Chapter 192 - 191: The Decisive Punch
Chapter 192: Chapter 191: The Decisive Punch
"Captain Li, this Young Master Wu isn’t what you think..."
It was impossible to explain things to the hundred-odd Linwei Guards chattering outside, but faced with a single Captain inside, Li Qi still wanted to try.
But before he could finish, he felt a hand clap his shoulder. The words he was about to say were cut off by Wu Chen, who was standing beside him.
"Let’s go."
Li Qi froze for a moment, not understanding why Wu Chen wouldn’t let him explain on his behalf.
But he quickly understood. Rather than offer a pile of explanations no one would believe, it was better to earn merit through one’s own abilities. That would be far more convincing.
Besides, with Wu Chen’s abilities, earning merit in the Demon Suppression Bureau shouldn’t be difficult at all.
"Captain Li, we’ll be taking our leave then," Li Qi said, cupping his fist in his palm.
Li Youtao nodded. "Go on. Take him and get him familiar with the city."
"Yes, sir!"
Li Qi nodded, accepted the order, and turned to leave. But as he reached the doorway, he realized something was wrong.
The space beside him was empty.
Looking back, he saw that Wu Chen hadn’t followed him.
Instead, Wu Chen had wandered over to an empty section of wall by the door and was carefully studying something.
The entire wall in front of Wu Chen was covered with densely packed sheets of paper, all of which were missions from the Demon Suppression Bureau.
The missions were divided into four grades—A, B, C, and D. The higher the grade, the greater the difficulty and the higher the required cultivation realm.
However, the Linwei Guards weren’t qualified to choose these missions themselves.
Typically, a Captain from the Demon Suppression Bureau would select a mission and then come to the Linwei Garrison to pick personnel.
The missions were posted here simply to give the Linwei Guards who met the realm requirements a chance to prepare in advance.
Most of the time, however, the Captains preferred to work with Demon Suppression Guards or other Captains, rather than choose from the Linwei, a group of martial artists from all walks of life with inconsistent skill levels.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many Linwei Guards standing around with nothing to do.
"Why aren’t there any Grade-A or Grade-B missions?"
Wu Chen scanned the missions but found none that were suitable for him.
The top two rows, where Grade-A and Grade-B missions should be, were empty, without a single mission posted.
As for the bottom two rows, there were plenty of Grade-C and Grade-D missions posted, but many of them were already completed.
The reason Wu Chen knew they were completed was because he had just recently delivered the heads of the villains from those missions to the Demon Suppression Bureau himself.
The postings simply hadn’t been taken down yet.
Just as he was earnestly searching for a mission, Li Youtao’s irate voice echoed from within the room:
"I’ll tell you one more time: your job is to patrol the streets!"
"These missions have nothing to do with you!"
His warning was as biting as a winter wind. He watched the figure standing before the mission wall, his eyes narrowed and flashing with extreme impatience.
Just a moment ago, the young man had readily agreed to patrol the streets. He’d even thought a little more highly of him for it, thinking that at least he wouldn’t stir up trouble and get people killed.
’All I have to do is hold my nose and endure it for two or three months, and then he’ll be gone.’
’Just have to get through it.’
But he never expected the young man to only pay lip service before turning right around to look at the missions posted on the wall.
Looking was one thing, but then he had to look down on the simple Grade-C and Grade-D missions, even muttering about there being no Grade-A or Grade-B missions.
’He’s deliberately picking out the hardest ones!’
"A spoiled brat is a spoiled brat!"
Li Youtao snorted coldly, any favorable impression he had of Wu Chen completely gone. His hands under the desk clenched and unclenched into fists; he wished he could just strike down this arrogant scion of a noble house who didn’t know his own limits.
’After all, if I really let him choose a Grade-A or Grade-B mission and then lead a group of Linwei Guards out...’
’With the way these scions treat the Linwei Guards as disposable, nine times out of ten, the men he took with him would perish out there.’
"Let’s go, Brother Wu!"
"Once you’ve been here a few days and people know your face, it won’t be too late to talk about missions then."
Feeling the increasingly biting chill in the room, Li Qi knew that Wu Chen’s actions had inadvertently offended the upright Captain Li. He quickly jogged over and started pulling Wu Chen toward the door.
’If it’s true, like the other Linwei Guards said, that Wu Chen’s realm was built up with his family’s backing, piled high with countless gold and silver, then it wouldn’t be a huge problem for him to kill low-level demons or the villains on the wanted list.’
