92: I've had enough! Am I here to go to jail?

The transport plane, amidst turbulence, slowly descended.

“Clang—”

The fuselage made a loud noise as it touched the ground.

The hatch opened.

A cold wind, strong enough to knock a person over, poured into the cabin.

Lin Yuan had just been jolted awake from his dream of “paid leave” when the cold wind made him shiver.

He tightened his combat uniform around himself and looked at Su Wanqing opposite him.

“Is this what you meant by ‘picturesque scenery’?”

Su Wanqing didn’t answer, merely walked down the gangway first, her posture still straight in the strong wind.

Lin Yuan pouted and followed her.

The tarmac was empty.

Only a young Dragon Shield Bureau member, dressed in a standard winter uniform, stood ramrod straight in the snow, seemingly having waited for a long time.

Seeing them descend, the member immediately ran over and saluted.

“Reporting, officers! Dragon Shield Bureau C-17 Outpost, D-rank resident personnel, Zhou Kai, ordered to welcome you!”

His voice was loud, but Lin Yuan could detect a hint of nervousness within it.

And… just him?

He was, after all, a newly appointed “Supervising Officer.” Was this all the pomp he got? Not even a welcome banner?

“Thank you for your trouble,” Su Wanqing nodded.

Lin Yuan, however, leaned in and, with a familiar gesture, patted Zhou Kai’s shoulder.

“Little brother, don’t be so serious,” he asked with a grin, “How’s the food in your cafeteria here? Is it convenient to get extra meals at night? Do you have Wi-Fi?”

Zhou Kai was taken aback by his actions, his expression somewhat stiff.

“Reporting, officer… the cafeteria is outsourced, run by the Qin Family… Wi-Fi… there’s a local area network inside the fortress…”

His answers were stammering, his eyes darting around, not daring to meet Lin Yuan’s gaze.

“Enough,” Su Wanqing interrupted Lin Yuan’s idle chatter, “Take us to our quarters.”

“Yes! Officer!”

Zhou Kai, as if granted a reprieve, immediately turned and led the way.

The three walked into the fortress.

Unlike the desolate, icy exterior, the fortress interior was brightly lit and well-heated.

The corridors were wide, and at regular intervals, there were guards standing sentry, armed with live ammunition.

But Lin Yuan keenly noticed.

Although these guards’ uniforms were generally of the Dragon Shield Bureau style, their armbands bore an additional seal script character: “Qin.”

Their gaze towards Zhou Kai was indifferent, but when they swept over Lin Yuan and Su Wanqing, it carried a hint of scrutiny.

Zhou Kai kept his head down, walking quickly, not saying a word.

Lin Yuan followed behind, the ominous feeling in his heart growing stronger.

This was no Dragon Shield Bureau outpost.

This was clearly a private castle belonging to the Qin Family.

Soon, Zhou Kai stopped in front of a large door.

“Officers, this is the Supervising Officer’s dormitory arranged for both of you, a high-security independent suite.”

He swiped open the access control and stepped aside.

The space inside was large, with a living room, bedroom, and independent bathroom, all fully equipped. The facilities were also new, appearing to have been recently tidied.

“Mm,” Su Wanqing nodded.

Zhou Kai immediately stood at attention and saluted.

“Officers, if there are no other instructions, I will take my leave!”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Lin Yuan’s voice came from behind him.

Zhou Kai’s body visibly stiffened.

He turned around, forcing a smile uglier than a cry.

“Officer… is there anything else?”

“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave,” Lin Yuan leaned against the doorframe, slowly asking, “I’ve just arrived, completely in the dark. Tell me about the situation.”

“For example, where is the outpost’s command center? I need to review recent energy fluctuation records.”

“Also, give me a copy of the shift schedule. I need to get to know my subordinates, right?”

“Oh, right, you just said you’re a D-rank resident personnel. So who is the highest-ranking person here? Have him come see me.”

Lin Yuan’s string of questions made Zhou Kai’s face turn pale.

His lips trembled, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes darted around nervously, not daring to look at Lin Yuan.

