Death Progress Bar

Death Progress Bar

Chapter 74 - The Little Traitor

When Shi Jin got back into the car, Lian Jun was on the phone.

He closed the car door and asked after Lian Jun hung up, "What's up?"

"Uncle Long has arrived in B City," Lian Jun replied, putting down his phone and handing Shi Jin a bottle of water. "Do you want to eat at the club or outside?"

"Let's go to the club," Shi Jin took a sip of water and inexplicably thought of Shi Weichong carefully tearing off the plastic wrapping of a water bottle earlier that morning. He paused for a moment, looked towards the direction of the exam hall, and found that he couldn't see Shi Weichong's figure. He then casually put the water bottle down.

Lian Jun also looked towards the direction of the exam hall and asked, "What did you say to Shi Weichong?"

Shi Jin squeezed the water bottle with a complicated expression and sighed, "I said some really unpleasant things... I don't think he'll come looking for me again."

"Are you regretting it?" Lian Jun comfortingly held his hand.

Shi Jin shook his head and said, "It's not that I regrest it, it's just... I don't like doing this kind of thing."

He wasn't good at handling these situations and didn't like hurting someone with his words. Taking a stance was really frustrating, especially since he had to do so many things and express so many attitudes as the original owner. To be honest, it was a bit tiring.

Hearing his inner thoughts, Xiao Si murmured softly, "Jin Jin..."

When Shi Jin heard its call, he quickly pulled himself together and smiled at Lian Jun, saying to both Lian Jun and Xiao Si, "It's nothing, I think the exam just got to me. A good meal will fix it."

Lian Jun didn't say anything, he just reached out and hugged Shi Jin, patting his back gently.

Shi Jin didn't care about Number Two and Number Five sitting in front of them. He turned to hug Lian Jun back, nuzzling his shoulder and closing his eyes.

......

Perhaps it was because Lian Jun's embrace was too comfortable, or maybe it was because he didn't sleep well last night, but Shi Jin actually fell asleep in the car.

Lian Jun didn't disturb him, he just parked the car at the entrance of the club and let Shi Jin sleep on his lap while he worked on some documents and waited for him to wake up. Fortunately, there was enough space in the back seat of the car, so Shi Jin didn't move around too much in his sleep and slept soundly.

Around 1:30 pm, Shi Jin was still asleep and Lian Jun was afraid he would miss the exam. He put down his files and woke Shi Jin up.

Shi Jin was a bit groggy at first, but soon fully woke up. He got off the car and went with Lian Jun to have a meal at the club. After washing his face and walking around a bit to aid with digestion, he went to the exam site again with Lian Jun's company.

With the morning exam over, Shi Jin was no longer nervous. On the way to the exam site, he even played mahjong with Lian Jun and adjusted his mindset very well.

Number Two mocked Shi Jin for being a pig, saying that he had nothing to worry about as long as he ate and slept well.

Shi Jin coldly snorted and gave him a straight middle finger.

Before the afternoon exam began, Shi Jin took the initiative to let Xiao Si buff him up and then stretched his fingers. He confidently picked up his pen and started writing.

Two hours passed quickly without any awareness of the outside world. The bell rang just as the pen was put down, and Shi Jin smiled with satisfaction. He packed up his things and walked out of the classroom with the other examinees, heading towards the exam site with light steps.

The first day of the exam had passed, and despite the minor incident with Shi Weichong, it had gone relatively smoothly.

While Shi Jin was taking his exam, Uncle Long had already arrived at the club. He went straight to his room to take a nap and adjust to the time difference, so he didn't see Shi Jin and had no idea that he was taking the college entrance exam. It wasn't until he woke up in the evening and came out to eat that he found out Shi Jin was taking the exam this year.

He purposely sought out Shi Jin, who was playing mahjong in the study of Lian Jun's house. Frowning, he looked Shi Jin up and down as he lay slumped on the sofa. The more he looked, the more disgusted he became. Finally, he forced down his disgust and asked Shi Jin, "What major are you planning to apply for after the exam?"

