Isn’t it too late?
Nan Ning looked at the other person in confusion. She raised her hand and looked at the watch. The gears inside the exquisite mechanical watch were turning, and the pointer was pointing to 11 o'clock in the afternoon.
It's almost noon... Nan Ning's eyes became serious, and he said to the middle-aged man: "Do you usually come at this time? What time do you get off work in the evening?"
"What time do you want...it depends on the situation. Sometimes it's later, but normally the latest we get off work is 5 o'clock." The middle-aged man immediately said with a smile.
Nan Ning couldn't help but frowned and said, "So, you guys don't spend more than 8 hours a day on your work. I remember the working hours stipulated by the City State Guard are from 8 am to 6 pm. You guys are too lazy!"
"Uh, yes..." The middle-aged man was about to nod, but suddenly realized what was happening, his face changed slightly, and he snorted coldly: "You are a newcomer, are you going to teach me a lesson?"
“…Hmm.”
Nan Ning suddenly realized what was going on and said angrily, "Ah, no, no, I just mentioned it casually. Is this the rule here?"
"Humph, you newcomers must of course go to work on time, but we are busy with things to deal with. Some cases may not require you to stay in the station every day to solve them. You still need to go out to visit. Forget it, it's useless to tell you all this. From today on... you still have to report in at 8 o'clock in the morning, understand?"
The middle-aged man said with a stern face, looking very dignified.
“Yeah .” Nan Ning nodded repeatedly, her head like a chick pecking at rice.
The old man in a tuxedo behind her stroked his beard, smiled and nodded, obviously thinking that the middle-aged man performed well. However, when he saw the other party looking at the young lady with a stern face, he became a little annoyed and glared at him slightly.
This wave of tug-of-war...Xu Shen looked around and was speechless.
"Well, sir, I'm taking office today. Do you have any work arrangements now?" Seeing the middle-aged man was about to leave, Nan Ning asked hurriedly. She always felt that something seemed to be wrong with the process.
The middle-aged man came to his senses and almost missed this. He turned his head to look at the girl, then looked at Xu Shen next to him. He had never seen Xu Shen, but the bodyguard who followed this young lady... should be responsible for supervision.
He nodded to Xu Shen in a friendly manner, and then said to the girl with a stern face: "You just took office today and you want to start working?"
"Of course, isn't the purpose of taking office to work?" Nan Ning looked at him strangely.
The middle-aged man glanced at Xu Shen, and his eyes meant something very clear. You see, this was not something I forced her to do. She asked for it herself. Don't blame me.
You're winking at the wrong person... Xu Shen kept smiling and saw the helpless expression on the face of the old man in a tuxedo next to him. It was obvious that he couldn't do anything about his enthusiastic young lady.
Everyone else wants to be lazy at work, but she wants to take the initiative to find work.
"You have little experience, so you should start as a clerk in the station and be responsible for recording cases." The middle-aged man said indifferently, assuming the posture of a leader.
Recording cases... it's a pretty easy job since you don't have to run around.
“Ah, no, no.” Nan Ning hurriedly shook her head, looking anxious: “Sir, although this is my first time in office, my performance is very good, and I can definitely handle a lot of work. I hope to go to the front line, investigate the most vicious cases, the most difficult problems, and go outside to see the world…”
Are you talking human language? The middle-aged man looked at her speechlessly. No matter how he looked at her innocent little face, it didn't look like she would say such perverted words.
I don’t even dare to touch the most vicious cases… The middle-aged man frowned and said, “Are you questioning my decision?”
“No, no, I just hope that the leader can use me.” Nan Ning said quickly.
The middle-aged man glanced at Xu Shen, and seeing that Xu Shen didn't react, he immediately thought that this young lady came here for fun and adventure. If he really let her take a civil servant job, she would definitely cause trouble for him. So he simply let her go out and have some fun. When she ran to the dirty and messy places in the suburbs and felt suffocated, he would know to retreat.
In this way, she could pack up and leave as soon as possible and return to her inner city.
"Okay, then I'll let you go to the front line as an investigator?" While the middle-aged man said this, his eyes turned to Xu Shen.
Xu Shen had a blank expression on his face and didn't react at all.
