How You Can Sue Me for My Crimes in Dreams

The internal affairs staff at the police station got off work early. A nine-to-five civil servant’s life, clocking out at five on the dot, was always an enviable one.

However, not everyone on the force these days was a civil servant.

This didn’t just mean auxiliary officers, but also contract police. Previously, the force had recruited directly from the public, which led to a wide variance in the quality and competence of officers, who weren’t classified as civil servants.

It wasn’t until recently that this system was abolished and all officers were brought under the civil servant designation.

”You’re not off work yet.”

Chu Xi glanced at the time and murmured softly before heading to her desk.

Her job was a relaxed one—one of the cushiest positions in the entire station.

Initially, Chu Xi had wanted a frontline position, but Li Jianye and the city’s police chief didn’t want to see her badge number reactivated for a fourth time. They had decisively, and forcibly, reassigned her to internal affairs.

At 5:30 in the afternoon.

”Done!”

The moment she was off the clock, Chu Xi instantly came to life, her eyes wide as she stared at Xu Huo.

It seemed no matter who you were, you had that dead-to-the-world look while on the clock, only to spring back to life the second you were free. Chu Xi was no exception.

’So true,’ Xu Huo thought, but he didn’t say it out loud.

”Come on, let’s go get some grilled fish!”

He first took Chu Xi home to change. She lived in a large house—or rather, it wasn’t entirely hers. Her late father had been very close with the city’s police chief.

After her father’s death, the chief had taken in seven-year-old Chu Xi and her seventeen-year-old brother, raising them as his own.

When her brother later died in the line of duty as well, the chief became dead set against ever letting Chu Xi work a frontline position.

After changing, Chu Xi looked beautiful. Dressed in a pale, floral-print dress and white sneakers, she had the perfect look of a First Love.

Xu Huo didn’t pay it much mind; he’d been seeing her look like this for over a decade. He turned and hailed a cab.

”Driver, head east toward Gate One.”

Jiangsan City was on the coast, with a scenic area to the east that had four entrances. Any driver knew exactly where to go when you said ”Gate One.”

Of course, Jiangsan City’s development wouldn’t be limited to just tourism.

Barring any surprises, Jiangsan City was set to take off in ten years. After a few more years of development, it would have no problem ranking among the top second-tier cities.

But that had nothing to do with the Jiangsan City of the present.

The roads were riddled with potholes and difficult to navigate, and the driver cursed under his breath the entire trip.

”Thanks, have a good one.”

After paying, Xu Huo turned to Chu Xi.

”Do you want to eat at Rongfu Restaurant or grab something from a street stall?”

Chu Xi blinked. ”I’m fine with either.”

”That’s not an option,” Xu Huo said, shutting her down.

”Whatever you want, then,” Chu Xi offered.

”That’s also not an option,” Xu Huo repeated sternly.

’The dreaded ”either’s fine” and ”whatever”... a nightmare for anyone with decision paralysis!’

Chu Xi looked troubled for a long moment before finally saying, ”In that case... I want to eat your cooking.”

”Now that’s an acceptable answer.”

Xu Huo was quite pleased with his little fan, who had such complete faith in his culinary skills.

Of course, her own cooking wasn’t half-bad either.

Both of them were orphans, strictly speaking. When Chu Xi was young, she used to make little treats for herself at school, so he was well aware of her skills.

Chu Xi checked the time. It was 6:30 p.m.

”Hurry, hurry! If we go to the seafood market now, we might be able to snag some deals!”

Standing behind Xu Huo, Chu Xi pushed his back with both hands, her voice urgent.

”We can save so much money!”

Seafood markets were different from regular vegetable markets. The goods spoiled quickly, so vendors would often slash prices in the evening to get rid of anything that might not last the night.

Although Chu Xi wasn’t short on money, she rarely touched the allowance the police chief gave her. She lived off her family’s death benefits and inheritance, so she had started bargain hunting here back in middle school.

Xu Huo, on the other hand, had been dirt poor as a kid and had no choice but to come here for deals.

”What’s the rush? We’ve got money now, no need to go bargain hunting. We can buy whatever we want.”

Xu Huo said, breaking into a jog.

But Chu Xi didn’t respond, just kept up her brisk pace.

The two of them didn’t stop until they reached the seafood market.

’A yellow croaker, four crabs, about three pounds of lobster, and a crucian carp should do it,’ Xu Huo thought.

Yellow croaker was a well-known and delicious fish.

It was excellent when cooked into a dish. The crabs and lobster would be prepared simply, and he could make a soup with the crucian carp.

Chu Xi didn’t object, simply trailing behind Xu Huo as if in a daze.

After buying the crabs, Xu Huo stood up and glanced around.

After a moment, he spotted Chu Xi squatting on the ground, poking a live fish with her finger.

”Careful you don’t get lost.”

Xu Huo rapped her on the head, his voice tinged with annoyance.

”Oh, okay,” Chu Xi mumbled, rubbing her head.

”We still need a yellow croaker,” Xu Huo said after checking their bags. He thought for a moment, then turned to the vendor. ”Hey, boss, where can I find some yellow croaker?”

”Yellow croaker? Turn right, second stall over. Some young fella just started, heh, real go-getter. He’s got fresh ones.”

