The Section Chief's Revenge!

After Vic's slap landed, Vicolai glared viciously at him, then shifted his glare to Karen, cursing under his breath all the while. Karen had never liked assuming the people around him were deliberately stupid; doing so was not only disrespectful to others, but also irresponsible toward his own safety. Yet when it came to Bishop Dolph and Adjudicator Vicolai, this grandfather-grandson pair, Karen felt he could make an exception. Their stupidity was like a bowl of rice packed down again and again, dense and solid beyond measure. Karen said to Vic, "Do not mistreat persons under investigation. The first order of business upon entering headquarters is to compile a full examination of his physical condition and publish the results. After that, no additional obvious injuries will be permitted." Vic understood immediately: once they entered headquarters, no extra injuries would be permitted, which meant this was their last chance to smack him! In any case, the man was already severely injured; adding a bit more was like tossing a few pieces of fruit onto a cake—completely normal and hardly noticeable. *Slap! Slap! Slap!* "Keep glaring, why don't you? Go on, glare! Stare all you want! "To be honest, you're the first person I've met in my entire life who's so stupid it actually makes me want to beat them. "You? An Adjudicator? "You actually outrank me?" Vic swung his arm in full arcs with every slap. After several consecutive blows, Vicolai finally shut his eyes, his nose sniffling as blood streamed out mingled with snot. "Ugh, disgusting." Vic grabbed tissues from the front, rolled them into two extra-large cylinders, and shoved them directly into Vicolai's nostrils, thoughtfully stopping the bleeding. Meanwhile, Karen asked Richard, "How strong is he, really?" Richard pondered for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before answering: "Of all the opponents I've faced since joining the Hound Squad, he's the first one who ever made me feel like we were evenly matched." *That terrible...?* "Does that factor in your self-healing ability?" Karen asked. "No." *Then he's even more pathetic...* So the reason Neo had "augmented" Richard's injuries was concern that Richard's wounds would heal too quickly before he could be dragged into an office for "mediation" the next day. "Though, the Section Chief didn't do it to me," Richard explained. "Hm?" "There wasn't enough time. The Section Chief arrived in a hurry and only briefed me on a few important matters. What he meant was for me to make the injuries look more severe myself." "You added the wounds to yourself?" "Yeah." Richard tugged open his collar. "How about it? Look pretty natural, don't they? When you get hurt all the time, you pick up a lot of experience with injuries, heh." Karen sighed and reached out to pat Richard's head. There was no help for it; everywhere else was covered in wounds, and only his head was unharmed. "You went through a lot this time. Thank you." "There's no need for that between us. Even if you told me to walk straight into a pit of fire tomorrow, Karen, I'd walk right in, because I trust you wouldn't harm me. "Besides, I'm glad. You have no idea how hard it is for me to find a chance to contribute to the team. I really cherish opportunities like this. If there's another mission like this in the future, give it to me again. Let me go first, and you guys back me up." "You've always contributed to the team." Because you, Richard, brought your own funding to the squad. Assuming Karen was merely indulging in polite banter, Richard chuckled along. Karen glanced out the car window, then looked back at Vicolai, whose shoulders were twitching in sobs. "Next, it all depends on whether things go smoothly on Neo's end." *** *Splash...* A basin of ice water was thrown onto the woman's face. Coming around from unconsciousness, she found herself locked inside an iron cage. Standing in front of her was a man in a burgundy suit, with two women standing behind him. The awakened woman immediately screamed, "Who are you? What do you want?!" "Is it her?" Alfred asked the pointless question intentionally as an opening line. Fanny replied, "It is indeed her. Yesterday, when the Section Chief interacted with her, he dusted her with scent-tracking powder. She's the one the Section Chief judged to hold a rather special status in that establishment. "Per the Section Chief's orders, Paige and I ambushed her on her way home after work late last night, knocked her out, and brought her back." Yesterday in the VIP box beneath the cinema, this very woman had presented Karen and Neo with the "menu." "Then how could you put her in an iron cage?" Alfred asked with