Chapter 222: Scars Make You Stronger

A group fight of this scale could not avoid alerting the police, so Siyuan and his group were naturally taken to the station in police cars. Along with them, several of the guys who had been beaten up, though not seriously injured, were also brought in.

However, once they arrived at that place, it became Chen Ming’s territory. Although he had been removed from his official position and no longer held a role within the public security system, he had good connections and knew many people. With one phone call, the higher-ups from the municipal bureau rushed over, dark circles under their eyes. After a brief inquiry, they directly classified the other group as having assaulted police officers. They even explained the situation where three of them fought twenty or thirty people by saying they were members of the national anti-terror defense team.

Regardless of whether such a team existed, their identities could not be disclosed anyway, so they just slapped on a random title. But that title was truly intimidating, especially since the whole world was dealing with terrorist organizations at the time, making their anti-terror organization identity seem quite reasonable.

In short, they were taken to the station around 11:30 PM, and by around midnight, they were already sitting at a late-night food stall, noisily eating grilled skewers and drinking beer. In contrast, the guys who had been beaten were arrested for assaulting police officers. At the time, Chen Ming even left a warning: without a bail of 200,000 yuan per person, those bastards would taste the power of people’s democratic dictatorship.

As for the boss, he was utterly unlucky. A hospital examination revealed a shattered jawbone, a moderate concussion, and a dislocated cervical vertebra. If he didn’t recover well, paralysis might be an exaggeration, but he might lose the ability to even masturbate for the rest of his life.

Just when the boss’s own boss, his own older brother, came to visit and threatened bloody revenge, a team of heavily armed police in camouflage broke down the door and arrested his entire family on the spot…

“I told them, either don’t mess with me, or if you mess with me, be prepared to handle the consequences. What kind of man starts trouble but can’t back it up?” Chen Ming put down his phone. “I’ve never been particularly impressive in my life, but I have a lot of friends.”

“Cut the bragging.” Siyuan grabbed a handful of grilled skewers. “If you weren’t part of the Special Cases Division, who would pay you any attention?”

“Hey, that’s exactly right. Our Special Cases Division is just that impressive. Tell me, which place doesn’t run into some weird incidents? In the end, don’t they all come to us for help? So our golden reputation is truly outstanding.”

“If you keep acting like this, you’ll ruin it sooner or later.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be ruined.” Chen Ming chuckled. “But hey, I don’t know who was so fierce earlier, all pumped up like he’d been injected with chicken blood. How come you’re lecturing me now?”

Siyuan curled his lip and said nothing. However, that guy earlier had been truly infuriating. Perhaps because Siyuan was in a bad mood, he had been especially ruthless this time. Although it hadn’t quite reached the point of taking a life, it wasn’t far off. And he could also feel that in that moment, he had been truly demonic. That cruel pleasure… Could it really be innate, as Zuo Mingxuan had said?

Siyuan was somewhat worried about this. If one day he truly became someone like Zuo Mingxuan, he would rather have someone close to him kill him than become the kind of person he despised.

“Hey, what are you spacing out for? Drink!” Chen Ming took a big gulp of beer and nudged Siyuan. “What are you worrying about? I only have three years left to live, and I’m not worried! In life, if you feel it was worth it, then you didn’t live in vain. What’s the use of overthinking?”

“Right!” The Tyrannosaurus next to them had also had his fill of excitement today. Coupled with the beer, which was a delicacy he couldn’t taste in his own world, even his strong body was showing signs of drunkenness after a few rounds. “Brother, I want to join too!”

“Join what?” Chen Ming looked him up and down. “What do you, in your state, think you can join?”

“The… the… Special Cases Division!” Tyrannosaurus thought for a long time before remembering the name. He slapped his chest, where a palm-width patch of hair covered his heart. “I want to join!”

“Join? Hehe…”

Did he really think anyone could just join the Special Cases Division? First of all, there were records of over 143,000 people in the Special Cases Division to date, with a traceable history spanning 1,700 years. Throughout that time, they had endured family exterminations, denial, confiscations, and many other hardships, but not a single person in the records had ever defected, escaped, or retreated. Those who joined the Special Cases Division might not necessarily have great abilities, but they were definitely people with faith.