That means he agreed... The middle-aged man secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The old man in tuxedo behind the girl was filled with anger. He gritted his teeth and glared at the middle-aged man viciously. It was simply outrageous that this lowly man from the bottom of the city dared to let the young lady do the dirtiest and most tiring work, bullying the young lady because there was no one around her?
"That's great!" Nan Ning was pleasantly surprised to see that the other party agreed. Who said that the people in Dicheng were rude and unreasonable? They seemed easy to get along with!
"You, tell her what the investigator needs to do. Be at work on time tomorrow and don't be... late!" The middle-aged man instructed the assistant-like woman beside him, then turned and left.
Xu Shen saw the old man in tuxedo followed him, but turned back halfway, obviously still worried about his young lady.
Looking at the other side, Maeve was sitting on a chair, her chin resting on her hands with an amused expression on her face.
As if she noticed Xu Shen's peripheral vision, her expression suddenly changed and she puffed her lips.
Xu Shen's gaze quickly shifted away.
“I can go to work right now…” Nan stared at the direction where the middle-aged man left and tried hard, but was stopped by the assistant girl.
The woman had a cold expression and said, "You are new here. Do whatever the judge tells you to do. Don't be nosy. Remember to report at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. You can go back today."
Nan Ning felt a little helpless and said "oh".
"Do you have a place to live?" the woman asked.
Nan Ning glanced at Xu Shen, thought for a moment and said, "Yes."
"Okay." The woman said, "Come with me and get your lawyer's uniform and medal. Remember to wear them when you go to work."
"good."
Nan Ning immediately followed the other party, and Xu Shen followed Nan Ning, completing the inauguration process.
Traveling in and out of the city-state guardhouse, Xu Shen got a glimpse of the place in the city where the laws are the most strict, and he also had some understanding of the ranks in the guardhouse.
People like Nan Ning are junior lawyers.
Going further up, as you accumulate cases and have more experience, you will be promoted to intermediate and senior levels.
Then there are the trial lawyers, who can finalize and judge some major cases.
Above the Trial Attorney is the Chief Judge, who is also the highest-ranking person in the Guardianship.
In addition to them, there are also guards at their disposal, and these guards are all Zhanxu personnel.
It is not unreasonable to have armed forces at the disposal of ordinary people. In fact, this is the case in many places. Guards do not dare to bully lawyers at will, otherwise they will be suppressed and sentenced by higher-level forces.
The law may not be so thoroughly permeated elsewhere, but among the classes within the city-state guardhouse, the laws are absolutely strict and the levels are orderly.
After completing the formalities, Xu Shen and Nan Ning walked out of the City State Guardhouse.
"Do you know any accommodation nearby?" Nan Ning asked Xu Shen.
"Why don't you let them arrange it for you?" Xu Shen asked.
"I always feel that they are a little weird. I wonder if my identity has been exposed." Nan Ning said in a low voice.
Quite sharp... But there is no need to doubt it, it must have been arranged in advance by the butler behind you.
The old man in a tuxedo behind the girl became nervous when he heard what the girl said. He stared at Xu Shen, fearing that Xu Shen could help her analyze something.
"You are too sensitive." Xu Shen smiled and said, "Shall I rent a hotel for you?"
The old man in tuxedo heaved a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction. This confused boy was quite numb. He was indeed no match for my young lady.
"Okay." Nan Ning agreed immediately and immediately searched her backpack: "I'll give you money. There are some things I don't understand, so I'll trouble you if I have to ask you to spend money."
Xu Shen was about to refuse, but when he saw the gold paper she took out, he felt that one should learn to talk less.
Silence is Golden
"Are these enough? I don't know if there is a bank or chamber of commerce here, and I don't know if I can withdraw money, so I brought some cash." Nan Ning took out 20 pieces of gold paper and handed them to Xu Shen: "How long can these last?"
Xu Shen gladly took it, counted it, and confirmed the amount: "It depends on how you use it. If you don't buy some extravagant things and use it normally, with the consumption here, it will be enough for you to use for a long time."
"That's good. Tell me if it's not enough." Nan Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
"No problem."
Xu Shen took the gold paper with a smile.
The old man in a tuxedo next to him put his head close to Xu Shen's face, staring at him with an angry look on his face. This damn brat even dared to take the lady's money? !
It was agreed that he was a bodyguard sent here, and I had already given him benefits, but he still dared to ask for money? !
He gritted his teeth and wished he could put his face close to Xu Shen's. If it wasn't inconvenient for him to show up, he would have taken action directly.
