Free Web NovelChapter 176: Chapter 121: The Storm Calms
「A few minutes later.」
Figures gathered in the corridors of Ring Academy, a clamor rising and falling.
The outer court students stared in shock and disbelief at the figures lying strewn about inside.
Those notoriously arrogant and tyrannical Professional Level inner court disciples had actually been seriously injured?
"This is what they deserve!"
"Serves them right!"
Some secretly clenched their fists, feeling a sense of vindication. Those bastards who usually bullied them had finally gotten their comeuppance.
TAP, TAP, TAP!
The sound of footsteps grew louder, drawing everyone’s eyes toward the center of the commotion.
Several instructors from the academy’s inner court Martial Arts Department appeared, led by a true Elite Level expert.
The group quickly walked over to Mei Ning’s side and looked at Lu Chao.
Some of them looked surprised, finding it unexpected that a mere squad leader could defeat so many of the academy’s elites at once.
One of them, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, had a particularly unfriendly expression. While ordering the surrounding students to help up Lin Zhou, Xu Feng, and the others, he stared at Lu Chao as if he meant to hold him accountable.
"Young friend, don’t you think you’ve gone a bit too far...?"
He asked with narrowed eyes, clearly displeased that Lu Chao had injured inner court students and was pointing a gun at people.
Not to mention, one of the injured was his own junior.
Instantly emboldened, Mei Ning, who was standing beside him, became fearless. She shot Lu Chao a look of contempt and provocation.
And yet, faced with this situation, Lu Chao’s expression remained calm.
He didn’t back down an inch, shielding Chen Xiao and the other two.
He shifted the barrel of his gun and looked at the inner court instructor. "Are you saying you want to have a go?"
It was obvious the inner court students had started this, yet the instructor was blaming him without even asking what happened. He was clearly connected to Mei Ning and her group.
GASP!
The atmosphere instantly froze.
The salt-and-pepper-haired man’s face darkened, and another instructor beside him also looked displeased.
But just then...
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!!
The crisp, powerful sound of leather boots striking the ground in unison echoed from a distance.
Anyone with a discerning ear could tell they were well-trained, and the sound carried an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Seeing this, Su Muqing, who had been rushing over from a distance, paused and seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Mei Ning and the two instructors, however, turned pale. They hurriedly craned their necks to look toward the source of the sound.
The footsteps continued as Patrol Department officers, guns holstered at their waists, rushed in from outside the academy and into the corridor. A quick count revealed at least twenty or thirty of them.
At the very front of this group...
...a man in his thirties, wearing a blue uniform with captain’s insignia on his shoulders, led the way.
His hair was neatly combed in a three-seven part, and his square face was set in a serious expression.
Without any unnecessary words, he did only one thing upon arrival.
"I am Yang Wangtao, Captain of the Third Division, Second Branch of the Patrol Department!"
His steady voice echoed through the area. He walked step by step to stand in front of Lu Chao, shielding him. He then presented his identification and faced the academy instructors.
"Right now, I have reason to suspect that some of you have obstructed my department’s officers in the execution of their duties, maliciously assaulted a patrol officer, attempted to seize a firearm, and threatened the personal safety of others."
"I will need you to cooperate with our investigation!"
CLICK!
The sound of a gun being loaded was unmistakable and unapologetic.
His attitude was incredibly firm, and the patrol officers behind him moved in perfect sync, radiating a deadly aura.
A division has at least nine squads, and each squad has at least five or six members.
Even if he could only mobilize a portion of them on short notice, that still amounted to a good twenty or thirty men.
All of them were well-trained, armed combatants with the provisional right to self-defense. Even in the inner ring of the city, this was a force that could not be ignored.
"You..."
The inner court instructor’s expression changed, and his brow furrowed. He never expected Yang Wangtao to be so aggressive.
Even Mei Ning, who was being shielded behind him, had a flicker in her eyes. She felt that things were spinning out of her control.
’He’s just a captain.’
’How dare he?’
The atmosphere was deathly still as the two groups remained locked in a standoff.
「At the critical moment.」
Tap, tap, tap.
More footsteps echoed as a white-haired elder approached with several other instructors.
