Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Dong Haoran broke into a nervous sweat.
He had just been ordered to intercept Qin Lan during the Four-School Joint Examination. After falling for Qin Lan’s trick and being beaten unconscious with a giant staff, he was already in a miserable mood.
Before he even had time to recover from his injuries, he received another support order from Lu Xingshan.
When he heard that an Anomaly Hunter had clashed with United Government forces, Dong Haoran immediately grew excited. He thought he finally had a chance to wash away his humiliation. Then he arrived and discovered it was Qin Lan again.
Dong Haoran’s lips twitched. At last, he understood why Lu Xingshan had sent him.
“I thought the Director trusted me… He only called me because he knew I couldn’t beat Qin Lan?” Dong Haoran groaned inwardly. “That’s clearly the Director’s way of telling me not to interfere…”
Qin Lan had obviously spoken with Lu Xingshan in advance. Otherwise, Lu Xingshan would never have specifically ordered Dong Haoran, the defeated opponent, to make the arrest.
With his experience, Dong Haoran could see that Qin Lan had broken through and entered an entirely new level.
“That Talent of his can instantly slow people down. If he decides to run, I can’t possibly catch him…”
“Now that he’s entered Tier 3, the Talent will only be stronger. How am I supposed to fight him?”
Dong Haoran’s smile was painfully stiff.
The other 2-Star Anomaly Hunters who had arrived also sensed something strange and quietly backed away.
“Ahem… Little Qin, is there some kind of misunderstanding here?” Dong Haoran forced the corners of his mouth upward in an awkward smile. “How did you end up fighting the United Government?”
Yuan Risheng’s heart sank. The moment he heard “Little Qin,” he knew something was wrong.
Qin Lan wore an innocent smile. “I have no idea.”
“I was punishing evil and upholding justice when the Zone Governor arrived and ordered his men to kill me. Why don’t you ask him?”
Dong Haoran glanced at the grim-faced Zone Governor Yuan and caught the guilt that flickered through the man’s eyes.
He understood the situation almost instantly.
Qianshan Hospital belonged to the Qian Group and maintained close connections with many powerful figures in the Safe Zone, especially senior officials of the United Government.
It was obvious that Qin Lan had threatened their interests, prompting Zone Governor Yuan to intervene personally.
“Punishing evil and upholding justice? What shameless boasting!”
Yuan Risheng immediately cut Qin Lan off, refusing to give him any chance to explain. “Before countless witnesses, you attacked patients at Qianshan Hospital, killed civilians, and injured my secretary…”
“These are indisputable facts! What defense could you possibly offer?!”
“Those people were unarmed civilians!”
Yuan Risheng turned to Dong Haoran and questioned him darkly. “Do Anomaly Hunters possess rights above those of the people? Does the Anomaly Hunter Bureau claim to protect the public while actually serving as another criminal organization that shields its own members?”
“If that is true, I will fight you to the end, even if it costs me my position!”
For a moment, Yuan Risheng’s image seemed incomparably righteous.
Reporters pushed forward, eager to capture the scene of Zone Governor Yuan denouncing an Anomaly Hunter.
Even Dong Haoran’s expression changed when he heard those words.
By saying this before so much media, Zone Governor Yuan was clearly trying to force him to attack Qin Lan.
Dong Haoran’s face turned cold.
“Zone Governor Yuan, you have no authority to pass judgment on the Anomaly Hunter Bureau… Besides, the facts have not yet been established. Why are you in such a hurry to reach a conclusion?”
“Even if–”
Before he could finish, Dong Haoran’s communicator chimed.
[Beep, beep.]
Dong Haoran glanced down at the message. His eyes shifted rapidly before he looked up at Qin Lan with a solemn expression.
“Little Qin, did you obtain evidence of the things you mentioned?”
Qin Lan merely smiled and nodded. “I have more than evidence. I have witnesses too.”
“Oh, right.”
Qin Lan turned toward the frowning Yuan Risheng, his smile growing even brighter. “Zone Governor Yuan’s Secretary Lin told me quite a few things.”
Yuan Risheng’s face turned ashen.
He did not know the details of what had happened inside the hospital, so he could not determine whether Qin Lan was telling the truth.
If Qin Lan really had forced an unfavorable confession from his secretary, what followed would be difficult to contain.
Dong Haoran stepped forward.
He stopped in front of Qin Lan and lowered his voice.
“The Director asked me to tell you that this incident alone isn’t enough to bring down Yuan Risheng.”
“If he wants, he can completely sever himself from everything that happened.”
“Many, many people are involved. Most of them will attend your title-conferral ceremony and could become part of your network within the Safe Zone.”
“The choice is yours.”
Having said this, Dong Haoran had already guessed most of the story.
It was nothing more than a hot-blooded young Anomaly Hunter attempting to confront the corruption within an entire system. Similar things had happened before.
Dong Haoran sighed inwardly. “Director Lu truly values him. He not only sent me here to assist, but specifically asked me to give this warning…”
“I hope Qin Lan listens.”
Morality and justice stood on one side, his future prospects on the other. Most people would find themselves trapped in a painful dilemma.
Those who opposed a system either became part of it or were crushed beneath it–unless they could shatter it completely.
One 3-Star Anomaly Hunter could not accomplish that.
Qin Lan smiled faintly at Dong Haoran’s warning.
His tone was relaxed, and his youthful face looked warm beneath the sunlight.
“Brother Dong, do you know how I interpret Director Lu’s message?”
Dong Haoran froze, confused by the sudden question. “Uh… How?”
Qin Lan continued smiling.
“I think Director Lu’s meaning is actually very simple–”
The smile faded, leaving an icy curve at the corner of his lips.
“Everyone involved other than Yuan Risheng can be eliminated without exception.”
What the hell?!
Dong Haoran was stunned.
How had Qin Lan’s understanding advanced so far beyond his own?
He had not heard anything like that in the Director’s message!
“Little Qin, you need to think this through…” Dong Haoran even began to stammer. “If the Director says many people are involved, that means–”
“It means killing them will take more effort.” Qin Lan finished the sentence and began comforting Dong Haoran instead. “It’s fine, Brother Dong. I’m not afraid of hard work, and I have plenty of patience.”
The issue was not whether he was afraid of hard work!
Dong Haoran felt numb. He desperately wished he had never stepped into this mess and was fighting anomalies in the Fallen Zone instead.
Even being surrounded by several 3-Star anomalies would not have made his heart pound this hard.
Dong Haoran heard naked, pure killing intent in Qin Lan’s words. It was utterly resolute and would never disappear because of his objections.
“This is bad…”
Dong Haoran groaned inwardly.
“The entire Safe Zone is about to be turned upside down…”