Chapter 284: Father, Daughter, Son, This Family

Looking back on the past, Hou Wendong could only count himself fortunate that his mistake back then had not borne bitter fruit.

Fate, in its mysterious way, had ultimately turned a blind eye and secretly pitied him once.

A strong sense of guilt unlike anything he had ever felt surged in Hou Wendong's heart; he had not experienced such meaningless emotions for many years.

Hou Wendong took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, his voice filled with sincerity and earnestness, carrying the feeling of rediscovering his original intention and wanting to turn back to be a good person again. He said:

"Ma Bin, you don't need to apologize; I should be the one grateful to you. You saved my life, and ten thousand words are not enough to express this. From now on, don't call me Hou Mi anymore. I should be older than you, so from now on, call me Brother Hou."

A brief silence fell over the other end of the phone. Then Ma Bin's voice came through the microphone, sounding somewhat flustered and panicked:

"Hou, Hou Mi, I'm used to calling you that. It's not that I'm ungrateful for your kindness, Hou Mi. I understand your kindness, it's just that I... I really find it hard to change how I address you."

Hou Wendong imagined in his mind the sight of Ma Bin on the other end of the phone with a flushed face and stammering, and not only was he not angry, but his mood became even more cheerful.

He laughed heartily, his voice becoming bold and generous:

"Suit yourself. Whatever you call me is fine. The key is, from now on, you are my Hou Wendong's blood brother. If you have nothing to do now, come see me. I have something very important to discuss with you in detail."

"Alright, Hou Mi, I'll come right over."

The voice on the phone sounded somewhat excited, but in reality, the expression on the other end of the phone was quite different.

Ma Bin hung up the phone with a cold face, gently pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger, and curled the corner of his mouth into an arc of inscrutable strangeness.

To one side, Ma Wei stood with his head bowed, observing his nose and his nose observing his heart, silent and expressionless, but secretly grumbling in his heart:

"This Hou Mi really has a big pair of balls, actually dreaming of letting Bin Ge call him brother. Tsk tsk, doesn't he know that the grass on the head of the last person Bin Ge called brother has already grown very tall?"

In Ma Wei's heart, the only one worthy of being truly called "Big Brother" by Bin Ge, who was black-hearted and ruthless and full of lies, was that 【Mask】 big shot.

Others couldn't even touch a bit of porcelain.

Ma Wei sighed in his heart: "Forget it. When Little Hou is one day recruited into 【Destiny】's outer organization members, Brother Ge here will show some mercy and teach him how to be a person properly."

A strong premonition surged in Ma Wei's heart. He felt that the day Little Hou was completely tied to the pirate ship was not far off. He just didn't know if the script Little Hou would get then would be the same one he had gotten back then.

Ma Wei sincerely hoped... it was the same one!

Some people were once soaked in the rain, so they are willing to hold up an umbrella for others;

Some people, because they were once rained on, tear apart other people's umbrellas one by one;

And some people, having suffered the pain of being rained on themselves, want to pick up a spray gun and drench others from head to toe.

Unfortunately, Ma Wei did not belong to the first kind; but fortunately, he did not belong to the second or third kind either.

He belonged to... the kind that wants to drench others with a high-pressure water cannon... well, drench them twice!

As for Bin Ge and 【Mask】, which kind they belonged to? Well, one could only say that they were both heights that the current Ma Wei could not yet reach.

The elevator door slowly lowered, then slowly opened.

Feng Ju walked out with firm steps, his polished boots striking the ground with crisp "tap," "tap," "tap" sounds.

His right arm, full of metallic texture, swung within his sleeve, producing a "hissing" sound of airflow through the fabric, causing patients and doctors in the hospital corridor to cast astonished and fearful gazes, yet they could only see a section of pitch-black metal fist exposed from his cuff.

Behind that pitch-black fist was a silver fist swinging in the same rhythm. They moved in perfect unison, like a mirror image of the black fist, casting silver shadows in the air.

After Feng Ju successfully accepted the modification and had high-performance prostheses implanted, another batch of constables also successively completed similar modification surgeries.

However, unlike Feng Ju's Black Hand, their prosthesis models were a bit cheaper, and their surfaces were sprayed with a silver luster.

Today, Feng Ju came to the hospital to welcome them as they recovered and were discharged.

They were constables admitted in the same batch as him, all having suffered 【Mask】's ruthless hand, their bodies sustaining different disabilities—either missing an arm or a broken leg—and they should have all lived out the rest of their lives as cripples.

But now, they had all stood up again, recovered their wholeness, and through modification implants had gained terrifying power they had never dared imagine before.

This was the greatness of technology, and also the mercy of the Special Commissioner. However, tracing to the deeper cause, their transformation and evolution today were actually all thanks to 【Mask】.

Thus, they took off their hospital gowns, changed back into the Patrol Bureau uniforms, formed two lines, and followed closely behind Feng Ju. They were going to follow Captain Feng Ju out of the hospital to seek 【Mask】 and repay this kindness.

Yes, after Li Shang was promoted to captain, Feng Ju also quickly received a promotion, leaping to become a captain.

The two captains were ranked without distinction of seniority, their levels without difference of high or low. The only difference lay in who their respective recommenders were.

Li Shang's recommender was Du Ziteng, but the man was already dead; Feng Ju's recommender was the Special Commissioner, and the man was still alive and well.

Therefore, the internal trend within the Patrol Bureau these past two days had undergone a subtle change. Although the number of constables gathering around Feng Ju was fewer—roughly only half of Li Shang's side—his prestige over these two days had faintly overshadowed Li Shang's.

Dong Ping felt the immense power transmitted by the mechanical prosthesis. His steps unconsciously quickened. He followed closely behind Feng Ju and muttered in a low voice:

"Captain Feng, that fellow Li Shang really had a stroke of luck. The Secretary Du who promoted and appreciated him just died, yet he happened to rescue Hou Mi, exchanging for a thicker thigh. Truly..."

Feng Ju's expression remained unchanged. He glanced sideways at the team member and said lightly:

"We don't need to worry about these things. We only need to remember that the Special Commissioner has granted us the grace of rebirth, and then do well everything the Special Commissioner has entrusted to us. That is enough."

Dong Ping nodded and grinned:

"I understand this principle. I'm not worried about anything else. I'm just afraid Li Shang will block Captain Feng's path to becoming Bureau Chief in the future."

Hearing this, Feng Ju's eyes flashed with a thick gloom. He snorted coldly and said:

"As long as we can catch 【Mask】, no one can stop our path to advancement. So stop thinking about these nonsense things all day. Remember, Li Shang was not favored by the Special Commissioner simply because he thought too much."

Seeing Feng Ju's expression turn cold, Dong Ping gave an embarrassed smile and did not continue the topic:

"Captain Feng, you see things clearly. The Special Commissioner is indeed the thickest thigh. As long as we can successfully catch 【Mask】, Captain Feng's promotion is within reach... Uh, Captain Feng, doesn't the person ahead look like your son?"

Dong Ping's words paused slightly, with a tone of uncertainty. He raised his silver finger and pointed toward the direction of the VVIP Exclusive Passage.

Feng Ju's eyebrows twitched slightly. Following Dong Ping's finger, he saw, as expected, three figures walking out one after another from the wide VVIP Corridor.

(End of Chapter)