Take Ji Yanran, for example. The tragic death of her family wasn’t the reason she could join the Special Cases Division; it was her attitude toward the world after her family was gone. Only someone who, after experiencing such tragedy, could still trust and love this world would be qualified to join this organization, known as the last backbone. This was the soul of the Special Cases Division.

Throughout history, over thousands of years, from the Hidden Gate during the Sui and Tang dynasties, to the Abyss Group during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and then to the Special Cases Division after the founding of New China, every leader had died in office—either of old age or in a heroic sacrifice. Which member hadn’t seemed unruly in ordinary times but could risk their lives at critical moments? This kind of place didn’t need so-called experts; it needed people with conviction and faith. This faith wasn’t in gods or Buddhas but in upholding and defending their own principles. Otherwise, how could such a large organization as the Special Cases Division not have fallen apart long ago?

So when this big oaf said he wanted to join the Special Cases Division… it wasn’t exactly difficult, but it wasn’t simple either. First, he would need recommendations from at least three main leaders or higher. Then, he would have to pass political, mental, and ability assessments. Finally, he would need training before starting.

People like Siyuan, who were directly promoted and could still thrive, were rare—only two in all of history. One was the Second Master, and the other was Siyuan. This was probably what the Second Master meant by being born for the Special Cases Division.

After this explanation, Tyrannosaurus was completely baffled. With the language barrier, there was no way he could understand what political screening or mental training meant. He could only stare blankly at Chen Ming and Siyuan.

“Stop babbling. If you really want to join, I’m telling you, you have to behave well in school, at least learn to speak clearly. Even though there are mind masters teaching you language, someone like you who sleeps in class won’t be able to speak a complete sentence even in three years.”

Siyuan stood up with a smile. “You guys chat. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll head back first.”

“If there’s something, just say it. Don’t keep it bottled up; it’ll cause trouble.”

“I know. I’m just a bit tired.” Siyuan sighed. “I’ll head back now.”

Chen Ming didn’t say anything but stared at Siyuan for a moment before nodding. Watching Siyuan slowly walk away, Chen Ming picked up the phone. “I feel like something’s going to happen.”

“What thing?” Little Dragon Maiden on the phone was also startled. “Explain clearly.”

“Siyuan is going to have trouble.” Chen Ming’s tone was heavy. “He’s not quite right.”

Not quite right? This issue could be big or small, but Little Dragon Maiden clearly considered it a major problem. Because Siyuan’s abilities were inherited, not gained through his own training, cultivation, or understanding. Abilities gained this way, while equally powerful, came with corresponding risks. The risk was that it was easy to clash with oneself.

When a person… clashes with themselves, things can get troublesome. At best, it leads to mental illness; at worst, to anti-social behavior. If Siyuan clashed with himself, he would either become despondent or turn into a twisted pervert. Despondency was manageable… but if he became a twisted pervert, things would be really troublesome, right?

“What do you plan to do?”

“Take him out to relax.” Chen Ming checked his watch. “Are there any missions out of town recently, away from this area?”

“Yes, there are quite a few.”

“Good, arrange it. Give him a team and let him travel abroad on official expenses to relax. This incident has hit him hard.” Chen Ming couldn’t help but sigh. “His current state is very poor. Can you give him a more cheerful assignment? Look at the chaos now. If he stays in this environment, he’ll blame himself to the point of breakdown.”

“Hmm… I’ll think of something. You go comfort him first. He doesn’t seem like the fragile type.”

“What do you know… Sorry.” Chen Ming had already spoken before remembering who he was talking to and quickly corrected himself. “Do you know what someone like him, a quiet type, might do after his worldview and values are shaken? Don’t forget, Zuo Mingxuan was once a good person too. Could someone chosen as a Guardian be a bad person? But look at him now. I won’t say more about that. If you want to face two Zuo Mingxuans at once, I won’t stop you. And if someone like Siyuan, who holds that thing, falls and turns dark, what a loss that would be for us. Also… do you have a way to deal with a fully unsealed Siyuan?”

“I understand…” Little Dragon Maiden also realized the seriousness of the matter. “I’ll have the schedule arranged by tomorrow.”

“Key points: cheerful, foreign, information isolation.” Chen Ming coughed. “Just three requirements. Let him temporarily forget all the messy things here. Those cases aren’t important anymore!”

“Understood.”