Five! A Total of Five Criminals

"Ice Wolf, go!"

The power of a contract beast was far beyond what a human body could withstand. Forget a small knife— even a handgun wouldn't stand a chance.

Unless you carried a missile...

Moments later,

"Uncle Wang, come to the abandoned factory in the west of the city. I've captured the black market scammers!"

Chen Shu pulled out his phone and called Wang Qian from the Spirit Control Bureau.

Soon, a group of people arrived at the abandoned factory in the west.

"Hmm? They're really black market scammers?"

Wang Qian instantly recognized one of them as the notorious Wang Ba.

Besides him, the other three were unconscious. One particularly fat man had a swollen head like a pig and a face full of bruises— clearly he'd been beaten thoroughly.

...

...

Chen Shu crossed his arms and said, "Of course. Anyone who ruins my reputation won't be let off lightly!"

"Not bad, really not bad!" Wang Qian nodded. He hadn't expected Chen Shu to catch the scammers in just a few days.

Chen Shu pulled Wang Qian aside and whispered, "Uncle Wang, I kind of… turned one of the scammers into a mosaic."

"No problem. As long as we can confirm he was an accomplice, it's fine. These people probably won't see freedom again anyway."

Wang Qian waved his hand. Anyone wanted by the Spirit Control Bureau was absolutely a dangerous criminal.

You call that murder? Of course not— that's self-defense!

"Uncle Wang, you see, I've made such a big contribution. Shouldn't the Bureau give me something in return?"

Chen Shu rubbed his hands together and raised an eyebrow.

"Right, there's a mission posted at the Beast Master Association. The reward's 100,000. I'll make sure you get it," Wang Qian said.

"Listen to yourself. Do you think I caught those criminals just for money?"

Chen Shu shook his head, putting on a look of high moral integrity.

"Oh? Then what was your reason? Don't tell me you're really some kind of justice warrior?"

Wang Qian looked at him suspiciously, waiting to hear what he'd say.

Chen Shu grinned and said, "Partly for justice, of course. But also because I want my reputation back."

"You even have a reputation?" Wang Qian froze, looking Chen Shu up and down.

Chen Shu spread his hands and said emotionally, "Of course I do! Who doesn't know me as the number one guy in the black market? Now thanks to these criminals, my name's been dragged through the mud. How am I supposed to sell potion anymore?"

Wang Qian asked, "So what do you want to do?"

Chen Shu's eyes rolled and he said with a cheeky smile, "It's simple. Just sign a statement as the Spirit Control Bureau captain to clear my name."

Wang Qian thought for a moment, then nodded.

Chen Shu immediately added, "Great! And of course, I still want every bit of that 100,000 reward!"

"...…" Wang Qian shook his head. This kid really doesn't let anything go.

The Spirit Control Bureau personnel took Wang Ba and the other three criminals away.

Chen Shu and Xia Bing returned to the city.

"Thanks so much this time, Commissioner Xia!" Chen Shu looked at Xia Bing sincerely.

Xia Bing shook her head and said, "Consider it repaying a favor. Without your help, I might not have made it into the special training class."

"That's great. We're still classmates in senior year, so if you need anything, just come find me."

Chen Shu patted his chest, looking generous and confident.

"Classmates? You got into the special training class too?"

Xia Bing widened her eyes in disbelief.

Chen Shu said, "Isn't the special training class meant for top students? Isn't it normal that I got in?"

"Normal…" Xia Bing gave an awkward laugh, but in her mind she was thinking: Normal… my ass!

Everyone else had studied hard for two grueling years just to barely make it into the special class. This guy only switched to being a beast tamer a month ago and already got in?

Could it be… some inside connection?

Chen Shu didn't pay her any mind and suddenly said, "Oh right, Xia classmate, that argumentative essay you gave me last time has some flaws. Fix it when you have time, will you?"

"Essay? What essay?" Xia Bing looked totally confused.

"That 2,000-word essay praising me," Chen Shu said, shaking his head as he continued, "I felt it lacked genuine emotion. You only focused on my looks and didn't explore the depth of my character."

"Wait— where'd she go?"

He looked up to find that Xia Bing had already run off.

Chen Shu nodded in approval like a wise teacher and muttered, "Seems she realized my deeper value and went home to write it down."

…

"Let's turn in the mission first."

Chen Shu stretched lazily and headed to the Beast Tamer Association.

Upon arriving, he ran into someone familiar.

"Xie Butcher!"

It was none other than Xie Sunan, the pork stall owner. But now he wasn't wearing an apron or holding a butcher's knife— instead, he was dressed casually,

Making him look much younger, like someone in his forties.

"Huh? It's you?"

Xie Sunan turned and saw Chen Shu as well.

Chen Shu asked, "What's this? Expanding the pork business to the Beast Tamer Association now?"

"I came to check the missions, okay?!"

"You? You're a beast tamer?"

"Got a problem with that?"

Xie Sunan crossed his arms, his thick beard very noticeable. "As a beast tamer, I'm allowed to sell pork on the side, aren't I?"

"Allowed… totally allowed…"

Chen Shu twitched at the corner of his mouth and walked up to the front desk.

"I'm here to turn in a mission."

He handed over the certificate Wang Qian had given him.

"One moment please."

The staff member smiled, quickly verified the information, and said, "Sir, the mission you accepted—investigating fake potion sellers—has been completed! The 100,000 yuan reward has been deposited to your account!"

"Thank you!" Chen Shu smiled and nodded.

"Damn, that mission of yours was worth 100,000?" Xie Sunan leaned in suddenly. "You're a ruthless middleman, aren't you?"

"Ruthless? Do you even know what I went through?"

Chen Shu's eyes widened and he spoke dramatically, "Five! Five criminals in total! Do you have any idea what kind of day I had? Do you?!"

For a moment, all the beast tamers in the hall turned to look.

Xie Sunan twitched at the mouth. Bro, could you chill with the theatrics?

"The reward was only 100,000, but you charged me 40,000 for info!" Chen Shu crossed his arms. "At least give me back 10,000!"

"Forget it. Without my intel, you wouldn't have caught anything. Only I, Xie Sunan, could've dug up that kind of lead."

Xie Sunan scoffed and clearly had no intention of refunding a single coin.

Chen Shu thought about it and didn't push further— if he forced the guy too hard, he might just pull out his butcher knife again...