Chapter 403: Special Affairs Department

“You gave me your word that I would be able to meet him today!”

Qiao Qiao glared at Qiao Yifeng.

Qiao Yifeng glanced around and saw that his subordinate, the man in black was standing by the door of the bar.

Qiao Yifeng sighed. “I did indeed promise you that…”

“Then keep it!” There was firmness in Qiao Qiao’s voice. Then, she changed her tone, lowering it slightly as she said, “Dad! I have already grown up! I am no longer a little kid. It is not possible for you to make arrangements for me forever. You know that.”

Qiao Yifeng cast a conflicted look at his daughter.

“You promised me that I would be able to meet him today. That was the deal.”

Qiao Yifeng revealed a wry smile. “I didn’t say I’m going back on my words.”

“If so…”

Without waiting for Qiao Qiao to finish her sentence, Qiao Yifeng shook his head and said, “He is now in Zero City. However, he is temporarily unable to meet you.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Qiao Yifeng thought about it before saying, “Your Uncle Bluesea has some matters to discuss with him. You know how it is, he is a Guild Leader.”

Qiao Qiao stared at her father with wide-opened eyes. “Uncle Bluesea? Why would Uncle Bluesea want to discuss anything with him? Could it be our guild will be entering a partnership with Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild?”

“Matters are somewhat complicated and I myself have no way of giving you the details quickly,” said Qiao Yifeng with a sigh. He then said patiently, “At any rate, wait for everything to be settled and you will naturally be able to meet him.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“I don’t know.” Qiao Yifeng shook his head.

Qiao Qiao glared at him once more and Qiao Yifeng became furious. “Enough! I am still your father! You should maintain some respect for me!”

Observing the expression of dissatisfaction on his daughter’s face, Qiao Yifeng himself did not know what he was feeling at the moment. He could only be patient and say, “In short, I am not lying to you this time. Both you and Soo Soo can leave Zero City. In the future, I will not be restraining your actions anymore.”

“I want to see him!” Qiao Qiao continued glaring at Qiao Yifeng. “I am your daughter! I know you! I get the feeling that you must still be hiding something from me. What happened to him?”

Qiao Yifeng smiled bitterly. “What would I hide from you? Would I have locked him up? Have him killed? What a joke. If you don’t trust me, then you can go ask Uncle Bluesea. There are matters that he wants to discuss with your friend about. It is regarding our partnership.”

“I…”

“Enough, Qiao Qiao. He is your Guild Leader, so the specifics of this are something that you will need to wait until you meet up with him to have him tell you.” Qiao Yifeng shook his head.

“Then when can I meet him.”

“Maybe… tomorrow. At any rate, it’ll be within the next few days.” Qiao Yifeng kneaded his forehead. He turned to Qiao Qiao and said in a hushed tone, “What I mean to say is, you don’t need to wait in Zero City anymore. I will send you out and back home, then…”

“If I can’t see him, then I won’t leave!” Qiao Qiao gritted her teeth.

“Sigh!” Qiao Yifeng gave a frustrated smile. “Back then, when I won’t allow you to leave, you keep trying to run away. Now that I am letting you leave, you want to stay behind?”

“I suspect that you are up to something. Since you won’t let me meet him, you… could it be you’ve done something to harm him?!”

Qiao Yifeng was left speechless.

Truth be told, he did indeed attempted to harm Chen Xiaolian. Such was the case in the Africa incident.

“Enough! I don’t want to keep talking about this anymore. At any rate, you and Soo Soo will be leaving Zero City today! I will be sending you back myself.” Seeing that Qiao Qiao was about to say something in response, Qiao Yifeng continued, “Listen to me. This is my final decision. You two must leave!”

“Why? I want to see him and leave with him.”

“That’s not possible. You two need to leave first.”

Qiao Yifeng regarded the stubborn expression on Qiao Qiao’s face and his heart suddenly softened. He slowly said, “Qiao Qiao, listen to me… this matter is a little complicated. It will not be good for you to continue staying in Zero City.”

