EFB Chapter 104 Enforcement Team! Mission!
Chapter 104 Enforcement Team! Mission!
Chapter 104 Enforcement Team! Mission!
The next morning, the sun rose.
Su Yu changed into a brand-new black cloud-patterned outfit, a gift from the Yang sisters. The outfit was well-tailored with fine stitching, making him look both tall and imposing without hindering his movements.
The Mo Yuan sword hung diagonally at his waist, the black water dragon skin on its scabbard gleaming coldly in the morning light.
A young man of great talent, yet with a restrained brilliance.
After passing through two streets and alleys, Su Yu arrived at the eastern section of Black Stone Avenue, the most bustling street in the outer city.
A magnificent three-story stone building stands here, with two imposing stone lions at the entrance and the three gilded characters "Law Enforcement Office" on the plaque.
This is the newly established power center in the outer city.
"Junior Brother Su, over here."
Lin Wanzhu had been waiting for a long time. Today, she was wearing the silver-threaded military uniform that represented the deputy commander, which made her look less like a merchant and more like a heroic figure.
Upon seeing Su Yu, her beautiful eyes lit up, and she greeted him with a smile.
"Let's go, I'll take you to meet our boss, Commander Li Jingxuan."
The two walked through the gate side by side.
"Senior sister, who is this Commander Li?" Su Yu asked in a low voice.
Lin Wanzhu looked ahead and lowered her voice: "This Commander Li has five squads under his command and is in charge of the security of Jinlin Street and several wealthy towns outside the city. He has great power. But I have searched through all the files in the outer city and can't find any record of his past. It's as if he just appeared out of thin air."
"What have you thought of?"
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized what was going on.
He tilted his head slightly, leaned close to Lin Wanzhu's ear, his warm breath brushing against her delicate earlobe, and whispered, "From the inner city?"
Lin Wanzhu felt the man's breath on her ear, and her body trembled almost imperceptibly, but she did not flinch. Instead, she lowered her voice and said, "That's right! Most likely! But we don't know any specific details. Some people speculate that Commander Li might even be a member of the Li family from one of the three major families!"
"The Li family?"
Su Yu's eyes narrowed.
He had a general understanding of the Wang family from listening to operas before. Legend has it that they might be descendants of General Wang, who split the river with a single spear, slew the evil dragon, and protected Black Stone City.
As for the Zhao family, I had seen Zhao Jiuge with her phoenix eyes during the martial arts examination; she left a deep impression on me.
This Li family is the only one I've ever heard of.
"I've heard the Li family has a good reputation and controls vital industries in Blackrock City, such as grain. Even though the world is in chaos and grain prices have risen, they haven't spiraled out of control, thanks to the Li family stabilizing the situation."
As they spoke, the two crossed the courtyard.
Lin Wanzhu stretched lazily, completely disregarding Su Yu beside her. Her already tight official robes instantly tightened, outlining her stunningly rounded curves, her ample bosom almost bursting out of the fabric.
"Whether Commander Li is actually a member of the Li family is still not entirely certain. However, your senior sister has figured out quite a bit about his style of doing things these days."
"Oh, what can I do for you, Senior Sister?" Su Yu asked, keeping her eyes straight ahead, appearing as a gentleman discussing matters.
However, Lin Wanzhu was perceptive and had already noticed his initial furtive glances. She gave Su Yu a flirtatious look, and a slight smile crept onto her lips.
She deliberately leaned closer to Su Yu, her rounded shoulder gently bumping against him: "This Commander Li only cares about the tasks assigned to him from above, and doesn't care about other mundane affairs. He's even lazy. He dumps most of the administrative work on me, his deputy."
"But there's one more thing he's interested in: money!"
Su Yu frowned upon hearing this. Wasn't this just a rich young master from a prominent family who came to the outer city to make money?
Lin Wanzhu continued meaningfully, "However, this is a good thing for us. A greedy boss is not scary; what's scary is someone who isn't greedy but still gives orders haphazardly. As long as we feed him, many things in the Golden Scale Enforcement Team will actually be much easier to handle."
