Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
What appeared in Director Long's hand wasn't a stack of papers as Jiang Chenyi had guessed, but a clock.
Seeing them emerge, the Deputy Director and the Captain immediately surrounded her while craning their necks to look at Director Long, who had suddenly vanished and reappeared.
"Director Long, are you alright?" The Deputy Director, who had rushed over first, looked at his superior's dazed expression and felt a surge of anxiety.
The Captain, however, focused on what was in Director Long's hand: "Is that a watch?"
Director Long snapped out of her trance, slowly exhaled, and then tightened her grip on the object before turning to Jiang Chenyi: "How do I use this?"
If it weren't for the fact that her two subordinates had witnessed her disappearance, Director Long might have thought everything that had just happened was an illusion.
To be honest, that bizarre yet beautiful starry sky really resembled the hallucinations described by drug addicts.
Fortunately, Jiang Chenyi couldn't hear this inner thought, or he would have been furious.
He stepped forward and took the clock from her hand.
The time on this clock was quite peculiar. The outermost ring had numbers from one to ten, the second ring from one to twelve, the third from one to thirty-one, and the innermost from one to twenty-four.
Clearly, these numbers corresponded to years, months, days, and hours.
"So... does this mean we can go back in time by adjusting the time?" Wei venture a guess after hearing Jiang Chenyi's explanation.
Jiang Chenyi glanced at him: "You're half right."
Huh?
He personally demonstrated how to use it by having everyone stand close to him, and then adjusted the time to yesterday.
Jiang Chenyi showed Director Long and the others that the four digits representing the year needed to be turned one by one, followed by pressing the confirmation button on top of the clock.
As for the month, day, and hour, it was much simpler.
After pressing the confirmation button again, in the next second, everyone felt as if they were in a dream. The surroundings became distorted but quickly returned to normal.
Well, not entirely normal.
They heard the sound of curses and reprimands coming from next door, and it didn’t seem to be from anyone in the police station.
While everyone else was puzzled, Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi simultaneously realized, "This is how it was yesterday before we arrived at the scene."
Director Long and the others were startled and followed the sound, only to find the Chief and others who should have been in the hospital right now in the office.
The Chief of the police station in front of them was snarling and yelling at the other officers, who either looked numb or pained.
"When Wei and I arrived here, it was a little after three in the afternoon, so..."
Jiang Chenyi adjusted the time again, and when they reached four o'clock, the others immediately saw the figures of two young men appearing not far away.
They were sharing the same umbrella, and the original group couldn’t see them. The "Chief" was still cursing and grumbling.
This astonishing scene left everyone present with their mouths agape—not just because of the clock, but also because of their ability to perfectly evade detection by outsiders.
Wei looked at Jiang Chenyi and the others with envy, wishing he could have such a marvelous power of invisibility...
After demonstrating once, Jiang Chenyi reset the time, and they returned to reality.
"This is how the clock works. After that, we just need to extract some specific times and locations from those people, and then we’ll be able to see everything firsthand."
Eight thousand Merit Points for this item wasn’t exactly cheap, and Jiang Chenyi suspected they might discover something even more important to offset the cost.
Director Long held the clock in her hands with her eyes filled with both astonishment and a glimmer of anticipation.
"Can this thing recreate the crime scene?"
Hearing this, the Captain of the Armed Police Force suddenly looked up with his expression suggesting he had thought of something.
Jiang Chenyi neither confirmed nor denied it, simply adding, "This thing will disappear once you find the information you’re looking for."
Director Long’s idea was to find out what the group from Thailand was up to. Once she got the answer using this tool, the clock would vanish.
It could be considered a one-time-use item.
But before that, no matter what you did with the clock, it wouldn’t count as achieving the goal, so it wouldn’t disappear.
After hearing his explanation, the Captain’s eyes lit up like a pair of lightbulbs.
"Director!" He reached out to Director Long with his eyes filled with desire and pleading.
Director Long knew exactly what he wanted to do and handed the clock to him without hesitation then instructed, "Go quickly and come back soon!"
The Captain nodded heavily, took the clock, and rushed straight out of the police station.
Seeing the others confused, Director Long explained, "There’s a murder case in the main city area. The crime scene was cleaned up very thoroughly, leaving no clues at all."
Of course, this had nothing to do with the Armed Police, but the Captain was close with the Criminal Investigation Department.
His brother had already pulled several all-nighters but still hadn’t caught the culprit.
Jiang Chenyi waved his hand, "It doesn’t matter. We haven’t extracted the time and location yet anyway."
Then, they interrogated the souls of the five outsiders once more.
Although many things couldn't be disclosed, based on the locations and durations of their stays over the years, Director Long felt they could follow the clues and trace their way up.
It was just a bit time-consuming!
