Chapter 566
Chapter 566 - 546: Joyful Air
2,025 words
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11 min read
"Hey, are you Lu Ping’an? So young? Well, I look forward to your guidance. I’m Yan Beixin from Team Eleven, I’m older than you. You can call me Big Yan from now on."
Just stepped into the Special Service Team office, he had not even had time to sit down and take a sip of tea.
A young man with multi-colored hair came striding forward with an unrecognizable gait and "greeted" Lu Ping’an.
The disdain in his words, the irritation on his face were not at all concealed, and across the large office, a few titters conveniently arose.
Lu Ping’an squinted his eyes and with a quick glance, he roughly understood the situation.
"A rebellion so soon..."
He didn’t even lift his head to look at Yan Beixin standing in front of him; he just glanced sideways at the other members of Team Eleven.
Most of the team’s members were present, some sipping tea, some cracking sunflower seeds. All eyes were on them, but no one intervened.
This kid in front of him was a rookie in Team Eleven. His behavior, especially in front of an audience, clearly wasn’t his own initiative.
Thus, Lu Ping’an reached out with his right hand, making a fist shaking gesture.
"Ah, a handshake?...No need."
Yan Beixin hesitated, first looking back at the corner of the room. After hearing a light cough, his confidence inflated.
"...Little Lu, shall we go to the training field to play?"
Lu Ping’an was still smiling and his right hand remained extended without any intention of retracting it.
He didn’t even look at the other man.
Just as Yan Beixin was about to start blustering, he suddenly felt an inexplicable heaviness throughout his body, an overwhelming fear gripped his heart, a sense of impending death rose from his heels to his back.
"Activate Spirit Vision! Move quickly!"
The companion’s exclamation startled him into realization.
But when he activated Soul’s Eye, he wished he hadn’t...
A large black phantom hand hovered over him, grasping his entire body. The hand Lu Ping’an extended was steady and restrained; because with one unintentional move, he might only harvest a pile of minced meat.
This was not some supernatural ability; it was just a small application of the "Power of Life" by Lu Ping’an.
The Power of Life emitted by his spiritual power could take physical shape outside his body. Lu Ping’an’s skill level was far from that of an ordinary third-tier Gardener.
As for why it was black? Lu Ping’an himself didn’t know: why would the Life Power he emits show such a bizarre color under the Soul’s Eye?
Why so ominous? Why was it that, upon mere touch, there was none of the normal solace and joy of Life Power...only despair and fear akin to a kiss of death?
"Let’s shake hands."
With the same words, Lu Ping’an smiled as if he had done nothing.
The shaking young man in front of him tried to extend his hand to grasp Lu Ping’an’s right hand that had remained unmoved.
The two hands touched and immediately separated... Unknown to all, the phantom black hand had disappeared without a trace, leaving only this unlucky egg kneeling and shaking on the ground.
"Ha ha, young people are always so energetic. Don’t mind it."
Only at this juncture did the deliberately hearty Captain Che stand up and try to calm the situation.
"Of course, I don’t mind. After all, I’m not at a loss."
Lu Ping’an didn’t even glance at him; he just lowered his head to drink his tea, completely disregarding the dignity of the captain of Team Eleven... Dignity had to be earned, and this was akin to sweeping one’s own dignity on the floor.
Lu Ping’an simply ignored "Frost Dragon Claw" Che Wannian; there was no good option for him... making a fuss would undermine unity, and if he couldn’t win, it would be a thorough loss of face.
The spacious office fell into silence for a moment. Lu Ping’an hardly bothered to argue, after casually greeting his colleagues and signing a few Knight’s endorsement letters, he got up and left.
His departure lightened the atmosphere in the large office quite a bit. At least, Captain Che, who was still standing in an awkward spot, finally found a way out.
"...I told you not to provoke him. He was at a Captain level even before he left. It took him only two months to get there. After another two months outside, he’s not someone any ordinary captain can handle..."
Members of Team Three were just enthusiastically watching the drama and a colleague from Team Eleven grumbled about their captain’s reckless action.
"...You ingrates, didn’t I do this to vent for you?"
"Ha, it’s clear that you got a cold shoulder from Captain Xia, so you’re trying to vent..."
For a while, the office was filled with a joyful air.
The departing Lu Ping’an felt puzzled, as if he somehow got the blame for something.
From the moment that the newcomer challenged him, Lu Ping’an pretty much knew what had happened.
"The pressure and resentment in Team Eleven is not small... Well, this is Xia Qin’s problem, it has nothing to do with me, let her worry about it."
Originally, the daily tasks in this jurisdiction were conducted by Team Three, but with the implementation of the multi-special service team policy, Teams Eleven and Three have become the rotating guardians of this place.
Team Eleven was a hired team of strongmen who were new to this area. Naturally, they needed to work overtime to prove their worth, allowing Team Three to relax.
However, a series of events happened with the explorers, and Lu Ping’an left with the main force of Team 3...although policy encourages captain level members to take the explorer qualification exam, the absence left by their departure needed to be filled by others.
