I changed the world.

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The young man crawled into the green belt and emerged about five minutes later, making a gesture of completion to the woman.

Afterwards, the two of them, as if by unspoken agreement, turned another corner and came to a large sycamore tree near the nearby town.

After observing the surroundings for a while, the young man, with the woman's help, quickly climbed up the sycamore tree and carefully walked along one of its horizontal trunks, hiding among the leaves to do his work.

He had previously set up a camera here, which could monitor the entire street west of Atate from this location. That camera was just broken by a cat.

Just as the young man began his "work," an old electric pickup truck approached him head-on from the opposite lane a few dozen meters away on the road. The window rolled down, and a cigarette butt was flicked out...

The cigarette butt traced an arc in the air and landed on the pedestrian crossing. Lying on the crosswalk, the ash on the butt shimmered in the night breeze, clearly not completely extinguished.

Chapter 622 The Gaze from the Unseen

Just then, an elderly man taking a walk happened to pass by and stepped on the cigarette filter. There was a piece of chewing gum stuck to the sole of his shoe. The old man walked forward for more than twenty steps with the cigarette butt stuck to his foot. When he stepped onto a tactile paving for the visually impaired, the cigarette butt was scraped off his foot.

Just then, a child carrying a schoolbag ran past hurriedly. He glanced at the woman in the "telecom repair" uniform across the street, but didn't look at her again, turning the corner and continuing to run forward...

Just as he was about to reach the corner, a foot kicked the cigarette butt on the ground, and the night wind made it roll forward more than ten meters.

The cigarette butt rolled onto a manhole cover and, precisely, fell into the hole in it...

About a breath or two later, a deafening explosion rang out from the well, and at the same time, a violent burst of gas shot out from the well cover!

The heavy metal manhole cover was propelled into the air by the strong airflow...

Across the street, a young man adjusting a camera in a tree was caught off guard by the sudden loud noise and nearly fell headfirst. He swung his arms to regain his balance, then grabbed the trunk, narrowly avoiding a direct fall. Although he didn't hit the ground, the toolbox he was carrying was knocked to the ground by his instinctive arm movement…

Under the tree, the woman known as Sister Yu, upon hearing the explosion, immediately ducked close to the tree and cautiously searched for the source of the blast. Unfortunately, just as her attention was drawn to the explosion, a spinning toolbox fell overhead, slamming her to the ground with a thud…

However, at that moment, a rotating manhole cover fell from the sky, guided by some mysterious force, tracing a strange arc in the air and accurately striking the tree branch the young man was climbing...

The tree branch snapped with a crack under the impact of the heavy metal manhole cover. This caused immediate disaster for the young man who had just grabbed onto the trunk for balance; he let out a terrified scream as the broken branch sent him plummeting towards the ground…

After the explosion, some passersby stopped to watch, and some started making various emergency calls... Fortunately, the location was in a scenic area, and it was not peak time for the scenic area, so there were not many pedestrians on the street, and no one else was affected.

Strangely, just over ten meters away from the manhole cover where the explosion occurred, on the sidewalk, an elderly man with a square crown and wide robe, his back slightly hunched, was leaning on a thick wooden cane with a dragon design, indifferently looking at the sycamore tree across the road.

The old man's attire was from hundreds of years ago, resembling a local deity in a traditional New Year's painting—a style no longer seen in modern-day Dazhao, and should theoretically be extremely conspicuous. However, at this moment, not a single person glanced in his direction. Even those who looked at him automatically looked away, as if he didn't exist, as if he lived in a parallel world with the passersby…

The surrounding fog grew thicker and thicker, and the old man's figure disappeared silently into the fog.

***

承和三十七年西历2016年3月31日21:21临州北城区新安坊

Qian Ju was walking home when he stumbled and almost twisted his ankle.

After get off work today, he was dragged out to celebrate by his senior colleague and girlfriend, Jiang Ruotong. The two ate skewers at a roadside stall near their usual company. Afterward, he took his senior colleague to the station before they parted ways.

Having inevitably drunk a few more glasses of wine, and after walking for a while, the effects of the alcohol began to rise, making him feel somewhat agitated. He regretted not having taken his senior sister home directly...

However, as he stepped out of the station and looked at the narrow streets around him, his mood gradually calmed down.

I got back a little late today... I should come back earlier next time.

He glanced cautiously at a few young people who seemed bored, chatting against a wall not far away, and thought to himself.