Su Yu nodded. What her senior sister said was indeed correct, but it would cost a bit more.
"Hiss—wait, why didn't you tell me beforehand, senior sister? Today is my first day reporting for duty, and I'm empty-handed."
"Pfft."
Seeing Su Yu's headache, Lin Wanzhu rolled her eyes at him, and as if by magic, took an exquisite sandalwood box from her waist and stuffed it into Su Yu's arms.
"Don't worry, I already thought of that." With that, she took a wooden box from her waist, opened it, and handed it to Su Yu.
"Here, I've already prepared it for you."
Su Yu opened it and his pupils contracted slightly.
Besides the two hundred taels of silver notes, there was also a section of lotus root in the box that was as clear as white jade, but with bright red blood at the joints.
Red lotus root!
This precious aquatic medicine, once consumed, can greatly enhance one's qi and blood, and even slowly improve one's constitution, making it several times more valuable than ordinary precious fish.
"Senior sister, this is a bit too expensive. I'll send you the money later." Su Yu accepted the wooden box and looked at his senior sister with some gratitude.
"Why are you giving me money? This is a thank-you gift from the Lin family. During the martial arts examination, if it weren't for your help, how could Lin Dong and Lin Jing have advanced smoothly? Moreover, you offended that madman Sun Shi in order to help them."
She looked at Su Yu with tenderness and admiration in her eyes: "Besides, if you don't accept it, that girl Lin Jing has said she'll come to your mansion with a whip and force you to accept it."
Su Yu shook his head helplessly. Lin Jing's fiery temper could really cause trouble.
"In that case, thank you very much for your kindness, Senior Sister and the Lin family."
The law enforcement office, second floor, commander's room.
The interior was extremely luxurious, with rosewood tables, brocade carpets, and a landscape map of Jian'an Prefecture hanging on the wall. In the corner, a Boshan incense burner emitted wisps of ambergris.
"This humble servant, Su Yu, is here to report for duty."
Su Yu stepped forward and, without making a sound, pushed the sandalwood box to the center of the table, his movements fluid and graceful.
Behind the desk sat a plump middle-aged man.
He is Li Jingxuan.
Upon seeing the wooden box, he slightly opened his eyes, which had been narrowed to slits, gently opened the box, and glanced inside.
The next moment, a kind smile appeared on his face.
"Hahaha! Su Yu, top five in the martial arts examination, a prodigy from a humble background! My Golden Scale Enforcement Team is fortunate to have such a fierce general as you—"
That would be like adding wings to a tiger! Come, come, sit down!
He didn't rush to discuss official business, but instead personally picked up the purple clay teapot and poured Su Yu a cup of tea.
The emerald green tea swirls in the white porcelain cup, seemingly gathering into a cloud-like mist, its aroma filling the nostrils and invigorating the senses.
"Try it. This is a special Cloud Mist Spirit Tea supplied to the inner city. Drinking it regularly can improve eyesight and refresh the mind."
Su Yu took it with both hands and took a sip.
As the tea entered my throat, it was slightly bitter but then sweet, and a refreshing feeling rose up, instantly relieving much of my fatigue.
"Excellent tea!" Su Yu praised sincerely. "The things here are indeed of high quality, Commander. I am truly fortunate to have such good tea today."
"Hey, what's with all this talk about taking advantage? Once you're in this group, we're all family!" Li Jingxuan laughed even harder, waving his hand dismissively. "Drink as much as you like, and take some home with you!"
"Oh, Commander Li," Lin Wanzhu said, leaning back in her chair with a half-smile, "you're really showing favoritism. I work hard for our enforcement team, and you haven't even given me this good tea?"
"Commander Lin, you're wronged!" Li Jingxuan waved his hand with a smile. "You absolutely must bring some back this time!"
