Chapter 47: Did I Agree to That?

Front Gate of Duoduo Pet Paradise

Yan Zong was dressed in a well-tailored suit, with perfectly creased trousers and leather shoes that gleamed softly under the lights. His every gesture exuded an elegant and reserved charm.

A smile lingered on his lips as he stepped down the stairs and waved his hand toward the parking lot on the right side of the main entrance.

A regular business car opened its door, and a middle-aged man in his forties stepped out. The man had a square face with prominent eyebrows and big eyes, giving him a righteous appearance.

This man’s surname was Zhou, and he was an official in the Judicial Litigation Department of the Southern Supernatural Arbitration Court. He regularly interacted with the Vigil Keeper but wasn’t particularly familiar with Yan Zong, as the latter had only recently transferred there.

For ordinary criminals, relevant law enforcement agencies, litigation bodies, and courts would handle the case.

Similarly, when Star Gate players commit crimes, there are specific departments for handling their cases. Vigil Keeper is responsible for apprehending and controlling them, while the Supernatural Arbitration Court is in charge of judging them.

However, the Supernatural Arbitration Court is not a unit directly “led” by the official organization, but rather a joint body established by 86 player organizations.

The reason for this is simple: the official organization currently cannot control all the players. They can only balance the power of different factions and jointly set rules to prevent society from being affected.

This is somewhat like the global situation—when a certain force reaches a level where it can break the rules and harm others, the only solution is negotiation, whether this force is military or economic…

Old Zhou stepped out of the car, smiling as he waved at Yan Zong. “It’s been a while, I heard you went to the Capital?”

“Yes, went to report on some work.” Yan Zong nodded to him. “Get in my car.”

“Alright.”

Old Zhou agreed and stepped into Yan Zong’s car, taking a seat beside him in the back.

Apart from the two of them, there was only the driver in the car. Even an assistant like Chen Hannan didn’t accompany them.

“Let’s go,” Yan Zong said as he leaned back comfortably in the spacious car, crossing his legs, and gave the driver a brief instruction.

The car slowly left the premises. Old Zhou, with his hands in his pockets, asked with a smile, “Where are you headed?”

“I just got off the high-speed train, and there are a bunch of troublesome matters waiting for me at the unit. I’m going to check out the subunit,” Yan Zong turned to look at him. “Hey, what made you think of coming to see me today?”

Old Zhou showed an embarrassed smile. “I came to beg you.”

“Beg me for what?”

“What else? The Bell Society case,” Old Zhou sighed. “I heard about what happened. You had a confrontation with those scoundrels in the suburban apartment building and ended up catching two of them.”

“Yes.” Yan Zong didn’t deny it, but lightly asked, “Heh, you’re not here to ask for those people from the Bell Society, are you?”

“I wish they’d all die,” Old Zhou said, looking at Yan Zong. “I’m here for what’s coming next.”

“What’s coming next?” Yan Zong’s smile remained, but his eyes still held confusion.

“Ah!”

Old Zhou slapped his thigh as if making a huge decision. “Let’s not beat around the bush. Your people are fine, the criminals are caught, and the bloodbath at the Tongren Road gambling hall wiped out a whole nest… but about the people behind them, can we hold off for now and not act immediately?”

Yan Zong folded his arms, his gaze calm as he looked at him. “What you mean is, in this incident, I shouldn’t move against the organizations and individuals who helped the Bell Society?”

“Deal with the underlings as you see fit, but that leader from the Stray Dogs… let’s not move against him for now,” Old Zhou clarified, “That is, the cripple.”

“Why protect him?” Yan Zong asked, his expression still calm, as if discussing a mere fact.

“Well…”

Old Zhou loosened his collar, “The Risk Committee of the Arbitration Court has urgently reviewed this. You know the influence the cripple has on Tongren Road, and he’s the head of Stray Dogs in Shanghai. If you go after him hard… the likelihood of causing a social incident is very high. To put it bluntly, if you move against him, and Stray Dogs retaliates against ordinary society in an organized way, it won’t just be a matter of a few deaths; it could lead to regional unrest.”

“I understand your point,” Yan Duoduo nodded slowly. “I get the concerns of the Risk Committee too. So, what do you suggest we do that would be suitable?”

“If you leave the cripple alone, we can make amends elsewhere,” Old Zhou considered for a long time before replying seriously. “Let the cripple figure out a way to hand over Mr. He. That way, you can close the case perfectly, we get our revenge, and most importantly, it maintains stability… without causing friction.”

“Can you put this promise in writing?” Yan Duoduo seemed to be weighing the pros and cons, but his question came across as naive, not at all fitting his stature.

“Heh!”

Old Zhou gave a helpless smile, “How can something like this be put in writing? But I can personally oversee it. I guarantee, within a month at most, Mr. He will be back in Shanghai for trial.”

“Ding-ling-ling!”

Before Yan Duoduo could respond, his phone rang from his pocket.

…

88 Lianhu Road.

Ren Ye quickly left the dormitory building and walked to the operations area in the front hall, asking the busy Huang Wei, “What’s up now?”

“There’s a task, you’re coming with us,” Huang Wei looked up at him. “Get ready for combat.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Ye glanced around the hall, seeing many Vigil Keepers moving about, some already in formal uniforms, “What kind of task? Looks like a big deal…”

“Revenge! Revenge for you!” Huang Wei never missed a chance to indoctrinate; he looked at Ren Ye very solemnly, “Even though you’re not an official member yet, once you’re through these doors, no one can hurt you lightly without facing consequences…”

“Ha.”