Shi Jin was so nervous from being scrutinized that his hair stood on end. He cautiously replied, "I haven't decided yet. Do you... have any suggestions?"

Uncle Long gritted his teeth and said, "Why don't you study medicine? I can teach you."

Shi Jin was so scared that he made mistakes in his game. He quickly refused and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, studying medicine is harmful to the body. It takes five years to start, and I don't even want to finish four years of college. Forget it, forget it, I dare not."

Uncle Long's face turned black, and he raised his eyebrows, saying, "Studying medicine is so good. What harm can it do to the body? With me teaching you, what are you afraid of!"

This is the scariest part, you know!

With no other options, Shi Jin glanced at Lian Jun behind the desk and earnestly said to Uncle Long, "To be honest... Uncle Long, my dream is to become a civil servant!"

Uncle Long looked skeptical, as if he had misheard something, and furrowed his brow, asking, "What did you just say?"

Lian Jun also put down his documents and looked up.

Shi Jin bravely continued, "Actually, if possible, I wouldn't mind going to police school and becoming a police officer... I quite like that profession."

A gangster wanting to become a police officer. Uncle Long opened his mouth, glanced at Lian Jun, then at Shi Jin. He didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he looked at Lian Jun again and angrily blurted out a sentence that Mr. Feng had said before, "Look at Shi Jin, it's all because of you spoiling him!"

He turned around and walked away, stomping heavily.

Bang.

The study door was slammed shut.

The sound of the door being closed frightened Shi Jin's heart, and he turned to look at Lian Jun, feeling a little aggrieved. "Isn't it good to become a civil servant by taking the police exam? It's a stable job, serving the country, and you'll never have your salary delayed."

Lian Jun: "..."

"Do you also want me to study medicine?" Shi Jin asked in horror.

Lian Jun was helpless. He put down the documents, rubbed his forehead, glanced at Shi Jin, and saw his frightened look. He couldn't help but soften his expression and asked, "Do you really want to take the police exam?"

Shi Jin felt that it was strange for someone in his current position to be considering attending the police academy, so he said tactfully, "Actually, not really... It's not convenient to just enroll in police academy without proper registration. I'll just attend a regular university and study a versatile major. After we all settle down, I can take the civil service exam or something like that."

But the fact that he didn't completely shut down the idea showed that he was still considering it.

Lian Jun rolled his wheelchair out and stopped in front of him, asking, "Don't you want to be a boss? I can help you start a company. Four years of university is enough time for you to learn the whole set of management knowledge. I'll also find you a few assistants so you won't be too tired with help."

Shi Jin never expected that Lian Jun had already planned out his future, and he was a little touched. But he still shook his head and said, "I don't have many aspirations. I just want to do a stable and simple job... Do you think I lack ambition?"

"No," Lian Jun shook his head and gently pinched his face, saying, "There are too many people in this world who are blinded by their own interests and gradually forget their original intentions. You are good the way you are. Without desires, you won't be hurt by interests. You can also consider applying to the police academy. Just give me a heads up and I'll arrange it for you. You can do what you like, and I support you."

Shi Jin was stunned, then pleasantly surprised, and asked, "Can I really apply to the police academy?"

As Lian Jun watched his happy and surprised expression, he couldn't help but smile too and replied, "Of course you can. Annihilation is currently cooperating with the authorities, and you've only recently joined Annihilation with a clean background. Naturally, there won't be any problems with applying to the police academy."

This was truly a huge surprise! Shi Jin never thought that he would have the chance to return to his old profession after being reborn!

He looked at Lian Jun with so much to say, but didn't know how to express it. His heart was filled with warmth, so he simply pounced on Lian Jun, hugged him, and kissed him passionately.

Lian Jun was caught off guard by his sudden attack, but after a moment of surprise, he hugged him back and deepened the kiss with satisfaction.

The next day, everyone knew that Shi Jin wanted to apply to the police academy, and Lian Jun had promised to help him.

The expression on Number Two's face was as if he had eaten shit. He said while driving, "I really want to drive this car into a ditch. This exam is making people go crazy. I never would have thought that you, Shi Jin, were a little traitor."

