The Poor Guard Department

"I'm suspected of murder?" Wang Wen looked frightened. "Who did I kill?"

"The leader of that group is dead. According to eyewitness testimony, you killed him!" The female guard looked thoroughly impatient.

"He died?" Wang Wen turned in confusion to the Dean. "Dean, I don't understand. Why, when thugs attacked me with knives, did the guards come after me instead of arresting them? Even if the man really did die, he got what he deserved. Do I have to die before I can prove my innocence?"

"You're twisting the facts and making excuses!" the female guard shouted angrily.

Hearing Wang Wen's question, the Dean finally couldn't hold back. He stepped forward and said coldly to the guards, "I've served as Dean for seventeen years. I believe I've taught and guided my students with a clear conscience. Today, I feel ashamed, because I can't answer my student's question. I want to ask you officers: is the Guard Department here to protect the good or the wicked? To uphold justice or shield evil?"

The female guard was taken aback. "Dean, don't misunderstand. We're only following routine proced—"

"That's enough." The guard in the middle straightened his cap and ordered, "Take him straight to headquarters. Whether he's the victim or a suspect, he has a duty to cooperate with the investigation."

The Dean wanted to say something more.

The guard saluted him in farewell. "Sorry for the trouble. Please, carry on with your work. There's no need to see us out."

Wang Wen cooperated, following the guards outside. Just before reaching the door, he turned back to the Dean. "Thank you, Dean."

The fact that the Dean could say something like that proved that the Academy was still a place where fairness mattered and people were willing to stand up for their students.

But when all was said and done, in this day and age, only real strength could make reason count.

He followed the guards out of the Academy.

Many students had gathered to watch.

Among them were quite a few familiar faces.

Yu Zhi wore a conflicted expression, while the skinny boy looked worried. Cheng Queyi, who stood beside him trying to comfort him, gave Wang Wen an OK sign. He had no idea what she meant by it.

Wang Wen didn't dwell on it. He calmly followed the guards into their vehicle and left.

He'd already planned how to clear his name and wasn't worried about getting tangled up in this little matter.

This was just taking advantage of the situation.

In his previous life, he'd been one of the world's top Tower Climbers, above the law. He'd never given these guards a second glance.

Now he'd returned from the nine-hundredth floor with nothing. No strength, no team. A former colleague had already told him, after taking advice from an elder, that cooperation was out of the question. The First Consortium would swallow up someone as insignificant as him.

The path he'd considered ideal, and knew best, was closed.

He had no choice but to find another way.

He couldn't find anyone on the outside.

He might as well check whether the Guard Department had any suitable candidates.

As it happened, the Guard Department had a natural advantage when it came to the World Tower.

Its personnel were all well-trained, physically tough, and resilient. By nature, they would make excellent Tower Climbers.

Unfortunately, the Guard Department also had a natural disadvantage.

It was poor.

Compared with the major corporations, the Guard Department's finances were painfully limited. That left it short on personnel, and it couldn't afford to send people into the tower to die at will.

The word "elite" was earned through winnowing the masses.

Without a large enough pool to choose from, even with high baseline ability, a person's ultimate achievements might not surpass those of an elite team trained with all the resources of a major corporation.

The reason was simple. The elite teams of major corporations were made up of people who had survived and distinguished themselves among countless lives struggling inside the tower.

From a hundred million Tower Climbers who had reached the hundredth floor, they'd find those capable of breaking through to the two-hundredth.

From a million who had reached the two-hundredth floor, they'd find those capable of reaching the three-hundredth.

From ten thousand who had reached the three-hundredth floor, they'd find those capable of reaching the four-hundredth.

From a hundred who had reached the four-hundredth floor, they'd find those capable of reaching the five-hundredth.

Finally, they'd gather everyone from all the batches who could reach the five-hundredth floor and form a team to challenge the super-high floors beyond it.

This training model was simply unbeatable.

The Guard Department couldn't possibly have that many people to sift through.

So, since time immemorial, the Guard Department had struggled to survive in the cracks, with any major corporation able to push it around.

