Striving for Science C107 pt1

"Bi'an, didn't you go to capture those wicked criminals?" Black Impermanence asked, puzzled, seeing White Impermanence return so quickly. "I checked the time of death of those three criminals, and they were hours apart?"

"Yeah, they haven't all died yet, what's the rush?" White Impermanence tucked the crying stick in his belt, a hint of helplessness on his handsome face. "Going there now would be asking for trouble."

"Huh?"

"We ghost constables can't let cultivators use private punishments on souls when we're collecting them. It's not appropriate for me to go now."

"Encountered a cultivator who's not easy to deal with?" Black Impermanence was surprised. Nowadays, cultivators were getting worse with each generation. Could there be someone who even made Xie Bi'an step back?

Having worked together for years, White Impermanence saw through Black Impermanence's thoughts. He sighed, "You'll see when you go."

"Alright, I'll help you collect the remaining two souls." Black Impermanence was genuinely curious. Who could make White Impermanence break the employee handbook and let him take revenge with private punishment?

***

Beep beep beep...

The timer in the broadcast room was still diligently counting down. The ticking sound was the most merciless mockery of Dog Brother, because both he and Shen Chang'an knew it wouldn't explode.

Dog Brother leaned against the wall, glancing at his dangling arms, fear evident in his expression. "What... what did you do to me?"

"Look at your face, what could I do to you?" Shen Chang'an, who had been smiling just moments ago, vanished completely after the three students left. He looked at Dog Brother with a blank expression. "Who leaked the news that I was in Wuming City?"

His codename was "Tianyou." Only a handful of people knew about his missions, and his transfer to Wuming City was kept secret. Even the Imperial Capital Security Department didn't know he had been a secret mission reinforcement.

"Even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. You want to know?" Dog Brother laughed gleefully. "What's the point of all this? Someone's still betraying you behind your back?"

Shen Chang'an looked at him without speaking.

"Think about your family, it's truly pathetic. Your father died for the country, your mother worked herself to death saving patients, and you... were betrayed by your own people. What was the point of all their sacrifices?" Dog Brother laughed loudly. "You believe in justice, but how does justice reward you?"

"You're about to die, why are you still trying to sow discord?" Shen Chang'an scoffed. "You caused such a big commotion, just to take my life. But I'm still alive and well, while you, you bunch of beasts, are about to die. I don't know what justice will reward me with, but I know what happens to those who do evil."

With that, Shen Chang'an kicked Dog Brother to the ground without mercy. When he was young, he had fantasized about catching all the criminals who killed his father. So last year, when he noticed someone following him, he contacted his father's former comrades.

The higher-ups initially didn't approve of him taking risks, but he wanted to do something for his father. The only thing he didn't expect was how incredibly easy it was to infiltrate the enemy. Every internal member who had ill intentions towards him would die in various accidents, ultimately allowing him to successfully obtain all the information and destroy the entire organization.

After this incident, the higher-ups began to crack down on the remnants of the criminal organization. To protect his safety, they specially arranged for him to be transferred to this remote city.

When Dog Brother mentioned someone inside leaking his whereabouts, Shen Chang'an noticed a glint of vindictive satisfaction and a slight flicker in his eyes. His subconscious told him that his location was definitely not leaked by someone inside.

As for who it was...

Shen Chang'an looked at Dog Brother, who had lost his arms and couldn't find a foothold, only able to roll on the ground, pretending to know everything. "Was it the man who likes to wear gray clothes who told you?"

Dog Brother subconsciously glanced at Shen Chang'an. Although he did it quickly, Shen Chang'an knew he had guessed right.

"It really was him." Shen Chang'an understood, turning to look at Dao Nian who was hidden beside him.

Dao Nian didn't speak. He looked at Dog Brother lying on the ground, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at a dead thing.

"Forget it, I don't even know how you got to know him." He bent down to look at Dog Brother. "A beast like you, letting you live another day is a desecration to those who have passed."

"Shen Chang'an, are you trying to use extrajudicial punishment?!"

"No, this is self-defense." Shen Chang'an raised his gun, aiming at Dog Brother's head. "A person like you, even in death, won't find peace for your soul."

But before he could pull the trigger, Dog Brother died silently. Shen Chang'an was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Dao Nian.

"Heaven wanted him to die immediately, so he couldn't stay in this world for another second." Dao Nian put his hand on Shen Chang'an's shoulder. "A person like him, doesn't deserve to dirty your hands."

Shen Chang'an's hand holding the gun slowly dropped. He stared blankly at the corpse on the ground. "My father died at the hands of this criminal gang back then. They changed their names and hid for years, but now they're finally cleaned up."

He felt strange now, neither happy nor satisfied. His heart was empty, grasping at nothing. He was like a lost traveler in a thick fog, unable to find his way forward.

"You're very powerful." Dao Nian took the gun from his hand. "You saved many people."

Shen Chang'an slowly came back to his senses and smiled. "Yeah, I, Shen Chang'an, am a man who can reach the heavens."

Dao Nian: "..."

"Excuse me, I'm interrupting." Black Impermanence had just stepped out of the Hell Gate when he heard the words "a man who can reach the heavens," and his hand holding the crying stick trembled. He felt like he had discovered a terrible secret.

He secretly glanced at the Heavenly Dao Lord, who seemed at ease, and silently retreated back into the underworld passage, even forgetting to take Dog Brother's soul with him.

He never imagined that the Heavenly Dao Lord and that human had such a complex relationship, both emotional and physical. No wonder the King of Hell always told them not to underestimate any human. Humans are indeed very powerful.

A few minutes after Black Impermanence left, he quickly returned, carrying his crying stick and soul-locking chain, his face still bearing a look of terror that he hadn't had time to hide.

"Back already?" White Impermanence wasn't surprised that Black Impermanence hadn't brought back the ghost. "Want a calming pill to settle your nerves?"

"Thanks, brother. You're still the best." Black Impermanence looked at White Impermanence with admiration. He could remain so calm while taking a soul right under the Heavenly Dao's nose. He couldn't compare.

White Impermanence: "..."

Fan Wujiu always called him by name, but this time he called him "brother." What had happened to him?

"You..." Black Impermanence looked conflicted. "You saw everything, right?"

White Impermanence thought, he was talking about Shen Chang'an beating up the ghost?

"If you see something like that, pretend you didn't." White Impermanence said. "Don't talk about it, it's not good for anyone."

Black Impermanence: "..."

It's not good for anyone, who would know that Shen Chang'an is a man who dares to defy the Heavenly Dao?