He first gave Yang Wangtao a slight smile, and Yang Wangtao, surprisingly, showed a rare expression of respect.
"Vice Director Zhao."
"Mm, Xiaoyang. It’s been a while."
The white-haired elder nodded lightly, his expression full of approval. "I didn’t expect that after all these years, you’d already be a captain."
"Not bad, very good. And this young friend behind you has superior talent. To be at the peak of the Professional Level at such a young age... it seems the Patrol Department is producing exceptional talents as always."
He didn’t forget to give Lu Chao a kind nod, appearing perfectly amiable.
Lu Chao’s gaze sharpened as his intuition instantly kicked in.
’His Life Energy is just a question mark.’
’This man is an expert whose Life Energy has broken through the one-hundred-point barrier.’
"Dean Zhao..."
The two inner court instructors standing in front of Mei Ning looked completely stunned, their expressions shifting.
But before they could recover...
"Supervisor Xu, it seems you’ve been somewhat derelict in your duties recently."
Vice Director Zhao’s tone was calm, betraying no hint of his feelings.
But the Elite Level inner court instructor turned pale, lowered his head slightly, and didn’t dare to object.
"After this is over, you are suspended for three months."
"Turn in your self-criticism report to me later."
Vice Director Zhao said casually. The man gritted his teeth but could only nod in acceptance.
"As for you little rascals, Xiaomei."
His aged face turned to look at Mei Ning and the others, like Lin Zhou, who were being helped up while still unconscious from their serious injuries.
"As I recall, Vice Director Mei wasn’t nearly as reckless as you when he was your age, was he?"
He asked calmly, causing Mei Ning’s face to stiffen.
"Dean Zhao..."
"You are not to leave the inner court for one month. Use the time to reflect on your actions."
Without waiting for her to explain, Vice Director Zhao waved his hand dismissively.
He then turned back to Yang Wangtao and asked, "Let’s end this matter here. What do you think, Xiaoyang?"
"Vice Director Zhao’s handling of this is fair. This junior has nothing more to say."
Yang Wangtao nodded in agreement, not refuting him.
An expert who had broken through the Life Energy barrier commanded respect from everyone, no matter who they were.
Besides, the man had already given them a graceful way out.
"And what about this young friend?"
Vice Director Zhao suddenly looked over and asked with a smile.
Lu Chao was taken aback for a moment, but then his brow relaxed, and he nodded lightly.
"Thank you for your trouble, Vice Director Zhao."
’These inner court disciples have high statuses. This is the best outcome I can hope for at the moment. There’s no benefit to forcibly taking them away; in fact, they would just be a hot potato.’
"Heh heh, it wasn’t me you troubled."
Vice Director Zhao shook his head with a smile and turned to leave.
The instructors following him walked away at a measured pace, taking Mei Ning and the others with them.
In that brief moment, the groups brushed past each other.
Lu Chao ignored Mei Ning’s teeth-gritting glare, his mind subconsciously replaying Vice Director Zhao’s words.
’It wasn’t him I troubled.’
’Then could it be...’
Hm?
His senses stirred. He vaguely felt a gaze upon him.
Turning his head, he saw Su Muqing standing at the end of the corridor several dozen meters away, dressed in a khaki casual jacket and black skinny jeans. Her Elite Level security guard, Wei Cangming, was with her.
Their eyes met from a distance.
Her long, golden hair cascaded down her back, and her eyes were clear and bright. She gave him a slight nod and a smile.
Finally, seeing that he was all right, she turned and slowly walked away.
’Miss Su?’ A flicker of understanding passed through Lu Chao’s eyes.
Before he could think further...
"Are you okay?"
Yang Wangtao walked up to his side and asked quietly.
Lu Chao’s train of thought was interrupted.
Shaking his head lightly, he holstered his sidearm and smiled. "Thanks, Captain."
After receiving the call for help, he had sensed something was wrong and immediately notified Yang Wangtao.
If his captain hadn’t arrived in time, he knew today’s incident wouldn’t have ended so easily.
"I told you before, just do what you need to do."
Yang Wangtao said with a smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "It’s not just me. Vice Director Liu will also do his best to cover for you."
He emphasized this statement again.
Lu Chao’s heart warmed at his words; he naturally understood what he meant.
