Zhou Zhengde, who was protecting an "important witness" in the witness protection room on the thirteenth floor, was stunned when he heard the news from his team member.
What do you mean, one person beat up more than ten people?
The witness protection room was about the same size as a regular single room, and Wei Na naturally heard the shouts from the team members. She still looked pale, clearly not fully recovered from the earlier shooting, and quietly asked, "A group of thugs beat up Mu Liang?"
"It's hard to tell who hit whom right now. Both sides are injured badly, and they ran several streets away, causing a lot of people to pay attention."
The team member frowned as he looked at Wei Na and continued reporting to Zhou Zhengde: "Captain! Some of the thugs have connections in our team. The leader is called 'Lan Yuzai,' and he's seriously injured. When we arrived, his clothes were soaked in blood, and he has already been sent to the hospital next door for treatment!"
"What happened?"
Zhou Zhengde cleared his throat and said, "Doctor Wei Na, please continue to rest. Your testimony is very helpful for our investigation into this illegal weapons case. Thank you for your cooperation. We'll go take a look outside!"
Zhou Zhengde turned and quickly left.
Wei Na called out, "Could it be related to the Black Fire Gang? Did they go after Mu Liang because they couldn't find me?"
"Let's hope not."
Zhou Zhengde replied quietly, and the heavy alloy door of the witness room was shut firmly.
...
The headquarters of the security team on the thirteenth floor was right next to the central passage.
There was a circular plaza here, with several official institutions from the thirteenth floor tightly arranged around it.
In the center of the plaza was an elevator shaft surrounded by thick concrete walls, with three entrances leading to the central passage elevator shaft. The main elevator entrance was directly opposite the security team's headquarters.
The fortress officials did not prohibit the public from using the passage, but using the central passage cost 10 credits each time, while the other passages and elevators, located in four directions, only cost 2 credits. This made the central passage a special route for official personnel.
—Government staff could use the fortress's public facilities for free.
—These elevators could not go directly to the lower city and had complete surveillance and automatic defense systems.
As a result, the central passage garden was seen as a "luxurious green area" reserved for the "management class," and it was rare for ordinary citizens to stroll around here.
Today was a bit different; the circular plaza on the thirteenth floor was very lively.
Earlier, the security team had mobilized heavily to arrest a group of young people fighting, which attracted many onlookers.
There was no way around it; the fortress had limited resources, and entertainment was banned inside, so fresh events were hard to come by.
Wang Jixuan sat on a bench next to the main entrance of the elevator shaft, flanked by two armed security team members.
In front of him, more than a dozen thugs were crouched down with their heads held, most of them sporting bruises and their hands tied with belts. The worst off was the leader, who was lying on a stretcher, covered in blood, being carried into the nearby hospital on the thirteenth floor.
Wang Jixuan believed he had acted with restraint, and that the other side wouldn't bleed too much and die, so this incident shouldn't provoke the authorities against him.
He had learned two new terms from Mu Liang's memories—justifiable defense and self-defense.
Wang Jixuan was feeling a bit frustrated.
He actually got lost...
The spell he used only lasted for a few breaths, and the layout of the passages was very similar. He ran too fast and couldn't tell the direction, turning around and ending up in the middle of these thugs’ circle.
These thugs were even more vicious than he expected. He applied the strategy of capturing the leader first and grabbed Lan Yuzai, but some of the others rushed up and hit him with metal pipes.
If he hadn't used the leader as a shield, he would have likely been seriously injured himself.
Heavens above!
He was a dignified person!
Forget it; a true hero doesn’t dwell on past bravery. After all, he had failed his tribulation and was only in the initial stage of making a comeback.
He could find his path back later.
Just then, Zhou Zhengde, the captain he had only seen once, hurried over.
Zhou Zhengde frowned as he glared at Wang Jixuan and the thugs on the ground.
"Lock them all up!"
Zhou Zhengde shouted in his deep voice, "Good-for-nothings! Not contributing anything to the fortress! Disturbing public order! Our security team on the thirteenth floor must severely punish these fighters!"
The onlookers nearby clapped sporadically.
Zhou Zhengde walked up to Wang Jixuan, frowned, and noticed that Wang Jixuan had several large bruises and his clothes were torn, yet he still sat up straight.
Zhou Zhengde felt an inexplicable sharpness from him.
"Let’s talk inside."
Immediately, a security team member stepped forward to put handcuffs on Wang Jixuan.
"No," Zhou Zhengde scolded, "He's a victim! Why put handcuffs on him? We don’t want the public writing complaints about our law enforcement!"
The team member quickly nodded and instead helped Wang Jixuan into the main entrance of the security office.
Half an hour later.
Zhou Zhengde leaned back in his office chair, rubbing his forehead.
Wang Jixuan sat on a hard metal bench, examining a large photo on the wall.
In the photo, Zhou Zhengde was wearing a crisp light blue uniform, receiving a medal from an old man’s hand.
That must have been Zhou Zhengde's moment of glory.
"Tsk," Zhou Zhengde said, ruffling his slicked-back hair and tossing the statement file onto the desk, "You did well. They had so many people attacking you, yet you didn’t get hurt much."
"I practiced free fighting secretly for a few years," Wang Jixuan replied sincerely.
"This thing of yours."
Zhou Zhengde picked up a thin metal pipe that had been placed on a sterilization tray, the sharpened end stained with blood.
"This can be considered an illegal weapon.
"But I can’t blame you; after being bullied for half a year, you’d want to find a way to fight back.
