9: Chapter 9 Negotiation expert? No, a follower who has been brainwashed by him.

"I'm going in."

Beside the police command vehicle, Yun Zhiqiu adjusted the Velcro on her bulletproof vest as she spoke to Zhao Shanhe.

At this moment, although her face was pale, her gaze was exceptionally firm.

As the youngest Psychological Profiler specially recruited by the Provincial Department, she had her own pride.

Just now, watching the surveillance, she had indeed been stunned by Qin Feng's subtle, pervasive brainwashing methods.

But it was precisely because of this that her competitive spirit was ignited.

She didn't believe it.

Could a living, breathing person really be completely without flaws?

"Xiao Yun, this is too dangerous!" Zhao Shanhe's brow was tightly furrowed, and the cigarette butt in his hand had been crushed into powder. "That guy is a lunatic, and he has a Flour Bomb in his hands!"

"It's precisely because he's a lunatic that I need to go."

Yun Zhiqiu pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose, the reflection on the lenses hiding the nervousness in her eyes. "I'm confident. As long as someone is human, they have desires and demands. Once I find his psychological anchor point, I can break through his defenses."

"Send some water in to him as a conversation starter."

...

The bank door slowly opened a crack.

Yun Zhiqiu took a deep breath, holding two bottles of mineral water high above her head to show she had no weapons.

One step.

Two steps.

She felt as if her feet were stepping on cotton; every step felt incredibly unsteady.

A strange smell permeated the air.

It was the aroma of Abalone over Rice mixed with the scent of cheap flour—an extremely discordant combination that instead created a sense of absurd horror.

At the second-floor railing.

Qin Feng was leaning against the handrail, boredly playing with a metal windproof lighter he'd swiped from the counter.

*Click.*

The lid flicked open, and a flame jumped up.

*Snap.*

The lid closed, and the flame went out.

He repeated this movement mechanically, looking down at the woman entering with empty eyes.

In reality, he was just spacing out.

It's easy to get sleepy after eating a full meal; it's a basic human physiological instinct.

Plus, this exercise was dragging on way too long. He'd been standing there for nearly two hours, and his legs were getting sore.

The director hadn't called cut, and the police weren't rushing in. Wasn't this pure torture?

"Uh... are you here to settle the bill?"

Looking at Yun Zhiqiu, Qin Feng's first thought was: *Is she here for the money for those food deliveries?*

But to maintain that damn 'vicious bandit' persona, he forced himself to swallow those words back down.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes half-squinted under the mask, exuding a lazy yet dangerous aura.

He didn't speak.

He just quietly watched Yun Zhiqiu with a look that treated her like thin air.

That single look.

Yun Zhiqiu felt as if she were being stared down by a giant python from ancient times.

There was no killing intent in that gaze, not even any emotion.

Only endless indifference.

It was as if Qin Feng couldn't see any value of life in her at all.

*Phew...*

Yun Zhiqiu forcibly suppressed the fear in her heart and stood at the bottom of the stairs, not daring to go up any further.

She placed the water in her hand on the ground. Her voice trembled slightly, but she tried her best to maintain a professional steadiness. "Qin Feng, I am a Negotiation Expert sent by the police. My name is Yun Zhiqiu."

"Can we... talk?"

Qin Feng's hand playing with the lighter paused for a moment.

Talk?

Talk about what?

Talk about when the appearance fee will be paid? Or talk about whether I can get a softer sofa?

But then he had a second thought.

Since the Negotiation Expert was here, did that mean the process was almost over?

As long as he cooperated and chatted for a bit to get through this formality, would he be able to get off work?

Thinking of this, Qin Feng nodded.

He slowly walked down from the second floor, his boots making a *creak, creak* sound on the wooden stairs.

Each step seemed to land on the rhythm of Yun Zhiqiu's heartbeat.

Qin Feng stopped five meters away from Yun Zhiqiu and sat on the stair railing, one leg swinging casually.

"Speak."

A single word.

Concise, powerful, and tinged with impatience.

Yun Zhiqiu swallowed hard, her throat feeling as dry as a cracked piece of sun-baked earth.

This presence was too strong.

Facing him in person was a completely different story compared to watching him through a monitor.

Standing before Qin Feng, she felt like her proud psychological techniques were as laughable as an elementary schooler reciting multiplication tables in front of a professor of calculus.

