Chapter Twenty-Three: The Hidden Hand Behind the Scenes

What was the justice that Chen Zi’ang had always upheld?

Back in the academy, justice in everyone’s heart was simple and pure: it meant defending the rule of law and protecting the people. However, only after truly stepping into society did the young officers realize how complex the world was. Often, if one chose to uphold the rule of law, they could not protect the people; to protect the people, they could not protect themselves. Most of his peers had chosen to drift with the tide, seeking only to avoid trouble rather than achieve merit. Because he had embarked on a more dangerous path, he had never had the chance to re-examine his own values.

But this current dilemma... Xia Qingyu, you truly are a devil!

If he had to fight danger head-on, Chen Zi’ang would not hesitate for a second. Yet, now he was forced to choose between procedural justice and substantive justice. If he chose the former, these two individuals—who could be considered villains by any standard—would, as Xia Qingyu said, be able to exploit legal loopholes to continue committing evil. But if he chose the latter, then his long-held convictions and faith...

...

Then, he thought of his younger sister.

The professional habits, modes of thinking, and values forged over two lifetimes were not easily changed, even if he was no longer a public security officer. But just as Xia Qingyu had hinted: this was merely a choice between procedural and substantive justice. In the future, he would face even more difficult decisions, and how to hold fast to his inner self would be the most important thing.

What was his inner self?

It was to maintain the order of a civilized society, to protect more innocent people, to save his sister... but these had their own order of priority, and the latter were more important than the former. If he could not have both, what should he do? What could he do?

"Have you figured it out?" Xia Qingyu asked calmly.

Chen Zi’ang remained silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "I’m not saying I’m going to abandon the justice or conscience I’ve always upheld, but I feel... I should be able to let go of the rigid constraints I’ve been accustomed to when it’s necessary."

"Very good." Xia Qingyu turned her gaze back to the opposite side. "I’m glad to see you’re still salvageable; it saves me from having to arrange for a kindergarten to take you in after you resign."

"When did you discover that I... was trapped in these old ways of thinking?" Chen Zi’ang asked tentatively.

"I don't know," Xia Qingyu said coldly. "I’m not a kindergarten teacher."

"Can we stop with the kindergarten teacher bit?" Chen Zi’ang said helplessly. "And, thank you."

Xia Qingyu did not answer, though Chen Zi’ang was unsure if she had let out a soft sound of acknowledgment. Through the silver screen of the teleportation portal, he could see a large amount of liquid suddenly seeping out in the room opposite.

The stains appeared around the door first, then rapidly spread along the walls, soon soaking a large portion of the wallpaper.

"Did you turn on the humidifier?" Watanabe Maho suddenly asked.

"No." Tsurumi Kumiko had just started to check the air conditioner when she suddenly fell into the water.

It was an anomaly disguised as a water orb!

The "water" within the anomaly’s body was almost completely transparent, with a refractive index near zero, making it impossible to distinguish with the naked eye when it was still. But as the unsuspecting Tsurumi Kumiko stepped into it and the currents began to stir, the anomaly quickly revealed its true form—a mushroom-like, water-based entity. Its lower body was slender, while its upper body was bloated and distended, resembling a terrifying swamp beast that had opened its giant maw out of gluttony.

Trapped within, Tsurumi Kumiko immediately began to suffocate, drowning in a near-death state. She flailed her limbs in panic, trying to claw herself out of the creature’s body, but the currents clung to her like gel. By the time her chest cavity was filled with foul water, her eyes bulging and white, and her body bloated, she had been drowned alive within the entity without making a sound.

Watanabe Maho had jolted up from the bed the moment the anomaly appeared. Suppressing her fear, she tried to bypass the creature and rush for the door. While the anomaly was busy digesting Tsurumi Kumiko, she reached the doorway and pulled the handle with all her might. Just as she was about to escape, her hope was completely cut off in the next second.

Two drowned corpses burst in from outside. They possessed human forms, but their entire bodies looked as if they had been soaked in water for a long time. Their skin was covered in festering sores, and their bodies were riddled with bloated, deformed flesh. They grabbed Watanabe Maho’s arms from either side and slammed her against the damp wallpaper.

"Stop!" Watanabe Maho screamed in terror. "I am a Federation citizen! You cannot kill me!"

"She’s a Federation citizen?" Chen Zi’ang asked in a low voice from the room next door.

"So what?" Xia Qingyu sneered. "She is nothing more than a pawn used to scout the path."

"If she is killed by Takano Seiko, will it cause diplomatic damage?" Chen Zi’ang asked, frowning.

"Is that a problem for you to worry about?" Xia Qingyu asked coldly. "Are you looking to transfer to the Foreign Affairs Department?"

"That wouldn't be impossible," Chen Zi’ang began to talk nonsense. "You know, Suzune’s father is the Foreign Affairs Minister..."

He then saw a light almost like a murderous intent flare in Xia Qingyu’s eyes. Being stared at by his superior with such a vicious gaze, Chen Zi’ang actually felt relieved. So, this was the way to deal with a sharp-tongued person—attack back, even if the price was angering the boss. Although Chen Zi’ang wasn't the type to tease his superiors on purpose, at least next time he encountered such sarcasm, he wouldn't be left with no choice but to take the insults without a rebuttal.

Looking at the other side again, the two living dead had already subdued Watanabe Maho. Their arm strength was so immense that Watanabe Maho didn't even have the thought of struggling anymore; she simply stared in terror toward the door.

Takano Seiko walked in from outside.

The moment Chen Zi’ang saw her, a sense of disbelief flooded his brain—Takano was now incredibly thin. Her cheeks were deeply sunken, her cheekbones even more prominent, and many silver strands had appeared in her hair. Wrinkles were deeply piled up, and to describe her withered appearance as "a mere skeleton held together by skin" would not be an exaggeration.

Yet, her eyes seemed to shine with light. The willpower condensed within them was like charcoal still burning in a kiln; although there didn't seem to be much flame at a glance, no one would doubt the astonishing heat contained within. Chen Zi’ang was unsure how long it had been since she last rested, but she was clearly using her willpower and her last breath to sustain this fragile body.

"Human Rights Observer?" Takano Seiko spoke slowly. Her voice sounded like magnets grinding against each other, or like a dry, rusty door hinge turning, with an audible sense of being overwhelmed.

Watanabe Maho suddenly calmed down. Hearing the name of her organization gave her the illusion that the other party was wary of her, so she sneered haughtily.

"That's right. I am a special envoy for the Human Rights Observers, and a Federation citizen. If anything happens to me, the Federation Ambassador will surely hold your government accountable personally. Let me go now!"

"...So," Takano Seiko’s tone became increasingly strange, seeming eerie due to the drop in volume. "It was those elves, pulling strings behind the scenes?"