How the Little People Survived

Shanghai, Tongren Road.

In a dim basement, Lame Boss, the local head of the Roadside Dogs Organization, rested both hands on his crutches, his face clouded with worry.

He had initially hidden here to evade that Hunter's pursuit, unwilling to confront him head-on.

But an hour ago, everything had changed.

Lame Boss had received word that the Bell Society's operation in the apartment building had failed, and two of its members had been captured at the scene.

With them in the New Year's Watchers' hands, the chances of their keeping quiet were slim. In other words... if the New Year's Watchers decided to follow this lead, he would inevitably be implicated.

Hiss, this was giving him a toothache...

With a slight frown, Lame Boss picked up his cigar and took a deep drag before quietly asking the refined middle-aged man beside him, "Mastermind, I'd rather not leave. If my collaboration with the Bell Society comes to light and I end up before the Mystical Tribunal, is there any chance I could fight the charges?"

"I don't think so." Mastermind considered it for several seconds. "Harboring players who attempted to kill New Year's Watchers, causing two large-scale criminal incidents within the city... those two charges alone would guarantee you a death sentence."

Lame Boss froze for a moment, then decisively rose to his feet. "Then I'd better leave. Have someone make arrangements. Tonight, I'll head straight to the Xiang River region and lie low with the Bell Society."

"The New Year's Watchers have already captured Bell Society members. If you leave now... you'll probably need to make some arrangements," Mastermind reminded him.

Lame Boss blinked, suddenly pulled out his phone, and dialed a number. "Yes, I failed. I need your help... all right. I won't leave Tongren Road until someone comes to pick me up. Understood."

After hanging up, Lame Boss turned to Mastermind. "Forget it. No need to arrange transportation. The people above want me to stay on Tongren Road for now. Someone will come for me."

"But if the New Year's Watchers...!" Mastermind was clearly uneasy.

Hearing that, Lame Boss cut him off with forceful confidence. "Time to show our teeth. Notify our friends. Let's liven up Tongren Road tonight... I'll be gone before dawn."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Mastermind smiled and nodded.

Shanghai, the high-speed rail station.

A man hurried through the exit, pulling a suitcase. His eyes looked weary, his complexion sallow, and he looked as though nothing had been going his way...

"Director Yan!" A tall middle-aged man opened the car door.

"Back to the office." Yan Duoduo dropped off his suitcase and climbed into the car.

Two minutes later, the car headed straight for Duoduo's Pet Paradise.

The New Year's Watchers currently had four standard ranks: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Yellow Tier corresponded to players in stages one and two. Huang Wei, Gu Nian, and Xu Peng, for example, were all Yellow Tier New Year's Watchers, also known as Yellow Robes. Their official uniforms were traditional yellow gowns, though nobody wore them unless the occasion required it.

Mystic Tier New Year's Watchers, meanwhile, corresponded to players in stages three and four. They were also called Mystic Robes, a name with a distinctly classical Chinese flavor.

Yan Duoduo and the middle-aged man who had come to collect him were both Mystic Tier New Year's Watchers. They were also Shanghai's Star Officer and Deputy Star Officer, its first and second in command, responsible for operations throughout the region.

"Director Yan, Huang Wei is on his way to Pet Paradise too..." The Deputy Star Officer was named Chen Hannian, and he had transferred from headquarters alongside Yan Duoduo. Mild-mannered and steady, he was excellent at reading people, but lacked decisiveness in certain matters and was fiercely protective of his own.

Yan Duoduo was a clean freak. He picked up a wet wipe from the car and carefully wiped his slender, pale hands, replying evenly, "Forget Huang Wei. How did our people fare in today's apartment building operation?"

Chen Hannian paused. "One critically injured, and the outlook isn't good. But I've already put in a request to headquarters. They'll send someone over, which should make things easier. Also... four suffered minor injuries."

"Mm."

No shift of emotion showed on Yan Duoduo's face. He simply changed the subject. "Did you keep watch on what I asked you to?"

"The Scout Team has already gone to Tongren Road."

"Good. Keep a close eye on it. We'll wait for news from Qingfu before doing anything else." Yan Duoduo folded the used wipe and placed it neatly in the trash bin.

Their conversation ended there. Only the swish of tires against the road filled the car.

Chen Hannian stole a sidelong glance at his young partner and felt an inexplicable surge of anxiety.

