Chapter 269: Look at My Majestic Divine Might, I Am a God!

(1)

Early in the morning, there were many breakfast stalls along the roadside emitting hot steam. Zhao Lao’er had just led Bie Ningning to sit down at a folding table printed with a chessboard pattern when he noticed a familiar face across from him.

He saw that the man looked gloomy and had dark circles under his eyes, so he couldn’t help but grin.

“Yo! Isn’t this Officer Chen?”

Officer Chen, who was eating wonton soup, looked up and saw Zhao Lao’er’s punchable face. Lately, he felt everyone looked punchable.

“You little rascal, why are you out so early in the morning? Planning some mischief again?”

“Brother Chen, is it a crime for me to send my daughter to kindergarten?”

“Your daughter? Oh…”

Officer Chen sized up Bie Ningning from head to toe, and the look of disgust on his face immediately turned into a gentle smile.

“Even though she’s just in kindergarten, you still need to lay a good foundation and study hard. That way she can keep up in elementary school.”

“Ha, the kid’s still so young. Let her play!”

“What do you, a street punk, know? Competition pressure is getting bigger and bigger now. If you don’t work hard, you’ll fall behind, understand? It’s not like before when just going to school guaranteed a job.”

“Either way, no one starves to death. So what? Women will have men to support them anyway.”

“That kind of thinking is no good. It’s equality between men and women now. How can you expect others to support her?”

“Ha, you have a son, right?”

“Of course. What about it?”

“Then no wonder.”

Zhao Lao’er proudly patted Bie Ningning’s shoulder.

“These days, daughters are better!”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, nothing—”

Zhao Lao’er chuckled slyly and placed the mixed noodles he had prepared for Bie Ningning in front of her. He patted her on the back.

“Eat up. You have school soon.”

“Second Dad, what should I call this uncle?”

“Just call him Officer Chen.”

“Uncle Police?”

“Just call me Uncle Chen.”

The impatience on Officer Chen’s face immediately turned amiable again. He sighed and continued stirring the wonton soup in his bowl.

“Brother Chen, Officer Chen, did you put too much vinegar?”

“Not too much. My mouth’s tasteless today.”

“Then you should add more soy sauce.”

“Not being able to taste sour doesn’t mean I can’t taste salty.”

Officer Chen yawned. Before finishing his wontons, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out half a pack of Liqun.

In Z Province, more people smoked Liqun than any other brand.

From bosses and officials down to street punks, everyone smoked the stuff.

It was easy to share, too. No one looked down on it; everyone thought it tasted good.

Unlike other cigarettes, some people found too light, others too strong…

Zhao Lao’er picked up the fried egg from his own bowl and put it into Bie Ningning’s bowl, then added more chili sauce to his own side.

“Officer Chen, you look like you’ve got something on your mind. Didn’t sleep well last night? On a case?”

“I’d be better off if I had a case to work on. But all I’ve got are unsolvable cold cases.”

Officer Chen sucked on the cigarette butt.

“Lately, I’ve been having some damn insomnia. Not just some—I’ve been having a hell of a lot of insomnia.”

“Aiya, is that all?”

Zhao Lao’er immediately grinned happily.

“For that, tonight’s on me. I’ll treat. We’ll drink, sing karaoke, and fondle some girls. You can fondle as many as you want, alright.”

“Heh, looks like you’re qualified to be the director of a psychiatric hospital.”

“Flattery, flattery. I just learned a little from a novel last time.”

“Cut the crap!”

Officer Chen waved his hand irritably.

“Sigh, can’t sleep at night, and now that I’m about to start work, I’m damn sleepy again.”

“Brother Chen, did you get no sleep at all last night?”

“Don’t even mention it. I went to bed early, but had a nightmare. That damn dream left me with a sore back and aching bones when I woke up.”

“Aiya, what kind of dream did you have? If you had that much energy, why not go to your wife? Or does she not agree? If she doesn’t, that won’t do. Men need to let off steam…”

“Where are you taking this?”

Officer Chen glared at this familiar old troublemaker.

“I was fighting in the dream.”

“Sex is also fighting…”

“It wasn’t sex! It was in my dream. I dreamed… forget it, what’s the use of telling you?”

“Just tell me. What if it helps? Brother Chen, don’t look down on guys like us. We may not have any real skills, but we’ve got plenty of street smarts. If it sparks an idea, won’t that solve your insomnia problem!”

“Fine, telling you won’t hurt.”

Officer Chen sighed, and Zhao Lao’er immediately lowered his head and began slurping his mixed noodles noisily.

“I’ve been having a recurring nightmare. It’s been going on for a few days.”

“Hmm? What nightmare?”

Officer Chen didn’t answer right away. Instead, he slightly turned his head to look at two pretty young girls who had just walked into the shop to buy fried noodles. He was a bit distracted by their chatter.

“Xiao Jing, are we getting two servings of pork tenderloin today?”

“Yeah, I found two bucks on the road. Might as well splurge a little!”

“You’d be better off buying an extra can of Coke.”

“Drinking Coke this early? I’m afraid I’ll get a stomachache later…”

“Officer Chen? Officer Chen? Those two are only in junior high. A bit young, aren’t they?”

“Where are your thoughts going? Don’t judge me by your street punk standards. Do you think I’m that filthy?”

