The world is unfair. God grants His favored ones golden fingers.
Some are born with silver spoons and live in luxury, others have innate talents that allow them to achieve great things effortlessly, and some have incredible luck, winning massive lottery prizes with random numbers.
Of course, there are other kinds of golden fingers. For instance, some can generate huge amounts of electricity, others can incinerate anything they touch, some can control corpses, some can cultivate Gu (a kind of parasitic magic), some can exorcise demons, and some can communicate with deities.
For ordinary people, these abilities would be shocking and seem like real-life cheat codes. Though rarely known, they do exist. Ye Qiu's Soul Devouring Ring is one such golden finger, even though he doesn't particularly believe in the Western deity.
This peculiar platinum ring allows its wearer to peek into others' memories but at the cost of significant energy. This energy comes from a non-biological substance—bound spirits, colloquially known as "ghost fire." It's a non-material entity produced after death. Ye Qiu and his master discovered this through countless experiments and consultations with reclusive experts.
It sounds mythical, and indeed it carries a legendary quality. Folk tales are filled with stories of spirits and ghosts that most dismiss as mere entertainment. Yet, every nation has secret research institutions dedicated to such phenomena, much like those studying UFOs—hidden and unknown to the general public.
The ring's ability to view memories has its limitations. It only works when the target is mentally weak or physically debilitated. For instance, on the train, Ye Qiu easily extracted the sleazy man's memories because his mind was full of depravity and his spirit was weak.
Conversely, attempting to read Wang Bo's memories on the way had failed miserably. Wang Bo had a strong mind and robust physique, and Ye Qiu had recently expended a lot of energy on the train. This failure showed that Wang Bo was a formidable opponent. Thus, when Tang Guo proposed a contest between them, Ye Qiu took him down with a surprise kick.
Of course, you could call it a sneak attack.
Jin Haili's physical prowess wasn't on par with Wang Bo's, but Ye Qiu knew his mental fortitude was even greater. For someone like him, extracting the desired information through memory peeking was extremely challenging.
Thus, Ye Qiu had to meticulously set up a plan to break him down.
First, by not attacking Jin Haili directly but systematically taking down his bodyguards, Ye Qiu instilled a sense of fear.
Second, by revealing his identity as a hired assassin tasked with crippling Jin Haili, he shattered any hope Jin Haili had of escape or mercy, further weakening his resolve.
Third, by shooting Jin Haili's legs, Ye Qiu created a facade of fulfilling his mission, combining the fear of death with physical pain, ultimately breaking Jin Haili's psychological defenses, allowing Ye Qiu to succeed.
From the moment Ye Qiu read Jin Haili's file, he understood his nature. Every action and word in the room was a calculated move targeting Jin Haili's psyche.
If Ye Qiu hadn't revealed it, no one would have believed what had happened today. The idea that a simple-looking ring could read someone's memories was beyond belief.
Is it really not him?
After searching through Jin Haili's memory sea, Ye Qiu had to admit the truth. Despite his elaborate setup, it was all a waste, and shooting Jin Haili's legs twice seemed unfair in retrospect.
Initially, Ye Qiu had pegged Jin Haili as the prime suspect, given his motive and criminal history. But combing through his memories, Ye Qiu found no evidence of him kidnapping Tang Guo.
If it's not him, then who?
Perhaps it's the other suspect Tang Buyi didn't mention? Ye Qiu felt a bit lost. His plan to quickly resolve this issue had failed, and a longer battle loomed.
Looking at the collapsed and disheveled Jin Haili, Ye Qiu wondered how to deal with him.
Based on the information from his mind, Jin Haili's past actions deserved severe punishment. But remembering his struggles and rise from a nobody to a powerful figure, enduring humiliation and pain, Ye Qiu felt some sympathy.
He isn't a good person. Good people either toil in the fields or sit in offices full of grievances. Good people don't rise to such heights; successful people at this level have all done at least one or two unsavory things.
Recalling the fear Jin Haili harbored for him, Ye Qiu laughed. Jin Haili had mentally cursed him, calling him a demon and labeling him as one of the most dangerous individuals. Ye Qiu saw no need to hold this against him. After all, if someone randomly shot his legs, he'd curse them too.
Ye Qiu decided to let him go, even though it went against his usual methods.
Kicking Jin Haili to the ground, Ye Qiu stepped on his fingers and looked down at him with a smile. "Since you didn't do it, I'll let you go."
"Thank you, thank you. I really didn't do it—" Jin Haili winced in pain but expressed gratitude, unaware Ye Qiu had already read his mind.
"What's your relationship with Liu Hengsheng's woman?" Ye Qiu dropped a bombshell he'd found in Jin Haili's memories. "If Liu Hengsheng knew about your affair, what do you think he'd do to you?"
Jin Haili's heart sank again, unsure if it was his fingers or his heart hurting more. How did he know this?
"How much profit did you make from the Jiangnan Bridge project? Not less than a billion, right?"
"—"
"You caused Wu Lianshan's brother's death? And that Yanjing Foreign Language student he liked—you got a gigolo to seduce her and give her AIDS?"
"—"
Each revelation sank Jin Haili's heart further until he felt nothing at all. How did Ye Qiu know all this?
He's a demon. The phrase kept repeating in Jin Haili's mind.
*(Brothers, throw me some votes. This book is fundamentally urban life. No over-the-top godly plotlines—)*