Chapter 1141: Central Federal Guard Bureau

She still couldn't ascertain what Tang Wulin's exact cultivation rank was, but the fact of the matter was that he had defeated four mechas with his physical strength alone, so no matter what his martial soul was, he certainly wasn't someone to be scoffed at.

Mo Lan was well aware of how sensitive Tang Wulin's current identity was, so she didn't tell anyone that Tang Wulin was a past Shrek Academy disciple. As such, Little Bai was oblivious to all of this. All she knew was this was a powerful guy, more so than she had imagined, and that he seemed to be a decent opponent.

Tang Wulin returned to Mo Lan's side in a very natural manner before giving her a reassuring smile. He then stood beside her in an innocent manner, as if he hadn't been the one who had just destroyed those four mechas.

The police force converged onto the scene, and they were far less well equipped than the soldiers from before. Even so, they represented the law and order of the entire Bright City, so their presence still had great symbolic importance.

All of the police officers were given a fright at the sight of the four demolished military mechas. Soon, a high-ranking police officer caught sight of Mo Lan, and he quickly rushed over. "Are you alright, Ms. Mo Lan? What happened here?"

Mo Lan appraised him with a cold and enraged expression as she replied, "These soldiers barged into this cafe to detain a so-called criminal suspect under broad daylight without any arrest warrants! On top of that, they used military weaponry to threaten the general public, and they even deployed these mechas in the end! All I want to ask is, who gave them the right to do this? Are taxpayers paying for their weapons so they can turn around and aim those weapons at the very hands that feed them? The unruly actions of the military have already posed a threat to the harmony of the entire federation, and I demand that you launch an exhaustive investigation into this!"

Sweat immediately began to appear on the forehead of the police officer. It was quite clear that a major incident had just taken place, and Mo Lan's demands made his job even more difficult.

He was naturally aware of the fact that Mo Lan was a Dove Faction representative, and that even though she was quite young, she was already an extremely well-respected and supported figure in the Dove Faction. She had a strong sense of justice to begin with, and following the deaths of all of her loved ones from the Holy Spirit Cult terrorist attack, she no longer had qualms or inhibitions. As such, following the parliamentary reform, she had led from the front during multiple clashes with the Eagle Faction, garnering extensive support from veteran parliament members of the Dove Faction in the process.

However, the other side was not someone that he could mess with, either! This was the military that they were talking about here! How could a mere police force stand up against the might of the military? If he couldn't address this issue in a sound manner, then major problems could arise.

With all these thoughts racing through his mind, he instantly replied, "We'll be sure to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter, Ms. Mo Lan. For now, we'll detain these soldiers and take them back to the police station."

Mo Lan nodded in response. "I'll be keeping tabs on this situation, so please inform me as soon as any new developments arise."

"Yes!" The police officer extended a salute toward her before leading the other police officers to take care of the soldiers on the scene. At the same time, they recorded statements from the members of the general public in the cafe in order to ascertain the situation that had unfolded earlier.

The detained soldiers were all extremely tight-lipped, but the police officers soon understood the gist of the situation from the general public. It was undoubtedly the case that the military was in the wrong here; they had barged into the cafe to capture someone without an arrest warrant.

These soldiers and mechas all belonged to the Bright City garrison, but they had been incorrectly mobilized to capture someone without an official warrant. This issue could be blown up and be made into a big deal or be stifled and gradually forgotten as an insignificant incident. It was very easy to verify which military department these soldiers and mechas belonged to, and the fact that all of the soldiers were refusing to say anything was a clear indication that they were waiting for their higher-ups to take care of this issue. As such, there would be no way to get them to talk.

Tang Wulin was spectating the proceedings beside Mo Lan this entire time, and the police officers had taken care of the situation in a relatively appropriate manner. The four mecha pilots were all "escorted" out of their mechas and temporarily detained, as were all of the soldiers in the cafe. They were going to be taken back to the police station for further interrogation.

Just as the police force was about to depart with these detained soldiers, a military vehicle suddenly sped onto the scene.

Tang Zihao clearly heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing this military vehicle. The arrival of the higher-ups meant that this load would be taken off their shoulders. In reality, if they were to be truly prosecuted for their actions today, they would have to attend hearings at the military court!

The military vehicle quickly drew to a halt, and a lieutenant colonel emerged from within with a pair of majors in accompaniment.

"Hold on." The lieutenant colonel strode over to the high-ranking police officer and raised a hand to stop them from continuing to detain the soldiers into their police vehicles.

