Chapter 139: Transactions Are Everywhere!

“Ptooey!”

Li spat a fish bone from her alluring lips and asked indifferently, “Which unit are you with?”

“Reporting. We’re from the Wuzhi District Bureau,” Old Tie answered honestly. By now, he had put aside his little schemes and no longer dared play games with her.

If these people wanted your records, all they needed was a phone call. There was no point trying to hide anything; it would only make matters worse.

“I see. I’ll be lodging a complaint with your superiors.” Li stirred the spicy hotpot with her chopsticks, searching for pickled bamboo shoots as she spoke.

“Yes.”

“Also, I was the one who hit his car, and I was the one who beat him up. He interfered with my official business.” Li pointed at Li Qingyang with her chopsticks.

“Yes. I understand. I understand.” Old Tie nodded repeatedly.

“Interfered with your official business? What official business of yours did I interfere with?” Li Qingyang protested indignantly.

He had been minding his own business, chatting with someone, when she came along and sent that person flying with her car. And she called that him interfering with her work?

How could she turn the whole thing upside down like that?

Seeing that Li Qingyang was about to argue further, Old Tie hurriedly shot him a warning glance, signaling him to keep quiet. The man wanted to get himself killed, but he had no right to drag everyone else down with him.

“I’m finished. You may leave.” Li did not even raise her head. She had barely looked at any of them.

“Yes.” Old Tie acknowledged her order, then shouted to his subordinates, “Fall out!”

The group hurried out in a noisy rush. Only after they reached the entrance of the restaurant did Old Tie let out a sigh of relief, his face finally returning to normal.

“Old Tie, who exactly is that woman? Why did you let them go? What was that badge? How come I’ve never seen anything like it?” Li Qingyang asked resentfully.

“Qingyang, this time you’ve kicked an iron plate.” Old Tie sighed. He was somewhat displeased with Li Qingyang. The fool had nearly gotten him killed.

But he might still need something from him in the future, so he could only endure his irritation and continue speaking patiently.

“What do you mean, I kicked an iron plate? They broke the law and get off scot-free? My car is wrecked, and I was beaten up too—are we just going to let this go?” Li Qingyang demanded angrily. “Old Tie, tell me the truth. If you can’t settle this, I’ll find someone else.”

“Qingyang, I’ll be frank. I really can’t settle this matter. And neither can anyone you find.” Old Tie pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and passed them around to his brothers. Then he put one between his lips, lit it, and continued.

Li Qingyang froze, then gradually calmed down. He took a cigarette from Old Tie and lit it. “What was the deal with that badge? Why did it make you react so strongly?”

“Exactly, Captain. You suddenly shouted for us to stand at attention and salute. I was completely stunned.”

“Are we complete idiots? We came here to cause trouble, only to end up saluting and leaving.”

“You know Old Cat, right?” Old Tie asked.

“Of course. The guy from your compound, built like a tower. You came to my house with him once.” Li Qingyang nodded.

“He later joined the special forces—the Arrow Corps, our Yanjing trump-card unit.” Old Tie looked at Li Qingyang.

“That woman is from the Arrow Corps?” Li Qingyang asked in surprise. If she belonged to the Arrow Corps, she really was not someone they could afford to provoke. The commander of the Arrow Corps was notorious for protecting his own. Anyone who touched one of his people would never hear the end of it.

Old Tie shook his head. “No.”

“Then who is she? Captain, stop taking your time with that cigarette and just tell us everything at once,” a young police officer urged anxiously. They were all fascinated by stories about the heroes of the special forces.

“Can you blame me when you keep interrupting?” Old Tie snapped. “Some time ago, Old Cat suddenly disappeared. He was gone for more than half a year before he returned. Afterward, he was full of resentment, so he invited me to his place for a drink. I asked him what had happened. At first, he refused to say. But after he got drunk, he finally poured out his troubles.”

“He told me that during the time he had disappeared, he had actually gone to take part in a special-forces selection. The Arrow Corps had handpicked a hundred men for six months of hellish training. When it ended, only one person had the honor of being selected. The other ninety-nine were sent home. Old Cat was one of those ninety-nine.”

Everyone drew a sharp breath.

A one-percent selection rate—that was terrifying.

The Arrow Corps was already the nation’s elite special-forces unit, famous throughout the world. Its own cream of the crop had gone to take part in a selection, yet only one person had been chosen. What did that imply?

“Terrifying, right? I heard that the year before, not a single one of the hundred candidates had been selected. Their commander was furious. When they returned, he drilled those men half to death.”

The others fell silent.

“I was incredibly curious at the time, so I kept pressing him about what kind of unit had such demanding standards. That fellow had drunk too much and had lost all restraint. He said it might be one of the three most mysterious units in the country, though he himself wasn’t sure which one.”

“Three units?”

“That’s right. Their code names are Divine Might and Heavenly Might. They have very few members, but every one of them is an elite capable of defeating a hundred ordinary soldiers. The test for Old Cat and the others was simple: ten men in a group had to attack a single special-forces operative sent by Heavenly Might. They could use any method they wished, so long as they managed to take him down. In the end, all ten men in their group were taken down instead.”

