Chapter 683: Leaving Office
Mid-April. Xu Wuyi knew it was time for him to leave. This feeling hadn’t appeared suddenly; it had been slowly building up over the past month or so.
Sitting in the Team Four office area, he looked through his black-and-white mask at the busy team members around him. He had watched this scene for over three months. During this time, he had handled over forty cases, interacted with hundreds of people involved, and witnessed the most authentic operating rules within the Federation. These rules existed both on the surface and in the shadows—the overt ones written into legal codes, and the covert ones hidden within personal favors and connections. He had seen with his own eyes how privilege was abused, how corruption bred, how order was destroyed, and also how order was maintained. These experiences were far more profound and real than reading any amount of case files.
More importantly, his Power of Heart Image had been steadily accumulating over these three months. This accumulation wasn’t achieved through deliberate cultivation, but rather through natural growth. With every case handled, every interrogation conducted, and every hidden truth unveiled beneath the surface, he could feel the great blue sun deep within his sea of consciousness trembling slightly, as if it were absorbing something. Now, that accumulation had reached a critical point.
He could feel that he was only a paper-thin barrier away from the Grandmaster Realm. That barrier was so thin it could be pierced with a single poke, but he also knew that he couldn’t afford to rush at a time like this. He needed quiet, he needed solitude, and he needed to completely digest everything he had witnessed over the past three months. Therefore, he decided to leave.
Xu Wuyi stood up and walked over to Zhou Bin’s workstation.
Zhou Bin looked up, saw him standing there, and hastily put down the case file in his hand. "Captain Meng, is something the matter?"
"Notify everyone," Xu Wuyi nodded. "We’re having a meeting."
Zhou Bin paused for a moment before immediately standing up to call the others over. A few minutes later, the six of them sat around the circular table, their eyes entirely focused on Xu Wuyi.
Xu Wuyi met their gazes, scanning the group before speaking. "I’m leaving."
His words were spoken as calmly as if he were just commenting on the nice weather today. However, the office instantly fell silent—so silent that everyone’s breathing could be heard clearly.
Fang Xiaoxiao was the first to react. She sprang to her feet, her eyes wide. "Leaving? Captain Meng, where are you going?"
Zhou Bin also frowned, his expression turning solemn. Beside him, Sun Jing put down his teacup, uncharacteristically dropping his usual cynical smile.
"I am leaving the Inspection Department," Xu Wuyi said calmly.
"Why?" Fang Xiaoxiao’s voice rose an octave. "Captain Meng, is someone pressuring you? Did you offend somebody because of Li Mingyuan’s case? Or are the higher-ups giving you trouble? If you’ve been wronged, tell us! Team Four isn’t a bunch of pushovers! If anyone dares to touch you, we’ll fight them to the end!"
Zhou Bin also chimed in. "Captain Meng, Xiaoxiao is right. Over the past three months, you’ve led us through so many cases and brought us from the bottom all the way to first place. Who in the entire field operations division doesn’t respect you? If you’ve run into any difficulties, we’ll shoulder them together."
Sun Jing, rarely this serious, added, "Captain Meng, I know your background isn’t ordinary, and there are some things you might not find convenient to say. But we’ve worked together for three months, and we’ve all seen what kind of person you are. No matter who wants to mess with you, Team Four stands by your side."
Li Zhaowen pushed his glasses up his nose, his voice soft but firm. "Captain Meng, me too."
Chen Yunxuan nodded vigorously, tears already welling up in her eyes.
Xu Wuyi looked at them, a complex surge of emotion welling up in his heart. For the past three months, he had worn a mask, used a fake identity, and never said a single unnecessary word to anyone. Yet, these team members had treated him as a true captain—a comrade they could trust to watch their backs.
He shook his head.
"No one is pressuring me, and no one is causing me trouble," he said, his voice remaining calm. "Coming to the Inspection Department was always part of a plan, and I was only supposed to stay for a few months. Now that the time is up, it’s time to go."
Fang Xiaoxiao was stunned. "Part of a plan?"
"Yes," Xu Wuyi affirmed.
Zhou Bin looked at him, disbelief showing in his eyes. "Captain Meng, you knew from the very beginning that you would only be here for a few months?"
"I did."
Xu Wuyi looked back at him, offering no further explanation. Fang Xiaoxiao stood nearby, looking as if she wanted to say something else, but ultimately, she couldn’t utter a single word.
Sun Jing patted Fang Xiaoxiao on the shoulder, gently motioning for her to sit down. He then looked at Xu Wuyi. "Captain Meng, can I ask you a question?"
Xu Wuyi nodded.
"Just who exactly are you?" Sun Jing asked. "Is it convenient to tell us now?"
He had held this question in for three months. From the very first day Xu Wuyi had walked into this office, Sun Jing knew he was far from simple. Later, when he witnessed Xu Wuyi single-handedly storm the Celestial Swallow Battle Group to arrest Li Mingyuan, he was even more certain of it. But he had never asked, knowing full well he wouldn’t get an answer. Now that Xu Wuyi was leaving, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.
Xu Wuyi looked at him, remaining silent for a few seconds before answering. "What my name is, who I am, and where I come from—none of that is important.
"What is important is that over these past three months, we’ve handled over forty cases together, we completely dismantled Li Mingyuan’s smuggling network together, and we brought Team Four from the bottom to first place together."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the five people present. "All you need to know is that for these three months, I was your captain. That is enough.
"As for my identity, if everything goes smoothly, it probably won’t be long before you can guess it yourselves."
Hearing this, Sun Jing smiled and nodded. He picked up his teacup to take a sip, asking no more questions.
𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Zhou Bin took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to Xu Wuyi, holding out his hand. "Captain Meng, no matter who you are, thank you for these past three months."
Xu Wuyi shook his hand and nodded. The others also came up one by one to shake hands and offer hugs.
"After I leave, a new captain will be assigned to Team Four," Xu Wuyi told them. "Keep up the good work, and don’t disgrace our team’s name."
"Don’t worry," Zhou Bin nodded firmly.
Xu Wuyi turned and walked toward the door. Just as he reached it, Fang Xiaoxiao’s voice called out from behind him. "Captain Meng, will we ever see you again?"
His footsteps paused for a moment. He didn’t turn around, simply smiling as he replied, "If fate allows it, yes."
The door clicked shut behind him, cutting off the complex gazes from inside the office.
***
Stepping out of the dilapidated building that served as the Inspection Department’s headquarters, he was greeted by the bright mid-April sunlight. Before speaking with his team members, Xu Wuyi had already gone to Minister Luo to say his goodbyes. As of this moment, his departure from the Inspection Department was official.