Chapter 420
Chapter 420 - Are You Going to Take Off??
Su Ming turned around to find himself staring at a recording device, and not just any device—it was top-of-the-line. This setup must have cost at least a million yuan, and it even had the capability to eliminate background noise.
Cui Pingzhang reached under the car hood and pulled down a curtain. To Su Ming's surprise, the curtain was thick, clearly designed for excellent soundproofing. “Not bad,” Su Ming mused. “This is practically a recording studio.”
”Mr. Su, please, this way,” Cui Pingzhang invited.
With everything in place, Cui Pingzhang breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow as he looked at Su Ming with anticipation.
Picking up a leaf, Su Ming knew that playing a tune with it would be a breeze for him. The real question was, what tune should he choose? After a moment of contemplation, inspiration struck. He recalled a piece of music he had heard and particularly enjoyed while watching a video the day before—the Dawn Dreamtale.
Closing his eyes, he could almost see an epic battle unfolding as the music played. Without hesitation, Su Ming decided to perform this very piece. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and gently placed the leaf to his lips. With a soft exhale, the music began to flow.
The Dawn Dreamtale, the theme song from Warcraft 3, left a lasting impression on anyone who heard it. It told the story of the Undead Race—their dark faith, their thirst for power, their devotion to evil, and their aspiration to dominate the world. Members of the Undead Race carried noble blood, seeing their fall from grace as a badge of honor, immortal in their glory.
The song was grand and stirring, capable of igniting a fiery passion within the listener.
Cui Pingzhang was completely transfixed. As a seasoned academic, he wasn't one to engage in games like Warcraft, but the music spoke to him, conveying emotions that transcended the game itself. His eyes began to glisten with emotion, a testament to the power of music.
The song was a vessel of countless emotions, inviting its audience to lose themselves in its narrative, as if they were part of a grand and atmospheric battle. Cui Pingzhang felt as though he was in the midst of an epic conflict, visualizing two races locked in fierce combat amidst a vast battlefield shrouded in smoke. He could also picture a tranquil scene after a storm, where villagers relaxed on the grasslands under a clear sky—the men hunting, the women weaving, and the children at play, all exuding an air of peace and serenity.
Cui Pingzhang was utterly captivated by the music.
Suddenly, a loud bang erupted.
The car jolted violently, and the music came to an abrupt halt.
“What's going on?” Su Ming was taken aback.
Su Ming's body had been enhanced, so any collision wouldn't cause him significant harm.
But it was a different story for Cui Pingzhang.
Already lost in the music and being of advanced age with frail health, the jolt nearly caused him injury!
Cui Pingzhang clutched his head and stumbled out of the car.
Su Ming exited the vehicle to inspect the damage.
They were both utterly shocked.
Their car had collided with a police cruiser.
Su Ming wondered, “What in the world happened?”
A policeman emerged from the cruiser, his face clouded with anger. He berated them, “Were you trying to take flight? Driving at 150 kilometers per hour in the city center! What were you thinking? Thank goodness it's not rush hour. Had there been an accident, could you have handled the consequences?”
As a veteran traffic officer, he had apprehended drunk drivers, those who obscured their license plates, unlicensed drivers, and speeders. Yet, he had never encountered someone driving at such an extreme speed.
Had the driver been speeding on the highway, he wouldn't have been as infuriated.
He would have simply applied the traffic laws and penalized the driver.
But to speed like that in the city center was outrageous!
It was fortunate he managed to intercept the driver in time; otherwise, a serious accident could have occurred.
Suddenly, several motorcycles sped up from behind, encircling Su Ming's car.
“How could you possibly drive this car at 150 kilometers per hour?”
“Man, what's the rush driving so fast?”
“Why are you speeding like this?”
The traffic officers were visibly upset.
They had chased the car at top speed on their motorcycles but couldn't keep up.
If not for their high-quality government-issued vehicles, they wouldn't have been able to intercept the car at all.
The driver was mortified.
He stuttered and struggled to articulate a complete sentence.
“What's going on?” Cui Pingzhang was also fuming.
He had been in the midst of recording music for Mr. Su, fully immersed in the experience, only to be rudely interrupted by the driver's antics.
Cui Pingzhang was puzzled.
His driver had been with him for many years, consistently demonstrating excellent driving skills. An incident like this was unprecedented; the driver had a spotless record, never once having run a red light.
What could have possibly happened?
Under the intense scrutiny of the traffic police and Cui Pingzhang's pressing questions, the driver's gaze shifted slowly to Su Ming.
Su Ming was taken aback, thinking to himself, “Why is he looking at me? I have nothing to do with this.”
“Officer, I apologize. I've been driving for over two decades and have never once violated a traffic law,” the driver explained.
“But the music that Mr. Su was playing in the car was so captivating that it sent my pulse racing and my adrenaline surging.”
“Without realizing it, I pressed harder on the accelerator, which ultimately led to speeding,” he admitted, bowing his head in shame.
Su Ming was surprised to learn that the driver had sped up for such a reason.
Cui Pingzhang, equally astonished, thought to himself, “I forgive you. I would have done the same. It's like the volunteer soldiers of the past who, upon hearing the charge, would fight with doubled strength and vanquish their enemies with valor. That's the power of music.”
The traffic officers found the excuse quite unusual. In their years of service, they had encountered speeders who feigned ignorance or reveled in racing, but never someone who claimed to have been moved by music.
Despite the driver's implausible excuse, Cui Pingzhang noticed the officers' skepticism and quickly interjected, “Officers, please hold on a moment.”
He then produced a recording device and played the music right there.
Even though the recording couldn't capture the full essence of the live performance, the music still left the officers profoundly moved.
Their spirits ignited, they exclaimed, “We believe you!”
“I feel like catching some criminals right now!”
“However, even though we believe you, we must still issue a penalty for your speeding, as required by law.”
The officers, while sympathetic to the driver's unique excuse, knew they had to follow protocol and address the speeding violation.
The driver, accepting the situation, remained silent, his head bowed.
He had violated the law, so it was only right that he faced the consequences.
Yet, Su Ming felt somewhat sheepish.
He reflected, “Even though I didn't intend for this to happen, the driver was indeed affected by my music.”
Su Ming approached and said, “My apologies, officer. We've inconvenienced you. I'm partly responsible for this incident. I'll donate a few cars to the police station to help make your job of catching criminals easier.”
Su Ming genuinely felt a bit remorseful.
One of the officers responded, “There's no need. We're just doing our job.”
Su Ming replied with a smile, “No worries. Supporting your efforts is a duty of every taxpayer.”
“Hmm? You look so familiar. Ah, it's you, Mr. Su! Colleagues, this is the Mr. Su I always talk about.”
“So you're Mr. Su!”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Su.”
Several other officers came over to warmly greet Su Ming.
“If Mr. Su is offering to donate vehicles, we'll gladly accept.”
A traffic officer, who appeared to be a captain, scratched his head with a bashful grin and said.
“It's no trouble at all; it's the least I can do.”
Su Ming added.