CHAPTER 1625: CHAPTER 1619: YAN JIANG

Brother Shi’s tone carried an air of audacity, something even Ghost Head could sense. Let alone Brother Shi himself, he clearly had figured something out, which was why he dared to be so brazen toward a Level 4 New Human. If it were anyone else, they’d have died a hundred times over by now!

Sure enough, Brother Shi’s taunting only fueled the officer’s rage further. Clearly, the officer had his reservations—he wasn’t going all out, nor could he kill Brother Shi. But the pent-up fury inside him had nowhere to go, twisting his facial features into a grotesque expression.

"Come on! Come kill me already! Your grandpa’s waiting for you! What the f*ck are you hesitating for? Come here, damn it! F*ck your mother! Your mother’s a piece of sh*t!"

Brother Shi’s stream of insults went on, loud and vulgar, while the officer’s response seemed off. The soldiers restraining him also sensed something was wrong and stopped moving, hesitantly looking at the officer. The officer’s face flushed with alternating shades of red and pale, but it was clear: Brother Shi had guessed right—this guy didn’t dare lay a serious hand on him!

The officer burned with resentment. He wanted nothing more than to kill this bastard on the spot! After all, who would care about the death of a deserter? But Brother Shi just had to be a unique case. If it were someone like Ghost Head or even Yong, he would kill ten of them without blinking. But killing Brother Shi recklessly? No way. He feared the dead Level 6 New Human connected to Brother Shi might still have living connections—friends, allies, people like Luo Zhenfeng—that could bring ruin upon him!

It was this one uncertain factor that stripped him of the authority to decide Brother Shi’s fate.

Brother Shi was indeed a deserter who deserved death, but the officer knew the responsibility wouldn’t fall on his shoulders.

The officer was fuming, stewing in frustration. Just these few minutes with Brother Shi felt like a lifetime’s worth of humiliation—a burden that might scar him forever. In this brief timeline, he felt more wronged than the sum total of grievances he’d faced since birth!

Why? Because Brother Shi was just a measly Level 2 New Human! And him? A Level 4 New Human!

Being insulted by someone weaker was unbearable, but despite his strength and rank, there was nothing he could do to shut Brother Shi up!

Brother Shi kept hurling insults, sounding as though he might resurrect the officer’s ancestors from sheer rage. He even interspersed his curses with bursts of laughter, unrestrained and gleeful, further stoking the flames of loathing in his tormenter.

The officer’s hand balled into a fist, then uncurled, trembling. He tried to avoid looking at Brother Shi, turning his back. Finally, he pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and made a call. Calming himself with immense effort, he muttered as he waited for the other side to pick up. Seeing him take the phone out, Brother Shi immediately shut up—he wasn’t stupid; he knew the officer was reporting to someone higher up.

"Hello? Make it quick," a voice answered brusquely.

"Lieutenant General, I’ve got three deserters here."

"Deserters? More people running off? When did you catch them?"

"Just now... they came back themselves. Before this, Bai Liang reported that some soldiers had fled, but this matter hadn’t yet—"

"Enough. I don’t need to hear about this. Don’t waste my time reporting every little thing. Just send them to the Slaughterhouse. I’m swamped over here. This time, I’ll let your overstepping slide, but don’t make it a habit. I don’t have time to babysit you."

"W-wait! There’s one thing—one of them is Luo Zhenfeng’s brother."

Just as the line was about to disconnect, the officer blurted out Brother Shi’s identity, his face tense. The person on the call wasn’t just anyone; in Dangerous Sanctuary City, this man was practically a deity among mortals. And Brother Shi’s older brother was one of his trusted pillars!

"Luo Zhenfeng’s brother?"

"Yes."

The person on the other end paused, seemingly caught off guard. But after a brief silence, a cold chuckle escaped through the phone.

"Luo Zhenfeng’s brother... Haha... there are three in total, correct?"

"Yes."

"Bring them all to me."

"Understood."

The officer nodded. After the call ended, he turned to the soldiers restraining Brother Shi and the others. "Take them to Yan Jiang."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers snapped to attention and hoisted the three men forcefully, dragging them forward. Brother Shi shot the officer a disdainful smile, his face brimming with mockery. The officer responded with a cold sneer, his expression confident. He knew that if Yan Jiang decided to end Brother Shi’s life, none of the three would escape.

Ghost Head glanced at Brother Shi, his heart filled with unease. He wanted to ask who this Yan Jiang was, but with them being dragged like mangy mutts, talking was nearly impossible.

They were marched down a maze of streets, the soldiers pulling them forward without mercy. Along the way, other soldiers rushed past, sometimes throwing strange looks their way. Soon, they arrived at a courtyard filled with unfamiliar equipment, the occasional mechanical hum emanating from the devices. At the center of the courtyard stood a man, flanked by soldiers reporting to him. As the three captives approached, the man waved dismissively at the soldiers around him.

"Go back to your duties."

"Understood."

The soldiers saluted and quickly jogged off, leaving the courtyard. In the next moment, the ones dragging Brother Shi and the others abruptly shoved them to the ground, making Ghost Head and Brother Shi crash face-first.

Groaning, Brother Shi and Ghost Head scrambled back up, only to be met with a sharp kick behind their knees. The kick forced them to kneel painfully. Yong received similar treatment but didn’t budge until he awkwardly imitated their posture to avoid further trouble.

Brother Shi dared not complain. He knew the man ahead, standing only a few steps away, was no ordinary figure. Even his older brother had to act subservient around this man, groveling like a servant!

This was Yan Jiang—the officer’s so-called superior—a bona fide Level 7 New Human!

The three were brought forward, but Yan Jiang acted as if they didn’t exist. He remained hunched over a console, completely absorbed in whatever task was at hand. To him, the three captives were utterly insignificant.

His indifference offered Ghost Head and Yong a sliver of relief, giving them a moment to catch their breath, albeit tenuously.

Yan Jiang’s appearance was deceptively ordinary. He wore a slightly stained white shirt on top, paired with khaki work pants. A small dagger hung off his belt, and slung across his back was a compact exoskeleton battle pack. At first glance, he resembled a low-level Bounty Hunter. But everyone present knew better. Just the faint aura of killing intent radiating from him was enough to shatter any illusions of him being something as simple as a Bounty