After silently contemplating about it, Qiao Yifeng finally chose not to reveal the issue that Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild was presently facing.

At that moment however, a man stepped through the door into the bar.

The man did not appear too old. However, when Qiao Yifeng saw the man, a trace of vigilance appeared within his eyes.

The man had an average stature and appeared very strong and sturdy. His uniform was quite the tight fitting one.

Seeing the badge on the uniform caused Qiao Yifeng’s eyes to rapidly narrow up.

Additionally, it was very clear who the other side had come for as he made a beeline toward Qiao Yifeng’s table.

Qiao Yifeng’s subordinate, the man in black stepped forward as he attempted to stop the man. However, after the man whispered a few words to the man in black, the man in black cast a helpless look at Qiao Yifeng before allowing the man to continue forward.

“Good afternoon.” When the man was standing before their table, he smiled and sat himself down.

Qiao Yifeng regarded the man and waved his hand, indicating to the man in black that he should leave them.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Walker, a member of the Angel Corps’ Zero City Special Affairs Department.” The man known as Walker gave a smile that revealed his white teeth. “Forgive me for disturbing you, Mr Qiao.”

Qiao Yifeng frowned.

Angel Corps’ Zero City Special Affairs Department. Naturally, he knew of that name.

“Special Affairs Department? If I am not mistaken, the Special Affairs Department is the department that specializes in investigating loopholes in safety protocols. Is there any reason for you to come to chat with me?” There was a very cautious tone in Qiao Yifeng’s voice. He glanced at his own daughter and said coolly, “Qiao Qiao, I will send you back first. There is something I need to discuss with this…”

“No, Mr Qiao.” Walker gave a polite smile, however, his tone was very firm. There was a faint trace of unyieldingness in his voice. “The reason I am here today is not for you. Rather… I am here for your daughter. There is something that I need to verify with your daughter.”

“My daughter?” Qiao Yifeng’s show of caution grew stronger. “How could my daughter be connected to the affairs of Zero City? You must have made a mistake.”

“Forgive me. Perhaps it is a misunderstanding. But even so, I need to verify it.”

“She is my daughter. If there are any issues, you can contact Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild. I doubt my daughter can give you much in way of assistance.” Qiao Yifeng stood up and said coldly, “Well then, our discussion is concluded. We’ll be taking our leave.”

Walker did not make any move. He simply raised his head to look at Qiao Yifeng and said, “Mr Qiao, the Angel Corps respects the rights of each resident guilds. However, this visit of mine has received the approval from the Special Affairs Department. In other words, I have the authority to question every person within Zero City. I believe this authority of mine has been detailed out in the institution of Zero City. Thus, I ask that you do not make things hard for me.”

Qiao Yifeng’s expression turned anxious. “My daughter? Are you certain you are not mistaken?”

“Like I said earlier, it is possible that this is just a misunderstanding. Thus, there is no need for you to be so anxious.” Walker sighed. “This is just an ordinary chat. However, if you refuse to cooperate, then I can only resort to special means.”

“… such as?”

“I can give the order to restrict your beautiful daughter’s entry and exit clearance for Zero City. Before the question has been verified, she will not be allowed to leave Zero City.” Walker spread his hands and continued, “You see, Mr Qiao, I do respect you and I also respect Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild. Thus, I do not desire making a ruckus. I believe it should not be an issue for us to sit down and have a chat. I assure you these are only some ordinary questions that will not cause you any difficulties.”

“Dad.” Qiao Qiao suddenly opened her mouth. She looked at Walker and said, “Let me have a chat with him so we can know what he wants to talk about.”

Qiao Yifeng revealed a slightly dissatisfied expression and he said coldly, “So be it. Could anyone just come and bully Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild now? Humph… I will be sure to lodge a complaint about this to Angel Wu.”

“That is well within your rights; you may do so.” Walker appeared unmoved by the statement. “Now then, shall we begin?”

