Chapter 363 - 94: Disorder
Chapter 363 - 94: Disorder
Sun Rao glanced at it and frowned.
The message was about a pair of rich kids from another Central City. They were the children of a high-ranking corporate executive. They’d left their hotel and were currently wandering around Yinglu District, heading into areas with poor public safety. The Processing Bureau wanted them to find a way to look after the pair and make sure nothing happened to them.
He didn’t want to deal with this kind of thing at all, especially since they had real work to do. But since it was an impromptu notice from the Bureau, he had no choice.
So, the armored vehicle quickly turned around and headed toward the location indicated by the Realm Token.
Chen Chuan looked them up and saw that the two rich kids weren’t Fighters. He said, "If no Fighters are involved, shouldn’t this be a job for the city patrol?"
Sun Rao said helplessly, "Normally, it wouldn’t be our responsibility. But if these two actually cause trouble, the city patrol won’t be able to handle it. It’ll fall to us in the end anyway. It’s better to just stop them from getting into trouble in the first place."
Chen Chuan said, "If they’re the children of a corporate executive, shouldn’t they have security with them when they go out? Is it necessary to be this concerned?"
Sun Rao said, "They do have security personnel with them, so normally it’s fine. The scary part is when people like them go looking for trouble themselves. The Bureau dealt with a case like that a month ago.
It was the brother-in-law of a high-ranking government official. He thought he had connections to protect him and wasn’t afraid of anything, so he went out wandering at night. He happened to come across a group of armed militants dumping a body. Out of curiosity, he insisted on getting a closer look, and he ended up getting shot dead. His body was dumped in the sea.
The person who killed him was a Fighter, and possibly a member of a wanted resistance group. So, the Bureau faced questioning from higher-ups and the public over the incident. Especially this month, with the arena tournament about to start, the Bureau doesn’t want anything to go wrong."
Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Brother Sun, how do you plan to handle this?"
Sun Rao said, "For now, all we can do is follow them and stop them from doing anything too out of line."
Following the directions from the Realm Token, it wasn’t long before the armored patrol vehicle spotted a dark green convertible up ahead, driving recklessly down the road.
A security guard in sunglasses was visible in the back seat. In the front were a young man and woman, both around fourteen or fifteen years old. They wore vibrant, elaborate, heavy makeup, and their platinum-blonde hair whipped wildly in the wind.
The girl in the passenger seat had been bobbing her head to loud, explosive music. Suddenly, she heard a notification, glanced behind them, and said, "Bro, someone’s behind us. Looks like the Processing Bureau from this Central City."
The boy, however, only grew more excited. "Perfect! Watch me lose them." He stomped on the gas pedal. The engine ROARED as the car suddenly accelerated and shot forward.
Sun Rao watched coldly. He didn’t choose to speed up and follow. He knew that the more he chased, the more excited they’d get, and besides, he had a better way of handling it.
First, he contacted the Bureau and asked if a Resonator there could alter the route on the other vehicle’s Realm Token. However, he was told that the Bureau’s Resonators were all busy with other matters and had no time for such a trivial issue. They were to handle it themselves.
Seeing that he couldn’t get help from the Bureau, he contacted a Resonator he knew personally. He then said to Chen Chuan, "Resonators are always in short supply, and good, trustworthy ones are even harder to find. I have a long-term collaborator, a Resonator who even has a First Level Domain Certificate. I can recommend him to you. You can look for him if you run into problems in the future."
Chen Chuan smiled. "Thank you, Senior Brother Sun."
He knew Sun Rao wasn’t doing this purely out of kindness. A Resonator who frequently cooperated with the Processing Bureau would have an easier time obtaining permissions in the future. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The young pair quickly lost the Processing Bureau’s vehicle, cheering and high-fiving each other as if they’d accomplished something amazing. But after speeding through a loop following their Realm Token’s directions, they were suddenly shocked to see the Bureau’s vehicle right beside them again.
They immediately realized there was a problem and were very annoyed. The boy turned his head and said to the guard, "Old Qian, get out and stop them."
The guard glanced at them but didn’t react. Playing along with their wild antics was his limit. There was absolutely no way he was going to try and stop a Processing Bureau vehicle. He wasn’t tired of living yet.
"Lame."
Seeing the guard wouldn’t move, with the Processing Bureau vehicle tailing them and their Realm Token’s route stuck in a loop, they realized there was no chance of finding any "fun." The two were thoroughly irritated. The girl flipped off the driver of the armored vehicle behind them before their car turned and headed back toward the hotel.
Sun Rao seemed to have expected this. He scoffed, then said, "Junior Brother, don’t get impatient. If you work for the Processing Bureau in the future, you’ll run into this stuff too. It’s best to find a way to get promoted early, then you won’t have to deal with this hassle yourself."
Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Brother Sun, are you planning to stay with the Processing Bureau after graduation?"
"Of course," Sun Rao said without hesitation.
"I’m already familiar with the work and the people here at the Processing Bureau. If I went to another department or a corporation, I’d have to spend time building connections and getting used to everything all over again. That’s a cost. Besides, while the salary at the Bureau isn’t that high, you can earn extra money on the side from time to time. You have law enforcement authority, and you don’t have to suck up to corporate bosses.
