Chapter 29: Disappearance Report
Zhang Huaiyi has always felt that intersections are the places that best reflect the diverse lives of Upper City. Tens of millions of people crisscross these intersections daily, a cacophony of horns, phone calls, shouts, and laughter mingling together, offering a glimpse into the lives of millions. Mothers, office workers, wealthy individuals, beggars—high and low, all converge briefly at a red light.
He still remembers his graduation project in college, which was to set up a camera at this intersection and photograph the changes in the intersection for a month to reflect the fickleness of the world.
He has deep feelings for this intersection.
But now, this familiar intersection seemed so strange that he was at a loss.
There are fewer pancake vendors, fewer dirty renovation workers, fewer beggars, and fewer street performers.
There are more handsome men and beautiful women, one after another. They have fair skin, perfect muscle lines, confident smiles on their faces, and extraordinary temperaments that are difficult to conceal. They walk with standard steps, hold their bodies upright, and exude a unique temperament of freedom. They smile at each other with every move, and look at those who still maintain mediocrity with contempt.
The world seems to be getting better.
But it doesn't seem real, it's like a scene from a movie, and the people walking by are just carefully selected extras.
This is also due to the fact that the influence of the Taoist Immortal Scripture has been increasing recently. Under the "non-intervention" policy of the Shangdang Party, the Taoist Immortal Scripture has sprouted everywhere like mushrooms after a rain. Perhaps through the Internet, or perhaps through word of mouth and practice, more and more people know about the "Taoist Immortal Scripture" and know the role of cultivation.
There seems to be a tacit understanding, just waiting to break through that thin layer of window paper.
So is it a good thing or a bad thing?
Zhang Huaiyi didn't know.
He recalled what the mother said when he met her that afternoon when he went to Sun Che's home.
"He's not my son at all."
The woman tugged at her red sleeves, clutched her twisted clothes, and spoke these words clearly, word by word, in unstandard Mandarin.
Zhang Huaiyi asked her why she said that.
But the next moment, the mother showed a confused look on her face. She hesitated for a long time and just said that her son had changed. His eyes, heartbeat, breathing, and feelings were different from before.
Zhang Huaiyi didn't understand. He thought his mother meant that her son had changed a lot and was no longer the son in her mind. This was not surprising. Shangcheng was best at changing a person, which was something that a rural peasant woman could not understand .
Zhang Huaiyi was about to leave, but his mother grabbed his clothes in panic and whispered in his ear:
"I couldn't tell whether you were still yourself before, but now I'm sure you are still you."
"Don't cultivate immortality. My son and husband are no longer themselves after they cultivated immortality, so don't cultivate immortality."
Don't do that.
Zhang Huaiyi shook his head. He was unwilling to believe it at the time because there was really no basis for reference.
But as time went by, his own "feelings" began to become sensitive and suspicious.
It was not until he stood at this crossroads and was hit in the face by this strong visual impact that Zhang Huaiyi belatedly realized and materialized this feeling.
They don't look like themselves anymore.
After abandoning their former selves and embarking on the path of evolution, after undergoing a shift in ideology, are people still their original selves?
The green light came on and people came and went. Zhang Huaiyi raised his legs and walked .
Does Taoist immortality have any side effects?
Zhang Huaiyi has been thinking about this question these days and began to observe the physical condition of the practitioners with all his strength to see whether it is really as perfect as described in the Taoist scriptures.
But the results of his observations made him a little worried.
He thought what the mother said was wrong, but she was not wrong, just a little exaggerated.
People who practice the Taoist Immortal Scriptures will not only suffer from the pain of practicing, but also see their personality traits changed. In the mildest case, they will abandon public order and good morals and become irritable and easily angered. In the worst case, they will become terrorists and become completely different from their original selves.
Perhaps this is what Sun Che’s mother meant when she said, “He is not my son.”
Zhang Huaiyi immediately wrote a report and submitted it to the city chief, hoping to stop the trend of blindly practicing Taoist scriptures. Human evolution is by no means based on the so-called Taoist scriptures, but is achieved step by step by humans themselves.
Zhang Huaiyi submitted the report with great concern, but the report disappeared without a trace, just like the sinking.
At this point, Zhang Huaiyi simply went to the upper city himself and had a good chat with the city chief about the Taoist immortals.
…
The upper city government building.
As soon as Zhang Huaiyi walked into the office building, he felt that it was different from before. The smell of incense was faintly wafting through the building, and faint Buddhist chants came from the headphones.
At a glance, many people had become much whiter and more translucent, with red faces, some showing piety, while others were struggling.
"Xiao Zhang, why are you here?"
Zhang Huaiyi raised his head and saw Director Liu holding a kettle, standing at the elevator door and smiling at him.
"I'm here to see Mayor Zhao."
"Director Liu, you've been running to the headquarters building every other day instead of staying at your own police station. Are you going to get promoted again?"
Zhang Huaiyi said this jokingly with a smile. This was just a pleasantry, but Director Liu's next words were unexpected:
"Xiao Zhang, who still cares about a small position these days? This is an era of evolution, and the future of life... is unpredictable."
"I see you still have an ordinary body. Perhaps it's time for you to get on with the important things in your life."
Director Liu seemed to be joking, but in front of these old foxes, the truth was mixed with lies.
Director Liu went out of the elevator, leaving Zhang Huaiyi alone in the elevator, thinking about what he said.
He understood, but he didn't understand.
Could it be that... Director Liu no longer cares about promotion?
Why?
As Zhang Huaiyi was thinking this, he arrived at Mayor Zhao's office.
The elevator opened, Zhang Huaiyi walked in, looked at Mayor Zhao, and breathed a sigh of relief.
At the moment, City Chief Zhao still looked the same as before, with no signs of cultivation, but he was worried at the moment, without his usual kind smile.
"Morning, Mayor Zhao."
"Xiao Zhang, why are you here?"
Mayor Zhao was a little surprised. He stood up and looked at Zhang Huaiyi. His first reaction was to judge whether Zhang Huaiyi was practicing Taoism.
"Chief Zhao, I'm here this time because of the report I uploaded yesterday."
"I believe you've also noticed that the practice of Taoist immortals is becoming increasingly popular, but based on my observations, it's not all good."
"You may not want to hear what I said in the report, but even if I have to be criticized by you in person, I have to say it."
Zhang Huaiyi said this in a firm tone. He was determined to persuade Mayor Zhao, no matter what punishment he received.
But Mayor Zhao still looked bewildered. He looked at Zhang Huaiyi's face and interrupted, saying:
"Xiao Zhang, what report are you talking about?"
"It's the report on the Taoist immortals that I wrote yesterday and submitted to your system through the mail clerk."
Mayor Zhao shook his head, looked at Zhang Huaiyi with disbelief, and said in a low voice:
"But……"
"I didn't receive that report yesterday."
