14: Chapter 14: Back at Guoan, the bonus arrives.

After sending the text message, his mood settled down a bit.

But Lin Ning thought of something and quickly added another message: [I will report in detail tomorrow, goodnight.]

He was the type who couldn't keep a secret overnight, but it wasn't right to send a message that would make Chen Zhi get up in the middle of the night to work overtime.

Mainly, he was also afraid that Chen Zhi would drag him over there too. Gosh, he was exhausted and wasn't that dedicated to his work.

...

Early the next morning.

Lin Ning grimaced in pain as he struggled to get up.

His whole body ached as if his flesh were separating from his bones. Lin Ning knew this was muscle soreness caused by a massive secretion of adrenaline.

He couldn't even lift his left arm; yesterday he had thought it was just a minor sprain.

Lin Ning felt this wouldn't do; this body was too weak and frail.

He had only been throwing things at people from a distance, and they hadn't even laid a finger on him. Yet here he was, feeling as if he'd been jumped by several large men.

At this rate, if he got into a conflict while tailing someone in the future, wouldn't he be taken out in seconds?

What was the use of just being cautious? Without combat prowess as a foundation, he was just a weakling.

Chen Zhi had replied to his message last night, telling him to get in touch today.

He also needed to take care of his arm, otherwise it would probably hurt for several days.

So, time to get up.

Looking at the three people in the room, their light snoring really made him want to roar at them to get up and go back to sleep!

Lin Ning thought silently to himself, "I'm still too motivated. Dammit!"

After washing up and heading out, he could finally change into a set of casual clothes today, so he wouldn't have to wear that 'yellow robe' every day.

With two buns and a cup of soy milk, he ate by the roadside while waiting for the ride-hail car he had called.

He really couldn't ride the electric scooter today, and as a "disabled person," he probably wouldn't be able to squeeze onto the bus or subway.

Have you seen the morning rush hour on the subway and buses in Capital? If a zombie apocalypse had that kind of momentum, humanity would have no hope at all.

It was a moment of extreme physical oppression and a time when one's mental sanity was drained to the negative.

It was already past eight o'clock.

While other places were experiencing one of the two times a day with the most people on the streets, Juma Bridge had already calmed down, with only a few people around.

The recruitment time at Juma Bridge was from four to seven in the morning, and around four in the afternoon for night shifts.

At other times, those who had already run out of resources and couldn't even scrape together the money for a night's lodging could only wait unwillingly.

At nine-thirty, Lin Ning arrived at the small building.

Lin Ning, Chen Zhi, and that unnamed girl gathered in that office once again.

Chen Zhi's face was calm, but his eyes were extremely complex.

Chen Zhi thought: Does this kid really know how to read faces? Then what have we been working so hard for?

Seeing Lin Ning sit down with a distorted facial expression, Chen Zhi could tell at a glance that it was muscle strain and pull.

Chen Zhi's mood instantly lifted a bit. Serves him right!

In the question-and-answer session, aside from still lying about "reading his face and seeing he wasn't a good person," he didn't hide a single thing.

He even told them about Jin Er and the others.

Chen Zhi frowned; in their line of work, they were extremely sensitive to any inquiries from strangers.

But according to Lin Ning's account, Jin Er and the others didn't know the reason. Their method of inquiring was to let others gossip while they listened to the excitement, occasionally adding fuel to the fire as everyone complained together.

This was actually the most perfect way.

But even the most perfect way carries the risk of exposure. It would be best to split the three of them up; individual targets are smaller, and by not causing trouble, they leave a shallow impression. That way, disappearing after gathering information won't attract attention.

Chen Zhi couldn't help but offer a few pointers.

Lin Ning was very pleasantly surprised by this word-of-mouth experience and nodded repeatedly.

Watching his simple-minded joy, Chen Zhi was speechless. Was he really expecting there to be a next time?

The filing for Zhang Chaoyang was completed.

Lin Ning was prepared to leave.

Chen Zhi stopped him. "Where are you going? Process the reward procedures for the filing of Zhang Chaoyang's case."

Lin Ning: "???"

Lin Ning was surprised: "Why so fast this time? Did you make a special application for me? And don't you guys need to verify it? If he turns out not to be one later, do I have to return the money?"

Chen Zhi: "...After you messaged me last night, we already arranged for people to verify it and confirmed the formal filing of the case."

Lin Ning: "Wow, your efficiency is so high."

After praising them, he felt a bit embarrassed; he really had dragged Chen Zhi out of bed to work overtime in the middle of the night.

Chen Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Espionage cases are different from other criminal cases. Every second of delay could cause immeasurable losses."

"We intercepted some documents earlier and confirmed the source was the Bureau of Statistics. We arranged for personnel screening, but hadn't identified the target person. Your information yesterday was very valuable. That's why the case was filed so quickly."

Lin Ning: "Eh? Can you tell me these things? You need to be more vigilant!"

Chen Zhi rolled his eyes, and the girl also pursed her lips in a smile.

Chen Zhi: "Many cases are made public; only the detection methods are kept secret. Making them public is also to warn the world. People like you who report can then notice suspicious behavior and report it in time."

"This case should be solved very quickly. A lot of preliminary work has been done; as long as the target person is determined, everything will fall into place."

Chen Zhi knew that even though Lin Ning had strong talent and 'luck' in this field, he was a total novice regarding common sense, so he explained it to him on purpose.

Moreover, Chen Zhi had a good impression of Lin Ning in his heart. You can see a person's character through their actions. Under the circumstances of being betrayed by relatives and burdened with huge debts, a young man without much life experience hadn't been crushed but instead pulled himself together quickly, using his own hard work to earn money instead of taking a wrong path.

This kind of resilience and responsible character was very precious.

Following the familiar routine of processing procedures and signing, he received a bank notification of the deposit before he even left the small building.

He felt wonderful.

Lin Ning didn't return to Juma Bridge; he directly searched for a nearby Chinese medicine hospital, intending to get a massage and some acupuncture for his arm.

It wasn't worth it to endure it on his own, and with medical insurance, it wouldn't cost much.

In the past, he especially liked going to Chinese medicine hospitals for massages. In the rehabilitation department, the doctors were all legitimate and professional, and the costs were low.

It was much better than the massage parlors and wellness centers outside.

Lin Ning sat in the calling hall of the Chinese medicine hospital waiting for his name to be called. While others were scrolling through their phones or playing games, he was the only one holding his phone and giggling foolishly.

Looking at the bank balance on his phone, with over a hundred thousand in reserves, even if some accident happened and he couldn't earn money for a while, he could last for several months.

To be honest, even after getting a hundred thousand a few days ago, his heart was still tight. If anything happened, it was only enough for two months of installments; the buffer time was too short.

It had kept him living in a ten-yuan bed.

It was also time to improve his life a bit.

Lin Ning planned to change houses; at least he needed his own space.

He didn't mind his own mess, but he really couldn't stand other people's smelly feet.

However, he didn't plan to move out of Juma Bridge.

In Capital, rent was too expensive.

This kind of urban village was still more cost-effective.

After enduring the doctor's professional 'touch' with wails and howls,

Lin Ning felt much more relaxed.

Taking a few medicinal patches, Lin Ning headed straight back to Juma Bridge.