Ark, Just Tell Me Whether the Mission Was Completed

But who was the superior?

Naturally, it was Deputy Captain Carter.

Carter strode toward the office area's balcony and shoved the door open.

The moment he entered, he saw Luo Chen leaning against the balcony railing, watching him with a cold, vaguely scrutinizing gaze.

Carter kicked the iron door shut, sending a shuddering clang through it.

"Do you think the Lungmen Guard Department is some playground for make-believe?"

"I don't care whose connections got you in here, but in the Lungmen Guard Department, subordinates must respect their superiors."

"Hold on!"

Luo Chen immediately raised his left hand and cut him off. "You know I got in through connections?"

Luo Chen laughed, baring his teeth as though he'd just heard the funniest joke of the year. "You know I got in through connections, and you still dare tell me what to do?"

"I thought you didn't know."

"What are you so smug about when you got in through the back door?" Carter laughed as well.

He'd never seen someone with no background, who'd somehow wormed his way into the Lungmen Guard Department, act this arrogantly before.

"I'm laughing because you've been sold out and don't even know it."

Luo Chen's smile vanished, and his expression rapidly hardened into something exceptionally serious.

Like a principal about to lecture the whole school.

"Deputy Captain Carter, as far as I know, you've held your deputy captain position for four years. Do you know why you still haven't been promoted?"

"Don't change the subject." Carter stepped toward Luo Chen. "Do you know the rules for newcomers?"

Luo Chen countered with a question.

"Then do you know you're about to be fired?"

"I'm about to be fired? How come I don't know that?"

Carter sneered, unable to keep up with Luo Chen's train of thought.

But the serious, faintly pitying look on Luo Chen's face made his heart sink.

Whenever he'd dealt with troublemakers before, their expressions had either been furious or arrogant.

He had never seen anyone look at him the way Luo Chen did—as if someone above him were looking at trash.

Luo Chen said, "Because I haven't submitted my report to the higher-ups yet."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Carter blinked in confusion. What report could a newcomer possibly submit to the higher-ups?

"Shh. Listen carefully now." Luo Chen made a silencing gesture, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.

After the phone rang a few times, Carter heard an extremely familiar voice.

"Luo Chen... what do you want?"

"Nothing. I missed you, Superintendent Ch'en. Work hard. Let's have dinner tonight—I have a few issues I want to report to you."

"What issues do you need to report? Why wait until tonight..."

"Beep."

Before Chen Huijie could finish speaking, Luo Chen hung up.

Carter was completely dumbfounded.

This newcomer could actually speak directly to Superintendent Ch'en—and he was saying such ambiguous things to her.

What did he mean by tonight?

Was that even proper?

Could those outrageous rumors actually be true?

Superintendent Ch'en was having an affair with this newcomer.

If he offended him, Superintendent Ch'en would definitely hold it against him.

"Hey, hey, hey... say something." Luo Chen whistled at Carter, signaling for him to share his thoughts.

Cold sweat beaded densely across Carter's forehead as he didn't dare imagine what would happen next.

"I... it was all a misunderstanding... I didn't mean to cause you... trouble."

He offered a weak explanation, hoping Luo Chen would let him off the hook.

After all, they hadn't had any substantive conflict. If an apology was needed, he could pay for it.

Luo Chen slowly walked up to Carter and lightly patted his muscular, well-defined forearm.

"Don't be afraid. I actually admire you quite a bit. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so honest with you."

"I don't think you're a bad person. You're just too straightforward, too impulsive, and too easy for others to use."

"Yes, yes, yes." Carter nodded earnestly, not daring to argue in the slightest.

Luo Chen continued.

"I heard what you were discussing next door just now."

"Someone deliberately stirred things up and had you come offend me, the guy with connections, didn't they?"

"They weren't stirring things up. We were just chatting normally." Carter recalled his conversation with his colleagues. His good friend Wang Hao hadn't seemed to be provoking him—he'd merely smiled and told him to stay away.

"Chatting normally?" Luo Chen snorted. "They're deliberately putting you over a fire pit, and you still don't realize it?"

"Captain Carter, let me ask you. Wang Hao is your buddy, right?"

"That's right. We've known each other for over ten years." Carter nodded.

