Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!
Chapter 382 - 381: A Calm Daily Life and an Unstable World (Part 2)

Chapter 382: Chapter 381: A Calm Daily Life and an Unstable World (Part 2)

Mr. Fang Zheng still didn’t know that Tilia had already sold him out, but even if he did know, he probably wouldn’t care, because at the moment, he was enjoying a satisfying spectacle.

It had been five days since the bill passed, and during these five days, the atmosphere in the Tokyo Region had become increasingly tense. Walking on the streets, one could see the nervous expressions of the citizens everywhere. Some people looked around like thieves, and their bodies would tense up whenever a police car passed by. Others held their smartphones as if searching for prey, particularly frequenting the deserted alleys.

All of this stemmed from the "announcement" from Heavenly Dao Palace.

Logically, illegal acts covered by a law would only be actionable after the law’s enactment. For instance, smoking wouldn’t be illegal before a smoking ban was in force. It would only become an illegal act after the law was published. However, Mr. Fang Zheng didn’t follow this rationale; although he didn’t explicitly state it, he indifferently offered rewards to anyone who provided leads, regardless of whether they were from years or even decades past. After gathering this evidence, Mr. Fang Zheng would, pretending to be clueless, hand it over to the police and request the arrest of the criminals.

On ordinary days, the police might drag their feet, or after an investigation, tell Mr. Fang Zheng that there was no such person. Those slightly more responsible might use the need for arrest warrants and search warrants as an excuse to procrastinate. But... in the face of money, they exhibited strong desire and action.

The world was so corrupt that law enforcement was no exception. In fact, now the police, for the sake of those rewards, would almost immediately arrest someone as soon as Mr. Fang Zheng handed over a list, without even checking it. Since the reward was per capita, catching a few extra people meant hundreds of thousands more!

And as for being dismissed for abuse of power? Who the hell cared about that? With hundreds of thousands, Laozi could enjoy the high life anywhere, why would he stay here playing watchdog for you?

If one were diligent enough to catch a dozen or so criminals, that could mean over a million, enough to immediately amass a fortune and reach a level of decent comfort!

Under these circumstances, even within the police station, whenever Mr. Fang Zheng provided a list, his subordinates would fight over the opportunity to respond to the call!

Of course, there were some conscientious or justice-minded police who felt this was improper, but Mr. Fang Zheng’s monetary tactics had almost fully infiltrated the police station; their protests were naturally ignored by their superiors, dizzy from the money they were earning.

Now, those police officers were not content with just waiting for a windfall; they began patrolling the streets. Mr. Fang Zheng had privately indicated to them that, if they could catch someone abusing a Cursed Child and bring back evidence and the criminal, they would get not only the arrest reward but also the informant’s reward.

Who would find money excessive?

At first, some police tried to fabricate evidence, but of course, Mr. Fang Zheng immediately rejected that. Later on, the police became smarter. Even though they had ignored the Cursed Children before, that didn’t mean they were unaware of their own district’s underlings’ activities. In fact, they were well informed about what was done to the Cursed Children. Now, finally, it was time for this intelligence to come into play!

Those who had been caught didn’t need to be mentioned again; those who hadn’t been captured hadn’t escaped either. These individuals enjoyed recording films or photos as keepsakes, so now the trick for the Tokyo Special Zone police was to raid the homes of those not yet arrested but who had a history of abuse, using a search warrant under the guise of looking for suspects. They’d arrest the culprit on the spot upon finding evidence. Thus, they could earn money twice for the same job, and it felt incredibly satisfying.

Although police action was frequent, it had little impact on the general populace because they targeted those who directly abused the Cursed Children. Many of these abusers shared the common trait that their family members had been tragically killed by Intestinal Creatures, and many were now living alone, with no relatives or friends. Even if they were arrested, aside from neighbors’ curiosity, no one else would know the details.

However, as these events gradually spread, many became fearful, especially those who had previously bullied the Cursed Children. They were restless and couldn’t sleep well. After all, no one knew if their friends might sell them out for money. In fact, there was no shortage of team betrayals by insiders.