Junior Brother, you’ve only been in Central City for half a year, right? There’s a lot you haven’t been exposed to. Once you have, you’ll realize the Processing Bureau is a pretty good place to be. Most people can’t even get an opportunity like this.
Ancheng, on the other hand, wants to go corporate. He thinks he can earn a higher salary and become an executive like some of our seniors, that it’s more glamorous and respectable. But I think he’s being too optimistic. A place like a corporation... you can’t survive there without being cunning. You’ll get eaten alive sooner or later."
The young pair drove around for a bit before returning to their hotel. As they watched the convertible drive into the underground garage, the armored patrol vehicle parked by the entrance.
Sun Rao said, "We’ll wait here for a bit. Once they’re upstairs, we’ll head to that Swordfish Gang stronghold."
But just as he finished speaking, his Realm Token chimed again. This time it was a message from the city patrol. They reported a suspected case of a Fighter with functional disorder and were requesting the Processing Bureau to handle it.
Sun Rao’s expression turned serious. A Fighter suffering from functional disorder is completely lost in their own delusions. You never know what they might do, so they have to be dealt with immediately.
So, they didn’t continue the stakeout. After reporting the result of their escort duty, he immediately had the vehicle turn and head toward the incident location.
Meanwhile, the brother and sister had already parked their car and were about to head back to their suite. But when they suddenly noticed the Processing Bureau vehicle was gone, the girl let out a sound of surprise. "Bro, they’re gone!"
The boy said impatiently, "So what if they’re gone? If we go out, they’ll just start tailing us again."
"Heh, then let them tail us. Bro, I found a place. If they want to follow, let them. Maybe they’ll even get to see a show."
The girl whispered something to him. The boy’s eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go." The two excitedly got back in their car, drove out of the garage, and sped off down the main road.
Following the Realm Token’s display, the armored patrol vehicle arrived at a general-purpose warehouse in the Yinglu District port about ten minutes later. The perimeter had already been secured by the city patrol. Seeing the Processing Bureau’s armored vehicle arrive so quickly, the leading captain immediately waved them on. His team members skillfully removed the barrier ropes and makeshift barricades, allowing the armored vehicle to enter.
Chen Chuan and Sun Rao had already received the case file on the way. The person experiencing functional disorder was a security captain originally responsible for maintaining port security. He had killed the warehouse manager and used his weapon to injure several of his own teammates. He was now hiding in one of the warehouses.
Sun Rao said, "Good, as long as he hasn’t escaped."
He then started explaining to Chen Chuan. "Junior Brother, you’ve heard of functional disorder, right? There’s always a reason for an episode like this, usually triggered by some kind of trauma. Once the symptoms appear, recovery is almost impossible without medication from a major corporation. Even if they get better now, the chances of a relapse will be much higher in the future.
When a person is having an episode, their compatibility with their Implant increases to a certain degree. And because their perception is distorted, they’re often fearless and fight to the death. So, when you encounter someone like this, you have to resolve the situation immediately."
After the vehicle stopped inside, he slid the door open. "I’m going in to handle it. Junior Brother, you wait here and keep an eye out for any other notices from the Bureau."
Chen Chuan nodded, watching him get out of the vehicle, draw his gun, and walk off.
After about ten minutes, he suddenly heard several clear, muffled gunshots from inside the warehouse. A moment later, the red alert on the Realm Token disappeared. The city patrol officers outside began to rush in. Soon after, he saw Sun Rao walk out from inside, apparently unharmed.
He walked all the way back, got into the vehicle, and closed the door. "I’ve gotten to the bottom of it. Last night, a group of gang members came to the port warehouse to steal cargo.
Turns out, the warehouse manager had arranged for that cargo to be there. Part of it was contraband from illegal channels, mixed in with some legitimate goods. He colluded with a gang leader to move the items out under the guise of a theft. They would split the profits from selling the cargo, and afterward, they could even collect a loss claim from the security company and the insurance company.
But this particular security captain was extremely responsible. His shift was already over, but he still felt uneasy and came back to do one last round. He ended up discovering several of his own team members helping the thieves move the cargo.
The captain drew his gun and shot several of the thieves dead. He then got into a conflict with his corrupt teammates, but he managed to save the cargo. The ironic part is, before dawn, he was fired by the security company on the grounds of ’conflict with colleagues.’"
He shook his head. "Someone in the security company was clearly in cahoots with the warehouse manager, so his actions pissed off a lot of people. And when he got home, he found out that among the thieves he had shot and killed... one of them was his own son."
Chen Chuan glanced at the security captain’s file and noticed an annotation. "This man graduated from Wuyi?"
Sun Rao said, "He never studied at the main campus, just a local Wuyi Academy. He came to Central City and worked hard here for twenty years, without a single crime on his record. He only managed to obtain citizenship half a year ago with the help of a senior. Now, it’s all gone."
He scoffed, looking out at the crowd of onlookers. "Twenty years of hard work..." After a long moment, he said, "We’ve been delayed for so long. We need to get back to that business at the dojo. Let’s first—"
But he had barely started the sentence when his Realm Token pinged with another communication. His expression changed slightly. He cursed under his breath and shouted to the driver, "Old Wan, to the Elephant House Inn! Quick!"
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