"Then can he not know your personality?"

"He definitely knows."

"Fine. Since he knows you're the kind of person easily provoked by taunts, why would he smile and advise you to stay away from me? Wasn't that deliberately making you come find trouble with me?"

Luo Chen raised a finger and gently tapped Carter's badge on his chest. Every tap felt as though it struck Carter directly in the heart.

"Do you understand something now?"

"You mean Wang Hao wants to hurt me? That's impossible. We're very close. Why would he do that?"

Carter's expression froze into indescribable shock. His eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.

Luo Chen turned around, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly looked toward the turquoise sun rising in the distance like an old official who'd spent years in government circles.

"If I remember correctly, you, your wife, and Wang Hao were all university classmates."

"And Wang Hao is still unmarried."

Chapter 36: The Office Was in an Uproar.

"Wang Hao wants to hurt me because of my wife?"

"You must be joking."

When Carter heard Luo Chen's conclusion, his heart filled with shock and doubt.

He simply couldn't believe his ears, because the claim was too absurd.

He had always believed his brother was trustworthy, that their relationship was unbreakable.

Yet Luo Chen's words were like a sharp sword, gouging a hole into the wall of his trust.

But deep down, he still believed Wang Hao.

And even if Wang Hao wanted to hurt him, it couldn't possibly be because of his wife.

Seeing Carter's reaction, Luo Chen didn't rush to prove his conclusion. Instead, he began analyzing the details for him bit by bit.

"Looks like Captain Carter really is an honest man. Even in a situation like this, you still trust your brother."

"But that's fine. As a responsible officer, I can't watch you be toyed with and deceived."

Luo Chen slowly turned around to face the bewildered Carter. Endless concern and kindness flowed from those brown eyes.

"There are so many rumors outside that anyone knows I didn't get in through normal channels."

"But Wang Hao, your good buddy, deliberately provoked you. Was that intentional or not?"

"Probably." Carter's thoughts were in turmoil. He still couldn't accept that his good brother wanted to harm him.

Luo Chen raised a finger.

"Second point. Your wife works in the Intelligence Section now, right?"

"If you get fired, you'll become an outsider."

"Then you'll belong to two different worlds."

"If I were a little nastier, a little more petty, then after you were dismissed, I might even hire gang thugs to beat you half to death."

"Then you'd become useless trash who could only lie in bed and wriggle around. Tell me, what woman would like a maggot?"

"Even if your wife remembered your old affection and was willing to take you in, could you stop a third party from entering the picture?"

Luo Chen's description frightened Carter into a cold sweat.

That was true.

In Lungmen, there was a saying: once you make it ashore, the first thing you do is cut down your beloved.

Official institutions like the Lungmen Guard Department and the Governor's Office were considered the most secure jobs in Lungmen.

Even their employees believed themselves superior to others.

He and his wife didn't have children yet, and their relationship had been growing increasingly bland. If he lost his job...

Based on all the real-life examples, divorce really was possible.

No, it was inevitable.

As a public security officer, he knew such things best.

Most civil disputes involving relationships arose because the man and woman had developed an enormous gap in financial means and social status.

"Third point: has Wang Hao ever said things like, 'Your wife is so wonderful,' 'Your wife is so considerate,' or 'You're lucky to have married her'?"

"He has, but isn't that normal?" Carter's forehead hair was already soaked with sweat, yet he still clung to his last shred of trust.

"Normal?" Luo Chen frowned and asked back, "Then let me guess. With your personality, when you hear someone praise your wife, you definitely wouldn't generously acknowledge how outstanding she is. You'd say you have your own good points too, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I guessed it from talking to you, and your old buddy Wang Hao definitely knows it too. But think about it—how would your wife feel hearing that?"

"A man praises her every day, while her wooden husband acts like an idiot all day and doesn't even know to compliment his wife."

"Now think about it. What is the purpose of an unmarried man constantly saying how wonderful your wife is?"

Ah—

At that moment, no matter how dense Carter was, he understood.

Wang Hao was building goodwill with his wife.

"Other than colleagues and relatives, is Wang Hao the only man who has the most contact with your wife?"

Yes.

"And as long as you're fired from the Lungmen Guard Department, who is most likely to take your place?"

Wang Hao!