This old guy, his emotions fluctuate so much... Xu Shen suddenly sneezed. Although he couldn't touch him, the old man subconsciously leaned back and glared at Xu Shen.
Xu Shen rubbed his nose and said, "The dust is a bit heavy, it seems like something dirty just got close to my nose."
"The air here is indeed not very good." Nan Ning nodded.
Just when Xu Shen thought she would miss the clean smell of the inner city, he saw some sadness on her cheeks and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I hope that one day, it will be sunny here too."
Xu Shen was slightly stunned.
Although the light was weak, when it shone on the girl's cheek, Xu Shen felt it was unusually bright.
The old man in the tuxedo let out a deep sigh when he heard the girl's words.
…
…
Xu Shen found a hotel for Nan Ning near the City State Guardian Center.
The hotels nearby are of high-end specifications and naturally expensive, but Xu Shen collected so much gold paper after all. One piece of gold paper is equal to 10,000 Luka coins, a total of 200,000, and the monthly hotel package is only 20,000.
Living there for one month is equivalent to the savings of the fog people for five years without food or drink...Xu Shen felt a little emotional. They lived in the same city, yet seemed to be in two different worlds.
Such hotels are forbidden areas in their minds, places that cannot be touched or approached.
"Mr. Xu, aren't you staying in the hotel?" Nan Ning felt a little nervous when she saw Xu Shen was about to leave. Although she wanted to do things independently, she did not know everything. She felt a little guilty because she had no one to protect her. After all, this was a completely unfamiliar place.
The old man in a tuxedo stood aside, staring at Xu Shen with unfriendly eyes. Would this kid just take the money and run away? Is this how a bodyguard does things?
Can you learn from me? The lady is sleeping and I'm guarding the door.
"Uh..." Xu Shen thought about it. King Mu did instruct him to protect this young lady closely. He said, "This hotel is too expensive. I'm staying in a small inn outside. If you need anything, please contact me. I will definitely be there within a minute."
"Is it expensive?" Nan Ning took a look and said hesitantly, " How about I go to a small hotel with Mr. Xu?"
The old man in the tuxedo widened his eyes and stared at Xu Shen, as if he would twist his head off if Xu Shen agreed.
"Uh..." Xu Shen hesitated, but didn't go too crazy. He had already made some money, so there was no need to be too vicious. He said, "It's not too expensive. Miss, just stay here. I'll be outside the hotel. If you're worried, I'll sleep in the car downstairs and can come up anytime."
Nan Ning hurriedly shook her head upon hearing this: "Mr. Xu, if you feel that the money is not enough, I can give you more. You can live next door. I can find you in time if there is anything."
When Xu Shen heard her say that, he thought about it and had no choice but to agree.
Immediately, Xu Shen spent another 20,000 to open a restaurant next door, as he felt embarrassed to ask the other party to pay again.
The old man in the tuxedo snorted coldly, and seeing that Xu Shen was quite tactful, he didn't say anything. After Nan Ning entered the room, he clasped his hands in front of his lower abdomen, keeping his hands hanging and silent, like a gatekeeper sculpture guarding the door.
Really loyal... Xu Shen took a look and didn't know whether this old man was in the second or third form. He was able to accompany him from the inner city. Looking at his mood swings, it was obvious that in addition to the respect for Nan Ning as a servant, he also had some feelings of his own. This should be the reason why the people behind Nan Ning were confident in entrusting him to take care of him.
Xu Shen shook his head, didn't look at it any further, turned and went into his room.
The old man in tuxedo saw Xu Shen enter the room and immediately followed him in. He wanted to see what this boy was doing.
Xu Shen: “…”
Just as he was about to take off his clothes, he saw an old man in a tuxedo coming in. Xu Shen was speechless. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and then he took off his clothes, revealing the combat uniform underneath.
He squatted in the room and continued his normal sword-drawing training, but his sword speed slowed down to only the critical speed.
This explosive power is between the initial state and the second state.
The old man took a look and was a little surprised. Is this kid so hardworking?
He had seen many Zhanxu people, and except for Zhanxu, most of them indulged themselves. Even if some of them would train, it was only occasionally.
But this guy actually finds time to exercise in his spare time as a bodyguard, which shows his extraordinary perseverance.
