Three days later, at an airport in Shangjing District, Zhang Rong hurriedly led Chi Chen and Lin Bai into the airport and quickly walked towards the security checkpoint.
"Zhang Rong, you bastard! You lured away several geniuses from my Shangjing District back then. Today, you have to leave us one as compensation. If that's not possible, we can compromise. We just want that Lin Bai!"
The three had barely stepped into the airport when several figures chased after them from the airport entrance, shouting insults at Zhang Rong's retreating figure as they pursued him.
"Zhang Rong, besides running away, what else can you do? If you're so capable, why don't you fight us..."
The second voice stopped abruptly halfway through its shout, glanced at the people around it, and ultimately didn't finish its sentence. What if Zhang Rong suddenly turned around and started fighting them after it was shouted out?
Even if all of us on their side attacked together, we might not be able to defeat Zhang Rong.
"Bullshit! Qing Sheng, Xiang Qing and the others all followed me willingly back then. Even the Xiang family patriarch didn't say anything. What business is it of yours? I brought them to Shangjing District, so naturally I'm taking them back. You think you can snatch them from me? You're still a long way off! If you're so capable, go find Xiao Rulai!"
Zhang Rong grabbed one person with each hand, quickly leading Chi Chen and Lin Bai, whose expressions were slightly strange, through the security checkpoint. Then, he turned around and gave the group the middle finger before disappearing from everyone's sight with the two of them.
The bigwigs of the Secret Bureau were so angry that they jumped up and down. If that old man hadn't been unable to beat you when you turned to Xiang Qing, he would have broken your legs. And the old man of the Xiang family didn't say anything.
What about those streets he chased you through?
If you're really not guilty, why are you letting him chase you around?
How could there be someone like Zhang Rong in this world? He is utterly unworthy of his position.
The bigwigs were both angry and annoyed.
Those two lads must not be led astray by Zhang Rong, otherwise the Great Xia Dynasty might descend into chaos in the future!
...
The plane flew smoothly high in the sky. Chi Chen and Lin Bai looked at Zhang Rong, who was sitting between them with his eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep. They exchanged a glance and both held back their laughter.
What they just witnessed was the first time they had seen Zhang Rong be so unruly.
After the training camp ended, the performance of Chi Chen and his group of new recruits during the training camp was disclosed to the senior management of the Shangjing District, and then they assigned the new recruits to other positions.
In fact, the assignment of Chi Chen and the others should have been arranged by the higher-ups of the General Bureau of Secret Slayers. In other words, based on Chi Chen and Lin Bai's performance, they should have been directly kept in the best Secret Slayer team in the Shangjing District, or even directly assigned to a special team.
But on the very day that the General Bureau of the Secret Service was assigning the new recruits, Zhang Rong kicked the door open and declared that he was determined to take Chi Chen and Lin Bai back to the Luan Ning District. Zhang Rong then engaged in a heated debate with the group of scholars in that office, almost getting into a fight with a group of big shots.
In the end, Xiao Ru couldn't stand the high-level executives arguing with Zhang Rong until they were red in the face, so she made the final decision. To everyone's astonishment, Zhang Rong left with a triumphant smile.
Afterwards, Xiao Rulai was inevitably nagged by the higher-ups, and in the end, he simply hid away to work.
But there was nothing that could be done. As for Chi Chen and Lin Bai's fate, Xiao Rulai had already made a compromise with Zhang Rong on that underground day.
Even though Xiao Rulai gave the order, Zhang Rong stayed by Chi Chen and Lin Bai's side at all times for the next three days. He knew that if those guys got the chance, they could tie up Chi Chen and Lin Bai first, and then pretend to be stupid and act as if nothing had happened.
This naturally angered and resentful the high-ranking officials, so they adopted a stakeout tactic, keeping a close eye on Zhang Rong and his two companions. Just today, under Xiao Rulai's arrangement, Zhang Rong finally found an opportunity to sneak out with Chi Chen and Lin Bai, but he didn't expect those guys to react so quickly and actually chased them all the way to the airport.
That's how the scene described earlier came about.
But it's not that those big shots are being thuggish; it's just that Chi Chen's strength and potential are so enviable that they're even more impressive than Xiao Rulai back then. And look at Xiao Rulai now—although his character isn't great in their eyes, his strength is truly terrifying. If Chi Chen grows up under their tutelage, then in the entire Shangjing District, who wouldn't respectfully call him "Big Brother"?
Wasn't this how Cheng Hu was before he died?
Even though his position wasn't very high, he had taught both Xiao Rulai and Zhang Rong, so which big shot would dare to put on airs in front of him?
Just as Zhang Rong was leading Chi Chen and Lin Bai onto the plane, in the Shangjing District, Xiao Rulai, who should have been sitting in his office dealing with documents, arrived at a cemetery with a bottle of fine wine. In front of him stood a cold tombstone with only two simple characters on it: Cheng Hu!
Xiao Rulai opened the wine seal and slowly poured the precious old wine in front of the tombstone. He remained silent as he sat down, then gently rested his head on the tombstone. The face of this leader of the Great Xia War Zone was no longer resolute; instead, it was filled with exhaustion and sorrow.
"Teacher, did I do something wrong?"
Xiao Rulai muttered to himself. In October, the capital city was already starting to get cold, and a gust of cold wind hit Xiao Rulai's face.
"You brat, I haven't said anything bad about you, and they have no right to. But you did it, and now you're afraid of people gossiping about you? I hate whining men the most..."
The familiar yet irritable voice seemed to ring in Xiao Rulai's ears again.
After a long while, Xiao Rulai stood up, turned and left. His tall figure looked somewhat desolate in the autumn wind, but at the same time, it was so firm.
...
"I'm finally back!"