His home is located in Xin'anfang, Beicheng District, which is at the junction of working-class area and slum. The place he rents is a self-built house, which, strictly speaking, is also part of the slum.

The roads here are not very good, there is a lot of sewage on the ground, there is always a strange smell in the air, and there are all kinds of haphazardly strung wires overhead, and it is unclear what kind of lines they are.

The surrounding area consists mostly of self-built houses, and the rent here is much cheaper than in the main urban area. Qian Ju initially rented this place because of this. However, the security situation here is also much worse than in the main urban area. Gangs are common here, and there are frequent reports of thefts and robberies at night, and even occasional murders.

Whenever he works overtime at night and has to walk home in the dark, Qian Ju always thinks that once he makes money, he must move to the main urban area.

Hmm...maybe I could share a house with my senior!

Thinking this through his mind, he carefully observed his surroundings. He carried a pepper spray with him, ready to take it out and spray himself if an emergency occurred, then run for his life...

Fortunately, nothing happened in the end.

In fact, as a young man with a student-like face and neat but not expensive clothes, he is unlikely to be robbed as long as he doesn't flaunt his wealth.

The house that Qian Ju rented was a three-story self-built house. Originally, the house was only one story, and the last two stories were added later. In order to increase the rent, it was converted into a communal house.

Qian Ju is currently renting a room on the second floor, sharing the kitchen and bathroom with several other tenants.

Because he gets up early and goes to bed late every day, Qian Ju still doesn't recognize the names of the other tenants.

The door lock was a fingerprint lock. Qian Ju opened the door. As usual, all four guest rooms on the second floor were closed. The common living room was quiet, and even the lights were off.

Qian Ju closed the door, went into his small room, closed the door, took off his coat, and then sprawled out on the bed.

After scrolling through his phone in bed for a while, Qian Ju finally sat up to wash up. Just then, the doorbell rang.

The doorbell is shared, and in fact, whenever it rings, none of the tenants know whether the person calling is looking for them. So sometimes, it takes quite a while for someone to finally get impatient and go to open the door.

Qian Ju didn't believe at all that it was someone looking for him. After all, besides some classmates, teachers, his cousin, and colleagues, he didn't have any other relatives or friends in the city. And so late, who would be looking for him?

Chapter 623 This Kneeling...

Thinking this, he didn't go out to open the door, assuming that other tenants would naturally go out to open it. However, perhaps everyone thought the same way, because the doorbell kept ringing, and no other tenants went to open the door.

Just then, Qian Ju's phone rang. Qian Ju was slightly taken aback, picked up the phone and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.

So I answered the call: "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Zian?" A male voice came from the other end of the line. Qian Ju found the voice very familiar, but couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

"I am, and who are you?" Qian Ju then asked.

"This is Wu Zhaoyu. Are you home right now?"

As soon as he said that, Qian Ju immediately recognized the voice. The familiar voice on the other end was clearly that of his boss. However, because his boss was usually very stern and harsh with him, and the voice was so soft at this moment, he couldn't recognize it.

Although his senior sister helped him analyze the current situation during dinner that evening, Qian Ju realized that Hui Ling's attitude today had fundamentally changed his position in the company, and Wu Zhaoyu would probably not dare to make things difficult for him anymore.

However, that was just speculation. Wu Zhaoyu usually held considerable authority, so when Qian Ju suddenly heard him calling, he instinctively jumped and became quite nervous.

"Director, I'm at home now."

"I'm at your door, open it." Wu Zhaoyu's voice was unusually gentle, so much so that it sounded somewhat eerie to Qian Ju. However, upon hearing that the director was at his door, Qian Ju immediately knew who was ringing the doorbell. He didn't have time to think about anything else and quickly opened his own door, went to the door of the rented apartment, and opened the front door.

At that moment, a door behind them opened a crack. Perhaps annoyed by the incessant doorbell, he was about to open his own door, but when he saw Qian Ju come out to open it, he closed his door again.

Qian Ju ignored the tenants behind him. He immediately spotted the man standing outside the door, carrying packages in both hands. It was none other than his own director, Wu Zhaoyu.

"Director, it's so late, what brings you here..." Having been reprimanded so often, Qian Ju felt an instinctive fear when he saw Wu Zhaoyu, especially since the other party had suddenly appeared at his door. For a moment, he subconsciously began to wonder if the other party was going to find fault with him again...

