Resentment

Yue Shi's eyes flickered slightly. Combined with Special Commissioner Wang's abrupt question from earlier, he could now basically confirm one thing—

The items transported by that armored transport vehicle last night were absolutely related to the Bureau headquarters!

That strange silk thread was likely something extraordinary, a secret so highly classified that even local branches had no right to know about it.

Could it be some kind of taboo research result that couldn't see the light of day?

At this thought, Yue Shi's alertness rose to its peak.

Perhaps he should make some preparations in advance.

Yue Shi went ahead and processed his discharge papers. In passing, he casually asked, "Will there be any trouble later for beating up a special commissioner sent by headquarters?"

Ling Xun waved his hand, his tone certain. "Don't worry. He was the one in the wrong first. He dared to abuse drugs; no matter how you look at it, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. He won't dare make an issue out of this."

"He is from headquarters, after all. I'm just afraid he'll pretend not to hold a grudge on the surface, only to return and secretly trip up the Amber City Investigation Bureau," Yue Shi added.

A cold sneer flashed across Ling Xun's face before he returned to his usual gentle demeanor. His tone was nonchalant as he said, "No need to worry. He doesn't have that much capability."

Yue Shi didn't press further. He didn't really care much anyway.

...

On the other side, inside the hospital's emergency room.

Mr. Wang lay on an emergency bed, his face twisted with intense pain and rage. The dull throbs of pain coming from his abdomen served as a constant reminder of the humiliating encounter he had just endured.

"A bottom-tier investigator from a local branch actually dared to lay a hand on me?" he roared frantically in his mind, his eyes filled with venomous malice.

"Damn it, just you wait. I'll make sure you regret this!"

As a special commissioner from headquarters, he was respected and flattered wherever he went. When had he ever suffered such an indignity?!

Just then, the doctor performing his examination walked over with a report, his expression grave.

"Mr. Wang, the situation isn't good. Your spleen shows signs of rupture and internal bleeding. You must undergo surgery immediately. We may need to... remove part of your spleen."

"What? Surgery! Removal!" Mr. Wang was startled, accidentally jolting his wound and causing him to gasp in pain.

But what was even harder for him to accept was the diagnosis itself. He had actually been beaten so badly that his spleen ruptured! He even needed surgery to remove it!

How could this be? If he had surgery, he wouldn't be able to participate in this headquarters mission. This was a chance for major credit, which was tied to his year-end evaluation and career promotion...

The doctor reminded him seriously, "Sir, internal bleeding is very dangerous. We must operate as soon as possible, or it could be life-threatening."

Mr. Wang's face turned so dark it looked like it could drip ink. He gritted his teeth hard, his eyes struggling for a moment before he shouted at the doctor, "Get out! All of you, get the hell out of here!"

The doctor rolled his eyes; what an incredibly rude fellow.

Under Mr. Wang's vicious gaze, the doctor and nurses eventually chose to leave for the time being.

Once he confirmed no one was around, Mr. Wang endured the agonizing pain and reached into a hidden inner pocket of his clothes, taking out a delicate, small vial.

The material and shape of the vial were very unique, and it contained a colorless, transparent liquid.

A flicker of distress over the cost crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by intensified resentment toward Yue Shi.

Without further hesitation, he unscrewed the vial's seal and tilted his head back, swallowing all of the liquid inside.

The next second, a gentle surge of vitality spread through his body. His face, which had been pale from internal bleeding, regained its color at a rate visible to the naked eye. The sharp pain in his abdomen rapidly faded, replaced by a tingly, comfortable sensation.

In just a dozen seconds, all of Mr. Wang's injuries were completely healed.

When the doctors and nurses walked back in, they were all shocked. They saw Mr. Wang standing on the floor, full of vigor. Where was there even a trace of an injured patient?

Feeling his restored health, Mr. Wang felt no joy, only doubled heartache and rage.

The latest model of the 「Healing Potion」 developed by headquarters was extremely expensive. As long as one still had a breath left, taking it could rapidly repair physical damage and even achieve limb regeneration. It was essentially a second life.

Such a precious life-saving treasure had been wasted for nothing because of some idiot from a local branch and such a ridiculous conflict!

Damn it!

These hicks in Amber City probably haven't even seen something this good, have they?

"Goddammit, even if I sold that piece of shit, he wouldn't be able to afford a single vial of Healing Potion!" Mr. Wang's heart bled. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms. His hatred for Yue Shi had reached its peak.

He stormed out of the hospital, not wanting to stay for a single second longer.

Once outside, he took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to seek immediate revenge. He pulled out an encrypted phone and dialed a number that required multiple layers of redirection.

After waiting a moment, the call was finally connected.

"After a preliminary examination of the three, no major issues were found," Mr. Wang reported into the phone, his attitude respectful and humble.

A gentle, calm voice came through the receiver. "And what exactly does 'no major issues' mean? I need a definitive conclusion."

Mr. Wang immediately added, "The investigator named Bai Wanyang was indeed mentally stimulated and contaminated, but his supernatural power is quite unique, and his recovery speed is faster than average. He is currently fine. As for the one named Yue Shi..."

He paused for a moment, only managing to continue fairly by gritting his teeth. "Yue Shi's mental state is slightly worse than Bai Wanyang's; he's very irritable. However, there's nothing suspicious about either of them. Neither of them knows anything about the armored transport vehicle."

Even though Mr. Wang resented Yue Shi and wished he would die a miserable death, he ultimately didn't dare distort the facts on official business.

Retaliating in private was one thing, but if he reported false intelligence and let personal grudges interfere with such a major mission, his political career would be over if something went wrong.

"However, the only surviving ordinary scout, Zhang Songyun... his survival seems a bit excessively lucky."

"Excessively lucky?" The voice on the other end showed a hint of interest.

"Yes. I think this Zhang Songyun might have some issues, but his issues are unrelated to what we are tracking this time," Mr. Wang stated his deduction.

"I'm not interested in what you 'think'." The voice on the other end sank slightly, carrying a touch of dissatisfaction. "In future reports, use fewer vague words like 'think' or 'might'. I want factual judgments based on evidence."

Mr. Wang's expression stiffened, and he became somewhat embarrassed, quickly agreeing.

The voice continued, "The primary suspects remain the Clown and the supernatural entity from Qingshan Sanatorium. We will prioritize the investigation starting from the sanatorium."

The tone then shifted to a warning. "The matter of you using prohibited drugs to interrogate the Amber City investigators has already reached me. I'm reminding you, Amber City is Ms. Tang's territory. Be mindful of your boundaries and don't go too far. If you happen to annoy her, no one will be able to protect you."

With that, the call was disconnected.

Holding the phone that was now emitting a busy tone, Mr. Wang stood in place, trembling with rage.

"You think I don't know this is Ms. Tang's territory?"

"But you were clearly the one who said this is a matter of grave importance and that it's better to investigate everyone than let a single clue slip through."

"You were the one who hinted that I could use special methods to verify if those three investigators were involved in that matter."

"I followed your orders, so why am I the one left taking the fall?!"