After the interrogation, Jiang Chenyi didn't immediately retrieve the five outsiders. Instead, he inquired about the police officer.
"Why was that person later imprisoned by the villagers?"
One of the Spirits shrank back before timidly saying, "Because I was driven out..."
"What!" This statement was somewhat unexpected. They hadn't anticipated that these outsiders could be driven out!
Facing a room full of astonished eyes, the outsider felt a surge of anger, wishing they could rush out and take over their bodies!
But upon meeting Jiang Chenyi's icy gaze, they froze and shrank back again.
"Explain clearly what happened." The voice of the great demon lord rang out above, so cold that even the Soul couldn't bear it.
Not daring to defy Jiang Chenyi, the outsider had no choice but to recount everything in detail.
It turned out that the bodies they had taken over could actually be reclaimed, but doing so required a strong will and persistence.
Over the years, they had taken over so many bodies, but this person was the first to reclaim their body from them.
And once they had been taken over once, they couldn't be taken over a second time.
"So, that person was rendered useless. The villagers thought he was meddlesome and imprisoned him as a tool for venting their frustrations."
As for the chains through the collarbone and the gouging of eyes, those were purely the villagers' own ideas and had nothing to do with him!
Huo Yunxi was so furious that he crushed the armrest of his chair. The two Directors also slammed the table and stood up while cursing under their breaths, wishing they could arrest all those people immediately!
Snap!
A snap of fingers instantly calmed everyone in the room.
Everyone turned to look at Jiang Chenyi, who was sitting by the window. The young man, backlit, had strikingly pale golden eyes at that moment.
"The village issue needs to be handled, but with caution. Yunxi went there once before, and many people were abducted. If we alert them, they might use those people as hostages. Moreover, we don't know if they have a way to contact the Dai people."
The biggest fear was whether there were hidden dangers in that village.
"So..." The young man's eyes fixed intently on everyone present as he proposed his idea: "We, Celestial Masters, will deal with them and bring the people back. By then, they will surely notice that the people in the cave are missing."
Capturing them isn't the hard part; the challenge lies in how to handle the aftermath.
The group's gaze fell on Director Long. This part of the problem would be up to the public security to solve.
Would the law not punish the masses? Or would the law not yield to lawlessness?
Facing the many oppressive gazes, Director Long didn't feel nervous. Instead, she chuckled.
“In that case, we'll have to wait a bit longer." She leaned back with a confident smile on her face.
The Deputy Director, having worked with her for many years, immediately understood her thoughts: "The military?"
Huo Yunxi's heart stirred: "Are you saying we should hand that group over to the military to handle?"
Jiang Chenyi sat up slightly, suddenly finding Director Long's proposal quite interesting.
The police need evidence to handle cases, but the military doesn’t—just a location is enough.
And that village isn’t just guilty of trafficking women and children. At the very least… the charge of treason and colluding with the enemy can be pinned on them.
Helping a Spirit Master sneak into the country and helping an ordinary person do so are two entirely different matters.
At the thought of this, everyone couldn’t help but let out a series of low, mischievous chuckles.
"Perfect. Once the people arrive, we’ll just have them repeat the process." Jiang Chenyi said as he handed the box in his hand to Director Long.
The latter looked somewhat bewildered because she was unsure of what Jiang Chenyi was planning.
Immediately after, Jiang Chenyi took the Abacus Beads from Gu Chen’s wrist and placed them on Director Long’s wrist.
"While wearing this, no one can snatch the box from you. These five outsiders are temporarily under your supervision. We’ll go ahead and rescue the victims from the village."
If the military were to forcefully breach the village, the top priority would be to protect those unfortunate women.
"However…" He turned to Huo Yunxi with his eyes curving into a smile as he said, "With you here, the rescue plan shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
The others didn’t understand, but Huo Yunxi immediately grasped the young man’s meaning.
He wasn’t going to join this rescue mission?
The Celestial Masters were somewhat concerned, but Huo Yunxi agreed without hesitation, showing not a trace of doubt.
Wei and the others all looked at Huo Yunxi. They weren’t entirely clear about his capabilities, but since he sounded so confident, it should be fine… right?
In truth, Huo Yunxi hadn’t even considered whether he could handle it or not.
But Jiang Chenyi had spoken. Even if he couldn’t, he had to make it work.
After hearing Jiang Chenyi finish speaking those words, his heart exploded like fireworks.
It wasn’t that no one had ever told him words of trust before, but… but the way the young man said it felt particularly different!
Huo Yunxi felt his ears grow warm, and he instinctively used his spiritual power to suppress the heat.
Even after seeing Jiang Chenyi off, his heart still felt somewhat unsettled… ahem!
He turned around but the joy in his eyes was completely gone, and spoke expressionlessly to the Celestial Masters, "Let’s go then."
He had firmly memorized the locations of all the victims!