"Qin Feng, look..."

Yun Zhiqiu took a deep breath, trying to establish empathy. "The outside is completely surrounded by SWAT now. You're trapped. Although you've taken hostages and made... well, that explosive device, you don't really want to hurt innocent people, right?"

"You disassembled a gun for a child, gave food to a wanted criminal, and even poured water for an elderly lady."

"This shows that deep down in your heart, you still retain a sense of kindness."

"As long as you put down your weapon now and release the hostages, I promise you the police will—"

"Stop."

Qin Feng raised his hand, interrupting her long-winded speech.

He really wanted to roll his eyes.

*Sister, which third-rate police novel did you copy these lines from?*

*Can't you come up with something original?*

*Was that kindness?*

*That was because I don't eat seafood! That was because that brat was too noisy!*

Qin Feng sighed.

This sigh sounded incredibly heavy, as if it carried the weight of half a century of life's vicissitudes.

In reality, he just wanted to say: *I'm so tired, I want to go home and play video games.*

"You don't need to test me."

Qin Feng rubbed his aching brow, his voice low and raspy. "Don't bother with those meaningless, repetitive platitudes."

"I just want to know, when will it end?"

Yun Zhiqiu was stunned.

When will it end?

What did that mean?

Was he asking about the police's bottom line? Or was he asking about... his life of crime?

Yun Zhiqiu's brain worked at high speed, instantly filling in the blanks to create a tragic drama of the year.

*This must be a pitiful person abandoned by society and toyed with by fate!*

*He has strayed further and further down the path of crime, but his heart is actually filled with confusion and pain!*

*He's calling for help!*

"Qin Feng!" Yun Zhiqiu's eyes lit up, and her tone became urgent. "If you feel that life has been unfair to you, if you have grievances, you can say them! No matter what you've encountered, taking revenge on society isn't the only way out!"

"This world might not be perfect, but there is still light, there is warmth, there is—"

"Heh."

A light chuckle interrupted Yun Zhiqiu's self-indulgence.

Qin Feng really couldn't listen anymore.

*How can this woman imagine so much?*

*I've already hinted that I want to get off work, and you're talking to me about the world's light and heat?*

*This conversation is going nowhere.*

Since you want to hear something profound, I'll give you something profound.

Qin Feng slowly stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his pant legs.

He looked up, his gaze passing over Yun Zhiqiu's shoulder to the piercing sunlight outside the bank's entrance.

The clown's smile on the mask looked exceptionally eerie in the interplay of light and shadow.

"This world..."

Qin Feng's voice was very soft, like a mumble in a dream, or some kind of divine oracle.

He slowly turned his head, his dark eye sockets staring directly into Yun Zhiqiu's eyes.

Then, he uttered the 'edgelord' line that would later make him want to crawl into a hole out of shame, but which at that moment shattered everyone's worldview:

"It's not me who's wrong."

"It's the world."

...

*Boom—!*

The moment those words were spoken, Yun Zhiqiu felt a roar in her mind, as if a nuclear bomb had detonated in her mental world.

*It's not me who's wrong, it's the world.*

What an arrogant, yet what a despairing declaration!

This was absolute nihilism!

This was the disdain of a god standing atop the ruins of morality!

He wasn't complaining; he was passing judgment!

He was judging this society full of injustice and hypocrisy!

Yun Zhiqiu looked at the man before her.

That thin figure suddenly became infinitely tall in this moment, like a black monument pressing down on her until she couldn't breathe.

Her psychological defenses collapsed.

Tears uncontrollably welled up and spilled over.

It wasn't fear, but a shuddering awe triggered by a kind of extreme tragic aesthetic.

"You..."

Yun Zhiqiu's lips trembled. She wanted to argue back, but found that any words at this moment seemed pale and powerless.

The psychological logic she was so proud of was as fragile as a sheet of paper before the philosophical closed loop this man had constructed.

"If there's nothing else, go back."

Qin Feng waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

*Since I've finished acting cool, hurry up and leave. Don't stop me from resting.*

He turned around, leaving Yun Zhiqiu with a lonely silhouette.

His right hand was in his pocket, and his left hand flicked the lighter again.

*Click.*

The flame jumped up.

