Chapter 3: Notebook

This is your said photo snatcher.

Yingying provided a short analysis of the data: Luo Nan. 16 Years Old. Entered Acumen College this year on September 1st. His admissions scores were average. Teacher assessments from elementary school to middle school dont mention anything notable. Hes very ordinary.

Xie Junping only cared for a certain point: So hes not really the paparazzi type?

Yingying didnt respond directly; she continued analyzing the data: Whats relatively noteworthy is that his aunt is written as his guardian on the form. As for his parents let me look that up. His mother passed away due to a difficult birth. His father had gone missing long ago. How strange. Theres still difficult births in this day and age?

Do you mean that

The circumstances he grew up in is relatively unusual. There should be some eccentricities to his character. We need to observe further. Release your vehicle access privileges right now and turn on the surveillance system. I want to observe with you.

Xie Junping immediately followed her instructions. Shortly after he synchronized the data with Yingying, Luo Nans steady jogging figure appeared on the sloped top of the overpass.

Right now the sky was only in twilight. The distant figure was completely blurry. Fortunately, the flying car Phantoms surveillance system had gone through special customization to possess stronger detection and anti-detection capabilities. It was due to the automatic warning of the cars AI that Xie Junping was able to discover that his photo was snatched

Xie Junping observed the photo snatchers every movement through the surveillance system. But he was unable to see make out anything.

Actually, Zhang Yingying had already reached an initial verdict on her side: Congrats to you sucker! I can basically conclude that he did not target you specifically.

Huh?

Do you hear the sound of his breathing?

From fifty meters away, the muttering of the target could be recovered through the surveillance systems powerful acoustic gathering and filtering capabilities. The sound of the morning runners breathing was no exception to this.

Hic! That buzzing is his breathing?

Isnt it like the sound of a bee? It should be a special breathing technique, and theres also a special chant. The specifics effects are unclear; maybe there isnt an effect at all. His lung capacity is only slightly better than that of an ordinary person. But hes in a state of extreme concentration. Look at his expression with that bright glow. Tsk tsk...Would one who harbors the malicious thoughts of snatching a picture really put forth the effort into exercising after doing so?

Xie Junpings anxious mood finally received relief. A smile was unconsciously revealed on his face.

But right at this moment when Luo Nan made his way down the highest point of the overpass, Luo Nans gaze suddenly deviated. Looking at the image cast by the surveillance system, Luo Nan was looking directly at Xie Junping.

The screen was unidirectional. Those outside the car cant see inside, but Xie Junping was still given a scare.

Did he discover us?

Your Phantom is way too eye-catching. And furthermore, hes way keener than I imagined.

Yingying seemed to become interested: He must have sensed something. However, it doesnt seem like his expression has changed. Hes not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. This type of person has many thoughts running in their head; theyre the type to have schemes. But for him to be able to maintain his concentration means that his willpower is higher than normal. Oh right. Speaking of willpower, I just found something very interesting. Do you want to hear?

Xie Junping watched Luo Nan move closer step by step. He was currently in a mess trying to figure out what to do, how could he have the mood to leisurely listen.

However, Yingying didnt give a damn about Xie Junping. She spoke, minding her own business:

According to his school profile, Luo Nans household address is located in the River Wu District of the Blue Bay Community. The straight-line distance between Acumen College and his house is nearly forty kilometers. Obviously, this isnt a long distance if he rides the underground public transit, the metro, and so on, but he ran over here. Thats a marathon a day! Using his lung capacity, breathing technique, and muscle composition as a basis for analysis Each run is tantamount to peeling a layer of skin! If he runs like this everyday Oh dear dear, thats quite the self-flagellation.

Crap! Merely thinking those thoughts caused Xie Junping to feel his scalp go numb.

Yingying continued with her analysis: From his forementioned circumstances Ive determined that he shouldnt be the impulsive type, generally speaking. He wont make rash decisions in a situation of unknown circumstances. But if you give him a bad impression, or if you make him feel threatened... The consequences are hard to predict Well, get out of the car now.

What?

You didnt think you came here to just watch him run, did you? Please. Wouldnt that show that you fancy him? Get out of the car now and make conversation with him. Dont you always brag that youre an expert socializer? Or do you only have the characteristics of being a sucker?

He knew clearly she was goading him, but there isnt a guy anywhere who would slap his own face in front of a girl. Xie Junping took a deep breath and patted his face to sober up a bit more from his hungover and murky state. Only then did he open the vertical doors of his Phantom and step outside.

This time he was standing face-to-face with Luo Nan for reals.

The distance between the two was approximately forty meters. Xie Junping brought forth the elegant demeanor of running for the student council. He waved towards Luo Nan from far away, sending him a greeting.

