After eating in the interrogation room, Wang Tian was taken to a lounge. He wasn’t handcuffed anymore, but he still wasn’t allowed to leave.
It wasn’t until two days later that he was released. The person there to meet him wasn’t his former liaison officer, but Yang Tian.
“Let’s go. Your business is settled. The higher-ups told us that, in view of your past contributions and your performance this time, they’re ending the surveillance on you. You still have to keep wearing the watch and carrying the phone, though. From now on, I’m your new liaison officer,” Yang Tian said glumly.
“What about those robbers?” Wang Tian asked, stretching as he headed out.
“They were all arrested yesterday. This is the provincial capital, after all.” Yang Tian rolled her eyes at him.
Wang Tian was a little confused. Why did he get the feeling Yang Tian had a problem with him?
What he didn’t know was that Yang Tian had been transferred out of the Action Team and made his personal “babysitter.” How could she not be angry?
“So, I won’t get to see Old Yang and the others anymore?” Wang Tian said regretfully.
“If you can’t bear to part with them, I don’t mind asking the higher-ups to keep them watching you,” Yang Tian said with a sideways glance.
“Come on, let’s go. I need to take a shower and wash off this bad luck,” Wang Tian said quickly.
Once they were outside, Yang Tian returned all his belongings, gave him a few instructions, then stormed off.
Wang Tian didn’t pay it any mind. He called Qian Yang directly and asked if he wanted to go take a bath.
But when he heard Qian Yang’s wife’s voice on the other end, he didn’t even wait for Qian Yang to finish speaking. He simply said, “Take care,” and hung up.
“Looks like I’ll have to go by myself. Hmm, I’ll go see what the upstairs scenery is like for him.” Wang Tian grinned to himself, then eagerly hailed a taxi to the East Sea Dragon Palace.
Upstairs in the State Security Bureau, Wang Feng watched Wang Tian leave, then asked the person on the other end of the phone in confusion:
“Teacher, are we really ending surveillance on him? I don’t know his exact identity, but based on how he acted in this incident, he has a lot of destructive potential.”
“Don’t worry about him. Compared with other people, he’s actually harmless. As long as nobody provokes him, he won’t cause trouble. We only watched him in the first place because it was standard procedure.” Mr. Gong’s voice came through.
“Teacher, who exactly is he? Can’t you tell me?” Wang Feng asked again.
The person on the other end seemed to think for a moment before Mr. Gong continued.
“Normally, you don’t have the clearance for this. But since he’s living in your area now, there’s no harm in telling you a little.” Mr. Gong paused, then continued:
“Have you heard of 「God’s Whip」?”
“I’ve heard you mention it, Teacher. It’s some kind of well-known international organization, but I don’t know the details.”
“「God’s Whip」 is a very famous international mercenary organization. It isn’t as large as Blackwater, but its personnel are exceptionally capable. They train secret agents too, but what made them famous worldwide are their combat teams. To give you an example, their combat teams are every bit as good as the United States’ Delta Force and Russia’s Alpha.”
“He’s a member of 「God’s Whip」?” Wang Feng was a little shocked.
“That’s right. I can’t say any more. I’m only telling you this because he’s living in your area now, so you’ll be prepared.” Mr. Gong spoke calmly.
“How could we let someone this dangerous into the country?” Wang Feng asked, puzzled.
“Because he’s secretly helped us quite a bit. This is just a way of repaying him. Don’t pay him too much mind. He just wants to live somewhere peaceful.”
“Understood, Teacher,” Wang Feng said thoughtfully.
“Keep an eye on South Korea. I’ve received word that a few small fry have gone to your area. I don’t know what they’re up to,” Mr. Gong reminded him.
“Understood, Teacher. I’ll keep an eye out,” Wang Feng replied gravely.
After hanging up, Wang Feng dialed another number.
“Have the Intelligence Division pay attention. A few Korean brats may have infiltrated our area. Keep an eye on their movements.”
After hanging up again, Wang Feng stopped thinking about it. His teacher had told him to ignore Wang Tian, so that was what he’d do. Still, 「God’s Whip」? Interesting.
It wasn’t until noon the next day that Wang Tian emerged from the bathhouse, feeling refreshed.
“That hit the spot.” Back home, Wang Tian sprawled on the sofa with a sigh.
“But what should I do now?” He’d been thinking about this for a long time, but he really had no clue.