"Since we just helped each other, I’ll help you sort this trouble out. Those thugs have connections who came to plead for them. This incident won’t be reported. How does that sound?"
"That works," Wang Jixuan nodded, not asking for much from the authorities.
He had his own way to deal with it.
Zhou Zhengde wondered, "With your skills, why didn’t you fight back earlier?"
Testing the waters?
Wang Jixuan immediately lowered his head and sighed, "After choosing to step back once from being bullied, I never had the chance to fight back again."
"That’s true," Zhou Zhengde agreed, "I’ve seen too many similar situations. Your previous self-harm behavior is related to this, right? But this trouble will be bigger. According to what they said, a big boss from the Black Fire Gang directly found their leader, Lan Yuzai—the one you injured with that metal rod on his neck. Luckily, it was just a surface wound."
Wang Jixuan was puzzled, "Big boss?"
"A big boss usually refers to someone high up in the gang."
Zhou Zhengde tapped the table with his finger:
"You have no idea how powerful the Black Fire Gang is. They are one of the seven major gangs in the lower city. The lower city is chaotic, but there are some... very precious resources, and each of these gangs has a complex background.
"The Black Fire Gang is involved in organ trafficking, as Wei Na has already told you."
Wang Jixuan asked, "Isn’t that something you all prohibit?"
"Of course, it’s prohibited! The law completely forbids it!"
Zhou Zhengde shrugged:
"Guess how many people in this fortress can afford to trade organs? And what positions some of them hold?
"From what I know, there are a few old guys in the fortress's security bureau who have shady dealings with the Black Fire Gang.
"The Black Fire Gang is just a dirty glove."
Wang Jixuan understood.
So this is what they call officials and criminals being in cahoots? He was gaining some insight.
"I really don’t want to get involved."
Zhou Zhengde sighed:
"My life is great right now. I have a conservative girlfriend, a decent job, and about two hundred subordinates I can mobilize directly.
"But Wei Na... you know, she’s a friend I can’t stop worrying about, my best friend.
"The Black Fire Gang doesn’t stop until they achieve their goals; otherwise, they feel they’ve lost their prestige, and their status is shaken. The investigation into the death of that guy, Hua, is already on the boss of the Black Fire Gang's desk.
"Wei Na acted in self-defense, in every sense of the term.
"But both you and Wei Na will be targets for their retaliation.
"That Hua is the younger brother of the big boss of the Black Fire Gang, and that’s the biggest trouble."
Wang Jixuan fell silent, thinking.
Boss, it seems to mean the gang leader.
"I can only help you for a while," Zhou Zhengde sighed, "I’ll arrange for you to move to a safe house. When you go out later, try to wear a hat and a mask. If that doesn’t work, wear a helmet. Many people in the security team have connections to the lower city. I just became the captain not long ago, and I can’t guarantee how long you’ll be safe. That’s all I can do."
Wang Jixuan nodded, looking at the tired captain in front of him, and said, "I owe you a favor."
"Ha! I look forward to you repaying that favor!"
Zhou Zhengde tried to say this without laughing:
"I'm not just here to talk.
"I have another suggestion... Although this conflict was self-defense, I could classify it as a fight and have you spend two months in the detention room..."
"No need for that."
Wang Jixuan shook his head; he didn’t like the idea of going to jail and smiled, "I’ll just hide for now. If I can’t hide anymore, then I’ll deal with it."
"Alright, suit yourself."
Zhou Zhengde opened a drawer and took out a button-sized alarm device, tossing it to Wang Jixuan.
"If you encounter danger, press it three times. It will flash red on its own, and I’ll send someone over immediately."
"Thank you."
Wang Jixuan habitually cupped his hands in gratitude.
Zhou Zhengde tilted his head, looking at his gesture, then thought it might just be a quirky habit of young people and didn’t dwell on it.
The Black Fire Gang has territory, henchmen, and a lot of firearms in the lower city. No matter how much he advised, it wouldn’t help; he was already overwhelmed trying to protect Wei Na, with the Black Fire Gang constantly pressuring him through various connections.
For this young man, Zhou Zhengde felt he had done all he could.
"A favor owed to me?"
Zhou Zhengde chuckled dismissively.
"Quite a character."
...
The next day.
Near the central plaza, in the security team's safe house.
Wang Jixuan took off his cap and mask, which cost 3 credits each, and placed two large bags of emergency food on the table.
To be safe, he didn’t go back to get his clothes, as several groups of thugs were already searching for him in this area.
The thugs on each floor were extensions of the Black Fire Gang's power in the lower city.
The trusted aide of Captain Zhou, who brought Wang Jixuan here, told him he could stay here for a maximum of two months.
The safe house was no different from a regular single room, except for a camera in the corner.
Though it was broken.
Wang Jixuan quickly took off his shirt and accurately threw it over the camera, then went to the washbasin to wash himself thoroughly, trying to absorb spiritual energy as quickly as possible.
In the mirror, this young man was so thin that his ribs were visible, and most of the bruises on his body had faded.
Wang Jixuan let out a gentle breath, then walked over to the single bed in just his underwear, quickly forming a hand seal and sitting in a meditative pose.
Although cultivation here was slow, persistence was key.
'Did I fail my tribulation last time because I lacked heart training in the mortal world?'
'Well, it’s fine.'
'The Black Fire Gang does evil and harms lives. I should act on behalf of heaven and protect my path!'
'But I need to cultivate first; at the very least, I should reach the Qi Refining stage.'
(End of Chapter)