Master of Kaidan
Chapter 175 Yan Country

Chapter 175: Chapter 175 Yan Country

"Knock, knock, knock..."

The rhythmic knocking sounded, and the middle-aged man sitting in front of the desk shifted his gaze from the computer, gently rubbed his somewhat sore eyes, and then spoke:

"Come in."

The door quickly opened, and a young man around the age of twenty-five or twenty-six walked in.

Seeing the young man, the middle-aged person expressed surprise:

"Xiao Zhang, what brings you here? Did you discover a new Kaidan suitable for exchange?"

The youth called Xiao Zhang shook his head and said:

"Captain Li, it’s still about Chen Xiyao. There’s another international parcel, from Columbia, mailed from New Leiburg. We haven’t identified the sender yet, but considering Xiyao’s connections, it should be related to someone code-named ’Instructor.’ It’s now arrived in West Capital."

"You could just follow the procedure set by the Investigation Team for that, there’s no need to specifically come and ask me, right?" Captain Li, the middle-aged man, took off his glasses and wiped them, then as if suddenly realizing something, exclaimed:

"Oh, has there been a strange tale in New Leiburg?"

"That’s right." Xiao Zhang nodded and handed a document to Captain Li:

"The Kaidan is tentatively named ’Ambulance Demon,’ and the content is roughly as follows: A wealthy Asian man intentionally attracts the attention of street thugs, and when they attempt to rob him, he knocks them out and then calls an ambulance for them."

"Huh? Knocking them out and then calling an ambulance, isn’t that a good thing? What does it have to do with a demon?" Captain Li furrowed his brows, asking somewhat puzzled.

"Captain Li, things are different in Columbia compared to here. An ambulance ride costs thousands of gold coupons (Columbian gold coupons, equivalent to dollars), and even treating a common cold can cost tens of thousands. Mostly, their healthcare covers the vast majority of the costs. However, most of those who engage in street robberies don’t have healthcare, so they’d be saddled with debts of tens of thousands of gold coupons after a single ride."

Xiao Zhang briefly explained the Columbian situation to his superior, who specialized in domestic Kaidan investigations, and then, facing the leader’s strange expression, he added:

"According to our agents in Columbia, this Kaidan first appeared at the beginning of this year, with its origins in Saint Luton City, coinciding with the time and location of Chen Xiyao receiving the ’Golden Bell Shield’ parcel. Moreover, this Kaidan seems to be artificially staged."

"Staged?" While Captain Li was surprised by Columbia’s healthcare system, he immediately focused and asked with a frown:

"Does that mean the ’Instructor’ has started collaborating with some forces in Columbia?"

"It’s probably not like that." Xiao Zhang shook his head:

"Since Chen Xiyao received the ’Golden Bell Shield,’ we’ve sent an investigation commissioner to Saint Luton City. According to the investigation, this Kaidan was indeed initiated by the ’Instructor’ at first, but it seems his motive wasn’t to increase his fame but to make money. From the trail we’ve been able to follow, most of the money was converted into paper, books, and such. As for this Kaidan..."

As he spoke, Xiao Zhang’s expression also turned uncommon, prompting Captain Li to simply pick up the file on the desk, his expression growing increasingly odd:

"This spontaneously occurred? Are you certain?"

"Indeed, it is spontaneous, at least according to our investigation," Xiao Zhang said with an almost-laughing-yet-trying-not-to expression:

"The initial spread started with Jeston from the Williams family, who established his own hospital and ambulance services, charging the highest prices permitted by law. He then hired Asian mercenaries for entrapment, and those ruffians were detained in his prison to serve as free labor. He made quite a sum this way, and later, thanks to the Williams family’s channels, he began replicating this practice in surrounding cities. This easy money-making method was soon emulated by other hospitals and private prisons. Haven’t you noticed? The number of shootings in Columbia has considerably decreased in recent months..."

"Lately, everyone’s just been focused on watching ’Libra’; who has the mind to care about Columbia’s public order? But these capitalists really are..." Captain Li put down the report in his hand with a subtle expression, then shook his head:

"Our ambulance service isn’t expensive; stories like these Kaidan shouldn’t spread on our side... Here’s the plan: afterwards, let’s have our people in Columbia disguise themselves as robbers to see if they can encounter him by chance. Right, find someone with decent Kung Fu, in case they get thrown in prison to do hard labor for nothing, that’d be embarrassing."

"Captain Li, I’m on the Investigation Team..." Xiao Zhang said with an embarrassed smile. Captain Li then slapped his forehead and said:

"Ah, look at my memory. Help me call Liu Yingqiang from next door."

"Got it!"

...

"Xiyao, even daydreaming while stretching? Are you thinking about your boyfriend again?"

Hearing the sudden voice, Chen Xiyao startled awake from her daze. She first lowered her raised left leg before replying discontentedly:

"I’ve said it before, I don’t have a boyfriend!"

"Ah, come on, I’ve been there too. Want me to take a picture for you to see that look on your face?" A tomboyish woman who appeared to be in her late twenties put down her dumbbell and said teasingly, drawing laughter from the crowd. When men gather, it’s inevitable that they talk about women; naturally, the topic of men is not absent when women gather. At the mention of this topic, many eyes turned their way.

(Note: The gym is separated by gender.)

Seeing herself about to become the center of discussion again, Chen Xiyao immediately considered finding an excuse to escape. Just then, the gym door was suddenly knocked, and before anyone could respond, a voice came from outside:

"There’s been a Kaidan invasion in Caihe District. The first and fourth combat teams have already departed, and there’s a significant number this time. Get ready to adjust your state and be prepared to move out at any moment."

"Understood!" The previously gossiping teammates instantly became serious, getting up from their equipment. The atmosphere changed in an instant from that of a girls’ dormitory to the tension of a college entrance exam.

"Sister Hua, what’s going on?" Chen Xiyao, ever since she came back from that world, had been coming here every weekend for all-around training, but she had never encountered a situation like this before.

"It’s probably a large number of Kaidan appearances, which might lead to a shortage of personnel," the woman known as Sister Hua explained simply, then reassured:

"But don’t be too nervous; these alerts are mostly for doors under surveillance being opened. There are already plans in place and guards stationed, so casualties should not be too serious. The reason for mobilizing the entire army is mainly to prevent any that might slip through the net. The reason why the combat teams train in four different slots is to be ready for emergencies like this. The first team starts training earliest and should be mostly recovered by now. The fourth team is after us and hasn’t started training yet. The second team should be resting like us, waiting for their strength to recover before deploying."

As she said this, Sister Hua suddenly bent down slightly, making eye contact with Chen Xiyao, and said earnestly:

"Xiyao, if you plan on joining the front lines in the future, make sure you remember to always conserve some energy during training. Don’t believe that mantra that says you need to exhaust all your energy every time you train. In particularly urgent situations, you might not even have this time to rest."

"Got it!" Chen Xiyao nodded vigorously, looking at the others whom she had gradually become familiar with over the days, feeling a bit worried.

Just then, a different voice came from the doorway:

"Chen Xiyao, you have a package, from Columbia!"

"I’m coming!"

Watching Chen Xiyao vanish like a gust of wind, the people who were about to tease her to ease her mind were slightly taken aback. Sister Hua even spread her hands and said:

"Well now, she says she doesn’t have a boyfriend..."