CHAPTER 612: CHAPTER 373, ON THE VERGE!_2

"Chief, this is too risky. Should we call the guard over?" Jiang Huowang, the adjutant accompanying him, voiced his concerns.

"Why? Do they still have the guts to detain me? If they dare to do so... I, Tang Shengyan, would really thumbs-up to Yan Wenli and shout ’respect’." The old man said with a stern face.

Looking down at the red bricks on the ground, he asked, "Was that squad leader killed right here?"

"Yes," Jiang Huowang nodded and replied, "It’s said the conflict occurred right at the entrance of the Monitoring Bureau."

"Hmm, his head was chopped off, must have bled quite a bit, right?"

"..."

The adjutant didn’t know how to answer that question, nor did he dare to.

"Our brothers from the Flame-Bathed Legion can only die on the battlefield, not at the hands of our own. That would be a disgrace." The old man barked fiercely, "Go send the word, say that I, Tang Shengyan, am here and want to see the Director of the Supervision Institute, Yan Wenli."

"Yes," the adjutant responded and strode towards the guards at the entrance.

Soon, Zhao Zhenji, Minister of Security, and Zheng Jianfeng, the Director’s secretary, hurried over.

Zheng Jianfeng bowed respectfully to Tang Shengyan, smiling as he said, "Greetings, Chief. I am the Director’s secretary, Zheng Jianfeng. The Director was very pleased to hear of your arrival and asked me to invite you to his office for tea."

"No need for tea, and I won’t be going to the office," Tang Shengyan said with a grim face, "You go back and tell Yan Wenli that I want to see him, right here."

"Chief, the weather is hot, why not go to the office and have some tea to cool off?" Zheng Jianfeng knew Tang Shengyan was here to demand answers, so his tone was especially polite.

"Our brothers from the Flame-Bathed Legion have braved swords and flames, what is this little heat to us? Not as pampered as those who sit in offices."

"..."

Zheng Jianfeng felt a tightness in his chest.

Who are they calling pampered? We’ve handled many cases and even been called ’black dogs’...

We too have shed blood and suffered injuries for the Empire, haven’t we?

Of course, these thoughts remained unspoken.

If he dared to retort, Tang Shengyan might slap him across the face.

Tang Shengyan didn’t want to waste words on a secretary either, he waved his hand and said, "Go fetch Yan Wenli, tell him I’m waiting here for him. I’ll leave when he shows up."

Zheng Jianfeng, feeling helpless, turned to Zhao Zhenji and said, "Director Zhao, please stay with the Chief here while I report to the Director."

"Sure, sure, go ahead," Zhao Zhenji replied cheerfully.

Even though he held a high rank and worked in a powerful department like the Monitoring Bureau, he felt powerless when facing a military heavyweight like Tang Shengyan, barely even able to speak.

Zheng Jianfeng pushed open the door to the Director’s office and said to Yan Wenli, who was sitting on the couch drinking, "Director, Chief Tang doesn’t wish to come upstairs; he insists on waiting at the entrance of the courtyard."

"Huh..." Yan Wenli snorted a cold laugh, "Naturally, if one is going to put on a play, they must perform the full set."

"A play?"

"He’s always been reputed as a man who ’loves his soldiers like his children.’ If he’s come here seeking justice for his people, he naturally would want to be where the most people can see him, the more noise the better, the more witnesses the better."

Yan Wenli set down his glass of Whiskey, picked up the hat on the table, and said, "Let’s go then, let’s meet this masterful actor, General Tang."

"Yes."

"And oh, give Tang Fei a heads up. After all, he’s here because of this man, and our leading actor just might need to make an appearance at the crucial moment."

"Tang Fei meeting Chief Tang?" Zheng Jianfeng expressed his surprise.

Everyone in the Phoenix Empire knew that Tang Fei had beheaded a lieutenant of the Flame-Bathed Legion, an act the Legion considered a profound disgrace, and they detested him to the bone.

Bringing Tang Fei in front of Tang Shengyan, wasn’t that like sending a little rabbit into the wolf’s mouth?

Thinking of Tang Fei’s image...

At least it might be more akin to a civet cat.

"Better to meet than not. If there are issues, resolve them face-to-face. If not, endless troubles will ensue later," Yan Wenli sighed softly.

Tang Shengyan was the commander of the Flame-Bathed Legion, which was one of the Empire’s top three elite legions.

With hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, numerous strong and exceptional men.

If he intended to take revenge on someone, that person would have no chance to escape.

Tang Fei not showing up today would only add fuel to the fire.

If he truly enraged Tang Shengyan, he wouldn’t be able to save himself either.

