Chapter 109: The Eradication of the Pang Family; Open Strife and Veiled Struggles

My Profession is too Personal

"The Disciplinary Department's Seventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Squadrons, totaling five hundred and thirty-two personnel, have all assembled."

Zhao Gang reported in a deep voice.

Xia Hanshi looked up at the window. Outside, the artificial moon hung bright and clear. He said flatly: "Teng Liang, distribute the mission targets."

Teng Liang walked over to a terminal that resembled a computer taking a side. After a flurry of operations, the mid-to-high-level officers present all raised the combat terminals embedded in the armor on their left arms. Photos quickly swiped past.

Their expressions gradually shifted. Some even widened their eyes, exchanging glances with the colleagues beside them.

Xia Hanshi's tone remained aloof: "After fighting your way inside, ensure those marked for capture are kept alive for interrogation. For those marked for killing, leave no survivors."

Su Chen couldn't see exactly what those photos were.

However, he clearly noticed several high-ranking Inquisitors from the Disciplinary Department nearby revealing hesitant expressions.

Zhao Gang's throat bobbed. When executing inner-city missions, to prevent information from leaking, they would generally only learn of the mission targets right before the operation commenced.

This was the Pang family, bearing close relations with the Adjudication Court. Although the current family head was the Deputy Minister of Supervision, he was viewed by many as a pawn planted by the Adjudication Court.

He possessed extremely close personal relationships with quite a few people within the Adjudication Court.

"Elder Xia... This..." He tentatively spoke up, but before he could finish, he felt a chilling gaze sweep over him. "Do you have objections?"

"N-no, none." Zhao Gang shuddered, shaking his head hastily.

Xia Hanshi turned around to scan the crowd: "I know that some among you might have crossed paths with the people in the photos, perhaps even being friends, or even possessing deep relationships."

"I'll give you a chance. If there's anyone who can't bear to strike, you may leave right now."

Zhao Gang's pupils contracted. Fearing that his subordinates might court death, he hurriedly spoke up: "Since they are the mission targets, they are the enemies of the Adjudication Court, and the enemies of Yingfeng. We are currently Inquisitors; there is no room for personal feelings!"

Hearing their direct superior speak like this, the expressions of the few who were originally hesitant turned stern, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Old Xia is truly insidious... fishing at every single moment.

As an outsider, Su Chen could clearly observe the shifts in everyone's expressions.

"That is good." Xia Hanshi nodded in satisfaction before finally issuing the combat commands, "Zhao Gang will lead the Seventh and Twelfth Squadrons to assault from the front. The Thirteenth and Sixteenth Squadrons will provide flanking cover..."

"The Seventeenth Squadron will enter the sewers to cut off the enemy's retreat..."

"Each squadron will dispatch fifteen personnel to form an evacuation team. The moment we strike, isolate the surrounding eight hundred meters..."

Xia Hanshi assigned the deployment with great familiarity, finally emphasizing: "Furthermore, it is uncertain whether there are other secret escape routes inside. Upon gaining control of the scene, immediately conduct a headcount and scan for secret passages."

It was currently approaching 9 PM. The ordinary working personnel within the building had mostly left, and quite a few floors had already gone dark.

Pedestrians on the nearby streets had also decreased, leaving only the top-floor area continuously brightly lit.

The flow of traffic weaving through the hover-lanes on both sides of the high-rise remained unceasing.

Time trickled by second after second. Only the logistics personnel were left here; everyone else had headed down to prepare.

"Execute!"

The moment the digits on the screen jumped to 10 PM, Xia Hanshi's eyes turned chilling as he spat out a single word.

"The hover-lanes have been temporarily altered..." A logistics personnel announced.

"Surveillance has been taken over, elevator permissions deciphered..."

"Hypnosis team in action, interfering with the security guards..."

In an instant, the hover-lanes flanking the high-rise abruptly turned red. From an area seven to eight hundred meters away from the Pang family building, they suddenly diverted, merging into another hover-lane.

Down below, three squads of Adjudication Guards approached the Pang family building swiftly like sharp blades in the dead of night, their armor reflecting a bone-chilling, faint glow beneath the moonlight.

Before the security guards could even realize something was amiss, they collapsed limply.

The manhole covers of the nearby sewers were pried open, and Adjudication Guards filed in continuously.

The Inquisitors on the periphery had already set up isolation lines, blocking off all entering passersby while helping the personnel inside who hadn't evacuated yet to leave.

