Urban Martial Saint

”Really?” Ye Qing looked at Zhao Chengshuang with skepticism and said, ”You seem a bit too certain about this. I’m worried that they might go to the provincial authorities first, file a report with the discipline inspection committee, and then accuse us. That would be troublesome.”

”Don’t you trust me to handle things?” Zhao Chengshuang said with a smile, ”Let me tell you, I didn’t become the deputy director for nothing. I’m better at dealing with the officialdom than you. I assure you, when they go back, they’ll only speak well of us. If they say a bad word, I’ll rip off my head and let you kick it like a ball!”

Ye Qing gave Zhao Chengshuang a look. This guy was brimming with confidence, and Ye Qing had no idea where such confidence came from. However, hearing Zhao Chengshuang’s emphatic promise, Ye Qing felt much more at ease.

The two chatted idly for a while until the King of Explosives finished reviewing the entire blast site and came over.

Seeing the King of Explosives approaching, Zhao Chengshuang hurriedly went to meet him and eagerly asked, ”How’s it going, bro? Can you tell me some professional terms so I can report back to the superiors? Of course, if you have some practical insights, even better, the more detailed the better.”

”No problem with the report...” the King of Explosives paused slightly and looked towards Ye Qing, saying, ”Ye brothers, have you... ever been to Africa?”

”Africa?” Ye Qing was taken aback and said, ”I haven’t been there, what about it?”

The King of Explosives frowned slightly and said, ”If you haven’t been to Africa, how come you have a conflict with the mercenary corps there?”

Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat. The way the King of Explosives was speaking, it seemed he must have discovered something.

”Are you saying that this bomb was planted by a mercenary corps from Africa?” Ye Qing asked. Before, the King of Explosives recognized the model of the bomb from the picture at a glance and pointed out that currently, some mercenary corps in Africa were still using this type of bomb. Now, after examining the scene, it seemed that he was even more astonished. What exactly did he find here?

”That’s right!” the King of Explosives nodded, paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, ”And it was done by the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps, ranked ninth in Africa!”

”You can even discern that!?” Zhao Chengshuang’s eyes widened in disbelief and asked, ”It’s blown up like this, how can you tell?”

”There are many mercenary corps in Africa, and each has its distinct way of combat, including different methods of placing bombs. Plus, to build their reputation, they leave unique marks when they do their jobs. Like the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps, when they install a bomb, they carve three marks on the installation site; that’s their signature!” The King of Explosives looked at Ye Qing and said solemnly, ”These African mercenary corps always work for profit. They only care about their interests. Even if you’ve killed their people, as long as it doesn’t implicate their profits, they won’t seek revenge. However, the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps is an exception.”

”How are they an exception?” Ye Qingqi was curious.

”The Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps was established by Bonguk people. Most of its members are from Bonguk, who are particularly united and known for their retributive nature. As long as you have grievances with them, they will do everything to kill you. Hence, even though the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps is only ranked ninth among the African mercenary corps, even those ranked higher avoid conflicts with them!” The King of Explosives paused, then continued, ”However, these mercenary corps usually don’t operate in Asia. They mostly frequent Africa and war-torn regions like the Middle East to profit from wars. But this time, they’ve come to Shenchuan City and planted such a bomb, intending to kill you, Ye. This is highly unusual. Ye, are you sure you have never had a conflict with the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps?”

Ye Qing frowned, getting the gist of things from the King of Explosives’ words. It seemed like this mercenary squad was the same one Ou Keren and his team were pursuing. After entering Shenchuan City, they were bribed by Wang Tian’an, who simultaneously arranged for the bomb, hoping to kill Ye Qing and earn some extra money. After all, these mercenaries were known to work solely for profit. Wang Tian’an couldn’t manage to kill Ye Qing through other means, so he resorted to using these modern-day mercenaries, quite a considerable effort indeed.

”I’ve never been to Africa, nor have I had any conflict with this Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps!” Ye Qing replied.

”Could it be that someone paid them to kill you?” The King of Explosives’ brow furrowed even more tightly, and he said, ”That would be a problem!”

”What kind of problem?” Zhao Chengshuang urgently asked.

”Mercenaries are incredibly powerful in combat, usually operating in squads. A combat squad like this can handle any small-scale conflict. If they want to assassinate someone, it’s too easy for them. Bombing, sniping, or ambushes, these are all things they excel at. To my knowledge, the most notable deed of the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps was assassinating a president of a small nation, leading to chaos within the country.” The King of Explosives glanced at Ye Qing; though he didn’t continue, his implication was clear.