Ren Ye gave a scornful laugh, “Mr. He nearly crushed my balls in the apartment, and now you tell me this. Do you think I’ll be all fired up?”

“Even if they were really crushed, the organization would find a way to fix you up,” Huang Wei said, placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “I don’t know if you’ll get fired up… but tonight, Shanghai’s Star Gate will light up for you alone.”

Ren Ye felt a sense of awe, though he knew it was brainwashing, he still nodded, “Alright, let’s go see how bright it gets.”

“Gather up, quickly!”

Huang Wei turned to shout, “Those from Huangjiang, get in the cars too, no need for grouping. We leave in three minutes.”

…

On the brightly lit street, an ordinary business car was moving slowly.

Yan Duoduo, sitting inside, was constantly fiddling with his phone, responding to messages.

“…Little Yan, what do you think of our proposal?” Old Zhou waited for a moment before asking softly.

“What can I do since you’ve put it like that?” Yan Duoduo looked at him, “If I disagree, wouldn’t that mean I lack a broader perspective, that I’m only interested in destabilizing things?”

“Shh!”

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou immediately gave him a thumbs up, “That’s the vision of Shanghai’s First Star Officer. I’ll repeat, Mr. He won’t escape, within a month at most… I’ll make sure he stands trial.”

“Hmm.”

Yan Duoduo nodded slightly, returning to his phone.

Old Zhou glanced at him, trying to make conversation, “Ah, position shapes one’s perspective; in our roles, many things aren’t easy to handle. Take me, for example, last month I reviewed a case where a player, on a whim, raped a mother and daughter, the child only twelve, and this player was from our Order Faction… He was sentenced to death right away. On the day of execution, a friend from the Chaos Faction killed twelve people in the suburbs as revenge. Before the local Vigil Keepers could catch him, he fled into the Star Gate, and there’s been no news of him since.”

“I know about this as well,” Yan Duoduo nodded.

“This case has made regular judicial units very angry, and they’re holding us accountable; some members of the Risk Committee at the Supernatural Arbitration Court are also dissatisfied, saying that the crime of rape didn’t deserve the death penalty, and that our overzealous judgment led to the deaths of twelve innocent people… Anyway, no one is very happy about it,” Old Zhou said wearily. “Sigh, some things can only be said in private. This ordinary person, before becoming a player, was probably at the lowest level of society. Their past life was full of hardship and repression, and after suddenly gaining supernatural abilities… their actions and thinking undergo a huge change. They start to feel that they have the power to destroy the rules, to break the law…”

Yan Duoduo fiddled with his phone and responded indifferently, “I agree with part of your view. Sudden supernatural abilities do indeed cause many problems. But I don’t think constantly avoiding the issue is the way to solve it. And not all players from the lower social classes are necessarily bad. My family is ordinary, but I don’t embezzle or corrupt. I love the title ‘Vigil Keeper’ and have always been proud of it.”

Old Zhou was stunned for a moment. “You’re a young officer carefully cultivated by the Vigil Keepers, of course you’re upright.”

“Screech!”

At that moment, the car suddenly stopped at the side of the road. Old Zhou turned his head and realized they had already reached the intersection leading to Tongren Road.

He was puzzled and smiled at Yan Duoduo, asking, “We’ve reached here, how about we get out and have a drink?”

Yan Duoduo, still holding his phone, quietly looked at him. “I didn’t come here to drink. I came to arrest someone. If things don’t go smoothly, I’ll have to kill someone…”

The directness of his words left Old Zhou stunned on the spot.

“Wait here. When this is over, I’ll buy you a drink,” Yan Duoduo said with a smile and reached for the car door.

Old Zhou snapped out of his daze and immediately frowned, asking, “What do you mean?”

“I’m here to arrest the cripple,” Yan Duoduo replied frankly.

“No, didn’t we just finish talking about this?!” Old Zhou asked in disbelief. “What’s this all about? Are you slapping me in the face?!”

Yan Duoduo continued to look at him calmly. “Think carefully. Did I agree to any of your suggestions just now?”

Old Zhou was left dumbfounded.

“I brought you here to tell you that being a Vigil Keeper is not an easy job. Entering Star Gate might mean death; capturing criminals might also lead to death. If you accidentally encounter some mysterious supernatural attack, you might not even find a way to heal it.” Yan Duoduo slowly pushed the car door open. His voice wasn’t excited or impassioned; he simply said, “Stability isn’t something you can negotiate or balance. It’s something we Vigil Keepers exchange our lives for. I have one principle—any player or organization that dares to display supernatural power or violently resist the law in front of a Vigil Keeper, I will deal with them.”

After speaking, he carefully avoided a puddle under the car door, elegantly stepped out of the car, and slowly looked towards Tongren Road.

“Swish!”

Old Zhou leaned out of the car, extremely agitated as he shouted, “How many Chaos Faction players are there on Tongren Road? How many friends does the cripple have?! Have you thought about the consequences of you going after him tonight? The entire city might fall into chaos because of your rashness… They are crazy, do you understand?!”

Yan Duoduo, with his back to the bright moon and to Old Zhou, stretched lazily and calmly asked, “Have you heard that famous saying from our great leader?”

“Three million jade dragons take flight, subduing evil spirits across the heavens.”

“If they dare to cause trouble tonight, I’ll make sure there are no Stray Dogs left on the streets of Shanghai!”

After speaking, Yan Duoduo took the earphones out of his pocket and slowly inserted them into his ears, softly saying, “Tonight, all the Vigil Keepers on night duty in the city, gather at both entrances of Tongren Road. Have that daring Ren Ye come find me, right now!”