The red dot, which had flickered one last time like a dying star, was completely extinguished. Silence reigned in the restaurant, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the refrigerator compressor and the pounding of Lin Xiao’s own heart.
A radioactive tracer?
Those four words poured down on him like icy water, freezing his blood instantly and chilling his fingertips. He wasn't a physicist, but he knew this was definitely not a good thing! How could this thing appear in his restaurant? Stuck under the table where he prepared ingredients?
Zhōu Shìrén! Are you fucking insane?! To ruin a small restaurant, you’d resort to such tactics?!
A chill, a mixture of extreme anger and lingering fear, swept through Lin Xiao. He could almost imagine what might have happened if his sharp intuition, thanks to a System skill, hadn’t discovered it—one day, special personnel in protective suits would suddenly burst in, detect radioactive material in the store, and then… and then there would be no next. Zhiwei Restaurant would be ruined forever, and he, Lin Xiao, might even face imprisonment! This move was too malicious! It was a plan to destroy him completely!
He stood up abruptly, his vision blacking out for a moment due to the sudden movement. He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing.
How long had this thing been here? How much radiation had it released? Would Sū Háng, Auntie Wáng, and the customers have been affected?
It had to be dealt with immediately! But he couldn't make a scene, or it would cause panic and play right into their hands.
Call the police? Could ordinary police handle this? Wouldn’t it tip them off?
Innumerable thoughts collided in his mind. His first thought was the System.
"System! Scan the entire restaurant! Check for any other similar devices and assess the current radiation levels!" he urged in his mind.
【Scanning…】
【Scan complete in 10 seconds. No other similar electronic devices detected.】
【Environmental radiation level: Within normal background range. No abnormal elevation detected.】
【Analysis conclusion: The tracer contained within this device is of an extremely minute quantity. Its radioactive intensity is very low, its effective range is small, and its half-life is extremely short. It primarily serves as a 'marker' and currently poses no direct physiological harm to humans. However, its presence is sufficient to constitute 'evidence'.】
The System’s analysis brought Lin Xiao a slight sense of relief; at least there was no immediate health risk. But the phrase "sufficient to constitute 'evidence'" made him realize the crisis was far from over. The opponent surely had a follow-up plan, perhaps waiting for the right moment to arrive with "professional instruments" and catch him red-handed!
He couldn't hesitate any longer!
Lin Xiao first took out his phone and sent messages to Sū Háng and Auntie Wáng. The content was identical: "There’s an urgent matter at the restaurant. It’s been handled. We won’t be open tomorrow morning. I’ll notify you of the specific time. Reply upon receipt. Don't worry."
He couldn’t explain too much, for fear that they would rush over out of worry, potentially falling into the opponent’s surveillance or causing unnecessary trouble. He needed to face this situation alone.
Sū Háng’s reply came quickly, just one word: "Okay." Concise and decisive, filled with unconditional trust.
Auntie Wáng, however, immediately called. Her voice was anxious: "Xiao, what happened? Is that bastard Zhōu Shìrén… again…"
"Auntie, it’s nothing, I can handle it," Lin Xiao interrupted her, trying to sound as relaxed as possible. "Just a small problem that needs a bit of time to resolve. You rest well tomorrow and wait for my news."
After much persuasion, he managed to get Auntie Wáng to hang up, albeit still half-doubting.
Next was a crucial step—contacting someone who could handle this matter. Calling the police was inevitable, but not the ordinary 110 hotline. He thought of Section Chief Lǐ, who had come for an inspection before, but this matter clearly fell outside the scope of the Market Supervision Bureau.
His gaze returned to the System interface in his mind. This entity that brought him miracles and hope might also be the greatest hidden danger. If the opponent could use such methods, had they also vaguely sensed something unusual? Continuing to hide and facing a madman who played by his own rules and the capital behind him alone was too risky.
He needed a more powerful ally, at least a force that could deter Zhōu Shìrén and was capable of handling such "unconventional" threats.
He decided to take a gamble!
Lin Xiao took a deep breath, his eyes resolute. He picked up his phone and scrolled to a number he had almost never dialed—it belonged to a contact at an organization called the "Seventh Bureau," whose number was on a business card Section Chief Lǐ had privately given him before leaving. At the time, Section Chief Lǐ had spoken vaguely, only saying that if he encountered "special troubles concerning commercial security that were difficult to resolve through normal channels," he could try contacting them.
Without further hesitation, he pressed the call button.
The phone rang four times before being answered. A calm, almost emotionless male voice responded: "Yes?"