Meanwhile, Jiang Chenyi used teleportation to return directly to the main city area.
He landed in a deserted alley, and as soon as he touched the ground, he quickly leaned against the wall to avoid collapsing.
"I should have… let Bell send me over first, ugh…" Jiang Chenyi felt a hint of regret in his heart.
But it was too late for regrets now—he was already here.
When he arrived outside the hospital room, he saw at a glance that the room was filled with people.
Judging by their appearances, they were all the police officers from the station yesterday.
They had never forgotten their colleague.
Even if there had been resentment in the past—resentment for bringing outsiders back—when they saw the tragic state he was in, all that resentment vanished.
It wasn’t his fault, was it?
The man’s parents, wife, and daughter were all gathered by the hospital bed. From the moment they received the news, they had been on the verge of crying themselves to death.
When Jiang Chenyi walked in, the Chief and others immediately recognized him.
"Mr. Jiang?" The Chief rubbed his eyes with his expression filled with disbelief.
"I came to see him."
Although he had heard about the man’s condition from Huo Yunxi before, it was only upon seeing it with his own eyes that he realized just how dire it was.
His eyes were gone, his voice had turned hoarse, there were two holes in his collarbone, his wrist tendons seemed to have been severed, and there were multiple signs of beatings and torture on his body.
But what caught Jiang Chenyi’s attention the most was the man’s Merit—though not as profound as Old Liang’s, Director Zhou’s, or Director Long’s, his Merit had a warmth to it, like a candle that would never burn out, forever illuminating the darkness.
This meant that even when he was imprisoned and tortured by the villagers—no, by the criminals—he had never given up on himself and was completely unmoved by any temptations.
His willpower was terrifyingly strong.
The man’s family didn’t know who Jiang Chenyi was, but seeing the former colleagues respectfully make way for the young man, they guessed that he must be a very important figure.
Everyone in the room had cried their eyes red, and one person couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Jiang, do you have a way to save Lao Shi?"
He was also one of those whose bodies had been taken over, and he had been Lao Shi’s partner in the past, with a very close relationship.
His impression of Jiang Chenyi was limited to the brief moment when he first woke up.
As for how Jiang Chenyi had saved them, he wasn’t entirely clear, but based on what the auxiliary police and the city bureau officers had said yesterday, this man must have some special methods.
So, could this Mr. Jiang save him?
Someone nearby, worried that he might have offended the big shot, quickly covered his mouth.
However, a voice made them all freeze.
"I can save him."
It was rare to see a candle, and Jiang Chenyi really didn’t want to see it extinguished.
Before the crowd could erupt in joy and cheers, Jiang Chenyi’s words quickly calmed them down: "But there’s a price to pay."
However, this statement didn’t silence them: "What’s the price? How much money do we need? We can raise funds!"
"Yes! Fundraising! Mr. Jiang, how much do you need?"
The voices of agreement grew louder and more resolute. In the end, Lao Shi’s parents stood before Jiang Chenyi with tears glistening in their eyes: "We still have a house that can sell for over 800,000 yuan. Is that enough?"
Jiang Chenyi didn’t answer immediately. His gaze swept over the crowd as his strange yet clear eyes scanned each person one by one.
Then, he pointed out a few individuals: "You, you, you… Are you willing to bear part of the price for him?"
Six people were singled out.
One of them had their body taken over, while the other five were among those who had been controlled earlier.
These six individuals were also the ones with the most Merit in the room.
Seeing this, the Chief quickly stepped forward while anxiously pointing at himself: "What about me… Can’t I do it?"
His words came out in a rush, almost incoherent: "I have savings at home too…"
Jiang Chenyi interrupted him by explaining, "It’s not about money. The price doesn’t require money."
Then, he stepped out of the ward and called Director Long before explaining the situation: "If we want him to recover, especially his eyes, the amount of Merit needed won’t be less than what your clock required."
The most critical injuries on the man were his eyes, followed by the tendons in his hands. The collarbone and other injuries could heal over time, and even the internal injuries weren’t beyond recovery. At worst, he’d just have to drink Mountain Spring Water every day for a year to rebuild his foundation.
After hearing the young man’s words, Director Long immediately agreed: "I’ll go ask around now to see who’s willing to help."
With that, she hung up the phone and hurried out.
When Jiang Chenyi looked up and saw their expectant, worried, and anxious gazes, his expression softened, and he delivered the good news: "Someone is willing to help. Just wait and he’ll recover soon."
With his assurance, the people who had been crying until now finally calmed down.
The young man walked to the patient’s bedside and stared at him for a long time. Slowly, the man turned his head.
"Do you still want to be a police officer?"
The young man’s voice was gentle, but there was an inexplicable sense of interrogation in his words.
Lao Shi’s wife grew angry, but her mother-in-law held her arm: "Ayi, calm down."
