Final Civilization

Chapter 13: Tao Jie

Han Ming shook his head. "The Three-Body Aliens have endured 137 cycles of destruction and rebirth. How could they possibly cry?"

Tao Jie stared blankly at Han Ming for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile.

"I thought becoming a lawyer would have made you more slick and polished. Turns out you're still the same as back at Jinghai University of Law, always so logical and methodical."

The awkwardness of years apart melted away, and both of them seemed to slip back into the familiar feeling of being friends.

Han Ming chatted with her about many things—the cases he had encountered, his understanding of the current state of society.

Tao Jie also talked about her experiences after graduating and going to the UK, even including how her life changed after becoming paralyzed.

Everything, that is, except for her marriage that ended before it truly began, and that car accident.

They drank coffee for over an hour. From start to finish, Han Ming never brought up any topic related to the 'Sacred Realm of Science'.

He knew this matter couldn't be rushed. Moreover, he didn't want to reveal that he was actively investigating, because Han Ming couldn't convincingly explain why he was involved with these issues in the first place.

However, this meeting did bring him a bit closer to Tao Jie. It was a good start.When it was time to part, Han Ming intended to see her off, but Tao Jie refused. She said she wanted to sit for a while longer. Han Ming didn't press further.

Han Ming, of course, knew this was just an excuse from Tao Jie. The reason was the same as why she had arrived at the café early.

She didn't want Han Ming to see her pushing her wheelchair.

Yes, even though Tao Jie appeared calm and composed, even joking about the wheelchair, Han Ming could still see that deep down, she cared very much about this.

Han Ming could occasionally catch glimpses of shadow in Tao Jie's eyes.

But he didn't point any of this out.

...

In the café, Tao Jie watched Han Ming's car disappear from view, then her gaze fell upon the book on the table.

On it lay a silver bookmark Han Ming had given her. Its design was the Droplet spacecraft from *The Three-Body Problem*, its surface smooth and perfect, shimmering with faint light under the sun.

"Why the Droplet? Isn't that humanity's enemy?" Tao Jie had asked, puzzled, a few minutes earlier.

"The meaning of a gift isn't about sides," Han Ming had replied, smiling at her. "I just like the romantic feeling this minimalist sci-fi evokes. The more powerful it is, the simpler it becomes. And the simpler it is, the fewer weaknesses it has."

"Wow. I thought you'd say you hoped to escape Earth on a ship like that..."

"Do you want to escape?"

"Hmm... If I had the chance, maybe I'd like to go see the stars."

"..."

Tao Jie reached out and touched the bookmark, a slight smile lifting the corner of her mouth. The dappled sunlight shimmered, as if she were touching the stars themselves.

...

On the drive back, Han Ming reflected on his conversation with Tao Jie, his mood somewhat complicated.

Although he had approached her with an ulterior motive, seeing someone he once liked endure such a cruel twist of fate inevitably stirred a sigh of regret within him.

However, before he could dwell on this feeling, his cautious nature suddenly alerted him to something amiss.

When Han Ming drove past the same intersection for the third time, he finally confirmed it: the black van in his rearview mirror was tailing him.

Time seemed to flow from between his brows. Han Ming, usually so composed, felt an inexplicable tension grip him now.

At work, he was an extremely calm person. As a lawyer, he could face anyone with composure.

But right now, Han Ming couldn't help but feel nervous.

Because he had no idea who was following him.

His first thought was that Yan Jing was investigating him. If that were the case, then he didn't need to worry too much.

What worried Han Ming was the warning from his dream.

Traffic flowed steadily. Han Ming drove towards his apartment building. Reason told him not to act too suspiciously, to drive normally as he always did.

But he couldn't stop himself from constantly checking the rearview mirror, causing him to miss several green lights in a row.

'Calm down.'

He told himself internally.

Driven by vigilance against the potential threat, Han Ming intermittently activated his future foresight. After he returned to his apartment's underground parking garage for the sixth time, he finally determined that the van hadn't followed him in. It was likely just monitoring or observing him.

However, the excessive use of future foresight left Han Ming's head feeling heavy and dizzy. He stumbled slightly as he returned to his apartment and splashed cold water on his face.

The reflection in the mirror showed a pale face slick with cold sweat.

He wasn't particularly adept at using this future backtracking ability. Continuously employing it while driving had left him feeling disoriented and even somewhat carsick.

Han Ming unbuttoned his shirt collar and took deep breaths in front of the sink, trying to clear his head.

"First, from now on, every word you say can be a lie."

"Second, your mission is to save human civilization. Your actions require no explanation to the outside world."

"Third, beware of Wallbreakers."

The voice from his dream echoed in his mind once more.

Han Ming looked at his reflection in the mirror, thinking.

"Infinite wealth, foreseeing the future, investigating the apocalypse and Wallfacers—these three things absolutely must not be known by anyone!"

He analyzed the situation. Since the wealth in his account wasn't being monitored by the banking system, his concern shouldn't be the banks, but the outside world.

Therefore, his method of having Lin Xiaoyi help him with investments to mask his sudden wealth increase was viable.

But it probably wasn't enough.

Han Ming felt he needed to make his wealth grow rapidly in some public, logical, and reasonable manner.

At the very least, it had to be something that wouldn't arouse suspicion from someone like Yan Jing, who could thoroughly investigate his background.

As for foreseeing the future and his investigation into Wallfacers, those required extreme caution.

Having figured this out, Han Ming already had a rough plan in mind.

Since his first substantial sum of money came from Yan Jing, he could completely leverage that connection and that capital to rapidly develop his own wealth.

It was excellent camouflage.

Even if investigated, the trail of his wealth would be traceable.

"Very logical."

Han Ming wiped his face, his gaze now completely calm.

He had originally planned to continue using the USB drive Lin Xiaoyi gave him to dig deeper into clues about the Sacred Realm of Science. But after realizing he was being followed, Han Ming abandoned that idea.

Sitting on the sofa, Han Ming now had a bold thought.

Perhaps he could try to investigate who was following him?

Previously, he had only used his future foresight ability in negotiations and conversations. But he could absolutely use this ability to scout the enemy's situation before they became aware, turning passivity into initiative.

Just like when he saved Yan Duoduo at Tianzhou Square!

This was quite challenging for Han Ming, as he was just a lawyer, not a special forces soldier.

However, Han Ming's character was always calm and decisive. Once he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate. He picked up his phone, went straight out the door, took the elevator down to the basement, and got back in his car.

As he drove out of the apartment complex again, he indeed spotted a black van starting up from a parking space on the street corner. Han Ming had memorized the license plate earlier—it was definitely the same vehicle.

*Beep.*

Han Ming pulled over to the curb, pressed the timer on his watch, took a deep breath, opened the door, got out, and walked directly towards the black van.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

He rapped on the window.

The window rolled down. Inside were two men. In the passenger seat was a man in his thirties with a beard, wearing casual clothes. The driver was a taller, more burly man.

"Something wrong?" the bearded man asked, sizing him up.

Han Ming's eyes swept over both of them. He got straight to the point.

"Why are you following me?"

The bearded man frowned, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "Are you crazy?"

"You've been tailing me for several blocks. What's your purpose?" Han Ming pressed on.

"Following you? Is this guy out of his mind?"

"Get lost if you've got nothing better to do! Don't go looking for trouble!" The burly man in the driver's seat glared at him fiercely, then pressed a button to roll the window back up.