9: Telling magic tricks in the interrogation room? Officer, that's a trade secret!

Jiang Ming carefully studied the description of the function he had just unlocked.

The so-called enhancement required an investment of 10% to 20% of the base cost to initiate a selection.

The base cost for the second selection was 10,000 emotion points.

This meant that the enhancement would cost at most 2,000 points.

Using a mere 2,000 points to gamble on a leap in the overall quality of the options, in exchange for a higher probability of rare options appearing.

This deal was a pure profit, no loss possible.

Jiang Ming did not hesitate in the slightest.

From his reserve of over 110,000 emotion points, he precisely mobilized 2,000 points and issued a command with his thoughts.

"Enhance this selection, maximum investment."

[Command confirmed... emotion points -2,000...]

[Quality Enhancement (20%) complete. The minimum quality for this selection has been raised, and the probability of rare options appearing has significantly increased.]

The system's notification tone still carried a hint of liveliness.

After doing all this, Jiang Ming forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately start the selection.

Not now.

The police would be coming for him soon; he had to handle the trouble in the real world first.

Making a choice in a safe and calm environment was the optimal solution.

Jiang Ming's consciousness returned to reality.

He opened his eyes and picked up the phone that had been lying face down on the nightstand, silent for a long time.

The moment the phone screen lit up, a massive accumulation of information flooded in like a bursting dam.

The buzzing vibration almost never stopped.

Push notifications from major apps popped up frantically, their titles revolving around a few keywords: "Crow God," "Jiang City Phenomenon," "raven ring sky."

Jiang Ming opened TikTok.

The backend interface had transformed into something he completely didn't recognize.

The follower count had skyrocketed from 0 before the livestream to a staggering number: 1.57 million+, and it was still growing.

The direct message icon displayed a bright red "99+," having long since been stuffed to capacity.

Among countless fanatical messages from viewers and collaboration invitations from advertisers, a direct message with a blue official verification badge was pinned to the top.

[Respected creator 'Jiang Lai,' hello. I am a TikTok official operator... Given your immense creative potential, we sincerely invite you to sign as a top-tier exclusive creator on our platform. We will provide you with S+ level traffic support and a generous signing bonus...]

Jiang Ming took a glance and ignored it for the time being.

He calmly cleared his thoughts and began to devise a strategy to deal with the police.

The raven incident could not be explained by any known science.

Therefore, the best method was to use a more "reasonable" sounding lie to cover up that unreasonable truth.

A large-scale, pre-planned commercial magic performance.

Utilizing some special bird-taming techniques combined with infrasound or pheromone equipment that human ears couldn't detect to guide the flock.

Although this excuse was full of holes, as long as he insisted it was magic, it wouldn't be a big problem.

After all, no one could prove anything, and there was no evidence to prove it was the work of superpowers.

Just as Jiang Ming was working out the details, a sudden, urgent, and powerful knocking sound rang out.

Thud! Thud thud!

The sound was heavy and rhythmic, completely different from the way neighbors or delivery drivers usually knocked.

They're here.

Jiang Ming walked to the door and looked out through the peephole.

Outside the door, two policemen in blue uniforms stood there, their expressions serious.

The older policeman seemed to be checking the door number, confirming that he lived in this rental unit.

Jiang Ming adjusted his breathing and cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts related to the system.

He reached out to straighten the white T-shirt that had become famous because of the livestream, and then, his face instantly switched to a slightly dazed, innocent, and cooperative expression.

He opened the door.

"Officers, hello," Jiang Ming took the initiative to speak, his voice carrying a perfect hint of confusion. "Are you here about what happened at the square?"

The leading older policeman flashed his ID, his movements standard and swift.

His gaze lingered on Jiang Ming's face for a moment, and then he spoke in a professional, emotionless tone.

"Jiang Ming? We are from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Public Order Detachment. We need you to come back with us to cooperate with the investigation into the serious disturbance of public order that occurred in the city center square at noon today."

People from the Municipal Bureau, not the local police station.

Jiang Ming immediately caught this key piece of information.

This proved that the importance of the incident had already exceeded the scope of a common public order case.

"Alright, I will cooperate with the investigation."

Jiang Ming nodded very submissively, showing no resistance or dissatisfaction.

The entire process was very cooperative.

He was taken downstairs and sat in the back seat of a police car.

In the police car, Jiang Ming deliberately displayed the nervousness and slight unease expected of a recent college graduate, with his hands on his knees and his body sitting upright.

The young policeman responsible for watching him saw this and took the initiative to ask.

"You're the one who was livestreaming at noon, right?"

Jiang Ming nodded: "Officer, that was actually a magic performance I planned."

The young policeman glanced at him and didn't speak again.

The police car sped along, finally stopping in front of a solemn building.

Jiang Ming was led into an interrogation room.

The room was not large and simply furnished: a table, three chairs, cold white walls, and the overhead lighting was a bit piercing.

The ones in charge of the interrogation were the same two policemen, one old and one young, who had knocked on his door.