Shi Jin was feeling pleased with himself and said, "I know you're jealous of me, but it's okay. I'm magnanimous and won't hold it against you."

Number Two suffered an internal injury from his words, but was mindful of Lian Jun's presence. He was also driving, so he couldn't give Shi Jin a "lesson in love". He just muttered a few more "little traitor" comments and drove steadily to the exam site.

With a plan for the future, Shi Jin's mindset was completely relaxed. As soon as they arrived, he said goodbye to Lian Jun and got out of the car. He argued with Number Two while walking towards the exam site.

"Xiao Jin."

It was a familiar voice.

Shi Jin's smile froze, he stopped and turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. At the entrance of a small supermarket on the street, Xiang Aoting stood there in a black T-shirt and camouflage pants, holding a bottle of water. When he saw Shi Jin approaching, he smiled slightly and handed him the water, saying, "I heard you're taking the exams these days. Keep up the good work."

Shi Jin looked at the water bottle in his hand, which also had its plastic packaging carefully torn off. He remembered the last time he met Xiang Aoting before leaving B City and sighed inwardly. He politely accepted the water and asked, "Are you on vacation?"

People in the military are always busy, and someone like Xiang Aoting probably couldn't just drop everything and rush over at the first sign of trouble.

Upon seeing Shi Jin take the water and speak to him in a relatively friendly manner, Xiang Aoting's expression relaxed a bit and he replied, "Yeah, took a short break. Second Brother said you were injured recently, are you feeling better now?"

Shi Jin really wanted to ask Fei Yujing how much he had told others about his injury.

"It's already healed, just a minor injury," he replied simply, unsure of what else to say.

The two brothers fell into a momentary silence.

After hesitating for a moment, Xiang Aoting asked, "What about you and Big Brother..."

"Fourth Brother," Shi Jin interrupted him, gesturing towards the entrance of the exam hall. "The exam is about to start, I have to go in."

Xiang Aoting closed his mouth and glanced towards the direction of the exam hall, awkwardly encouraging him, "Don't be nervous for the exam, good luck."

Finally, it wasn't the usual 'it doesn't matter if you don't do well on the exam' kind of talk. Shi Jin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Xiang Aoting as a farewell before continuing towards the entrance of the exam hall.

Number Two followed him and glanced back at Xiang Aoting, saying, "Your fourth brother is lying to you. He's wearing training clothes with mud on his shoes and pants. Obviously, he was training before coming here. He couldn't have been on vacation."

Shi Jin remained silent.

"I saw a military jeep parked in the alley over there with a license plate from H province. Your fourth brother seems to have come from the H province military district. I guess he heard about your exam and drove here overnight. What do you think?" Number Two deliberately asked as if he didn't mind stirring up trouble.

Shi Jin turned his head to look at him, expressionless. "When I become a police officer in the future, I'll be the first one to arrest you."

Number Two took a step back, raising his hands in surrender and making a zipper motion over his mouth. He didn't say anything more.

As he entered the exam hall, Shi Jin couldn't help but turn his head to look back at where Xiang Aoting was standing. To his surprise, Xiang Aoting was still there, and he was looking in their direction.

Xiang Aoting seemed surprised that Shi Jin had turned to look at him. He paused for a moment, then raised his fist in a gesture of encouragement.

Shi Jin squeezed the bottle of mineral water in his hand, still warm from Xiang Aoting's touch, nodded at him, and turned to enter the exam hall.

After the exam hall closed, Number Two thought for a moment and walked towards Xiang Aoting.

Xiang Aoting noticed his approach and hid his expression, silently watching him walk over.

"Smoke?" Number Two stopped beside him and pulled out a cigarette box.

Shaking his head, Xiang Aoting politely replied, "No, thank you."

Number Two didn't insist, he put the cigarette box away, turned to face the entrance of the examination hall, and put his hands in his pockets. He asked Xiang Aoting, "I heard you want to transfer departments, is it for Shi Jin?"