apparent confusion. "This is far too lacking in decorum." "Because we couldn't find a suitable container on short notice," Fanny said. "I apologize." The woman immediately gripped the cage bars and pleaded with Alfred, "Why did you capture me? Please let me go! I can pretend this never happened, truly! As long as you let me go right now, I won't say a word to anyone!" "We can let you go, madam. But before that, we need some useful information from you. For example, who the real boss behind your establishment is. "Naturally, you might not know who the true boss behind the scenes is, but I want to know who the boss you do know is, as well as... the exact location of your preparation area and whether you have a warehouse." "You're crazy! What are you trying to do?!" The woman looked on in disbelief. "Do you have any idea who stands behind our establishment?" "I believe we can skip this step. You are here, locked up, in an absolute position of weakness. So I hope you can recognize your current situation and help us be a little more efficient." Yet the woman persisted, "I advise you to let me go right now. I promise not to hold you accountable." Alfred shook his head somewhat helplessly and asked, "Has her background been investigated?" Paige answered, "We know the exact location of her home. Her household is quite large; it's a family of a faith-lineage system, but so weak they're hardly worth mentioning." Alfred lowered his gaze to the wristwatch on his arm and said, "How about this: you have thirty minutes to think it over, because in thirty minutes, we will launch a raid on the establishment you belong to. "By then, we will likely capture others who possess similar intelligence value to yours. When that happens, your importance will drop. After all, we only need one copy of the same intelligence; duplicates are meaningless. And you will lose the chance to become a tainted witness. "Under the Code of Order, both you and your little family will be implicated in this matter. When our Church of Order deals with such affairs, the most common punitive measure is to bind the criminal together with their family. "Don't bother saying your family didn't know what you were doing, because they certainly enjoyed the benefits brought by your employment there. "Oh, but I can be a little merciful. Going through the formal trial process is rather slow, and the waiting would make you quite anxious—for instance, you might fantasize about whether someone would step up to protect you and bail you out during the trial... "Though I don't believe you hold enough value to be bailed out, and you know that very well yourself. Still, humans can always cling to hope right until the very end. "So I've decided that once our raid is launched, I will send people to search your family home and gather evidence. And your little family will surely violently resist the law and attack our officers. "For example, this young lady here will sustain a wound on her arm, and that young lady will sustain a wound on her thigh. "Therefore, Paige, Fanny, do not hold back when the time comes. Leave none alive, since they will have attacked you." "Understood." "Understood." "However, when you kill them, pick the oldest and the youngest, and preserve their bodies as intact as possible. That way, they can undergo Awakening later so they can see our lady here one last time and have a little chat. "See how thoughtful I am? I'll spare you the agony of anxious waiting and resolve your longing for them all at once." The woman gritted her teeth, glaring fixedly at Alfred. It was a very common sort of threat, but coming from Alfred's mouth, the same words carried a strange magic, easily manipulating emotions and dragging a person into the emotional whirlpool he constructed. Furthermore, one shouldn't assume that people accustomed to seeing life, death, and torture could face death with equanimity; they were abusers themselves, incapable of empathizing with the misery of the abused. Even thinking with one's heel, it was impossible to believe that someone unyielding to the death would emerge from such a crowd. The woman asked, "If I cooperate with you, can you guarantee that I live?" "No." Alfred shook his head. "More likely than not, you will still die. But your family can be spared from deeper implication. That is the promise I can make with the utmost sincerity." "Thank you." "You're welcome." *** After hearing the woman's report, Alfred stepped out of the room with Fanny and Paige and entered the adjacent room. "The battle plan can be slightly refined. Now that we know the locations of the prep area and the warehouse, as well as where the account books and the safe containing high-tier member records are kept, those will be our primary objectives for this assault. "Miss Fanny, that shouldn't be an issue for you, right?" "Once the operation begins, I will guide the way." "Good." Alfred picked up the receiver and said to them, "Then you two head over to the main hall first and assemble with everyone else." "Understood. