Chapter 104: The Gradually Strengthening Squad (Revision)

Su Jingchuan's tense nerves eased a bit, but his brows furrowed even tighter, his tone bearing unmistakable severity.

"Shen Zexi, Qi Hengyu? Explain why you are here. Also, what were you and Ying Duo doing hiding over there just now?"

His gaze swept sharply over the two, finally landing on Qi Hengyu, with obvious scrutiny.

The Supervision Bureau's operation is classified; any involvement by unrelated personnel could introduce variables.

Qi Hengyu fell silent for a moment when faced with Su Jingchuan's questioning.

"Teacher Su, this counts as my home."

"Your home?"

Su Jingchuan, hearing that, instinctively tightened his brows, his tone laced with obvious confusion and shock.

"I recall your enrollment file; you should be from that ancient martial Qi family..."

He doesn't know much about Qi Hengyu, but for some reasons has some knowledge of the Qi clan; that martial family, though low‑key, would never have its descendants living in the Slum.

"I have no connection to that family!"

Qi Hengyu abruptly cut Su Jingchuan off, "I grew up here; please stop linking me to that family in any way."

Those decisive words left Su Jingchuan stunned.

He could see Qi Hengyu wasn't lying; that conflicting emotion couldn't be faked.

Beside them, Captain Yue Chengzhang, as Qi Hengyu stepped away, silently sized him up.

Listening to Qi Hengyu's words, and noting his youthful yet vaguely familiar face, he couldn't tell what exactly was happening, but it seemed to be a family matter...

Qi Hengyu stepped forward voluntarily, his gaze fixed on Captain Yue and Su Jingchuan.

"Captain Yue, Teacher Su, regarding the Gloomy Fluorescent Stone and Undercurrent you are investigating, we learned some details from Ying Duo."

He named them directly, without evasion.

Su Jingchuan's complexion darkened instantly; he whirled his head toward the seemingly "innocent" Ying Duo standing nearby, feeling a surge of blood to his head.

That kid! In just a few minutes of losing sight, he completely leaked the mission info!

Ying Duo, meeting Su Jingchuan's stare, blinked his golden eyes, raised a hand to point at Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu, and began his performance.

"Teacher, they forced me."

He paused, apparently gathering more impactful words, and even sent an emoticon with his eyes turned into fried eggs.

"They pressed a knife to my throat, threatened to kill me if I didn't speak, I was scared."

His expression was pitiful, but the shift was too abrupt, his voice flat and monotone. As his words fell, the scene instantly fell into dead silence.

Everyone's gaze, including the Supervision Bureau agents brought by Captain Yue, swept onto Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu's empty hands.

Not to mention knives; you can't even see a proper weapon sheath on either of them.

Shen Zexi, embarrassed by the sudden accusation, shyly lifted a hand to scratch his cheek, his gaze drifting.

Ying Duo's lie was technically incompetent, but he understood that revealing the Supervision Bureau's investigative intel so thoroughly to them was indeed a serious breach.

And while he didn't use force, forcibly dragging someone into the shadows for "questioning" wasn't exactly proper either...

He took over the conversation, trying to ease the atmosphere.

"... Captain Yue, Teacher Su, we know this is against protocol, but now that it's come to this, we hope to take part in the investigation."

His attitude was sincere, and he also clarified the situation.

After the leak, rather than let them roam unchecked outside, it's better to bring them under supervision.

Captain Yue subconsciously glanced at Su Jingchuan first, his eyes asking a question.

Su Jingchuan felt a deep sense of helplessness and a headache; he rubbed his temples, his tone weary and resigned as he explained to Captain Yue.

"Captain Yue, this is my negligence; I didn't keep an eye on Ying Duo. He's a freshman, hasn't even attended a class, and has no grasp of the confidentiality rules and precautions during the mission."

Captain Yue stared at Su Jingchuan's "I'm also desperate" look, and after recalling Ying Duo's "smooth and controlled" performance just now, he didn't know what expression to adopt.

He seemed to understand Su Jingchuan, but that couldn't fully blame him for lax guarding; after all, no one could have foreseen such an "accident".

Moreover, it was because he was engaged in conversation with Su Jingchuan that the other's attention wasn't on Ying Duo.

He sighed, redirected his gaze to Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu, his tone returning to official solemnity.

"You two, are you both new students of Mitra Academy?"

Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu both nodded.

"Both locals of the Fourth District?" Captain Yue continued, his gaze mainly on Qi Hengyu.

This time only Qi Hengyu nodded; Shen Zexi quickly gestured to clarify.

"I'm not; I just... was a bit worried about him, came along to see the situation."

Shen Zexi couldn't just say he was afraid his roommate might impulsively kill, so he came as insurance, right?

At that moment, Su Jingchuan spoke at just the right time, adding a line for Shen Zexi, essentially vouching for him.

"Captain Yue, Shen Zexi's status is guaranteed by Dr. Xi Nuo, and his strength ranks among the best of his peers; perhaps he can be of help."

Xi Nuo?

Captain Yue immediately caught on; so this kid is the Dome's destined child?

Qi Hengyu also seized the opportunity, emphasizing his own value.

"Captain Yue, I grew up in the Fourth District; I know every corner here like the back of my hand."

"Moreover, the locals are very xenophobic; your officials find it hard to extract truth from them. If I assist, the investigation will proceed much smoother and avoid many unnecessary conflicts."

His words hit the nail on the head.

Captain Yue knew well the difficulty of conducting investigations in places like the Fourth District; having a "guide" familiar with local rules and environment would undoubtedly boost efficiency and safety.

Although Qi Hengyu firmly denied it, that face was just too familiar...

Captain Yue pondered briefly, his sharp gaze scanning Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu back and forth, before reaching a decision.

He looked at Su Jingchuan, seeking his final opinion.

Su Jingchuan gave a slight nod.

Now that things have come to this, bringing these two students, who still have some ability to protect themselves, under supervision is safer than leaving them to their own devices outside, and they can indeed be of help.

"All right." Yue Chengzhang finally nodded, looking at Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu with a solemn tone.

"I agree to your temporary participation in this investigation, but you must observe discipline: all actions follow orders, no independent action, and you must not leak any investigation details. Understood?"

"Understood!" Shen Zexi replied immediately.

Qi Hengyu also nodded, his expression serious.

"Understood."