Chapter 35

Zheng Shiyong's voice echoed behind Chen Ping'an, but Chen Ping'an didn't pause for a moment, striding straight toward the shift leader's office. 

Under normal circumstances, Chen Ping'an might have spared Zheng Shiyong some face, turning back to exchange a few pleasantries. But now, the matter at hand was too important! 

As for Zheng Shiyong's claim that the shift leader wasn't here? Chen Ping'an was half-convinced, half-skeptical. 

Under normal circumstances, there was always at least one shift leader stationed in the Town Guard Office. The likelihood of them being absent was extremely low. 

Even if the shift leader truly wasn't here, Chen Ping'an needed to see it with his own eyes to believe it. 

The shift leader's office was slightly larger than the duty rooms. While the duty rooms were shared by several constables, the shift leader's office was for the shift leader alone. 

The contrast between the two was enough to demonstrate the shift leader's authority and status. 

"Really not here?" 

Chen Ping'an frowned as he looked at the dark, unlit shift leader's office. 

If the shift leader truly wasn't here, then tonight would be troublesome! 

The matter of Patchy Fish's death needed to be reported as soon as possible; it couldn't wait. Patchy Fish's body was still lying in that courtyard. If they waited until tomorrow, who knew if someone else might discover it and take credit? 

Therefore, the report had to be made tonight. 

The safest approach would have been to report directly to the shift leader, but now that the shift leader wasn't here... 

Chen Ping'an stood still, deep in thought. 

"I told you the shift leader isn't here, yet you still came! You really don't listen, do you?" 

A voice interrupted Chen Ping'an's thoughts from behind. 

Chen Ping'an turned to see Zheng Shiyong, who was looking at him with an inexplicable expression. 

"As a night shift constable, anything you need to report can be told to me. It's the same." 

Ignoring the subtle mockery in Zheng Shiyong's tone, Chen Ping'an smiled at him. 

"Sorry, Constable Zheng, I was just in too much of a hurry earlier." 

With that, Chen Ping'an headed toward the duty rooms. 

The matter of Patchy Fish couldn't be delayed! It had to be resolved tonight! Since the shift leader wasn't here, he would report it to the night shift constable on duty. 

"Where are you going? Didn't I say you could tell me?" 

Seeing Chen Ping'an about to leave, Zheng Shiyong quickened his pace, his expression displeased as he tried to stop him. 

Why is this guy so nosy!? 

Chen Ping'an grumbled inwardly. 

As a night shift constable, Zheng Shiyong naturally had the right to report and be informed about special matters. 

However, to be on the safe side, Chen Ping'an didn't want to tell Zheng Shiyong about Patchy Fish. That was why he had deliberately avoided responding to Zheng Shiyong earlier. 

"Constable Zheng, this is a private matter of mine. Who I report to shouldn't concern you." 

Originally, Chen Ping'an had wanted to maintain a semblance of politeness, but Zheng Shiyong hadn't given him the chance. Stepping past Zheng Shiyong, Chen Ping'an strode forward. 

"You little brat!" 

Zheng Shiyong watched Chen Ping'an's retreating figure, his expression darkening. 

Chen Ping'an walked to the duty rooms and, seeing a light on in one of them, knocked on the door. 

"Come in!" 

A steady voice came from inside the duty room. 

Chen Ping'an pushed the door open and walked in with a smile. 

Inside the duty room sat a middle-aged man with a robust build, exuding a sense of strength. 

He was Tan Huacong, an official constable of the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office. 

Tan Huacong looked up and saw Chen Ping'an standing at the door, his hair damp with sweat and his clothes stained with sweat. He found it a bit strange. 

"Constable Tan," Chen Ping'an stepped forward. "I have something important to report." 

"What is it?" 

Tan Huacong asked in a formal tone, appearing very upright. 

"Not long ago, I ran into Patchy Fish." 

"Patchy Fish!" 

Tan Huacong's expression froze. 

"The Green Fish Gang remnant, Patchy Fish." 

"That's right," Chen Ping'an nodded. 

"Where is he now? Did he escape?" Tan Huacong stood up, excited. For the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office, the matter of the Green Fish Gang remnants was of utmost importance. 

"I killed him," Chen Ping'an said calmly. 

"What!?" Tan Huacong's face showed shock as he shot up from his seat. 

In a courtyard in Nanquan Lane. 

Tan Huacong looked at the corpse in the courtyard and couldn't help but glance at Chen Ping'an beside him. 

"So, you're saying you really killed him?" 

According to the intelligence, Patchy Fish of the Green Fish Gang was a second-level Qi and Blood expert! Even Tan Huacong wasn't sure he could win against him. For Chen Ping'an, a temporary constable with no martial arts training, to have killed Patchy Fish was simply unbelievable. 

"Yes, Constable Tan. I guess I was just lucky. I never expected Patchy Fish to be so severely injured!" Chen Ping'an's face showed a hint of relief. "Tonight, I was sleeping at home when I vaguely heard some noise in the kitchen. Just as I was about to get up, I saw a shadowy figure coming out of the kitchen. At that moment, I was terrified. But fortunately, after serving as a constable for so long, I've built up some courage. I forced myself to stay silent and secretly observed the figure. The figure tried to climb over the courtyard wall several times before finally succeeding." 

"He had to try several times to climb over your courtyard wall? How high is your wall?" 

Tan Huacong asked. 

For a second-level Qi and Blood expert, climbing over a courtyard wall should have been effortless. Trying several times didn't make sense. 

"It's about the same height as this courtyard's wall. At the time, I noticed that he seemed to have some injuries, as if every movement was a struggle. That's why it took him several tries to get over." 

"Mm, go on," Tan Huacong nodded. 

"After he climbed over the wall, I thought about letting it go. But then I remembered that I'm a constable of the Town Guard Office, and I couldn't just stand by while my home was being robbed. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Considering how much effort it took him to climb over my wall, I figured he couldn't be that formidable. So, I quietly followed him all the way to this courtyard." 

"Wait!" Tan Huacong interrupted. "You're saying you followed him all the way, and he didn't notice!?" 

"At the time, I thought he hadn't noticed. But looking back, he probably realized I was following him halfway through." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"He entered this courtyard, and I thought he was planning to steal something again. So, I climbed over the wall and followed him in." At this point, Chen Ping'an seemed worried that Tan Huacong might doubt him, so he gestured to his somewhat slender arms. "Constable Tan, don't let my slim build fool you. I actually exercise regularly. Climbing a wall of this height isn't too difficult for me." 

"Mm," Tan Huacong nodded. The courtyard wall wasn't particularly high, just slightly taller than an average person. With a bit of skill—or even without—scaling it wasn't particularly challenging. 

"But then, as soon as I climbed over the wall, the shadowy figure lunged at me from here. It scared me half to death." 

Chen Ping'an pointed to the woodpile nearby, his expression still tinged with fear.