Chapter 25: Lowering the Head

"[7 of Spades], what is your request?"

"I need a quiet room."

"Reason?"

"I’ve discovered a suspected fusionist and need to conduct a Calamity level assessment experiment."

"A Fusionist?" The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is there a possibility of recruiting him?"

"The target can be ruled out as a member of the Fusionist faction, but he shows an inclination toward joining the law enforcement. Whether he has recruitment value depends on the results of my assessment."

"Understood."

The woman pulled out a key from the bottom of the cabinet. "The quiet room is on the second basement level."

Chu Muyun took the key, opened the hidden door to the basement, and disappeared in a flash.

Whoosh—

In the darkness, Chu Muyun lit a kerosene lamp and descended the narrow staircase step by step.

The dim yellow light gradually sank downward. At the bottom of the stairs was a space of about ten square meters. Chu Muyun bent down to place the kerosene lamp in the center of the floor, then took out the small brown vial and poured its contents onto the ground.

Chu Muyun removed his glasses, and a blue glow rose from the depths of his eyes. A powerful pressure transformed into a whirlwind, swirling within the confined space!

"Diagnosis… begins."

---

Ice Spring Street.

Chen Ling’s figure moved through the shattered ruins, searching carefully.

He was now extremely grateful that he had been assigned to this place and tasked with finding clues… If Chen Yan had left any traces here, he would be the first to know—and the first to erase them.

If the talisman of peace from yesterday hadn’t been picked up by him but had instead fallen into the hands of another law enforcement officer, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

But as it turned out, Chen Yan hadn’t left behind anything else.

Chen Ling spent the entire morning combing through the ruins of Ice Spring Street. Aside from various flesh and severed limbs, he found nothing else—not even the traces of the "Calamity Domain" that Qian Fan had mentioned.

Chen Ling couldn’t help but wonder… What kind of ability did the Calamity inside Chen Yan possess?

As he pondered this, a figure approached from the distance.

"Wu Youdong?" Chen Ling was slightly startled when he recognized the person.

It wasn’t surprising that Wu Youdong was also in Ice Spring Street, but the problem was that the current Wu Youdong was leaning on a metal crutch under his arm, one leg already in a cast. His body was covered in wounds and bandages, his left eye black and blue, and he looked as filthy as if he had just crawled out of a trench.

Hearing Chen Ling’s voice, Wu Youdong, who had been hanging his head low, finally showed a glimmer of light in his eyes.

"Chen Ling." Wu Youdong smiled bitterly. "I thought I wouldn’t live to see you again…"

"What happened to you…?"

"I’ve decided not to become a law enforcement officer."

Wu Youdong raised his head, looking at the distant auroras. His bruised eyes flickered with sorrow and desolation.

"What happened?" Chen Ling clearly remembered that when he left yesterday, Wu Youdong had been full of enthusiasm to complete his tasks. How had he ended up like this in just one day?

"Law enforcement officers… Ice Spring Street… None of them are good people."

"Chen Ling, do you know what kind of people live on this street?"

"They’re debt collectors! Cultists! Fugitives! This place is full of illegal gun trades, drug deals, organ trafficking… Yesterday, I went to collect information from the survivors on this street, and they mocked and insulted me!"

"They kicked me into the bathroom! Made me clean their toilets! When I refused, they broke my leg!"

Wu Youdong’s voice grew increasingly shaky, as if recalling some painful memory. Veins bulged on his neck.

"They did it on purpose!!"

"The law enforcement officers in District Two know what kind of place this street is! None of them wanted to come, so they asked District Three for manpower! I don’t know what deal they struck with Ma Zhong, but Ma Zhong transferred people from District Three’s reserve officers!"

"He knew we were new, poor, and had no connections! Who else would he transfer but us?!"

"To put it nicely, we’re here to help. To put it bluntly, we’re just fucking sacrificial offerings from the law enforcement higher-ups! I swear on my life! The higher-ups must be connected to the underground dealings on Ice Spring Street!"

"Why?!"

"My parents sold everything to send me to school! I earned my place as a law enforcement officer through my own abilities!"

"Why do they get to humiliate me like this?!!"

Wu Youdong roared in anger, his eyes bloodshot. But even at this point, he still didn’t dare to speak too loudly… because the law enforcement officers of District Two were not far away.

Under the gaze of the lion, even the most furious ant could only suppress its rage in silence.

Wu Youdong’s chest heaved violently, as if he were about to challenge Ice Spring Street or the law enforcement officers to a fight. But then, a voice rang out, and his body stiffened once more.

"Wu Youdong, Chen Ling? What are you talking about?"

Qian Fan, dressed in black-and-red uniform, walked over with his arms crossed, looking curious.

Wu Youdong’s face instantly turned pale.

"Wu Youdong, didn’t you say you’re quitting as a law enforcement officer?" Qian Fan spoke again. "Voluntarily withdrawing from the law enforcement exam means there’s no turning back… For people like you, this should have been a chance to change your fate. Are you really sure about this?

Or… if you feel that the law enforcement officers have fallen short in some way, you can bring it up. We can discuss it…"

Wu Youdong’s expression shifted several times, and he opened his mouth as if to say something… but under Qian Fan’s gaze, he ultimately just shook his head.

"No, nothing… I’m withdrawing voluntarily."

"What a pity."

Chen Ling looked at Wu Youdong, his mood suddenly complicated…

Wu Youdong had been bold enough to vent his grievances about the law enforcement officers to Chen Ling, but in front of the officers themselves, he didn’t dare to say a single word.

But Chen Ling couldn’t call Wu Youdong a coward, because even if Wu Youdong didn’t become a law enforcement officer, he would still have to live in District Three or one of the other major districts of the Aurora Domain. And no matter where he went, there would always be law enforcement officers…

For everyone living in the Aurora Domain, the law enforcement officers were like the sky itself.

Wu Youdong gave Chen Ling a deep look, then lowered his head again… He struggled to prop himself up on his cheap crutches, gritted his teeth, and limped away toward District Three.

His figure grew smaller and smaller as he walked away, until it became a tiny speck of dust, scattered at the end of the road.

Chen Ling knew that from this day forward… Wu Youdong might never raise his head again.

"Sigh, I actually thought he was quite good—hardworking and with decent potential." Qian Fan watched Wu Youdong’s retreating figure and let out a long sigh.

"By the way, since Wu Youdong is gone, his work will need to be done by someone else… Starting today, you’ll take over for him."

Chen Ling was stunned. He turned to look at Qian Fan,

Qian Fan smiled back at him. In the sunlight, his smile was like that of a devil.