The vendor said indistinctly around a puff of smoke.

”Thanks.”

After paying, Xu Huo headed in that direction, glancing back every so often to make sure Chu Xi hadn’t wandered off.

But just as he rounded the corner, he froze.

”Huh?”

”Huh?”

Xu Huo stood stunned, staring at the fishmonger at the second stall around the corner.

The fishmonger had one foot propped on a stool, bent over with a fish in his hand, and he was staring blankly back at Xu Huo.

”The fuck?”

”Bro! It’s you again!”

The thrashing fish in his hand slapped Wang Chao twice across the face. He jolted, then looked at Xu Huo with a delighted surprise.

”It must be fate!!!”

Xu Huo was speechless.

Xu Huo stared at him, at a loss for words. He truly hadn’t expected to run into Wang Chao—the same guy who’d been talking about starting his own business just that afternoon—again so soon.

”Wang Chao? What are you...”

”Heh, just checkin’ out my second uncle’s fishing business. You know, scoping out the seafood market. Once I build the connections to ship this stuff inland, I’m gonna make a killing!”

Wang Chao grinned. Xu Huo figured that if he grew his hair out and picked up a trident, he could pass for Aquaman.

A sad, melodramatic Aquaman, that is.

”You here to buy fish, bro?” Wang Chao asked, glancing at the bags in Xu Huo’s hands.

”Yeah, a yellow croaker.”

Xu Huo nodded, pointing to the fish on the stall’s counter.

”Hey, forget about buying! It’s fate we met again. I’ll give you a good one for free!”

Wang Chao declared magnanimously, then glanced back at his stall.

”Nah, these aren’t good enough. Come with me. My uncle saved a wild-caught yellow croaker. It’s super delicious. It’s yours!”

”Won’t your uncle kill you?”

”A beating in exchange for a fish? Totally worth it!” Wang Chao said. He was close with his uncle, having trailed after him since he was a kid. Besides, it was just one fish. It wasn’t like his uncle had never had one before. No big deal.

’But... with that kind of business sense,’ Xu Huo thought, ’it’s a shame he’s not doing time in Tilanqiao.’

The corner of Xu Huo’s mouth twitched. He thought the kid was a little too simple-minded.

But he didn’t dwell on it. He’d just pay him for it later.

The moment they stepped out of the seafood market, the sky abruptly darkened.

Xu Huo looked up, only then realizing night had already fallen.

He and Chu Xi followed Wang Chao toward a nearby fishing village.

Where there were fishermen and a seafood market, there was bound to be a fishing village. A faint, fishy smell hung in the air, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

Wang Chao’s uncle lived near the edge of the village. Xu Huo and Chu Xi didn’t go inside, waiting at the entrance instead.

Xu Huo stood there, bored, until he felt a tug on the corner of his shirt.

”What’s that over there?”

Chu Xi leaned in and whispered, pointing toward a dark shadow hanging in the air not far away.

The shadow wasn’t small, and its shape, hanging there in the darkness, didn’t look like a typical fish.

It was positioned in the distance, directly across from the front door of Wang Chao’s uncle’s house.

’What the hell is that?’

Xu Huo’s brow furrowed. But before he could give it much thought, another voice cut through the silence.

”Got the fish!”

Wang Chao appeared, dangling a plastic bag filled with water. A live yellow croaker swam inside.

”What is that thing?”

Xu Huo didn’t rush to pay him. Instead, he pointed silently at the shadow across the way.

Wang Chao turned to look, then scratched his head.

”Salted fish, I guess?”

”Lots of people around here dry fish. It’s probably just something my uncle hung up.”

”I’ll go break off a piece for you to try.”

With that, Chao Zi bustled forward again. As he got closer, he reached out and grabbed the ”salted fish.”

It was soft. So soft it felt like there were no bones.

Wang Chao subconsciously squeezed it again, but...

’Salted fish is supposed to be soft?’

Chao Zi froze. After a long moment, he slowly raised his head, squinting to get a better look at what was above him in the moonlight.

Directly above him, a face was pressed against his own. Its eyes were milky white, its skin a ghastly pale.

In that instant, the smile on Wang Chao’s face froze solid.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

The next second...

”AHHHH, FUCK!”

A scream tore through the night sky.

Xu Huo was about to move forward when a line of text suddenly materialized in his mind.

[Congratulations, Host, you have triggered a mission: Script the plot of the ”Flesh Processing Plant Case!”]

[(Incomplete)]

[Rewards are divided into four tiers: 25% Immersion, 50% Immersion, 75% Immersion, and 100% Immersion.]

[Time limit: Seven days.]

[Failure Penalty: Forfeiture of this mission’s rewards.]

In a daze, Xu Huo looked around, feeling a surreal, dreamlike sensation wash over him.

It was as if... he had dreamed of this very scene a long time ago.

That thing... it wasn’t salted fish being dried.

It was a desiccated human body.

’This is...’

Xu Huo frowned. He looked at Wang Chao, who had collapsed on the ground in the distance, screaming obscenities. Then, his gaze fell upon the pale blue screen floating before him as he murmured to himself.

”The Flesh Processing Plant?”

”Oh, well.”

”Xiao Xi, call the police.”