Chapter Ninety-Four: The Grand Ceremony

Bai Zeshao, kneeling on one knee, finally let out a sigh of relief. He had been just a hair’s breadth away from failure, but at the crucial moment, as the bottle was about to hit the ground, he completed the final move—just in time to avoid a humiliating blunder.

Cheers erupted around him, and Bai Zeshao let out a soft chuckle as he stood up. Before he could fully turn around, he caught a glimpse of another bottle flying towards him from the side. At that instant, his attention was scattered and he was completely unprepared. The throw was abrupt, and Bai Zeshao hadn’t expected Li Huihui to toss a bottle again.

Yet, he still fired, though the posture with which he did so was awkward and unorthodox.

Click.

There was no gunshot. The onlookers were surprised—had the gun jammed?

Bai Zeshao quickly realized the issue: his pistol was out of bullets, and the bottle was about to hit the ground.

With his focus razor-sharp, Bai Zeshao did something that left everyone stunned—he flung the pistol straight at the bottle, shattering it on impact.

Applause broke out again. Bai Zeshao returned to the front of the group and looked at Liu Xiaobing and Li Huihui. “Which of you threw that bottle just now? Nearly made a fool of me.”

“Really? As if I don’t know your skills,” Liu Xiaobing replied with a casual shrug.

“What kind of friend are you, hoping I’ll mess up?” Bai Zeshao shook his head in mild exasperation.

With that, everyone dispersed and went to train their respective students. Due to the earlier incident, the students of Class 112 now looked at Bai Zeshao with new eyes.

Bai Zeshao merely smiled softly and continued instructing the students. Several of them performed quite well, especially Li Huihui, who exceeded his expectations.

Yet, he couldn’t quite figure her out. There was something enigmatic about this girl, a sense of mystery that made her impossible to read. Otherwise, given her overall abilities, he would have considered developing her further.

Though on the surface he appeared to be scouting talent for the Nationalist Party, Bai Zeshao was secretly seeking promising young people for the Red Party as well. Unfortunately, time was too short, and many of the girls at the academy harbored misunderstandings about the Red Party.

Soon, the seven days of training came to an end. Though it had a somewhat playful air, the female students had undergone a marked transformation.

With their task complete, Bai Zeshao and Liu Xiaobing returned to the Special Services Department. They had barely been back when Sun Yanjie called, inviting him to De Yi Tower for a meal.

It was meal time, so Bai Zeshao accepted without hesitation. When he arrived at De Yi Tower, Sun Yanjie was already there—and so was someone Bai Zeshao didn’t expect to see: Wu Yangbing.

“Brother Wu, what brings you here?” Bai Zeshao asked curiously.

“Remember what I told you at your promotion banquet when you made lieutenant? I said I had a big gift for you. Now that I have the time, here I am,” Sun Yanjie explained with a smile.

“Brother Wu, you’re too kind. It was just a promotion in title, not in power,” Bai Zeshao replied nonchalantly.

“Xiao Bai, don’t be so modest. When I was your age, I was still just an ordinary soldier.” Wu Yangbing stood up and clapped Bai Zeshao on the shoulder, then called out toward the door, “Bring him in.”

With a puzzled look, Bai Zeshao watched as the door opened and two soldiers ushered in a man covered in bruises.

Bai Zeshao frowned. He didn’t recognize the man, but said nothing—he simply glanced at Wu Yangbing and awaited an explanation.

“This is the big gift I promised you,” Wu Yangbing said with a hearty laugh.

“Who is he?” Bai Zeshao asked with interest, eyeing the battered man before him. He didn’t know the man, but the latter glared at him with murderous intent.

This only deepened Bai Zeshao’s confusion—he couldn’t recall ever offending this person.

“Speak for yourself,” Wu Yangbing ordered, kicking the man on the ground.

The man snorted defiantly but said nothing.

Wu Yangbing didn’t waste words. He drew his pistol, cocked it, and pressed it to the man’s head. “You have two choices: talk, or die.”

“I’ll talk.” Under threat of death, the man finally relented. “I was ordered to follow Bai Shao and to be ready to kill you on command.”

Bai Zeshao frowned. “Who sent you? Which faction do you belong to?”

“I don’t know. I just take money to do the job,” the man replied.

“So how do you communicate? There must be some contact, otherwise how would you receive orders?” Bai Zeshao pressed.

“We have a contact point. I always get my orders and payment there, but I’ve never met the handler in person,” the man confessed.

“Where is it?” Bai Zeshao demanded.

The man didn’t hesitate to reveal everything he knew.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Zeshao looked at Wu Yangbing, who understood and had the man taken away.

Once the room was quiet again, Bai Zeshao asked, “Brother Wu, how did you find and apprehend this man?”

“My men were on duty when they noticed him acting suspiciously. At first, it was just going to be a routine check, but the guy pulled a gun. It took three men to bring him in alive. We only learned of his connection to you during interrogation, so we brought you in,” Wu Yangbing explained.

“When did this happen?” Bai Zeshao inquired.

“Three days ago.”

“I see,” Bai Zeshao nodded calmly.

“Xiao Bai, Director Wu had a hefty red envelope prepared for you as a gift, but after this incident, the present has changed. Are you satisfied?” Sun Yanjie said with a grin.

“This gift from Brother Wu is weighty indeed. Otherwise, if I ever took a bullet, I’d never know who did it,” Bai Zeshao replied earnestly.

“As long as you’re pleased. Here, take this,” Wu Yangbing said, tossing Bai Zeshao a small black pouch.

Bai Zeshao weighed it in his hand—about five gold bars. It was a generous gesture. “Brother Wu, there’s no need for such extravagance. Your intelligence is worth far more than this.”

“Xiao Bai, it’s nothing to me. Take it,” Wu Yangbing said seriously.

Very well.