Cao Junmin was a man who paid great attention to his appearance. Perhaps because of his humble background, he was more demanding of his words and actions than a real aristocrat.
Almost at all times, his hair was neatly combed, his clothes were neatly ironed, and he had a gentle smile of an academic background on his face.
He maintained this habit for decades and never lost his composure in front of others.
Now, he sat in front of his luxurious desk, rubbing his face back and forth uncontrollably with his hands.
His hair was messy, his face was swollen, and he was in a depressed mood. He no longer had the same graceful demeanor as before.
There was a thick stack of papers on the table. It was the investigation report on last night's assassination. It took a lot of effort to collect and organize it, but it was of no use now.
Soon, he no longer had to worry about these things.
He was dismissed from his post and was about to leave the center of power in the empire.
The assassinations of the Minister of War and the Earl were not something that could be easily brushed aside. Someone had to take the blame.
Cao Junmin, who came from a humble background, had lost his backing, and was still the chief of the Public Security Department, became the best candidate.
The head of the Public Security Bureau failed to maintain the security of Kyoto, which led to the assassination of two important officials of the empire in their palaces. He had to accept the interrogation and resigned.
Cao Junmin didn't understand how he ended up in this situation. He didn't know why he was so unlucky these days. He had spent so much effort, spent countless money, and almost gave up everything to curry favor with the people who supported him, but they all fell one after another.
His career finally came to an end.
There were sounds of footsteps walking back and forth outside the office door.
At this moment, many of his trusted aides in the Sheriff's Office were under investigation. Apart from his office, the entire Sheriff's Office was filled with clerks sent by the Royal Guard to hold people accountable and take over.
"Xiao Ji, how did things turn out like this?" Cao Junmin rubbed his swollen eyes, looked up and asked Ni Ji who was standing in front of him.
Like him, Ni Ji has been running around since last night, taking over various tasks without a moment's rest.
But he stood there, legs apart, back straight, eyes bright, without a trace of fatigue on his body.
It's good to be young. Cao Junmin thought, after staying up all night and working for so long, he didn't even look tired, he was still handsome, straight and energetic.
No wonder the minister fell in love with it at first sight.
As this thought passed through his mind, he intuitively caught something.
He had carefully investigated Jiang Yimei's preferences and knew that she had some hidden hobbies that were unknown to others. He also knew that she liked a strong and handsome sentinel like Ni Ji.
He deliberately recommended Ni Ji to Jiang Yimei.
What did the arrogant Minister of War say at that time
"He's a good boy and should be rewarded. Bring him to play with me often."
That's why he took Ni Ji to the Jiang family's dinner last night. When he went there, he certainly had a slight hint, and Ni Ji didn't show any obvious resistance, and even dressed up to cooperate.
Cao Junmin's heart began to pound.
His mind flashed through all the things that had happened in the days since Ni Ji came back.
The series of deaths and accidents seemed to have nothing to do with Ni Ji, but there were always some clues that made Ni Ji's direct superior feel that something was wrong.
Cao Junmin looked up in surprise and couldn't help but start looking at the student standing not far from him.
Ni Ji changed out of the clothes he wore at the banquet and put on a black sentry uniform with the silver epaulettes of the Public Security Bureau on his shoulders. He had a cold look and his back was straight.
He is a sentinel, a sharp knife, a ferocious weapon, ready to be thrown into the battlefield at any time. He can never be a flower at a banquet that can be picked by anyone.
Ni Ji can be said to be a student who grew up under the care of Cao Junmin, and he actually knows this student better than anyone else.
Would he really be a gentle, docile man who could bend his knees
Cao Junmin knew what Ni Ji had done last night. Ni Ji's name was included in a thick stack of report pages on the desk. There were witness testimonies and signatures of investigators, which clearly recorded that Ni Ji was not alone last night.
In a list of so many sentinels who could not produce evidence, Ni Ji was clearly innocent.
But once the spark of doubt is born, it is difficult to suppress it.
For some reason, Cao Junmin wanted to ask again.
"Xiao... Xiaoji." Cao Junmin's dry lips trembled, and he asked vaguely, "Where did you go last night?"
Ni Ji looked at him, and his eyes were the same as they had been these days, neither particularly humble nor docile.
"Teacher, what do you want to ask?" Ni Ji said calmly, "I followed you into the venue and left with you in the end. I have written down the time I was away in the report."
Cao Junmin's mind exploded.
it's him.
He knew the man and should have known how dangerous he was.
He caused me trouble several times back then, and I couldn't give in no matter what. At one point, I was so angry that I almost died.
