Zi Shou ignored his wet shoes and approached the bound Pockmark.
Even trussed up in a Tortoise Shell Tie, Pockmark still wore a defiant expression. He truly lived up to his name: his face was covered in pockmarks.
There was a mastermind behind the medical disturbances. Although conclusive proof was still lacking, everything pointed to Pockmark.
Question marks filled Zi Shou's mind. "What's going on here?"
How had the medical disturbances turned into organized crime?
What had been a perfectly good case of harassing the public had now become a legitimate criminal investigation, hadn't it?
Tear tracks still marked Chong Yingbiao's face. He delivered a stab straight to the heart and said in a muffled voice:
"The Dark Phoenix Guard handles Your Majesty's personal protection, patrols, and arrests. Your Majesty ordered me to thoroughly investigate those involved in the medical disturbances, arrest them all, and punish them severely."
"I am utterly incompetent. In the past, I loafed around the streets, making all sorts of disreputable friends and getting to know plenty of street thugs."
"When those people saw that I had become a high-ranking official and was forming the Dark Phoenix Guard, they all flocked to me."
"As Your Majesty knows, I cherish old ties. Out of consideration for our friendship, I had no choice but to take them into my ranks."
"As luck would have it, these were precisely the people who knew all the street gossip in Chaoge."
Zi Shou fell silent. Every one of the three hundred and sixty trades really did produce its own top scholar. Even street thugs and idle loafers could give off some heat.
"After much consideration, I believe this Dark Phoenix Guard..."
But Chong Yingbiao shook his head, the fat on his face quivering:
"It is all thanks to Your Majesty. Even