"What did the Military Discipline Department say?" asked Hao Jian.
"I've already spoken with Minister Lin on the phone, and he said they would fully cooperate with our operation," Guo Shuxian replied, indicating there were no issues.
"If that's the case, let's get moving right now," Hao Jian was ready for action.
"Get moving? To where?" Guo Shuxian asked, puzzled.
"Of course, to deal with that Fake Emperor. By the time you catch him, who knows when that will be," Hao Jian was angry too. Someone was actually claiming to be the Emperor, which was pretty arrogant.
And they were even planning a bomb attack. Che Xiaoxiao and Guo Shuxian were his friends. He was naturally infuriated.
"But do you know where he is?" Guo Shuxian asked. It was easy for Hao Jian to say, but even she didn't know where this First Emperor of Qin was. How would they find him?
"I don't know, but I will soon," Hao Jian said with a mysterious smile, then dialed Brother Spice Ginger's phone.
A few minutes later, Spice Ginger called back and told Hao Jian the whereabouts of the First Emperor of Qin. He also told Hao Jian that the man's name was Li Tamade and that he was from an ethnic minority.
"In an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Xicheng District, that's his dojo," Hao Jian said, then set off with Guo Shuxian and the others.
About an hour or so later, they arrived near the factory. Just as they were about to cross a bridge, they encountered a man around thirty years old planning to jump into the river. He was wearing glasses and looked rather scholarly.
He stood on the iron bridge, staring into the pitch-black waters below with an air of utter hopelessness.
"What's he trying to do?" Che Xiaoxiao asked.
"Isn't it obvious? He's trying to kill himself," Zhao Yating answered.
"No shit, I mean why does he want to kill himself." Che Xiaoxiao leaned out and called to the man, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
"Yes, I want to kill myself!" the man wiped his nose and said, tears reddening his eyes.
"From that low height? You can't kill yourself like that. You need to climb up to the top of the bridge and jump into the rocks. That'll do it," Hao Jian chimed in.
The man turned his head to glare at Hao Jian and began to sob, "Don't you have any compassion? Can't you see I'm trying to jump into the river? You should be trying to stop me!"
"Why should I? If you're so set on dying, I should be supporting you. Besides, what I suggested was for your best interest. Jumping like that won't kill you; at most, you'll lose an arm or a leg, or be half-dead and become a burden to your family. Don't you think so?"
"You're a demon! Sob sob sob, you're a demon!" the man cried out.
A few minutes later, the man got into Hao Jian's car.
"What's your name?" Guo Shuxian asked the man.
"I'm Chen Huojian," the bespectacled man said weakly.
"Why do you want to jump into the river? Was it because you were scammed by Li Tamade?" Guo Shuxian instinctively felt this incident must be related to Li Tamade.
As the topic arose, Chen Huojian's eyes turned bloodshot with rage: "That's right, my daughter has leukemia, and I asked him to cure her. He said I needed to contribute money for incense to show my loyalty. I gave him all my money, but my daughter's condition did not improve, it actually got worse."
"When I went to argue with him, he had his people beat me up and then threw me out. Now my daughter is close to death, and my wife wants to divorce me over this."
As he spoke, Chen Huojian could no longer hold back his tears, clearly filled with regret.
"It's my stupidity! I'm useless. I'm the one who killed my daughter!" Chen Huojian slapped his own face repeatedly in self-blame.
Seeing this, Guo Shuxian and the other two couldn't bear it, and Zhao Yating even comforted, "Don't be , it's not your fault, blame that shameless Li Tamade."
"All I want now is to die peacefully. Do you think I'll go to Hell if I die?" Chen Huojian asked Zhao Yating.
"No, you won't go to Heaven or Hell. You'll be sent to the crematory and burned to ashes," Hao Jian interjected.
"Hao Jian!" Guo Shuxian glared fiercely at Hao Jian, clearly angry. The person is already so miserable, and you still say such things.
And Chen Huojian was crying a river, calling Hao Jian a demon outright.
"I'm very curious. What made you prefer to believe in a charlatan than in doctors?"
Hao Jian sneered and said that he actually felt no affection for Chen Huojian, solely because Chen Huojian was an idiot.
"I was blinded by pork fat at that time, deceived by the several acts of witchcraft he performed, and thus came to completely believe in him," Chen Huojian said with some guilt.
"What witchcraft?" Che Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
"Like turning a live person into another, striking objects through the air, and conjuring things out of thin air," Chen Huojian explained.
"Magic can do that too, idiot." Hao Jian snorted. These things a magician can do, yet Chen Huojian chose to believe.
"Hao Jian, don't be like that. He was deceived too," Zhao Yating spoke in defense of Chen Huojian.
"Then why wasn't anyone else deceived, only him? Let me tell you, sometimes ignorance and stupidity can be more despicable than malice!" Hao Jian huffed and then said,
"I have a principle when it comes to making friends. My friends can be good people or bad, but they absolutely cannot be fools, because fools only bring harm to others!"
Hearing this, Guo Shuxian and the other two couldn't help but reflect on themselves and then sighed in relief, thinking it was a close call that they were not fools.
Chen Huojian hung his head, too ashamed to join the conversation.
After about five minutes of driving, they finally reached the factory and finally saw Li Tamade.
There lay a greasy, obese Fatty, his corpulent body sprawling over his throne, half-naked, with concubines on either side, looking just like an Emperor.
"Long live, long live, long live the Emperor!"
The nearly hundred followers below shouted in unison, kneeling before Li Tamade with utmost devotion, treating him almost like a deity.
Hao Jian clicked his tongue in wonder, "How come there are so many idiots in this world?"
"My beloved subjects, rise!" Li Tamade got up from the "concubines" and waved his hands at the crowd for silence.
Instantly, the scene fell silent.
"Today, do you still hold onto dreams just like yesterday?" Li Tamade asked with stirring fervor.
"Always holding onto dreams!" the crowd shouted.
"Such conviction pleases me greatly. With your support, the restoration of Great Qin is just a matter of time!"
Li Tamade laughed heartily, his voice booming, and surprisingly, he did possess a bit of an Emperor's charisma.