How could I have been deceived by his lowered head these days
Ni Ji said this lightly, but it woke him up.
He knew he couldn't ask any more questions. Even if Ni Ji really did something, he could only pretend he didn't know and hope that it would never be discovered by others.
He was the one who transferred Ni Ji's military post from the northern border, brought him to the Earl's Mansion personally, and introduced him to Jiang Yimei personally.
Earl's Mansion!
The more Cao Junmin thought about it, the more frightened he became. He remembered that when the Earl got into trouble, Ni Ji was not actually in front of him.
He personally wrote the testimony to prove that he, Ni Ji, and Tan Shu were together. If these things were really related to Ni Ji, then he would not be able to clear himself of the joint crime. Even Tan Shu, the only person who could testify, was dead.
Cao Junmin looked up at Ni Ji with some surprise.
Ni Ji was a very tall man with a calm look. He stood in front of the table and calmly looked down at himself slumped in the chair.
"What are you thinking about, teacher? I am the student you promoted. If you have anything to do, you can ask me to do it." said the captain of the sentinel who returned from the North.
His tone was steady, without a trace of panic as if he had been discovered.
Cao Junmin's heart trembled. He was a very perceptive person and he understood the implicit threat in Ni Ji's words.
He knew why Ni Ji was not afraid of him.
If Ni Ji is arrested, as long as he insists that he was instructed by his superior Cao Junmin, he will have no way to clear himself.
Who would believe that a sentinel who had just returned from the North would do such a terrible thing without any instructions
Cao Junmin felt a sense of suffocation and fear as if someone was strangling his throat.
The best way is to know nothing and think nothing.
At least for now, nothing extra can be done.
He? How dare he? Cao Junmin's back was covered in cold sweat.
Memories of the past came alive.
He really dares, Cao Junmin thought to himself, he has been such a person who dares to do anything since he was a child.
Back then, when he was still a student, he had nothing to rely on and his body had not yet fully grown, but he dared to disobey the order of his principal. No matter how much he was beaten, scolded, punished, or exiled to the border, he would not compromise.
His unruly character has never succumbed to reality and has never been truly broken by anyone.
Now, the young boy has grown up, becoming taller, stronger, calmer and better at disguising himself.
It was even easy to force myself to shrink in his shadow, compromise, and not dare to resist.
For the first time, Cao Junmin felt that he was old and depressed.
A life of petty intrigue and deceit, giving up everything to build a high-rise building, is nothing but an illusory castle in the air, which will collapse in a moment.
He finally lowered his head.
"You can go out now." The old principal waved his hand behind the desk. "Oh, by the way, Commander Luther from the Royal Guard has some tasks to hand over, and he has asked you to do them. Go meet him."
Before Ni Ji went out, he looked back for the last time.
Behind the desk, the usually tall figure seemed to be hunched in an instant.
He thought back to when he first entered Sentinel Academy.
At that time, he was still a young child and the principal was just a teacher in the school, who took special care of children like them who came from poor backgrounds.
As a young boy at that time, he was grateful to his teacher and wanted to use what he had learned to win honor for his teacher and school.
But as time passed, the teacher became the principal, then the chief of the Public Security Department, and abandoned his original heart on the road to promotion.
Am I the same way, no longer the boy I was in school
***
Luther, the commander of the Royal Guard, Ni Ji once met this powerful figure in the imperial military at the Earl's mansion.
This officer had a conspicuous scar on the corner of his left eye, which made his handsome face look serious at all times.
With the financial resources of the nobles in the White Tower, everyone has the ability to heal all old wounds in the treatment cabin. But in this aristocratic circle where everyone pays attention to appearance, he let the scar remain on his face forever.
The commander's murderous face is almost his personal symbol, unforgettable.
Sitting in the command center of the Public Security Bureau, Luther, who took over the work of the Public Security Bureau, did not seem to be very concerned about the stabbing case of Jiang Yimei, nor did he care much about the handover process of the Public Security Bureau.
He handed over all matters to the civilian staff around him, and sat there studying a map of the contaminated area with his adjutant wearing glasses.
When he saw Ni Ji coming in, he turned around and waved to Ni Ji.
"Just in time. I was just about to find someone to call you."
Ni Ji stood at the door and gave a standard sentry salute.
The commander sat down on the table, put on his military boots, and picked up a sentry file from the table.
Ni Ji's profile.
