Chapter 20: The Stars Are Beautiful Tonight.

Tonight was destined to be extraordinary.

Even the Mayor of Chaoge City and the special envoy from another municipality had arrived at Chaoge University, watching the magic show on stage with keen interest.

Meanwhile, in a place shrouded in darkness.

Dumb Snake, clad in a night-ops suit, was hiding within the water tank partition on the rooftop of the Chaoge City Municipal Government Building. The space was cramped, and the position was far from comfortable. He had to ensure his body didn’t touch any water, with only his feet braced against a support point and his arms pressed against the sides of the tank, keeping his body partially suspended in the air.

He had maintained this posture for a long time. He had slipped in with the maintenance crew earlier that day. Through a tiny slit, he could see the star-filled sky outside the tank.

The stars were beautiful tonight.

"..."

While carefully adjusting his body to maintain peak readiness, Dumb Snake gazed at the stars through the gap, a hint of detachment in his eyes as he listened to a symphony through his earphones.

He was not a man of letters.

Yet, he had an extreme passion for symphonies. He listened to them before every operation; they helped him calm his mind and dissipate the tension.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the moment the fireworks bloomed—the signal for the operation to begin.

Adopted by his master at a young age, he was primarily trained by his master’s partner, a man surnamed Gu, whom he always addressed as Master Gu.

The phrase Master Gu told him most often was:

"Fireworks are only at their most beautiful when they bloom in the darkness. There must be those who act as the fireworks, and those who act as the night. Only when the two combine can a breathtaking miracle be created. When the night tries to become the firework, that is the beginning of the end."

He knew his master was worried about him—worried that he might one day grow resentful of why Brother Jiang always took the spotlight while he remained the shadowy hand behind the scenes.

But...

He had never thought that way.

In this life, he had only three loved ones: two masters and Brother Jiang.

Now, two of those three were gone.

His favorite thing in the world was to see the smile on Brother Jiang’s face when a performance concluded perfectly. That was when he felt happiest. Brother Jiang’s spirited, high-flying aura made him feel that he was no longer that rat hiding in the gutter of an orphanage, but rather the perfect partner to a magician.

That intense sense of identity was as addictive as any drug, leaving him unable to stop.

Therefore...

No matter what.

He would not let a single problem arise in his part of the operation. He didn't want to disappoint his loved ones, didn't want to be abandoned again as he had been in the orphanage, and certainly didn't want to lose another soul he held dear.

The drumbeats in the symphony accelerated.

Dumb Snake’s fingertips were turning pale from the strain of bracing against the tank, but his breathing remained steady. He tilted his head to look through the slit at the vast, starry sky, waiting for the fireworks to bloom.

...

At Chaoge University.

As Chen Jiang finished his introduction, the stage lights dimmed, plunging the venue into darkness. A few dozen seconds later.

When the spotlights flared to life again.

Besides Chen Jiang, a rectangular wooden box now sat on the stage.

"Next—"

Chen Jiang smiled and turned toward the back of the stage. "I invite my special guest for this evening, Jiang Min. The magic trick we are about to perform is called 'Sawing a Woman in Half'."

He walked to the wooden box, opening the sides and the top to show the audience, before gesturing for Jiang Min to lie inside.

Jiang Min was dressed gorgeously tonight. She wore a princess dress and, after smiling generously at the audience, climbed into the box, with only her head and feet visible at either end.

Once that was done.

Chen Jiang feigned exhaustion as he pulled out a prepared chainsaw. With a sharp tug of the cord, the engine’s violent roar instantly echoed throughout the venue.

"I imagine everyone has guessed what I’m about to do?"

"I am going to saw this box in half."

The audience subconsciously held their breath. Even though they knew it was just a magic trick and that no one would actually be hurt, the sheer intimidation of the chainsaw was overwhelming. No one could be entirely sure if a real danger might occur.

The Mayor of Chaoge City, sitting in the front row, was no longer composed. His voice was slightly hurried as he said, "She didn't tell me the magic trick tonight would be such a dangerous act. No, it must be stopped!"

"What if there's a stage accident?"

However—

It was already too late.

The next moment!

Chen Jiang brought the chainsaw down heavily onto the wooden box. The sound of the chain tearing through wood resounded throughout the hall, cutting the box—and Jiang Min inside—into two. The audience couldn't help but cover their mouths in shock, and some of the more timid ones closed their eyes, fearing they would witness something gruesome.

But immediately after.

Chen Jiang inserted a partition into the gap where the wood had been sawed, separating the two parts of the box. Jiang Min, lying inside, showed no signs of pain; instead, she blinked playfully at her father in the front row.

The illusion of a severed body left the audience stunned for a moment before they erupted into thunderous applause.

The students, in particular, were ecstatic.

The freshman orientation gala was an annual tradition, and usually, the performances were nothing spectacular—just students who had spent their whole lives studying. What kind of show could they possibly put on? At most, it was a few skits, dances, songs, or stand-up routines.

But tonight’s magic!

It was worthy of a professional, commercial stage. Even if they didn't understand the specific principles, the audience could clearly feel that this was not something a group of average students could pull off.

...

On stage, Chen Jiang smiled and spread his arms, gesturing for silence. Once the atmosphere settled, he removed the partition and, with gentlemanly grace, reached out to pull Jiang Min from the box.

"The next magic trick is an interactive one with the audience."

"You may choose someone to come on stage and perform the magic with you."

Jiang Min’s eyes lit up, and she immediately pointed at her father in the audience. A spotlight instantly hit the Mayor of Chaoge City. The Mayor was slightly taken aback and instinctively started to wave his hand in refusal; how could someone of his status go on stage to assist in a performance?

But Chen Jiang had already started clapping, and the audience followed suit with enthusiastic cheers.

The atmosphere grew rowdy.

The middle-aged man looked around, then caught his daughter’s expectant gaze on stage. He sighed, smiled helplessly, and rose from his seat to walk toward the stage. *Oh well,* he thought, *I’ll just indulge her today. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her this happy.*

He was usually busy with official duties and spent little time with his daughter, often feeling a sense of guilt toward her.

Soon—

After the man reached the stage, Chen Jiang smiled and spoke again: "Now, you need to choose one more audience member to join you in this interactive magic trick."

The Mayor of Chaoge City looked toward the audience. The spotlight that had been on his seat remained, but as he scanned the pitch-black auditorium, he could only see the special envoy who had accompanied him. He chuckled and said:

"Let it be him."