Chapter 693

Hua Ping merely gave him a meaningful glance, and as Ning Chen turned his head, he nodded to him.

Ning Chen only grinned, saying nothing more.

Since the police were here now, Ning Chen had no need to interfere—it wasn't his business, but theirs.

The police would resolve this for him; indeed, the next second, Hua Ping said: "Regarding the series of issues raised by Comrade Ning Chen, I believe we must also address them."

One officer below asked: "But Chief, that's not within our jurisdiction—if we meddle, the people specifically assigned to this will start giving us orders."

"Giving us orders?" Hua Ping frowned. "When have they ever given us orders?"

No one had more experience with this than Xu Si; Xu Si stood up from his chair, so abruptly that he nearly knocked over the teacup on the table.

He said: "Chief… you don't know—the people in that agency have always looked down on everyone else. Though ordered by higher-ups to clean up surrounding criminal elements, they've never done any real work, yet they've raked in more than enough graft—each one's made a fortune."

Hearing this, Hua Ping shifted his gaze from Xu Si and asked the other officers: "Is what he says true or false?"

The officers, as if they'd long harbored grievances, all nodded or gave affirmative replies at once.

Ning Chen, seeing this, raised an eyebrow.

It seemed he'd arrived at an especially bad time—he'd just overheard the unsavory dealings between police departments.

Hua Ping, hearing this, felt a pang of guilt toward Ning Chen and turned with an apologetic expression: "I invited you here mainly to brief you on what happened in Cangbei; I never expected you'd stumble upon this… I'm truly ashamed."

564. Life or Death (13)

Ning Chen shook his head; he found it perfectly understandable: "It's fine. People always scheme against each other—I'm not surprised two agencies would act this way."

Hua Ping merely smiled, then turned back to the other officers: "I don't want to hear about incidents like this at meetings. If those people want to bully others, they should've come to me from the start—are you doubting your chief's ability? I still have the power to make them stop and apologize."

Xu Si lowered his head: "At the time, you were attending meetings in other provinces—we thought matters concerning Cangbei wouldn't come back to us, so we stayed silent."

Hua Ping rubbed his chin: "It's better to speak up early."

After saying this, Hua Ping scanned the officers below: "I still have the power to stand up for you."

The officers nodded, but Ning Chen, listening nearby, felt deeply moved.

In any workplace, such things are endless; Ning Chen hadn't expected them to appear even among police officers.

Thinking of this, Ning Chen said: "So there's a dedicated department managing Cangbei? Yet so many people are tricked into Cangbei and nothing's done—outsiders might think the department doesn't even exist."

Hua Ping laughed at this: "Of course it exists—only it doesn't bother to do its duty." He sighed: "Forget it. Let others laugh at us—what's the point?"

Ning Chen stepped back.

Hua Ping dialed another number, then switched on speakerphone; he shed his usual gentle demeanor with subordinates and spoke coldly: "What real work has your department done since its establishment?"

Ning Chen listened nearby, occasionally glancing at Hua Ping's stern face.

The other side, recognizing who was calling, spoke politely: "Ah, Chief, haven't you been away from the bureau these days? Did my subordinates upset you again?"

Hua Ping's expression instantly turned icy, his voice flat: "My absence these days makes it convenient for your subordinates to act lawlessly, is that it?"

"Oh, come on, where did you get that idea?" the man replied, flustered. "My subordinates are all trained professionals—elite soldiers, top-tier armed police ranked nationwide. You're telling me they're bullying people? That doesn't sit right."

Hua Ping couldn't help laughing: "Armed police? Do armed police never bully people? Since you say that, fine—I'll ask my own officers whether this incident even happened."

Hua Ping knew the man on the other end was protective of his men—but he was no less protective of his own. Upon hearing his subordinates report this matter, Hua Ping had no intention of downplaying it.

The other side, sensing Hua Ping intended to pursue this further, fell silent for a moment, then quickly spoke: "Hey, let's not dig too deep into this—it's just a little workplace squabble. Why are you being so serious?"

Hua Ping's gaze settled on Ning Chen's face, and he sneered: "Just now, my friend brought back three highly educated youths from Cangbei. Guess where those three compatriots would've died if not for him?"

The voice on the other end fell silent.

Hua Ping pressed on: "If your subordinates are truly as outstanding as you claim, how could they be unaware of something like this?"

The voice suddenly turned serious, abandoning its earlier tone: "But every year, countless people flee to Cangbei from Huaguo—do I have to remember and rescue every single one? Not everyone can be saved. We get tired too."

"Tired?" Hua Ping laughed instantly. "How many people have you rescued from Cangbei this year? Twenty? Yet the higher-ups still believe you're risking your lives abroad and give you annual bonuses—I never imagined those bonuses were being spent on global tourism."

At these words, the man on the other end finally fell silent.

Hua Ping's words were all true: the Rescue Department's bonuses were the highest. Though their work appeared the most dangerous, those who stayed long enough used the bonuses to live in comfort.

Those above didn't know these truths—but fellow officers knew better than anyone how easy their work truly was.

"... Then let my subordinates go to Deng Sect to apologize—is that acceptable?" The other side's tone had weakened. "I didn't even know about these things myself."

Hua Ping snorted: "I hope you truly didn't know—or I'll report it straight to the top."

"No, no, no!" The man panicked. "Chief Hua, we've known each other a long time! Just don't report it—anything else we can work out."

No one else could threaten the Rescue Department's interests by reporting—but Hua Ping was different. He was famous for his "iron-faced impartiality," and his bureau was immensely powerful. If he truly reported this, their bonuses would likely shrink by half.

