Reporting

In the courtyard, Chen Ping'an's mind was racing. *The fact that Trash Fish died at my hands must never be exposed. Right now, I can't withstand close scrutiny!* *Yet if I want to earn the medium merit from the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office, I need to report that Trash Fish is dead!* *'If someone kills him on the spot or captures him, they will be credited with a medium merit...'* Kill or capture! Trash Fish was already dead, so capturing him was out of the question! Kill, kill... *And I can't expose that I was the one who killed Trash Fish! This is a dead end. An impossible knot! Wait...* *What if I claim I happened to discover a barely breathing Trash Fish clinging to life, seized the opportunity to ambush him, and struck him down directly? Would that seem more plausible?* Thinking this over, Chen Ping'an glanced at Trash Fish, whose neck had been crushed beyond recognition, and could not help shaking his head with a bitter smile. If he claimed that, an examination of the scene would immediately expose the lie. Such horrific trauma could never have been inflicted by someone like him, who had not even entered martial cultivation. *Besides, no matter how near death Trash Fish was, he was still a seasoned martial practitioner at the qi and blood second layer. There was no way that I, a temporary runner who hasn't even entered martial arts on the surface, could deal with him.* *How do I handle this...? No matter what method I use, there seems to be a certain degree of risk.* Looking down at Trash Fish's corpse beside him, Chen Ping'an found himself stuck in a dilemma. *Damn it all. If I want this medium merit, it's impossible to take zero risk! I'm going for it!* After hesitating for a long time, Chen Ping'an ultimately settled on a plan with the highest feasibility, the most plausible explanation, and reasonable logic from every angle. While trailing Trash Fish earlier, he remembered seeing a stone of just the right size not far from the courtyard. He busied himself in the courtyard for a while, wiping away several traces and tidying up the scene. Then he silently eased the courtyard gate open, went to the roadside nearby, and hauled that stone inside. Then, picking up the stone, he smashed it viciously into Trash Fish's neck, knees, and insteps. Once the fresh wounds obscured the previous trauma, he tossed the stone aside, pulled the courtyard gate shut, and hurried eagerly toward the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. *** Late at night, the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office was still brightly lit. According to the Suppression Office's regulations, even at night, at least one head runner had to remain on guard to prepare for any sudden unlawful disturbances within the lane. With a head runner holding down the Suppression Office and coordinating operations from the center, the fallout from any unlawful incidents could often be kept to a minimum. Besides the head runner presiding over the post, several runners on night watch duty remained in the office. In addition, there were night-patrol runners, paired in twos, patrolling the various streets and alleyways. Of course, Chen Ping'an had taken shifts as a night-patrol runner himself and knew the ins and outs. Unless the Suppression Office issued some special assignment or placed the entire city under martial law, night-patrol runners rarely patrolled conscientiously through the entire night. Otherwise, once the dead of night arrived and nobody was around, the night-patrol runners usually found a secluded spot to take a nap. No one was foolish enough to march around all night. "Who's there?" At night, two runners stood guard at the front gate of the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. As an important stronghold of the lane, people were not allowed to enter and leave at will. Seeing someone running toward the Suppression Office from the distance without making any attempt to hide their presence, the two shouted out loudly. "It's me! It's me, Chen Ping'an, temporary runner!" Chen Ping'an shouted back to the two runners as he ran. Hearing Chen Ping'an's reply, the tension in the two runners' faces eased slightly. When he ran up before them, seeing that he was indeed a familiar face they often saw, they relaxed completely. "Oh, it's Ping'an. What's going on so late at night?" Seeing Chen Ping'an panting heavily with sweat soaking his hair and clothes, the two runners asked curiously. "I've made a major discovery. I need to report to the head runner." Chen Ping'an said as he sprinted past into the Suppression Office. The two runners glanced at each other and did not stop Chen Ping'an. "What's got him in such a rush?" "No idea. Seeing how frantically he's running, it must be something big." "Did a thief break into his home?" "Maybe." The two runners exchanged casual remarks. Neither gave any thought to the Black Carp Gang; after all, in their eyes, Chen Ping'an was merely an ordinary person who had not yet entered martial cultivation. If he had truly run into a remnant of the Black Carp Gang, how could he still be alive! Past the gate of the Suppression Office lay a wide open courtyard. Further ahead, to the left of a raised platform, was a doorway leading to a long row of duty offices. Those on night watch duty and scribes usually handled their work in these rooms. During the day, several people would occupy a single duty office. But at night, only one person was stationed on duty. Naturally, Chen Ping'an was not looking for scribes or night watchmen. He was looking for the head runner, which meant he had to bypass the duty offices and go further back. That was where the head runners handled official business. However, just as Chen Ping'an reached the duty offices, he happened to see someone walk out from inside. The two ran right into each other. "And you are?" The man looked at Chen Ping'an with a puzzled frown. "Runner Zheng," Chen Ping'an greeted him. He had not expected to run into Zheng Shiyong here of all places. Still, he had previously heard that Zheng Shiyong's official assignment was night watch duty, so it was only natural for him to be here tonight. "Who are you looking for?" Zheng Shiyong only felt the youth looked somewhat familiar. Seeing Chen Ping'an attempt to bypass him and head further back, he stepped right in front of him to block the way. "Runner Zheng, I have business with the head runner." With urgent business weighing heavily on his mind, Chen Ping'an had no time for pleasantries with Zheng Shiyong. He only wanted to find tonight's duty head runner as quickly as possible to report the matter of Trash Fish. "Looking for a head runner, are you? What is your name?" Zheng Shiyong adopted an interrogating tone, his eyes full of scrutiny. Sure enough, it was no wonder people said Zheng Shiyong was Head Runner Zheng's nephew. He had not been at the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office for very long, yet he carried quite the air of official pomposity when he spoke. "Runner Zheng, my name is Chen Ping'an. I'm also a runner here in our Suppression Office." Chen Ping'an only wanted to get rid of Zheng Shiyong quickly and wrap up tonight's matter without delay. Hearing Chen Ping'an say this, Zheng Shiyong recalled who he was. Indeed, he did have such a colleague. It was just that the youth was far too unremarkable in the Suppression Office, which was why Zheng Shiyong hadn't recognized him right away. "Go on, what do you need the head runner for? I can pass it along." A faint arrogance lingered in Zheng Shiyong's tone, born of a deep-seated sense of superiority. As someone on night watch duty, he had frequent contact with the head runners. Facing an unremarkable temporary runner like Chen Ping'an, he certainly possessed the capital to feel superior. *Damn it, why is this guy so annoying!* Chen Ping'an only wanted to brush him off quickly. Suppressing the impatience in his heart, he kept his voice steady. "Runner Zheng, this matter of mine is quite important. I need to report it to the head runner in person." With that, Chen Ping'an stepped past Zheng Shiyong and headed toward the back. Seeing Chen Ping'an act like this, Zheng Shiyong felt he had lost face, and his expression darkened. Watching Chen Ping'an's retreating figure, he seemed to think of something. His eyes darted about, and he blurted out: "Chen Ping'an, none of the head runners are here tonight. Going back there is a waste of time. If something really happened, you can tell me."