Chapter 208: Thundercrack Talisman, Military Weaponry

Chapter 208: Thunderclap Talisman, Military Armament

When the armed forces of the patrol team arrived, Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yue Jincheng all stopped their actions, even raising their hands high to show they had no intention of continuing the fight.

Around the three of them, streaks of sword light were weaving back and forth.

These sword lights were like flashes of lightning surging through the air at high speed, and the chilling sword intent they emitted made the skin on Zhang Yu's hands and face sting sharply.

Zhang Yu thought to himself: "Are these military-grade flying swords?"

He knew that unlike the civilian-grade flying swords he had seen before, these military-grade flying swords, which only armed patrol team members could use, could transform sword qi into rainbows, forming sword lights that could expand or shrink and extend or retract at will.

Zhang Yu mused: "If these military-grade flying swords were to strike now, they'd probably cut through the three of us like slicing through melons and vegetables."

At the same time, four people in patrol team armed combat suits had already taken up positions above Zhang Yu and the others.

Zhang Yu glanced at them and could feel waves of heat from surging blood and qi pressing down on him, as if four great furnaces were floating above their heads.

"Must be military-grade combat techniques," he thought.

"Military-grade flying swords, plus military-grade combat techniques—even peak Qi Refining cultivators who graduated from university decades ago, like teachers Lei Jun and Wang Hai, would probably be crushed on contact and die in a single encounter before them."

And Zhang Yu knew that this was merely the armed force of the Patrol Department, one of the eight divine offices under the Heavenly Court, stationed in the suburbs of Songyang City in Kunxu Realm.

He sighed inwardly: "It's precisely because the Ten Great Sects strictly control military-grade techniques, remains, and treasures that so many high school students, college students, corporate dogs, and even the wealthy abide by the rules set by the Ten Great Sects."

"Force, after all, is one of the most fundamental foundations behind all social rules."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yue Jincheng was being especially obedient, not daring to make any move.

After becoming a company security team member, the first lesson Yue Jincheng learned during onboarding training was never to engage in armed conflict with any government or divine office.

Especially their armed personnel—all kinds of military-grade power were absolutely not something company employees like them could contend with.

If they were injured or killed in the process, they wouldn't receive any compensation, and the company wouldn't offer any relief.

So at this moment, Yue Jincheng was being extremely cautious, not daring to make any move that could be misinterpreted.

He had heard many stories of people who, just by waving a hand or reaching into a pocket, were suspected of retaliating by armed personnel and were immediately killed by flying swords.

The next moment, Zhang Yu and the others felt one of the armed team members release a silver light from his eyes, scanning them.

Then the man looked at Zhang Yu and said, "Was it you who used the Thunderclap Talisman?"

Zhang Yu quickly pointed at Yue Jincheng and said, "He stole my—"

The man waved his hand: "I'm not asking about that. We'll discuss the case later. I'm telling you to settle the call fee first."

"Huh?"

What did that mean?

After calling the police, you had to pay first before law enforcement?

Even though he had lived in Kunxu for a year, Zhang Yu was still shocked.

The man, named Gong Zhe, snorted coldly: "What 'huh'? If you can't even afford the call fee, we'll turn around and leave right now. You can call the constables yourself and wait slowly."

Ever since an incident where a caller couldn't pay after the patrol team enforced the law, defaulting on the premium enforcement service fee for the Thunderclap Talisman, the patrol team had required payment before enforcement whenever summoned by the talisman.

Hearing this, Yue Jincheng looked at Zhang Yu with hope, silently praying that the other couldn't afford it.

Yue Jincheng thought: "This Zhang Yu is a pauper. What if he really can't pay?"

Under everyone's gaze, Zhang Yu pulled out his phone and said, "I'll pay."

The minimum cost for a single Thunderclap Talisman deployment was a call fee of ten thousand, and Zhang Yu had long been prepared for this. He obediently took out his phone to settle the bill.

Seeing the ten thousand call fee arrive, Gong Zhe nodded with satisfaction, and his gaze toward Zhang Yu immediately filled with goodwill.

And whether it was Zhang Yu's imagination or not, he felt that after he paid, the four armed patrol team members in the sky seemed more spirited and imposing.

Gong Zhe puffed out his chest and looked at Zhang Yu, saying, "Greetings, esteemed Thunderclap Talisman premium client. I am Gong Zhe, a member of the Songyang City Seventh District Patrol Team."

"Please describe the specifics of the case."

Now Gong Zhe and the other three members were looking at Zhang Yu with eager anticipation, thinking: "Kidnapping! Homicide! Business dispute? Better yet, a tax evasion case!"

"How long has it been since we last made a score!"

"You'd better have a case worth tens of millions or more."

It wasn't that Gong Zhe and his team were starving and desperate, but as armed patrol team members, their income had been steadily declining over the years.