In Yun Zhiqiu's eyes, how was that just a flame?

That was the karmic fire of hell!

That was the destructive desire in Qin Feng's heart to burn away all the filth in this world!

"Ah—!"

Yun Zhiqiu finally couldn't withstand the immense mental pressure.

She let out a scream, and even wearing a bulletproof vest, she felt as if all her strength had been drained. She turned and ran out, stumbling.

The two bottles of mineral water were kicked over and rolled to the side.

She rushed out of the bank doors in a pathetic state, her face as white as paper, her whole body looking as if she had just been fished out of water.

...

"Zhiqiu! What happened?!"

Zhao Shanhe rushed forward with several SWAT officers, catching the swaying Yun Zhiqiu.

"Chief... Chief..."

Yun Zhiqiu grabbed Zhao Shanhe's arm, her nails sinking deep into the police uniform. Her gaze was vacant as she muttered to herself, "It's no use... it's simply no use..."

"What's no use? Did he make any demands?" Zhao Shanhe was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"He has no demands."

Yun Zhiqiu looked up, her usually intellectual face now filled with despair. "He doesn't care about money, he doesn't care about his life, he doesn't even care if we can catch him."

"He's just... enjoying it."

"Enjoying the process of trampling the world under his feet."

"He said... it's not him who's wrong, it's the world."

After Yun Zhiqiu finished saying this, she completely collapsed, covering her face and crying bitterly. "It's too terrifying... that look... it's the abyss! I felt like I was talking to the devil just now!"

...

In the livestream room.

After a brief pause, the bullet comments went completely wild.

"Holy crap!!! Those lines! Kaneki Ken would call him a pro!"

"If someone else said this, I'd think they had terminal eighth-grader syndrome. But since Bandit Bro said it... Mom is asking me why I'm watching my phone on my knees!"

"This is too cool! That world-weariness, that sense of brokenness! Who is he? I want all his info in three minutes!"

"Even the psychological expert was talked into tears? What level is this? A Challenger playing against Bronzes?"

"Bandit Bro: I just acted cool on a whim. Expert: He's judging the world! Netizens: Everyone stand up!"

"This is definitely not an exercise! Could an exercise reach this level of philosophical height? I suggest checking his thesis; this guy might just be a philosophy professor!"

...

Police Command Center.

After hearing Yun Zhiqiu's intermittent report, Zhao Shanhe felt terrible.

He looked at the big screen at Qin Feng, who had sat back down on the sofa and was using the remote to flip through channels to watch cartoons.

His eyes were filled with deep wariness.

A high-IQ, anti-social individual who understood psychology, possessed extreme anti-reconnaissance awareness, and could even break a Negotiation Expert down.

Is this something the Jianghai City Police Department can handle?

*Bang!*

Zhao Shanhe slammed his palm on the table.

That poor solid wood conference table finally couldn't take the load, and a crack opened with a *snap*.

"A lunatic! He's a complete and utter lunatic!"

Zhao Shanhe pulled out a bottle of fast-acting heart relief pills from his pocket. This time, he poured half the bottle directly into his mouth, crunching them like candy.

"We can't wait any longer!"

"Negotiation failed! The psychological offensive was ineffective!"

Zhao Shanhe's eyes were red as he grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice raspy like a broken bellows. "Assault Team! Get ready!"

"Since he wants to judge the world, then I'll judge him first today!"

"Notify the Demolition Team. In ten minutes, breach the door!"

"All snipers are cleared for free fire! If you have a shot, whether it's the hand or the leg, as long as you can incapacitate him, don't ask for permission—fire directly!"

...

Second-floor VIP room.

Qin Feng sneezed.

"Achoo!"

He rubbed his nose, a bit puzzled. "Who's cursing me?"

Could it be that woman from just now?

It shouldn't be. I even talked to her about the philosophy of life; shouldn't she be moved to tears?

Qin Feng shook his head and stuffed a leftover potato chip into his mouth.

He glanced at the wall clock.

It was ten minutes until the top of the hour.

"Just ten more minutes. If there's still no movement, I'll just surrender."

Qin Feng calculated in his mind.

But what he didn't know was...

What awaited him in ten minutes wasn't clocking out of work,

But dozens of flashbangs and a SWAT Assault Team armed to the teeth.