Chapter 672: Luo Jing
Luo Jing still sat there, his expression calm and unreadable. He waited until Qin Hongzhang and Song Ya had finished speaking before slowly opening his mouth. "Captain Meng, you’re the one handling this case. What are your thoughts?"
The eyes of everyone in the conference room fell on Xu Wuyi.
Xu Wuyi fell silent for a few seconds before answering, "I’ll make a trip to the Celestial Swallow Battle Group and bring him back."
His voice was incredibly light, yet the words dropped like a massive boulder into a tranquil lake. The conference room instantly descended into a silence so profound that every single breath could be heard.
Song Ya froze, staring at Xu Wuyi as if he had misheard. Qin Hongzhang was equally stunned, pushing up his glasses that had nearly slipped right off the bridge of his nose. The other captains exchanged glances, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.
Make a trip to the Celestial Swallow Battle Group and bring him back? That was a Battle Group garrison. Three Quasi-Grandmasters held down the fort there, alongside hundreds, if not thousands, of warriors. Let alone a mere squad captain, even if the entire field operations group mobilized, they wouldn’t dare guarantee they could bring someone out of there. Was this guy out of his mind?
Song Ya opened his mouth to speak, but for a moment, he simply didn’t know where to begin.
Qin Hongzhang reacted a bit faster. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to keep his tone level. "Captain Meng, what did you just say?"
Xu Wuyi looked at him and repeated, "I’ll make a trip to the Celestial Swallow Battle Group and bring him back."
Qin Hongzhang’s brows furrowed. "Captain Meng, you might not be entirely clear on the Celestial Swallow Battle Group’s strength. Zhou Tieshan is a Level 48 Quasi-Grandmaster who made a name for himself in the Celestial Swallow Province’s Martial Arts Realm thirty years ago.
"Li Jingsong is Level 49. Although he’s younger, he boasts extensive combat experience and is one of the youngest Battle Group commanders within the Federation. Add to that Li Mingyuan himself, who is also Level 49.
"You intend to face three Quasi-Grandmasters alone? Are you confident in this?"
Xu Wuyi did not answer immediately. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Yes."
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
This single word was spoken even more lightly than his previous sentences. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Qin Hongzhang felt a strange sensation upon hearing it. It was an indescribable feeling, as if the person sitting across from him wasn’t a Level 47 captain, but an unfathomable abyss. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but Luo Jing cut him off.
"Since Captain Meng says he’ll go, then let him go," Luo Jing stated.
The moment those words were spoken, the conference room erupted.
Song Ya shot to his feet, staring at Luo Jing with uncontainable shock in his voice. "Minister, what did you say?"
Qin Hongzhang stood up as well, his eyes wide with disbelief behind his lenses. "Minister Luo, this is far too risky! If Captain Meng goes to the Battle Group garrison alone, should something happen..."
Luo Jing raised a hand, cutting them both off. He looked at Xu Wuyi with a calm, profound gaze—as if looking at a junior, yet simultaneously at a peer. "Captain Meng, do you know the rules of the Celestial Swallow Battle Group?"
Xu Wuyi nodded. "I do."
"Do you know that with Li Mingyuan hiding inside, Zhou Tieshan and Li Jingsong won’t easily let you take him away?"
"I do."
"Do you know what consequences will follow if you make a move at the Battle Group garrison?"
"I do."
Luo Jing looked at him and fell silent for a few seconds. Then, he nodded. "Since you know it all, then go."
Song Ya and Qin Hongzhang exchanged a look, both seeing the shock and bewilderment in each other’s eyes. Unable to hold back, Song Ya said, "Minister, Captain Meng is going alone. What if..."
Luo Jing turned to him. His gaze was terrifyingly calm. "What if what?"
Song Ya opened his mouth but couldn’t form the words.
Luo Jing retracted his gaze and looked back at Xu Wuyi. "Captain Meng, I will give you three days. Within three days, bring Li Mingyuan back. If you have not returned after three days, I will initiate formal procedures and send an official dispatch to negotiate with the Celestial Swallow Battle Group."
Xu Wuyi stood up and offered a slight bow to Luo Jing. "Understood." With that, he turned and headed for the door.
Everyone in the conference room watched his back, their eyes tracking the man in the black-and-white mask as he walked toward the exit step by step. Song Ya opened his mouth to call out to him, but swallowed his words in the end. Qin Hongzhang adjusted his glasses, knocking them askew, though he didn’t even bother to straighten them. The other captains exchanged glances, their eyes swirling with complex emotions.
The door closed behind Xu Wuyi with a soft click, plunging the conference room into a dead silence. After a long while, Song Ya finally spoke, his voice carrying an indescribable undercurrent. "Minister, Captain Meng... just who exactly is he?"
Luo Jing did not answer. He merely picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and set it back down. His gaze shifted toward the window, looking out at the simulated sky. His eyes were so profound that they were entirely unreadable.
After Xu Wuyi stepped out of the conference room, the hallway was quiet. Only the sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty space. He walked very slowly, pondering the look Luo Jing had just given him. There had been no surprise in that gaze, no worry, not even a hint of inquiry. There was only a calm, understanding tacit approval.
Of course Luo Jing knew his true identity. When he first received this persona from Feng Zhuohua, she had mentioned that only two people knew who he really was: Feng Zhuohua herself, and the Inspection Department’s Minister Luo Jing. Therefore, Luo Jing had known from the very beginning that this masked "Meng Zhishou" was actually the Federation’s youngest Quasi-Grandmaster, Xu Wuyi—the peerless genius who was only one step away from stepping into the Grandmaster Realm. Not only that, but Luo Jing also knew his purpose for coming to the Inspection Department. He knew that what Xu Wuyi needed right now wasn’t methodical investigation and evidence-gathering, but genuine tempering.
Having a Half-step Grandmaster deal with several ordinary Quasi-Grandmasters was a form of tempering in itself. This operation, in particular, would serve to polish his Heart Image. That was why Luo Jing had agreed to his request so readily. It wasn’t because Luo Jing believed he would definitely win, but because regardless of victory or defeat, the experience would be beneficial to him. At this thought, Xu Wuyi’s footsteps paused for a brief moment before he continued walking.
Thinking about it now, it wasn’t because Luo Jing trusted his capabilities at all. It was because Luo Jing simply didn’t care whether this case was successfully resolved or not. To the Minister of the Inspection Department, a vice commander of the Celestial Swallow Battle Group—even if he was a Quasi-Grandmaster involved in a massive smuggling case—was merely one of countless cases within the Federation. If it was solved, it was a merit. If not, it was no big deal. However, a twenty-three-year-old Half-step Grandmaster, the youngest Quasi-Grandmaster in Federation history, and a future apex powerhouse—his growth was far more important than a single case.
Xu Wuyi walked silently into the elevator and pressed the button for the parking garage. As the elevator slowly descended, he stared at the black-and-white mask reflected in the metal doors.