’The problem is, this Captain Li before us is a genuine Mid Stage Blood Coagulation Realm expert who has honed his physique through arduous training. He’s killed a handful of Blood Coagulation Realm demons with his own hands.’
Therefore, in Li Qi’s view, if the two of them really came to blows, Wu Chen would not necessarily come out on top.
After all, the essence cultivated by nurturing with medicinal herbs and the essence condensed by forging one’s physique might seem the same, but in reality, the power they contained was incomparable. The former was completely inferior to the latter.
Even if someone of the former type had a higher realm, they wouldn’t gain any advantage in a real fight against someone of the latter type.
After all, shortcuts taken with silver coins and family background would eventually have to be paid for elsewhere.
Li Qi endured the Captain’s pressure, lowered his head, and tried to drag Wu Chen out of the room, but he couldn’t budge him.
He felt as if Wu Chen were a giant boulder rooted in a mountain; no amount of force he exerted could move him in the slightest.
"..."
Wu Chen ignored Li Qi. Instead, he turned to face the Captain inside the room and finally couldn’t resist speaking up.
"Captain Li, does the Demon Suppression Bureau never assign us Grade-A or Grade-B missions?"
He used a joking tone, trying to diffuse the awkward atmosphere in the room. "It’s like they’re completely looking down on us Linwei Guards."
"To restore the glory of the Linwei Garrison is our generation’s undeniable duty!"
"We have to find a way to get our hands on a couple of Grade-A or Grade-B missions!"
"You..."
The moment these words were spoken, Li Qi felt his scalp go numb with horror.
’Captain Li told you to patrol the streets precisely because he doesn’t want you getting involved in these missions. Just now, he even explicitly told you not to think about the Grade-A and B missions. But you! You just had to keep pushing, not even sparing a glance for the Grade-C and D missions, and instead fixating on the Grade-A and B ones of all things!’
’I used to think Wu Chen was a steady and measured person. Now it seems the arrogance of these scions is carved into their very bones!’
"Arrogance! Since when does the glory of the Linwei Garrison depend on the words of a spoiled brat like you!"
Just as Li Qi had expected, upon hearing these words, Li Youtao, who was sitting behind his desk, suddenly slammed his hand on the surface and shot to his feet. A sharp light bloomed in his eyes as his aura surged directly toward Wu Chen.
The powerful aura of the Blood Coagulation Realm spread out, making the entire room feel like a swamp where even breathing became difficult.
"Young Master Wu... Captain Li... Please, let’s talk this out! Don’t fight!"
Li Qi gritted his teeth and forced out the words, enduring the immense pressure.
’If they really fight, Li Youtao will surely be held accountable by the Demon Suppression Bureau afterward, and Wu Chen might end up getting injured on his very first day on the job. As for me, caught in this overwhelming aura that makes it hard to even move, I’ll probably get caught in the crossfire.’
So,
’Could you at least wait until I’m far away before you start fighting!’
"Grade-A and B missions are not something you can handle!"
"Leave now, and I’ll pretend I heard nothing."
"I hope you make the wise choice."
Li Youtao suppressed his anger. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times before feeling a bit calmer, deciding to give Wu Chen one last chance.
’After all, missions like that are a huge danger to the Linwei Guards, and they also pose a certain risk to this arrogant young master who doesn’t know his place.’
"..."
Wu Chen felt rather helpless.
’If there are no missions, then what’s the point of me coming to the Demon Suppression Bureau? Should I resign now? But wouldn’t that seem even more like a provocation to the Demon Suppression Bureau? After all, I only joined less than an hour ago.’
After thinking it over, Wu Chen decided that it was more appropriate to press the issue of the missions.
’For one, it’ll give me something to do and allow me to quickly accumulate merit to exchange for Leakless Realm Martial Arts. For another, I need to quickly prove my abilities. Of course, I disdain the very idea of having to prove myself, but it’s a matter of "one punch to avoid a hundred." Once I demonstrate my capabilities, no one will question me when I continue to take on Grade-A and B missions.’
With that in mind, he looked calmly at Li Youtao behind the desk and said flatly:
"Captain Li, I believe I am qualified to accept these Grade-A and B missions."
"Heh, you stubborn fool. Die!"
After demanding extremely dangerous missions again and again, Li Youtao finally couldn’t hold back any longer. The temper he had suppressed for so long completely erupted.
His figure blurred as he shot forward, his palm thrusting out. A dense aura gathered in his palm, and he ruthlessly struck toward Wu Chen’s chest.