Yingyings rang through the internal earbuds, seemingly ringing from the depths of his mind: Excellent, you look just like a dog. Pay attention. Dont give off a stinking air of pretension. Your current appearance is of a shameless degenerate, but youre still considered a straightforward playboy. Also, you need to be a bit more forthright. Hes way smarter than you imagine.

It was as if Xie Junping had returned to the time when he was running for student council. He followed every step planned by his advisor and operated according to the image he would present to voters. Luckily Yingyings request wasnt that difficult. It seemed that this performance came naturally to him.

He saw Luo Nan slow down in front of him and stare directly over to him. It was unclear if Luo Nans expression had changed; he lacked the visible intention of responding. This made Luo Nan quite hard to pin down.

Xie Junping decided to take the offensive initiative. He moved forward a few steps: Apologies to this schoolmate, I wish to have a chat with you.

Only when the distance between the two was within ten meters did Luo Nan tilt his head in greeting: Senior Xie.

Xie Junpings heart skipped a beat. He asked by reflex: You recognize me!?

Yingyings resentful voice sounded out: What are you panicking for!?

Luo Nan answered at practically the same time: The 24th. Youve participated in the senior-run society promotion and advice convention.

Oh, thats right. That really did happen.

Xie Junping scolded himself internally for the bad response. He started the conversation over with Luo Nan by asking a question he already knew the answer to: How should I address this junior?

Luo Nan.

Okay then. Junior Luo Nan. Im terribly sorry for disturbing your morning run, but theres something I need your help with. Yes. The awkward moment just then. I cant be out in public at the moment Can we talk in the car?

Yingying spoke in a soft patronizing voice: You wield that self-deprecating tone quite well.

Luo Nan thought about it and didnt refuse.

Luo Nan squeezed into the car and sat shotgun. He placed the notebook on his knee and sat upright, giving the appearance of a well-behaved law-abiding student.

Seeing how Luo Nan was quite cooperative, Xie Junping let out a breath of relief and returned sitting in the car.

He followed Yingyings instructions and allowed the door to remain open, avoiding the mental implications created by a confined empty space. He even pulled out a performance drink from the mini fridge from the back seat and handed the drink over: Replenish yourself with some water.

Thanks Senior Xie. Luo Nans displayed distant manners from the very beginning. He took the drink, but he didnt open the can.

Yingying raised some additional points: Retard. Stop beating around the bush. This type of person is quick thinking. Many thoughts run through his head. It would be troublesome if you make a mistake. You need to pay attention. You were too vague just then. What awkward incident? Directly say the time and place!

Xie Junping immediately cut to the chase: Junior, forgive me for being presumptuous. I wish to ask if you were at the Dongxing Twin Towers moving walkway approximately 10 minutes ago at around 5:00?

Luo Nan held the cold drink in his hand as he responded simply with: Yes Senior.

Hic! You saw me come out of the nightclub?

I saw.

Xie Junping smacked his forehead and put on an extremely vexed expression. Five minutes were spent inside the car acting, three minutes venting, and two minutes waiting for Yingyings instructions.

Yingying did not disappoint him, delivering him instructions very quickly: He isnt deliberately taking the initiative. He responds whenever you ask him a question. Its highly probable that he lacks some social abilities. He may not be inexperienced from what hes exhibited so far; he should put more of a value on a persons image. This type of person will likely be fine being persuaded, but not coerced. However, you also shouldnt straightforwardly talk about money.

Xie Junping understood in a second. He forced a laugh on the spot: Junior~ This senior has truly lost face today. I dont have any sort of excuses for this matter that happened. But right now were in unusual times

He pointed out the matter of him wishing to get the Honor Societys Senior Medal. Then he clasped his hand together, faced Luo Nan, and acted out paying his respects. He spoke half exaggerated and half seriously:

I know no matter how I say it, it may not seem authentic. But junior, can you turn a blind eye to this? Can you let me off this time? Reputation and the like really doesnt mean much to me. But as far as Im concerned that medal is very very important!

The performance that Xie Junping put on this time was absolutely top-notch. His attitude was very self-deprecating. The vulgar gangster smile of a playboy was on his face; his brazenness was protruding and the smile also dispelled some of the seriousness of the situation. He was refraining from rousing Luo Nans greed, for that would lead to bigger problems.

Luo Nan remained unperturbed from beginning to end: Senior you dont need to act this way. Im no gossip, and even more so, I dont talk behind peoples backs.

Hic! I trust my Junior. But in the information age with videos, photos, and the like, its not really safe

I didnt take a photo. I just felt that scene was relatively special so I drew a rough sketch as a souvenir.

