My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

His face was a colorful mess, blood from his nose smearing across it...

Secretary Zhang stepped forward and checked Qi Heng’s eyes. His brow furrowed tighter and tighter. Finally, he took a pill from inside his coat, pried open Qi Heng’s mouth, and shoved it inside.

The next moment, Qi Heng’s pupils turned white, and his body began to twitch uncontrollably.

"Containment successful." As Secretary Zhang spoke, the star-dusted room returned to normal.

Unsurprised, Chu Bamboo stood and patted down his clothes. He shot Secretary Zhang a sidelong glance. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. If you let him get away again this time..."

"Rest assured... Captain Huo will personally oversee this!" Secretary Zhang stood bolt upright. He offered no rebuttal; he was in no position to.

It was an undeniable fact. Thanks to Chu Bamboo, they had just locked Qi Heng away, only for him to escape moments later and even attempt to assassinate Chu Bamboo...

He was even shocked at how calm Chu Bamboo remained after everything that had just happened.

Secretary Zhang tried to put himself in Chu Bamboo’s shoes. ’I’d be cursing for three days and three nights!’

"Do as you please... Even if you want to party in here all night, I couldn’t care less." Chu Bamboo said no more, pushing the door open and walking out.

"...Hey, no, that’s not what I meant! We’re here on official business! Really!" Secretary Zhang had only gotten a few words out before realizing how it sounded. He rushed out after him, but Chu Bamboo, his back still turned, just gave a dismissive wave, clearly unconcerned.

He suddenly remembered something and paused. "Oh, right," he said. "Don’t forget to give me a copy of the intel you get from the debriefing."

"Of course, of course!" Secretary Zhang nodded eagerly, his gaze still fixed dazedly on Chu Bamboo’s departing back...

Secretary Zhang stood frozen to the spot until Chu Bamboo’s figure vanished around the corner. After taking several deep breaths, he silently turned and went back into the room.

There, he saw Yang Youqian sitting on the unconscious Qi Heng, hands pressed to his temples, looking dazed and despondent.

"...What is this!" Secretary Zhang’s brow furrowed. He bent down to check on Qi Heng and the other unconscious Demon Cultists. When he found they were all still alive, he shot Yang Youqian a strange look. ’They’re not dead, so what’s with that expression?’

Yang Youqian said bitterly, "It’s nothing... I was just thinking that perhaps... perhaps... perhaps *he* is truly a better fit to be the captain of the Second District than I am."

The words came out with immense difficulty for Yang Youqian... He wanted to be captain so badly! But the reality was undeniable, especially when the person in question was Chu Bamboo, whom he respected. He couldn’t bring himself to lie, not even to himself...

"You’re wrong." Yang Youqian was baffled by this, but before he could argue, he heard Secretary Zhang add grimly, "For a man like Mr. Chu, even being captain of Zone One would be beneath him!"

Yang Youqian was taken aback. He found himself utterly speechless.

As he pulled a rope from his pocket and started tying up Qi Heng and the Demon Cultists, Secretary Zhang sighed. "I finally understand why Governor Lu’s most frequent comments about Mr. Chu after his return were: ’He’s difficult to describe,’ ’Words can’t do him justice,’ and ’You have to meet him in person to truly know what he’s like.’"

Secretary Zhang paused and gave a bitter smile. "I used to think Governor Lu was just being deliberately obscure, or maybe trying to build up a mysterious persona for Mr. Chu to better manage his career, whether that meant a promotion or something else... But now I see!"

Secretary Zhang said with genuine feeling, "He was speaking from the heart!"

This Mr. Chu... he was truly someone you couldn’t sum up in words.

There was an aura about him, a fundamental incompatibility with normal people... He was even more bizarre than the Demon Cultists.

Yang Youqian nodded, agreeing completely. Then a thought struck him. He slapped his forehead, his expression shifting to one of alarm. "Wait a minute, didn’t he leave one thing unfinished?"

Seeing Secretary Zhang’s confused look, he stammered, "I mean the matter with Miss Xu... from the Hehuan Sect! Are we... are we going to arrest her?"

Secretary Zhang paused in the middle of tying the knot. His expression flickered through several changes before he finally said, "This is a very tricky situation!"

It’s true that Xu Yao is a problem, but it was Chu Bamboo who exposed her. And it’s likely that only Chu Bamboo has the actual proof that she’s a member of the Hehuan Sect.

It’s not that we can’t make an arrest without proof.

The Captain’s Office is famous for acting with impunity, by imperial sanction... but Louwailou Restaurant is a special case. It has an immense reputation in Jinghai. Using our special authority in this situation would be exceptionally unwise... It would inevitably lead to political pressure from all sides, which would in turn create trouble for Captain Huo.

"..." Yang Youqian thought for a good while before finally saying, "Should we go back and ask Mr. Zhu what he thinks? Or... should we consult Commander Huo directly?"

"How could we possibly bother Captain Huo with this?" Secretary Zhang quickly shook his head. "Let’s just ask Mr. Chu tomorrow. And don’t ask why I’m not going now... Mr. Chu has had a long day. How could I presume to disturb him?"

Of course, the real reason was that Secretary Zhang was now a little afraid of Chu Bamboo. He was deliberately putting it off for a day to calm his nerves. As for what would happen if the woman escaped in that time? If she ran, she ran. Frankly, one woman from the Hehuan Sect wasn’t all that important.

"I get the feeling that... he doesn’t actually want to go after this woman," Yang Youqian mused after a moment’s thought, muttering under his breath. "Otherwise, given how he’s always three steps ahead, he definitely would have told us how to handle her before he left."

This time, however, Secretary Zhang didn’t respond. He simply dragged the four bound figures out of the private room.