He Got Off Work

Hearing this, Chen Ling finally set the wineglass back down and wrote a line in one of the columns on the form:

"No witnesses."

Then he ordered another whiskey and walked over to the next Ice Spring Street resident.

"Name."

"..."

"Name!"

"Sun Laoliu."

"Did you see the Calamity?"

"I... I..." Having seen what happened to that big man just now, Sun Laoliu swallowed hard. "I didn't see it."

Chen Ling nodded and moved on to the next person.

Watching Chen Ling knock everyone down by himself before calmly questioning them, the same thought surfaced in Sun Laoliu and the others' minds...

That Ma bastard set us up?!

Didn't he say the ones being sent over were all Reserve Seat fledglings?

With those ghostly evasive skills he showed just now, he was hardly any worse than a Law Enforcer, was he? Or maybe... he was a Law Enforcer to begin with?

Had the matter on Ice Spring Street been exposed? Was Ma planning to use this chance to wipe them all out, then clear his own name and get away clean?

The more they thought about it, the uglier their expressions became. They stared at Chen Ling in unison, terrified that once he finished questioning them, he would pull out a gun and execute them one by one.

Chen Ling unhurriedly finished recording everyone's statements and had them stamp their fingerprints. For those who had already been knocked unconscious, he simply wrote "No witnesses" and forcibly pressed their fingers down for prints.

Then he got a thick rope from the owner, tightly bound everyone's hands together in a chain, and pushed open the tavern doors.

"Thank you for your cooperation... see you tomorrow."

The young man in the hole-ridden padded coat stood at the doorway and gave everyone in the tavern a slight smile before turning to leave.

The wrecked tavern fell into dead silence.

They were alive?

After an unknown amount of time, Sun Laoliu snapped out of that gaze, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

He turned to look at the owner.

"...What are you standing around for? Hurry up and untie us!!"

"Did any of you hear gunshots just now?"

Inside the teahouse, one Enforcer spoke hesitantly.

"No... did you hear wrong?" Qian Fan casually replied while rubbing his mahjong tiles. "Don't worry. Those people from Ice Spring Street know their limits. At most, they'll use knives when they have their fun. If they pull guns and make a big deal out of it, no one will have an easy time."

"True."

"Will that kid named Chen Ling even make it out today?"

"Hard to say... he looks better than Wu Youdong. If those people get a little ruthless... tsk."

"If someone dies, won't it be hard to explain to the Third District?"

"What's hard to explain? He's just some poor kid from Frost Street. I heard the Calamity scared his parents senseless too. Even if he dies there, they can bury him anywhere. Who would know? Who would come make trouble?"

"Relax. The Third District is Brother Ma's turf. He can handle it... Three Bamboos."

"Pong!"

Bang bang bang—

The knocking sounded again.

"Tsk, who is it now?" Qian Fan rose to his feet irritably. "Why is there always so much crap every single day?"

"Probably that kid realized something was wrong, ran out, and came to complain to us. Hahaha."

"He hasn't been gone long. Don't tell me he took one look at the entrance and came right back?"

Amid the discussion, Qian Fan opened the door. When he saw Chen Ling standing outside, his brows immediately furrowed.

"Why is it you again? Didn't I make myself clear?"

"This is my work report."

"...?"

Chen Ling took the form from his coat and was about to hand it to Qian Fan when he suddenly noticed a little blood and bits of skin stuck to a corner. He casually flicked them off with a finger, wiped it clean, and handed it over with a smile.

Qian Fan froze.

The other Enforcers playing mahjong inside froze as well.

"..." Qian Fan took the form and looked it over suspiciously for a while before smiling. "Little Chen... I know this assignment is a bit challenging for you, but you can't just press your own fingerprint on it and try to fool people..."

"I didn't fool anyone."

Chen Ling spoke seriously. "They're all in the tavern. If you don't believe me, you can go ask them."

Qian Fan's frown deepened. He looked at Chen Ling, unable for the moment to tell whether he was joking or serious... No, how could that bunch possibly cooperate so obediently with his investigation?

Could this kid have traded his looks for their cooperation...

But that was way too fast, wasn't it?

"I'll go take a look." Qian Fan immediately stood up and was about to head out when he suddenly remembered something. Turning back, he said, "You know that falsely reporting mission results will get you disqualified from the examination, right?"

"I know."

Qian Fan put a cigarette between his lips and headed toward the tavern, unwilling to believe it. The other Enforcers exchanged looks and curiously followed.

As the Enforcers left, Chen Ling lowered his gaze to the mahjong table. Several lines of text flashed past:

[Audience Expectation +1... +1... +1...]

Black Axe Tavern.

"Can't you move faster?"

In the devastated tavern, groans rose and fell. Sun Laoliu was among the less severely injured, and as he watched the owner slowly saw through the rope, he could not help cursing.

The owner gave him a cold look. "Say another word, and I'll kill you."

"...Why weren't you this tough just now?"

"That kid is a Law Enforcer. Would acting tough have done us any good?"

"He really is a Law Enforcer??" Sun Laoliu's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Many years ago, when I was selling drugs in the Third District, a Law Enforcer tracked me down... His movement was exactly the same as that young man's. If I hadn't been lucky back then, I never would have escaped to the Second District." The owner paused. "Do you know who that Law Enforcer was?"

"Who?"

"Han Meng, Chief Law Enforcer of the Third District."

Sun Laoliu stood rooted to the spot.

Creak—

The tavern doors opened.

Qian Fan stood in the doorway. Seeing the tavern in ruins and the many Ice Spring Street residents covered in blood and barely clinging to life, disbelief filled his eyes!

"This..." Qian Fan stood at the entrance like a statue. "That kid did this?"

The Enforcers who arrived afterward were equally stunned.

Qian Fan entered the tavern, carefully stepping over Bone Knife, who looked like a corpse, and the groaning big man. Anyone still conscious glared fiercely at the Enforcers, fury blazing in their eyes.

"Qian Fan!!" Sun Laoliu gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. "You dog-bred bastard! I'll fucking kill you!!"

Qian Fan frowned. "What are you cursing me for?"

Click—

A bullet chambered. At some point, the owner had stepped forward, the muzzle of his gun aimed at Qian Fan's forehead.

The other Enforcers were startled. They simultaneously drew their guns and aimed them at the owner and the tavern crowd struggling to get back up.

The blood-soaked tavern's atmosphere suddenly froze.

"What are you trying to do?" Cold sweat seeped from Qian Fan's forehead as he lowered his voice. "Don't forget that we're partners."

"Partners? You sent that guy to smash up our place, and you're talking to me about partnership??" Sun Laoliu gritted out.

"...I don't know what this is about. Chen Ling is only a Reserve Seat..."

"Reserve Seat, my ass!!" Sun Laoliu pointed at the people groaning all over the floor. "Say that again, you motherfucker! This is a Reserve Seat?!!"

"I..."

Qian Fan was speechless.

"...Where is Chen Ling??" He turned to ask another Enforcer.

"He seems to have left."

"Left?"

"Yeah... he said he got off work."