Gong Zhe often sighed to himself: "Ah, public security keeps improving, and everyone prefers underhanded tricks over using knives. How are we combat personnel supposed to generate results? We clock out exactly on time every day for eight hours, can't even work overtime, and have to help other departments with logistics and paperwork to earn some extra cash, barely getting by..."

Now, Gong Zhe and his team looked at Zhang Yu, hoping he would give them something big.

Zhang Yu pointed at Yue Jincheng and said, "He tried to steal my phone. When I caught him, he tried to run. My classmate and I tried to stop him, but he beat us up instead."

Gong Zhe paused for a moment, then asked again: "That's it?"

You called everyone here with a Thunderclap Talisman over such a trivial matter?

In an instant, the high spirits Gong Zhe and his team had just shown deflated again. Gong Zhe said flatly, "Settle the bill first."

Zhang Yu looked at the bill for eight thousand and couldn't help asking, "Why eight thousand? You just flew over here, didn't even fight, right?"

Gong Zhe glanced at him and said flatly, "This is a protected area. Don't we need to pay for entry tickets, breathing fees, and cultivation fees?"

"And later, taking you back to handle the case, collect statements, investigate evidence—aren't those work hours and workload?"

Zhang Yu had no choice but to pay five thousand, then turned to Bai Zhenzhen and said, "Zhen, I'm out of money. Help me pay the remaining three thousand."

Watching this, Gong Zhe and his team grew even more disappointed. So poor and still using a Thunderclap Talisman? Why not just call the constables?

After collecting the money, Gong Zhe said, "Alright, all three of you come with us."

...

A short while later, Zhang Yu and the others arrived at a patrol bureau on the outskirts of Songyang City.

As the complainants, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were taken to an office in the case-handling area.

Gong Zhe said flatly, "Wait here. Someone will come by later to get your statements."

Zhang Yu said, "By the way, that guy had an accomplice who ran off before you arrived. Maybe you can check nearby surveillance and ticket records..."

Gong Zhe frowned and interrupted, "Alright, we have our own methods for handling cases. We don't need you to teach us."

For such a petty phone theft case, Gong Zhe really couldn't muster any interest. He'd rather use the time to do some side gig and earn a bit more.

After Gong Zhe left, Bai Zhenzhen glanced at the camera in the office but didn't speak to Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu, meanwhile, opened his phone and informed the Wandering Deity Deng Bingding about what had happened.

Of course, unlike the simple theft story he told Gong Zhe and the others, Zhang Yu added his own suspicions when talking to Deng Bingding.

For instance, he suspected the other party had been following him recently, secretly filming his training sessions, perhaps investigating his participation in the Foundation Establishment Exam.

After all, he couldn't discuss the Foundation Establishment Exam intelligence with the patrol team.

In response to Zhang Yu's message, Deng Bingding only replied with three thumbs-up emojis.

Zhang Yu wondered: "What does that mean? Is she going to help or not?"

Fu Ji chuckled and said in Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's minds, "Based on my understanding of orthodox deities, three thumbs-up is a pretty high rating. One level higher would be three flower emojis."

"This is all insider slang among deities. You'll get it after seeing it more often."

Then Zhang Yu sent another message to Yun Ni, recounting how his phone had been stolen and how he was taken to the inspection bureau.

Yun Ni replied: Which inspection bureau?

Yun Ni: I can find you an acquaintance.

Yun Ni: By the way, have you had your injuries examined?

Yun Ni: If you go for mediation, what’s your bottom line?

Zhang Yu read the lines Yun Ni had sent, realizing she was treating this as an ordinary case of theft and brawl, teaching him how to get the other party to pay more in compensation.

About ten minutes later, just as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were waiting and cultivating, Gong Zhe returned to the office.

But this time, a smile crept onto Gong Zhe’s face: “If your Captain Yun hadn’t contacted me, I wouldn’t have known you two are also from the patrol team. Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I’m quite familiar with your Captain Yun Ni—we even had a meal together last month.”

After being greeted by Yun Ni, Gong Zhe’s gaze toward Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen seemed to carry a hint of warmth, as if they were his own people.

He said, “Don’t worry, you two are completely the victims here.”

“I’ll have someone come over to take your statements, and then you can leave.”

“As for that guy, he’s got some nerve, daring to attack a divine assistant in broad daylight. This time, we’ll make sure he pays through the nose.”

With that, Gong Zhe left again.

His demeanor caught Zhang Yu off guard, and he thought to himself, “It seems Yun Ni has quite some influence in Songyang City.”

But Gong Zhe’s absence stretched on for over half an hour without his return.

Growing impatient, Zhang Yu felt the urge to step out and ask what was happening, only to find the office door locked at some point.

Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen said, “Yu Zi! Look!”

Zhang Yu followed her gaze through the office window and saw Yue Jincheng, accompanied by several patrol officers, swaggering out of the investigation area.

Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise, “He’s being let go just like that?”

As if noticing Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu watching from behind the window, Yue Jincheng gave them a faint smile, then turned and walked away.

(End of chapter)