Era of Mist

Chapter 174: Chapter 173: A Luxury Car Gets Towed All the Same

In this world-line, in this foreign capital, public order was in a sorry state. If the law hadn’t been completely abandoned on the streets, it wasn’t far off.

He would occasionally spot bent, unrepaired guardrails; see faint, sprawling bloodstains left uncleaned on the ground; and notice cars speeding recklessly past pedestrians whose faces were a mixture of numbness and terror. Yet, he couldn’t find a single other traffic cop like himself.

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

’There’s definitely something wrong with this world-line. The city’s residents all seem to share a sense of panic, as if disaster is just around the corner.’

’What in the world is going on?’

’I’ll have to wait until after my shift to look into these things.’

The one thing that set Shi Tiexin’s mind at ease was that no one in this world-line showed any signs of practicing cultivation. Take the young man in the OMG from earlier. With his family’s wealth, if he were in Tumu Castle, he would have done at least some cultivation. After all, certain Cultivation Techniques offer great personal benefits. Even the most decadent heir would practice a little.

But that young man hadn’t. Neither had any of the pedestrians on the street. Not a single one.

’In this world-line, I might still be the only one with the advantage of being a cultivator.’

Before he knew it, he had entered the city and reached a bustling district.

”Boss, look over there! Quick, look! We’ve got a big one!”

An excited voice crackled over the walkie-talkie, snapping Shi Tiexin out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw an imposing luxury car parked in front of an equally imposing office building. A group of people was gathered near the car, apparently in the middle of a dispute.

They were all speaking Chinese.

A group of men in suits and ties, who looked like business tycoons, stood there. One of them, radiating arrogance, said, ”Officer, I crossed an ocean and I still can’t shake you. But what’s the point of following me for so long? Just give it up! If you keep this up, I’m afraid the taxpayers’ money paying your salary won’t be enough to buy you a ticket home!”

Opposite the suited man, a middle-aged man in plain clothes retorted indignantly, ”Don’t try to threaten me! You can’t escape! I’ll dog you even if you run all the way to Japan. I *will* find the evidence to put you all behind bars! Criminals must be punished. Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have money!”

The man in the lead suit laughed. ”Sorry, but money really *can* let you do whatever you want. I guess that’s a concept you’ll never grasp. HAHAHAHAHA!”

The suited man roared with laughter, then turned to make a stylish exit. That’s when he saw a tall traffic cop standing beside his luxury car, writing something.

One of his henchmen in a suit hurried forward, shouting, ”Hey, you damn pig, what do you think you’re doing!”

The cop looked up, ignoring the henchman. His jet-black sunglasses were pointed directly at the leader of the group. He gestured to the luxury car and said, concisely, ”Yours?”

”That’s right, it’s mine.” The man, clearly the boss, puffed out his chest with a look of pride. ”What is it, Officer?”

”Illegal parking, obstructing traffic. Fine of two hundred. It’s being towed for processing.” The tall cop finished scribbling the ticket with a flourish, then slapped it into the chest of the henchman. ”Go to the station in three days to take care of the paperwork and retrieve the vehicle.”

”What?”

The henchman was stunned. The boss was stunned. Even the plainclothes officer was stunned. They all stared at Shi Tiexin as if he were some kind of bizarre spectacle.

”Parked by the curb, engine off, unattended. And this is not a designated parking spot.” The cop’s logic was crystal clear. ”No question about it. Illegal parking. Fine and tow.”

The boss let out a laugh that was more anger than amusement. ”You? You’re fining *me*? And you’re towing my car? Do you have any idea who I am?!”

The cop paused. He stared at the boss and retorted, ”Well, do *you* know who I am?”

’Could this guy have some special background?’

The men in suits exchanged glances. Finally, one of the henchmen yelled, ”Who cares who you are! You’re a nobody!”

”Good.” The cop nodded, then pressed the button on his walkie-talkie. ”Send in the tow truck.”

”On my way!”

VROOOM. A tow truck sped onto the scene. Two men dressed like temporary workers jumped out and, with practiced speed, began preparing to haul away the luxury car.

Seeing that this was really happening, the henchmen panicked and rushed forward, shouting, to stop them.

”Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! You have no right to tow our car!”

”The Prime Minister’s already kicked the bucket and the whole cabinet’s vanished! You government lapdogs should be laying low with your tails between your legs, not running around looking to die!”

”It’s just a parking ticket, and you’re going to tow the car? This is an abuse of power!”

But the two temp workers weren’t having any of it. They rolled up their sleeves, ready for a brawl.

”Who are you shoving? What, you wanna start something?”

”You little shits, trying to get violent to resist the law?”

”Oh, so *now* you want to talk about the law? Where was all this legal talk when you were parking illegally?”

Their voices were even louder and their attitudes more aggressive than the henchmen’s. They didn’t seem like typical temporary workers at all.

”Hold on, quiet down!” the boss shouted, stopping his men. His face was ashen as he stared at the tall cop. After ten seconds, he suddenly broke into a cold, unsettling smile. ”Officer, my name is Ouyang Hong. Judging by your accent, you’re not one of the local mutts. A fellow countryman, are you? Just trying to make a living here? Heh, now that the Japs are all cowering with their tails between their legs, they send you out to the front lines to make enemies for them. It’s not easy trying to get by, is it?”

The tall cop remained unmoved. In fact, with his large helmet, dark sunglasses, and full-face visor, it was impossible to even see what he looked like, let alone his expression.

Ouyang Hong stared at the tall cop for a long moment before nodding. ”Fine. Tow the car. But where, exactly, do I go to take care of the paperwork and retrieve it?”

’Where to retrieve it? Uh... which precinct am I even assigned to?’

Suddenly, a few more fragments of memory trickled down from his consciousness. Understanding dawned on Shi Tiexin, and he replied without hesitation, ”North Third Team.”

”North Third Team?” Ouyang Hong’s smile was full of hidden meaning, the lines on his face deepening as if to say, ’Just you wait and see how I’m going to ruin you.’ He continued, ”Well then, Officer, be careful not to scratch the paint. This car is worth over ten million, after all. A single scratch, and you... could... not... possibly... afford it.”

Shi Tiexin paid no mind to the old man’s smile or his words. He simply waved a hand. ”Tow it.”

And just like that, the six-meter-long luxury sedan was hauled away, leaving the group of men in suits and the plainclothes officer to their standoff. It was as if Shi Tiexin had just been a random interruption, making a quick exit and leaving them to get back to it.

The middle-aged plainclothes officer suddenly burst out laughing, so hard that tears welled in his eyes. ”See that? Even with all your money, you can’t always do whatever you want!”

Ouyang Hong’s face was livid. He let out a cold snort, then turned and left with his men without another word. As a tycoon with influence in both legitimate and illegitimate circles, he obviously owned more than one car. But to have his prized vehicle towed away right in front of him was a loss of face he would have to reclaim, no matter the cost.