Chapter Nineteen: The Inspector Historian

At this point, the mission for this round of the Black List was considered complete. What surprised Chen Hongxu even more was that after Fan the Strawman lit a bamboo-shaped firework, the so-called "rabble"—who should have long since scattered—gathered once more.

The group was noticeably more at ease now, chatting and laughing as they struck up friendships. After surviving such an ordeal, their promotion to reserve team members was all but assured. Seeing that, apart from a few still keeping watch, everyone had returned, Fan the Strawman clapped his hands to quiet the crowd. Turning his head, he smiled at Chen Hongxu and said, "Almost everyone here knows who I am, except for you, our ringleader. Honestly, I don't know what to say about you."

The others watched the two with friendly smiles. One had his status, the other his strength. They might not have witnessed Chen Hongxu single-handedly facing the High Priest, but most had seen him break through the barrier alone. Compared to the ordeal the rest suffered to escape, his unruffled demeanor made it easy to imagine what terrifying power this young man possessed.

Chen Hongxu remained silent. He had a rough guess about Fan the Strawman's identity, but still found it hard to reconcile the man before him with that role.

Fan the Strawman no longer paid Chen Hongxu any mind. He turned to the group and said, "Though the mission wasn’t perfect, it’s done. According to my assessment, I won’t read out the names of those who will be promoted to reserve members. Once we’re back in Huaxia, someone will contact you. For those who can’t be promoted, I must address you here and ask that you hand over your black cards."

A cheer erupted. Although they’d known completing the mission meant promotion, hearing it confirmed brought irrepressible joy, arms waving in celebration. Of course, a few forced their smiles, hoping luck would keep them from being singled out, joining the cheers with the crowd.

"Quiet, please!" Fan the Strawman, still smiling, pulled a box from his pocket, glanced at it, and continued, "Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Er—you three contributed nothing and didn’t even meet up with the scouts. I have reason to believe you intended to coast through. Hand over your black cards and leave."

"Who says so? So what if you're an Inspector? Weren’t you just brought in because of family connections? Who are you to judge us?" a voice objected from the crowd.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the crowd shifted away from the speaker, forming a clear space around him. Everyone could see the truth: Fan the Strawman wasn’t just a man with a background. During the battle at the shrine, he’d fought at the forefront—courage not easily dismissed.

Fan the Strawman stowed the box away, smiled, and asked, "Zhang San, Li Si, do you feel the same?"

"No, not at all!" After a moment’s silence, Zhang San and Li Si stepped forward, handed over their black cards, and left.

"Good sense," Fan the Strawman said, clapping as he fixed his gaze on the solitary Wang Er. "That takes guts. Farewell, hero."

As he spoke, the burly man who had impressed Chen Hongxu at the Spring Shrine swiftly appeared behind Wang Er. In a flash, he locked his arm around Wang Er’s neck and twisted. Without a sound, Wang Er was dispatched, powerless to resist. The man nodded to Fan the Strawman, then melted back into the crowd.

Fan the Strawman sighed. "Some people make mistakes and still want to argue. It's a pity—his brand of recklessness was wasted here. All reserve team members know the rules: during missions, the Inspector’s authority is absolute. Let this be a lesson for you newcomers. That’s it; disperse and find your own way to sneak back home."

"Goodbye, Inspector Fan! Goodbye, Brother Chen!" The crowd came forward, taking turns to bid farewell to the two young men. The captain of Team G, known as Bear, embraced Chen Hongxu with tears streaming down his face, offering heartfelt thanks for avenging the brother who had died at the shrine.

In a matter of minutes, only three remained, along with a corpse. Fan the Strawman, chewing on a blade of grass still glistening with dew, squatted on the ground and looked up at Chen Hongxu, saying, "Brother Chen, I don’t think I’ve ever offended you. Can you stop looking so sour?"

When Chen Hongxu didn’t respond, Fan the Strawman pulled a long face and glanced pleadingly at the burly man, who merely shrugged and gestured helplessly.

"Brother Chen, I was wrong," Fan the Strawman whimpered, hugging Chen Hongxu’s leg. "I shouldn’t have hidden my identity. I shouldn’t have shamelessly stripped off my shirt in front of you. I shouldn’t have… Wait, hiding my identity is all I did! It was an order from the organization. There was nothing I could do. Please, don’t be mad—it scares me..."

Chen Hongxu shook his head and kicked Fan the Strawman aside in disgust. "Crying like a baby—have you no shame? I’m trying to think here."

"Don’t bother—I know you’re upset because of what happened at the Tang Temple. Yes, I was pretending to be mysterious. My job was to assess everyone; I couldn’t help them complete the mission, so I had to act aloof."

"So you knew I set fire to the Tang Temple?" Chen Hongxu asked. He’d already guessed Fan the Strawman’s identity from the way others looked at him, and, considering the complexities of tracking mission progress, had a general idea of his role.

"I wasn’t sure at the time, but I knew you’d been in the temple a long while," Fan the Strawman replied, spitting out the grass and scratching his head. "If I were in charge, I’d give you a medal for that fire—bold and decisive, especially for a rookie."

Chen Hongxu just smiled and changed the subject. "You seem pretty high up in the organization. Do you know a woman named Su Xiaoxiao?"

Fan the Strawman looked at him with surprise, then nodded. "I’m not really supposed to talk about this, but you’ll be involved soon enough. Su Xiaoxiao is ranked on the Black List—how high, I don’t know. The rankings change all the time because of private duels. She was supposed to go to Europe, but was badly wounded not long ago and stayed behind in Huaxia to recover. Don’t mess with her, my friend. She’s as ruthless as a viper. Back when she was a reserve, none of her teammates survived."

Chen Hongxu smiled wryly. She was already in his life, whether he wanted it or not; he’d simply have to handle whatever came his way. Declining Fan the Strawman’s invitation to return together, Fan solemnly handed him a black card collected from Zhang San and the others. "I heard you’re representing the Xue family. Take this black card—I’m giving it to you on behalf of the organization, since you’ve earned it. I’ve already tagged it as a reserve team member’s card, so it can’t be tracked by standard detectors. But the tag changes every year, so don’t forget."

"If you’re ever in BJ, look me up—I’ll show you the wonders of the big city!" Fan the Strawman winked, handed him a slip of paper with contact details, then led the burly man away.

After waiting a moment, Chen Hongxu too set off quickly toward the port where he’d first slipped in.

Author’s Note:
Shamelessly begging for flowers and bookmarks—they’re free, after all. Dear readers, please support me for updating twice daily!