DA chapter 69

In the Underwater World, there was always wind, whether it was sunny or raining—it was caused by the waves stirred up by the dark, heavy clouds in the sky.

The inspection team’s daily routine was to inspect the Underwater World, and the inspection team captain was no exception.

Today, Yan Xu accompanied Team One to the Second District. He had received news that several groups had arranged to fight in a corner of the Second District.

The reasons for the friction were simple: uneven distribution of fish spirits, territory being swallowed up, or maybe someone looked at someone else one too many times.

One of Yan Xu’s main duties was to calm gang fights between the “black gangs.” Based on his responsibilities alone, he was the police of the Underwater World.

However, the purpose of stopping fights was not solely to maintain order in the Underwater World. More importantly, it was to prevent damage to the buildings of the Underwater World and establish the authority of the Management Office. They would also try to reduce casualties as much as possible so more people could go to the Fish Belly and feed the descending clouds.

Inspection Team One arrived and quickly occupied the site of the fight.

A black street motorcycle broke through the wind. At the corner, the rider leaned left, and the motorcycle, which looked like a beast, seemed to skim the ground. The wheels spun rapidly, sucking all the wind and waves from the sky into the silver wheel hub.

“Captain Yan.”

“Captain Yan.”

Yan Xu did not get off the bike. With both legs firmly planted, he easily supported the giant beast.

He pulled off the dark helmet in one motion and looked ahead. In the distance, nearly thirty people were squatting with their heads in their hands while the patrol team formed a circle around them.

“Any casualties?” Yan Xu had just stepped down from the beast’s back when his phone began to buzz.

A subordinate reported: “We arrived quickly. No casualties.”

“Is something up?” Yan Xu answered the call and raised his right shoulder to hold the phone, freeing both hands to pull off his riding gloves.

From the other end came a cold, clear voice with no warmth or emotion.

“Captain Yan, where is your home?”

Yan Xu: “…”

Yan Xu found it funny. He pinched the phone, bit the finger of one glove with his teeth, and pulled off the other glove.

“Why are you asking where my home is?”

Before the other person could respond, the surrounding encirclement suddenly stirred.

“Don’t move!”

“Don’t move!”

Most of the people inside the circle were old hands. They knew that being taken back by the inspection team meant solitary confinement and hefty fines. Solitary confinement was one thing, but the high fines would cost them their lives.

The gangs that had been fighting to the death suddenly united after Yan Xu appeared, intending to break through the encirclement.

Yan Xu stuffed the phone into his pocket, then, in one stride, pinned down a loach-like man slipping out of the circle.

“What are you running for?” Yan Xu smiled as he pressed his knee onto the man’s back, pinning him hard to the ground. “Pay the fine for damaging public property first.”

The man pinned by Yan Xu could not move. He turned his face sideways and saw the “public property” Yan Xu mentioned—it was just a trash can, kicked over by who knows who.

But even if it was just a trash can, it was still an item registered by the Management Office. In Yan Xu’s words, it indeed counted as public property, meaning the fine would increase.

Why were they fighting for their lives here? Because of fish spirits. Fish spirits meant money, and only with money could they survive in the Underwater World.

If the inspection team fined them, they would be taking their lives.

The barefoot are never afraid of those wearing shoes. The dozens of seasoned veterans inside the circle heard the word “fine” and seemed to collectively go mad.

With a loud bang, they broke through the encirclement.

“They’re beating people! The inspection team is beating people! Yan Xu is beating people!”

Seeing others escape, the loach feared being left behind. He shouted hoarsely, trying to attract onlookers and force Yan Xu to let go.

“Stop howling, I don’t care about that.” Yan Xu slapped the back of the loach’s head hard. “None of you are getting away. If one of you escapes, I’ll cut off my head and let you use it as a ball.”

He pulled the loach up and shoved him toward a colleague.

Then he turned and chase the others.

The phone in his pocket was still connected.

Yan Xu was surrounded by five people alone. During the fight, he accidentally pressed speaker mode, and Lin Jia’s voice came through from his pocket. Only then did he realize that the call had not been disconnected.

“Captain Yan.”

Yan Xu lowered his head to take the phone. He saw someone swing a knife from the corner of his eye. Yan Xu sidestepped skillfully, kicked down the last person, and ended his one-against-five battle with a complete victory.

“Is your home on Jinniu Road, Third District?”

Lin Jia’s voice came again from the phone.

The subordinate arrived in time. Yan Xu handed the five people he had knocked down over to him, turned off speaker mode, and stepped aside to answer the call.

Yan Xu was baffled: “Why do you think my home is on Jinniu Road, Third District? Who told you that?”

The other person said: “Because I bought a cup of coffee here. I’m about to go to the First District. I heard that many people from the Management Office live there.”

