Chapter 78: Suffering a ’Betrayal

The night deepened.

Li Jing and Yang Qiuci spent about twenty minutes by the coast. They had directly called from the Jianghai City Patrol Bureau to bring more than thirty officers who practiced eye techniques on site.

It was clear.

The dangerous specters were of great concern to the authorities.

With Yang Qiuci allocating the patrol area, everyone took off to the sea by controlling the sky.

Yang Qiuci wasn’t exactly a front-line patrol.

But before becoming chief of the Forensics Department, she was a level-3 serving officer with a Four Realm cultivation level.

Her cultivation level and position were the highest among those present, and no one would object to her arrangements.

After the patrol, three concealed specters were found in the nearby sea area and were killed on the spot by relevant personnel.

Li Jing expressed regret.

The three specters were not found in the area he was responsible for patrolling.

He had no idea about the length of the health bars of the three specters and merely received reports from the three fortunate officers who discovered the specters.

After patrolling the entire sea area near the bathing beach and ascertaining there were no more specters, the 30 odd officers dispatched by the general bureau dispersed and conducted a search along the coastline.

The patrol was always thorough.

No one could guarantee that the specters only appeared in the sea area near the bathing beach, so a search along the entire coastline was necessary.

Li Jing and Yang Qiuci didn’t go with them, instead, they returned to the coast.

During their patrol of the offshore sea surface, people from the Research Institute had arrived.

At this moment, they were busy on the sandy beach of the bathing beach, setting up various large-scale equipment, preparing to detect possible spatial anomalies.

Li Jing was curious as he came to the beach.

It was rare to see the people from the Research Institute.

Usually, they stay in the research institute doing various kinds of research work.

They may only appear when an irregular situation arises, and the Patrol Bureau reports it.

Their cultivation level might not be high, but anyone affiliated with the Research Institute is definitely an expert in a certain field. The more formidable ones could even cause a stir in the entire academic world just by stamping their feet.

Just as he was curiously observing, Yang Qiuci tugged at Li Jing.

"The director is over there."

"Hmm?"

Li Jing turned his head subconsciously.

Then, he saw a middle-aged man in a patrol uniform chatting with several affiliates of the Research Institute not far away.

Li Jing’s pupils contracted sharply at the sight of the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was extremely handsome.

He was the type that could make countless young girls scream if he appeared on the street.

But that was not the point.

The point was that there were five stripes on the middle-aged man’s shoulder badge.

Level-5 Patrol Officer!

Six Realm!

It becomes harder to upgrade your cultivation level as you get higher.

To advance further requires not only diligent daily cultivation but also plenty of resources and time.

Experts above the Fifth Boundary are few and far between.

All those who reach the Fifth Boundary are top-tier powerhouses who can intimidate others.

If they are willing, they can easily be heavily used by the state and receive a large amount of resources.

If this is the case for the Fifth Boundary, what about the Six Realm?

Li Jing hadn’t expected the director of the North City Patrol Branch to be at the Six Realm.

It’s not that the position of the director of Patrol Bureau is not prestigious, but a Six Realm should hold a higher position.

Gazing at the middle-aged man, Li Jing was astonished and confused.

Jianghai City is indeed a first-tier city, but North City is still a suburb.

Normally, the highest cultivation level for a director of a suburban patrol bureau would be at the Four Realm, similar to Dai Hong.

Six Realm.

Seems a bit overblown.

If it were the director of Jianghai City Patrol Bureau, that would make more sense.

While he was in a stupor, Yang Qiuci dragged him over, chuckling.

"Don’t be nervous, the director is easy to talk to. He’s been paying attention to your situation for a while, so why not have a casual chat with him?"

Seeing Yang Qiuci’s beaming smile, Li Jing wrinkled his brow.

Nervous? That wouldn’t be necessary.

He hadn’t done anything, so what was there to be nervous about?

So...

Why was Yang Qiuci smiling so happily?

In Li Jing’s impression, Yang Qiuci was a genuinely serious person, sometimes making a joke or two, but most of the time presenting a reliable demeanor as chief.

