Invincible through Touching Corpses-Chapter 57 - 56: To Draw Hatred

"Boss, you weren’t actually trying to kill Qiu Taifei just now, were you? From the look of that slash, you weren’t holding back one bit!" Xu Haishui was the first to ask.

"I couldn’t have killed him," Fang Tianhe replied succinctly, leading the group toward the elevator shaft.

"Couldn’t have killed him?" Xu Haishui was puzzled. He thought back for a moment before continuing, "That’s impossible! You went all out when you shattered his Sharp Claw. If he hadn’t dodged in time at the very end, there’s no way you could have held back at that range!"

"You’re right, I couldn’t have held back. But I could have retracted my Superpower. While he was in his Werewolf Transformation, the slash would have, at most, left him half-dead," Fang Tianhe explained.

A look of dawning realization spread across the faces of everyone who had been listening in. At the same time, they couldn’t help but reflect inwardly, ’This is the captain we know, all right.’

"Captain, what happened between us and the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps should only count as a minor skirmish, right? Why did you go out of your way to propose a life-and-death duel?" This time, it was Wu Yan who spoke up. It was the one thing he couldn’t wrap his head around.

If his opponent had accepted, that would have been one thing; Fang Tianhe could have killed him, and all their problems would be solved.

But since he refused, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps would face three months of humiliation. That was no different from making a mortal enemy of them.

"You all should understand that, to the Wild Wolf Corps, the Axe Gang is the goose that lays the golden eggs. Anyone who messes with that goose is as good as making a mortal enemy of them."

"So, whether I proposed the deathmatch or not, there was never going to be a peaceful resolution between us and the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps."

"But if I did nothing, the target of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps’ wrath would be Lin Xinghai." Fang Tianhe didn’t elaborate, but everyone understood what he was getting at.

Lin Xinghai, for all his incredible talent, had yet to reach his full potential. If someone like Qiu Taifei targeted him and resorted to underhanded tactics, he would be in real danger.

What Fang Tianhe had just done was forcibly draw their fury onto himself.

Coupled with the fact that they wouldn’t dare to accept the deathmatch, they would now be under surveillance for the next three months. In this way, Lin Xinghai effectively had a double layer of protection.

As the mercenaries took this in, they felt a renewed sense of appreciation, secretly glad they had chosen a mercenary corps with such a reliable captain leading the way.

There was one exception, however. Xu Haishui’s face paled. "Boss, you should’ve given me a heads-up! I was the one who presented the video evidence. You don’t think Qiu Taifei is going to put me on his hit list, do you?"

"It’s very likely," Fang Tianhe said. "So for the time being, just stay at our headquarters and focus on training and improving your strength. No more sneaking into back alleys whenever you feel like it. If you really need to let off some steam, find a proper girlfriend."

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Xu Haishui had been tense hearing the first part of the warning, but the latter half left him completely mortified.

DING! The elevator doors opened, and the group finally arrived in the Lower Level District.

Just then, Fang Tianhe’s wrist-computer vibrated again. He opened his message notifications and saw a new voice message from Lin Xinghai, which he promptly played.

As he listened, his eyes began to light up. He had been worried about whether Michael would handle the matter impartially this time.

But not only had the man not restrained himself, he had acted just as before, crudely tampering with the evidence. Worse, the tampering was so clumsy it would fall apart under the slightest scrutiny.

More importantly, Lin Xinghai had recorded it all. With this, it would be useless for the man to try and deny anything later.

Fang Tianhe had received the information, and naturally, so had the others on the group message.

"Holy shit, Boss! With this recording from Ah Xing, there’s no way he can get away with it!" Xu Haishui was the first to shout in excitement.

"Mm-hm." Fang Tianhe nodded, then composed a message and sent it to his superior. Afterward, there was a noticeable spring in his step.

...

Meanwhile, members of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps were finally stepping through the doors of the Security Bureau.

It wasn’t Shen Han, who had gone on ahead. Instead, it was Roger, who had received the message and come down a different elevator shaft, along with the other members who had been surveilling the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps with him.

After entering the Security Bureau, they completely ignored the officers trying to block their way and barged straight into the interrogation room.

While Mercenaries might be on their best behavior in the Middle Level District, they were far more brazen in the Lower Level District.

The patrols in the Middle Level District were composed of soldiers, so of course, Mercenaries didn’t dare to cause trouble there.

But the security teams in the Lower City District were practically a tier below Mercenaries in status. After all, Mercenaries were the ones who went outside to fight Zombies and secure vital resources for the Shelter; security personnel just managed domestic order.

So for a veteran like Roger, barging into the Security Bureau was no big deal. If any trouble came of it, the Mercenary Guild would back them up.

Even if they were truly in the wrong, the worst that could happen was they’d have to pay some Points as compensation or do a pro-bono Zombie hunt.

And so, under the shocked and furious gazes of the security officers, Roger led his men and swaggered right into the interrogation room.

He took one look at the unharmed Lin Xinghai and breathed an inward sigh of relief.

This was happening just as Lin Xinghai was handing his wrist-computer over to Michael.

So, Roger immediately spotted the wrist-computer clutched in Michael’s fat hand.

And of course he’d recognize a wrist-computer belonging to one of his own.

"What’s he doing with your wrist-computer?" Roger asked Lin Xinghai directly, ignoring Michael completely.

"The wrist-computer has the video evidence I recorded. This officer said he needs to take it to the tech department to verify its authenticity," Lin Xinghai replied, his face relaxing now that he’d seen Roger. He, too, breathed an inward sigh of relief.

The moment Roger heard that, he understood the scam. He couldn’t help but sneer, "Tsk! Since when does verifying a video require taking the entire wrist-computer? Why not just transfer the file? Unless, of course, the plan is to take it away and destroy the evidence?"

A bitter taste filled Michael’s mouth. He knew all too well how difficult veteran Mercenaries like Roger could be.

But no matter what, he couldn’t afford to look weak. "Since when is it a Mercenary’s place to question how the Security Bureau conducts its business? And what about you lot? Do you have any idea how serious an offense it is to barge into the Security Bureau?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Roger, however, didn’t take the bait. "Don’t try and pin false accusations on me. I have no authority to tell you how to do your job. I was merely pointing out the amateur mistake you’re making."

"Furthermore, while the wrist-computer in your hand may be evidence, it is also private property. If it gets damaged, the law requires you to provide compensation for its full value."

"And finally, the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps formally objects to your handling of this case. We will be filing a complaint through the Mercenary Guild to have the Military Department intervene and take over the proceedings."

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