Soundlessly, over two hundred Adjudication Guards slipped into the building without making a sound.

"Report!"

Suddenly, the tone of one of the logistics personnel turned hurried. "The elevators above the fortieth floor operate on a separate system! They aren't connected to Yingfeng's central system and run autonomously internally; we cannot control them!"

Xia Hanshi's expression was indifferent. "Force your way up."

The moment his words fell, blue-purple light explosions erupted on the thirty-ninth floor of the Pang family building, shattering the glass windows into fine powder.

"Orders are as heavy as mountains..." Holding an optical telescope and wearing a headset, Su Chen could hear the various commands through the combat channel.

He couldn't help but sigh with emotion. This is what a Chief Inquisitor is like.

This signified the offensive operation transitioning from covert to overt. Bearing the brunt of it, Zhao Gang's actions grew even swifter, darting straight up from the thirty-ninth floor like a cannonball. The sequentially exploding glass curtain walls revealed his trajectory.

The light of elements erupted from the various floors from time to time. Hand-to-hand combat had already commenced, and it could be described as sweeping away all resistance with ease.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Muffled thuds sounded faintly overhead. Su Chen could see streaks of flowing light shooting out from the upper floors, sinking into the Pang family building.

"There are even snipers... and they aren't using ordinary kinetic weapons."

Hot weapons were used extensively in Yingfeng. He had heard that there were specialized professions to complement them, yielding extraordinary might.

.........

The top floor of the Pang family building; this was the Pang family's private territory.

In the resplendent and magnificent banquet hall, there was only a single table. The table wasn't small, seating nearly twenty people.

Sitting at the host's seat was Pang Hui. His expression was calm, and an empty seat was situated to his left.

The rest of the people weren't young; there were only a scant few young faces. Their expressions varied, but faintly carried a minor trace of dissatisfaction.

Sitting at the far end, Pang Xingwen lowered his head to check the time. Anxiety inevitably swelled within his heart, and he sat restlessly.

"It's already almost ten o'clock. Why hasn't that guy arrived yet!"

"Xingwen, what is going on? Why hasn't the person arrived yet?" The middle-aged man sitting to Pang Hui's right spoke up, his words laced with sarcasm: "Did some accident happen so he couldn't come? Did he inform you?"

"Did you not explain things carefully to him? You didn't get the time and location wrong, right?"

Pang Xingwen felt indignant in his heart, yet offered an awkward smile, "Second Uncle... he was probably delayed on the way."

"Even so, he couldn't possibly be delayed for this long, right? Could it be he was just stringing you along, and never intended to come at all?" The young man sitting beside him added a comment.

Pang Xingwen instantly couldn't maintain his face. But before he could speak, his Second Uncle smoothed things over again, "What are you talking about? Xingwen is following Chu Xuan now, a Core Seed of the Adjudication Court. No matter what, that Su Chen has to give at least some face, right?"

"I..." Pang Xingwen's face flushed red. Between their words, they had already hoisted him up onto a precarious pedestal. He couldn't help but shoot a glance at his father sitting in the host's seat.

Yet his father remained expressionless, as if turning a deaf ear to everything.

"I'm going to the restroom." Pang Xingwen had no choice but to use the toilet excuse, hurriedly exiting the banquet hall and heading to the restroom. Just as he tapped open his smart bracelet, he finally realized that he didn't even have Su Chen's contact information.

Bang!

Smashing a fist onto the washbasin, Pang Xingwen gnashed his teeth in anger, "Su Chen!"

Not a single person in this family harbored good intentions; they all wished nothing more than to see him make a fool of himself. He had long since grown accustomed to it.

What caused him the most anger was actually Su Chen.

"I already bowed and scraped, and it's even an invitation from my father, yet you refuse to give even a shred of face." Pang Xingwen stared at his distorted face in the mirror.

Although Su Chen had said "Understood" vaguely at the time, in his eyes, it was merely an excuse because he couldn't directly refuse—a way of "saving face".

"Did you really think that becoming a Core Seed meant you could sit back and relax without a care in the world?" Pang Xingwen yelled lowly: "There is only one Chief Inquisitor! Even if... even if..."

As he spoke, he lost confidence in his own words. Even though there was only one Chief Inquisitor...

With Su Chen's talent, even if he lost out during the contention, he would still highly likely become a figure like Xia Hanshi, someone whom only the Chief Inquisitor could suppress.