Team 3 lost several core members including the captain, and Vice Captain Lu was nearing retirement and focused on maintaining his health, so the main work naturally fell to Team 3.
However, as newcomers who had just joined, they were subjected to the organization’s "trust" and "responsibilities", and it was hard for them to refuse.
Although they are rookies, they ended up working overtime to the point of exhaustion. Without its core members, Team 3 couldn’t really provide much help.
Everyone shared a police precinct, using two connected large offices, there was much daily interaction.
Seeing each other every day, they worked overtime while maintaining their health. Any difficult tasks were directly thrown to Special Service Team Eleven with the excuse "our core combat power is on vacation." No wonder they were pissed.
Did they go for the Explorer exam? Some did, but apparently, they didn’t pass, those kind of tests are not within reach of your average third-tier individuals.
Take leave to participate in the exploration? Proposing a long leave right after entering the system? It would be more straightforward to resign... In any case, they felt very wronged, wronged in every respect.
When there is resentment in the team, the leader naturally needs to find a way to let off steam.
Now that Team 3 is back, Special Service Team Eleven naturally wanted to pick a bone with them.
Directly confront Captain Xia Qin? On one hand, she has a high reputation and illustrious military service, even Captain Che isn’t confident in winning against her.
On the other hand, if captains confront each other directly, there wouldn’t be any room for reconciliation. What starts as a "complaint" might evolve into an "enemy."
So they naturally turned to this young man, who had clearly returned but didn’t show up for work... Xia Qin had at least said a few kind words on his behalf.
In some ways, Lu Ping’an making both Team 3 and Team Eleven lack vehicles was a real cause for resentment among the two teams’ members.
But the result was somewhat unexpected. Picking on Lu Ping’an seemed even more troublesome than directly approaching Xia Qin.
Not to mention the newcomers in Team Eleven, even the strongest amongst them had no confidence...
"Didn’t they say he’s only third-tier and he’s not in good condition so he can’t take action? The pressure he puts on me is greater than many fourth-tier individuals. How did he manage to become so formidable at such a young age..."
Captain Che, having more life experience, only intended to cause a commotion and let the youngsters bump into some problems. He didn’t anticipate the oppressive force displayed by Lu Ping’an, which was beyond the normal range for a fourth-tier individual.
If the tension continues to escalate and both sides use full force, the relationship between the two teams would be completely polarized.
And if, under the watchful eyes of all, Captain Che gets beaten by Lu Ping’an...then Team Eleven and Team 3 would have no chance of cooperating in the future.
Considering the outcomes, both sides saved face. Lu Ping’an left... thankfully no real fights broke out, or it would have been a lot uglier.
But from another perspective, Team 11 might have to behave themselves for a while, as Lu Ping’an’s strong suppression was successful.
The experienced external hires are proud and value dignity. Now that they are gradually adapting to the new workplace, they naturally want to take back control and seize the initiative.
This is their so-called "legitimate reason" to make a fuss and it also serves as a test to see if they have the capability to bounce back.
It’s like an unspoken rule among professionals. Overt control and regulations are one thing, but everyone knows it’s the power that calls the shots.
At least between the two collaborating teams, Team 3 can’t dictate and Team 11 just follow... Yet, their "rebellion" obviously failed, and they continue to be the "diligent newbie team".
This Is the reason why despite the clash between Team 3 and Team 11, most of them were simply watching the show: they knew it was bound to happen...
𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
"...Speaking of which, is the news about him being Xia Qin’s man true, Captain Che? You wouldn’t have started this mess because of that, right..?"
Suddenly, someone said something, causing an uproar.
"Meow, I heard that he and Captain Xia have been living together meow."
All of the lively individuals from Team 3 had mixed into the crowd.
In no time, the atmosphere became much more animated, with Team 3, the spectators of the drama, ironically being the most enthusiastic.
"Eh? Sibling love?"
"Looking at their ages, it seems more like she’s keeping a gigolo..."
"Watch your mouth! It’s obviously a young boy in pursuit of an older woman! Didn’t you know they often chat long into the night, from dusk till dawn..."
Although they had the intention of "livening up the atmosphere", once they started gossiping about affairs, they became quite excited.
As the conversation got more lively, the tension eased... After all, they are adults and they still have to cooperate in the future, so why not let bygones be bygones by making a joke out of such unpleasant incidents?
So, making some slightly colored jokes to enliven the atmosphere and improve relationships was only normal.
It was at this moment that Xia, who had just returned, smashed the door with a punch.
"Overage, overage..." Apparently, she had not come back at the right time.
"I’m only twenty-two! Xue En, come out here!"
As for Xue En, who had just made the unfortunate comment, he wanted to cry but had no tears.
"Captain Xia, if I said... I was just trying to ease the tension and lift the spirits, would you believe me..."
Then, he was dragged out.
So, this time, the office was really filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
— End of Chapter 566 —