Consider that a president’s security is incredibly tight. Even if it’s a small nation’s president, it’s no simple feat. They managed to assassinate a president, so assassinating Ye Qing would indeed not be a difficult task for them!

Zhao Chengshuang’s face suddenly changed, and he quickly turned to Ye Qing, saying, ”Damn, these guys are that formidable? Ye Zi, what do we do? Should you hide somewhere for the next few days?”

”No need!” Ye Qing waved his hand and replied, ”What will be, will be. If they’re determined to kill me, hiding will be useless.”

Zhao Chengshuang said, ”That’s not necessarily the case. How about I speak with my dad and you go hide out at the military base in Shenchuan City for a few days? This mercenary squad, no matter how capable they are, surely won’t dare to kill you at a military base!”

Ye Qing laughed and said, ”If I hide out with the military, then those people will certainly not surface. In that case, how will you solve the case? How will you achieve your merits?”

Zhao Chengshuang’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, ”Damn, which is more important, your life or my achievements?!”

Ye Qing felt a warmth in his heart at Zhao Chengshuang’s words, and with a faint smile, he shook his head and said, ”Don’t worry about me. Let them be whatever mercenary corps, it’s not that easy to kill me. Besides, even if I hide, those people will wait for me to come out to kill me. It’s better to be straightforward and act as usual, waiting for them to show up so we can resolve this matter quickly!”

Zhao Chengshuang anxiously said, ”This... this is too dangerous...”

”The biggest danger is fearing that they may have snipers; we need to pay special attention to that. As for bombs, just leave that to me!” The King of Explosives said to Ye Qing, ”With me here, they won’t be able to plant a bomb near you!”

The King of Explosives said this with extreme confidence, and Ye Qing nodded, feeling much more at ease with these words.

Zhao Chengshuang looked at the King of Explosives and then at Ye Qing, remarking, ”Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say more. No matter what, be careful.”

Ye Qing smiled and said, ”Don’t worry, I won’t die before I find my brother!”

Zhao Chengshuang also smiled and said, ”Right, speaking of your brother, I’ve already contacted an old classmate in Western Province to help with the search. But since Western Province is Wang Tian’an’s turf, we can’t make too much noise, so for now, we can only search quietly. We can’t rush this matter, so don’t be too anxious!”

”I know!” Ye Qing nodded. Having been in Shenchuan City for so long, he had grown accustomed to waiting. Moreover, he believed in Old Wang Ba’s words and was convinced that his brother, Ye Jun, was still alive and well. Right now, his most critical task was to completely topple Wang Tian’an, so that he could enter Western Province and search for his brother, Ye Jun.

Zhao Chengshuang turned to the King of Explosives and said, ”Dude, could you go over those things you mentioned earlier for me again later? You spoke too quickly just now, and I’ve almost forgotten. I need to write a report in a bit!”

”No problem,” the King of Explosives briskly replied.

”Thanks!” Zhao Chengshuang expressed his gratitude joyfully and continued, ”By the way, dude, you seem to know a lot about the mercenary corps in Africa? Have you been to Africa before?”

The King of Explosives pondered for a moment and looked at Ye Qing before answering gravely, ”I’ve been a mercenary there before!”

”What?” Zhao Chengshuang’s eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at the King of Explosives.

Ye Qing was also taken aback. He knew the King of Explosives had great skill in explosives, which he had assumed was learned in the military, and it was only after leaving the service that he had gotten involved in what followed. The revelation that he had once been a mercenary in Africa was a shock – the man standing before him had once been a mercenary?

However, thinking back on what the King of Explosives had said earlier, it all made sense. If he hadn’t served as a mercenary in Africa, how could he be so familiar with the mercenary corps there? How could he have immediately recognized the mark of the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps?

”But now, I’ve already retired!” the King of Explosives said with a wry smile, ”Being a mercenary is really not a job for humans. Behind each mercenary corps, there’s actually a financial syndicate and powerful forces in control. Once someone gets involved, they often can’t control their own fate and usually have to pay with their life to get out. That I managed to leave, honestly, was not easy at all!”

”Ease isn’t the key issue; the key is, were you... were you really a mercenary?” Zhao Chengshuang looked at the King of Explosives incredulously, ”Mercenaries are the type who kill without a second thought. Have you... have you killed people before?”

”Is it illegal to kill people abroad?” the King of Explosives countered.

Zhao Chengshuang immediately glared and said, ”Of course it’s illegal, how could killing people not be a crime?”