NOVGO.NET Chapter 51: Both Master Level, The Old Guard’s Discontent
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Both Master Level, The Old Guard’s Discontent
Zhang Hongbo waved his hand, and Fatty Sun scampered over. After the last deputy minister left and closed the door, Zhang Hongbo said with a chuckle:
“Pull up Su Chen’s file for me.”
Fatty Sun said hesitantly, “Couldn’t you just access it directly, sir? Why go through me?”
“I’m only supervising in Old Yuan’s stead until he returns. It’s better to go through your internal channels.” Zhang Hongbo gestured for Fatty Sun to sit.
Though extremely reluctant, Fatty Sun could only perch on the edge of the chair as if sitting on pins and needles. As if in slow motion, he arduously opened his wristband and pulled up Su Chen’s file, projecting it onto the desktop.
“Well now…” Zhang Hongbo feigned surprise. “He received a collective Third-Class Merit on his very first day…”
“I didn’t expect Old Yuan to just assign him to a regular patrol team. So impartial. Let me see his attendance record.”
Zhang Hongbo scrolled down as he spoke, nodding in satisfaction. “Perfect attendance. Not bad, not bad at all. He’s a pillar of our Southwind City.”
Fatty Sun’s scalp tingled with unease. He couldn’t understand what Zhang Hongbo was getting at.
“Go back and tell him to keep up the good work. The future of Southwind City rests on people like him.” Zhang Hongbo waved his hand, dismissing Fatty Sun.
As if granted amnesty, Fatty Sun hurried away, the fat on his body jiggling up and down.
……
“Brother, what’s the rush?”
After a series of urgent knocks, Su Chen let a panting Fatty Sun into his room.
“My dear brother, the City Lord has his eyes on you,” Fatty Sun whispered.
Su Chen’s eyelid twitched. “What’s going on?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Just now…” Fatty Sun leaned on a chair and sat down, still shaken. “After the meeting, he kept me behind and asked about you.”
He recounted the events exactly as they had happened, scratching his head. “I don’t know what he meant. If he was unhappy about you getting in through the back door, he didn’t say anything about it.”
“But he wouldn’t bring you up for no reason.”
Su Chen’s brow furrowed as well. Yuan Chenyang’s early rotation had thrown many things into disarray.
Zhang Hongbo had the look of a smiling tiger. Even though Old Yuan said he wasn’t one of the Deceitful God’s Followers, Su Chen remained wary.
“Brother, do you have any suggestions?” Su Chen asked, seeing Fatty Sun scratch his head.
“I suspect he’s warning you not to be so blatant about collecting a salary without working,” Fatty Sun speculated. “Logically, the best thing to do now is to follow the rules.”
“So I should go on patrol?” Su Chen asked tentatively.
“No, don’t go.” Fatty Sun, however, shook his head uncharacteristically. His expression darkened as he said in a low voice, “So what if he’s the City Lord? His own son is listed as an Explorer Guard, but has he ever once stepped outside the city?”
“Everyone has a tacit understanding about these things. Are you telling me you can’t even have this little privilege? If he really decides to give you trouble over something so trivial, we’re not just going to sit back and take it.”
“He’s a busy man. He can’t keep his eyes on you forever.”
Seeing Fatty Sun’s resolute expression, Su Chen had a flash of understanding. ’Old Yuan’s former subordinates are probably also pissed off about his early rotation.’
’They finally had a moment of glory, and it wasn’t for nothing, but then Zhang Hongbo pulled a fast one on them. Now the other two departments have a problem with the Inspectorate, while the City Lord gets to play the good guy.’
“Alright, I’ll listen to you, brother,” Su Chen readily agreed. He didn’t want to go on patrol anyway.
Fatty Sun had only come to give him a heads-up so he would be aware of the situation, and was now ready to leave.
Su Chen asked him for a favor: to find him one F-level Body Refining Technique and one F-level Meditation Technique.
“You want a Meditation Technique too?” Fatty Sun was a bit stunned. But remembering Yuan Chenyang’s parting instructions to help as much as possible, he nodded in agreement. He just said that the Meditation Technique would be more difficult to acquire and would take a few more days.