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Alfred." "We are companions." Fanny and Paige went to the main hall, where several dozen people were gathered. Ventura, Bart, Ashley, Blanche, Philomena, and Mars were waiting there; Wend was present with the members of the original Hound Squad; Gendy's squad was also there; plus three Whip of Order squads invited by Neo to take part in rounding up the "Light remnants." The telephone rang. Ventura stepped forward and set the receiver aside. As Alfred began to speak, his voice came through the receiver on the other end, amplified—and what emerged was "Neo's" voice. "In the upcoming operation, I have only one requirement for all of you. Remember: we are not police officers! Therefore, during the assault, any obstruction or suspected resistance encountered is to be treated as a target to be killed on sight! I don't want your hesitation causing unnecessary casualties among our own people. "Of course, circumstances permitting, you may use your own judgment to keep a few captives you deem valuable alive. The criteria are yours to decide. Above all, protect yourselves. "We are going there to feast on meat! "Now, "I declare: "The operation begins!" Having broadcast the operation order, Alfred hung up the telephone. "Imitating Neo's voice really is rather difficult." Neo wasn't here right now, so Alfred had to play both parts himself. Fortunately, he had accomplished his task flawlessly. Walking to the window and watching the squads at the main gate below march out to encircle the cinema, Alfred quietly lit a cigarette for himself. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Heh, Section Chief Neo is truly amusing. To think he actually wanted to hire me as his secretary." Flicking the ash, he added, "What would I do following you? It's not like you keep a diary." *** "Honestly, I didn't expect you to agree so quickly," Neo said as he drove, glancing toward Mr. Aisen in the passenger seat. Mr. Aisen replied, "It seems your relationship with Karen really is very close; he tells you everything." "Acknowledging each other as uncle and nephew—isn't that a joyous occasion? What's there to hide? But you, as his uncle, really made a huge sacrifice this time." "I am Karen's uncle, I am a member of Karen's squad, and I am also your subordinate. By both emotion and duty, I should cooperate with the office's work to the best of my ability." "Talking like that makes things too distant." "I think so too. Perhaps I can put on the 'Memphis' mask now; I'm more accustomed to communicating with you as Memphis." "Forget it, forget it. We're almost there anyway, so don't bother. By the way, aren't you worried about your son?" "Worry is pointless. He is grown, so he has the right to make his own choices. Besides, Karen should already be at the Church Affairs Building by now." "Do you have no confidence in your own father?" "Father is a qualified father, a qualified grandfather, and even more, a qualified Order priest." Neo shrugged. After turning a corner, the car stopped in front of a stadium. Pulling up the cowl of his clerical robe, Neo partially concealed his face. "We can begin." "All right." Mr. Aisen got out of the car, and Neo followed behind him. They didn't head for the main entrance of the stadium, but walked directly into the stadium's underground passage. There were quite a few storefronts here, but the vast majority were shuttered and closed. When they reached an alley in the middle, several men dressed as waiters from a nearby restaurant stepped out and blocked their way. Seeing that both Aisen and Neo were wearing clerical robes, one of the waiters bowed to them first before asking: "Identification, please. And do you have an appointment?" "Here are my credentials. The appointment was made last night; a section of the prison's defensive array requires renovation and upgrading." Mr. Aisen handed over his credentials. After inspecting them, the man immediately bowed to Mr. Aisen once more: "Greetings, Lord Jurist." The waiters behind him all bowed in unison as well. In truth, procedures for Mr. Aisen's suspension had long since been processed, but that was strictly internal to his department. Suspended, he took no part in duties, but outsiders had no idea, and both his credentials and identity were genuine. The appointment had also been arranged by Mr. Aisen using the telephone at