Chapter Seventy-Five: The Suddenly Appearing Task

The fight broke out swiftly and ended even faster. At this moment, the atmosphere inside the tavern was suffocatingly silent. The patrons felt as if their backsides were nailed to their chairs; not one dared to rise. Their throats seemed plugged, none daring to even breathe loudly.

“Heh, heh! You... you two are quite the fighters, aren’t you?” The leader of the first squad attempted to speak with composure.

“Do you know who you’ve crossed?”

Ye Chen stepped forward, placing a foot on a chair, leaning in as if surveying from above, and said in a deep voice, “Of course. The leader of the first squad—the one who instigates his men to rob civilians by day and allows them to smash up taverns after drinking.”

“You... heh, I remember you now. You’re that subordinate of the thin-eyed dog from the second squad.” Leader Zhu wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his teeth chattering as he spoke. “Let me tell you, a little thief from the outer city stole from my men. We caught him red-handed. When we went to make a lawful arrest, you interfered. Just wait!”

Turning the tables and slandering others was second nature to the first squad leader. Nearby, Zhou Peng swung a bottle behind his back, smashing it against the table with a crash, shards scattering everywhere. He sneered, pointing the jagged glass at the squad leader, his eyes blazing with anger. “Say that again, I dare you!”

Back when he worked in the administration, he’d heard enough of this scoundrel’s nonsense to make his ears callous. Anything that came out of his mouth was filth chewed to bits. So, Zhou Peng sided with Ye Chen without hesitation—not just out of disgust for Zhu Gan, but more for loyalty to his brother.

“Who the hell are you to shout at me?” The squad leader stared for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! I remember now. I know who you are. You were once the loudmouth’s lackey—another lapdog. Bah! Fine, fine! Two squads, eh? You just wait. Tomorrow, I’ll tear your tavern down! Squad, withdraw!”

After his shout, Leader Zhu found himself answered only by a single team member, who tiptoed forward to drag bodies from the corner. Zhu Gan cast a venomous glare at Ye Chen and Zhou Peng before bolting for the door on his short legs, leaving the rest of his squad sprawled on the floor, unconcerned.

Ye Chen turned and asked, “This time it’s my turn to apologize. Tonight’s incident—will it...?”

Zhou Peng patted Ye Chen’s shoulder in reassurance.

“It’s got nothing to do with you. Go home and rest. I’m not as weak as you think!”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely!”

In a flash, Zhou Peng shed his cold demeanor, donning once more the mask of the enthusiastic tavern owner. He clapped his hands and addressed the guests, “Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies for tonight’s disturbance. I’ll cover everyone’s tab! As long as my tavern stands, you’re always welcome here. Drink freely!”

A smattering of applause rose, soon swelling into thunderous cheers. Zhou Peng nodded to Ye Chen in thanks. Once Ye Chen left, Zhou Peng returned behind the bar, rummaging through a drawer for a nearly dead communicator. After hesitating, he sent a message, then tossed it back without waiting for a reply.

On the way home, still a bit exhilarated from the brawl, Xu Fan asked, “Why did they only target you tonight? Did you offend that piglet?”

“Piglet” was the private nickname everyone in the patrol bureau used for the squad leader.

When his question went unanswered after a few moments, Xu Fan asked again, “Are you worried about Zhou Peng’s tavern?”

“Mm,” Ye Chen replied nasally.

Xu Fan had his own way of thinking: if his friend didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t press. But if his friend was troubled, he’d worry right alongside him. Throughout the walk, he seemed more weighed down than Ye Chen, so much so that when they reached the young lady’s apartment, he didn’t even help her upstairs.

“Tomorrow, once we get to the bureau, let’s go see the squad leader, alright?” That was the best solution Xu Fan could come up with for now.

“I’ll report it tomorrow. That bastard's a fat parasite—I wish I’d punched him tonight!” Ye Chen swung a fist at the air, venting his fury.

He also had another card up his sleeve... If the squad leader couldn’t handle it, he’d go to the Extraordinary Bureau for help.

...

The next day, in Squad Leader Dai’s office.

Xu Fan, for once, wore his uniform neatly, standing side by side with Ye Chen before Squad Leader Dai.

“You two are quite something, huh? Brawling in the tavern with another squad?” Dai pushed up his glasses, scrutinizing the two troublemakers before him.

Xu Fan was about to object, but Ye Chen spoke first, “Squad leader, here’s what happened...”

He was immediately cut off. “Enough, no need to explain. I already heard about it last night.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Ye Chen and Xu Fan both looked surprised.

“Ye Chen, start from what happened on the street,” Dai leaned back, unscrewing his thermos and sipping hot tea.

“How did you know about it?”

“Never mind how. Just tell me what really happened.”

Ye Chen nodded, recounting honestly how the first squad’s men bullied Little Braised Egg and stole his inner-origin stone. He left nothing out, nor did he exaggerate.

Behind the desk, Squad Leader Dai peered through magnified lenses, watching Ye Chen’s facial expressions closely. Reading micro-expressions was Dai’s specialty; he was “watching” for any signs of deceit in Ye Chen’s account.

Those fleeting facial cues could reveal a person’s true feelings and emotions—even serve as a kind of lie detector.

Dai’s conclusion was clear: Ye Chen wasn’t lying.

After a moment, Dai set down his thermos, interlaced his fingers, and after a long pause, said, “Alright, you two don’t have to worry about the fight. I’ll handle it—but you’ll still need to submit a report.”

Xu Fan’s face fell instantly.

“In addition, I have an urgent assignment for you.”

At this point, Ye Chen noticed the severity in Dai’s gaze—so intense that the brawl seemed almost trivial.

“Chen Bingfeng and two other squad members are missing!”

“What’s going on?”

“Is this for real?”

Both of them looked shocked.

“Of course it’s real—this is a mission, not a joke.”

Ye Chen and Xu Fan exchanged a glance, then stood up straight, eyes fixed on Dai, ready to listen to the sudden emergency task...