"I understand, I’ll call Director Tang right now," said Zheng Jianfeng.

He had a good impression of Tang Fei, thinking him a smart person, and he was unwilling to see Tang Fei get in trouble.

When Yan Wenli arrived at the entrance of the Monitoring Bureau, Tang Shengyan stood there upright like a javelin.

One car, one adjutant, and one driver.

The three of them stormed up to the entrance of the Monitoring Bureau, forcing Director Yan Wenli of the Supervision Institute to personally come out to receive them.

This was the prestige of an ace legion, the confidence of Tang Shengyan, the legion’s big boss.

"Hey, big brother, it’s been a while since we last met, hasn’t it? It’s quite hot outside, isn’t it? Why don’t you come upstairs and have some tea and rest your feet?" Yan Wenli said with a smile plastered over his face, extending his hand towards Tang Shengyan for a handshake.

One was the general of the Flame-Bathed Legion, the other was the Director of the Supervision Institute.

One in charge of internal affairs, the other in charge of external affairs.

Their ranks were equivalent, authority-wise...

The Supervision Institute held sway in peace, the Flame-Bathed Legion wielded power in war.

Even faced with the proactive cordiality of Yan Wenli, Tang Shengyan’s face showed not a trace of a smile.

"I know Dean Yan likes good liquor, and luckily I am fond of it too. I’m afraid that if I drink that little bit of liquor and a blast of cold air hits me, the fiery feeling in my heart would disappear, and I wouldn’t be able to say those unpleasant words."

Tang Shengyan pointed to the stone slabs underfoot, "The blood of my brothers in the Flame-Bathed Legion would have been spilled in vain, and their heads would have been needlessly chopped off... so let’s meet here. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll invite Dean Yan for a drink to make amends."

"Oh, not at all, not at all. We are brothers after all, why mention making amends?" Yan Wenli replied with a gaunt face full of smiles, but the smile was not amiable, rather it gave off a chilling air.

"About that matter, I should indeed apologize to big brother. It was my inability to handle the situation properly, allowing something to happen that shouldn’t have happened... I have let you down, and I have let down the brothers of the Flame-Bathed Legion," Yan Wenli intended to assume all responsibility.

Who would dare to pursue his responsibility then?

Due to the differing importance of people, the seriousness of the events also varied.

"Dean Yan, since I, Lao Tang, am standing here today, I won’t beat around the bush," Tang Shengyan said sternly, with an expression like burnt ash, suppressing the rage in his heart, "Have Tang Fei come down, I need to talk to him about this matter."

"Big brother, aren’t you putting me in a difficult position? Tang Fei is a member of our Monitoring Bureau, it was I who assigned him the task, he enforces the law impartially... Now that trouble has arisen, and you show up here, and I just hand him over. Would I, Yan Wenli, still have the face to show myself?"

"Big brother, you are an expert in leading troops. If you treat your own subordinates this way, who would work for you? When you charge into battle, who would be willing to risk their lives for you?"

"I also have my own difficulties, I cannot do that... I am the Director of the Supervision Institute, let me shoulder the burden for them."

Tang Shengyan glared sharply at Yan Wenli, forcibly suppressing the anger inside him, and said, "Dean Yan, is this the response from your Supervision Institute? Are you saying the Flame-Bathed Legion has no one to turn to?"

Yan Wenli’s face was filled with a bitter smile as he said, "Big brother, who doesn’t know the prestige of your Flame-Bathed Legion? How many people do we in the Monitoring Bureau have? How many guns? How many people and guns does your Flame-Bathed Legion have?"

"If each of you just spit once, you could drown our Monitoring Bureau... How could we dare to oppose you? I am just hoping you can show some mercy..."

"Those few youngsters wanted to forcefully enter the Monitoring Bureau, and when they pointed a gun at Tang Fei’s head, Tang Fei then chopped off his head... We have already handed over the on-site video to the Royal Family, I think you must have seen it..."

"Right and wrong, justice has already passed judgment. Isn’t your rushing over here to demand his handover a bit too bullying?"

"Who is bullying too much, us in the Supervision Institute or you? The senior officers of the Flame-Bathed Legion, you say arrest and you arrest; the officers of our Flame-Bathed Legion, you say kill and you kill... Have you taken my Flame-Bathed Legion for granted?"

"Our Supervision Institute acts according to law, you want to take away our investigators... what exactly do you take our Supervision Institute for?"

"So you’re saying... you’re not planning to hand him over?"

"Absolutely not."

The two titans locked eyes, sparks flying.

A great battle was on the verge of erupting.