While he had certainly offended a group of people by taking the credit from Ruan Hui...
...at the same time, it also meant he was no longer standing alone.
For Yang Wangtao to bring nearly half a division’s worth of men, pass through the Mechanical Violence Team’s inspection, and enter the city’s inner ring was, in itself, a statement.
In other words, the higher-ups of a faction within the Patrol Department were backing him.
"I understand, Captain."
Lu Chao nodded firmly, a rough guess forming in his mind.
He said no more.
Afterward, he handed off his duties to the other patrol squads and took his two team members to get their injuries treated.
During this time, he glanced back at the prosperous inner city of Ring City.
’Getting caught up in this vortex is certainly beyond my control.’
’But until my own strength reaches a certain peak, I really do need to use situations like this to accumulate power.’
An emotion flickered in his eyes before vanishing. He finally got into a car and left with Chen Xiao and the others.
...
「Within Ring Academy.」
Su Muqing stood in the quaint, secluded courtyard of a standalone building, softly thanking the white-haired Dean Zhao.
"Thank you for your trouble today, Uncle Zhao."
"Heh heh, you silly girl."
With an easygoing smile, Dean Zhao pointed to the seat in front of him. "You know, this is the first time you’ve asked me for a favor since coming to Ring City."
"What’s this? Are you not afraid of people gossiping anymore?"
he said with a half-smile. Su Muqing slowly sat down and blinked. "Uncle Zhao, you have a million things to manage every day. Of course I couldn’t trouble you with those trivial matters in the past."
"As for Captain Lu, he did me a great service. If I were to turn a blind eye to some things, I would have trouble eating or sleeping."
As she spoke, she took the initiative to pick up the teapot on the wooden table and pour him a cup of hot tea.
Dean Zhao chuckled as he accepted it, then shook his head lightly. "Ah, you. You’re just too kind."
"That copy of the ’Fixed Star Observation Method’ was more than enough to repay the favor from last time. Why get involved in these vortexes in Ring City?"
Although that little squad leader from the Patrol Department is quite outstanding, the inner court sees people like him every year. He was already used to it.
A spiritual cultivation manual was more than enough to settle that debt.
"It’s different."
Su Muqing rarely contradicted him. Her gaze was clear as she said, "I feel that if it weren’t for the security assignment, he would never have come into contact with Senior Sister Mei and the others."
"In a way, this incident actually started because of me."
Her analysis was very clear. Having guessed the general situation, she naturally understood the factional struggles at play.
Hearing this, Dean Zhao took a sip of his hot tea.
"This isn’t Red Maple Shelter City, after all. Some matters here... the water runs deep."
He seemed to want to say more, but when he met her bright and determined eyes...
...he shook his head helplessly and put his teacup back down. "Forget it. You silly girl, you always have your own principles, no matter what."
"It’s a good thing, too. At least you’re better than that older brother of yours... Anyway, I’ll be at the academy for a while longer. If anything else comes up, just come find me."
"Then thank you very much, Uncle Zhao."
Su Muqing smiled softly, a hint of playful charm in her voice.
Then, after some casual chat between an elder and his charge, she took her leave and left the courtyard.
Wei Cangming, dressed in a suit with a buzz cut, was already waiting at the gate.
Seeing her come out, he quickly followed, staying half a step behind her. "Miss, I’ve already sent a message to Captain Lu, as you instructed."
"Okay, Uncle Wei."
Su Muqing nodded and walked toward the inner court.
Wei Cangming followed her the whole way. Unlike others, he didn’t try to dissuade her, simply remaining by her side as a loyal protector.
"By the way, Uncle Wei, have you heard anything about the matter I asked you to look into last time?"
"Yes, Miss."
Meeting her curious gaze, Wei Cangming hesitated for a moment before saying carefully, "It seems the Superpower Bureau’s plan ran into some problems."
"The item you personally handed over to them has indeed been lost."
As his words fell, Su Muqing’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.
A trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes, and she finally let out a helpless sigh.
"It’s lost..."
What a shame, what a pity...
Her expression was complicated as she subconsciously looked up at the sky.
’The item left behind by the great hero Robert.’
’If I hadn’t given it to Ring City back then, would it still be here?’