Lao Shi nodded very slowly. His throat had been scalded by hot water, and the doctors had ordered him not to speak.
"Even if you’ll continue to face dangers like this in the future?"
These words made everyone’s hearts tighten.
Yet, Lao Shi still nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing this, Ayi felt both anger and regret, but more than anything, she felt heartache.
As his wife, how could she not know how much her husband loved his job? Even when dealing with trivial matters, the man had never shown a hint of impatience.
Everyone said her husband was a good man, a good police officer.
But why don’t good people get good rewards?!
As she was roaring in her heart, the young man’s voice suddenly interrupted: “They do. Good people should get good rewards, they should be healthy and live a long life.”
Ayi, with reddened eyes, looked at the young man. His gaze was exceptionally firm, as if he was making a promise specifically to her.
“You can understand that my existence is to ensure that good people get their due rewards.”
Even if the Merit Points were insufficient, he would help the other party strive for it, either by borrowing or by giving them a good deed.
As long as this good person was sincere and pure-hearted.
Lao Shi, who had been mostly silent, after Jiang Chenyi made the promise to Ayi, he struggled to raise his hand and placed it on the back of the young man’s hand.
Ayi and Lao Shi’s parents wanted to stop him, but they were all blocked by the young man.
“He has something to say to me.” he turned his palm over.
They saw Lao Shi’s fingers move slightly and slowly write two words on the young man’s palm—Thank you.
Jiang Chenyi shook his head: “I will take a price, I’m not helping you for free, this is a fair transaction.”
Seeing the others confused, Jiang Chenyi smiled but planned to explain after everyone had gathered.
The other party arrived quickly with five people coming within a few hours.
Upon seeing Jiang Chenyi, they proactively stated that Director Long had sent them over: “We’ve heard about this brother’s situation, the Director said the price you want is Merit, and we’ve recently handled a few major cases, so we should have what you’re looking for.”
They had seen the term Merit many times, but none of them had ever thought that one day this thing could be used to exchange for something.
Hearing that this thing, which was of no importance to them, could restore a colleague who had been tortured by criminals to normal, they hurried over in a rush.
The young man assessed the Merit power on them.
It was completely sufficient now.
He drove everyone else outside, leaving only the police officer who was to lend the Merit, not even a family member was allowed to stay.
Ayi naturally did not agree because she did not fully trust the young man before her.
But…
“Believe him, daughter, this is our only hope.” her mother-in-law gently hugged her.
Ayi could not refuse her mother-in-law. With her eyes filled with tears, she stubbornly questioned Jiang Chenyi: “Can you return him to us whole?”
The young man nodded heavily: “I can, I swear to you on my life.”
As soon as the words fell, a thin green line appeared on the young man’s neck—the vow was established, if he failed, this green thread would sever his neck.
After the ward door closed, Jiang Chenyi looked at the twelve people before him, and raised the corner of his mouth: “Then, let’s begin now.”
He walked up to the man, bent down, and picked him up entirely.
“Remember what you’re thinking in your heart, let go of all your restraints.”
The man’s inner voice, in fact, started to sound after Jiang Chenyi gave him hope.
Before, there was no sound in his heart, and he did not think he had any hope of recovery.
But now it was different, someone had told him with exceptional firmness: “As long as you think hard, your wish can come true.”
The man, freed from all restraints, felt his inner voice surge like a raging river, roaring and howling with endless pain.
But as the surroundings changed, he felt as though his body was immersed in a hot spring on a winter day. The warmth was so comforting it brought tears to his eyes.
Soon after, he felt a slight itch and a tingling sensation in his body, though it wasn’t unbearable.
Before long, the itch and pain settled in his eye sockets.
Then it became even more intense…
He wanted to scratch it, but as he raised his hand, he suddenly noticed that his hand… seemed to have improved?
The man’s breathing grew rapid and heavy. He wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, he was startled by a voice that sounded eerily familiar.
"I…"
"Shh…" The young man hushed him, and the man immediately closed his mouth, though his expression revealed his overwhelming excitement.
After what felt like an eternity, the bandages wrapped around his eyes were slowly removed.
The man felt light seep through his eyelids.
Even this faint glimmer was enough to fill him with immense emotion.
"Originally, you were supposed to leave after the transaction was complete. But since you’ve finally regained your eyes, I’ll give you a special gift. Open your eyes and take a look—this might be the only time in your life you’ll see such a sight."
Lao Shi trembled as he slowly, cautiously opened his eyes, like a young creature leaving its nest for the first time and tentatively exploring the outside world.
As his eyes opened, he was greeted by a bizarre, dazzling, and extraordinarily beautiful starry sky.
It was a sight he hadn’t seen in the past thirty years!
The young man was right—this was indeed a grand gift!
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