104: Chapter 104: Mission - Street Patrol?

Half an hour later.

The four of them stopped before the main gates of the Jiantian Division's headquarters.

Two massive Obsidian Bi'an statues crouched at the entrance, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, exuding a thick aura of blood and Killing Intent.

As the sharpest blade of the Great Jiang Dynasty, the threshold of the Jiantian Division had always been built upon a mountain of lives.

Just as they stepped through the gates, a low-ranking official dressed in a Black Uniform came forward to meet them.

After verifying their Academy Waist Tokens, he respectfully led them to a side hall.

Inside the side hall sat a middle-aged man wearing a Silver-threaded Flying Fish Robe, with an Embroidered Spring Blade hanging at his waist.

The man had a long, thin face and extremely sharp eyes; he faintly radiated the powerful pressure of a Life Fire Realm expert.

The Great Jiang Jiantian Division maintained a strict hierarchy.

A Bronze Rank Catcher required a Profound Gate Realm cultivation.

A Silver Rank Catcher had to be a master who had knocked open the Heavenly Gate and ignited their Life Fire.

This middle-aged man was a genuine Silver Rank Catcher.

Hearing the footsteps, the Silver Rank Catcher didn't even lift his eyelids.

He held a whetstone in his hand, sharpening the edge of his blade with extreme slowness.

"Scrape—scrape—"

The ear-piercing sound of friction echoed through the side hall, exerting a powerful psychological pressure on those present.

This was the traditional show of force the Jiantian Division gave to newcomers.

"Four Seas Academy, Heaven Class A, Team Six?"

The Silver Rank Catcher set down the whetstone and blew the iron filings off the blade, his voice as cold and hard as iron:

"Place your Waist Tokens and the roster on the table.

Once you enter the doors of the Jiantian Division, I don't care what kind of 'favored children of heaven' you were back at the academy.

Here, you'd better tuck your tails between your legs for me!"

"The Jiantian Division doesn't keep useless trash; it only recognizes merit!"

These words were brimming with Killing Intent.

Murong Yun was so frightened he shrunk his neck, subconsciously hiding behind Chen Shanzhi.

Chen Shanzhi, however, looked as calm as ever. He stepped forward and slapped the four academy Waist Tokens onto the table with a 'thwack'.

The Silver Rank Catcher gave a cold sneer and picked up the roster, preparing to see exactly who these arrogant little brats were.

His gaze had just swept over the first line.

"Chen Shanzhi..."

The corner of the Silver Rank Catcher's eye twitched violently.

Who didn't know the name of the Marquis of Zhenguo's Heir?

The hand holding the roster shook imperceptibly as he hurriedly feigned composure and continued reading.

"Ouyang Wanqing..."

The daughter of the current Prime Minister; naturally, he knew her.

"Jiang Feiyu..."

The daughter of the Four Seas Academy Head; he had heard of her as well.

"Murong Yun..."

As a Silver Rank Catcher of the Jiantian Division, he was even more familiar with the Murong Clan.

"Hiss—"

The Silver Rank Catcher felt a dull ache in his molars as a chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to his crown!

Is this supposed to be a team here for a mission?

This is practically a mobile political nuclear bomb!

The Silver Rank Catcher swallowed hard.

He looked at the four young people in front of him, all staring back at him.

Chen Shanzhi, the number one playboy in the capital, famous for never playing by the rules.

Jiang Feiyu, the capital's female tyrant, for whom fighting and brawling were daily occurrences.

Add to that the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion and the young master of the Murong Clan.

If he sent them on a mission that was even slightly dangerous and they so much as scraped their skin, would he even be allowed to wear this Silver-threaded Flying Fish Robe anymore?

Would he even get to keep his head?

The Silver Rank Catcher took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the emotions churning within him.

On that face that was originally as cold and hard as iron, he forced out a stiff smile that looked uglier than crying.

"Ahem... So it's Captain Chen and several team members."

The Silver Rank Catcher set down the roster. Though he tried to maintain his majesty, his voice was clearly much weaker:

"The Waist Tokens have been registered. From today onward, you are temporary Bronze Rank Catchers of our Jiantian Division."

As he spoke, he fished four bronze Waist Tokens out of a drawer and handed them over.

Chen Shanzhi took the tokens and weighed them in his hand, the corner of his mouth curling up. "Lord, I wonder what our team's next mission will be..."

"Don't be in such a hurry to take a mission."

The Silver Rank Catcher waved his hand and said with a serious expression:

"Once you enter the Jiantian Division, you must understand the rules. I will first explain the iron laws of the Jiantian Division to you."

Then, he began a long-winded speech.

"First, absolute obedience to orders! If a superior points east, you must never go west!"

"Second, Jiantian Division missions are divided into three Ranks: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Gold Rank is the most perilous and can only be taken by Gold Rank Catchers; Bronze Rank is the simplest, mostly consisting of daily patrols and handling minor friction."

"Third, all mission points must be reported to the main office by the leading Deacon after the mission is completed for unified settlement!"

An extremely official load of nonsense was concluded.

Chen Shanzhi and the others had listened until their ears were nearly calloused.

