Chapter 43: The Destruction of Evidence

Two days later, Qian Ye appeared at the 131st Company’s garrison.

To his surprise, there were no guards at the gate. Frowning, he saw a group of expeditionary soldiers busily moving back and forth in the parade ground.

“Captain Qian!” The platoon leader, a junior lieutenant, came running over. He was clearly surprised and pleased, but mostly bewildered.

“Who are they?” Qian Ye nodded at him and, before the lieutenant could ask anything, pointed at the expeditionary soldiers.

“They’re from the Third Army’s military police. They said the battle is over and they’re here to verify our achievements.” The lieutenant’s expression was complex and somewhat grim; he obviously had more to say.

The defensive region of the Expeditionary Army’s Third Army included Xichang City, and the auxiliary defense battalion that Miss Qi Qi brought along was nominally under the 58th Division of the Third Army.

The battle ended? Verify achievements? A myriad of thoughts raced through Qian Ye’s mind. He didn’t enter the compound, but stood where he was, and directly asked, “From the beginning, what exactly happened?”

It turned out that after Qian Ye and Bao Zhengcheng left with their teams, the garrison had been very quiet. After submitting the company’s action report, Miss Qi Qi had given no further instructions.

On the fifth day after their departure, the lieutenant felt something was amiss. The entire Zhongying Town had entered a state of first-level combat readiness, and several other companies in the area had mobilized, leaving no one behind. This was clearly a sign of a full-scale army mobilization. He immediately sent a report, but the response was to maintain the status quo and wait for orders.

A few days later, the lieutenant finally learned about the battle situation from the Zhongying Town’s garrison, and he became restless. The 55th and 58th Divisions had clashed in the Dongling Mountains! That was the area where the 131st Company was supposed to carry out its mission! He immediately sent someone overnight to the Yin Family Mansion, but the messenger hadn’t returned when the Third Army’s military police arrived.

At this point, the lieutenant’s expression became both frustrated and dejected, “They claim a great victory, and the 131st Company’s performance as a vanguard unit is worthy of the highest commendation. But this isn’t a great victory; those guys are interrogating us like we’re criminals!”

Qian Ye listened silently. When the lieutenant mentioned “great victory” and “vanguard unit,” his face grew increasingly dark, and he lowered his eyes to conceal the flicker of murderous intent.

That was about all the lieutenant knew.

After the military police arrived, the 131st Company’s remaining soldiers were closely watched, unable to leave the garrison, and there was no movement at the Yin Family Mansion. However, the lieutenant had a good surname; he was a branch member of a lesser noble family. Therefore, the people following him were not only courteous but also privately revealed the news of the great victory, advising him to be patient.

Noticing the odd tone, Qian Ye asked, “If the military police are here to verify our achievements, why do we need to be patient?” He looked up and saw a junior officer and several sergeants of the expeditionary army staring intensely at them from the edge of the parade ground.

The lieutenant’s face turned extremely ugly, and he said angrily, “These guys must have taken some wrong medicine; they’re crazy! An entire squad just rushed in, separating us, and interrogated us for an entire day and night.” Clearly, the interrogation process was highly unpleasant.

Qian Ye now knew where the lieutenant’s bruise came from. He couldn’t help but smirk coldly. They weren’t crazy; the lieutenant was from the Shen family of Puyang, and they didn’t dare to go too far.

“Are our brothers still being interrogated?”

“Yes, some have been held for almost twenty-four hours.”

Qian Ye nodded and said, “Let’s go, we’ll take a look.”

He strode towards the barracks. The expeditionary army officers at the parade ground glanced at each other and did not follow.

A group of expeditionary soldiers gathered in front of the barracks, chatting and laughing loudly.

The doors of the first few barracks were secured from the outside. Through the windows, it was clear that each room held a 131st Company soldier, their wrists bound by origin force shackles. One soldier was even tied to a chair, his face swollen and bruised.

Qian Ye walked up to the group of expeditionary soldiers and said, “I am the captain of the 131st Company. Release my men, now!”

A mountainous junior lieutenant stepped forward, looking down at Qian Ye with a sneer, “Sir, we are on official duty. You can’t just order us around!”

Qian Ye looked at him and said calmly, “I have no interest in grunts. Call your superior!”

With a creak, the door of a nearby barracks opened, and a junior officer of the expeditionary army stepped out.

His shirt was half-unbuttoned, and he leaned against the doorframe, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag before addressing Qian Ye, “I’m their superior. What do you want me for? I’m on official business! It doesn’t matter if you’re their captain; even a colonel wouldn’t be able to stop me! Do you know who I am? Let me tell you, I—”

Before he could finish, Qian Ye kicked him in the stomach, saying coldly, “Enough talk!”

The junior officer flew backward, crashing through two walls and out the other side of the barracks!

The expeditionary soldiers were in an uproar. They were the Third Army’s military police, and in their territory, they were always the ones bullying others. When had they ever been treated this way?