home, speaking on behalf of his father to instruct the department's liaison. Procedurally, everything was entirely legitimate. "The appointment matches. Please enter, my lord." Mr. Aisen walked inward. Before they had gone far, the scene before them shifted, transforming into a grim, heavily guarded prison. In theory, the Whip of Order was supposed to have its own prison. But in the York City Region, as in the vast majority of regions, the reality was that the Whip of Order's prison bore its own title while essentially overlapping with the prison of the regional Law Enforcement Department—effectively two entities sharing the same facility. Neo murmured, "I think rebuilding an independent prison is quite necessary." Mr. Aisen remarked, "The construction cost isn't high, but the cost of establishing the arrays is exorbitant." "Then we'll be counting on you. A small prison will do for starters, just enough to serve our needs," Neo paved the way immediately. Mr. Aisen neither agreed nor refused. The core area of a prison's defensive arrays was usually also the core of its administrative office area. Consequently, following Mr. Aisen, Neo encountered virtually no resistance as they arrived before an office door bearing the plaque: *Whip of Order Warden*. However, the door was locked from the inside, displaying a "Do Not Disturb" sign. In a place like this, a locked door carried the enchantment of defensive arrays. Mr. Aisen stepped forward, an array rune appearing in his palm. Soon enough, the door locked from within clicked open on its own. The moment the door was pushed open, Neo saw Warden Diano of the Whip of Order, disheveled and improperly dressed, lying on the office desk with a woman in prisoner's garb—one on top of the other. "Who authorized you to come in?!" Neo backhandedly shut the door and locked it again. Then he stepped forward, accelerating in a flash, and slammed the naked Lord Warden directly onto the floor. "You dare violently resist the law?" Neo pulled out a small dagger prepared in advance and stabbed it straight into the warden's left arm. *Pfft!* "You still dare violently resist the law?" Neo drew another dagger and drove it into the warden's right arm. "Oh? You dare continue assaulting me?" Neo produced yet another dagger and plunged it into the warden's chest, carefully avoiding vital organs. "Hm? Persisting in resisting the law?" As though his supply of daggers were bottomless, Neo pulled out one more, pointing it right at the warden's face. "Heh." Neo halted his movement, pulling off his cowl with a chuckle to reveal his face. "Neo! Are you mad?!" Evidently, the warden recognized Neo. Neo pulled out an investigation warrant and waved it in front of the warden's face. "The York City Region Whip of Order Disciplinary Inspection Commission Office suspects you of serious violations of discipline and regulations, and hereby summons you to cooperate with our investigation." With that, Neo deliberately turned his head toward Mr. Aisen standing by the door: "Truthfully, I can't be bothered with nonsense like this, but for some reason, Karen seems rather fond of this sort of theatrics nowadays." Mr. Aisen remained silent, though he still raised a hand to bind the woman in prisoner's clothes who was attempting to open the door and flee. Neo looked down again and patted the warden's face with his hand. "Lord Warden, we're old friends. I'll give you two choices right now: "Option one: you get stabbed to death right here by me, on the charge of resisting the law. "Option two: hand over your prison's actual inmate entry-and-exit ledger. You know what I mean—I don't want the superficial log used to satisfy inspections; I want the real, practical one kept in the dark. You can't fool me, right? "Let me add an extra note: a hound's patience is limited, and I am strongly leaning toward option one." "I'll give it to you! I'll give it to you!" Probably knowing what kind of man Neo was, the warden agreed readily. "Very good." Neo nodded with satisfaction. Mr. Aisen asked out of curiosity, "You're very familiar with this?" Neo said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Of course. Many members of my Hound Squad were handpicked from prisons. To ensure they received top marks on their evaluations and earned commutations to get out sooner, I gave plenty of gifts to this Lord Warden of ours." "So those three stabs just now..." "Every time I gave a gift, my heart ached so much that I swore to myself: if I ever got the chance, I'd stab this bloodsucker a few times!" Immediately following that, Neo asked Mr. Aisen, "He was resisting the law just now. You saw it, right?" Mr. Aisen furrowed his brow, shook his head, and answered: "Yes."