"I've read your file. You've been to the contaminated area 380 times, and you're called the Ice Blade by the northern sentinels." Luther sat there, flipping through a thick stack of resumes. "I heard that you helped Cao Junmin get the ancient energy stone from the No. 5 contaminated area last time. It's a pity for someone like you to stay in the Public Security Department to deal with petty thefts."
Ni Ji stood with his hands behind his back in the standard military posture of a sentry, showing neither excessive excitement nor humility or panic.
In front of a commander who was several levels higher than him in rank, when the highest authority in the Royal Guard expressed his intention to recruit him.
He just stood there quietly, waiting for what Luther was going to say next.
Luther closed the stack of resumes, Yao pointed at him with the resume folder, and looked at the adjutant beside him with an inquiring look, "Ji Xuan, what do you think?"
Adjutant Ji Xuan pushed up his glasses and said, "I think he's good too, and he has a stable personality."
Luther jumped down from the table, took a big step forward, put his arm around Ni Ji's shoulders and walked back.
"Here's the thing. Our special operations team is very short of manpower right now. We want you to join."
Ni Ji's eyes moved slightly.
In the capital of the empire, all departments beginning with the word "Te" are directly under the Queen's command, and possess special powers and mysterious functions.
For example, the Special Operations Department of the Guard branch, the Special Research Department of the Scientific Research Department branch, the Special Investigation Department of the Police Security branch, and so on.
They are all ordinary people and it is a department that is difficult to join.
"What do you say? Be straightforward." Luther tightened his hands on his shoulders. "You will be treated fairly, but the risks are definitely not bad either."
"Of course, it's my honor, sir, that you show me favor." Ni Ji replied.
Luther laughed and put his big hand on the map on the table. "Very good. I like people who are straightforward."
Ni Ji's eyes followed his hand and fell on the map, and soon a trace of doubt appeared on his face.
"Golden tree?"
"That's right," said Adjutant Ji Xuan, looking up. "According to Her Majesty the Queen's order, we are going to explore the Golden Tree contaminated area."
Ni Ji frowned slightly: "Contaminated Area 77."
Contaminated Area 77, nicknamed after the Golden Tree, is a contaminated area that was created not too long ago but is extremely dangerous.
Regardless of day or night, almost all exploration teams that entered the cave never returned. The few sentinels that were lucky enough to escape also fell into a state of insanity without exception.
Those sentinels who managed to escape from the contaminated area would only repeat three words over and over again after returning, "Golden tree, golden tree, golden tree..."
"It's the Golden Tree in Area 77. We plan to take it down." Luther tapped the drawings and documents on the table with his fingers. "No one has successfully conquered this contaminated area yet. But it keeps spreading. We plan to gather elite sentinels like you who have rich experience in entering and leaving contaminated areas to discuss a plan to conquer it."
Several people were action-oriented and quickly started discussing the drawings and materials. Just as the discussion was in full swing, Ni Ji's personal terminal flickered slightly.
Ni Ji lowered his head slightly and took a look. It was an avatar that he had added for a long time but had never lit up on his terminal.
The avatar was set by Ni Ji himself privately.
A tiny moon.
When faced with the new map and complicated information, Ni Ji's fluent speech paused for a moment and he put his wrist behind his back.
"You can handle it first, it's okay." Ji Xuan glanced at him and said, "We'll be here for a long time. It's a good time to take a break."
"A guide, a personal terminal added at the banquet yesterday." Ni Ji pulled his wrist back, his expression calm and relaxed, looking at Ji Xuan without the slightest avoidance.
When he saw the avatar that suddenly popped up, his heartbeat slowed down, but he quickly suppressed his emotions.
He would never be like last time, when he was unprepared and let people see through his flaws at a glance when facing Tan Shu's questions.
Ni Ji even smiled at the perceptive adjutant, "She asked me a little question, so I'll give her a reply."
The tall and handsome sentry stood by the window, replying to a message from a girl he had just met last night. His beautiful eyebrows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised a smile, looking relaxed and happy.
The orderly brought in tea, and Luther and Ji Xuan picked up their cups and took a rest.
Ji Xuan nodded to Luther, indicating that he really accepted it.
There were some things he didn't say until he saw the sentry standing by the window chatting with the girl. Only then did he feel relieved and decided to choose this person to participate.
Ji Xuan doesn't like people who are too serious and flawless.
People like that always seem to have some hidden purpose in their hearts, which makes him feel difficult to grasp.
Ni Ji, who would spread his skirt in front of the guide and chat with the girl in front of others, gave him a more vivid impression than the cold sentinel in the rumors.
Instead, it made him feel a little more at ease.
(End of this chapter)