Using tea as a starting point, and with Senior Sister Lin nearby, the three chatted smoothly. Su Yu clearly felt that he had been initially accepted and recognized by Li Jingxuan.
After three rounds of tea.
Li Jingxuan put down his teacup. Although his smile remained warm, his eyes became more profound. The merchant's arrogance faded, replaced by the imposing aura of a superior.
"Captain Su."
"Since you're Commander Lin's junior brother, I won't beat around the bush with you."
Li Jingxuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a soft, rhythmic sound: "The enforcement team's job looks glamorous, but it's actually very difficult. The three major families above us and Commander Pang are all watching closely, especially the mess outside the city, which must be cleaned up as soon as possible."
"We have money and manpower, but ultimately, we need to produce results."
Su Yu's expression turned solemn, and he stood up, clasping his hands in a fist salute: "Please give your instructions, Commander!"
"good!"
Li Jingxuan pulled out a huge sheepskin map from under the case file and spread it out on the table.
The map was densely marked with various red circles and black crosses, a truly alarming sight.
"This is the area under the jurisdiction of my Golden Scales Team."
He pointed to an area outside the city and said in a deep voice, "Yunshui Town, Qingxi Town, Heihe Ferry—this area is now a gathering place for refugees, with strange occurrences happening frequently, and even cultists instigating riots. Trade routes are now cut off, and tax collection is in chaos."
Li Jingxuan stared intently at Su Yu, holding up three fingers: "Three months!"
"Choose one location, and you must see results! Even if the chaos isn't completely quelled, at least trade routes should be open, and things should appear calm on the surface!"
Su Yu knew that this first task was a test for him; if he did well, he could stay in the law enforcement team.
If things don't go well, Li Jingxuan probably won't be as polite as he is now.
"Commander Li, rest assured, within a month, Qingxi Town will surely be restored to a bright and prosperous world!" Su Yu chose Qingxi Town without hesitation. If he could do something for his hometown, he would naturally be willing.
"Alright! This is the Black Iron Command Token, go!"
Su Yu took the command token and felt that it was cold and heavy in his hand.
After leaving Li Jingxuan's room, Su Yu and her senior sister went to the archives on the first floor.
The documents were handed over, and signatures and seals were affixed.
A clerk handed over a heavy waist token with both hands.
The waist tag was made entirely of black iron, and it was icy cold to the touch. The front was engraved with the head of a ferocious beast, and the back was inscribed with the words "Golden Scales and Feathers".
"The formalities are complete." Lin Wanzhu straightened her collar. "Junior Brother Su, I'll be taking Lin Dong and the others to deal with the gang affairs in the city. Recently, many gangs have been fighting fiercely over territory. I can't help you with the matters outside the city for the time being, so please be careful."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I understand." Su Yu nodded.
Just as they were about to part, Lin Wanzhu did not leave immediately. Instead, she looked around and suddenly took a half step closer. The familiar fragrance of orchids wafted over again.
She lowered her voice, her tone revealing a hint of annoyance and helplessness: "There's another troublesome matter, and I need to give you a heads-up first."
"Because Sun Yan was stripped of his captaincy, his team couldn't be formed. The members originally intended for his team were used through connections and forcibly placed in yours!"
Su Yu frowned. This was probably done by the Ironclad Martial Arts School. Now, they were the only forces that had a grudge against him.
"According to the rules, you have the authority to recruit five team members. Besides yourself, there should be at least one more person assigned to your team, leaving you with three open spots. Now, three more have been crammed into your team, leaving you with only one spot!"
Lin Wanzhu said with a hint of regret, "Junior brother, a formal position in the enforcement team can fetch at least three hundred taels of silver on the black market these days. If you're good at networking, people will be scrambling to give it to you for five hundred taels!"
Su Yu nodded, immediately understanding what she meant.
This directly cost me over a thousand taels of silver; the Ironclad Martial Arts School really disgusted me.
"It's alright, senior sister, you go ahead with your work, I'll go check on the team members!"