When a Tower Climber committed a crime, things were manageable below the three-hundredth floor. Weapons could still be somewhat effective.

Above the three-hundredth floor, it was difficult to subdue them without heavy weapons.

As for Tower Climbers at the five-hundredth floor—

They were either the prized possessions of major corporations or monstrous human tanks. The Guard Department had no way to deal with them.

The World Security Headquarters had also resolved to form a force of high- and even super-high-floor Tower Climbers.

Unfortunately, as the saying went, the cost of a guard dying in the line of duty was too high. The World Security Headquarters didn't dare send large numbers of people into the tower to risk their lives.

At most, it could make slow, steady progress.

They couldn't afford to buy information, and they didn't dare charge in. As a result, the Guard Department's Tower Climber forces had been stuck around the two- or three-hundredth floors. They retreated at the first hint of danger and simply couldn't break through to higher floors.

The root of the problem was easy to find.

There was just no way to solve it.

Now, Wang Wen had arrived.

The moment he stepped through the doors of the Regional Security Department, he caught a certain scent.

A scent.

Of spicy hot pot.

The people in the Guard Department were having a feast.

Beside plates of fresh, bright-green vegetables, there were hints of red meat.

In a particularly well-hidden corner, he could even make out one or two plates of sliced fish!

"What are you doing?!" The lead guard who'd brought Wang Wen inside raised his voice. "What kind of day is it that we're having hot pot? Did the higher-ups send down a subsidy?"

"Not the higher-ups," a guard replied through a mouthful of tofu, radish, cabbage, and meat. "It's Tiansheng."

The lead guard paused, then silently nodded and led Wang Wen toward the interrogation room.

Just then, several more guards came in from outside. The one at their head wore the uniform of a deputy chief of the Guard Department. Catching the aroma, he smiled happily. "Well, look at that! We haven't had food this good in days. You're even having hot pot!"

At that, all the guards who'd been eating with their heads down set aside their bowls and saluted the newcomer.

The deputy chief didn't bother with pleasantries. He waved for everyone to keep eating, then spotted the lead guard escorting an unfamiliar face toward the interrogation room and walked over to ask, "New arrest? What did he do?"

The lead guard rolled his eyes and replied, "A local tough died four days ago. According to the eyewitness testimony, this guy did it. We brought him in for questioning."

The deputy chief looked at Wang Wen in surprise. "A Tower Climber?"

The lead guard said nothing.

Wang Wen answered for himself. "I'm just a student at the Academy."

The deputy chief frowned. "Why did you kill him?"

"I didn't know he was dead." Wang Wen glanced at the silent lead guard beside him and continued, "More than ten people surrounded me and beat me. They had knives, too. I only knocked them down so I could escape back to the Academy in self-defense. My injuries were so bad that I lost consciousness as soon as I got to the infirmary. When I woke up, I'd been in the hospital for three days. I was just brought here by an officer after returning to the Academy."

Seeing the deputy chief's frown deepen, the lead guard couldn't help interrupting. "Deputy Chief Jiang, that's only his side of the story. We still need to interrogate him to find out what really happened."

"Everything I've said is true. Countless witnesses can back up the whole story: the teachers, students, Department Chair, and Dean at the Academy, among others. It all happened right outside our school." Wang Wen didn't mention the First Consortium's Intelligence Department. He didn't want to rely on favors too much at this point.

The more favors he owed, the harder his actions would be in the future.

Even if these were no more than trivial matters to the First Consortium, and they might not even have to intervene directly—just a word from them could get the people here to release him.

Besides, this really was just a small matter.

"Outrageous!" The deputy chief finally couldn't take it anymore. He slammed a hand against the doorframe and scolded the lead guard. "Is this how you conduct an investigation? What kind of conduct is that? Release him at once! If anyone needs questioning, bring in those local toughs first!"

"Deputy Chief Jiang." Seeing the situation turn against him, the lead guard leaned close and whispered, "This was a direct order from the chief. Tiansheng even treated us to hot pot..."

As he spoke, he pointed toward the tables crowded with people.

Steam rose in wisps from the tables, curling like carefree children... with thick snot hanging beneath their noses.