"It seems that the branch here is doing a good job. They knew to send someone in the second state." The old man took a look and nodded slightly. The explosive power of Xu Shen's sword swing was close to the second state, but looking at Xu Shen's muscles and expression, it was obvious that he did not use his full strength, which meant that Xu Shen's real explosive power was definitely in the second state.
Although it seems that he has just entered the second state not long ago and his explosive power is not strong in the second state, it is still pretty good here in the bottom city.
The old man in the tuxedo took another look and saw Xu Shen repeatedly drawing his sword to practice. He exclaimed, "What is this kid practicing? Drawing a sword?"
The old man was a little surprised. The sword-drawing posture was indeed very fast and smooth, but would it improve combat power if he practiced it more? Was it for sneak attacks? But the enemy would not wait until you get close before attacking.
Soon, the old man thought of something, and a look of realization appeared in his eyes. It should be that the bottom city is too barren and there are no secret skills in Zhanxu fighting.
This kind of secret skills are collected by the high-ranking clans and the big forces in the inner city. The bottom city is still the bottom city after all... The old man shook his head with pity in his eyes. Although they both have two states, the gap between the bottom city and the inner city is too big.
He looked at it for a while, felt it was a bit monotonous and boring, so he shook his head and turned away.
Why is this old guy shaking his head? Xu Shen was relieved to see the other party leave. He was a little confused. Was his sword-practicing posture wrong?
But he had drawn the sword countless times and was definitely an expert in this area. There was absolutely no problem with his posture and force points.
Soon, Xu Shen put the old man behind him and concentrated on practicing sword.
As he no longer restrained himself, Xu Shen's speed in drawing the sword suddenly doubled, and the sword tip made a sonic boom. As time passed, the sword tip swung on the hotel wallpaper in front of him, creating a slight crack, which was cut open by the pure wind force driven by the sword power.
…
…
The next day.
Xu Shen got up and ate the breakfast that the hotel had ordered and sent to the room. Then he washed up and went out. He went to the next door and knocked on the door. Nan Ning's voice came from inside. After a while, Nan Ning opened the door and stuck half of his head out.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll be there soon." Nan Ning blushed slightly, and there was toothpaste foam on her mouth.
Xu Shen smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, Miss, it's still early."
"It's getting late. We must not be late today." Nan Ning said and quickly shrank back. Five minutes later, she rushed out neatly dressed.
"Miss, did you not sleep well last night?" Xu Shen saw that her mental state was obviously not as good as yesterday.
"I slept okay..." Nan Ning blushed a little. First, she was not used to the smell in the hotel. It was obviously not clean, and there was a smell of low-quality cleaning. She could only make do with it. Second, she was not used to the softness of the bed in the hotel. It was quite different from her usual sleep, which affected her sleep quality and she kept dreaming.
Most importantly, she was so excited at the thought of starting work today that she fell into a deep sleep in the middle of the night.
Seeing that she hadn't even had time to eat breakfast, Xu Shen went downstairs to the lobby of the hotel and ordered another breakfast at the front desk. He brought it to the car and said, "We still have 20 minutes before work starts. Take your time eating, Miss."
"Hmm..." Nan Ning's stomach growled, but she couldn't help but start eating quickly. Her movements were ladylike at first, but soon became wild.
Xu Shen watched and smiled without saying anything.
The old man in the tuxedo nodded with satisfaction when he saw that Xu Shen was quite considerate. However, when he saw that the young lady was eating such a poor breakfast, he could not help but shake his head and sighed secretly, feeling sorry for the young lady's suffering.
After breakfast, Xu Shen brought Nan Ning to work.
"Is there any case?" Nan Ning came to the workplace excitedly and walked into her new office. There were many colleagues here, but she was the only one with her bodyguard Xu Shen and an invisible old man.
"New here?" Someone saw Nan Ning and immediately said, "Judge Fang has said that you should handle this case and investigate the situation."
A young man, also wearing a lawyer's uniform, handed Nan Ning a document and glanced at her twice, attracted by her stunning appearance.
The old man in tuxedo glared at the young man and immediately covered his face with his hands.
But obviously his palms couldn't cover anything.
Xu Shen couldn't help laughing.
The old man in tuxedo glared at Xu Shen and said, “You little brat, and you’re still laughing. The young lady has been looked at with lustful eyes by someone. Why don’t you teach this damn guy a lesson right away!”
