Chapter 178: The Angler

"Wen Shilin, male, 32 years old."

"Reporter for the 'Aurora Daily.' During his three years of employment, he wrote 184 articles, but only 22 were successfully published..."

"No wife, no children. His parents died of illness five years ago. He lives alone in a 12-square-meter shack in the South District. He doesn't smoke or drink, has no bad habits, no hobbies. The thing he changes most often is his assistant. The place he goes to most often is the hospital... Hospital?"

Chen Ling saw the information sent by the thugs, and his expression was somewhat strange.

He suddenly thought of Wen Shilin’s skilled movements when he was beaten yesterday and suddenly understood why he went to the hospital so often... With his stubbornness and recklessness in digging for the truth, he probably spent all his salary on treating his bruises.

Hearing Chen Ling muttering to himself, Chu Muyun opposite him put down the newspaper and asked in confusion:

"Why are you collecting this information?"

"Looking for a new identity."

"A new identity?" Chu Muyun looked at the paper in his hand thoughtfully. "You mean... a reporter?"

"In this city, apart from the enforcers, there is no faster way to obtain intelligence than media freedom." Chen Ling tossed the file onto the table and said calmly, "Especially this Wen Shilin. He wrote nearly 200 articles in three years, but only 20-something were published... So what was the content of the ones that weren't published?

There are too many people in this city who want to kill him because he holds too many secrets, and I am very interested in the secrets he holds."

Chu Muyun raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested.

"Although media freedom is effective, you can't just become a reporter if you want to. Under the control of those invisible hands, the profession of reporter can be said to be fat and oily. There's no telling how many people in the city are eyeing these positions... You just entered Aurora City and have no resume or background. How are you going to approach this Wen Shilin? Swap faces?"

"It doesn't have to be that troublesome."

Chen Ling picked up the half-rimmed glasses from the table and put them on. A faint smile appeared on his young, refined face.

"This Wen Shilin’s personality is too upright, which is one of his weaknesses... Gaining his trust is simple. It only takes a small performance to make him useful to me."

……

In front of the hospital.

"How much for this fruit?" Assistant A-Cheng stopped at the street stall.

"Small fruit basket is 20, large is 50, and those exquisite gift-wrapped baskets over there are 120." The boss said leisurely without raising his head.

A-Cheng frowned slightly. He scanned the exquisite fruit baskets and pointed to a few scattered apples in the corner that no one wanted. "What about those?"

"Those? If you want those, take them for five copper coins."

"I'll take them. Also, give me a few nice ribbons to tie them up."

The boss glanced at him, muttered something under his breath, but still packed the apples and handed them to A-Cheng, who carried the fruit toward the hospital behind him.

A-Cheng skillfully walked through the busy corridor and pushed open a hospital room door.

"Mr. Wen, how are you..."

Before A-Cheng could finish his sentence, he saw that the bed in the room was empty. He was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to turn back to confirm the room number, a voice sounded slowly from under the bed:

"It's A-Cheng... come in."

Wen Shilin, covered in bandages, crawled out from under the dark, cramped bed. He waved his hand quickly, "Quick, close the door."

"Huh? Oh."

A-Cheng quickly closed the door, isolating the noise of the corridor, and asked in confusion, "Mr. Wen, what were you doing under the bed?"

"There are too many people targeting me lately, so I have to be careful. Otherwise, how do you think I've survived until now?" Wen Shilin patted the dust off his hands and sat back on the hospital bed. "And I always feel like someone has been watching me lately."

"Mr. Wen, aren't you overthinking it? No one is watching us."

"No, I trust my intuition... And don't you forget, the way those manuscripts went missing recently was too bizarre. Maybe I really did find someone's Achilles' heel... The more critical the moment, the more careful one must be."

As Wen Shilin spoke, he got up and walked to A-Cheng. He saw the fruit with the exquisite ribbons in his arms and sighed with emotion:

"A-Cheng, you've spent money again."

"What are you saying? My salary is subsidized by you, Mr. Wen. Buying a fruit basket is only right." A-Cheng smiled, took an apple from the basket, wiped it on the corner of his clothes, and handed it to Wen Shilin, then frowned.

"I didn't notice when I bought it... Why is this apple a bit rotten? Mr. Wen, wait for me, I'll go reason with that shopkeeper."

"It's fine, I'm not picky."

Wen Shilin stopped A-Cheng, who was about to turn around, and said, "My injuries are about the same, let's check out."

"Alright." A-Cheng nodded.

Wen Shilin got dressed and followed A-Cheng out of the hospital room. Just as they reached the hospital entrance, he caught a glimpse of something to the side and stopped.

There, at the hospital entrance, a familiar figure in a brown trench coat and half-rimmed glasses was standing in front of a doctor in a white coat, holding a file folder and speaking earnestly about something.

"Huh?" A-Cheng also saw the person and said in surprise, "Mr. Wen, isn't that the passerby who helped out yesterday? What a coincidence?"

Wen Shilin looked at Chen Ling in the distance, and his eyes lit up as well.

He saw that after Chen Ling finished saying something earnestly, the doctor shook his head, replied a few words, and turned to leave.

The figure in the brown trench coat stood alone at the hospital entrance, and after a long silence, he sighed deeply.

Seeing this, Wen Shilin walked up immediately and took the initiative to call out to him:

"Please wait!"

Chen Ling paused, the black spectacle chain turning slightly with his cheek as he looked at the approaching Wen Shilin. A touch of surprise appeared in his cold, lonely eyes.

"Do you remember me? We met yesterday at the Outer Ring in the West City."

Chen Ling nodded slightly, "Is there something?"

"I am Wen Shilin, a reporter for the 'Aurora Daily.' I know this might be a bit abrupt, but perhaps we could find a place to sit down and chat." Wen Shilin said solemnly, "Our newspaper is currently doing a 'Finding Truth, Goodness, and Beauty' column, which regularly publishes stories about citizens who see injustice and act..."

Seeing Chen Ling’s strange expression, Wen Shilin added, "If you appear in the newspaper for your act of justice, I think it will be easier for you to find a job."

Chen Ling asked in surprise, "How did you know I was looking for a job?"

"It's written on your file folder."

Chen Ling looked down and saw that his name, contact address, and target position were indeed written on his file folder.

"Alright... but I hope the interview can be as soon as possible. I might not have much time... After all, I have another interview at another hospital this afternoon."

Chen Ling smiled politely.