Chapter 117: Zhang Ze's Frustration
When Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue arrived in Changhu City, inside Jiuhua Sect’s gate, Duan Qingyang was guiding several young disciples in their cultivation.
“Duan Hong, you’re not exerting enough power from your elbow. You should privately discuss this with Wu Ren!”
As the leader of Jiuhua Sect, Duan Qingyang held his three children in high regard. What drew attention, however, was that standing beside the Duan brothers was Wen Qing from the Wen family of Qingfeng Ancient Town.
Since Wen Qing had come to Jiuhua Sect with Duan Qingkuang, he had been training alongside the Duan brothers. Naturally, Duan Qingyang had taken him under his wing as well.
...
Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue arrived at the Changhu City Investigation Division at four in the afternoon.
“Captain Xu~”
After a short wait, the team leader, Xu Kai, approached them.
“Truly, heroes emerge from the young!” Xu Kai remarked, surveying the two. “I didn’t expect the new recruits this year from Anqing Martial Bureau to be of such high caliber.”
Zhang Yue remained unmoved, speaking sternly, “Captain Xu, please tell us about that Feng Hang.”
“Of course~”
...
Moments later.
“This Feng Hang is most likely hiding out in the Mingyang Hotel in the Upper Lake District. You can capture him there,” Xu Kai summarized for Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue.
Puzzled by the certainty, Zhang Ze furrowed his brow and asked, “If you already have such thorough information, why don’t you handle this yourselves?”
“With your third-grade cultivation and years of frontline experience, surely you could easily subdue this cultist named Feng Hang yourselves, right?”
“Of course~” Xu Kai didn’t hide the truth.
He explained, “It would be simple for our Investigation Division to squash this little pest, but if we swatted every single fly like this…”
“Then what would the provincial Martial Bureau recruits, like you youngsters, be doing?”
“Do you expect you to just train in seclusion at the Martial Bureau for four years before you’re sent to the frontlines?”
Zhang Ze pondered thoughtfully.
...
Leaving the Investigation Division with Zhang Yue, the two headed straight to the Mingyang Grand Hotel.
“How do we proceed?”
Standing beneath the hotel, Zhang Yue asked.
Zhang Ze slightly furrowed his brow, a faint smile playing on his lips. “We go straight up and capture him. What else could we do?”
Muttering to himself, Zhang Ze strode toward the hotel’s main entrance.
Zhang Yue shook her head slightly but followed.
On the seventh floor, room 66.
“Knock, knock~” came two heavy knocks.
Zhang Ze signaled Zhang Yue to stay concealed.
Avoiding the peephole deliberately, they waited a moment before strange noises emerged from inside.
“He must have already fled!” Zhang Yue shrugged.
Zhang Ze stared in surprise. *That direct?*
*Didn’t they even ask what I’m here for?*
Though grumbling in his mind, Zhang Ze reacted swiftly.
He stepped back two or three paces, then launched a kick at the hotel room door.
The room was empty.
The window was wide open.
They hurried to the window and indeed saw a middle-aged figure leaping down the building’s exterior via the air conditioning units.
The man’s cultivation was second-grade; his physical strength was likewise formidable.
In the blink of an eye, he had already descended several floors!
...
Zhang Ze urgently shouted to Zhang Yue, “I’ll jump down to chase him. Take the elevator and follow!”
Without hesitation, Zhang Yue turned and left.
Boom!
A muffled sound came as Zhang Ze leapt from the ninth floor.
To catch up with Feng Hang, Zhang Ze aimed directly for the air conditioning unit on the seventh floor.
With his cell strength at 800S, jumping from the ninth floor posed no mortal danger.
But Zhang Ze clearly had other plans.
By the time he leapt toward the fifth floor, Feng Hang had already landed.
Seeing this, Zhang Ze couldn’t wait any longer.
He leapt down the remaining five floors—almost fourteen meters!
Fortunately, thanks to his strong cellular structure, Zhang Ze stabilized himself upon landing and gave chase.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yue had reached the hotel’s main entrance.
Seeing Feng Hang sprint toward a narrow alley, the two did not get into a car but ran after him.
...
“Slash~”
Just as Zhang Ze entered the alley, a sharp glint of a blade flashed toward his neck.
Panicked, he dodged to the side.
But Feng Hang’s strike was too sudden.
One moment he was fleeing frantically, the next—Zhang Ze never expected the man to be lying in wait!
A searing pain exploded in his shoulder, blood gushing out furiously.
“Heh heh~” Feng Hang sneered coldly, “If I had known it was a bunch of inexperienced kids like you, I would have taken you out back on the upper floor!”
Cursing, the man swung his heavy blade toward Zhang Ze’s waist without hesitation.
The intense shoulder pain and cramped alley left Zhang Ze unable to evade quickly.
The slash was deadly!
...
“Get off!”
Boom!
Just as Zhang Ze froze, a sharp shout came from behind.
Zhang Yue launched herself into the air, pushing off the alley walls on either side, and flew toward Feng Hang.
Zhang Ze only caught a glimpse of her figure as she intercepted the blade with a cold flash.
Before he could fully register, the second-grade martial artist Feng Hang was already writhing on the ground in agony, half his arm severed by Zhang Yue’s blade.
“Ahh~” Feng Hang howled in pain, rolling madly on the ground.
Though Zhang Ze had crushed cultists before, the sight was still stomach-turning.
The severed arm on the ground bubbled with blood.
Zhang Yue turned and asked, “Are you okay?”
Only then did Zhang Ze notice the broad blade in her hand.
Clutching his wounded shoulder, he swallowed a restorative pill and asked, “When did you get that?”
Glancing at the blade, she replied, “It was in the car. I had it on me when I went upstairs.”
Zhang Ze nodded slightly, not pressing further.
Looking at the writhing Feng Hang, he asked, “What do we do with him?”
“Kill him, obviously.”
“Otherwise, what? Take him to the hospital?”
The girl’s tone was casual, but Zhang Ze detected an unsettling calmness in her voice.
“You handle it,” Zhang Ze said, turning to leave.
Suddenly, he realized this wasn’t him protecting the girl.
If not for Zhang Yue’s timely intervention today, his chances would have been grim.
The thought left a sour taste in his mouth.
He turned and walked away.
...
Zhang Yue was left somewhat bewildered.
Frowning, she asked, “What’s wrong now?”
Zhang Ze said nothing.
He bent down, picked up the blade from the ground, and brought it down hard beside Feng Hang.
Blood splattered wildly.
...
Moments later.
The two returned to their car.
Zhang Yue, displeased, questioned, “Have you never killed anyone before?”
“You splattered blood all over my clothes!”
Zhang Ze frowned, feeling a bit frustrated.
“I’ll buy you new ones when we get back.”
“Really?”
The girl smiled for the first time.
But Zhang Ze furrowed his brow and asked, “Can we accept missions outside the Martial Bureau?”
“Since we’re already out, let’s see if there are any suitable second-tier missions near Changhu City!”
“All right~”