22: Chapter 22 Blinding Red, Dude, You're Ruthless!

Back home, Lin Ning sat on the bed, stretched his body, and let out a breath.

With a target about to be investigated, he felt the soreness in his body lighten considerably.

He quickly changed into the yellow robe—this clothing was everywhere in Juma Bridge and was the least conspicuous. He detached the recorder from his courier helmet, wrapped it twice around his neck, tucked the lens into his collar, and adjusted the fabric with his fingers three times until, looking in the mirror, only a small black edge was visible, and then he felt at ease.

"Tsk!" Lin Ning frowned, his fingertips rubbing against the cold recorder casing, muttering to himself: I still need to buy a pinhole camera; this thing is a hassle to hide, and if I get caught, it's game over.

He took out his phone and quickly placed an order for the device he had been eyeing but hadn't been able to bring himself to buy. When paying, his mouth twitched in heartache. He could only console himself: Forget it, you have to spend to earn.

Soothing his heart, he adjusted his mood and headed straight for the old building.

Upon arriving downstairs, he hesitated for two seconds, then ducked into the nearby small shop, grabbed two large bags of the cheapest fruit candies, tore open the packaging, and dumped them all into a plastic bag—fancy packaging would be too eye-catching, while loose candy looked most like "wedding candies brought from his hometown." He weighed the bag, then stuffed two more pieces into his pocket; just in case some rooms had too many people, he could top it up. Perfect!

He put on a smile and headed straight upstairs.

Lin Ning didn't go directly to the target's room. Instead, he started from the room by the staircase, pushed the door open, entered, and began handing out candies, "Hey, Brother Liu..."

This wasn't a proper residential building; it was self-built by villagers, with only five rooms and a washroom/toilet area per floor.

According to Jin Er's description, that "ruthless person" stayed holed up in his room during the day, but no one could be sure if he was actually in there. Fearing he might alert the prey, he couldn't easily ask around. Besides, he had only been living there for a few days and didn't know anyone except Jin Er and a few others.

He handed out candies room by room until he reached the second-to-last one—exactly where the target was.

Pushing open the door, the door hinge let out a "creak." Lin Ning instinctively paused, his eyes quickly scanning the room—all four beds were occupied. Cheng Xiaojun was leaning against the headboard scrolling through videos, the other two roommates were playing on their phones, and on the second-to-last bed sat a sturdy middle-aged man.

Lin Ning felt relieved; it was good that he was there.

Once happy, the smile on Lin Ning's face became delighted, even carrying a touch of "honest" silliness.

"Yo, Brother Cheng!" He raised the candy bag in his hand, his voice just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "Busy?"

"Yo, Lin Zi, what's up?" Cheng Xiaojun was one of the "old-timers" Jin Er mentioned, and he had a decent relationship with Jin Er and the others.

"Hi! Brother Cheng!" Lin Ning rubbed his hands together, intentionally showing a shy smile, "My dad had a baby brother for me out there, but he's not in good health. It's a custom back home to hand out wedding candies to let everyone know the child exists, seeing if the King of Hell might show some mercy."

Cheng Xiaojun: "..."

The other two roommates in the room also stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with confusion about "what does 'baby brother born out there' mean."

"Eat some candy! Eat some candy!" Lin Ning didn't give them a chance to overthink it. He grabbed a handful of candies from the plastic bag, first handed them to Cheng Xiaojun, then distributed them to the other two roommates one by one, and finally turned to the sturdy man.

Lin Ning's heart skipped a beat. A blinding blood-red halo enveloped a line of text, glaring like a red-hot branding iron: [Zhang He, Logistics Driver]. This red color exuded a fierce, malevolent vibe that made the back of his neck tingle.

Zhang He was half-leaning against the headboard, his back straight, hands resting on his knees. Since Lin Ning entered the room, he hadn't moved an inch, only staring at him with indifferent, cold eyes. That gaze wasn't curiosity; it was a strange, scrutinizing look—like a hunter watching prey, like a gourmet looking at food—making Lin Ning's palms sweat.

"You must be the new guy who moved in, right? Have some candy, have some candy!" Lin Ning suppressed the urge to turn and run, pulled out a large handful of candy, and offered it to Zhang He, trying to keep his tone casual.