"Hmph, the future is still long. Who knows, perhaps Xia Hanshi might make him disappear at some point..." In the end, Pang Xingwen could only comfort himself this way. Washing his face to clear his head slightly, he took a deep breath, preparing to return to his seat to endure further mockery.

As a result, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet tremble, and the faint sound of rumbles traveled over.

"This..." Just as Pang Xingwen blanked, he felt the tremors surrounding him intensify, and the rumbling grew louder, as if the building was about to collapse.

"What's going on?"

At a complete loss, he subconsciously bolted out of the restroom, only to find the outside already plunged into chaos.

His Second Uncle, who had been covertly mocking him just a moment ago, now wore an ashen expression, his eyes filled with panic as he rushed downstairs while roaring furiously: "Who... who dares to attack my Pang family!"

An attack?

Pang Xingwen widened his eyes. Before he even had the time to think, he felt his body fly up uncontrollably, getting dragged into a specific room.

"Fa-Father!" Looking at the familiar face before him, he involuntarily cried out.

However, upon this face, aside from its usual indifference, there was also an indescribable mixture of anger and remorse.

"Don't ask, don't mind it. They will take you away!" Pang Hui yelled sharply. Reaching out to push him, Pang Xingwen stumbled into the embrace of two people.

Subconsciously looking up, he saw one person's face covered in black patterns, while the other was completely devoid of facial features entirely. Each carried a metal suitcase.

"Why would the Adjudication Court suddenly strike?" The believer of Black Buddha was both shocked and enraged. He had still been waiting covertly for Su Chen's arrival.

A trace of reluctance flashed in Pang Hui's eyes: "I have likely already been locked onto. I cannot leave. Your tiers aren't high, and your life auras aren't that potent. There is still a chance."

"Avenge me!" Pang Hui cast a deep look at Pang Xingwen.

Pang Xingwen was scared stiff like a wooden chicken. His entire being was uncontrollably dragged away, arriving at the deepest part of the building. To think there was actually a secret passage here, hidden within the cracks of the walls, plunging to unfathomable depths.

......

"Who, who dares to attack my Pang family! You're courting death!"

"Ah, Inquisitors from the Disciplinary Department! Why would it be the Inquisitors!"

"No, no... There must be a misunderstanding here! We are all one family, one family!"

"I have a very good relationship with the Captain of the First Squadron in your Disciplinary Department! We were just together yesterday... Arggh!"

From the fortieth floor upward, every single member of the Pang family experienced a process transitioning from anger, to shock, to disbelief, followed by unceasing pleas for mercy.

But the Inquisitors taking action showed absolutely no mercy. Killing those meant to be killed, capturing those meant to be captured.

The Squadron Leaders and Deputy Directors charged straight for the highest floor, leaving the remaining people for the low-tier Adjudication Guards trailing behind to clean up.

"Since the Adjudication Court refuses to let us live, don't blame us for fighting for our lives!"

Upon discovering that his unceasing pleas were useless, the Second Uncle of the Pang family instantly changed his expression. Drawing the blade hidden behind his waist, it was wreathed in raging flames, vaporizing the surrounding air the moment it was unsheathed.

As he spun around to slash, the air surrounding the blade's body was compressed into transparent ripples. Scarlet flames morphed into a wave of fire, sweeping in all directions and charting out of the floor.

The entire building looked as if it had been severed by the waist, as blazing flames spewed forth.

"A fourth-tier professional!"

The closest Yang Yan revealed a shocked expression. Before he could even react, his entire being was hurled backward.

"The Adjudication Court is executing a kill, yet instead of surrendering without putting up a fight, you dare to resist?"

Zhao Gang had been trembling and tottering before Xia Hanshi, but right now his expression was fierce and malevolent. He charged straight into the flames, and it didn't take a moment before the scarlet, blazing flames vanished.

The head of the Pang family's Second Uncle vanished, his mangled body continually convulsing.

"If Zhang Hongbo were here, he'd probably share the fate of being cannon fodder as well." Looking at the corpse collapsing through the lens, Su Chen couldn't help but say.

"I really want to kill someone, I really want to kill someone!"

Bu Siqi's eyes had already turned red, crisscrossed with bloodshot veins. Su Chen had originally thought this Senior Brother was a normal person, but now he was muttering to himself as well.

"Why hasn't that Pang Hui shown himself yet, and there's also Pang Xingwen..." Su Chen scanned up and down, admiring how impeccable Old Xia's timing to strike was.

