4: Chapter 4 Scapegoat

At 5:30 in the morning, the slums of District F in Canglan Base City were still shrouded in a thin gray mist.

Su Wu sat at a dilapidated wooden table. Before him sat a bowl of thin porridge, a small dish of pickled vegetables, and a few eggs. Su Yu kept his head down, mechanically stuffing food into his mouth. The redness and swelling on his cheeks from last night had subsided slightly, but the bruising appeared even more shocking under the morning light.

"Don't worry about the martial arts exam registration. At school, focus your mind on your martial arts training. As for the rest, your father is here." Su Wu's voice was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable weight.

Su Yu stopped his chopsticks and looked up at his father.

He felt that his father seemed different today. Those eyes, which were usually clouded from staying up late, were now as deep as an ancient well, making them impossible to read.

However, he simply took it as his father trying to comfort him. He gave a soft "mm" in response, a flash of helpless determination flickering in the depths of his eyes.

"I'm leaving."

Su Wu stood up and casually picked up his faded gray work jacket.

The moment he stepped over the threshold, his back was no longer hunched as it usually was. Although he tried his best to restrain his aura as a Great Grandmaster, every inch of muscle and every bone radiated a steady rhythm as solid as a mountain.

Now, he had two goals. First, to hold up the sky for his son so he could continue down the path of martial arts; second, to use this reborn power to find his wife and daughter.

...

The six o'clock commuter train emitted a dull roar as it wove through the gaps in the steel forest.

When Su Wu stepped through the gates of the District F City Defense Management Office, his sharp senses immediately detected an abnormality in the atmosphere.

The air was thick with a scent of anxiety and unease.

Normally at this time, everyone would be busy changing shifts or complaining about the food in the canteen. But today, many people were gathered in small groups in the shadows, whispering to each other with eyes full of terror.

"Old Su! You're finally here!"

A figure quickly emerged from the crowd; it was Old Zhang, Su Wu's old partner in the squad. His face, weathered by years of wind and sand, was currently filled with anxiety. He pulled Su Wu into a deserted corner and lowered his voice. "Old Su, something big has happened! Have you heard?"

Su Wu's expression remained indifferent. "What happened?"

Old Zhang stamped his feet in frustration, spit flying as he spoke. "Last night, near the section of the wall we were guarding, a Shadow Cat Beast sneaked into the base city! That beast entered the wealthy district and mauled the only son of a noble family to death! I heard it's a relative of some big shot in the Inner City. The higher-ups are furious and want to turn the City Defense Force responsible for that defensive line upside down!"

"I was on duty with you last night. Not a single brick fell from that section of the wall. It shouldn't have anything to do with us," Su Wu replied calmly.

"My dear brother! Don't you understand?" Old Zhang slapped his thigh, his voice trembling. "Liang Qi asked you to cover his shift last night, so on paper, it was still his group on duty. Now that a noble is dead, Liang Qi's uncle, Liang Jianmin, will definitely protect his nephew. If they push the responsibility onto us people with no background—saying we were derelict in our duties or concealed military information—that's a capital offense!"

Before Old Zhang could finish, a cold voice rang out from the City Defense Hall's broadcast system:

"All personnel on duty from the Third Battalion, proceed to the briefing room immediately for investigation! Violators will be dealt with according to military law!"

Old Zhang was scared out of his wits. He pulled at Su Wu, ready to leave. "Quick, Old Su, we need to find a way to get our stories straight..."

Su Wu gently pushed Old Zhang's hand away, his gaze shifting toward the upper floors of the office building.

"You go ahead. I have my own business to attend to."

"Hey! Old Su, where are you going? The Captain's office is that way!" Old Zhang shouted in a hushed voice from behind him, but Su Wu didn't even look back.

Since the world had changed, he was done working this job as a punching bag.

...

The Captain's Office.

The door was tightly shut, but Su Wu's hearing could clearly capture the conversation inside. He didn't knock, instead pushing the door open and walking straight in.

Creak—

The two people inside the office whipped their heads around.

The middle-aged man, Liang Jianmin, was flipping through the shift schedule with a grim expression. Meanwhile, Liang Qi was huddled in a chair, his face pale. He hadn't even taken off his expensive nano-combat suit, and his collar still carried the scent of alcohol from fooling around at 'Elysium' last night.

Seeing Su Wu barge in, Liang Jianmin's face instantly darkened to the extreme. He slammed his hand on the desk. "Su Wu! Who let you in? Get out and get to your post!"

"I'm here to resign." Su Wu got straight to the point. There wasn't a hint of humility in his tone; instead, he looked at Liang Jianmin with a level gaze that made the man feel uneasy.

"Resign?" Liang Jianmin was stunned for a moment, then he laughed out of sheer anger, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. "Su Wu, do you think my office is a wet market? You think you can come and go as you please? Something huge happened in the defensive zone last night—a Vicious Beast infiltrated and a noble was killed! And you were the one covering the shift last night!"

