Chapter 63: What an Admirable Society Where Nothing Is Ever Left Unattended

Late that night, in a certain part of the Outer City’s workshop district.

A shadowy figure struggled over the wall of an old, dilapidated workshop.

With a soft exclamation, she stumbled as she landed, taking a hard fall.

The shadow slipped into a house at the back of the workshop district. Before long, a light flickered on inside.

Moments later, the sound of rushing water echoed from within.

Steam swirled in the bathroom, curling toward the ceiling.

A tall woman stood beneath the shower, her head tilted back, eyes closed, as if seeking solace.

Hot water cascaded from the showerhead, soaking her delicate, refined face.

Droplets, crystalline as pearls, trembled on her long lashes.

The water traced her straight nose, slipped over rosy, alluring lips, and flowed down her porcelain neck...

She was slender, with defined muscles.

Her limbs were evenly proportioned, her abdomen flat, her figure lithe and toned.

The muscles on her arms and legs were firm, neither bulky nor thin—just right.

As the hot water ran down her smooth back, it seemed to sting a wound, causing her brows to knit in pain.

Yet she let the water wash over her injury again and again, as if only this cleansing could rid her of the shame of failure.

All the while, she replayed the night’s events in her mind:

A blade—it was definitely a blade, an invisible one at that!

If it had reached just a sliver further, I’d be dead or crippled by now!

“Damn it!” She clenched her fist and slammed it against the bathroom wall, cursing with venom:

“That little bastard, next time I see you, I swear I’ll make sure you regret it!”

Such harsh words, spoken amid the most ethereal scene.

...

Ye Chen felt as though he’d had a long and exhausting dream.

The battle with the cloaked figure replayed in his mind, like a series of slides, over and over.

The dazzling archery skills left him drooling even in his sleep.

Then he dreamed of being trapped inside a container.

Scarlet liquid pressed in from all sides, bearing a crushing force.

Just as his body was about to be squeezed to pieces—

“Ha... ha... ha...” Ye Chen woke with a gasp, panting heavily.

He glanced at his surroundings, closed his eyes, opened them again, closed them once more, repeating this a few times.

Xu Fan stood over him with a lewd grin. “What are you doing?”

“Maybe I’m just opening my eyes wrong. The first thing I see when I wake up is you?”

Xu Fan scowled. “What’s wrong with seeing me? You look so annoyed!”

Muttering, he poured Ye Chen a cup of hot water.

Ye Chen sighed helplessly. “It’s not annoyance, it’s fear—I’m afraid I’ll have nightmares tonight!”

“So, what were you dreaming about? You were drooling in your sleep. Come on, share!”

Ye Chen secretly felt his pillow—damn, it really was wet.

“Where’s Old Chen? Why didn’t he come with you?”

Rather than dwell on an embarrassing explanation, Ye Chen tactically changed the subject.

“I’m here. I just went to pick up something for you,” came Chen Bingfeng’s voice from the doorway.

“Someone said this bag of books was yours. A patrol officer found it by the roadside, and I just went to the lost and found for you.

“And the books I asked you to buy are still inside.

“It’s wonderful—no one steals in the Outer City anymore! The residents’ morals have improved so much!”

Chen Bingfeng stroked his beloved books, loudly praising the citizens’ newfound virtue.

Ye Chen turned on his side and quietly asked, “Are you sure the officers only found this one bag?”

“Absolutely. Why, did you lose something else?”

Ye Chen leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling, silently shaking his head.

What improved morals? In the minds of these Outer City folks, a bag of books isn’t even worth as much as a frying pan... Old Chen, you overestimate them.

Only now did Ye Chen take in his surroundings.

The spacious room was filled with light, four beds lined up side by side.

White sheets, white quilts, curtains separating each bed.

Cabinets held an assortment of bottles and jars. There wasn’t a nurse in sight.

“Where am I?”

“This is the infirmary at the Patrol Office,” Xu Fan replied listlessly, bored out of his mind.

“How did I get back?”

Ye Chen realized his questions sounded like someone with amnesia after a drunken binge.

“Last night, Qiao Mucao carried you back. You were covered in blood, with multiple cuts and puncture wounds.”

Chen Bingfeng hadn’t been on night duty; he’d only heard the story secondhand from colleagues.

But with Qiao Mucao’s big mouth, unless something was top secret, by now everyone in the office would know.

No wonder Chen Bingfeng and Xu Fan didn’t seem curious about last night’s events—even seeing Ye Chen awake didn’t pique their interest.

The gossip had already been exhausted by Qiao Mucao.

Ye Chen glanced at his bandaged arm, then lifted the quilt to find his legs and abdomen similarly wrapped.

He didn’t need a mirror to know he looked like a tightly bound rice dumpling.

Something occurred to him, and he turned his neck to ask Old Chen, testing the waters:

“Has Captain Lu’s briefcase been found?”

Before losing consciousness, Ye Chen only remembered hacking half the case from his opponent.

His mind had been racing with adrenaline, not thinking whether the contents might have been damaged.

Now, in the cold light of day, he was filled with regret—perhaps that final blow was unnecessary.

If the responsibility for any damage fell on him, he might be packing his bags to leave as soon as he was discharged.

Chen Bingfeng replied, “The briefcase wasn’t recovered—it was smashed to bits, so what use would it be?

“But the contents are intact.

“They say Qiao Mucao was ordered to stay silent, so no one knows what was inside.

“But judging by how cheerful Supervisor Dai was after the morning meeting, he must’ve been praised by the higher-ups again.”

Hearing this, Ye Chen finally felt like he could breathe again.

It wasn’t that he truly feared losing his job with the patrol; after all, he had another profession as a backup.

He was just afraid he’d have to pay compensation.

At that moment, Xu Fan leaned over with a sly grin. “Do you think Captain Lu will give you a bonus for this?”

When he mentioned “bonus,” his eyes gleamed with hope.

Chen Bingfeng bopped him on the head with a book. “Even if Ye Chen gets a bonus this time, it has nothing to do with us. We weren’t involved at all—this isn’t like last time.

“Come on, we’ve got to patrol the streets. Let’s not disturb him while he rests.”

Ye Chen smiled and watched the two leave the ward. His mind drifted back to the task posted on the bulletin board—he’d passed out before hearing whether the mission had been completed.