Fang Cheng opened the kettle on the tea table.
The boiling water quickly bubbled up, bubbling and steaming, with white mist rising gracefully from the spout.
He expertly washed the tea, divided the cups, and brewed a pot of Pu’er tea.
Boiling water poured into the Yixing clay cups, and the rich aroma of tea wafted through the living room.
In the east wing room, the rattling sound of the elders playing Mahjong ca through the door, making the living room seem particularly quiet.
Wei Zheng leaned back into the soft single-seat sofa and raised his hand to unbutton the top button of his uniform collar.
He reached out to take the teacup Fang Cheng handed him, blew away the foam on the surface, but did not drink it imdiately.
His gaze swept back and forth between Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe, hiding a trace of scrutiny and doubt in his eyes, before he spoke:
"Donghe, about your leg injury, I’ve been too busy to ask in detail before. What exactly did you encounter that night on West Mountain?"
Ma Donghe, who was drinking a glass of orange juice, imdiately placed the glass down on the coffee table, straightened his back, and entered the state instantly:
"Brother Wei, you have no idea how dangerous it was that evening!"
"We got lost in the woods at the periphery and ran into a mutant boar. That beast was as big as a minivan, with tusks at least half a ter long!"
He exaggeratedly gestured the size with his hands as he spoke:
"It charged at us, and I fought bravely, throwing punches and kicks, and then locked its neck in a chokehold, rolling around in the mud several tis before barely tripping the beast..."
He had rehearsed the lines with Fang Cheng long ago; now he retold the story with dramatic gestures, vividly depicting the life-and-death encounter.
"It was indeed thrilling."
Fang Cheng held the teacup, gently blowing away the floating tea leaves at the surface, and calmly continued:
"The forest was pitch dark back then. Thanks to Brother Ma for bravely taking the lead, I got the opportunity to use a sharpened tree branch and executed a move from Ma’s Tai Chi Swordsmanship, blinding the boar and solving the issue completely."
Ma Donghe just had so orange juice in his mouth and nearly choked on it upon hearing this.
"Cough cough..."
He covered his mouth and coughed repeatedly, stealing glances at Fang Cheng beside him.
Seeing Fang Cheng’s innocent and demure look, Ma Donghe’s facial muscles involuntarily twitched twice.
God damn! Used a move from Ma’s Tai Chi Swordsmanship!
You were up all night in the sky pounding an insect monster like a punching bag, flying around as if stepping on air, nearly leveling half a mountain.
Now you’re acting like a model student, your acting should win you an Oscar.
Fang Cheng swallowed half a mouthful of tea without changing his expression, raised his eyes to Wei Zheng, smoothly shifting the topic:
"Brother Wei, what exactly happened that night? Why did the garrison troops rush into the exam grounds to search everywhere afterward?"
"Oh, it was a big deal."
Wei Zheng sighed and put the teacup back on the table:
"An unidentified expert was fighting in the restricted area, causing extre destruction. The site had extensive collapse of the ground and broken trees, all crushed by brute force, with traces of high-intensity energy fluctuations remaining."
"It’s initially suspected that a malicious faction infiltrated the exam venue with intent to sabotage. The higher-ups were furious upon learning this and ordered a thorough investigation."
Fang Cheng pursued, "Did they find any leads?"
Wei Zheng shook his head, his expression turning serious:
"Currently, the Intelligence Departnt and the Action Departnt are jointly hastening the investigation. But aside from the destroyed forest and a few dirt pits at the scene, no useful clues were found."
"The only breakthrough is that it was discovered that several missing candidates are actually rcenaries active in the Black Market."
"This indicates a definite loophole in the background check process, soone is aiding them in laundering their identities."
He took another sip of tea, as though recalling sothing, and continued:
"Besides that, Director Lu from the Internal Investigation Departnt is personally going undercover, secretly scrutinizing all candidates and staff present at the West Mountain exam venue that night."
Upon hearing the three words "Director Lu," an unusual glint flashed in Fang Cheng’s eyes, but the curvature of his lips remained unchanged.
He placed the teacup down, his tone carrying a touch of surprise at just the right mont:
"Is it that serious? No wonder that night in the forest, we heard continuous booms in the distance, Donghe thought it was thunder."
"Yes, yes!"
Ma Donghe reacted quickly, imdiately patting his thigh in agreent:
"It was terrifying. Fortunately, we got lost at the periphery, then coincidentally bumped into that mutant boar, battling fiercely with it for most of the night, making us afraid to venture deeper, luckily avoiding a disaster."
Wei Zheng nodded:
"You two indeed have so good luck."
He paused, his gaze firmly fixed on the two of them:
"By the way, when you were lost in the forest, did you notice any suspicious persons or other clues?"
Ma Donghe pretended to recall, scratching his scalp:
"Didn’t see any suspicious persons...however, before we encountered the boar, we glimpsed a silhouette flying overhead from a distance.
I couldn’t see them clearly; one seed to be wearing a mask, pursuing another person; in such a situation, we didn’t dare to scrutinize closely. We heard noises of explosions later and quickly hid in a mountain cave."
Fang Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly, then added:
"I have a better ear, and I heard them shouting; the masked person vaguely ntioned that they were from the ’Black Tide’ organization."
Upon hearing these words, Wei Zheng’s body abruptly stiffened, and a few drops of tea spilled from the rim of the cup, splattering onto the tea tray.
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