"We're from the garrison's investigation regiment; what's happened here? We heard from a report from our soldiers that a misunderstanding has taken place here between them and your police force; is that true?"

In terms of official rank, the high-ranking police officer wasn't inferior to the lieutenant colonel, and the former replied in a serious voice, "An incident just took place where these soldiers were issued an order by someone to use military weapons to threaten the general public, and they were unable to provide an arrest warrant. Even mechas were deployed and attacked members of the general public. We have to launch a thorough investigation into this so we can provide a proper explanation to the people. Hence, we have to take these soldiers back to the police station for further interrogation."

"You can't do that! These soldiers belong to the military, so we'll be responsible for investigating them; this has nothing to do with you. Please hand them over, and we'll keep you updated on the situation." The lieutenant colonel waved a hand as he spoke, and a dozen or so armed soldiers immediately got out of the military vehicle to stop the police officers in their path.

There were definitely more police officers on the scene, but in terms of equipment and combat prowess, they couldn't hold a candle to these true soldiers.

Mo Lan said in a cold voice, "So this is the tyranny of the military; you've truly opened my eyes!"

"Who are you?" The lieutenant colonel glanced at her with furrowed brows.

Mo Lan replied in an indifferent voice, "I'm nobody; I'm just an ordinary member of the general public. Does that make me unworthy of speaking the truth?"

The lieutenant colonel harrumphed coldly, "We're here on official military duty; all unrelated personnel must vacate the scene right away or you'll be regarded as an enemy of the military and punished accordingly."

Mo Lan couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this. This was the perfect opportunity for her! She had always been trying to find some leverage against the military in order to bring the Eagle Faction down a notch.

Little Bai raised an arm and began to take photographs of everything with her soul communicator.

"What are you doing? Taking pictures is prohibited!" The lieutenant colonel reacted very quickly and immediately discovered what Little Bai was doing.

A major lunged toward Little Bai while raising a hand to make a grab for her arm.

Little Bai harrumphed coldly as her left hand shot forth like lightning, and the major gave a muffled groan as he was forced back a few steps. He then looked down at his palm to find that an insignia had already been imprinted there.

The insignia consisted of a series of small words, and upon closer inspection, he discovered that the words were "Central Federal Guard Bureau".

His expression immediately changed drastically upon seeing this. He was well aware of what the Central Federal Guard Bureau did; they were elite powerful beings who were responsible for ensuring the safety of important federal parliamentary officials.

One had to at least be a five-ring Soul King before they could enter this guard bureau, and at the same time, they had to at least be purple mecha pilots. Of course, they could also be battle armor masters.

The fact that someone from the Central Federal Guard Bureau was here was a clear indication of the status of the woman who had just spoken.

"How dare you attack members of the military!" The lieutenant colonel had only seen his comrade being forced back by Little Bai, and he didn't know what had just happened, so he was just about to flare up with rage. Thankfully for him, the major reacted very quickly, instantly returning to his side before offering his own hand for the lieutenant colonel's examination.

The lieutenant colonel's expression also changed drastically upon seeing the words imprinted on his palm. They were in some trouble now!

The Central Federal Guard Bureau's most important duty was to protect members of parliament, and only parliament members were entitled to protection from them. Furthermore, not all parliament members were entitled to this privilege.

It was undoubtedly the case that this middle-aged woman was a parliament member, and from her attitude, it was quite clear that she was quite opposed to the military. The Eagle Faction held the upper hand at the moment, but in reality, the results of all elections and other major events had to be decided by referendum. If the incident that had just taken place wasn't properly taken care of, then the military's image could take a very severe hit.

This wasn't supposed to be a major incident, but who would've thought that it would escalate to this extent? The lieutenant colonel's expression darkened as the nature of the situation dawned on him.

Mo Lan continued in an indifferent voice, "So? Are you going to arrest me as well? Let me see who dares to obstruct the police in completing their official duties!"

The lieutenant colonel's expression changed several times in quick succession. The current situation was already very difficult to deal with, but if he were to allow the police to detain those soldiers, then the situation would take a further turn for the worse; even the higher-ups of the military would have to be very careful in the way they handled this incident. After all, the Douluo Federation was still a democratic government.

"Take everyone back with us." The lieutenant colonel immediately made a decision and issued an order. At the same time, he strode over to Little Bai and positioned himself in front of her soul communicator to prevent her from taking photos.

In the process, he completely ignored Mo Lan, pretending as if he hadn't realized who she was, and he merely appraised Little Bai with a calm expression as he urged, "Please stop taking photos. If you can take a step back on this, the military will be sure to repay you for your generosity."