Xingou Street Patrol

Chen Xia heard the conversation behind him as he walked into the hall.

He secretly thought that Yang Hua's punch force was still a bit weaker than his.

However, the other party was only in his twenties, and he was older, so there was nothing to brag about.

If it weren't for the Seven Injuries Fist, Chen Xia wouldn't have been able to surpass Yang Hua. He considered himself quite lucky.

"I should eat breakfast first! I'm a bit hungry."

After clocking in for work, Chen Xia went to the Patrol Inspection Office's canteen.

The Patrol Inspection Office provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes, when Chen Xia wasn't on duty at night, he would go home to eat.

Admittedly, the benefits here were decent. Breakfast was very rich, with noodles, steamed buns, dumplings, and yogurt. Lunch also included fruit and pastries.

The Patrol Inspection Office also had accommodation arrangements in a building behind the office building. However, Chen Xia usually slept at home since it wasn't far. Most of the local colleagues were the same.

After breakfast and a brief morning meeting, Chen Xia got into a patrol car and went out.

As the car roamed around Xingou Street, there wasn't much to do. The work was very relaxed every day.

Their job was simply to deter local hooligans and ruffians, preventing them from causing trouble during the day and disrupting order.

This was because many local restaurants, shops, and shopping malls would give money to the Patrol Inspection Office personnel for protection.

Although they at the bottom didn't get much, if the higher-ups received money, the people below would naturally have to maintain it. This was also part of their duty.

Usually, they would patrol various streets, shopping malls, and the old town area in the morning, and then wait for their meal.

Occasionally, they would be invited to tea houses. In the past, they used to drink alcohol, but since the higher-ups prohibited it, they switched to tea.

At this moment, after finishing their patrol, they were invited by the owner of a tea house to sit by the window on the second floor, drinking tea, chatting, and watching the scenery of the street outside.

Before they could even get comfortable, a commotion erupted outside the window. Many people on the street scrambled to avoid something, appearing flustered.

Chen Xia glanced out the window and saw two groups of people fighting. Small vendors on the roadside were scattering everywhere.

Faced with this scene, they, the patrol officers, sat there as if they hadn't seen anything.

This kind of thing was commonplace. As long as these people weren't causing trouble in restaurants or formal shops, and were only fighting or killing each other in streets and alleys, the Patrol Inspection Office generally wouldn't intervene.

Everyone could tell at a glance who they were and tacitly agreed not to get involved.

At this moment, the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group was being pushed back in a sorry state by the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group. Some were rolling on the ground, while others were injured after just a few exchanges and had to retreat.

The Gathering Justice Mercenary Group members were fierce and acted without restraint, shouting loudly with imposing momentum.

Captain Jiang frowned and sighed, "The Blazing Fire Mercenary Group is probably not going to last. Their numbers are dwindling."

Hearing this, Yang Hua lit a cigarette and smiled, "It's mainly because the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group has no backing, and they've lost several fights in a row. Their morale has long been worn down. It's said that some of their members have even deserted and fled."

Captain Jiang nodded, "The Blazing Fire Mercenary Group actually has less than two hundred people. In the past few months, the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group has been growing, now exceeding them by more than double."

"Not long ago, I heard that the leader of Blazing Fire was seriously injured, and his confidants were either dead or wounded. Many people were hiding in other streets but were still found and beaten severely. With this trend, Blazing Fire is likely to disband!"

Captain Jiang Bing picked up a cup of tea, used the lid to skim the floating tea leaves, took a sip, and said slowly, "It's said that the leader of the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group is a Grade 1 Sixth Stage Martial Warrior who cultivates a knife technique to Major Completion!"

"He once fought against more than a dozen people alone without falling behind and left safely. His strength is immense, requiring our Headquarters to suppress him. I never expected him to be so severely injured. Life is unpredictable!"

Hearing this, Zhang Feng asked in surprise, "Who could have injured him so severely?"

"Perhaps he was ambushed!" Captain Jiang Bing said.

"In this world, only results matter. The Blazing Fire Mercenary Group will become a thing of the past."

"In the past, the people of Blazing Fire were quite amicable with us. I just don't know if the Gathering of Righteousness group that's taking over will be the same."

Captain Jiang frowned, looking a bit worried.

The people of Blazing Fire generally didn't cause much trouble. As long as they paid some money, the nearby shopkeepers and residents could make a living, and they didn't bother the small street vendors.

But what the situation would be after others took over was unclear. If the new group had powerful backing and acted recklessly, they would have trouble navigating the situation.

"The situation is unstable, which is not a good thing..."

Chen Xia sat in the corner, listening quietly, and had a general understanding.

In the past, the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group was thriving. Every year, nearby shops would pay them protection money.

They would also nod in greeting when they saw the Patrol Inspection Office personnel, and there were no conflicts between them. Moreover, they rarely oppressed ordinary people. Everyone coexisted peacefully, and the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group was quite prestigious.

Unexpectedly, in less than a few months, they were in decline.

At this moment, a hint of worry flashed in Chen Xia's eyes.

It wasn't worry about the change in the situation, but rather a thought about his older brother who had joined a mercenary group.

Chen Wu had taken great care of him and his younger sister.

Back then, when their family didn't have money to send Chen Xia to school, Chen Wu went out to work and earn money to support him. Later, when their grandfather fell seriously ill, Chen Wu resolutely went to the wilderness to join a mercenary group for adventure.

There were two types of mercenary groups: local ones and professional hunting teams.

The local ones, as everyone knew, were just using the name of a mercenary group as a cover.

The wilderness ones were professional teams that hunted exotic beasts. They were constantly on the move, leading a harder life, and it involved a certain degree of risk.

Older Brother is also at the Eighth Stage of Ningyuan, not yet a Martial Warrior. He joined a mercenary group half a year ago. Some time ago, he sent ten thousand home as hazard pay. For the past month, he's been out of contact.

Chen Xia thought that if he had the ability, he could support the family, and his older brother wouldn't have to take risks.

Seemingly feeling nostalgic, Captain Jiang Bing, sitting beside him, added, "I still prefer the old days. A thousand years ago, spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged, causing all things to mutate."

"And five hundred years ago, alien races from beyond the heavens broke through the Otherworldly Space and invaded the Human Race. It was our forefathers who sacrificed their lives, shedding blood and fighting valiantly, wave after wave, before driving the alien races beyond the Spatial Battlefield, thus establishing the space for the Human Race to live."

"Although everyone can cultivate now and become stronger, the risk of life and death is far greater than in the previous peaceful era."