Chapter 20

"Leader Lin, please take your time dining."

Camel said with a cheerful smile: "We'll be off then, not disturbing you."

Lin Qing wiped his mouth, then said: "Wait, I've just finished too—let's go together."

Camel slightly raised an eyebrow, then smiled: "Alright, we'll see you off."

"I'll pay." Lin Qing calmly picked up his phone, opened the restaurant's order, and looked at the suit-wearing man: "Manager Ji, isn't there a promotion today? Good reviews earn coupons?"

A large group of Blue Turban Gang members waited nearby; the suit-wearing man forced a smile and said: "Leader Lin, this bill is on me."

"I don't eat free meals." Lin Qing frowned slightly. "Pay what's due."

"Clap clap clap clap."

Camel clapped enthusiastically beside him, falsely praising: "No wonder you're a Patrol Office my lord—truly fair. Iron Stone Street is lucky to have a patrol like you."

The gang members followed suit clapping, while the towering, muscular man stared coldly at Lin Qing.

After slowly paying the bill, Lin Qing stood up and said: "Let's go."

The Blue Turban Gang had long grown impatient, but since their boss hadn't spoken, none dared say a word.

"Alright then, we'll see you off." Camel stepped aside with a cheerful smile, extremely courteous.

As Lin Qing walked out of the restaurant, surrounded by the Blue Turban Gang, Camel immediately smiled: "We've got business to attend to, Leader Lin—until next time."

"Wait." Lin Qing spoke up. "I happen to have a search mission today—I'll accompany you for a while."

Camel's smile froze instantly.

The towering, muscular man narrowed his eyes.

"Leader Lin, don't joke," Camel smiled again. "You're coming with us?"

Lin Qing said calmly: "I was just promoted to Patrol Office my lord. Daily patrols of Iron Stone Street are now my responsibility. Is there a problem?"

Camel stared at Lin Qing. "Are you planning to make trouble for us today?"

"It's just work."

Lin Qing said coolly: "You're doing business, aren't you? Afraid I'll see it? Then I must see it—how could a patrol turn a blind eye?"

The air seemed to freeze; silence fell abruptly.

Camel narrowed his eyes slightly.

The towering, muscular man glared at Lin Qing with murderous intent, his clenched fists cracking with each joint pop.

The Blue Turban Gang members all glared hatefully at Lin Qing, ready to rush him the moment their boss gave the order.

Tension mounted, like drawn swords, on the verge of explosion.

Even passersby dared not approach, fearing they'd be caught in the clash.

Lin Qing remained calm, as if he felt nothing.

"... Fine."

Camel suddenly smiled. "Since it's your duty, Leader Lin, law-abiding citizens like us must cooperate fully. Today, I'll give you this face—we'll leave."

"Camel." The towering, muscular man frowned, unable to hold back: "He's just a Patrol Office my lord—I don't believe…"

Before he finished, Camel waved him silent, eyes still fixed on Lin Qing, smiling: "But face is mutual. We give you face today—hope you'll return the favor next time."

"Your face is certainly large," Lin Qing said with faint mockery, looking at Camel.

Camel stepped closer, lowering his voice: "Leader Lin, we respect the skin of your Patrol Office my lord—you're a real player. But even Patrol Offices have accidents."

Lin Qing slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Dead men are nothing."

Camel whispered: "Seven thousand a month. You shouldn't risk your life for that."

At that moment, the towering, muscular man behind Camel suddenly punched the iron railing beside him—*clang! *—the bar sank deeply inward, yet he kept his glare locked on Lin Qing.

The terrifying brute strength startled the gang members; they instinctively stepped back in a circle.

No one dared imagine what would happen if such a heavy, terrifying punch landed on them—they'd be dead on the spot. 【Order Rank Down 0.2 Level】

A line of blood-red text appeared before Lin Qing's eyes.

Lin Qing glanced at the muscular man.

So he truly meant to kill? "I've said what needed saying."

Camel smiled, stepping back two paces: "Let's go. Today, we give Leader Lin this face—I believe you understand."

The Blue Turban Gang quickly left.

Lin Qing stood still, then flipped his hand—black electronic access card appeared in his palm.

He'd taken it from Camel just now, when Camel leaned close.

The back-door access card for Iron Stone Bar.

…

Iron Stone Bar.

"Camel, this Lin guy seems like a thorn."

The towering, muscular man grabbed a bottle, snapped off its thick neck with his bare hand, gulped down a large swallow, spat out a breath of alcohol, and growled: "You know his address, right? Tell me—I'll take care of him."

"Tie Wulu." Camel frowned slightly.

Tie Wulu drained the bottle, then crushed it into shards in his fist, sneering: "Don't trust my strength? He's a greenhorn with barely four-sixth training method mastered—I'll kill him in three punches tops!"

Camel shook his head. "Snap out of it."

"You think I can't?" Tie Wulu frowned. "Has he learned combat arts?"