When Liang Qi heard the word "resign," he was startled at first, but then it was as if he had caught a life-saving straw. He jumped up and pointed at Su Wu's nose, cursing loudly:

"Right! Uncle! Although I let Old Su help me out for a bit last night, it was because I trusted him. It must be him! He must have let the beast in on purpose to frame me, to get revenge for my usual strict requirements! Su Wu, you're so cold-hearted—to set me up, you actually disregarded the safety of the entire city's citizens!"

The more Liang Qi spoke, the more excited he became, even convincing himself. A twisted sense of pleasure appeared on his face.

"Damn it, you lowly commoner, you want me dead, don't you?" Liang Qi rushed in front of Su Wu, raising his hand to deliver a slap. "I'll cripple you first!"

Su Wu stood his ground, not even lifting an eyelid.

In the vision of a Great Grandmaster, Liang Qi's movements at the Early Stage of the Qi and Blood Realm were as slow as a crawling snail.

Just as Liang Qi's palm was about to touch Su Wu, a wisp of energy—so faint it was almost imperceptible—rippled out from Su Wu's body.

Bang!

Before Liang Qi could understand what was happening, he felt as if he had crashed into an invisible wall of reinforced concrete. He was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the office's filing cabinet, sending a cascade of documents fluttering to the floor.

"You... you dare to fight back?" Liang Qi clutched his chest, looking at Su Wu in terror.

Liang Jianmin also stood up, a trace of suspicion and alarm appearing in his eyes. He was a master of the Innate Realm, yet he hadn't been able to see how Su Wu had made his move just now.

"Su Wu, are you planning to resist the investigation?" Liang Jianmin's voice was low, carrying the pressure of a superior. "Resign? Until last night's case is closed, you aren't going anywhere. If you confess now and say that your momentary negligence allowed the beast to slip in, perhaps I can spare your life for the sake of being an old employee. Otherwise..."

Su Wu gave a light chuckle.

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise, your son Su Yu, who attends the First High School, might not be able to successfully participate in the martial arts college entrance exam," Liang Jianmin said slowly, his tone full of threat. "After all, the son of a suspect won't pass the background check."

In that instant, Su Wu's eyes became extremely cold.

He could ignore the framing of these ants, but he could not tolerate anyone using his son's future as a bargaining chip.

"Captain Liang, I advise you to swallow those words back down."

As Su Wu took a step forward, a wild wind suddenly whipped through the originally calm office. The window glass emitted an overburdened creak at that moment.

Liang Jianmin felt as if his heart were being stared down by an ancient behemoth. His True Qi actually ground to a halt at this moment.

"You... who exactly are you?" Cold sweat poured down Liang Jianmin's face. He tried to stand firm, but found his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Just then, the office's internal telephone suddenly rang, breaking the deathly standoff.

Liang Jianmin tremblingly picked up the phone. An urgent voice came from the other end: "Captain Liang! This is bad! The Inner City Inspection Team has already reached the gate! They said they're taking away everyone directly responsible for the District F patrol last night, especially the team leader, Liang Qi!"

Liang Jianmin's hand shook, and the phone dropped onto the desk.

He glanced at his nephew, who was like a pile of limp mud, then looked at the unfathomable Su Wu before him.

As long as Su Wu was still part of the City Defense Force, as long as he could get Su Wu to "confess" or take all responsibility before that, his nephew could be cleared of any connection.

"Su Wu, since you want to resign, I can sign it. But before that, you have to do one last thing for me." Liang Jianmin bit his teeth, a desperate madness flashing in his eyes. "Go to the Inspection Team and take the fall for this. I'll give you a sum of money you could never earn in your lifetime, enough for your son to report to a martial arts university in a large base city outside. How about it?"

Su Wu looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"It seems that these years of living at the bottom have truly given you all a delusion."

In a flash, he appeared before Liang Qi. Right in front of Liang Jianmin, he directly snapped both of the younger man's legs!

"AAAHHH!" Liang Qi's pig-like squealing echoed through the entire room.

Liang Jianmin was completely stunned. What could he do? It seemed he really couldn't beat this middle-aged man in front of him!

Immediately following that, Su Wu walked up to Liang Jianmin.

"There is indeed no need to stay in such a rotten City Defense Bureau. As for your so-called inspection, your so-called scapegoat..."

"Whoever dares to stop me, I will kill."

"As for you." Su Wu slapped Liang Jianmin across the face. "Since you dared to do this, I hope that Commander boss of yours can protect that dog head of yours."

Boom!

Liang Jianmin fell heavily to the ground, his face burning.

Su Wu turned and walked out the door. The two heavy alloy doors of the squad office actually couldn't withstand the residual energy and collapsed with a crash.

Liang Jianmin slumped on the floor, drenched in sweat. Only after Su Wu's aura had completely vanished did he manage to catch his breath. His eyes were full of resentment. "Arrogant! So what if you're a hidden expert? This Canglan City is surnamed Wang, not Su! You want to resign? Fine, I'll let you go, but I'll make sure you die without a place to be buried!"

He stood up, tremblingly picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello, Lord Commander?"