After saying this, Qian Fan left.
Chen Ling stood where he was, his mind involuntarily replaying the image of Wu Youdong lowering his head. His fists clenched slightly…
Wu Youdong had lowered his head, but what about him?
If this had been his previous life, Chen Ling might not have been any different from Wu Youdong. Lowering his head would have been the only way to survive in society. But this time…
Chen Ling slowly turned his head, his gaze icy as he looked toward the surviving half of Ice Spring Street.
You want me to lower my head?
Heh…
---
District Three.
A freezing gale swept up from the void, howling as it slammed into Chu Muyun!
The kerosene lamp on the ground swayed violently before extinguishing in an instant. As the entire basement plunged into dead silence and darkness, Chu Muyun let out a muffled groan and collapsed heavily to the floor!
He looked up in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief!
Just now, the moment he activated [Eyes of Tracing], he had glimpsed pairs of crimson eyes staring at him from the endless void in the distance…
That single glance had caused his divine path to tremble!
"What… what is this…?"
Chu Muyun remained frozen in place for a long time before suddenly snapping back to reality.
He scrambled to his feet and frantically rushed up the stairs, returning to the convenience store!
"What’s wrong, [7 of Spades]?" The woman frowned slightly as she saw Chu Muyun appear in such a hurried and panicked state.
"…I saw it."
"What?"
"An ‘Apocalypse’"
The woman was stunned, not immediately understanding what he meant.
"That guy is an ‘Apocalypse’ Calamity!" Chu Muyun declared firmly.
"That’s impossible." The woman shook her head immediately. "No one can merge with an ‘Apocalypse.’ Not even the current leader of the Fusionist faction could do it… You must have seen wrong."
"I definitely didn’t see wrong! Its gaze alone made my divine path tremble in fear!"
"This…"
"We need to inform the Red King and the Gray King immediately."
Chu Muyun walked to the counter, pulled out paper and pen, and began writing rapidly.
"If this is true… then we’re in for a massive disaster." The woman quickly realized the severity of the situation. "Even if the Red King and the Gray King come together, we might not be able to handle it. Unless the Aurora Sovereign also joins forces with us…"
Hearing this, Chu Muyun’s hand paused.
"What’s wrong?" the woman asked.
"An ‘Apocalypse’ Calamity possesses the power to annihilate an entire human domain." Chu Muyun slowly turned to look at her, his eyes flickering with madness. "What if… we kill him and release the ‘Apocalypse’… Wouldn’t that mean we wouldn’t need to carry out that plan anymore?"
The woman was stunned.
"That’s an ‘Apocalypse’! Are you insane?!" The woman stopped mid-sentence and shook her head. "I almost forgot… you formal members are all lunatics anyway…"
"I was just speaking offhand." Chu Muyun adjusted his glasses, his mood calming down as he spoke calmly. "Let’s first report this to the Gray King and the Red King…"
After finishing the letter, Chu Muyun handed it to the woman. She glanced at him and asked,
"By the way, weren’t you going to conduct a recruitment assessment on him? Are you still doing it?"
"…Yes."
"Then, as the recommender, what’s your rating for him…?"
"S+." Chu Muyun’s expression was unprecedentedly serious.
"Extremely dangerous."
---
Knock—knock—knock—
A crisp knocking sound came from the door, startling the group of District Two law enforcement officers who had been leisurely drinking tea. They turned their heads in confusion.
"Who could be coming at this time?"
"No idea…"
Qian Fan walked over and opened the teahouse door.
Chen Ling stood quietly outside. When the door opened, he smiled and waved at the law enforcement officers inside.
These were the officers originally responsible for Ice Spring Street in District Two. Now, however, they were all holed up here drinking tea, leaving all the work to Chen Ling and Wu Youdong. This alone spoke volumes… Now it seemed that what Wu Youdong had said was true.
These law enforcement officers were all colluding with the people of Ice Spring Street. By not conducting the investigation themselves and only sending two newcomers, they were merely putting on a show.
This way, if the Aurora City headquarters ever questioned them, they could claim a lack of manpower and blame everything on Chen Ling and Wu Youdong, thus shifting the responsibility. At the same time, they could maintain good relations with Ice Spring Street. It was a win-win situation.
Seeing that it was Chen Ling, the law enforcement officers immediately lost interest and lowered their heads to continue drinking tea, showing no intention of engaging with him.
"It’s you? What are you doing here?" Qian Fan asked in surprise when he saw Chen Ling.
"There are still some questions about my work that I need clarification on from you all."
"What questions?"
"My task is to question the survivors of Ice Spring Street about information related to the Calamity, right?"
"Correct."
"What should I do if they refuse to cooperate?"
Hearing this question, Qian Fan sneered inwardly but maintained a patient tone as he replied,
"If they don’t cooperate, you’ll have to find a way to make them cooperate… We’re law enforcement officers. We have the authority to enforce the law."
"So, can I use force?"
"Of course."
Chen Ling heard the other law enforcement officers in the room burst into laughter.
"Then I understand." Chen Ling nodded. "If they refuse to cooperate, I’ll drag them here for you all to deal with."
"Good. Now hurry up and get to work. Your assessment ends tomorrow, so you must complete the task today."
As Chen Ling left, Qian Fan closed the door behind him. Immediately, unrestrained laughter erupted from inside.
"That kid is really stubborn…"
"Even more clueless than that Wu Youdong."
"Did you hear him? He’s talking about using force… Does he really not know what kind of place Ice Spring Street is?"
"Ah, he’s from a poor background. How would he have access to that kind of information? Don’t make fun of him… Let’s just drink our tea."
Faint laughter seeped through the cracks of the door, reaching Chen Ling’s ears, but he paid it no mind.
His attention was focused on the prompt flashing before his eyes:
[Audience Expectation Value +1… +1… +1]
"Chen’s Directing Principles, Article 13:"
"When the existing conflict is clear, you can appropriately increase emotional tension through character relationships, pulling the audience’s emotions and enhancing the satisfaction of the conflict’s resolution. You can even set up additional satisfying conflicts afterward."
Chen Ling could have stormed into Ice Spring Street and caused a scene directly, but that would have made the conflict too one-dimensional, and the [Audience Expectation] wouldn’t have increased much…
So, he chose to drag the law enforcement officers into the mix.
Chen Ling walked through the ruined half of Ice Spring Street and arrived at the place with the most survivors… the Black Axe Tavern.
This was usually the most frequented spot by the residents of Ice Spring Street. Now, with half the street in ruins, it had become a temporary shelter for some. It was here that Wu Youdong had been humiliated the day before.
But Chen Ling… was not Wu Youdong.
With one hand holding the investigation form and the other pushing open the tavern door, the sharp creak of the hinges echoed through the room, plunging the entire tavern into silence.
Countless pairs of cold, hostile eyes turned toward the entrance, focusing on Chen Ling.
"Hello, I’m Law Enforcement Officer Chen Ling…"
"Are you ready to answer my questions?"