Luo Nan opened his notebook as he spoke. The flexible e-ink screen lit up to let Xie Junping take a look at the work he had drawn.

Xie Junping was slightly relieved when he saw the vague lines and shadows.

Right before Xie Junping was about to speak, Yingying spoke suddenly: Get the notebook into your possession.

She had spoken too fast. Xie Junping thought he heard her say snatch. He had a cold sweat from fright on the spot.

Xie Junping was stunned for two seconds before he could find a pretext: Junior, youve carried this notebook for the whole day. It looks quite inconvenient to do so. What special function does it have?

Xie Junping had spoken the truth. Luo Nans loose-leaf notebook combined the flexible screen with conventional paper binding into a single form factor. It appeared that having a flexible screen would cause traditional pages to not be very useful. And if one were to use traditional pages instead, a flexible screen would also be superfluous.

He reached out his hand as he spoke, adopting a curious investigating appearance. In truth, his heart was somewhat shaking with fear, fear that Luo Nan would get angry and bring forth another mess.

Luo Nan was actually quite magnanimous. He handed over the loose-leaf notebook to Xie Junpings hands: This kind of notebook was very popular during the Third War. Charging facilities werent everywhere in the chaos of war or in the desolate countryside. It was quite easy for electronic goods to turn into garbage. Traditional paper products were more reliable than electronic products at the time. Also, the efficiency can be rapidly increased when manufacturing is abundant. The flexible screen can be swapped out at any time; its manufacturing costs aren't high.

Whoa. A product from the Third War Era... Have they produced any in the past dozen of years?

This brought a smile to Luo Nans face, causing his facial contours to be softer: My grandfather loved these types of notebooks the most back in the day. He had bought over a thousand books in one fell sweep. This one Im using is amongst those. And, my grandfather wrote in at least hundreds of similar notebooks. Each book was packed to the brim. But now Im unable to see the majority of them.

Wow! So its an antique. Xie Junping flipped the pages at random and saw that the majority of the space was white. Only parts of the pages were written with formulas, numbers, and simple diagrams. It was like they were written down in passing and Xie Junping couldnt see through the history behind them.

Xie Junpings attention was primarily on the flexible screen. The drawing software was still running so he swiped with his finger, switching through page after page. He blurted out asking:

Is this flexible screen also from fifty years ago? Im not quite familiar with this drawing software.

No, I.. installed it later on.

Xie Junping didnt need Yingyings reminder to hear the sign that Luo Nan had changed what he was going to say.

Anyway, he soon became interested in a drawing.

Xie Junping looked in browser mode and saw many images with similar scenes to the one he was in. There were scenes from inside the school and outside the school.

Xie Junping was somewhat stunned. He had some basic level of appreciation from being a second-generation rich folk, having received a good education.

Although every single one of these sketches was sloppy, some even lacking any sort of background, Xie Junping was familiar with these places. From the contour lines of humanoid figures of the sketch on the crooked paper, he could clearly see what sort of places, circumstances, and people were described in the end..

Eh, the last sentence was too exaggerated. What he meant was that he could see what was happening in these drawings. He could see the intense body language and expressions from lines that contoured and portrayed the human figures.

Speaking of which, it was quite incredible. From the picture, concentration could be seen. Excitement could be seen. Depression could be seen. Madness could be seen Those rough lines of the image could portray the atmosphere of the scene, could portray the mood of the crowd. It could even portray everyones bearings.

Luo Nan had used a digital pen to draw out the lines, but clearly, there was a sort of sharp feeling of the image tearing out of the surface, stabbing deeply into ones hidden heart indicating that part of it was real.

Xie Junping sweated inexplicably from looking: Crap. Did I discover the next Picasso?

He flipped to the last page and saw the sketch where he was the main subject. Xie Junping was actually somewhat dazzled, all the way until Yingyings voice woke him up:

He was clearly more excited than normal when he was talking about his notebook and his grandfather. I was researching some data just now and I discovered something very interesting Retard. Flip ahead a few more pages. You were idle for too long. Take care that he doesnt misunderstand.

Its because I was talking to you! Xie Junping scolded Yingying over a hundred times in his heart. But he still followed her instructions like a marionette.

Yingyings voice continued to come over: His grandfathers name is Luo Yuandao. He was formerly a researcher. He didnt have any noteworthy achievements. But at 83 years, aka 13 years ago, he was accused of something. Its said that a short time after the Third War he went to the wilderness and, with cooperation from vagrant forces, he performed private live human experimentation

My god!

Xie Junpeis finger, which was swiping on the screen, shivered. He felt Luo Nans gaze constantly looking at him; maybe this feeling was from his guilty-conscience. However, it wasnt an appropriate time to talk right now. The only thing he could do was force himself to continue on.