HTCYH Ch 40

Chapter 40: Face-Slapping (Part Two)

A deep, forceful, and authoritative voice rang out. Tu Si saw that the speaker was the highest-ranking officer among the group. The man was well over fifty, his hair streaked with gray, his face lined with wrinkles, yet he stood tall and straight, his eagle-like eyes sharp and commanding.

The once arrogant middle-aged officer, upon hearing the voice and turning to see who had arrived, stumbled at the feet as if about to kneel on the spot. The proud goose with its chest puffed and head held high had instantly turned into a trembling quail with its head bowed. In a faltering tone, he stammered: “D-Director Zhang… why have you personally come down to visit?”

The elder officer, referred to as Director Zhang, glanced sidelong at the middle-aged officer, then at the badge number pinned to his chest. With a frown, he turned toward another officer standing nearby and said, “Old Li! Was this your order? Since when does the Complaints Department have the authority to meddle with front-line affairs? And to even forcefully cut someone’s game access? Which regulation ever gave a complaints division the right to unilaterally terminate a player?”

The officer surnamed Li, who had been called out, broke out into cold sweat instantly. He hurried to deflect responsibility, saying: “Forgive me, forgive me. It was my failure of oversight. I failed to recognize the severe corruption and abuse of power under my command. I swear I will conduct a thorough review and eradicate these parasites!”

But Director Zhang raised his hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. Lifting his chin in authority, he gestured at Xu Jinyan to hand him Tu Si’s phone. Xu Jinyan presented it with both hands, then retreated to stand beside Tu Si, giving him a nudge in the arm with his elbow and making a subtle comical face.

Tu Si rolled his eyes hard in his heart and thought: Good heavens, even Wuming knows how to borrow a knife to kill. And what a knife this is! Cutting straight into the department head himself. That’s far sharper than I could ever manage.

Director Zhang looked down at Tu Si’s phone, where the game app icon had gone gray. He exhaled slowly several times, then turned his gaze on Officer Li.

“Heh. No need for reviews. Take your parasites and get out. From now on, every complaint involving front-line investigators will be sent directly to me. Those who risk life and limb for this country—you are not qualified to pass judgment on them!

A pack of parasites—impulsive, hypocritical, arrogant! You chant rules, rules, rules, and yet rules are nothing but tools for you to manipulate power! Do you have any idea what your actions have cost the Bureau? Do you know how many investigators have died fighting against pollution? And now the only person capable of cleansing the contamination was cut off from the game because you carelessly declared a “regulatory violation”! Who here can shoulder that responsibility?”

Tu Si gaped openly at this, staring in shock at Director Zhang, then at Wuming. Inwardly, he marveled: Good lord, Wuming, you’re a wolf in human skin! Going straight for annihilation! Truly ruthless. You never strike lightly—when you do, it’s a complete purge.

As the entire hall fell into stunned silence, Tu Si’s mischievous streak was provoked by the atmosphere. He fanned the flames by saying: “Director Zhang, could I have my phone back? I’m useless now anyway. The Bureau doesn’t need Wuming to monitor me anymore, right? My game access is cut. Doesn’t that mean I can go home now? I haven’t even graduated yet. Could Captain Wuming please restore my student registration? I just want to return to school and continue studying.”

At these words, the middle-aged officer turned pale with horror. Cold sweat soaked his back as he realized the enormity of the hole he had dug. All those so-called testimonies would now serve only as knives turned against him. Wuming’s special recruitment, his “privileges,” had only been a cover for deeper purposes—meant to protect and monitor Tu Si in secret. And yet, by making a spectacle of small matters and escalating them beyond reason, he had torn the heavens open. Tu Si’s identity was exposed. He had cut into the artery itself! Not even the goddess Nüwa could patch the hole he’d made, let alone himself—an empty vessel skilled only in petty power plays. How could he possibly bear this responsibility?

Wuming’s eyes grew cold as he fixed them on Tu Si. “Do you wish to become an experimental specimen for the player organization instead? Just because you can’t enter the games anymore doesn’t mean your ability to cleanse pollution has disappeared. The moment you step beyond the Bureau’s protection, endless human experiments await you. If you’re willing to risk your so-called freedom on that gamble, then go—don’t let me keep you.”