Xu Shen felt a little wronged by the stare, but he didn't show it on his face.
"Really?" Nan Ning immediately opened the case, her eyes slightly shining, and after quickly browsing it, she immediately said, "Okay, then I'll go now."
"Remember to bring guards with you." The young man reminded quickly.
"good."
Nan Ning agreed and went to another place to request a team of guards.
After the transfer order was passed, when Nan Ning and Xu Shen arrived at the door, they saw a team of elite guards who had been waiting there in advance. Xu Shen saw that there were captain-level guards among them, a total of five people, all over 25 years old. From their eyes, it was obvious that they had a lot of experience in handling cases and were full of sharpness.
It seems that the security is at full strength...Xu Shen sighed secretly.
"Official Bai, please."
The middle-aged captain of the guard stepped forward.
Nan Ning shook her head and said, "No, I'll just take my bodyguard's car."
The guard glanced at Xu Shen, then at the black armored vehicle next to him, and recognized it as a vehicle from the Xu Secret Bureau. He frowned slightly. As guards of the city-state guardhouse, what they were most troubled and disgusted with was not the Xu, nor the criminals in some ordinary cases, but the Xu Secret Bureau and those forces that had the power to kill Xu.
These guys are the cancer of the bottom city... The middle-aged man felt uncomfortable and said to Nan Ning: "Officer Bai, we have special vehicles for handling cases. This way people will know that it is our guard station that is handling the case, and outsiders will stay away."
Nan Ning reacted and said, "Then I'll listen to you."
Xu Shen nodded slightly: "It's okay, I'll park my car here first."
The middle-aged man glanced at Xu Shen with a cold look, and then a group of people got into two cars.
Xu Shen and Nan Ning were sitting in the back of the vehicle.
Xu Shen saw Nan Ning looking through the case, so he turned slightly to look over, and heard the old man in the tuxedo gritting his teeth: "Don't get so close, you little brat!"
Xu Shen turned a deaf ear to it and stretched his head to take a closer look. It was a family murder case in the suburbs.
There are also some black and white photos taken at the scene, which look quite miserable.
Below the case, there is a description of behavior that is suspected to be a case of abuse.
If the investigation is more likely to be man-made, then the case will be handled by the Inspection Office.
Those related to Xu are handed over to the Xu Secret Bureau and the City State Guard. One is responsible for locating Xu's location and going to kill him, and the other is to investigate whether it is Xu who is causing the chaos, or someone is suspected of using Xu to cause chaos.
"It's a bit bloody." Xu Shen glanced at the girl beside him and said in a low voice.
In his opinion, such a pure girl would probably vomit and faint after seeing such a horrific scene.
But Xu Shen unexpectedly discovered that Nan Ning just had a serious expression on his face, staring at the photo. He did not look uncomfortable, but was tapping his fingers as if he was thinking about something.
Not long.
The vehicle arrived at the scene.
Nan Ning saw the dilapidated streets and low buildings on both sides of the road, and frowned, "Is this the outskirts of the city?"
"Um."
When I opened the door, air filled with a faint rotten smell wafted over, mixed with the stench of some stale wastewater.
Xu Shen had already gotten used to it and even felt at home with it.
Nan Ning frowned slightly and covered her mouth.
But not long after, she slowly let go, took a deep breath, and said, "Where does this smell come from, the crime scene or the surroundings?"
"The drainage channel over there." Xu Shen pointed.
Nan Ning took a look and found that there was a lot of garbage piled inside, and the sewage was blocked and turned black.
Her eyes changed, but she didn't say anything. However, Xu Shen saw that her eyes did not retreat, but instead seemed to have a little more determination.
There are two patrol vehicles parked ahead.
As they approached, a guard from the Inspection Office stepped forward. Seeing the girl in the lawyer's uniform, he was slightly stunned. He was obviously shocked by her fair and delicate face. He couldn't help but look at her a few more times and said, "Mr. Lawyer, the scene of the riot is ahead. Do you... do you want to go over?"
"Of course." Nan Ning nodded and walked straight away.
They saw that a part of the house was damaged, with several bodies lying inside and bloodstains.
Xu Shen took a look, then looked around, but did not see any trace of Xu.
But judging from the damage to the wall, it was indeed done by Xu.
Could it be a launch?