Unexpectedly, Wu Zhaoyu did not start scolding him as usual, but instead smiled. However, it was already late at night, and this area was a slum with few public facilities such as streetlights, so the lighting was poor. Wu Zhaoyu's smile looked somewhat sinister to Qian Ju, and he subconsciously took another half step back.

The next moment, right in front of Qian Ju, Wu Zhaoyu suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Qian Ju was immediately startled. What was going on?!

Instinctively, he reached out to help her up, saying, "Director, what are you doing? Get up, get up..."

"Zi'an, I have offended you in the past, please forgive me..." Unexpectedly, Wu Zhaoyu not only did not get up, but instead performed a full-body prostration, kneeling before Qian Ju with his hands on the ground...

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After Wu Zhaoyu finally left, Qian Ju breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The scene just now was so exciting that it felt somewhat unreal to him.

However, although Wu Zhaoyu didn't say it very bluntly, Qian Ju could still tell that his cheap "fellow villager," the vice president in charge, "Brother Zhou," was a reliable person who didn't let things linger overnight. He had already pulled Wu Zhaoyu aside and given him a severe scolding. Moreover, judging from the current situation, this scolding was just an appetizer, and there would likely be other punishments to come.

This is why Wu Zhaoyu brought things to his door and "knelt on the door" so late at night.

Perhaps due to extreme fear, Wu Zhaoyu completely abandoned his usual aloof demeanor as a department director, instead begging for Qian Ju's forgiveness with an attitude that could be described as almost humble.

After all, he himself had clearly seen today that the high and mighty young lady was obviously treating this intern differently. They must have known each other before, and their relationship must be quite close. Everyone present was a shrewd person who had made it in the workplace, and who wouldn't understand the young lady's hints? Some things didn't need to be said aloud. The fact that the young lady could ignore so many big shots from the research institute and listen carefully to this intern's explanation already said a lot.

As for the deputy general manager in charge, Mr. Zhou, who usually treated him like a brother, his stern reprimand didn't surprise Wu Zhaoyu.

It must be said that Wu Zhaoyu was extremely distraught at the time. As a veteran in the workplace, he was not the kind of impulsive person; on the contrary, he was extremely tactful in his dealings with others. He clearly knew who he could offend and who he couldn't.

The reason he treated Jiang Ruotong and Qian Ju the way he did before was because he clearly knew they were the kind of people he "could offend." However, he hadn't expected to misjudge them. Wu Zhaoyu really wanted to tell Qian Ju: "If you knew the young lady, you should have told me sooner! How am I supposed to know you knew her if you didn't tell me... It's a misunderstanding! It's completely a misunderstanding!"

It must be said that Qian Ju was, after all, a student who had not yet graduated. He had never seen such a desperate plea for mercy on his knees. Seeing Wu Zhaoyu like this, most of the resentment that had been building up in his heart dissipated.

However, he ultimately understood the whole story, so until the very end, he did not fully accept Wu Zhaoyu's apology. He clearly told Wu Zhaoyu that he could forgive Wu Zhaoyu for his previous deliberate suppression of him, but he could not forgive his senior sister's workplace sexual harassment.

Therefore, he ultimately did not accept the gift from Wu Zhaoyu, even though he knew that the gift was probably quite valuable.

His parents taught him repeatedly from a young age that some things he could take and some things he couldn't.

Watching Wu Zhaoyu leave dejectedly after failing to deliver the gift, Qian Ju suddenly felt that the burden that had been weighing on his heart for days had vanished.

He couldn't help but look up at the sky. A crescent moon hung high in the heavens, casting its gentle light. He couldn't help but exclaim, "The moonlight is truly beautiful tonight..."

Chapter 624 A Fateful Encounter

承和三十七年西历2016年3月31日21:21江陵学院路宝华嘉苑

The name of Gakuen-ro in Gangneung Prefecture sounds grand, but it is actually a small road next to Gangneung College of Arts and Sciences. There are many shops on both sides of the road, most of which sell things related to college students.

Baohua Jiayuan is located on Xueyuan Road. It is an old residential area with generally small apartments, ranging from 30 to 70 square meters. The main tenants are students, staff, and teachers from the College of Arts and Sciences.

The College of Arts and Sciences provides student housing, but since the dormitories are shared by four people, some students still want to enjoy romantic time together or prefer better accommodations, so they look for rentals off-campus. The school does not object to this, as long as it does not affect their studies.

In apartment 301, unit 1, building 2 of Baohua Jiayuan, Wei Chengguang was solemnly offering incense in front of the shrine in the corner of the living room.