Her sudden flirtatious and cheerful smile seemed suspicious, didn’t it?

Before Li Jing could figure out what was happening, Yang Qiuci had pulled him closer.

"Uncle Chen, I have brought Li Jing to you."

Huh?

Li Jing turned his head.

’I brought Li Jing to you’, didn’t that sound... less like an introduction?

And...

Why does Yang Qiuwan not call him Director when they meet, but Uncle Chen?

Wait a minute!

Does he have the surname Chen?

Is he in the same generation as Yang Qiuwan’s uncle?

!!!

Li Jing turned back in surprise.

The middle-aged man was sizing him up with a scrutinizing gaze.

As their eyes met, the man gave a congenial smile.

With this warm, spring breeze-like smile, Li Jing was somewhat flustered and forced out an awkward smirk.

Yang Qiuwan caught sight of his stiff smile, snickered maliciously, and feigned seriousness.

"Uncle Chen, since you have personally come here, there shouldn’t be anything for me to do here. There’s plenty of work to do in the Forensics Department, can I take my leave first?"

"Sure."

The middle-aged man nodded murkily.

"You go ahead. I’ll take care of things here."

"Okay then!"

Yang Qiuwan giggled girlishly, shot Li Jing a "you’re on your own" glance, conjured her flying sword, and soared away on it, becoming a streak of light in the sky.

Li Jing watched her fly away on her sword, his mouth twitching.

What’s that saying again?

You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Li Jing had had a great impression of Yang Qiuwan.

She seemed like a reliable older sister.

But this round of "backstabbing" hurt a bit.

Turning back to the middle-aged man who was sizing him up, Li Jing chuckled awkwardly.

"Director..."

Before he could finish, the middle-aged man gestured him to stop.

"You must have guessed who I am by now, no need to be so formal, just call me Uncle."

"..."

Li Jing’s lips moved slightly, and he quietly changed his words.

"Uncle."

"Hmm."

The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction and turned to the personnel from the Research Institute beside him.

"Academician Liu, you continue your work here. Inform me once you get results. I’m going to discuss some official matters with this young man from the Assistant Inspector Department, and won’t disturb you."

"Alright, Director Chen, you carry on."

The person referred to as Academician Liu from the Institute replied, cast a glance at Li Jing, and then took his leave with the others.

Watching the Research Institute staff depart, the middle-aged man turned back with a smile.

"Funny enough, there is quite a connection between us. You’re called Li Jing, and I’m Chen Jing. Our names are only a surname apart; they are homophones."

"..."

Li Jing.

He didn’t know how to respond to that.

What he wanted to say was...

Uncle, weren’t you supposed to discuss official matters with me?

Seeing that Li Jing remained silent, Chen Jing offered a curious comment.

"Don’t feel too pressured; I just wanted to have a casual chat with you, I’m not out to get you."

With that, Chen Jing let out a small laugh.

"When Yuran first told me that she had a tenant like you and asked me to withdraw the shared accommodation ad, I was quite surprised. I did not hold high expectations, knowing my own daughter. But you seem to be able to handle it well; recently, she’s been talking about you a lot."

"Ah, this..."

Li Jing wanted to join in the conversation, but couldn’t find the words.

Seeing him not utter a word for a long time, Chen Jing patted his shoulder.

"You’re doing well; keep it up."

He then let out a sigh full of melancholy.

"I had Yuran when I was nearly sixty, a rather unfortunate child. I suppose I don’t need to express an old father’s worries; you should understand?"

"..."

Li Jing.

He knew how to respond to that comment.

But he dare not.

Chen Jing had Chen Yuran when he was nearly sixty, which would mean his real age is pushing eighty.

Being impatient is understandable.

But the problem is that if he responds, he’s selling himself out!

This was not the agreement he had with Chen Yuran.

On top of that, the man standing before him right now was a Six Realm.

What happens if this response gets him tied down?

Surely he can’t just "try his best", right?