Xiang Aoting frowned and glanced at him. Thinking of Lian Jun, he wasn't surprised that Number Two knew about his plan to transfer departments. He replied, "Not entirely...just want to train in a new department."

Transferring from the Air Force to the Army, just for training? Who is he trying to fool?

Number Two didn't expose him and waved his hand, ready to leave.

But Xiang Aoting stopped him again and hesitantly asked, "Did Shi Jin mention which school he wants to apply to, in B City?"

Number Two stopped and turned around, looking at him with a hesitant expression that clearly showed he wanted to ask about Shi Jin's whereabouts but was holding back. Number Two thought for a moment, recalling Shi Jin's recent behavior, and suddenly had a strange idea.

"You can ask Shi Jin yourself about this matter. I don't have the right to reveal his privacy," he replied before turning and leaving, feeling a bit puzzled.

Based on Shi Jin's attitude just now, it was obvious that he didn't dislike this fourth brother. Coupled with the fact that this fourth brother's profession was similar to the aura of a policeman, Number Two couldn't help but wonder if Shi Jin was influenced by him.

But that couldn't be right, could it? After all, Number Two knew that Shi Jin didn't have much contact with this fourth brother. He shook his head and dismissed the thought.

When Shi Jin finished his exam and came out, there was no sign of Xiang Aoting outside the small supermarket. As they walked, Number Two noticed Shi Jin looking in a certain direction and kindly explained, "Xiang Aoting left shortly after you entered the exam room, looking like he was in a hurry. If you want to talk to him, you can contact him by phone."

Shi Jin shook his head and returned his gaze.

After lunch, accompanied by Lian Jun, Shi Jin once again headed to the exam room, ready to take the final exam of the college entrance examination.

On the way there, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous, worried that one of his other brothers might suddenly appear. After all, the remaining three brothers, Fei Yujing, Rong Zhouzhong, and Li Jiuzheng, were not easy to get along with. If they really showed up, he doubted he could easily get rid of them.

With this vague worry in mind, the car stopped and they arrived at the exam room. Before getting off the car, Shi Jin looked towards the entrance of the exam center to make sure that there was no sign of his older brothers. Only then did he push open the door and walk towards the exam center with Number Two.

However, just as he stood at the entrance of the exam center, his phone in his pocket started ringing. His heart skipped a beat as he took out his phone and saw the three big words "Rong Zhouzhong" flashing on the screen.

"..." He had actually come.

Number Two heard the sound and came over to take a look. When he saw the name flashing on Shi Jin's phone screen, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Your older brothers really care about you."

They cared too much.

Shi Jin rolled his eyes and hung up on Rong Zhouzhong's call.

The phone immediately started ringing again.

Shi Jin continued to hang up and then switched his phone to silent mode.

He had probably realised that Shi Jin was determined not to answer any phone calls. Rong Zhouzhong sent a short but powerful message instead: "Little brat, you and Big Brother have been photographed. Handle it and don't act like brothers in public places with lots of people like the entrance of the exam hall. Thanks."

After that, several messages with photos came in. They all showed the scene from yesterday at the entrance of the exam hall, where Shi Weichong helped Shi Jin tear open a mineral water package and handed it to him.

If you ignored their expressions and just looked at their actions and gestures, Shi Jin and Shi Weichong in the photos really looked like a pair of deeply affectionate good brothers.

Number Two saw these photos and clicked his tongue, saying, "I knew Shi Weichong was trouble. Look, he really got caught."

Shi Jin: "..." He closed the photos, sent a thank-you message to Rong Zhouzhong with a flick of his finger, and then quickly sent the photos to Shi Weichong.

"Hmm?" Number Two raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"He caused the trouble, he can solve it himself." Shi Jin finished sending the message and immediately turned off his phone, handing it over to Number Two. "I'm going to take the exam, can you tell Young Master Jun about the photos?"

Seeing his calm reaction, Number Two wisely refrained from saying more and gave him a thumbs up gesture, watching him enter the exam room before turning to walk towards where Lian Jun was.

The last exam went smoothly as well. Shi Jin walked out of the exam room and headed towards Number Two, who was coming to meet him. He took the phone handed to him and asked while turning it on, "Did you tell Young Master Jun about the photos?"