Tu Si huffed stubbornly. “How do you know what the player organization will do? Maybe they’ll treat me with the best food and luxury. Compared with how the Bureau upholds human rights, I’ve felt it firsthand! Free labor, risking my life to cleanse pollution, and the outcome? Even refusing cafeteria food gets me reported! Endless interrogations, detentions! The player organization’s motto is freedom. Even as an experimental specimen, I’d at least have the freedom to cook myself a meal and eat something decent, right?”

At that, Wuming gave a sarcastic laugh. “Perfect. Then go—get as far away as possible. Don’t bother me again. Because of you, my reputation is in ruins. Everywhere I go, people say I’m gay, rumors swirl nonstop. Do you think I want to look after you? Do you know how many complaints have piled onto me because of you? How many times I’ve had to answer to review boards? Thankless, exhausting work! Go then! The head of the player organization, Liang Tiancai, personally filed a real-name report slandering me—wasn’t it precisely to get at you? Perfect, I’ll just send you to him, wrapped with a bow. Saves me the trouble!”

Hearing the name Liang Tiancai—the head of the player organization—Tu Si froze in shock for a moment, while Xu Jinyan cried out in surprise: “Liang Tiancai? That Liang Tiancai we know about? So, the last game really did have the higher-ups from the player organization involved!”

Tu Si chuckled inwardly, though he traded barbs with Wuming aloud, conveniently pushing all of Wuming’s strange behavior in the games onto the player organization. Inside, he scoffed: Cunning! Wuming is nothing but cunning! One move, many hits—he cleared his own name and took his revenge, dragging countless others down with him in one clean sweep.

Looking at Wuming’s calm, masterful demeanor, another fragment of hazy memory stirred in Tu Si. He remembered eyes—eyes that had once defended him passionately in the political arena. Wasn’t this a scene from when he had been a general? But why was the memory so misty? Hadn’t he forgotten a great deal?

Wuming noticed Tu Si drifting into his thoughts, his answers faltering and mismatched, his responses sluggish. He immediately cut off the conversation and shifted gears into reporting, making pleas, and bargaining with Director Zhang and the others.

When Tu Si finally came back to full awareness, the announcement he heard was stunning: Wuming had just been promoted.

From now on, the Complaints Department was abolished. All reports concerning Bureau investigators would be reviewed directly by Captain Wuming of Team One. Complaints against Team One itself would be submitted only to Director Zhang, and accepted only under real-name identification. Tu Si would remain under Wuming’s management and protection, but his standing changed—he was now to be made a full member of Team One. Wuming was also tasked with finding a way to ensure Tu Si’s return to the games, despite his forced severance.

Tu Si immediately interjected: “Then I want Captain Wuming to personally cook three meals for me every day as compensation! Let Director Zhang witness it. Otherwise, I’ll jump ship to go find Liang Tiancai right now!”

The sharp, pointed request—aimed directly at Wuming—caught Director Zhang completely off guard, making him and the gathered senior officials exchange stunned glances before turning to him.

After a pause of two seconds, Director Zhang looked at Wuming and said: “For your negligence in protecting your subordinate, which led Tu Si to suffer unjust mistreatment, you are hereby ordered to take charge of his daily meals from now on. You are authorized to use the Bureau’s kitchen facilities. Any complaints?”

Xu Jinyan glanced between Director Zhang, Wuming, and Tu Si, his eyes widening in disbelief. He gave Tu Si a huge thumbs-up, silently mouthing the words: “F—ing brilliant!”

Tu Si, smiling sweetly and feigning innocence, said in a soft, falsely delicate tone to Director Zhang: “Director, you are wise! Thank you for clearing my name, and thank you in advance to Captain Wuming. I’ll have to trouble the captain for tonight’s dinner.”

Wuming only raised his brows slightly, remained silent, and stared at Tu Si for a long while. Then he turned to Director Zhang, gave a brief nod, and accepted the command with a single sentence: “Understood. No complaints.”