The black, fat junior lieutenant roared and charged, slapping at Qian Ye with his massive hand. This was his signature move, and it usually felt quite satisfying.

But he suddenly saw the intricate design of the “Twin Bloom,” and then felt like an elephant had kicked him in the face. His vision filled with stars, and he spat out seven or eight teeth.

Qian Ye used the handle of the “Twin Bloom” as a weapon, nearly smashing the junior lieutenant’s fat face to pieces. If Duke Ross knew that his beloved gun was being used in such a crude manner, he might have been so angry that he would march straight into the human city.

Qian Ye kicked again, this time with full force. The heavy body of the black junior lieutenant flew high into the sky, over the barracks, and crashed on the other side with a loud thud. Though he couldn’t see the lieutenant’s condition, the sound alone told him how hard the fall was.

Ignoring the remaining expeditionary soldiers, Qian Ye walked through the broken wall to the junior officer.

The junior officer was still struggling on the ground, unable to get up. Despite being a fourth-level, Qian Ye’s kick had shattered all his defenses, leaving him powerless to fight back.

“You dare hit me? Fine, I’ll show you the consequences of hitting me! I—”

The junior officer’s rant was cut short as the barrel of the “Twin Bloom” revolver pointed at his crotch.

This gun was clearly high-quality, but no matter its level, even a low-grade Dawn Light or a flintlock pistol would do serious damage.

A crisp gunshot echoed in the air.

Immediately, the junior officer’s agonized scream drowned out all other sounds.

“Shut up, your balls are still there!”

The junior officer screamed a few more times before stopping. He felt a cooling sensation between his legs, which, though painful, wasn’t the agony he expected. Looking down, he saw a large hole in the ground, and his trousers had disappeared. His private parts were slightly charred, but nowhere near as bad as he feared.

Qian Ye said coldly, “The 17th Legion’s affairs are none of your business. Now, take your men and leave. If I see you again, I won’t be so polite!”

The junior officer looked at the deep pit and then at the gun in Qian Ye’s hand. He didn’t dare say another word, scrambled to his feet, and without changing his pants, ran to the parade ground, shouting for his squad. Then, at top speed, he fled the garrison.

The lieutenant and a few free-moving sergeants were busy releasing the confined soldiers. Qian Ye walked around the camp.

As he expected, the armory and ammunition storage had been opened, but nothing was missing. The confidential room, however, was in disarray. The cabinets holding the documents were open, and papers were scattered everywhere. Without counting, Qian Ye knew most of the files were gone, including the fake military intelligence map.

The lieutenant, having settled the external matters, found the confidential room and saw Qian Ye standing motionless in the chaos. “When the military police came, a few of them entered the confidential room and took most of the documents away that night,” he said, hesitating, “Captain, is something wrong?”

It turned out that the same expeditionary army officer who had helped the lieutenant earlier had provided him with a fuller report. The 131st Company’s defensive position had seen fierce fighting, resulting in a costly victory. Though they had gained significant military merit, the entire company was decimated, with only three or four survivors. The military police’s audacity was partly due to the fact that the 131st Company was likely to be disbanded.

Upon seeing the state of the confidential room, Qian Ye knew these were only surface reasons. The shadowy hand behind the scenes was using the Third Army’s headquarters to destroy evidence, including the fake military intelligence map and the archived copies of the 131st Company’s operational reports, which were probably destroyed en route.

However, seeing the lieutenant’s bewildered face, Qian Ye decided not to tell him more. The situation was growing more complex, and the remaining soldiers were oblivious. Involving them would be pointless.

But the latest news brought by the lieutenant made Qian Ye take a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Three or four survivors from the 131st Company? He thought for a moment and said, “I’ll write a report, and you send someone to deliver it to Miss Qi Qi.”

In the Yin Family Mansion, in the “Listening Wind Pavilion,” the atmosphere was tense and oppressive. Every officer entering and leaving was in a hurry.

Ji Yuanjia put down the documents, closed his eyes, and massaged his forehead to ease his fatigue. The conference table in front of him was now a huge desk, piled high with various documents and files. Although the battle was over, the aftermath was a cumbersome and arduous task.

A junior officer pushed the door open and handed over another report.

Ji Yuanjia nodded and took it, but noticed the junior officer’s strange expression. He looked down and saw the 131st Company’s name on the document, and paused.

The junior officer said, “Captain Qian has returned to the Zhongying Town garrison. Should we send an airship to pick him up?”

The report was brief, and Ji Yuanjia quickly read to the last page, “No, I will go myself.” Then he added, “Tell ‘Wind Tiger’ to prepare two teams to go with me.”

“Yes, sir.” The junior officer left, realizing his palms were drenched in sweat.

“Wind Tiger” was the name of Miss Qi Qi’s private army, and they were now in charge of the security at the Yin Family Mansion and the escort for important figures.