"Your third brother is really skilled in the media field. He managed to suppress all these photos without us even needing to intervene. Congratulations, you've been saved from the trouble of being on the front page with your eldest brother," Number Two replied in a relaxed tone. It seemed that dealing with sneaky photos was not a big deal for him.

Shi Jin nodded in understanding and opened an unread message that popped up on his phone. It was from Shi Weichong and only contained one sentence: "I'll handle it. Focus on your exams."

After scrolling through the screen for a moment, Shi Jin sent separate thank-you messages to Rong Zhouzhong and Shi Weichong before pocketing his phone and quickly making his way towards Lian Jun's location.

......

To celebrate Shi Jin's success in the college entrance exam, everyone threw a small party for him that night.

Shi Jin was overjoyed and eagerly joined in the festivities, tossing aside his exam bag.

As the night wore on and the fun continued, Shi Jin escorted Lian Jun back to their room. Just as he was considering getting a little closer to Lian Jun tonight, his progress bar suddenly increased from 500 to 520.

Xiao Si was puzzled, "Strange, Jin Jin, you haven't done anything these past few days, how did your progress bar suddenly increase?"

In an instant, Shi Jin lost all interest. He sent Lian Jun to the bathroom to freshen up before sitting on the sofa, staring at the progress bar in his mind. He reminisced about his experiences over the past two days and the people he may have offended during this time. His expression became difficult to describe as he thought about something.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Shi Weichong, asking, "Did your mother see the photo of us talking at the entrance of the exam hall?"

Shi Weichong's reply came quickly, as usual, and it was brief: "Yes, don't worry, I'll handle it."

He actually guessed it right.

Shi Jin sighed, feeling very troubled.

The progress bar wouldn't increase for no reason. He was only reminded of the incident of him taking a photo in the afternoon, and the progress bar increased in the evening. There must be some connection between the two.

Not long ago, Xu Jie had shown hostility towards Shi Weichong because of the issue of dividing shares. Now, if Xu Jie saw the photo of Shi Weichong personally accompanying him to take the exam, she would go crazy.

Moreover, he now strongly suspects that the 50-points in the progress bar that he gained upon returning to B City this time may also be related to Xu Jie. Recently, he has only offended Xu Jie, the only other person in B City, and it was a passive offense.

Thinking of this, a conjecture suddenly popped into his mind, and he said, "Xiao Si, do you think the person who caused the car accident that killed the original owner in the original plot was actually Xu Jie?"

Xiao Si was shocked by this conjecture and stuttered, "N-no, it's impossible. There was no role for Xu Jie in the original plot."

"The plot is based on the perspective of the original original owner. The original owner was raised in a sheltered environment by Shi Xingrui and had little opportunity to interact with Xu Jie. However, just because he didn't interact with Xu Jie doesn't mean she wouldn't harm him for her own benefit."

Shi Jin initially had a sudden suspicion, but as he spoke, he realized that this suspicion had some validity. His expression became serious as he continued, "Do you remember the timing of the original original owner's car accident in the original plot? It was when the original owner tried to contact Shi Xingrui's former subordinates to cause trouble for Shi Weichong and undermine his position. Xu Jie is Shi Weichong's mother, and she had ample motivation to harm the original owner."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Si found the hypothesis to be more reasonable and asked with difficulty, "If it's true that Xu Jie caused the car accident, then she must be a major factor in his death. How are you going to deal with her?"

Shi Jin's expression froze at the mention of Xu Jie. He couldn't think of a response.

If Xu Jie was truly the cause of the death, he didn't know how to handle her.

Should he try to reconcile with her? That was impossible. Xu Jie couldn't be reconciled with, and it would be unfair to the original owner and his mother if he tried.

Should he use force? But if he did, wouldn't he inevitably clash with Shi Weichong? And if he did, would he not lose all the progress he had made, like going back to square one?


Ribbit
Ribbit

A little frog who likes reading. Hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for your support! Coffee fuels my midnight translation binges.

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