads to national ruin, and even with national ruin, there will still be internal conflict.
Shi Qiang, feeling down, was about to leave, but he felt as if his body had been frozen.
"?"
Shi Qiang was greatly alarmed.
What kind of magic was this?
"Mr. Shi Qiang, I haven't finished speaking yet." At this moment, a light voice came. Emrys slowly turned to face him. In the depths of his brown eyes, a clear blue spring seemed to flow, chilling to the bone.
"You did this?!"
Shi Qiang's pupils constricted sharply, his face devoid of any calmness, replaced by fear and horror.
"Why can't I move? What did you do?"
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Shi Qiang."
Emrys smiled, comforting him, "It's just a little trick, just so you can listen to me. After I finish, it won't be too late for you to make a decision. Whether you stay or go then is entirely up to your personal will, how about it?"
Shi Qiang, in his daily life, whether on the front lines amidst a hail of bullets or facing ETO's desperate bombs, had never panicked.
But at this moment, he panicked.
This was different from all the dangers he had experienced. This young man made no movements, yet he was as if frozen.
He couldn't even move a finger, just like—the Seven Fairies in Journey to the West, immobilized by Sun Wukong!
But Shi Qiang was indeed a front-line detective; he quickly regained his composure.
"Alright, speak."
"Mr. Shi Qiang, you should have been investigating something not long ago, right?" Emrys said with a smile.
Shi Qiang was a bit bewildered. He had too many things to investigate, and ever since Luo Ji's assassination, the internal scrutiny alone had nearly driven him mad. Suddenly hearing this, he was truly a bit confused.
"Alright, I'll remind you then." Emrys said, a little helplessly, "Three days ago, Ping'an Crossroads, a multi-car pileup."
"It was you?!"
Shi Qiang's pupils suddenly constricted.
"The Traveling Trader, Merlin Emrys?!"
"Oh?"
Emrys raised an eyebrow, but then immediately guessed where Shi Qiang had gotten the information.
"So, the business card I gave Doctor Luo Ji fell into your hands?"
"It really was you!"
Shi Qiang was utterly astonished, his eyes wide.
"Where's your bodyguard? Where's that three-meter-tall guy?!"
"Hmm?" Emrys narrowed his eyes, detecting a hint of something unusual in Shi Qiang's urgent tone.
"I'm very curious, where did you learn about that bodyguard?"
The business card he gave Luo Ji only had his identity and name, with no information about Maximus.
Moreover, everyone present that day had their memories of the two erased by his mental hypnosis.
Even the surveillance records were erased by him.
Even the Trisolaran's "Sophons" couldn't find their exact location, nor could they capture a clear image.
With the authority of the "Void Dragon," Emrys couldn't detect the "Sophons" for now, but similarly—the Sophons couldn't find them either.
If that was the case, how did Shi Qiang know?
Could it be that in this world where the plot had changed, Shi Qiang was a member of the ETO organization?
Thinking of this, a trace of killing intent flashed in the depths of Emrys' eyes, then vanished.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not with the ETO!"
Shi Qiang was an exceedingly astute man, his ability to read expressions deeply ingrained. He immediately noticed the killing intent in Emrys' eyes, instantly guessing that the other party was suspicious of his identity, and quickly explained, "It was Luo Ji, when he was severely injured, who told me: 'Find the person on the business card in his embrace, characterized as a male of around twenty, black hair, brown eyes, with an aristocratic demeanor, and a male bodyguard of around forty, three meters tall, and extremely strong!'"
Upon hearing this, Emrys temporarily suppressed his suspicion.
"So, Doctor Luo Ji didn't die?"
"Listen—"
Shi Qiang opened his mouth, then finally let out a heavy sigh.
"It can't quite be said that way. The bullet passed right through his lung. Although his life was temporarily saved, he—he fell into a deep coma. From a medical perspective, he's a 'vegetative state,' no different from being dead."
Vegetative state?
Emrys breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't dead, it was fine. He had thought he'd been shot in the head. But thinking of this, he couldn't help but wonder, "Didn't you make him wear a bulletproof vest?"
"Don't even mention it!" Shi Qiang's face was full of resentment, as if he had a belly full of anger, and he cursed, "I reminded him several times to wear a bulletproof vest, but that guy was as stubborn as a mule, refusing to listen to me and insisting on taking it off. As a result, he got shot the moment he went out, and the responsibility somehow fell on my head. Don't you think I'm unlucky?!"
Emrys' eye twitched.
This was truly courting death. He had already reminded Luo Ji to wear a bulletproof vest, but the guy actually took it off. He deserved to become a vegetative state!
He was speechless.
How did the perfectly good plotline collapse into this state, forcing him to step forward ahead of time? It was all the fault of those damned Trisolarans!
"Mr. Shi Qiang, since you already know my identity—" Emrys took a deep breath and said, "If you don't mind, may I speak with General Chang Weisi?"
Shi Qiang hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement:
"Alright, but—you must accept our conditions. This is for General Chang Weisi's safety, and I hope you can understand."
"No problem."
Emrys smiled and nodded.
Finally, his plan had at last taken its first step as envisioned. It wasn't easy!