Because they were hosting a banquet for him, the higher-ups of the Pang family seemed to have gathered here entirely to show their emphasis.

"Pang Kuan, the number two figure of the Pang family..." Teng Liang lowered his head to look at the corpse before scanning his surroundings. "Where is Pang Hui? Did he run away?"

"Elder Xia is keeping an eye on him; he can't escape," Zhao Gang shook his head. But before his words even fell, his gaze condensed slightly, looking toward a certain direction.

From within the shadows, a slender figure surfaced.

"I do not know what crime my Pang family has committed for the Adjudication Court to actually exterminate us!" Looking at the corpses on the ground, the raging flames in Pang Hui's eyes practically materialized, his cheeks continually twitching.

Zhao Gang opened his mouth; he truly had no idea what was going on with the Pang family.

"Colluding with the Evil God Cults and harboring seditious plots. Through this single crime alone, killing you ten times over would not suffice." Teng Liang's voice was indifferent, yet it made Zhao Gang's heart shudder, his expression turning a shade uglier.

The incident has been exposed... Pang Hui took a deep breath. Finding certainty that this was the reason, he made no attempt to refute it. Since the Adjudication Court had already taken action, refuting it was meaningless.

His thoughts inevitably drifted. Three hundred years ago, the Pang family produced a Chief Inquisitor, enjoying a period of prominence.

However, the position of Chief Inquisitor changed hands unceasingly, while the size of Yingfeng's cake hadn't grown by much. A new Chief Inquisitor inevitably brought along a new batch of people to carve up the cake.

The Pang family declined day by day, finding it difficult to even maintain their existence within Yingfeng.

That was until twenty years ago, when he met a person who claimed that they could allow the Pang family to achieve glory once more.

He knew who the other party was, but the Pang family could either disappear soundlessly or they could take a gamble. He chose the latter.

"If you want to exterminate my Pang family... today, even if it's the Adjudication Court, you will have to crack a tooth for me!"

Pang Hui gathered his thoughts, his pupils contracting into pinpoints. His spine suddenly arched like a drawn bow, and two fleshy tumors bulged from his back. In an instant, they morphed into a pair of wings blazing with black flames.

His entire being levitated into the air. His hair danced wildly amidst the heatwave, every strand carrying burning black sparks that absorbed the surrounding light.

"To serve as the Deputy Minister of the three departments, one must at least be a fourth-tier professional. Although there are fifth-tier Deputy Ministers, the Pang family did produce a Chief Inquisitor among its ancestors, so it's somewhat of a waste of his talents. The Adjudication Court wanted him to return and be a Director several times, but he refused every time..."

Beside him, Bu Siqi was glaring with a pair of huge, bloodshot eyes, "Looking at it now, it was probably to facilitate the Evil God Cults' operations within the city more conveniently."

"Black Crow Flame Spirit, fifth-tier mid-stage... the manifestation of wings signifies he should have developed it to the latter half. If I recall correctly, it's only been six or seven years since he became a fifth-tier professional. Truly fast."

Bu Siqi chattered unceasingly, seemingly utilizing this method to suppress a certain impulse within his body.

"...Actually a fifth-tier..." Su Chen was floored, faintly feeling a kind of blazing heat as well.

Looking toward Xia Hanshi beside him, the old man wasn't speaking, wasn't making any remarks, nor was he striking; he simply watched.

Boom!

Zhao Gang was sent flying by the shockwaves immediately. The armor all over his body was melted, and he scurried out from within baring his teeth. He was the Deputy Director of the Disciplinary Department, displaying the capabilities of a fourth-tier professional.

It was instead that reticent Senior Brother Teng Liang who thoroughly broadened Su Chen's horizons.

"That... is a bit too huge." He looked at the giant in his field of vision. It was a full five or six meters tall, even bursting through the ceiling of the floor.

The massive body cast a huge shadow. His muscles bulged and twisted like the gnarled roots of an old tree. Beneath the moonlight, every single bulging tendon reflected an icy, metallic glow.

He was even capable of withstanding those black flames. Although he remained at a disadvantage, he could still barely manage to fight back.

"Ancient Spirit Giant..." Bu Siqi acted like a commentator. "Fifth-tier top-tier profession..."

"Fifth-tier top-tier?" Su Chen looked over in astonishment.

