Chapter 90: Su Chen’s Face
“Really, it’s quite tenacious…”
Xia Hanshi was panting heavily, his clothes tattered, revealing the body armor underneath. He held a golden thin hammer in his hand, only about a rice in length, with prismatic facets on the hammerhead emitting an amber halo.
The ground was a mess, some scorched black from burns, some burning with flames, riddled with gullies. Fortunately, they were already close to the outer city edge here, quite desolate.
In the distance, Yuan Chenyang’s face was pale and he was swaying unsteadily. Zhang Hongbo had fallen to the ground, Yang Yan was covered in blood, and Gu Bing was lying on her back gasping for breath.
In the center of the battlefield, that Heituo Statue remained intact, revealing its black pupil on top of its head.
But the priest’s body was already in pieces, with his head rolling around nearby, his eyes trembling slightly.
“Unfortunately, just a little short.” Xia Hanshi landed beside the head, his voice hoarse: “Thanks to that person with a sense of justice!”
With a light tap of the thin hammer, the air was compressed into transparent ripples. When these ripples touched the ground, they produced light explosions. The priest’s head exploded with a boom. The priest had extremely firm faith in the Strange God and had no value for interrogation.
“One Heituo Statue, not a wasted trip.”
Xia Hanshi looked at the statue in front of him. If not for the Heituo power contained within it, a Fourth Order Professional could not have grappled with him for so long.
The priest himself could not bring strength enhancement, only representing the intensity of faith, but the favor obtained from it allowed calling upon the Strange God’s power to help oneself.
With a tap of the thin hammer, golden chains burning with blazing flame extended out from the void, wrapping the statue layer by layer.
………
When Yuan Chenyang and the others dragged their exhausted bodies back to the Inspection Department, they immediately noticed the large number of Inspector Guards patrolling around and the black smoke rising from the rooftop.
“The Inspection Department was attacked?”
Yuan Chenyang’s face changed dramatically. “Drawing the tiger away from the mountain?”
“Who draws the tiger toward its own lair?” Zhang Hongbo, pale-faced, coughed dryly twice. “It should be the Heituo people discovering the priest was attacked and turning to assault the Inspection Department?”
Yang Yan frowned and hesitated: “With the Heituo Statue there, Heituo Followers would rush over at all costs, even through fire and water.”
“If they were non-believers bought off by interests, upon seeing things exposed, they should hide instead…”
“Zhou Xian…” Zhang Hongbo spat out a name. Yuan Chenyang couldn’t help shouting: “Su Chen!”
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Xia Hanshi had already vanished.
Yang Yan and the others tensed up and hurriedly followed. When they found the unharmed Su Chen in the rooftop office, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xia Hanshi was already in the room, hands clasped behind his back, his expression gloomy.
“How are the injuries?” Yuan Chenyang asked with concern upon approaching, seeing the bandages wrapped around Su Chen’s upper body.
“Nothing serious. The Emergency Rescue Department people insisted on bandaging me up.” Su Chen explained helplessly.
He had to prove he had done something, to avoid being targeted by that notoriously fierce Chief Judge.
Nearby, Sun Tai muttered inwardly. His clothes were also torn and dusty, some wounds untreated, and there were even traces of dried tears on his face.
His own miserable state also needed to be seen by others.
“Damn Zhou Xian, he should be torn to pieces!” Yuan Chenyang roared angrily. “Zhang Hongbo, what have you been doing? After so long, you still haven’t found him!”
Zhang Hongbo’s face was tense, frequently signaling him with his eyes.
“My fault.” Xia Hanshi’s face was cold.
Su Chen advised: “Teacher, you couldn’t have foreseen what happened after letting him go. South Wind City’s waters are just too deep.”
Yuan Chenyang’s face stiffened. Zhou Xian had been let go by Xia Hanshi?
“Yeah…” Yang Yan chimed in, unable to help adding: “Who would have thought it almost led to a Strange God Carrier. Heituo is one of the Strange Gods that dislikes combat, yet South Wind City has what exactly?”
This question left everyone present in silence.