After Fatty Sun left, Su Chen entered the Gravity Chamber. He hadn’t been training for long when he heard a knock on the door.
He thought it was Old Sun, having forgotten to mention something. But when he got to the door, he found that a yellow envelope had been slipped under it at some point.
Su Chen’s eyes narrowed. He opened the door and looked both ways. Because of the City Lord’s arrival, the guards Fatty Sun had temporarily assigned to patrol here had been called off.
Wrapping his hand with the Shadow-avoiding Robe, he carefully picked it up. He returned to his room and opened it. Inside was a single line of small text—
[I know you took the Space Crystal. If you don’t want everyone to find out, explain in detail how Yuan Chenyang found the Deceitful Artifact. Leave the explanation and the Space Crystal in front of your door at this time tomorrow. I can let you walk away from this.]
’Zhou Xian?’
“Walk away?” Su Chen sneered. ’Never mind that the Space Crystal is already gone; even if I still had it, I would never believe such a claim.’
“It really sucks to be targeted like this.” His expression hardened as he murmured, “But… are they investigating why Qi Chuan died, or is it something else…”
He lit the envelope on fire. Then, Su Chen took a Black Flame Potion from his Storage Space, tilted his head back, and chugged it down. He re-entered the Gravity Chamber and began to sweat it out.
’Checking the surveillance footage would probably be useless, just like last time.’
Su Chen did not do as the person wished, but there was no follow-up. The letter seemed to be just a bluff.
Meanwhile, the Inspectorate, now under Zhang Hongbo’s control, did indeed scale back its investigative operations. The whole of Southwind City seemed to return to its former harmony.
……
「Several days later.」
In the Gravity Chamber, Su Chen’s movements grew faster and faster. His skin was slick with sweat, and the stabbing pain from within his body grew more intense.
It felt as if sharp needles were piercing his skin through his pores, and his muscles rippled like waves.
Not only that, but an uncanny violet-red light glowed in Su Chen’s pupils.
At a certain moment, his muscles suddenly tensed, seeming to become countless times denser in an instant. Muscle fibers, invisible to the naked eye, expanded and contracted.
[Body Refining Technique has been upgraded to Master Level. Ability Gained—Giant Strength: Slightly increases physical strength.]
Su Chen stopped his movements and let out a long breath. A feeling of power swelling within his body made him clench his fists, which emitted a series of crisp CRACKLING sounds.
’My strength has increased by at least thirty percent…’ Su Chen mused, carefully experiencing the change.
His [Prison Flame Meditation Technique] had already reached Master Level five days ago, granting him the [Mental Shield] ability. He could use his Spiritual Power to shield his presence, which, when combined with the Shadow-avoiding Robe, was an incredible tool for Concealment.
[Sky Splitter Warrior: 82%]
[Secret Artifact Master: 61%]
He had already used up half of the Potions Old Yuan had left for him, which brought about great progress in all aspects.
’I wonder if Old Sun has found that Body Refining Technique and Meditation Technique for me yet.’
Su Chen stretched his limbs, gradually adapting to his body’s enhanced functions. He changed into a fresh set of clothes and went to find Old Sun.
“Younger Brother Su, come in, come in…”
Fatty Sun, who had been bent over his desk looking at documents, immediately stood up and came forward to greet Su Chen when he saw who it was.
“You’re here for the Body Refining Technique and Meditation Technique, right?” Fatty Sun had some understanding of Su Chen’s personality, so he didn’t bother with excessive pleasantries.
He invited Su Chen to sit on the sofa, poured him a glass of water, then took two files from a drawer under his desk. He handed them over and explained:
“An F-level Snake Shadow Body Refining Technique, which focuses on speed, and an F-level Dawn Meditation Technique, which emphasizes Mental Defense.”
“They’re just copies, so take them back and look them over at your leisure.” Fatty Sun sat down next to him, his large rear end making the sofa sink. “Just don’t, under any circumstances, sell them. The Snake Shadow Body Refining Technique is internal to our Inspectorate, so that’s easy enough to explain.”
“But this Meditation Technique… it’s from the Exploration Department…” he cautioned.
Su Chen immediately gave his assurance, saying solemnly, “Thank you for going to all this trouble, brother.”