Chapter 60 A Powerful Comeback

"Come on, put your back into it! One, two, three!"
"So heavy! I'm exhausted!"
"Is that all the strength you've got?"
"Says who? This thing is genuinely heavy, okay?"
"It's almost up, push a bit harder! Ready, one, two, three!"
"Finally up, I'm worked to the bone!"
"Don't just stand there, can you fix it?"
"I studied repair work for three years back in the day, this won't defeat me. We just need to take off these two hydraulic struts and replace them with new ones. Honestly, couldn't you have opened it a little more gently? If you keep doing this, ten hydraulic struts wouldn't last you."
"I'll be gentler next time."
"What, there's a next time?!"
"No, no, I mean, I won't ever have a next time. Anyway, thanks for your help today."
"Thanks for what? You're paying for the new hydraulic struts yourself! Cash, card, WeChat, Alipay, any of them works, I don't mind."
"You... I'm ignoring you! Hmph!"
"Hold it up for me from the top!"
"Why do I have to be the one on top?"
"Fine. If you know how to fix it, we can switch."
"Never mind, I'd rather stay on top."
"That's more like it. Alright, one is off, time for the other one. Step aside, I need to get to the back. This one's a lot heavier than the last, you'd better hold it steady!"
"Oh."
"You know, I barely went to school after the second year of junior high. I used to spend all my time learning a trade from a master repairman so I'd have a skill to make a living in the future."
"Quit chattering! My arms are so sore, let's take a break!"
"You don't even have that much stamina? Do you know that back then, I was even younger than you, and I had to haul heavy equipment with a bunch of grown men? Those things were way heavier than this bed."
"You're... really something."
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing at all."
"Whoa, why is your face so red?"
"It's hot from doing physical labor. Aren't you?"
"Alright, both are off, let go! Damn, I'm totally beat! I'm lying down for a breather."

"You think I'm not? Hey, take your shoes off!"
"I got this tired entirely because of you, how are you going to reward me?"
"How about I massage your shoulders and knead your feet?"
"Deal."
"You said it, no taking it back!"
"Of course... Ouch! That's 'murder'! It hurts!"
"Trying to take advantage of me, not a chance!"
"Who's trying to take advantage of you? Easy, easy! You're gonna break my bones!"
"How can a big grown man be so fragile? Just a few rubs and your bones are falling apart?"
"You have the nerve to say that? Last time you almost choked me to death, and now this... Never mind, forget it."
At that moment, the bedroom door opened, and Liu Shan along with my parents all walked in! An Mingshan let go of me, and we both hurriedly separated, sitting on opposite edges of the bed, not daring to look at each other.
Liu Shan said with a mischievous grin, "We heard every word. Didn't expect you two to not be able to hold back this long. Even Lingling and I haven't progressed that far yet."
My dad said quietly, "My boy, well done! Keep it up!"
My mom said, "Did you bully her?"
I said, "No way, how could I bully her?" Then I muttered under my breath, "She's the one bullying me. I'm still hurting."
My mom said, "What's with those two metal pipes? Did you hit her? Let me tell you, if you bully her, I'll teach you a lesson!"
I said, "I am so wronged! The two hydraulic struts on this bed were broken by her, so I took them apart to replace them with new ones. An'an, seriously, just lift it gently next time, don't use brute force, so I don't have to keep fixing it for you. By the way, what are you guys doing here? Don't tell me you came to check on me, because I certainly won't believe that."
My dad said, "We really aren't here to check on you, we're here to see Master Liu. As that Master Fang said, whenever we encounter that sort of thing in the future, we should come find him here."
I said, "Master Liu? You mean... Liu Shan? When did he become a master mystic?"
My dad said, "You know each other?"
An Mingshan said, "Sworn brothers, how could we not know each other?"
I said, "Alright, alright, what is this actually about?"
My dad said, "Well, we found that quite a bit of money is missing from the accounts, so we wanted to ask the Master to come take a look."
I said, "Then you've got the wrong person. An'an, call Dong over, this needs him to solve it." Just then, my phone rang—it was Liu Wei. I answered, "Hello, Weiwei, what's up?"
Liu Wei said, "Brother Li, major news! Bring my brother to Hongyi Group, someone's dead!"
I said, "Miss Liu, if someone's dead, call the police, what does that have to do with me?"
Liu Wei said, "No, this time it was done by *that* thing. The dead person's bodily fluids were completely sucked dry! Just like last time."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, I said, "Where are you? I'm coming right now! Wait for me right there!"

Liu Wei said, "At the Hongyi Group headquarters."
I said, "Alright, stay put and don't do anything rash!" With that, I hung up.
An Mingshan asked, "What's wrong?"
I said, "A huge crisis has happened. Put your matters on hold, we'll deal with them later. Liu Shan, call Dong and Lingling, let's go to the Hongyi Group headquarters!"
Liu Shan asked, "What happened?"
I said, "All of you, out!"
My mom said, "Is there anything you can't say in front of us?"
I said, "You're not leaving? Fine! An'an, let's go! To the Paranormal Bureau headquarters! Stay here if you love it so much, otherwise go home!" With that, I grabbed An Mingshan and drove straight to the Paranormal Bureau headquarters.

Paranormal Bureau, Director's Office.
The Director said, "It's only the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and sure enough, a major event happens. I didn't expect your divination skills to become increasingly proficient."
I said, "Save the flattery for later, let's figure out what to do right now."
The Director said, "They actually dare to come back, and even commit crimes right under my nose. I want your so-called Three Musketeers to thoroughly investigate this case, completely wipe them out, and give the public a satisfactory answer!"
An Mingshan and I spoke in unison: "Understood! Guaranteed to complete the mission!" We even gave a crisp salute.
The Director asked, "Are those two items still around?"
Knowing what the Director was referring to, I replied, "Yes."
The Director said, "Good. Remember, under no circumstances are you to use those two items unless it is an absolute last resort!"
An Mingshan and I chorused, "Yes."
The Director pulled out a set of keys and said, "These are the keys to the Bureau's vehicle, take this car. I'll also give you a search warrant, hold onto it. Oh, by the way, if I remember correctly, you two haven't returned those two bulletproof vests yet, have you?"
I smiled sheepishly.
An Mingshan picked up the keys and the search warrant, saying, "Guaranteed to complete the mission!" She then grabbed me and headed to the parking lot.

Reader's Corner.
Q: Mr. Author, do you like pizza?
A: Of course, I've loved pizza since I was a kid. Pizza is delicious, and you can add all sorts of toppings.
Q: What kind of pizza toppings do you like?
A: Beef flavor, bacon flavor, seafood flavor—basically anything with meat, because I love eating meat and don't like vegetables.