Hua Ping said nothing—he simply hung up.

The entire conversation had been on speakerphone, so everyone heard every word.

Seeing Hua Ping hang up, Ning Chen raised an eyebrow and asked: "Are you reporting them or not?"

Hua Ping looked weary; he pressed his temples: "I need the right moment—otherwise, even my word won't matter." He gave a bitter laugh: "Dealing with people like this is harder than interrogating ten criminals."

Ning Chen said nothing.

Hua Ping looked at Ning Chen with slight apology: "As for your matter, it's still not under our jurisdiction—but since those people do nothing, I'll take it on myself and send a few people to investigate the Bu Gu Group."

Ning Chen had no objection—he even approved. Such matters were always exhausting; after escaping from Jia Yi's grasp, he had no desire to return to Cangbei.

"Fine, investigate however you like," Ning Chen said. "But I won't be joining you. I never wanted to rescue anyone in the first place—and there aren't many good people in Cangbei."

Hua Ping frowned: "But we need someone to guide us. Otherwise, going to Cangbei will be like wandering blind."

"You know," Ning Chen said, "I have to clock in—that's my job. If I delay work to rescue people, I won't even have food to eat."

Hua Ping didn't understand Ning Chen—but several officers below knew him well. When they heard "I won't even have food to eat," they stared at him in shock.

Ning Chen caught their expressions from the corner of his eye, felt a twinge of guilt, and pressed his lips shut.

Hua Ping looked past Ning Chen, his gaze landing on the three standing figures: "What about you three?"

Ning Chen crossed his arms and sighed: "They barely escaped from Conggui Sect—surely you want to ask them?"

Hua Ping merely nodded, watching the three with expectant eyes.

The curly-haired man shifted his gaze, Xiao Ling stared at his own toes, Chu Muyu twisted his neck, saw that the two people beside him seemed to have no desire to go, sighed, and said, "I'll go."

Ning Chen sucked in a sharp breath.

His only goal this time going to Cangbei was Chu Muyu; he had just pulled the man out of the Conggui Sect, yet that person now wanted to rush back in on his own, leaving Ning Chen feeling somewhat frustrated and unsure what to say.

Chu Muyu was indeed the boldest among them; sensing all the gazes in the room falling on him, he said with neither humility nor arrogance, "I can give it a try."

Hearing Hua Ping looked at Chu Muyu with admiration: "Are you sure?"

Chu Muyu hesitated not at all and nodded.

"Sigh," Ning Chen said, "although I know you hate Jia Yi quite a bit, this matter is quite dangerous; I'm afraid you won't be able to return alive."

Ning Chen felt there was no need for him to dissuade him either; after all, his mission was already complete, and he would receive his reward in three days, yet he still felt a bit bitter thinking that the person he had worked so hard to save was about to go throw his life away.

Chu Muyu said, "Rest assured, I've figured it out. There's no one in my family I need to return to take care of; if I can bring unhappiness to Jia Yi, then I'll be happy."

Since the other party had said so, Ning Chen had no objections, but he offered one final reminder: "Actually, I have nothing good to say to dissuade you, but based on the firepower Jia Yi has shown before, if you follow the officers to Cangbei, the probability of you not returning is ninety percent."

"Mm," Chu Muyu said, "I know, but it doesn't matter."

Ning Chen stopped trying to dissuade him; after all, Chu Muyu had already firmly made up his mind.

Hearing Hua Ping walked over and patted Chu Muyu's shoulder: "Don't worry; I will dispatch more people from my side to assist and protect you. Rest assured."

Chu Muyu Zhang Zui, wanting to say that he really was quite worried, after all, even someone with Ning Chen's strength couldn't guarantee everyone's safety.

But seeing Hearing Hua Ping's grateful gaze, he said nothing and simply nodded.

"How is your rest?" Ning Chen asked. "You have a fierce battle coming up soon, but if there's anywhere you need my help, just mention it; if I can help, I naturally will."

Actually, after such a chase and slaughter, Ning Chen had become familiar with these three people and could even be called friends; upon hearing this, Chu Muyu smiled and said, "Alright."

"Then for these few days, it will trouble young brother Chu to stay here with us," Hearing Hua Ping said. "I need to transfer some suitable personnel from our police station for this mission to go with you to Cangbei."

"No," Ning Chen quickly said, "it's better for me to stay with you these few days; Jia Yi certainly won't let this go, and I suspect Jia Yi will send people to hunt them down in the next few days."

Hearing Hua Ping nodded, looked at Chu Muyu, and asked for his opinion.

Chu Muyu said, "When you need me, I'll come to the police station then."

Hearing Hua Ping smiled and said "Good."

This meeting could basically end here; Hearing Hua Ping remembered he had a few other matters to handle, so he was the first to announce the meeting was dismissed.

The officers left through the door, but Xu Si walked up from the side, slapped Ning Chen's shoulder, and said, "Go out for a couple of drinks?"

Ning Chen glanced at him and said, "Not interested."

"Sigh," Xu Si sighed, "you've escaped from Cangbei for so long and finally returned; why still have that expression? This is called surviving a disaster."

Ning Chen said nothing.

"Just take the other two brothers and that pretty girl along," Xu Si said. "Having a few drinks won't delay anything; don't you think so?"

Ning Chen thought for a moment; he seemed indeed to have gone a long time without properly letting off steam. Since receiving the Cangbei mission, his nerves had been constantly tense, with no chance to rest properly, let alone go out for fun.