Song Yungang, a Thief Clan’s Scion

Jiangbei, compared to its neighboring cities, was more progressive and accepting of modern technology than its counterparts. Having adopted the Western Hemisphere's infamous virtue of "Shoot First, Ask Later", the law enforcement of Jiangbei received lighter restrictions on the use of advanced weaponry to aid their duty in restraining and capturing the criminals within the city. Naturally, they were still required to follow the four-fold procedure if a live-ammunition firearm was to be used, but tasers and other non-lethal weaponry no longer held any nuisance restrictions.

The taser wielded by the policewoman who stood near Xi Chen was one example.

From first glance, the taser appeared to be a custom-make from its industry model CZ-3917, dubbed the "Lightning Hornet" by the members of the police who readily resorted to its use. Other than the triple yellow and orange stripes that ran across the barrel, the exterior shape and make of the taser appeared no different than a standard Beretta-make handgun.

When he reassessed that the young man had been incapacitated from an eye-whopping distance of forty meters, Xi Chen couldn't help but surmise that the policewoman had modified the weapon to augment its effectiveness. For starters, the sheer idea that the electrified wires could stretch for over forty meters without losing a significant amount of its velocity implied a terrifying compression strength in the firing mechanism.

"Xia Lingyun, you wench! You and your modified taser – that's breaking the law enforcement code! – ouch, ouch!"

The amperage seemed to have been amplified beyond standard limits, for the incapacitated man had yet to cease his crying and screaming, and angered curses began to filter into his symphony. The policewoman sighed and strode towards the writhing man with slow steps.

"Song Yungang, didn't I tell you that if you ceased to resist, I wouldn't have to shoot?" Xia Lingyun scoffed, and shook her head in displeasure.

"You deplorable, unconscientious man! Can't you just act like a normal person of society?"

"You are the deplorable person! Who let a maniac policewoman like you scream around Jiangbei with a weapon from the black market!? Don't you dare assume I don't know who made that taser!!!"

The young man named Song Yungang howled in pain and tore the glittering prongs from various parts of his body, grimacing each time the wire threatened to deliver another paralyzing shock. Though confused at first, Xi Chen quickly noticed that the young man's hands were covered in a thin layer of rubber gloves, and other than a few exaggerated shrieks of pain and writhing, didn't seem particularly affected or displaced by the policewoman's blow.

The mixture of curious and mocking gazes from those watching from afar, however, managed to stoke his rage into a baleful fire. Song Yungang curled his fingers into tight fists, and threw an annoyed glare at Xia Lingyun's emotionless countenance.

"So?" he demanded with a harsh voice.

"Who filed the report this time? Some butthurt Young Master's pampering daddy? Or –"

"Xing Bufan. Song Yungang, you should know of him, no? He was the one who gave you your most recent commission."

The swift reply caused the young man to click his tongue in disgust, but the contents caused his pupils to constrict in shock. Song Yungang sat on the concrete ground in dumbfounded shock, and could only manage to slam his fist into the ground a few minutes after.

"Xing. Bufan!! That Hong Kong bastard, I'll kill him!"

He had fallen for such a basic bait-and-switch scam!? He, an awe-inspiring veteran of the underworld!?

How disgraceful and humiliating –

"Alright, alright. Now, it's time to take you into custody," Xia Lingyun cut off the young man's thoughts with a curt tone.

"Stand up, turn around. Hands behind your back – hell, you already know the ritual by heart, don't you?"

Song Yungang sighed and began to comply, twisting his pained muscles into motion. He slowly rose to his feet and placed his hands behind his back for the policewoman to cuff them, when he noticed a youth step forward in their direction from the throngs of the crowd, and extend his upturned palm.

"Since there's still time, I want you to return my wallet."

Xi Chen's calm and indifferent tone slapped Song Yungang's ears with great force, and his countenance blanked in momentary confusion. Xia Lingyun snapped her head towards the intruder and ripped her hand towards the baton sheathed at her waist, prepared to draw.

"Nobody is to interfere in a criminal case unless they want to be indicted as well!" she scowled, and set her teeth.

"Step back before I count to three, and I won't arrest –"

"…f*ck. Little Brother, you actually saw that?"

Song Yungang's astonished and baffled voice cut the policewoman's tirade short and stilled her motions. As Xia Lingyun gaped in surprise, she witnessed the youth walk towards the sheepish and blushing Song Yungang with his right palm still outstretched.

"I heard your movements and decided to follow. You still have my wallet, correct?"