Zhang He didn't take the candy, didn't even move a finger. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and hoarse: "Are you from this building too?"

Lin Ning's fingers trembled slightly. He placed the candy on the small stool by his bedside, and only after his fingertips touched the cold wooden board did he manage to steady his nerves. He intentionally lowered his eyelids to avoid Zhang He's gaze, looking "honest and simple," and scratched his head: "Yeah, big brother. I used to live in the room next to yours, but my family sent some money, so I moved to the new building behind this one. The conditions are a bit better."

Originally, Lin Ning didn't intend to probe anything face-to-face; he planned to turn and leave naturally after handing out the candy. Besides, the urge in his brain, which kept sounding alarms to run away, wouldn't allow him to stay any longer.

"Brother Cheng, I still have more candy to hand out. I'll come find you to hang out later!" He greeted him loudly, his steps brisk but not chaotic, fearing that any sudden movements would arouse suspicion.

"Go ahead and get busy. It's just a stone's throw away." Cheng Xiaojun, a seasoned socialite who knew how to keep a conversation going, waved his hand like a big brother.

Lin Ning waved at them. The moment he closed the door behind him, cold sweat trickled down his spine. The cool breeze in the hallway hit him, making him shiver.

He finally understood what Jin Er and the others meant by "the vibe"—Zhang He looked like an ordinary, sturdy middle-aged man wearing a washed-out T-shirt, even sporting an old watch on his wrist; he didn't look like a vicious criminal at all. But those eyes were terrifying, making one's scalp tingle.

Lin Ning gritted his teeth, trying to regulate his heartbeat, even though he had already captured Zhang He's image. He still had to continue to the last room on the second floor; if you're going to hand out candy, you have to do it to the end. The excuse had to be complete; he couldn't let anyone get suspicious.

Disguise, patience—even though he was still inexperienced, he kept the word "caution" firmly in mind and had already gained some insights.

After finishing the second floor, he gritted his teeth and went up to the third and fourth floors. Many rooms had unfamiliar faces. When some asked him suspiciously "where are you from," he, like Xianglin's Wife, repeated the "baby brother" excuse over and over again, managing not to miss a single room.

By the time he came down from upstairs, his legs were a bit weak. Just as he reached the building entrance, he bumped into Jin Er, Xu San, and Zhang Shitou walking back.

Lin Ning waved the remaining candy bag in his hand and went to meet them: "Three big brothers! You came at the right time! Have some candy, have some candy! My dad had a new baby brother for me, but he's not in good health. It's a custom back home to give out more wedding candies to pray for the child!"

"I went to our room just now, but you weren't there. And now we ran into each other—it's fate!"

Jin Er and the other two looked at the exceptionally happy-smiling Lin Ning, the corners of their mouths twitching uncontrollably.

Others might not know, but they knew Lin Ning's background. What was this about his dad having a new baby brother who was in poor health? Wasn't that just too mean?

And they also knew what Lin Ning was actually here for.

This excuse was truly "uproarious filial piety"! Hilariously filial!

Jin Er and the others complained internally, but on the surface, they were still laughing and joking.

"Hahahaha, well, congratulations, congratulations!" Jin Er also pretended to be happy, came over, reached out to grab a handful of candy, stuffed it into his pocket, and patted Lin Ning on the shoulder.

Xu San and Zhang Shitou also held back their laughter, followed up with "congratulations," and divided the remaining candy. Each of them intentionally patted Lin Ning a couple of extra times, the force of which seemed to be praising him: "Well done."

Honest kid? Promising, high-quality youth? Give me a break!

From the moment Lin Ning moved into their room, why did those old foxes accept him so easily? It was because the vibe in his bones was just the same as theirs—they were birds of a feather. It clicked~ Real men!

Lin Ning was patted by the three brothers until he grimaced; he was still in pain, yet he could only pretend to smile, while his hand made a gesture for them to "wait."

Quickly fleeing from these three big jokers, Lin Ning returned home, locked the door behind him, didn't even take off his clothes, and rushed straight to the computer. He tore off the recorder from his neck, his fingers trembling slightly as he inserted the memory card into the card reader. Before double-clicking the video file, he instinctively looked back at the tightly locked door. The moment the computer screen lit up, he even held his breath.