Chapter 139: The Aftermath

Captain Xing stood rooted to the spot for a long time, watching Zhang Ning and his companion walk away, his heart only gradually calming down. He had already anticipated the tremendous upheaval that would inevitably follow.

However, he did not expect that the subsequent changes would turn out to be the best possible outcome for him.

Upon returning to the bureau, instead of facing the dreaded "triple threat"—confiscation of his service weapon, revocation of his badge, and being placed under house arrest—he was immediately pulled into a high-level video conference. As soon as that meeting ended, he was ushered into a conference room, waited for a short while, and was then pulled into an even higher-level video conference.

By the time Captain Xing finished these grueling meetings, the entire bureau had received orders to enter a state of Grade-1 combat readiness. Then, to his astonishment, Captain Xing received notification: he had been promoted.

Combined with the promotion he had received not long ago from the senior official who favored him, he had managed a triple-jump in rank within a very short time—a feat most people wouldn't even dare to dream of in their entire lives. Moreover, not only was his rank higher, but the power in his hands had also expanded significantly.

This left Captain Xing, whose mind hadn't even been focused on such matters, feeling somewhat speechless. And it wasn't over yet.

Two hours later, a helicopter descended rapidly onto an open patch of land at the bureau. Stepping out was a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, whose mere gentle smile made one feel a sense of calm.

As soon as he landed, he sought out Captain Xing and introduced himself: "Captain Xing, I have long admired your reputation. Hello, I am Tao Ranting, sent here to assist you in your work. You can just call me Tao. Here is my identification."

Captain Xing took the ID, felt a sudden headache, and hurriedly said, "Comrade Tao, hello. What is the purpose of your visit?" When Captain Xing asked this, he already had a premonition. Sure enough, he heard Tao Ranting say, "Captain Xing, let me confirm one thing. In the report you submitted, after you warned that esper not to go up the mountain, the esper did not get angry with you, but instead said 'thank you,' is that correct? Later, he saved civilians in a downtown area, and afterwards, he did not display any great animosity toward your appearance."

That was indeed correct. Captain Xing finally understood that this triple-jump promotion and the hastily arrived Tao Ranting were both likely because of this. It was clear that there were still plenty of smart people in the world; everyone had noticed the rare, friendly attitude displayed by that esper.

***

After Zhang Ning and the other arrived at their current hotel, Chu Hanyu began to meditate in silence. Though it was the same behavior as always, Zhang Ning acutely sensed that his Master was still displeased.

Just as Zhang Ning was trying to think of something to cheer his Master up, a knock sounded at the door. When given permission to enter, the hotel manager bowed so low that his head nearly touched the floor.

He apologized profusely, explaining that due to unexpected internal maintenance issues at the hotel, he had to trouble Zhang Ning and his companion to move to a different location. Naturally, the new place would be even better than the current one. Furthermore, all charges previously collected from them would be refunded in full, and he would offer Zhang Ning a compensation package that he hoped would be satisfactory. More bowing and apologies followed.

Of course, Zhang Ning wasn't stupid. After what had happened that morning, and now this... so someone wanted to meet him?

Zhang Ning, ever the one to forget the pain once the wound healed, turned to look at his Master’s reaction. He saw his Master had once again adopted the persona of an obedient subordinate, meeting Zhang Ning’s gaze and saying, "This subordinate obeys the Prince's arrangements!"

...Zhang Ning really wanted to go over and scratch him. Master, are you addicted to playing this role now?

Zhang Ning faced the manager, whose eyes were filled with extreme restraint yet still leaked a strange emotion (envy? Was Zhang Ning seeing that right?!), and said, "Then I shall go and see what kind of place you have moved us to."

Zhang Ning really hadn't expected this "better place" to be this impressive. He thought he would be taken to meet someone halfway; wasn't that how it went in TV dramas? The protagonist's identity is exposed, they are invited into a car, and when they arrive, they find themselves at the base of a boss, followed by a tense, cryptic, yet mutually respectful conversation. But when it happened to Zhang Ning, it just had to take an unconventional path.

It was a villa that occupied an area roughly the size of a parking lot. It was surrounded by lush greenery and featured a lake, laid out like a park, making it hard to imagine that the villa was the center of this area.

Inside, the villa was opulent. Every facility, from wall paintings to antiques, from the bathtub to the shoe cabinet, was complete. Yet, there was no sign of anyone having lived there; it was as if it had been waiting for Zhang Ning's arrival all along. After bringing them here, the manager left quickly, with no intention of bothering them further, giving Zhang Ning and his companion plenty of time to settle in without needing to tidy up or move anything.

Afterward, Zhang Ning curiously explored and tested every corner, successfully "occupying" every part of his new home. Seeing Zhang Ning so full of enthusiasm, Chu Hanyu's attitude softened unconsciously. For a moment, it was as if their previous confrontation had never occurred.

When the doorbell of the villa was finally pressed, Zhang Ning was playing with a large chandelier on the ceiling. The chandelier, made of crystal or some unknown material, produced sounds like various musical instruments whenever a breeze blew through. Having discovered this, Zhang Ning’s playfulness was piqued. Using his "Great Freedom Hand" to summon a breeze, he became lost in the chaotic symphony.

Chu Hanyu had no choice but to open the door. The young man with gold-rimmed glasses who stood there was immediately hit by the gust of wind Zhang Ning had just conjured. By the time Zhang Ning noticed something was wrong and looked over, he saw the man’s hair was disheveled, his glasses were crooked, and he looked thoroughly disheveled, as if he had encountered some great misfortune.

Zhang Ning immediately wanted to apologize. Was this how a human should behave? Zhang Ning didn't want to admit he was that mean-spirited, ruining someone's perfectly good hairstyle. However, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses spoke first. Perhaps because neither Zhang Ning nor Chu Hanyu had said anything, he misunderstood the situation. He nodded to Chu Hanyu, straightened his glasses, and bowed respectfully to Zhang Ning: "Nice to meet you, Great Esper. I am Tao Ranting. You can just call me Tao."

?? Tao? No, wait. How old are you? How old am I?

The apology Zhang Ning had been about to offer never had a chance to be spoken. This time, Zhang Ning learned his lesson and secretly glanced at his Master, only to see him maintaining his character, standing there respectfully.

Half an hour later, Zhang Ning looked at the documents in his hand, filled with deep emotion.

Truly, every world has its elite class. They handled this quite elegantly. Zhang Ning had expected a phase of haggling, but this Tao Ranting simply handed over a stack of documents with a respectful attitude. He didn't ask too many questions, nor did he attempt to test or restrict Zhang Ning in any way. He directly provided the "newly awakened esper" with the information he needed most regarding the truth of this world, along with a number that was on 24-hour standby, promising to do his best to fulfill any of Zhang Ning's requests. As for other mundane things like black cards, property deeds, and a complete set of identity documents, there was no need for Zhang Ning to list them one by one.