“No, I’m saying if you like them young, I can introduce you. Staring at good girls like that isn’t good.”

“I was thinking about my son. I hope he finds a pretty wife in the future—but I’ve gotten off track. Let me continue about my nightmare.”

Officer Chen stuffed a wonton into his mouth and chewed carefully until he swallowed it.

“This is how the nightmare goes. A while ago, I dreamed I turned into a walking tower crane and then went around destroying the city. It felt pretty satisfying while I was destroying things, but every time I ended up getting smashed to pieces by a giant robot…”

“Brother Chen, have you been watching too many Transformers lately?”

“It’s not Transformers! Don’t interrupt!”

“Alright, alright, go on. I wouldn’t dare say anything.”

“Then yesterday was different. Last night, I dreamed I became that giant robot…”

“Oh, I get it. So you beat up that walking tower crane?”

“That’s right.”

“And then?”

“Then I got beaten up by another identical robot. Beaten badly. My bones still hurt when I woke up this morning.”

“You must have been sleepwalking, right?”

“You know a lot, but that’s obviously impossible.”

“I get it. It’s a nightmare where you get beaten up no matter what.”

Officer Chen looked at Zhao Lao’er, who had squinted his eyes, and frowned.

“What are you trying to say?”

“What I mean is, why don’t you just give up? Don’t resist. Just lie there and take the beating. Once you get woken up, you might still have plenty of time to sleep. Then you can sleep another round, right?”

“Your advice is more reliable than Director Chen’s.”

“Oh, you didn’t see Vice Dean Wang this time? How’s he been? Still unwell?”

“What, do you want to go in and visit?”

“Ha, don’t laugh. Some of the people in there are really interesting to talk to. The few days I was locked up, I actually chatted quite a bit with them…”

—

(2)

Officer Chen knew this was a dream.

But he couldn’t escape the dream.

However, this time, he avoided the fate of getting beaten.

Because he had turned into a giant robot even taller than the buildings, brutally beating those walking tower cranes—as if he were beating his former self.

He was invincible, unstoppable.

The city was protected by him—

But the next second, the building next to him was demolished by him.

“Haha—! This damn dream finally let me have some fun! Look at me! Look at my majestic divine might!”

He controlled the giant robot to spread its arms and kicked down a building that looked very fragile.

“I am a god! Hahaha—!”

But the next second, a robot identical to the one he controlled appeared in front of him.

His son’s voice came from inside.

“Dad, why do I have to do everything you say!”

“Have I been beating you too little lately? Got a tough shell, have you? Reaching your rebellious phase? I’ll beat you until you’re flat!”

“Dad, you never respect my opinions!”

“Bullshit! I never beat you before!”

“I said I wanted to go to sports school, but you wouldn’t let me. You insisted I study academic subjects. Don’t I know my own level?”

“Stop talking crap! It’s just junior high stuff. Anyone can learn it. You just don’t want to study!”

“Dad, I’m really not cut out for that. I’ve told you many times!”

“I think your skin is itching for a beating!”

“Dad, if you’ve got guts, don’t hit people!”

“You were born by me. I want to beat you, so I’ll beat you…”

“Ah…!”

“Urgh—! You dare hit back?”

“Ah!!”

“Urgh—!!!”

“Ahhh—!!!”

“You little… you’ve got nerve…”

Officer Chen was beaten to the ground by his son in the dream, beaten almost to pieces. He was one hundred percent sure that when he had taken off his belt and whipped his son like a spinning top last night, he hadn’t been nearly that harsh…

Early in the morning, he sat up with dark circles under his eyes, feeling like he had been fighting all night and hadn’t slept at all.

So much so that when he walked out of the room and saw his son’s face, he found it punchable.

Thus, he left the house without eating breakfast, looking displeased.

“Mom, what’s wrong with Dad? Is he still mad? I said I’d study hard…”

“He’s been under a lot of pressure with recent cases. Don’t provoke him…”

“He hits people at the drop of a hat. There haven’t been any exams lately. He’s the one with the problem…”

—

(3)

“Zhao Lao’er! Get into less trouble! Give me a break, will you?”

“Don’t worry. Getting into trouble is troublesome and doesn’t pay. I’m a law-abiding businessman now, okay?”

“Businessman?”

Officer Chen looked him up and down with suspicion.

“That’s right. I’m planning to open a game room. Hey, Brother Chen, I’ll need your protection then. It’s in your jurisdiction.”

“…Don’t get too friendly. I’m a public official.”

“Fine, fine. I’m sending my daughter to school now.”

“Alright, have a smoke.”

Officer Chen took out the last two Liqun cigarettes, put one in his own mouth, and handed one to Zhao Lao’er.

“Stay out of trouble. Don’t cause any incidents. I’ve got a bad headache lately. If you dare cause trouble, I’ll come down on you hard.”

“Yes, definitely. I’ll be law-abiding from now on, no problem.”

Zhao Lao’er accepted Officer Chen’s cigarette with a face full of smiles.

“Brother Chen, when I open the shop, come by and sit with me often.”

“No need. I don’t play mahjong.”

“That’s fine. There’s also cards.”

“I don’t play those either.”

“Aiya, you don’t play this or that. Looks like all you can do is go home and beat your son.”

“If he doesn’t study hard today, I’ll definitely beat him again…”