Chapter 48: To Act or Not To Act?

Old Zhou was 46 this year. Though his position wasn’t particularly high, he had spent half his life navigating the intricacies of the system.

He had developed a distinct philosophy when it came to dealing with people, whether they were subordinates or superiors. In his eyes, any organization only had two types of people:

The first type were those eager for advancement. Such individuals were understandable, manageable even, as their ambitions made them predictable. This applied whether they were subordinates or leaders.

The second type were those who had given up on advancing and were coasting along. Even these people, keen on maintaining the status quo, were easy to read with a little effort.

As for those who defied the rules and operated without rhyme or reason, they were outliers. To Zhou, such individuals either had incredible backing or were outright fools who wouldn’t last long in any organization. Thus, they weren’t worth worrying about.

At first, Zhou thought Yan Duoduo fell into the “understandable and manageable” category. After all, the young man had already become a Star Officer overseeing an entire city and was considered a top-tier talent among Star Gate players. Surely, someone like that had ambitions and could be reasoned with.

Anyone with ambitions could be approached, negotiated with, because they had concerns and vulnerabilities.

But the moment Yan Duoduo stepped out of the car, Old Zhou realized he had been dead wrong. The young man’s complete disregard for argument or debate only meant one thing: Yan Duoduo was in the extreme outlier category—a madman who acted without care for the consequences.

And madmen were impossible to deal with. Trying to persuade them was futile and often led to frustration, if not outright ridicule.

Sitting in the car, Old Zhou watched Yan Duoduo’s figure walk away. His first thought was that this young man must have incredible backing.

You couldn’t blame Old Zhou for being so cynical and worldly. Most people interpreted events through the lens of their own worldview. Old Zhou, having climbed the ladder from the grassroots, had never been a player, had never experienced the strangeness of the Star Gate, or faced life-and-death trials. All he had ever seen were the office dynamics of human relationships.

There was no point in persuading further—it wouldn’t work.

But Old Zhou was still indignant. He believed his advice had been impeccable. He hadn’t accepted bribes from the Chaos Faction, nor would he dare to. His actions were entirely motivated purely by a desire to maintain Shanghai’s stability.

So now, he just wanted to watch the show—to see how Yan Duoduo cleaned up this mess.

…

Tongren Road, South Entrance

The temperature in Shanghai had plummeted after the rain. A cool breeze swept through, creating ripples in the puddles scattered across the ground.

Yan Duoduo stood alone at the bustling street corner, hands in his pockets, silently observing Tongren Road.

The entire street was lined with bars, performance clubs, mahjong parlors, and other entertainment venues, all teeming with activity. Chaos Faction players, disguised as ordinary people, moved about with relaxed spirits.

These players, endowed with abilities incomprehensible to the average person, carried an ever-growing sense of superiority. Yet deep inside, they were also gripped by fear and loneliness. Every trip into the Star Gate brought uncertainty—no one knew if they’d return to this world the next morning.

Suddenly, the faint sound of footsteps echoed—

One after another, figures began appearing behind Yan Duoduo. Many wore old-fashioned yellow robes with flaming emblems embroidered on their chests. From a distance, they looked like a cosplay group of anime enthusiasts.

In moments, more than fifty people stood quietly behind Yan Duoduo. None of them spoke; they simply fixed their gazes on Tongren Road.

“Screech!”

The sound of car brakes pierced the air.

Huang Wei arrived, accompanied by Ren Ye, Gu Nian, Xu Peng, and Vigil Keepers from Huangjiang and Qingfu districts. Their numbers totaled more than forty.

Now, over a hundred Vigil Keepers had gathered, their presence drawing the attention of various organizations on Tongren Road. Windows were pushed open, and countless eyes turned toward the south entrance.

The standoff had begun.

Huang Wei jogged over with a grin, calling out, “Hey, Boss Yan, Ren Ye’s here.”

A group of people gathered around. Yan Duoduo turned to look at Ren Ye, giving him a once-over before a faint smile appeared on his lips. “You’re quite bold, huh?”

“…Reporting to Boss Yan, I am bold because I stand behind a strong and righteous organization,” Ren Ye replied with a completely serious expression. “This organization makes me fearless.”

Huang Wei couldn’t help but feel delighted at the response. Finally, a true inheritor of my style—straightforward, confident, and just the right amount of cheesy.

Yan Duoduo, with his long eyelashes and delicate features, smiled faintly at Ren Ye’s reply. Deep down, he hoped Ren Ye would develop a sense of identity with the title of Vigil Keeper.

“You haven’t yet donned the yellow robe, so taking action on your own isn’t something we’ll pursue further,” Yan said, pausing as he studied Ren Ye with a thoughtful gaze. “Old Huang told me, ‘If someone’s sister is attacked and their father kidnapped, and they don’t have an extreme reaction, they’re not human.’ Do you agree with that?”

“That’s exactly what I told him,” Ren Ye responded, his expression still earnest.

“Good.”

Satisfied, Yan nodded, then pointed toward Tongren Road with a calm expression. “Number 169, third floor of the Stray Dogs Bar, in the manager’s office—you’ll find the cripple and his advisor. These two have been providing refuge and intelligence to Mr. He and other members of the Bell Society. They’re the culprits behind the attack on your sister and the attempted kidnapping of your father. I’ll be standing right here. You lead the team inside and bring them out. Do you dare?”

“Not going would make me inhuman,” Ren Ye replied decisively.

Yan abruptly turned and ordered Huang Wei, “Tonight, all Qingfu District members are to fully support Ren Ye. Support, not lead.”