"According to Boss's intel, Lin Qing has indeed learned combat arts," Camel said. "But he's just a beginner—barely grasped the basics."

"Then what's the issue?"

Tie Wulu stared at Camel: "Then we should eliminate him now! Once he masters combat arts, it'll be harder to kill him."

"It hasn't come to that." Camel frowned and said, "Do you know how much trouble it is to kill an Inspector? Unless it's absolutely necessary, we can't take that step."

Tie Tie Wu Luo couldn't help but say, "As long as they can't find out it was us…"

"Tie Tie Wu Luo!"

Camel gave a low shout, then said in a heavy voice, "The BOSS already said it, right? You only need to follow my orders. Have you forgotten that?"

Tie Tie Wu Luo fell silent.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Fine, I'll listen to you. I'll only be responsible for protecting you and killing people."

"It's not that I don't trust you."

Camel shook his head slightly, patted Tie Tie Wu Luo's arm, and said, "You survived the modification—your strength is far greater than mine. I believe even those veteran squad leaders of the Inspection Team may not be stronger than you. But when we do things, we have to consider the consequences."

"Think it through carefully."

He sighed, "That Lin Qing, an eighteen-year-old young man who just got promoted to Inspector—he's at the height of his confidence right now. We collected protection fees right in front of him, in public, so naturally he'll feel he's lost face. At a time like this, if we take a step back and give him enough face in public, he won't keep clinging to us."

Tie Tie Wu Luo frowned and said, "What if he still refuses to let it go?"

"It's fine."

Camel smiled slightly, "We gave him face in public, so naturally we also have to give him a warning in private. Once he gets home, he'll understand."

"If he still doesn't understand, then we can only…"

He revealed a cruel smile and made a slitting-throat gesture.

……

……

Evening.

Lin Qing had just returned home and barely opened the security door with his fingerprint when his pupils suddenly contracted.

The scrap of paper he'd wedged in the door crack was gone.

Someone had entered his home.

But the door lock was a new anti-theft lock he'd changed after transmigrating here—specifically, he'd switched to a high-end one to guard against burglars.

Even his older cousin's family didn't know the password, and he hadn't registered their fingerprints either.

He hadn't expected to run into someone even more professional?

The scrap of paper wedged in the door was a habit he'd picked up surviving in the apocalypse—it had saved him several times.

Lin Qing prepared himself to instantly activate his combat technique, then fished a portable retractable blade from his pocket, flicked out the gleaming blade and hid it in his sleeve, and only then walked into the house as if nothing were wrong.

But the moment he stepped inside, he frowned.

The living room coffee table had been smashed to pieces, a complete mess, and four blood-red characters had been spray-painted on the wall.

【Mind Your Own Business】

"A warning?"

Lin Qing frowned tightly.

He naturally couldn't fail to guess this was the work of the Blue-Scarf Gang, meant to warn him.

The front door hadn't been damaged, and the password lock was perfectly intact, yet the Blue-Scarf Gang's people had gotten in? This filled him with a strong sense of crisis.

If they could open his security door, they could potentially lie in wait inside his home to ambush him. Although he wasn't afraid of ambushes, it was still a threat.

"The Blue-Scarf Gang actually has methods like this… as expected, they're no ordinary bunch. And they called me Squad Leader directly at the restaurant today—news travels fast for them too…"

"What nerve—actually daring to threaten an Inspector like this. Looks like they really aren't afraid of me…"

"The Order level dropped another 0.3. Besides the Blue-Scarf Gang's reorganization, it's also because of that big guy with terrifying brute strength."

"Report it to the Bureau? Probably wouldn't do much good…"

Lin Qing took a deep breath, silently retracted the retractable blade's edge, and said, "Forget it, I'll endure it for now…"

……

"Whoosh!"

A streak of icy cold light swept past at terrifying speed, instantly carving a horrifying wound across Camel's neck that nearly severed it completely—blood immediately gushed out like a fountain.

In the noisy bar restroom, Camel desperately clutched his nearly-severed neck, stared fixedly at the mysterious man who had suddenly appeared from the stall, and staggered back a few steps.

"Lin… Lin…"

Camel's eyes were filled with terror, unwillingness, and disbelief. With great effort, he forced out his final syllables through a windpipe connected by only the thinnest thread of flesh.

Although the other party was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, dressed in a loose black coat, he still recognized those eyes.

He couldn't believe it—an official Inspector, how could he dare come kill him? They had no mortal grudge. He'd even given the man plenty of face, only had someone send a warning, and now the man was coming to kill him for it? He hadn't even let Tie Tie Wu Luo kill anyone! And the other party was an official public servant—shouldn't he be upholding the law impartially, acting in accordance with the law? What gave him the right to kill like this??

He could even recognize me from that? Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

He'd originally wanted to report it to the Bureau, but held back in the end. The matter involved too much hassle—killing directly was simpler.

Otherwise, what was the point of practicing combat techniques?

(End of this chapter)