Martial Affairs Bureau

"What should I call you, young man?"

The plainclothes man spoke kindly, his attitude far better than that young police officer's.

"My name is Wang Tianyu. I'm a student in the martial arts class at No. 2 High School."

Wang Tianyu had recovered somewhat by now, and the discomfort in his stomach had become mostly bearable.

Martial arts classes were highly valued under current policy. As reserves for martial artists, students of martial arts classes held no low status.

"Hello, Wang. My name is Du Wei, and I'm a squad leader from the Martial Affairs Bureau."

Upon hearing Wang Tianyu's words, Du Wei smiled and greeted him.

Someone of Du Wei's status rarely handled ordinary cases.

It was only because the Martial Affairs Bureau was short-handed, coupled with the caller's claim that they had seen martial artists fighting, that Du Wei had come along.

"Shouldn't the police handle something like this?"

Though he was curious about what kind of department the Martial Affairs Bureau was, Wang Tianyu did not ask. At the moment, he was more concerned about his own situation.

"Hello, Captain Du."

Wang Tianyu returned Du Wei's greeting.

"Student Wang, come with me. Since someone died, you'll definitely need to come back with us."

After learning that Wang Tianyu was a student in No. 2 High School's martial arts class,

Du Wei's form of address changed from "Wang" to "Student Wang."

Wang Tianyu nodded, then followed Du Wei into the police car.

"Are martial arts class students this terrifying nowadays?"

After seeing Wang Tianyu and Du Wei leave, the young police officer muttered under his breath.

Du Wei got into the driver's seat, while Wang Tianyu sat in the back.

Perhaps Du Wei was focused on driving, or perhaps he simply did not know what to talk about with Wang Tianyu.

He did not speak to Wang Tianyu again for the entire journey.

Wang Tianyu's feelings were complicated. He sat silently against the back seat, with no desire to start a conversation either.

More than ten minutes later, the police car drove into the police station parking lot.

Du Wei then led Wang Tianyu into a room in the police station building.

"Sit wherever you like, Student Wang."

This was Wang Tianyu's first time entering a police station.

In such an unusual place, and having just killed someone, Wang Tianyu still felt deeply uneasy.

Wang Tianyu sat across from Du Wei as Du Wei fiddled with the computer on his desk. Because of the angle, Wang Tianyu could not see the computer screen.

"Look at me, Student Wang. The restroom is on the left when you go out. Go clean yourself up first."

Du Wei looked at the bloodstains on Wang Tianyu's body, then smacked his forehead.

"Alright, Captain Du."

Wang Tianyu truly needed to clean himself up. After getting Du Wei's permission, he went to the restroom.

After Wang Tianyu left, Du Wei opened the internal search system on his computer.

After entering his account and password on the login screen, Du Wei typed the three characters Wang Tianyu into the system.

A long list of information immediately appeared on the screen.

If Wang Tianyu had seen it, he would have discovered that all his basic information was now displayed on Du Wei's computer.

After glancing at the photo on the screen and comparing it with the real person he had just met, Du Wei confirmed Wang Tianyu's identity.

"Student Wang, tell me what happened."

When Wang Tianyu returned, Du Wei began the routine statement-taking process.

"It was like this. After I attended a class reunion today, then..."

Wang Tianyu had only briefly cleaned the blood off himself.

What Wang Tianyu wanted most now was a proper shower, but that was clearly impossible at the moment.

Hearing Du Wei's question, Wang Tianyu began recounting what he had encountered that night.

Several times, Du Wei interrupted him to ask about details Wang Tianyu had not fully explained.

Knock! Knock!

Just as they finished taking the statement, knocking sounded from outside Du Wei's door.

"Come in."

As Du Wei's voice fell, a very young man walked in from outside.

"Captain Du, these are the scene investigation report and the deceased's identification documents."

When the door opened, the young man was also not wearing a police uniform. Dressed casually, he looked much like a student.

"Give them to me."

After handing the documents to Du Wei, the young man also cast Wang Tianyu a strange look.

"Huh!"

After opening the documents and flipping through them, Du Wei unconsciously let out a soft exclamation.

Setting the documents on the desk, Du Wei looked at Wang Tianyu and said, "Do you know who you beat to death?"