“The name of the last special-forces unit is Dragon’s Breath. Its code name comes from the totem of our nation. That unit is the most mysterious of all, and its strength is the most astonishing. People have heard its name, but no one has ever seen its members.”

“Could that woman be from Dragon’s Breath? I clearly saw the character for ‘dragon’ on the badge in her hand,” someone said uneasily.

Old Tie shook his head. “Not necessarily. I heard Old Cat say that all three units were founded by a man named Long. That’s why the identity badges they use all bear the character for ‘dragon.’ The difference lies in the color of the badge. As for exactly how they differ, I don’t know. Old Cat never said. He only heard it from some of his comrades during training.”

The young police officer wore an expression of pure relief. “Thank goodness the captain recognized the badge. Otherwise, we’d be in serious trouble.”

“Exactly. If I hadn’t recognized it, she would have beaten someone up next. The badge is merely their way of declaring their identity. If you still refuse to take the hint, they can beat you without consequence. They might even send you before a military court.” Old Tie glanced at Li Qingyang.

“But, Captain, we didn’t have to salute her, did we?” someone asked.

“Do you know what rank they hold? Even our bureau chief has to salute when he sees them. What are we supposed to be?”

No one had an answer.

“Captain, they’re coming out,” a police officer whispered.

“Retreat!”

Old Tie reacted first, leading the group into a nearby narrow alley. Not one of them dared show his head.

*********************

Sitting in the car, Qin Luo looked as though he wanted to say something but could not bring himself to speak.

“What is it?” Li asked as she drove the Hummer at breathtaking speed.

“Could I take another look at that badge of yours? I didn’t see it clearly just now,” Qin Luo said sheepishly.

Li reached into her clothes and placed the badge in his hand.

It was still warm, perhaps from the heat of her body. It carried a faint fragrance, possibly her natural scent.

The badge seemed to be made of copper or some other unknown metal. It was heavy and had a substantial feel beneath his fingers. A ring of patterns surrounded its edge, while a single red character occupied the center, its color as vivid as blood. The reverse was even simpler, bearing only three small words:

Dragon’s Breath: Li.

Qin Luo’s hope of guessing Li’s identity from the badge vanished.

“Ha-ha. It’s a pretty nice badge,” Qin Luo said with a grin.

Li shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Qin Luo shamelessly voiced the thought that had been troubling him for some time.

“Could you get me one like this?”

Just imagine: the next time some police officers came looking for trouble, he could simply flash the badge in front of them. Wouldn’t they have to salute him obediently?

The thought alone made Qin Luo’s heart race with excitement.

“Dream on,” Li rejected him succinctly.

“I was only saying. I didn’t really want one.” Qin Luo put on a hypocritical expression, though in truth he wanted one desperately.

“Even if you really wanted one, you couldn’t have one.” Li’s words were always so cutting. She reminded Qin Luo of Wang Jiujিউ.

They were both young women barely in their twenties, both in the flower of youth. Yet look at how differently they carried themselves as women.

He suddenly remembered the scene of Wang Jiuj्यू dragging Li Qingyang’s head into a mirror and hurriedly changed the image in his mind.

These days, men were taking up knitting while women played mahjong. Men were becoming less and less like men, and women less and less like women.

Qin Luo glanced at Li’s gloved right hand, then asked casually, “Your right hand was injured before, wasn’t it?”

“For people like us, who among us doesn’t carry a few injuries?” Li replied disdainfully.

“You have injuries elsewhere too?” Qin Luo’s eyes widened.

“What are you trying to do?” Li asked warily.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not asking you to take off your clothes so I can look.” Qin Luo realized that his words could easily be misunderstood and hurriedly explained.

“Then what are you trying to do?” Li asked.

“I mean, a scar like that on a woman’s hand can affect her appearance somewhat. Don’t you think?” Qin Luo countered.

Li said nothing.

If she had not cared about her appearance, she would not have worn gloves every day to hide the wound.

She was a member of Dragon’s Breath who had undergone special-forces training and survived countless battles, an indomitable warrior. But before all that, she was still a woman.

What woman did not want to be beautiful? What woman wanted her body marked with one gruesome scar after another?

“Actually, I can remove the scar on your hand,” Qin Luo said. “Completely. It won’t leave a trace.”

Li’s expression brightened. She turned to him and asked, “Really?”

“Really.” Qin Luo nodded.

“Then treat it for me as soon as possible,” Li said.

“However, that medicine is… a little expensive.” Qin Luo glanced at her and spoke cautiously.

“How much?” Li asked.

“Why bring money into it? That’s terribly damaging to our relationship.” Qin Luo looked indignant.

“By the way, which department issued that badge of yours? Could I apply for one?”

(Author’s note: I’ve seen some friends urging me to update, and Old Liu is anxious too. But I know my own writing condition best. I’ll maintain two updates a day for the next couple of days, then speed things up.)