In Luan Ning District, after several hours of flight, Chi Chen and his two companions finally returned to the entrance of the fried chicken shop.
Chi Chen and Lin Bai looked at the familiar scenery around them. Although there were no skyscrapers and bustling scenes like those in Shangjing District, it gave them a strange sense of comfort because this was the place they knew.
"Captain, Chi Chen, Lin Bai, you're back?"
Inside the store, Sheng, who had been idly waiting, saw the three people at the door, flicked the brim of his hat, and walked out with a smile.
Chi Chen and Lin Bai greeted each other with smiles.
But Zhang Rong's expression wasn't so pleasant. He glanced at Qingsheng, then looked at the deserted fried chicken shop, and said in an unfriendly tone:
"Is this how you run your fried chicken shop while I was away?"
Upon seeing this, Qingsheng shuddered and quickly forced a smile, saying:
"Isn't it because you're not here, Captain? Our fried chicken isn't as good as yours, so naturally business is worse!"
Upon hearing this, Chi Chen and Lin Bai both had strange expressions. Qing Sheng was simply lying through his teeth, and what's more, he said it so sincerely. It was truly remarkable.
"Yes, that's perfect. I have a new idea. You can be the first one to try it later."
Zhang Rong seemed quite pleased with the birthday greetings. His expression changed, and he left a message before heading into the fried chicken shop.
"team leader..."
Upon hearing this, Qingsheng was struck dumb, frozen in place. He wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but dared not utter a word.
Chi Chen and Lin Bai couldn't help but laugh. Is this karma in this life?
They came so fast.
"You two, give it a try for me later!"
But the next second, the boy who was watching the show became the show itself.
Inside the store, a sentence uttered by Zhang Rong sent a chill down the spines of both Chi Chen and Lin Bai.
The memory of squatting by the door and vomiting for half a day instantly resurfaced in my mind.
"Hahaha, so you all laughed at me, how about that, now you're getting your comeuppance!"
Seeing this, Qing Sheng burst out laughing.
"But it's good that you're back safe and sound. How was your training camp? You didn't let our Green Face Squad down, did you? Your performance wasn't too bad, was it?"
Seeing the two of them staring at him with black lines on their faces, Qingsheng coughed twice, stopped laughing and joking, and seriously asked them about their situation in Shangjing District.
Although the members of the Green Face Squad had a general understanding of what had happened in the Shangjing District, they were not very clear about the training situation, and therefore did not know about Chi Chen and Lin Bai's performance.
"What? Really? With the combined strength of the two of you, your results shouldn't be too bad, right?"
Seeing that the two were not speaking, Qing Sheng assumed that Chi Chen and Lin Bai's performance was not ideal and asked with some doubt.
Even if there are some extraordinary individuals in this new recruit training camp, with Chi Chen and Lin Bai's abilities, they shouldn't perform mediocrely, right?
"Hmm, not bad, right? I don't think I embarrassed the captain!"
Chi Chen and Lin Bai exchanged a glance, placed their suitcases horizontally on the ground, and opened them.
Qingsheng looked at the two of them with a slight sense of confusion.
Chi Chen and Lin Bai took out cloaks and draped them over their backs. These cloaks were made of a special material, similar in function to the weapons specially crafted by the Secret Slayer Bureau. When fighting mysterious entities, they could naturally influence those entities and were extremely difficult to damage. They could also be considered a protective piece of armor against attacks from behind.
Then the two took out a long, narrow box containing a long knife and placed it aside. After that, Lin Bai smiled at Qing Sheng.
Then, under the wide-eyed gaze of the birthday celebration, he took out a sword-shaped medal and hung it on his chest.
"A fourth-tier medal? How do you have a fourth-tier medal?"
Qing Sheng looked at the badge on his chest with some disbelief. Even though he had been with the Secret Bureau for nearly three years, he was still almost there to earn enough merit to exchange for a fourth-tier medal.
"You wouldn't...?"
Looking at Chi Chen, who also had a smile on his face, Qing Sheng suddenly had a bad feeling.
Then, under Qing Sheng's increasingly incredulous gaze, Chi Chen took out a third-tier Starshine Medal, breathed on it, wiped it until it shone, and then put it on his chest.
"A third-tier Starshine Medal?"
Qingsheng exclaimed in surprise, looking at Chi Chen in disbelief. What on earth had these two kids done in Shangjing District?
They couldn't possibly get involved in a battle of that level, could they?
But now, why are there only a fourth-class medal and a third-class medal on his chest?
Then, under the somewhat jealous gaze of Qing Sheng, Chi Chen gently raised his right hand and breathed on the ring on his index finger again, revealing Chi Chen's fair face on the smooth, silvery-white surface.
"Hmm, pretty handsome," Chi Chen thought to himself.
"Forbidden items?"
Qingsheng immediately noticed the difference in the silver ring and his mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"Chi Chen, you won the Rookie of the Year award?"
Qingsheng realized what was happening and asked in a raised voice.
"I think so, Lin Bai?"
Chi Chen turned to Lin Bai, and said as if he were somewhat uncertain.
Seeing this, Lin Bai's lips twitched slightly. Now, let alone celebrating a birthday, he even wanted to punch Chi Chen. That look was just too irritating.
"So, Senior Qingsheng, did we embarrass the captain and the Green-Faced Squad?"
Chi Chen turned his head and gave Qing Sheng a sincere and bright smile.
Qingsheng's fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly, and his expression seemed to become somewhat conflicted.
This is outrageous! Is there no justice in the world? Is there no law?
"Captain, look at them! Is this how newcomers should treat their seniors? Aren't you going to do anything about them?"
Finally, Qingsheng turned and ran into the store, shouting at Zhang Rong like a wronged little girl.
These two kids are just too damn annoying!
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