Wang Tianyu shook his head. He did not know that man's identity.

However, Wang Tianyu was certain that he did not know him.

"The deceased was called Zhang Wenchao. He was a wanted criminal of our Martial Affairs Bureau."

Du Wei did not beat around the bush. He directly gave Wang Tianyu the answer.

Only now did Wang Tianyu finally learn the identity of the man he had killed.

"Zhang Wenchao! A wanted criminal?"

Wang Tianyu keenly caught the key point in Du Wei's words.

The person he had killed was a wanted criminal, which made things much simpler.

Wang Tianyu had originally feared being charged with excessive self-defense. He had been thinking about how to deal with the matter.

Now, all the backup plans Wang Tianyu had considered were unnecessary.

Because the person Wang Tianyu had killed was a wanted criminal, his actions were now covered in the shining label of justice.

Bravely standing up for justice! Capturing a criminal! Police and civilians, one family! Those were what Wang Tianyu's actions had embodied.

"Oh, right. You might not know what the Martial Affairs Bureau is. Let me explain. Come to think of it, you're the first person to enter here as a martial arts class student."

Du Wei smiled, then began explaining to Wang Tianyu.

"The Martial Affairs Bureau's full name is the Martial Affairs Management Bureau. The name is too long and awkward to say, so we usually just call it the Martial Affairs Bureau."

Du Wei smiled and continued.

"You can tell from the name that the Martial Affairs Bureau mainly handles problems caused by martial artists. Our offices are located together with the police station, and we share resources in our daily work. The police handle problems involving ordinary people, while we handle problems involving martial artists."

"That Zhang Wenchao you beat to death barely counted as a martial artist, so this case falls under our jurisdiction."

Du Wei spoke for a long stretch without stopping. When he finished, he picked up his teacup and took a deep sip.

"That man was a martial artist? I actually managed to kill a martial artist? Does that mean I count as a martial artist too?"

Wang Tianyu's thoughts jumped quickly. Once he learned that he was in the clear, his mind began wandering.

From Du Wei's words, Wang Tianyu learned that he had killed a martial artist, and he was greatly surprised.

However, Du Wei's next words ended his wild imaginings.

"To be precise, Zhang Wenchao was not a true martial artist. We investigated his background. Zhang Wenchao never attended a martial arts university. He got hold of some cultivation techniques from somewhere and figured out a few tricks on his own."

"After gaining strength, Zhang Wenchao began to unleash his wild nature. His actions became increasingly excessive and reckless."

"In a short time, he committed several robberies and murder cases."

Wang Tianyu quietly listened to Du Wei's account without any intention of interrupting.

Du Wei did not pause as he continued, "Although Zhang Wenchao came from a wild path, his strength still far surpassed that of martial arts class students. The fact that you were able to take him out was an exceptionally remarkable feat."

Du Wei wore a smile as he said this, casually praising Wang Tianyu.

In truth, that was also why Du Wei was willing to tell Wang Tianyu so much.

Du Wei had seen Wang Tianyu's talent, and Wang Tianyu's actions had not violated the law.

Therefore, Du Wei did not mind doing Wang Tianyu a favor.

"I had no choice. It was a fight for my life. If I hadn't killed him, I'd be the one lying on the ground right now."

"Haha, good. Either you die or I perish—you've got the spirit of a martial artist."

Du Wei laughed heartily, then rose from his seat.

"Your case isn't anything serious. The sequence of events is clear, and the scene investigation largely matches your description."

Seeing Du Wei stand, Wang Tianyu also rose from his seat.

"So, Captain Du, am I basically fine now?"

Although he had more or less guessed the outcome, he had not yet received a definite answer from Du Wei.

So Wang Tianyu still asked the question aloud.

"Mm, you can go home. But keep your phone on. If there are any issues, we'll contact you at any time."

Hearing Du Wei's definite reply, Wang Tianyu finally let go of the weight hanging over his heart.

"Alright. Thank you for the trouble, Captain Du."

With that, Wang Tianyu turned to leave.

"Oh, right. There's something else I forgot to tell you."

Just then, Du Wei called out to Wang Tianyu, who was about to leave.