Captain Jiang said slowly, "In the past, people had no power, but ordinary folk did not have to live in fear every day, leaving everyone in a state of panic. Now the Human Race can cultivate and grow stronger, yet the slaughter, casualties, and competition caused by alien races, Exotic Beasts, and the many major factions born within our borders have become even more brutal!"
"Captain Jiang, I actually rather like the world as it is now. Let martial force do the talking."
Yang Hua held a different view from Captain Jiang. He said, "If the world had not changed, how could ordinary people ever become beings capable of shattering mountains and rivers, of flying through the sky? But now, they can."
"Heh heh."
Hearing this, Captain Jiang glanced at Yang Hua and said, "A Flying Martial Warrior may not even exist in an entire city. That is an ability possessed only by provincial governors, or even governor-generals overseeing several provinces. One must at least reach the rank of a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master, and the responsibilities on their shoulders are even greater. Their enemies are different as well, and they still face the risk of falling."
"Furthermore, to produce one Flying Martial Warrior, who knew how many members of the Human Race had to be sacrificed? Those tens of thousands, even millions of martial artists, were people too. Who could guarantee that they would be the Flying Martial Warrior able to stand out from among those countless people?"
These remarks made Yang Hua's heart tighten, and he did not continue arguing.
Everyone drank tea and chatted. Once the people outside had dispersed, they rose and left the teahouse as well.
It was noon by then. They needed to go eat.
When they returned, they saw that many patrol convoys from the other streets in the southern part of the city were also returning one after another.
Not long after lunch, the people leading each street seemed to receive some news and began taking the elevators to the Conference Hall on the Fifth Floor for a meeting.
Seeing this, Chen Xia knew that the headquarters was holding a meeting, and it was not a small-scale one.
Across the entire South District Patrol Inspection Office, the Eight Squad Leaders from the Eight Squads on all eight streets had almost all gone. There were more than seventy people in total.
Only major matters warranted such a grand mobilization. It seemed the higher-ups had some decision to announce.
Naturally, Chen Xia was not qualified to attend.
There was a lunch break at noon, so Chen Xia went to the Training Room in the public area to practice his fist techniques.
Chen Xia would not openly demonstrate the Seven Injuries Fist in its entirety, in case people from the mercenary groups saw it.
Therefore, he merely circulated his Inner Method and performed it simply. Others could not make out anything.
An hour later, Chen Xia saw all the people of every rank who had attended the meeting come down the corridor.
The moment they came down, Chen Xia received a message on his phone. Captain Jiang had summoned them to a small meeting room.
After everyone entered and all ten of them sat down, Captain Jiang said with a grave expression, "Next are orders issued by the higher-ups of our Patrol Inspection Office. I am formally notifying you of two matters."
"First, regarding the recent matter between the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group and the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group, do not interfere. No matter how serious the situation becomes, it has nothing to do with you. The higher-ups have separate arrangements for this matter. It is confidential."
"Second, if members of the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group display any unusual behavior recently, you are obligated to follow and investigate them. If lives are endangered, use your judgment and act accordingly, and report to me."
After Captain Jiang issued the orders, the team members wore varying expressions.
As for not interfering in the affairs of the two mercenary groups, they had actually accepted it by default long ago. It was only that the higher-ups had not previously issued a clear public order, merely passing it down in secret.
This time, they were making it official. However, the second point surprised Chen Xia somewhat. Other than fighting and killing enemies, what unusual activity could a mercenary group possibly have?
Still, Chen Xia roughly understood that the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group was completely finished. In the future, the people replacing them would be those from Gathering Justice.
The outcome of this meeting roughly meant that the higher-ups had acknowledged the status of those people from Gathering Justice.
Beyond that, the second point was equivalent to a warning. If they went too far and acted recklessly, the Patrol Inspection Office would still step in to handle them.
"Understood!"
Everyone accepted the order one after another, and no one raised any doubts. Seeing this, Captain Jiang nodded. "Then the meeting is adjourned!"
Back at his patrol post, Chen Xia kept turning the matter over in his mind.
He always felt that private interests from the higher-ups, or perhaps some kind of plan, were mixed into the conflict between the two mercenary groups.
Chen Xia did not know the specifics, but one thing was clear: if the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group made any other unusual moves, they might clash with the Patrol Inspection Office.
When that happened, the people of the Patrol Inspection Office might be in danger.
As a member of the Patrol Inspection Office, Chen Xia could lose his life in a conflict if his strength was insufficient.
Still, ordinary mercenary groups would not directly oppose them. Perhaps the higher-ups were merely using this meeting to let the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group know that they should rein themselves in and, at the very least, could not endanger ordinary people's lives.
The Gathering Justice Mercenary Group had likely received a warning from the Patrol Inspection Office as well.
But that was impossible to know. Chen Xia's most urgent task was to wait until he got off work, buy some medicine, and raise his strength first.
After finally waiting until the end of his shift, Chen Xia took off his uniform, put on a black autumn jacket, and rode his bicycle, preparing to browse the nearby shops.
The first place he went was the nearest pharmacy.
It was called Xin Sheng Pharmacy, a famous Federation chain store.
"Welcome..." After Chen Xia entered, a young woman warmly received him.
"May I ask what you need? Our store sells all kinds of Nutrient Solutions and pills for replenishing the body."
"I'll just look around on my own..."
"Of course, sir!"
Chen Xia entered the three-hundred-square-meter store and saw many colorful medicine tubes, medicine bottles, as well as pills in glass containers and Gene Medicine stored in the glass display counters.
Medicine was generally divided into two types. One was medicine produced through high technology by combining plant essences, Exotic Beast bloodlines, and extracted genetic components.
Nutrient Solution tubes, for example, all belonged to this category of technologically refined products. There were different methods of use, such as injections and oral consumption.
After taking such medicine, one could increase one's Qi and Blood Value, physical strength, bodily constitution, and more.
When martial artists cultivated, those with money would usually use ten tubes of Grade 1 Nutrient Solution every month. Those with even more money used Grade 2 or Grade 3 Nutrient Solution.
As for the second type of medicine, it was Ancient Pills, or rather, medicinal elixirs.
Unlike technological Nutrient Solutions, these pills were refined through Traditional Chinese Medicine, experiments and developments by the Federation's powerful predecessors, and the Alchemy Secret Method obtained from alien races.
Like Nutrient Solutions, Ancient Pills were divided into Nine Grades according to their effects, and their prices varied based on their different functions.
Chen Xia glanced at the prices of the Nutrient Solutions in the glass cabinets and sighed inwardly.
Even Grade 1 Nutrient Solutions ranged from eight thousand to over ten thousand depending on their ingredients and effects, not to mention high-grade Nutrient Solutions. Some Grade 4 Nutrient Solutions were worth hundreds of thousands. Medicinal pills were the same.
For Chen Xia, he only looked at the low-grade ones.
Next, Chen Xia walked step by step, examining the descriptions of the various medicines in the display cases.
Most Grade 1 Nutrient Solutions had positive effects on the body and very minor side effects, making them of little value to Chen Xia.
Every kind of medicine had explanatory text beneath it. Chen Xia skipped over the expensive ones and skipped over those with minimal side effects. Basically, Nutrient Solutions were of no use to him.
He could only turn his attention to the various Ancient Pills.
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