Zhou Qing never would have dread that such a trivial matter would summon this top figure from the Martial Departnt. Although he was not from the sa faction, in terms of influence, Zhou Qing was just a speck of dust, completely insignificant.
Damn it!
Feeling his scalp tingle, Zhou Qing wanted to turn and leave, but he subconsciously looked upstairs. Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage the situation?
With that thought, he didn't dare delay another second. He dropped his cigarette butt and rushed upstairs as fast as he could.
With newfound confidence, Hu Ting had regained her previous arrogance. She pointed imperiously at Yang Hu's nose, vowing to make him kneel and apologize. Otherwise, she threatened, soone would die today.
"Shut up!" Zhou Qing shouted as he ran over, panting from the exertion.
Hmm?
The sudden rebuke made Hu Ting blink in surprise.
"Old Zhou, what's wrong?" Sun Hao asked, noticing sothing was off.
Zhou Qing's face was grim as he glared at Hu Ting. "Explain everything that happened, from start to finish, right now!"
Hu Ting was baffled. What got into Supervisor Zhou? He was fine a mont ago. Why the sudden turnaround?
Yang Hu smiled. "Didn't you just say you saw everything with your own eyes? Have you changed your mind now?"
Zhou Qing was speechless. The regional supervisor wiped the sweat from his forehead, adopted a humble posture, and gave a chagrined smile. "I was confused just now and said so things I shouldn't have. Please don't take it to heart."
With that, Zhou Qing took a step forward, turned to Chen Yang, and bowed slightly. He looked at him as if seeing a god, revering him as such.
Hu Ting was dumbfounded. What is happening? Just a mont ago, Zhou Qing had been exuding the aura of a local tyrant, but after a single trip downstairs, how had he suddenly beco so servile?
Sun Hao was also stunned, his thoughts unable to keep up.
Yang Hu extended an arm to stop Zhou Qing, who was approaching as if on a pilgrimage, and said coldly, "I believe I said you should get your facts straight, or you would bear the consequences."
"I... I..." Zhou Qing's expression shifted rapidly, and he found himself unable to offer a rebuttal. At this point, the man's identity was practically set in stone. What am I supposed to do now?
Chen Yang flicked ash from his cigarette, still showing no intention of glancing over. "You know now?"
BZZT!
Zhou Qing felt as if he had been struck by lightning. This rhetorical question was the final confirmation. Although his departnt wasn't under the Martial Departnt's jurisdiction, this man's influence was imnse. And what about the arrogant, conceited things he himself had said earlier?
Cold sweat poured down Zhou Qing's face like a waterfall; he wished he could just strangle himself then and there. If this incident blew up, his career—and perhaps his life—would be over.
"I-I'm sorry. I failed to recognize greatness when I saw it. I must have been out of my mind. I am truly sorry," Zhou Qing said, bowing deeply at the waist, his lips trembling.
Sun Hao and Hu Ting could only gape, rooted to the spot in speechless shock.
Even Guo Kai, lying in a pool of his own blood, stared wide-eyed as his mind reeled. Zhou Qing's position was not an ordinary one, yet this high-ranking official was acting like a schoolboy who had made a mistake. Who would believe this if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?
"Is... is there a mistake?" Sun Hao blurted out instinctively before clamping a hand over his mouth, not daring to say another word.
The atmosphere beca exceedingly bizarre.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
The sudden, imposing sound of synchronized footsteps broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention. Three camouflaged trucks had stopped outside the gate. Following that, a tall, middle-aged man in a martial uniform strode inside. From their vantage point on the third floor, they had a clear view.
The newcor was none other than Ji Ping, the head of the Third Division of the Ten Thousand Martial Guards.
Standing downstairs, Ji Ping removed his cap, brought his feet together, and raised his right hand to his forehead in a respectful salute. "Third Division of the Ten Thousand Martial Guards, Ji Ping, pays respects to Lord War God."
The words shattered the heavens.
And then, the entire world fell silent.
Lord War God?
Since the founding of the nation, in the entire history of the Martial Departnt, only one person had been deified: the recently ennobled Carefree War God of the State!
It's really him?!
Guo Kai and his companions exchanged horrified glances, their faces ashen. The deified man was him? Of course! No wonder the man kept ntioning how he, a retired martial officer, had so shalessly lowered himself to be soone's dog.
Looking at the unsmiling, serious young man who hadn't said a word or even glanced their way from the very beginning, Guo Kai's eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted.
BOOM!
Both Hu Ting and Sun Hao staggered, their bodies trembling as large beads of cold sweat rolled down their cheeks and dripped onto the floor. Zhou Qing, who had still harbored a sliver of doubt, was now completely subdued. He hung his head low, desperately trying to quiet his racing heart.
In an instant, the room plunged into a dead, fearful silence.
Chen Yang nodded slightly and gave Yang Hu a brief glance.
Yang Hu said, "This concerns children's education. I think a thorough cleansing is in order. Since I couldn't get in touch with the person in charge, I had no choice but to have the Ten Thousand Martial Guards intervene."
Chen Yang nodded in full agreent. He stood there like a towering, majestic mountain. How could such a presence belong to an ordinary person?
Yet, from the beginning, Hu Ting, Guo Kai, and later, Sun Hao and Zhou Qing, had all ignored this, never giving it a second thought. They were simply too used to being arrogant and high-handed, assuming they could suppress anyone.
But now that Chen Yang's true identity was revealed, they were not only shocked and horrified, but a paralyzing numbness crept up their scalps.
Ji Ping ca upstairs, his posture as straight as a spear. He stopped before Chen Yang and waited respectfully by his side for orders.
"Old Ji, sorry to trouble you again," Chen Yang said with a smile.
Whether in Lingjin City or on Qiyun Road, Ji Ping's division of the Ten Thousand Martial Guards had provided him with significant help.
"You're too kind, my lord. It is my honor," Ji Ping replied earnestly.
"Well... I have official duties to attend to, so I won't stay any longer." Zhou Qing was terrified. He was out of his depth, and every extra second he remained was torture. He couldn't even begin to consider what would happen to him next.
Ji Ping glanced at Zhou Qing.
That single glance froze Zhou Qing in place as he was about to leave. He didn't dare move a muscle. The atmosphere turned awkward.
Off to the side, Hu Ting's thoughts were a complete ss, her heart pounding with unease. She never would have imagined, not in a million years, that they would provoke such a colossal figure. She opened her mouth to speak several tis but couldn't force a single word out.
A tense standoff seed to form.
Yang Hu looked to Chen Yang for instructions. "Boss, will you handle this, or shall I?"
"I will."
Yang Hu nodded, then pulled out a pair of clean white gloves and handed them to Chen Yang.
Seeing Chen Yang pull on the gloves, Hu Ting's composure finally shattered. "You... you're going to strike ?" she asked anxiously. "You're such a great man. Surely you wouldn't lower yourself to fight with a helpless woman like ?"
Chen Yang adjusted the tightness of his gloves and said indifferently, "In my eyes, there is only right and wrong, not n or won, young or old."
Hu Ting was left speechless.
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