I Am Your Natural Enemy

At the same time, the Scorching Sun Department was also getting busy.

A large amount of data was being gathered, and thieves skilled in breaking and entering from all over were being closely monitored.

Generally, except for complete amateurs, these guys often have some kind of record—nothing major, but minor infractions keep happening. By the end of the year, they might end up sitting in a cell for a couple of days.

Those who specialized in lock repair were also under increased surveillance.

A long list was compiled under the relevant category.

More individuals continued to be caught for subsequent offenses, but the numbers began to plummet and stabilize.

...

After finishing a day’s work, having received last month’s performance bonus, and with a day off tomorrow, Ji Youli bought some marinated dishes and a bottle of dual-distilled wine, ready to go home and relax.

The busy workday made him forget about the things he was concerned about in the morning.

Colleagues also just talked big and daydreamed. Everyone then went about their business—did the Spiritual Qi Resurgence mean they didn’t have to work? Could they get by without a job?

Back home, Ji Youli turned on the TV, leaving it on a locally broadcasted show that had been running for nearly two thousand episodes for years—treating it as background music.

He ate his food, drank his wine, and eased his fatigue.

In the middle of the night, Ji Youli heard a noise outside and his door made a sound. He opened it and saw the girl across the hall, reeking of alcohol, squatting on the ground, holding her head.

”Are you okay?”

”N-no problem, oh, big brother,” the girl lifted her head, her heavy makeup smudged, eyes unfocused, struggling to stand up.

As soon as she stood, she staggered, almost tumbling down the stairs. Ji Youli quickly grabbed her arm.

After a moment of hesitation, he took her keys, opened the door, and helped her back inside her apartment.

As he left, he looked at the slightly incoherent girl and sighed.

”Drink less alcohol.”

Upon hearing this, the groggy girl immediately said,

”How can I earn money without drinking? You all say it so easily.

Working in a factory, screwing bolts, doing overtime in peak seasons, getting laid off in off-peak times, just for that bit of money—I can barely make ends meet even if I don’t eat or drink.

Everyone just talks, as if effort alone could earn money.

I too wish to sit in an office, earning twenty thousand a month.

They didn’t even let me finish high school, so what can I do.”

The drunken girl said more, breaking down into tears.

Ji Youli was a bit stunned and at a loss for words. Before he could say anything, the girl, crying and crying, dozed off on the sofa.

Ji Youli looked at the girl on the sofa, unsure of what to do. In the end, he could only find a pillow for her to sleep on her side, covering her with a small blanket, and then he turned to leave.

He didn’t pay much attention to this little episode. Nowadays, everyone is under a lot of pressure, and emotions can get out of hand.

He sometimes did too, like when the boss kept nagging, he’d be so annoyed that while making doors, he’d scribble little notes for fun inside the filler, such as calling the boss names.

Full and slightly tipsy, feeling just right, he took a bath and went to bed.

In the middle of the night, Ji Youli frowned slightly, coughed softly, and opened his eyes.

Outside the window, the flames were flashing, smoke wafted into his room through the open window, and he instantly woke up.

He hurriedly got up to check and saw the flames burst outside the window, a wave of heat hitting him, startling him, so he quickly called the fire department.

After quickly giving the address, the operator told him someone had already reported it, advising him to get away immediately.

He first went to shut the window, then grabbed his phone and headed out.

Out the door, seeing the door across the hall, he began pounding it for several seconds without any response from inside.

He thought, oh no, is she too drunk and sleeping too deeply?

Ji Youli didn’t hesitate long and turned back, preparing to grab his tools.

It was then he remembered the thin piece of plastic he’d been using for experiments had shattered, completely unusable.

He rummaged through his tool bag, found his tools, and started attempting to unlock the door.

But the more anxious he got, the worse it went. He wasn’t really a professional; he just made doors in a factory, trying out locks occasionally for fun.

The smoke thickened, and he was banging and kicking the door with no response from inside.

He couldn’t bring himself to just run away and abandon her; if something happened, he felt he’d be regretting it the rest of his life, driving him into a sweat.

Gradually, the sound of the lock pins moving became increasingly clear around him, the vibrations in his hand becoming more distinct.

He calmed himself down, pressing against the door, and in that moment, the sound seemed to construct a vividly clear picture in his mind.

Following that mental image, he gently nudged and with a click, the door unlocked.

As he pulled open the door, darkness flooded his vision, an eerie silence engulfed him.

In the darkness, countless stars lit up, like an infinite number of eyes suddenly opening.

Simultaneously, something seemed to appear in his mind.

The next moment, light gradually filled the area, and the flames outside the window flared up, allowing him to see everything inside.

He quickly moved inside, finding the girl on the sofa gone. Searching the apartment, he found the girl in the bathroom after she had vomited once, carried her out without hesitation.

Seeing the smoke spreading upstairs, he dashed towards the rooftop.

Once on the rooftop, he exited to the adjacent building’s stairs and descended down from there.

Away from the fire source, he set his neighbor girl down under a tree, and the sound of fire alarms could already be heard.

He sat on the ground too, finally feeling his heart pounding furiously, a wave of exhaustion hitting him.

Things he didn’t have time to notice earlier now drew his attention.

Something lingered in his mind, guiding him to make a choice.

Choose the door, or choose the lock.

He thought, when did the door and the lock separate?

Even when making doors, he needed to install and test locks.

Besides, who installs a door without a lock, or has just a lock without a door?

Isn’t that just absurd?