"It was a forced advancement. Thinking it was a desperate gamble at the time, Senior Brother simply bet it big... Luckily, he succeeded." Bu Siqi's voice trembled. As he spoke, two sharp fangs actually protruded past his lips.

"The intensity isn't low..." Su Chen observed the battle within the arena. Black flames poured like a waterfall, and the collisions rumbled like thunder. The nearby isolation perimeter was expanding, and the Pang family building was nearing collapse.

A sizable number of passersby gathered in the distance. Although completely blocked outside the battlefield, they were still pointing and gesturing, experiencing shock alongside excitement.

Supervision Guards had already arrived on the scene, conducting stricter evacuations while simultaneously notifying the higher-ups.

Returning to Teng Liang: although he was a fifth-tier top-tier, due to it being a forced advancement, he had no way of further developing it. For the moment, he was only able to maintain a stalemate with Pang Hui.

Why hasn't Old Xia struck yet? What is he waiting for?

Su Chen shot a glance at the old man beside him. His vision blurred, and the man actually vanished abruptly.

Meanwhile, a sharp roar erupted in the arena: "Stop!"

A terrifying coercion of life descended. Despite being a great distance away, Su Chen could clearly perceive it.

A figure descended from the heavens above, bearing a gloomy expression. Water-like ripples surfaced around him. Be it Inquisitors, Adjudication Guards, or even Pang Hui's group, all of them were suppressed to the point where they couldn't even move.

Wei Yinshuo's brows twitched. He had already perceived that the building below practically contained no living creatures.

"Teacher!" Pang Hui immediately knelt on the ground, retracting his wings as he wailed with grief: "Please deliver justice for your student!"

Wei Yinshuo overlooked the crowd below, his voice chilling: "What exactly is going on here? Who is the person in charge! Zhao Gang!"

Zhao Gang's body trembled. Just as he was about to speak, he heard that familiar hoarse voice, "Fourth Brother, so you truly were the one behind the scenes."

"Xia Hanshi!?"

Wei Yinshuo's expression changed, as if realizing something. He glared fiercely at Pang Hui kneeling on the ground. The latter kept his head down, offering not a single word.

"Heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking!" Xia Hanshi similarly floated in mid-air, letting out a sorrowful sigh. "You and I are both Chief Inquisitors. I never expected that a day would come where we'd meet at the tip of the blade!"

"Wait!" Wei Yinshuo hastily called a halt. "What exactly do you mean? Pang Hui is the Deputy Minister of Supervision, and the Pang family has made quite a few contributions to my Yingfeng. Even if you want to strike..."

Before he could even finish speaking, he sounded like a duck that had its throat gripped tight.

With a flick of his withered hand, Xia Hanshi unfurled a scroll of hide stamped with five red seals before him, revealing a ghastly and terrifying smile.

"Order of the Elder Council! The Pang family has colluded with the Evil God Cults! According to the law, they are to be executed!"

Colluding with the Evil God Cults!

Wei Yinshuo's pupils contracted. A burst of anger surged into his heart as he shot a chilling glance at Pang Hui kneeling on the ground. "Pang Hui, you are courting death!"

With the Order of the Elder Council present, not to mention absolute certainty of evidence, it was definitely eighty or ninety percent confirmed.

"Keep acting..." Xia Hanshi put away the Order of the Elders.

"You colluded with the Evil God Cults! Nobody can save you!" Wei Yinshuo rebuked furiously.

"Keep acting..." Xia Hanshi shook his head. "Do you dare claim you knew absolutely nothing? This is your most favored student."

"I..." Wei Yinshuo had a mouthful of old blood stuck in his chest, yet inevitably, a wave of panic surfaced in his heart. He didn't know whether Xia Hanshi was intentionally plotting against him, or if the Elder Council also shared the same view.

"Teacher, you cannot abandon me!" Pang Hui on the ground abruptly raised his head, wailing with grief.

"Vicious villain!" Wei Yinshuo trembled in anger. Just as he was about to strike, the sound of explosive rumbles reverberated from the horizon once more. The speed of the newcomer was incredibly fast, even tracing out sonic boom clouds.

"Wei Yinshuo, Xia Hanshi!"

The newcomer drew his form to a halt, triggering gusts of violent winds. It was a guy sporting a circle of black beard, currently glaring with widened, furious eyes. "What are you two trying to do!"

"Without informing my Supervision Department, you act arbitrarily within the city... Hm? Pang Hui!?"

When he discovered the target kneeling on the ground, he also froze abruptly.

(End of this chapter)