Free Treatment! Second Update!

After Chen Xia returned home, it was as though nothing had happened.

He helped his mom sort through the deliveries and handle some miscellaneous matters at the shop, then chatted with her for a while.

Because Chen Xia had recently given them several sums of money, his younger sister's tuition and his grandfather's medical expenses were no longer so pressing.

As a result, there were more smiles on his mom's face. Much of her pressure and anxiety had eased, and she understood that her son had become a martial artist—he was different now.

In addition, his mom learned that Chen Xia had been promoted to captain and was delighted for him.

Even Dad and Grandpa at the hospital kept praising Chen Xia, saying he had become capable now.

During their conversation, Chen Xia also learned another piece of good news.

Originally, Grandpa had been recuperating in the hospital and taking medicine, which had temporarily stabilized his condition. But under normal circumstances, his heart problem would still require a stent procedure, costing over two hundred thousand.

However, for some unknown reason, the hospital had offered Chen Xia's grandfather a more advanced treatment plan two days ago.

An elderly doctor had brought New equipment and medicine, using special pulse technology to precisely inject a dose of Active cell essence into the blood clot inside his body, easily dissolving it. And the treatment had been free.

So Grandpa only needed to recuperate for another two days before he could be discharged.

Chen Xia found it hard to believe when he heard the news. He knew modern technology was highly advanced, but ordinary people did not have many treatment options. High-tech methods were available only to society's elite.

Anyone capable of commanding such social resources was definitely no ordinary person. He had asked who it was, but the other party had not said, leaving both Grandpa and Dad completely confused.

Since he had received no relevant information, Captain Liu was the first person Chen Xia thought of. But upon further consideration, it seemed unlikely.

Such treatment required resources. Although Captain Liu thought highly of him because of Jiang Xinglan's regard, it probably would not be easy for him to mobilize such resources for free.

Jiang Xinglan?

A woman in uniform, with a graceful and tall figure, appeared in Chen Xia's mind. Among the people around him, perhaps only Jiang Xinglan could accomplish this.

But why would she do something like this?

Did she value him?... Wasn't she afraid of misjudging him?

Chen Xia fell silent for a long time. Being valued and receiving such care made a sense of pressure rise within him.

Of course, since she had not disclosed it, he could not exactly ask. He merely kept the matter in mind, intending to probe indirectly the next time he met Jiang Xinglan.

Thinking that Grandpa's condition had improved enough for him to be discharged, and that his younger sister's tuition was no longer a problem, Chen Xia let out a long breath. The difficulties his family had faced had finally passed.

"All of this came from the improvement brought by my strength!"

"But I can't become complacent. The High Martial Era isn't safe. Different Races threaten us outside, and only by becoming stronger can I survive in this society."

Chen Xia clenched his fists, his drive to improve growing ever stronger.

After practicing the Seven Injuries Fist for a while, Chen Xia was drenched in sweat before finally washing up and going to sleep.

He got up early the next day, trained for a while, then rode his bike to the Patrol Inspection Office.

"Morning, Captain Chen!"

"Morning."

As he entered the Patrol Inspection Office's common area, many people passing by greeted Chen Xia. He responded to them all with a smile.

After breakfast, Chen Xia returned to Room 005 in Building 2.

Team Five's squad room covered sixty to seventy square meters. It had workstations, black leather chairs, and work computers. It was where the team usually gathered.

Chen Xia did not yet have an independent office. That treatment was reserved for those at the Mid-level Captain rank.

Still, he was satisfied. Chen Xia walked to a separate desk near the back of the squad room. It belonged to him, and a computer used for handling official matters sat on it. It contained records of cases the team had encountered, patrol reports, duty rosters, and so on—all of which fell under his management.

Beside the desk stood a thick black leather chair with a backrest, which was very comfortable to sit in.

As captain, he could go out each day, or he could remain in the squad room without leaving. Remotely overseeing the team's patrols or taking a short nap at his desk were both perfectly acceptable.

It could be said that the pay was high and the job was comfortable, but Chen Xia naturally would not stay in the office all the time. He still had many things to do.

Sitting in his own seat, Chen Xia first turned on the computer and checked Team Five's recent duty records.

Before long, he found information on several recent missing-person cases, but none of them had produced any results.

Just as Chen Xia continued reviewing the files, someone walked in from outside. Upon seeing him, the man smiled. "Captain Chen!"

"Captain Xiao, you're here!"

Chen Xia nodded. The other man had treated him to dinner yesterday, so they were already familiar with each other.

Xiao Qiang was Team Five's Deputy Captain. Thirty-seven years old, he was not very tall but sturdily built, and he wore a smile everywhere he went.

His own strength was not far from that of a martial artist. To be honest, Xiao Qiang had felt bitter. After the former Captain Liao stepped down, he could originally have taken over the position.

But after hearing about Chen Xia's situation, Xiao Qiang quickly adjusted his mindset. Since Chen Xia was someone the higher-ups valued, if he followed Chen Xia and maintained a good relationship with him, he would have opportunities in the future as well. Thus, Xiao Qiang quickly accepted reality without showing any dissatisfaction.

More importantly, Chen Xia had risen through his achievements, and there was nothing objectionable about that. Xiao Qiang had nothing to resent. After all, one had to know one's place. Some things could not be rushed.

Moreover, he knew that Yang Hua had once snatched Chen Xia's Deputy Captain position from him before, which made it even easier for him to accept. After all, strength spoke for itself. It was fair.

"Let's move out!"

Time passed little by little. Once everyone from Team Five had arrived, Chen Xia led Deputy Captain Xiao Qiang and the other eight members into the vehicle to patrol Xingou Street.

Their patrol vehicle darted all over Team Five's assigned area of Xingou Street.

Sometimes they got out of the vehicle to wander through the streets and alleys, chat for a while, and generally nothing major happened. As long as the Different Race did not invade, the streets remained quite peaceful.

After three patrol rounds that morning, Chen Xia sat in the vehicle, his gaze sweeping over the tall buildings lining the street outside the window. He could not help muttering to himself, Jiang Xinglan asked me to investigate the Evil Cult in the south of the city, but so far, I don't have any leads...

Jiang Xinglan had treated him well, so he could not just idle around. He still had to take her assignments seriously and complete them properly; it concerned his future prospects as well.

Besides, Jiang Xinglan was indeed generous and willing to look after him. Although Chen Xia had the panel backing him up, he still had to strive for what he could get.

After thinking it over, Chen Xia thought to himself, If I want to find an opening in this matter and uncover detailed intelligence on the Evil Cult, I'll have to start by investigating the people from the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group. The recent bizarre cases could also serve as a breakthrough.