The Third and First Districts were not adjacent, with quite a distance between them.

Yan Xu glanced at the sky. It had turned bluish-green, gathering strength for a heavy rain.

Before Lin Jia could walk from the Third District to the First District, it would probably start raining.

Without thinking much of it, Yan Xu casually said, “904, Wanghai Apartment, Huansha Road, Fourth District.”

Lin Jia: “Okay, come back early.”

Yan Xu: “…”

What is this person doing?

Before Yan Xu could ask again, the call that had lasted through the whole duty task ended at that moment.

Yan Xu wanted to call back, but a subordinate ran over. “Captain Yan, one of ours is injured.”

Once management personnel were injured, the situation escalated.

Yan Xu stayed busy from the moment the heavy rain gathered and fell until the rain subsided and night sank in.

Several members of the inspection team came back carrying boxed meals.

“Captain Yan, which kind do you want?”

The subordinate handing out the meals held two different flavors.

Yan Xu: “I’m not eating.”

“Ah?” the subordinate asked. “Then what are you eating?”

Yan Xu: “I have something to do. I’m leaving first. If there’s nothing else, go home early.”

He grabbed the motorcycle keys from the table. The subordinates stood up and watched Yan Xu leave. They only sat down to eat after Yan Xu walked out of the patrol team’s gate.

“There’s one extra boxed meal. Who wants it?”

“Me, me, me!”

The motorcycle was parked outside. The rain had stopped, but beads of water still pooled on the seat.

Yan Xu called Lin Jia.

The other side did not make him wait long and quickly answered.

“You…” Yan Xu cleared his throat. “Where are you?”

For some reason, he had given Lin Jia his home address. Judging from the previous call, it seemed that Lin Jia had gone to his house and was waiting for him to get off work.

However, Lin Jia didn’t have a key, so Yan Xu wasn’t sure if he was really there.

From the phone, Lin Jia said naturally, “Your home.”

Yan Xu paused, his gaze landing on the water droplets on the seat. He wiped them off with his hand, swung a long leg over, and got on the motorcycle.

He turned the key while his brain automatically planned the route home. However, his mouth asked, “What are you doing in my house? And how did you get in?”

Lin Jia’s voice on the phone sounded natural. “Oh, I asked Xiao Yao to pick the lock.”

Yan Xu: “…”

Yan Xu laughed in anger: “Lin Jia, are you getting too bold—”

Lin Jia: “I prepared dinner. Is Captain Yan coming back?”

Yan Xu fell silent for a moment, thinking of the photo of the withdrawn card under the bottle of Romanée-Conti.

“Mm.”

Lin Jia: “How long until you arrive?”

Yan Xu put on his helmet: “Twenty minutes.”

Ten minutes later, he stopped at the base of his apartment building.

He realized for the first time that his home was actually so close to the patrol team—it only took ten minutes.

He raised his head, counted the floors, found his window, and saw light coming from inside.

Yan Xu: “…”

This feeling was very strange.

Yan Xu felt extremely awkward. He wanted to rush home and see what Lin Jia was doing, but he also felt that running all the way there would make too much of a fuss.

After all, Lin Jia had been deliberately approaching and tempting him. If Lin Jia mistakenly thought he had fallen for it, wouldn’t that make him push further?

Right now, he was the one investigating whether Lin Jia had a problem. He was the one who could question at will. Absolutely not like in the Fish Belly, being led around by Lin Jia by the nose.

Lin Jia was dangerous. Being controlled by him would be bad.

Yan Xu regained his rationality. He turned off the engine and went to the supermarket downstairs. He casually bought some things and passed the time.

Then carrying what he bought, he went upstairs home.

He timed it well. He told Lin Jia it would take twenty minutes, but he got home in twenty-one.

He put the key into the lock cylinder. He twisted it several times, but couldn’t open the door.

Lin Jia opened the door for him.

Yan Xu looked up. Lin Jia leaned against the doorframe with the indoor light falling on his shoulders as if coating him with a silver edge.

This person extended a hand, and in that narrow, elegant hand were several brand-new keys.

Lin Jia said, “I changed the lock.”

“…” Yan Xu said, “If I remember correctly, this should be my house?”

Lin Jia said, “A picked lock can’t be used again. Here are the new keys. I didn’t secretly keep one.”

Yan Xu sneered. “Should I thank you, too?”

“Captain Yan didn’t have time to share a fine wine with me, so I had to bring a fine wine to find him. As long as I don’t cause him trouble, there’s no need to thank—” Lin Jia’s voice stopped abruptly as his gaze fell on Yan Xu’s hand.

The beer inside the transparent plastic bag was especially eye-catching.

Lin Jia looked up at Yan Xu.

Yan Xu: “.”

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