Xi Chen quickly formulated a story as he inspected the young man standing before him. Sweeping a cursory glace across the massive trench coat and suspicious attire of leather-soled boots, sportswear leggings and a tightly-fitting outfit resembling that of light infantry from the Han dynasty, the youth blinked and shook his palm.

"Damn, so someone as young as you could see through it. Fine! Little Brother, here's your wallet – don't worry, I didn't take anything."

Song Yungang capitulated at the silent and passive stare continuing to bore into his chest, and pulled a thin leather wallet from one of the numerous inner pockets of his coat. He watched the youth receive the wallet with a nonchalant gaze, and the insipid motion of opening the wallet and sifting through its contents directly before his face caused great shame to flourish on his cheeks.

"Wait! Young man, identify yourself… he's gone!?"

Xia Lingyun shouted as she returned to her senses, yet found Xi Chen nowhere to be found. Helpless, she turned to face Song Yungang and resume her duty of bringing him into custody, only to meet an equally helpless expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Xi Chen had quickly departed after confirming that nothing was missing from his wallet, not minding that he had just broken Jiangbei's laws of interrupting a police officer apprehending a criminal suspect. The mild sentencing he might face should Xia Lingyun manage to track him down caused a thin smile to bloom on the youth's countenance, and he thumbed through the numerous plastic cards laced with IC chips.

Song Yungang indeed hadn't taken anything from his wallet, not even a single 1 RMB bill. However, there seemed to be a business card that was introduced into the small pile, catching Xi Chen's interest.

"Thief Clan's Song Yungang…"

It was a plainclothes business card, or one that was considered third-rate in Jiangbei's business ventures. As he inspected the placid white card with only a name, title, and phone number stamped on its boring label, Xi Chen found himself increasingly confused.

There wasn't a Thief Clan, or any organization that referred themselves as a "Clan" – not that he was aware of in his previous life. At best, there were a few underground institutions that referred to themselves with exorbitant titles, but they were mostly gangs that conducted sleuthed human trafficking and prostitution rings.

"Could it be a new organization that appeared after I returned? Then, it wouldn't be a 'reincarnation' of sorts, but more akin to transmigration…" Xi Chen rubbed at his forehead.

"Or perhaps I just didn't come into contact with such forces in my last life… that's equally possible."

Regardless of the circumstance, however, it was apparent that there were additional factors he now had to consider in planning for the future.

The youth sighed and adjusted the position of the briefcase. Xi Chen stepped onto the nearest public transit that grazed by Jiangbei's campus, and preoccupied himself with sneaking cautious glances at those seated around him. He wasn't able to notice Song Yungang's presence at all; everything had been in due part of the heavenly wooden bowl.

He – Xi Chen – was just a normal villager's boy. A villager's boy who didn't have a father to relate himself to.

"I should see Xiao Li soon. I didn't see her that much during my university years in the past, huh?"

The bus trip was as uneventful as it should have been. Xi Chen swiftly walked through the university's diverse campus towards the garden surrounding his dormitory. He ignored the numerous young couples attempting to stage getaways from their strict dormitory regulations, and soon found himself swathed in the miserable, toxic swamp that was the living area of his suite.

Fang Man's screaming was audible through the thin wooden layer, and occasional banging and cursing slithered through the cracks under the door. The fat youth seemed to have entered into the climatic phase of his game, for as soon as Xi Chen neared his bedroom, the adjacent room began shaking and quivering from the harsh rage sweeping through. Tie Shitou, on the other hand, wasn't present, and the trails of upended beer bottles couldn't be found as well.

"Perhaps he left on a date with his girlfriend – though where did he get the money?" the youth chuckled, and tapped his forehead.

"That man was always strapped for cash, spending all of his part-time wages on beer and games. He's probably mooching off of his girl… but what was her name?"

Xi Chen murmured and closed the door behind him, and ensured that the flimsy shell of a locking mechanism had been engaged. The bedsheets were untouched from how he had arranged them in the morning, meaning that Tie Shitou hadn't fled to sleep in his room after polluting his own. On the table, resided a sealed manilla envelope labelled the words 'Tianming Corporation' on the cover.

Xi Chen clasped the letter opener and quickly sheared through the seal. The youth's brows creased when he noticed the contents of the envelope, and resisted the urge to throw a complaint to Mu Yun.

"Five hundred thousand missing from the original amount. That…"

The stone was raised, but didn't fall into the bowl. Xi Chen glanced at the documents presented in the manila envelope, and closed the folder with a light sigh.