Yan Duoduo's reporting trip to the Capital should have been a chance to shine, but a series of unexpected incidents had occurred while he was away. They had even nearly lost Ren Ye.

A chance to shine had turned into a complete loss of face, and a scolding from the higher-ups was inevitable. Anyone else would have exploded by now, or at least grumbled to him a little. After all, there weren't many people in Shanghai around whom Yan Duoduo could openly express his personal feelings...

Yet since getting into the car, Yan Duoduo hadn't said a single unnecessary word. His expression was calm, too. So calm... that it made Chen Hannian nervous.

The car stopped outside Duoduo's Pet Paradise. Director Yan and Chen Hannian crossed the lobby and went upstairs to the second-floor office.

The moment he entered, Chen Hannian saw Huang Wei sitting on the sofa, leisurely pouring tea.

He had to hand it to the head of Qingfu District. The man had gone from slacking off to being utterly unbothered, and he always acted on his feelings. He had privately allowed Ren Ye to operate alone, sending headquarters into an uproar. Did he have any idea how much pressure that had put on Shanghai's leadership? Now his immediate superior was back, and instead of meeting him at the station and explaining himself, he actually had the fucking leisure to sit here drinking tea?!

Wide-eyed and clueless, with absolutely no political instincts...

"Huang," Chen Hannian called.

"Oh, Director Yan, Director Chen!" Seeing them, Huang Wei immediately stood and came over with an ingratiating expression.

"The outcome wasn't bad, but you need to explain the situation properly to Director Yan." With the best of intentions, Chen Hannian patted Huang Wei's shoulder and gave him a meaningful little look.

Huang Wei straightened with a jolt and blurted out, "It was mainly thanks to our leader's excellent direction."

"...!" Hearing that, Chen Hannian nearly coughed up blood, his eyes filled with shock.

What exactly had your leader directed you to do? Quietly allow Ren Ye to operate alone? Nearly send the protagonist's father to the afterlife? Almost tear down the apartment building?!

"Focus on what happened on your end!" Chen Hannian said helplessly, then left and shut the door.

Yan Duoduo gave Huang Wei an indifferent glance, slowly removed the suit jacket he had worn for three days, and walked straight into the bathroom.

Utterly oblivious, Huang Wei sat back on the sofa, picked up his freshly poured tea, and took a slurping sip.

"Phew!"

Yan Duoduo stood motionless in the bathroom for a full three or four seconds before letting out a long breath. "Get my clean clothes from the cabinet."

"Okay!"

Tea cup in hand, Huang Wei jogged to the cabinet, took out a fresh set of clothes, and passed them into the bathroom.

"Well, Officer Huang, do you have a moment?" Washing his hands, Yan Duoduo turned to look at him. "Perhaps I should report to you on my business trip to the Capital."

"Heh heh...!" Huang Wei didn't answer directly, only grinned foolishly. "Thank goodness you held firm against the pressure from headquarters. Otherwise, I'd probably have faced disciplinary action for letting Ren Ye operate alone..."

"You have three minutes to convince me... not to punish you." With that, Yan Duoduo lowered his head and began washing his face.

Huang Wei was straightforward. He neither trembled with fear like others would have nor tried to shirk responsibility. "You have no idea how arrogant those Roadside Dogs were at the Mahjong Parlor. Mastermind, the guy beside Limp, nearly stopped us from leaving. He even wanted to fight us. Ren Ye's father's safety was at stake, so of course he was anxious. I'd have been anxious too. Anyone who wasn't would be an animal, right?"

Yan Duoduo stiffened, feeling as though his subordinate was insulting him.

Huang Wei continued, "...but honestly, I only realized Ren Ye was going solo after he left the car. I intended to chase him, but then I thought about it... the Bell Society people causing trouble in Shanghai clearly had a local organization secretly helping them. Finding and arresting them quickly would have been extremely difficult. Besides, this affected the outcome of the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate, and we only had four or five days left... I couldn't keep delaying. So... I decided to let Ren Ye act alone and draw them out. But the facts proved that this method was extremely risky. Next time... I won't do it again."

"And the result?" Yan Duoduo asked, picking up a towel.

"Ren Ye and his whole family are safe. On our side, one suffered critical injuries and four suffered minor injuries. I'm willing to take responsibility." Huang Wei grew serious. "On the perpetrators' side, aside from Mr. He and Little Dwarf, we killed three at the scene and captured two. They're being interrogated now. Oh, right, we also found an envelope at the scene. I skimmed its contents. It contained important information about the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate, which will be a huge help to Ren Ye. The Bell Society members probably paid a fortune for it. Heh, and in the end, we benefited instead."