The older policeman was named Chen Jianguo, highly experienced, with eyes sharp enough to see through one's soul.

The younger policeman was named Xiao Wang, sitting next to him to handle the recording, his attitude much tougher than it had been in the car.

Chen Jianguo didn't waste any words, pushing a tablet in front of Jiang Ming and hitting play.

"Take a look."

What played on the tablet wasn't Jiang Ming's own livestream recording, but a video filmed by a passerby in the square from within the chaotic crowd.

The screen shook violently, filled with people's screams, cries, and various noisy background sounds.

Wherever the lens swept, people were being knocked to the ground, and some were frantically searching for their children.

The scene was much more chaotic and dangerous than what had been presented in the livestream.

The video finished playing.

Chen Jianguo's fingers tapped gently on the table, making a rhythmic sound.

"You call this magic?"

"Do you know that because of your so-called 'magic,' a serious stampede almost occurred on site? Three people were injured in the chaos, one of whom was a child."

Jiang Ming stuck to his story, a hint of guilt and lingering fear appropriately showing on his face.

"I admit, I didn't expect it to cause such a large-scale commotion. That was my mistake. I am willing to bear the corresponding legal responsibility for my actions and compensate the injured for all their losses."

Jiang Ming paused for a moment and continued.

"But it really was a magic show, a large-scale stage illusion that combines animal behavior, acoustic induction, and visual deception."

"Nonsense!"

The young policeman, Xiao Wang, slammed the table with a loud bang and shouted sternly.

"Don't give us that! Acoustic induction? Our technical department has already surveyed the scene. Forget high-power acoustic equipment, they didn't even find a single loudspeaker!"

Xiao Wang leaned forward, getting close to Jiang Ming.

"Also, how did our police reconnaissance drone fall? Don't tell me that bird was blind and just flew into it!"

Facing this aggressive questioning, Jiang Ming just spread his hands, his face still maintaining that "sincere" expression.

"That was also part of the magic, having the flock precisely attack specific targets. This is the core technical aspect of our magic. As for the principles, Officer, that's my trade secret."

Jiang Ming even put on a somewhat troubled expression.

"I signed a strict non-disclosure agreement with my partners. If I reveal the core principles of the magic, I'll have to pay a sky-high penalty. So, I really can't say. As for the drone, that was purely an accident. I completely didn't expect the authorities to dispatch a drone to scout my performance."

Trade secret.

Non-disclosure agreement.

When these words came out of Jiang Ming's mouth, Xiao Wang almost laughed out of anger. He was about to continue his outburst but was stopped by a gesture from Chen Jianguo.

Chen Jianguo interrupted Xiao Wang's questioning.

He didn't get angry; he just stared at Jiang Ming quietly. After a few seconds, he slowly spoke.

"Trade secret?"

Chen Jianguo pulled a piece of paper from a pile of documents on the table and gently placed it in front of Jiang Ming.

It was a printed personal information sheet.

"Jiang Ming, 22 years old, a recent graduate of Jiang City University majoring in advertising. After graduation, you failed to find a formal job. For the past six months, you've mainly relied on picking up freelance video editing work online to survive, with an average monthly income of less than three thousand yuan. You live in a rental unit in an urban village, and your bank account balance hasn't exceeded five digits for years."

After reading this information, Chen Jianguo looked up and faced Jiang Ming again.

"Tell me, what kind of partner would find a college graduate like you, who can barely support himself, to collaborate on a 'trade secret' that uses such massive resources and involves a so-called 'sky-high non-disclosure agreement'?"

This question hit the nail on the head.

Although Jiang Ming's explanation was barely self-consistent in logic, on a practical level, it was full of unexplainable contradictions.

However, Jiang Ming seemed to have anticipated this.

His attitude remained consistent.

"I admit to disturbing public order, and I accept the punishment. But regarding the details of the magic, I really cannot disclose them."

This stubborn, uncooperative attitude brought the interrogation to a stalemate.

Because from a legal standpoint, the police indeed could not force a citizen to reveal their so-called "trade secret."

They could punish him for the consequences caused, but they couldn't convict him just because he wouldn't say why.

Furthermore, they had no evidence to prove that Jiang Ming had used any supernatural or illegal means.

The sky full of ravens was the greatest evidence, yet also the most powerless evidence.

Because they could not be defined.

Chen Jianguo was silent for a long time. Finally, he stood up, said "watch him" to Xiao Wang, and walked out of the interrogation room.

He went to the end of the hallway and dialed an encrypted number.

"Leader, it's me, Chen Jianguo."

"The kid is very tight-lipped. He insists it was a large-scale magic show and that the principles are trade secrets, refusing to talk."

"Yes, although the whole thing is completely illogical, we don't have any substantive evidence in our hands to prove he used supernatural means or other illegal technology."

"My suggestion is that for now, we can only handle it according to the 'disturbing the order of large-scale mass activities' clause in the 'Public Security Administration Punishment Law.' Maximum detention of fifteen days and a fine."

"Yes, that's all we can do."

...