Zhang Hongbo, Yuan Chenyang, and even Du Jingming and Sun Tai were subconsciously pondering.
“In any case, this is now the best outcome.” Zhang Hongbo broke the silence first. “Zhou Xian is already a stray dog. Lock down the four gates of South Wind City, and we’ll find him soon.”
“I’ll go issue the order right now.” Yuan Chenyang reacted quickly.
“De… City Lord.” Du Jingming called out, his face somewhat strange as he said: “No need to search.”
“Hm?” Yuan Chenyang frowned and looked over, only to see Du Jingming glance at Su Chen before saying: “He’s already dead. The corpse is in the morgue.”
“Dead?” Yuan Chenyang was stunned, even somewhat disbelieving, but Du Jingming would never lie about something like this.
Zhang Hongbo also looked over in surprise. Zhou Xian was a middle-tier Third Order Professional【Thunderbolt Shadow】, who had endured for so many years and developed it to the latter half, with absolutely no lack of strength.
The Inspection Department had nearly emptied out, and the only noteworthy one was Du Jingming, but he was a crippled Third Order and no match for Zhou Xian.
“Haha…” Yuan Chenyang couldn’t help laughing. “Old Du, you’ve really done me proud. Not bad, not bad…”
“There were still quite a few people grumbling about making you Minister. This should shut them up now.”
Yuan Chenyang spoke without much regard, but Du Jingming’s face was somewhat embarrassed as he waved his hands repeatedly: “I didn’t kill him. It was… it was…”
He pointed to a spot. Yuan Chenyang instinctively looked over, his eyebrows twitching. “Su… Chen?”
He was speechless inwardly. Du Jingming was being too fake about yielding the merit. Su Chen was just a Second Order Professional—how could he kill Zhou Xian?
Du Jingming emphasized: “…Many Inspector Guards saw it. I wouldn’t dare claim the credit.”
Zhang Hongbo, who hadn’t paid much attention before, now had a serious expression. Since Du Jingming said so, perhaps it wasn’t yielding credit?
Could it be… He couldn’t help finding it inconceivable.
Yang Yan and Gu Bing exchanged glances. In a frontal fight, a Second Order killing a Third Order—this sounded too far-fetched.
Su Chen explained helplessly: “Du Jingming helped a lot and heavily injured Zhou Xian. Later, he messed with some strange item and even summoned a Heituo phantom, but for some reason, it ended up killing him instead.”
“I just took a few hits and didn’t die. Pretty lucky.”
“Summoned Heituo and got himself killed?” Yuan Chenyang listened with a blank face.
Yang Yan hesitated and looked at Gu Bing. “How does something like this happen?”
“Hmm…” Gu Bing pondered and speculated: “If I’m not wrong, Zhou Xian probably used some item containing artificially created pseudo-Strange God power, which can make followers burst with great strength.”
“But this kind of thing can only be used by believers. Zhou Xian probably wasn’t a Heituo Follower, or his faith wasn’t firm, so using it backfired and killed him.”
“So that’s how it is.” Su Chen had a look of realization, vaguely understanding how Zhou Xian had been heavily injured before. In combat between Strange God Followers, it was all about whose faith was firmer.
Whoever was firmer, the Strange God would help.
Yuan Chenyang also muttered: “There’s actually such a thing.”
Xia Hanshi remained silent throughout, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, who knows what he was calculating.
“However…” Gu Bing suddenly added: “Zhou Xian should have known he might get backlashed, but he still gambled on it. He was probably cornered by then.”
“Maybe he feared you all returning too quickly and didn’t dare grapple.” Du Jingming speculated. Everyone nodded thoughtfully.
But their gazes toward Su Chen still changed slightly. In any case, it proved Zhou Xian couldn’t do anything to Su Chen in a short time.
Even if it was just enduring the beating, that was impressive enough.
Su Chen felt his scalp tingle under their gazes and didn’t want their attention focused on this. He immediately asked: “How’s the situation over there?”
“Hmm…” Yuan Chenyang pondered briefly. Sun Tai immediately said: “I’ll go check downstairs on the handling of the situation.”