Yan Duoduo's eyes brightened, and he turned to him. "Has the accuracy of this important information been verified?! What did Ren Ye say?"

"We retraced the details of the battle. The envelope fell from Mr. He, so it must be extremely important," Huang Wei promptly added. "...Ren Ye gave it a quick read. For now, he considers it very important, because the information concerns the Former Dynasty Princess's Tomb in Qingliang Prefecture."

"Oh."

After drying his face, Yan Duoduo glanced at his watch. "There's a little over an hour until midnight. Before midnight, you must get statements from those two captured Bell Society members. Focus on who harbored them and provided them with assistance. One minute late, and I'll strip you of your post and send you into a Star Gate to mine!"

"I won't need an hour. I'll send you the news as soon as I get back," Huang Wei replied, standing at attention.

Yan Duoduo raised a hand and pointed at the door.

"Heh, good tea." Huang Wei tipped back his head, finished the tea in his cup, and happily trotted toward the door.

Halfway there, he thought it over, stopped, and turned to call to Yan Duoduo. "Director Yan, things are tough for those of us below, but they're even tougher for you. Honestly... with any other leader, I wouldn't have dared let Ren Ye operate alone."

Yan Duoduo froze at his words, then waved helplessly. "You're impossible. Go on, get out!"

"Heh...!"

Huang Wei grinned and dashed off.

A little while later, in the first-floor lobby, Chen Hannian stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Huang Wei. He sighed helplessly. "Got chewed out, didn't you? Disciplined too? Huang, you're not young anymore. There's no workplace where you can ignore how to deal with people..."

"No, I just had some tea with Director Yan and chatted. He was pretty happy," Huang Wei interrupted.

Chen Hannian froze. "Happily slapped you four times?"

"No, really! I explained the situation, and now I'm heading back to get their statements." Huang Wei was excited. "I think Director Yan wants to kill someone, but not me. Seriously!"

Chen Hannian looked surprised. "You actually escaped a dressing-down? You've got some skills...!"

"A few, nothing much." Huang Wei shamelessly flattered him. "Mostly, it was that look you gave me. You were telling me Director Yan likes sincerity... I understood."

"?!"

Chen Hannian paused, thinking, Was that what I meant?

"Sincerity is good. You're pretty perceptive," Chen Hannian replied breezily.

"Words can't express my gratitude. I'll get some medicine from Xu Peng and bring it over for you later." Huang Wei flashed a toothy grin, then dashed away.

Watching him leave, Chen Hannian suddenly grew reflective. "I worried too much. Cats have their ways, and rats have theirs. Everyone here has their own way of surviving... not bad...!"

About half an hour later.

Chen Hannian suddenly came upstairs. Looking grave, he addressed Yan Duoduo, who had just finished washing up and changing. "Zhou from the Mystical Tribunal is here. Probably about Tongren Road. Would you like to avoid him?"

Fastening his cuffs, Yan Duoduo asked evenly, "Why would I avoid him? Where is he?"

"In a car by the roadside," Chen Hannian replied.

"I wanted to take a look over there anyway. Come on, let's meet him." Yan Duoduo picked up his suit jacket and added quietly, "Also, notify all the units."

"Director Yan, if the Mystical Tribunal wants to mediate this matter, then... if you reject him to his face or insist on taking action, it could strain our working relationship, or even destroy it." Brow furrowed, Chen Hannian urged him, "What I mean is, you'd be better off avoiding him and waiting...!"

"Heh, it'll be fine." Yan Duoduo waved him off.

88 Lotus Lake Road.

Upon returning, Huang Wei immediately asked Gu Nian, "Did you get their statements?"

"Yes." Gu Nian wore a facial mask and ate a late-night snack while working, as carefree as a temp.

"That fast?! How did you do it?"

"I got four pills from Xu Peng on credit. They're his latest product. Even he doesn't know what they do." Gu Nian smiled. "Those two Bell Society idiots only took half a pill... and puked up every parasite in their guts in the bathroom. Now they answer whatever we ask."

"That's vicious!" Huang Wei replied, speechless. "But very nice. Go get Ren Ye. We're making a big move tonight."

"What kind of move?" Gu Nian asked curiously.

"Revenge!"