"I… I am the owner of 'Zhiwei Restaurant,' Lin Xiao." Lin Xiao did his best to keep his voice steady. "In my restaurant, a suspected… radioactive-marked listening device has been found. The location is…"
He quickly described the discovery and the device's characteristics, emphasizing the smear campaign at the food festival and Zhōu Shìrén’s potential involvement.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, followed by a swift response: "Stay in the restaurant. Do not touch the device. Do not contact anyone. We will arrive within ten minutes."
The call ended.
Less than ten minutes later, extremely faint braking sounds could be heard outside the restaurant. There were no sirens, not even obvious engine noise. Then, the restaurant door was knocked upon rhythmically.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath and walked over to open the door.
Two people stood outside. A man and a woman, both dressed in dark, unmarked casual clothes. They exuded a capable and steady aura, their eyes sharp as eagles. The man was in his mid-thirties, with an ordinary face but a tall, upright posture. The woman appeared younger, with short, ear-length hair and a calmness in her eyes that was chilling.
"Mr. Lin Xiao? We are from the Seventh Bureau. My surname is Qín, and this is my colleague, surname Wú," the man said, displaying a dark blue identification card with a badge Lin Xiao had never seen before.
The two quickly entered the restaurant and locked the door behind them. The female member, surnamed Wú, immediately took out a device resembling a tablet computer but with a probe from a silver metal case she carried and began a detailed scan of the entire restaurant, particularly the corner of the table where the device was found.
"Device confirmed: 'Firefly' Generation 3, commonly used by corporate spies. Low-dose beta source for tracing and marking. It does not constitute public hazard, but it's disgusting," Member Wú's voice was as unruffled as her demeanor.
Captain Qín looked at Lin Xiao, his gaze appraising. "Mr. Lin, how did you discover it? Its location is very concealed."
Here it comes! The most critical question!
Lin Xiao knew that ordinary excuses wouldn't explain how he managed to find such a well-hidden professional device. He looked up, meeting Captain Qín’s gaze, and decided to partially reveal the truth.
"I… I have an unusual sensitivity to electronic signals and… certain special substances." Lin Xiao chose his words carefully. It wasn't entirely a lie; the System’s scanning and warning functions indeed gave him this 'sensitivity.' "After finishing work today, I was cleaning the restaurant. When I walked near this area, I suddenly felt a very uncomfortable 'sense of foreignness.' I only found it after a thorough check."
He avoided mentioning the System’s specific existence, attributing it to his own 'talent.'
Captain Qín and Member Wú exchanged a glance. Their eye contact conveyed a hint of understanding, as if this explanation wasn't entirely unexpected.
"Talent?" Captain Qín repeated, looking at Lin Xiao meaningfully. "A very rare ability. It seems that Mr. Lin’s ability to create dishes that even food bloggers can’t resist is not by chance."
His words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
Member Wú skillfully used a special tool to remove the 'Firefly' and placed it in a lead-lined containment box. "Source recovered. We will investigate its origin. As for Zhōu Shìrén and the Wei Wang Group you mentioned…" she looked at Captain Qín.
Captain Qín continued, "We will verify and issue a warning. Using such methods has crossed the line. In the short term, they should not dare to target you so brazenly again."
A heavy stone lifted from Lin Xiao’s heart. He quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"No need for thanks. Maintaining the safety and order of the commercial environment is part of our duty," Captain Qín waved his hand. His gaze fell on Lin Xiao again, becoming deeper. "Mr. Lin, your 'talent' is very special. I hope you will use it well and focus on your career. As for other troubles…"
He paused, his tone flat but carrying an undeniable authority. "We will handle them. And, we will also… keep an eye on things."
Keep an eye on things?
Lin Xiao’s heart tightened slightly. This meant that he and his small restaurant had officially come to the attention of a certain mysterious state department. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he didn't know.
Captain Qín and Member Wú said no more. They left as silently as they had arrived, taking the containment box with them.
Lin Xiao was once again alone in the restaurant. The crisis seemed to have been temporarily averted. However, standing in the middle of the empty establishment, looking out at the deep night sky, he felt no relief.
Zhōu Shìrén’s madness exceeded his imagination.
The Seventh Bureau’s 'attention' hung over him like the Sword of Damocles.
And the System in his mind, after the recent scan and contact with the authorities, seemed to flicker slightly. A faint line of text, never seen before, flashed for a moment in the corner of the light screen:
【High-privilege external intervention detected… Adaptive protocol adjustment in progress…】
External intervention? Protocol adjustment?
System… what exactly are you? What is your connection to this 'Seventh Bureau'?