40: Are you deaf?

Tianyun District.

Inside the office of the Spiritual Energy Bureau's Garrison Squad, the air was thick with the strange smell of instant noodles mixed with low-quality air freshener.

The old fan blades emitted a listless hum.

Two Special Agents, wearing uniforms with their collars wide open, sat side by side, staring intently at a computer screen.

Light and shadow flickered on the screen, accompanied by bursts of exaggerated electronic sound effects and cheap laughter.

"Hahaha, this streamer is too funny! Send her a Cloud-Piercing Arrow and watch her do a handstand while washing her hair!"

One of the Special Agents, with slightly curly hair, doubled over with laughter, repeatedly slapping the desk.

"I'm telling you, this new female streamer has some talent. She's better-looking than the one from yesterday."

The other Square-faced Agent grinned, clutching an unfinished bag of potato chips in his hand, crumbs falling all over the floor.

They were completely immersed in their own world, appearing indifferent to everything around them.

Just then, the office door was gently pushed open.

A young man and a young woman walked in.

Their uniforms were crisp and meticulous, looking completely out of place in this lazy atmosphere.

The boy looked to be in his early twenties, his face still showing some youthful greenness, with a hint of nervousness and restraint in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, seemingly psyching himself up.

He stood up straight and raised his hand in a standard salute.

"Hello, Seniors!"

His voice wasn't loud, but in this environment that wasn't particularly noisy, it was clear enough.

"We are First-Level Agents here to assist with the investigation. My name is Wu Jiahao, and this is my partner, Zhao Xinyi."

However, the two Special Agents from the Garrison Squad acted as if they hadn't heard a thing.

Their eyes remained glued to the screen, the smiles on their faces not fading in the slightest.

The giggling from the computer made Wu Jiahao's voice seem incredibly thin.

An atmosphere of awkwardness filled the air.

Wu Jiahao's saluting arm froze in mid-air, neither putting it down nor keeping it up.

Beside him, Zhao Xinyi, a girl with shoulder-length short hair, also looked at a loss.

She exchanged a glance with Wu Jiahao, her eyes filled with a bit of embarrassment.

She took a small, cautious step forward, preparing to speak again to break the suffocating silence.

"Um, Seniors..."

"Swoosh—!"

An extremely sharp sound of something piercing the air suddenly rang out.

A faint red thread flashed through the air, carrying a lethal, fierce aura as it streaked directly toward the two Special Agents.

The next instant.

"Crack—!"

A harsh cracking sound rang out.

The computer screen playing the livestream, along with the alloy desk beneath it, was sliced cleanly in half.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, even reflecting the pale lights on the ceiling.

Half of the monitor slid off and crashed heavily onto the floor, the screen shattering instantly with a dull thud.

The lively sound of the livestream came to an abrupt halt.

The entire office fell into a deathly silence.

A cold and indifferent voice drifted from behind Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi.

"Someone is talking to you. Are you deaf?"

The voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure, each word feeling like a strike against the heart.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi whipped their heads around, only then realizing that someone else had appeared behind them at some point.

A man dressed in casual clothes.

It was Chen Nian.

He had entered unnoticed, standing there quietly as if merging with the shadows.

It wasn't until this moment that the two Special Agents from the Garrison Squad finally reacted.

Their laughter was still frozen on their faces, now twisting into shock and rage.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The Special Agent with slightly curly hair sprang up from his chair and roared at Chen Nian.

"Do you have any idea where you are? You dare to make a move here?!"

He looked at his halved computer and desk, his facial muscles twitching in distress.

The other Square-faced Agent also stood up, the flesh on his face trembling with anger. "Just because you call us, we have to respond? Can't you see I'm busy?"

He looked Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi up and down, his eyes full of disdain.

"Mere First-Level Agents, so undisciplined right from the start. Is this how you treat your Seniors? You want to be Spiritual Energy Bureau Agents? A bunch of trash!"

Seeing this, Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi were completely at a loss, clearly having never experienced such a situation.

They stood there blankly, their minds going empty, not knowing at all how to handle the situation before them.

They were only here to assist with the investigation; how had it turned into this the moment they walked in?

This was completely different from what they had learned at the Spiritual Energy Bureau.

The two Garrison Agents clearly had no intention of letting it go.

Closing in from both sides, they slowly approached Chen Nian, their faces wearing hideous expressions of rage.

"I think you guys really need to be taught a lesson!" The Square-faced Agent clenched his fists, his knuckles making a sharp crackling sound.

The Special Agent with slightly curly hair was even more direct.

A cruel smile appeared on his face as he said viciously:

"If I don't teach you a lesson, you newcomers won't know how high the sky is! I'm going to teach you right now what it means to respect your Seniors!"

Before he finished speaking, a faint blue glow appeared on his palm.

That was a sign of Spiritual Energy being mobilized.

Carrying this not-too-powerful Spiritual Energy, he swung his hand toward Chen Nian's cheek without hesitation.

This slap wasn't fast, and its force wasn't enough to cause serious injury.

But that Spiritual Energy was enough to make a First-Level Agent's bones ache and easily cause some flesh wounds.

Moreover, the intent to humiliate in this strike was clearly far greater than the actual damage.

It seemed this was his usual way of showing newcomers who was boss.

Using this method to establish his so-called "Senior" status.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi's hearts instantly leaped into their throats, and Zhao Xinyi even let out a subconscious cry.

However, facing this aggressive slap, Chen Nian didn't even bat an eye.

The corner of his mouth merely curled into a contemptuous arc.

The Special Agent hadn't even gotten close yet.

But Chen Nian moved.

His movements were so fast they were just a blur.

He struck second but arrived first, accurately grabbing the Special Agent's swinging wrist.

"You..."

The Special Agent's expression changed, and he was about to say something.

The next second, an irresistible, terrifying force came from Chen Nian's hand.

"Crack—!!!"

A sound of bone breaking, even more horrifying and crisp than the desk breaking earlier, echoed through the entire office.

Chen Nian held his wrist and forcefully twisted it 180 degrees at an inconceivable angle.

The Special Agent's arm took on a bizarre, twisted shape like a fried dough twist.

Bleached white broken bone even pierced the skin, exposed to the air as blood instantly gushed out.

"Aaaaaah—!!!"

A shrill scream, barely sounding human, erupted from the Special Agent's throat.

The intense pain twisted his entire face, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

But it wasn't over yet; Chen Nian's eyes were cold, without a shred of pity.

He raised his foot and, the moment the Special Agent bent over screaming, delivered another kick.

"Bang—!"

This kick landed solidly on the other's chest.

The Special Agent's body instantly flew backward like a tattered sack.

He traced a parabola in the air, crashing heavily against the far wall.

"Pfft—!"

He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground in front of him red. After a couple of twitches, he passed out.