“Understood!”

Huang Wei, ever the seasoned officer, immediately understood Yan Duoduo’s intent. This was a test for Ren Ye, a formal evaluation outside of supernatural abilities.

After the brief exchange, Huang Wei turned to his district’s Vigil Keepers and shouted, “Prepare for combat. Follow me—no, follow Ren Ye inside!”

Over twenty people moved in unison, forming a line behind Ren Ye without uttering an extra word.

Ren Ye’s eyes gleamed as he took a steady look at Tongren Road. He took the first step forward, saying, “Arrest location: 169 Stray Dogs Bar. Primary targets: the cripple and his advisor. Team leads, coordinate positions. Those adept in combat, come in with me.”

Huang Wei didn’t treat Ren Ye as a novice. After all, Ren Ye had a background in anti-fraud operations and was undoubtedly familiar with the basic procedures for arrests and deployments.

“Gu Nian, Xu Peng, me, Mingfan, and Xiao Lizi will follow Ren Ye into the arrest location. Follow orders!” Huang Wei rattled off instructions at lightning speed. “The Demon Hunter team, Exploding Sky team, guard the front and rear exits!”

With commands swiftly issued, Ren Ye led over twenty Vigil Keepers from Qingfu District straight into the Tongren Road area.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, Chen Hannan, who had been observing the situation, dialed Yan Duoduo.

“Are you sure letting a rookie lead the team will work?”

Yan Duoduo didn’t respond to the question. Instead, he stood at the entrance and asked, “Is the external perimeter secured?”

“Sixteen districts have sent personnel, and deployment is complete,” Chen Hannan replied, his tone slightly shaky, as if nervous. “This operation is causing a huge stir. Even Suzhou and Zhejiang have reached out to ask if we need assistance—they’re ready to dispatch people in advance. Multiple departments at headquarters are also inquiring about the situation.”

“You handle the external operations; I’ll handle Tongren Road,” Yan replied softly. “If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility.”

“We’ll shoulder it together,” Chen Hannan replied before abruptly hanging up.

Inside the car at the entrance, Zhou Lao squinted at the over one hundred Vigil Keepers and the figure of Ren Ye disappearing into the street. “This is insane. It’s too extreme, too reckless! If so much as a single spark flies, who’s going to put out the fire?”

After finishing his call, Old Zhou contacted the Supernatural Arbitration Court and the Risk Committee, swiftly relaying the developments.

…

On the second floor of a script performance shop on Tongren Road, a middle-aged man leaned on the windowsill, squinting as he observed Ren Ye, Huang Wei, and their team walking into the main street. “What’s the meaning of sending a kid into the street?”

“Ren Ye isn’t a Vigil Keeper. Yan Duoduo is likely leaving himself some room to maneuver,” said a young man standing nearby with his hands behind his back. “Boss, both the Predators and the Cripple are asking for our stance. If Yan Duoduo goes hard, are we getting involved?”

“Which shop on Tongren Road is truly clean? If you ignore him going after the Cripple now, the next time he comes for us, no one will stop him,” the middle-aged man replied indifferently. “If he wants to go, let him. We’ll act accordingly.”

“Understood.”

Not far away, inside a five-story ordinary hotel, the head of the Predator Alliance in Shanghai gave quiet orders. “Support the Cripple. At least on Tongren Road, we can’t let the Vigil Keepers do whatever they want.”

“Got it,” replied a woman as she left.

Atop a signal tower over thirty meters high on Tongren Road, a shadow perched on the slender iron frame, legs dangling in the air, her expression excited. “Didn’t expect this pet trainer to have some bite!”

Next to her, Eggy, a member of the Fraudulent Merchants Association clung to a support column, trembling as he stared at the solid ground below. He desperately wanted to climb down but couldn’t muster the courage to suggest it.

“…That Huang Wei and Ren Ye… neither of them are good people!” Eggy muttered grudgingly, still holding a grudge. “Last time I sold them information at the bathhouse, and in the end… I still had to pay for their tickets!”

“Huang Wei really isn’t a good person,” the shadow agreed with a nod.

…

As the Vigil Keepers from Qingfu District marched boldly toward the Stray Dogs Bar on Tongren Road, spectators began emerging from the surrounding storefronts. They were a motley crowd, their gazes filled with excitement, resentment, hostility… or calm detachment.

The streets quickly became lively as people poured out to watch the commotion.

Ren Ye ignored the onlookers and strode straight to the entrance of the Stray Dogs Bar.

“Whoosh!”

A dozen men and women emerged, one of them smiling as he spoke. “Vigil Keepers here to relax on Tongren Road too?”

“Step, step…!”

The two squads from Qingfu District spread out instantly, blocking the front and rear exits.

Ren Ye walked up to the bar’s entrance and said flatly to the group, “Move.”

“Whoosh!”

Another dozen people streamed out from inside, blocking the main door entirely.

“We don’t do business with Vigil Keepers,” said the leader, his eyes suddenly turning deep and hollow as a wave of bloodthirsty energy emanated from his body. “Tonight is a dark-themed party. No lights inside, and everyone in there is crazy. I advise you not to go in—”

“Shing!”

A flash of light erupted as an ornate and ancient greatsword materialized in Ren Ye’s hand.

Despite currently lacking any profession traits, Ren Ye raised his head sharply and glared at the man. “Move!!!”

…

On the third floor, the Cripple slowly stood up, his usual calm and composure gone. He even abandoned his cigar. “Stop wasting time! I just want to know—did they respond or not? Are we doing this or not?!”