Sun Tai left, leaving Du Jingming, the lowest in status, who was also the Minister of Inspection.
“The priest has been killed, and we captured one Heituo Statue.” Yuan Chenyang explained simply. Du Jingming’s face changed dramatically as he said in horror: “There’s actually a Strange God priest in South Wind City? And even a Heituo Statue?”
The shock was clear on his face, yet no one felt like mocking him.
Yuan Chenyang also had lingering fear. “Just a little more, and that priest was setting up a sacrificial array. If we’d waited longer, the entire South Wind City would have become hell.”
Du Jingming hadn’t known the details before and could only guess that the Heituo people had invested great effort. Hearing the specifics suddenly, his throat bobbed.
He couldn’t help adding: “How did South Wind City attract something like this?”
It was that question no one could answer again.
Zhang Hongbo skipped it directly: “Thanks to Chief Judge Xia leading us straight to the heart, averting this disaster.”
Yang Yan also chimed in: “As expected of you, locking onto the priest’s position early.”
“I didn’t lock the position.” Xia Hanshi said flatly. Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat.
“It was a person with a sense of justice…”
A cold wind blew through, and everyone’s bodies stiffened. Old Xia had such a humorous side?
“Is that Heituo Statue in there?” Su Chen looked at the silver-white metal box by the door, about one cubic meter, not too big.
“Mm.” Yuan Chenyang nodded.
“Can I take a look?” Su Chen was quite curious.
Yuan Chenyang hesitated slightly and looked at Xia Hanshi, seeing no reaction from him, then nodded hesitantly: “Sure, take a look.”
He carried the box in, placed it on the ground, entered a few passwords at the door lock. With a click, the four metal walls split open, revealing the Heituo Statue bound inside by golden chains.
“This is the Heituo Statue?” Su Chen examined it. “Why is it chained up? Still dangerous?”
“The power inside has been depleted by us. Just a precaution.” Yang Yan explained.
“Oh.” Su Chen nodded in realization, glanced a couple times, felt nothing special, and had Yuan Chenyang close the box again.
“Taking back this Heituo Statue is a great merit.” Yang Yan couldn’t help sighing. They had come initially to investigate Strange God Followers, thinking there might be a nest of mantises, but it ended up this big.
Fortunately, it had been thrilling but safe. Old Xia’s methods were brilliant, easily obtaining the Heituo Statue—a splendid addition to their records.
“You’re preparing to head back?” Zhang Hongbo caught Yang Yan’s implication and said.
“About time.” Yang Yan mused. “Wrap up the loose ends, and this incident can conclude.”
Zhang Hongbo’s expression shifted, and he actually turned to Xia Hanshi, gritting his teeth: “Old Xia, could you take Zhang Hengyu with you too?”
Even though no one had mentioned the Court of Justice quota lately, it had been tacitly assumed to transfer automatically to Su Chen.
Yuan Chenyang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Yang Yan shook his head discreetly.
“Zhang Hengyu?” Xia Hanshi turned around, staring at Zhang Hongbo. After a long while, he said: “Who is that?”
Zhang Hongbo’s already pale face drained of more color. How could Xia Hanshi not know who Zhang Hengyu was?
It was just expressing that his son wasn’t even worth noticing.
If not for his cooperation lately and effort tonight, Xia Hanshi’s response might have been more direct.
Little Zhang… Su Chen thought of the “Sage” and pondered: “Teacher, Zhang Hengyu is Zhang… Uncle’s son. He’s diligent, has Brilliant Silver Talent, and is now a Second Order Professional.”
“If possible, could you let him go to the Court of Justice too?”
Gratitude showed in Zhang Hongbo’s eyes. Su Chen ignored it; his speaking up had nothing to do with Zhang Hongbo.
“Fine.” Xia Hanshi nodded, concise.
“Fine?” Su Chen hesitated.
“Just one quota. Rules are dead, people are alive.” Xia Hanshi’s tone was indifferent. “Since you spoke up, I can manage that much face.”