Just as Wang Tian was about to scroll through his phone, a message in the group chat caught his eye: “A few guys, we found those pyramid-scheme operatives.”
“Too bad for you. You locked me up for two days, and I’m in a bad mood.” Wang Tian muttered, then sent a message to the group.
“Where are those bastards?”
“C6-2701. They just spotted me. I’m blocking the door with a few coworkers from the community. Send help, quick!”
“Damn, wait for me. I live in this building!” Wang Tian replied excitedly. He lived on the 21st floor.
On his way out, he also sent Qian Yang a message.
“Come on, let’s go up to the 27th floor and beat up some bastards.”
As soon as Wang Tian reached the 27th floor, Qian Yang, looking fierce, stepped out of the other elevator.
“Tian’er, where are they?” Qian Yang was excited too. He’d been much more well-behaved since getting married, but he’d spent some time running with a rough crowd in the past.
“You two, hurry! The door’s about to give!” A woman from the Property Management Office saw them arrive and called out urgently.
“How many are inside?” Wang Tian and Qian Yang walked over and asked.
“I don’t know. From the sound of their voices, there should be six or seven. We’ve already called the police. Just keep them from getting out.”
She had barely finished speaking when the two security guards bracing the door began to tire, and it burst open.
“Fuck! Get out of my way if you don’t want to die!” A scrawny man shouted, brandishing an iron rod. Several men behind him were holding clubs and steel pipes.
“Don’t do anything stupid! We’ve already called the police!” The woman from the Property Management Office was panicking. She’d meant to wait for the police, but after they were spotted, she’d rushed over with two security guards to block the door.
“Move, you bitch!” The man in front swung his iron rod, scaring off the two unarmed security guards.
People like them wouldn’t get off lightly if they were caught, so they were desperate to get away.
“You two, move too!” Several men reached the elevator and shouted at Wang Tian and Qian Yang.
Wang Tian glanced at Qian Yang. When he saw him give a slight nod, they both shifted to the side, as if they didn’t dare stop them.
Just as the men were about to rush past them in a panic, Qian Yang suddenly punched the scrawny leader unconscious, then kicked the man behind him to the ground.
Wang Tian was even faster. The moment Qian Yang moved, he had already taken down the three men in the middle.
The last man was so scared that he pulled back the leg he’d just stepped forward with. He was about to close the door when Wang Tian snatched up an iron rod and hurled it straight at him.
“You were acting all tough and ordering me around just now.” When Wang Tian turned around, he saw Qian Yang holding the scrawny man up by one hand like a chick, slapping him over and over.
Ignoring the guy who was afraid of his wife, Wang Tian motioned for the security guards to tie up the men on the floor, then went straight inside.
Stepping over the man unconscious by the entrance, he looked around the apartment. About a dozen gaunt men and women were huddled in two rooms. The stench nearly knocked him off his feet.
“Sister Li, there are about a dozen more people inside who were tricked into coming here. They’re probably starving.”
“Qian Yang, stop hitting him. They’re all unconscious.” Sister Li said that to Qian Yang first, then turned to Wang Tian.
“All right, Xiao Tian. We have you and Qian Yang to thank. Could you keep an eye on things here? I’ll go see if the police have arrived.”
“Go ahead, Sister Li. These guys won’t cause any more trouble.” Wang Tian nodded cheerfully, and deliberately stepped on one of the men lying on the floor.
After the two security guards found some rope and tied them all to the radiator in the hallway, Wang Tian whistled at Qian Yang and teased him.
“I take back what I said before. At least those tattoos of yours weren’t a waste.”
“You bet. If I hadn’t met my wife, I could’ve taken care of every one of those punks by myself.” Qian Yang said smugly.
“What, your legs gone weak and your back given out now?” Wang Tian teased.
“Get lost. I’m in great shape.” Qian Yang bantered with Wang Tian for a while, and then Sister Li came upstairs with the police.
After a few brief questions and a short conversation with Wang Tian and Qian Yang, the police took away the pyramid-scheme operatives with their bruised and swollen faces, along with the people in the apartment, who had no idea how long they’d been starving.
“What’s wrong with those people? How could they run a pyramid scheme while living in a residential community like ours?” Qian Yang complained as they went downstairs.
“They probably wanted to hide in plain sight, but they didn’t pull it off.” Wang Tian shrugged, unconcerned.