The air on the streets grew more strained; in companies, schools, and elsewhere, almost everyone spoke cautiously. Previously, everyone mocked the Cursed Children without any scruples, but now, they were completely silent on the subject, afraid that anything they said might be recorded by someone nearby or heard by the police, leading to their arrest—even though the law had a ranking system for reviews, and insults towards the Cursed Children were only Rank D, punishable at most by three days’ detention. Causing the death of a Cursed Child was Rank S, leading directly to lifetime imprisonment in an Outer Zone.

In fact, people preferred those with Rank D offenses, as they could be reported repeatedly, and each report earned money; even if it was only ten thousand, reporting five times meant fifty thousand.

It was for this reason that those who used to speak disrespectfully about Cursed Children were now frightened and extremely cautious when speaking, afraid they might accidentally utter something they shouldn’t. Even if it was just a three-day detention, frequent imprisonments would leave a negative credit record in society.

As for shop and restaurant owners, they too were extremely careful. Whenever they saw children coming in, they would hastily and nervously welcome them, afraid that even a small misstep would be filmed by surrounding customers, who could then report them for abusing a Cursed Child...

In this situation, the entire Tokyo Special Zone began to become increasingly agitated and unsettled, but for Mr. Fang Zheng, this was just the beginning.

As for those rewards, since not a penny came from his own pocket, he didn’t mind how they were spent, plus, due to the influx of a substantial amount of money into the Tokyo Special Zone, prices also began to rise slowly. However, as the increase was not significant, it did not alarm the Holy Son and the Congress.

No one realized that the very foundation of the Tokyo Special Zone was gradually crumbling.

But for Fang Zheng, this was just the beginning, and there were still many tasks he needed to accomplish for this step.

Such as dealing with those S and A Rank criminals.

"That’ll be all, Mr. Fang Zheng."

"You’ve had a long journey, come, let’s have a coffee on the way back."

Observing the policeman in front of him, Fang Zheng smiled and took out some banknotes, stuffing them into the other’s hand. Feeling the notes in his hand, the policeman’s smile grew even brighter.

"Well then, I shall take my leave."

As he spoke, the policeman bowed to Fang Zheng and then turned to leave. Only about a dozen people in prison garb, with shackles on their feet and handcuffs on their wrists, were standing in the hall, glaring fiercely at him.

"There’s been a shortage of newcomers recently, quite bothersome. Seems like I should lower the threshold for imprisonment..."

Gazing at the prisoners before him, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but stroke his chin, and he sighed quietly. Hearing his voice, the prisoners glared at him even more fiercely.

"You accomplice of that monster, what do you want to do with us!"

"Damn you, you’re just a bastard!"

"Enough, I don’t have time to waste on your babbling."

Listening to the curses of the prisoners, Fang Zheng didn’t say much. These people were capable of committing the crime of killing the "Cursed Child," driven by an extreme hatred for the "Cursed Child," and belonged to the die-hard faction who would rather die than submit. However, Fang Zheng had no intention of making them submit. Instead, he simply reached out and snapped his fingers.

"Swish!!"

The very next moment, dozens of tendrils made of shadows emerged from beneath the people’s bodies, binding them tightly. As these tendrils appeared suddenly, the prisoners’s faces changed dramatically.

"What is this? What do you intend to do?"

"Alright, quiet down, I’m conducting an experiment..."

Fang Zheng glanced at them, then tapped the table. The next moment, the floor in front of everyone slowly cracked open, and after that, a stone table began to rise. On the table, several Alien Eggs stood erect, and through their shells, the shadows inside could be seen stirring restlessly.

"To be honest, I hadn’t expected to find a world so suitable for this experiment so soon. I kept these eggs merely as a memento... Now it seems that everything has its use, indeed."

"What are these? What are you going to do?"

Staring in terror at the eggs before their eyes, the prisoners were dumbfounded, but the cold tendrils composed of shadows sapped the strength from their bodies, leaving them unable to struggle or resist. They could only watch helplessly as the insect eggs unfolded like petals — and then, a white creature the size of a palm emerged from within.

The next moment, darkness enveloped their sight.