Jiang Feiyu impatiently picked at her ear:

"Alright, Lord, we understand the rules.

Hurry up and give us a mission.

Preferably the kind where we can see some blood; this lady's blade is already thirsty!"

Saying this, Jiang Feiyu slapped the saber at her waist.

Beside her, Murong Yun heard this and swallowed frantically, his legs beginning to shake.

The Silver Rank Catcher's eyelids twitched even more violently.

See blood?

See your grandmother's leg! (Wait, no...)

If you lot shed a single drop of blood, my whole family will have to follow suit!

"Cough, it's good for the young to have drive."

The Silver Rank Catcher stood up and abruptly changed the subject:

"However, I have just received a secret report that traces of Demon People have been found outside the West City.

As a Silver Rank Catcher, I must personally lead a team to investigate.

The situation is urgent, and I really cannot find the time to lead you personally."

Even as he spoke, he walked toward the door with extreme agility, as if a dog were chasing him.

"I have already arranged for one of my subordinates, the most experienced Bronze Rank Catcher, to lead you!"

"His name is Zhao Laosan, he's at Xuanguan Peak, and he's worked in the Jiantian Division for over a decade. He's absolutely reliable!"

"If you have any problems, just find him! I shall take my leave first!"

Before his voice had even faded.

*Whoosh.*

This dignified Life Fire Realm Silver Rank Catcher directly transformed into an afterimage and vanished from the side hall's entrance.

He ran away with impressive decisiveness.

Leaving Chen Shanzhi and the other three staring at each other.

"The efficiency of the Jiantian Division is actually quite high?" Chen Shanzhi rubbed his chin.

A moment later.

A man wearing a coarse cloth uniform with a standard-issue single-edged blade hanging at his waist walked in.

The man was in his thirties, with dark skin and a face full of weariness and a deadpan expression.

This was exactly the Zhao Laosan the Silver Rank Catcher had mentioned.

Zhao Laosan's gaze swept over Chen Shanzhi and the others with extreme calmness, showing not a hint of emotional fluctuation.

"Subordinate Zhao Laosan, ordered to lead Team Six on their mission."

Zhao Laosan's voice was devoid of ripples, like a machine without feelings. "Everyone, please follow me."

Having spoken, he turned and walked out.

Chen Shanzhi and the others immediately perked up.

"It's coming, it's coming! The mission is finally coming!"

Jiang Feiyu rubbed her hands excitedly and followed with large strides.

Ouyang Wanqing's beautiful eyes also brightened slightly, and Chen Shanzhi was even more eager to begin.

The group of five, led by Zhao Laosan, walked out of the Jiantian Division's headquarters.

Then they began to weave through streets and alleys.

The further they walked, the more Chen Shanzhi felt something was off.

Why did this path look so familiar?

After walking for a full half-hour.

Zhao Laosan's footsteps finally stopped before an extremely noisy, bustling archway.

Chen Shanzhi looked up.

A greasy plaque hung from the archway: South City Vegetable Market!

A complex scent, mixing rotten vegetable leaves, the bloody smell of raw pork, and low-quality cosmetics, wafted toward them.

Looking around.

An old woman selling cabbage was haggling with a customer, spit flying everywhere.

A pig-slaughtering butcher was bare-chested, his blade striking the chopping block with a thunderous sound.

Several snot-nosed kids with bare bottoms were darting through the crowd.

Not far away, there were even two local thugs pulling each other's hair over a turf dispute.

It was extremely noisy and incredibly down-to-earth.

"We're here." Zhao Laosan stopped, his deadpan face still showing no expression.

Jiang Feiyu was stunned, even forgetting to crack the melon seed she had just pulled out.

"Wait... Head Zhao, what are we doing here at this vegetable market?"

Jiang Feiyu asked, dumbfounded.

Ouyang Wanqing also frowned slightly, alertly scanning the surroundings, trying to see if there was anything unusual about this crowd of elderly men and women.

Zhao Laosan turned around.

He calmly extended a rough finger and pointed at the chaotic market ahead.

"This is your mission for today."

Zhao Laosan's voice was cold and hard as he spoke each word clearly:

"Bronze Rank Low-Grade Mission: Street Patrol."

"From now on, the four of you are responsible for maintaining order in this vegetable market."

"If you see a thief picking a pocket, catch them.

If you see a butcher fighting with a fishmonger, pull them apart.

If you see someone urinating or defecating anywhere, fine them three copper coins."

Zhao Laosan looked at the four completely petrified people and finally added a perfunctory sentence:

"You are not allowed to leave your posts before sunset. Good luck."

A gust of autumn wind blew by.

It swirled up a muddy, rotten cabbage leaf and plastered it with extreme precision onto Murong Yun's cloud-patterned silk boots, which were worth a hundred taels of silver.

Chen Shanzhi: "..."

Jiang Feiyu: "..."

Ouyang Wanqing: "..."

Murong Yun: "B-big brother, can I go home and drink instead?"

The four of them stood at the entrance of the noisy vegetable market like four exquisite statues, staring at each other.

They were completely lost in the wind.