“This… this…”

“Officer… the situation here… is a bit special…”

“The command center… is managed by the Qin Family…”

“Personnel deployment… is also handled by the Qin Family…”

“The highest-ranking person here… is the Qin Family Patriarch, Mr. Qin Shan…”

Zhou Kai’s voice grew softer and softer, almost inaudible by the end.

Lin Yuan’s smile slowly disappeared.

“You mean,” he asked, enunciating each word, “that I, a Dragon Shield Bureau officially appointed ‘Supervising Officer,’ am essentially just a decoration here?”

“This subordinate wouldn’t dare!”

Zhou Kai trembled in fear, his knees went weak, and he almost fell to his knees.

“Officer, please don’t make things difficult for me… I… I’m just a messenger… I don’t know anything!”

He said, almost pleadingly looking at Lin Yuan and Su Wanqing.

“Alright, you can go.”

Su Wanqing finally spoke.

Zhou Kai, as if granted a great pardon, scrambled away.

The door slowly closed.

Silence fell in the room.

“Damn it!”

Lin Yuan finally couldn’t hold back, kicking the nearby wall.

A muffled “thud” echoed.

The alloy wall remained unmoved.

“This is outrageous!” He paced back and forth in the living room, “That old fox! I knew he had ill intentions!”

“What kind of Supervising Officer am I? I can’t even command a gate guard!”

“And ‘pacify the yak’? I just want to find a yak right now to pacify my wounded soul!”

Su Wanqing watched his display, becoming calmer instead.

She walked to the sofa, sat down, and checked the room’s equipment.

“As expected,” she said lightly, “The Qin Family has operated here for hundreds of years, deeply entrenched. We are the outsiders.”

“So what do we do?” Lin Yuan stopped, looking at her with annoyance, “Just accept it? Stay in this room every day, waiting for them to bring us food?”

He wasn’t here to be imprisoned.

“No,” Su Wanqing shook her head, “Director Zhou sent us here, naturally with his own intentions. We must first reclaim the authority of the ‘Supervising Officer.’”

“How do we do that?”

“First step, familiarize yourself with your scope of authority,” Su Wanqing looked at Lin Yuan, “Your appointment letter clearly states that your core duty is to monitor and guard the Abyss of Suppressing Prison.”

“So, we’ll go to the Abyss of Suppressing Prison now.”

Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up.

That’s right.

He was here to manage the “Abyss of Suppressing Prison,” not this broken fortress.

If the people in the fortress wouldn’t listen to him, he would just go manage his own “territory.”

“Let’s go!”

Lin Yuan said nothing more, turning and heading for the door.

The two left the dormitory and, following the signs inside the fortress, walked deeper and deeper.

The further they went, the denser the guards in the corridor became.

Those guards with the “Qin” character on their armbands all cast unfriendly glances at them.

However, because they were wearing Dragon Shield Bureau uniforms, no one directly came forward to stop them.

Finally, they reached the end of a corridor.

Ahead was a massive gate forged from an unknown black metal.

In front of the giant gate stood a line of guards.

Their aura was significantly stronger than the guards outside, each having reached C-rank Intermediate level.

And in front of these guards, a young man in his twenties was leaning lazily against the wall, arms crossed.

He had a handsome face, with an untamed arrogance etched between his brows.

Seeing Lin Yuan and Su Wanqing approach, he straightened up and blocked the center of the corridor.

“Stop.”

“Gentlemen, this is a forbidden area of the Qin Family ahead. Entry is prohibited without an invitation.”

Lin Yuan stopped and sized him up.

C-rank Intermediate.

His aura was refined, his foundation solid, making him a master among his peers.

“Qin Family forbidden area?”

Lin Yuan smiled.

He pulled out his identity terminal and waved it in front of the other party.

“Open your eyes and look closely.”

“Dragon Shield Bureau, Lin Yuan.”

“Appointed as the Supervising Officer of the Abyss of Suppressing Prison.”

Lin Yuan put away his terminal, took a step closer, and looked directly at the other party.

“Now, it is I, the ‘Supervising Officer,’ who wishes to enter my ‘jurisdiction’ for a routine inspection.”

“Are you going to stop me?”