“Five minutes.” Qiao Yifeng said coldly and cast a glance at Qiao Qiao. “Qiao Qiao, if there are any questions that you don’t feel like answering, just refuse. I will be sure to question the Angel Corps about this.”

“It’s all right, dad.” Qiao Qiao cast a curious look at Walker and said, “Please go ahead and ask.”

Walker smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Qiao.”

Pausing for a moment, he suddenly retrieved something that appeared similar to a tablet. Placing it before him, he started it up and a holographic display appeared before its surface.

“Miss Qiao. First, please verify your identity. According to the security records, you are the daughter of Qiao Yifeng, one of the founders of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild. You entered Zero City temporarily through Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild’s list of members in preparation phase – is that correct?”

Qiao Qiao cast a glance at her father before saying, “Yes.”

“If so, is there any change to your present identity as a ‘preparation phase member of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild’? What I mean is, will you, after an assessment by Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild, become an official member of the guild?”

“No.” Qiao Qiao showed no hesitation in answering. “I have no intentions of becoming a member of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild. I am a member of another guild.”

“Mm. In that case, what is the name of your guild?”

Qiao Qiao hesitated.

Walker smiled. “No need to be anxious, these are just some routine questions. If you do not wish to answer, I simply won’t record it down.”

“If so, I will not be answering,” Qiao Qiao said in a very cautious manner.

“Now then, the interval between your latest entry into Zero City until today… 18 days. Is this number correct?”

“It’s correct.”

“Did you leave Zero City during these 18 days?”

“No.”

“Good. Your identity has been verified. Next, there is something I need you to describe for me. A few days ago, in this very bar, a young lady appeared here and became acquainted with you, right? This person has the identification badge of the Angel Corps. Did such a matter occur?”

“… … … yes.” Qiao Qiao nodded.

Qiao Yifeng interjected coldly, “I have already lodged a complaint about this matter to the Angel Corps. Your corps has no right to interfere in our guild’s internal matter.”

“Yes, that is why I am here,” Walker quickly replied. He then looked at Qiao Qiao. “Can you give me a summary of what happened back then?”

Qiao Qiao took a deep breath. “At the time, I was sitting here with my sister, drinking some drinks, then…”

A few minutes later, Qiao Qiao finished relaying what happened to her that day. Naturally, she did not give the contents of what she had asked of Nicole. She only said that she had asked of the other person for a favour.

Walker slowly listened to her and did not interrupt her. When Qiao Qiao was done, he asked, “Let me summarize it again. This other person has an Angel Corps badge, is a young lady with an Oriental face. What about her height?”

“About… the same as me.”

“Mm, and age?”

“She appears around 20. In short, she appears quite young.”

“What about the language used? And accent?”

“Chinese, the standard type,” Qiao Qiao answered coolly.

Walker nodded. “Good. Next, I hope you can tell me the exact content of the task you gave her.”

“I do not want to answer that question.”

Walker sighed and looked at Qiao Qiao. He patiently said, “You see, I am a reasonable person. As of now, some sensitive matters have become involved in this issue. Thus, I had been ordered to verify the details. We have to obtain a clear picture of some of the details.”

Qiao Yifeng interrupted him. “Did something happen?”

“I am not at the liberty to say.” Walker said coolly. “At present anyways. However, you may use the official channel given to Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild to ask the Angel Corps. When the time comes, depending on the circumstances, someone will give you an explanation. As of now however, I am merely assigned to verify matters and am in no position to disclose too much.”

Qiao Qiao contemplated it before slowly saying, “Back then, I was unable to exit Zero City. Thus, that woman who happened to observe the argument between me and my father’s subordinates came over and offered her help. She said she could help me send a verbal message to a friend of mine outside Zero City. It’s that simple. It’s just a private verbal message with no special contents.”

Walker smiled. “Nothing special. Then, what are the specific words?”

Qiao Qiao bit her lips.

Qiao Yifeng coldly interjected. “It’s very simple. There is something between a young man and my daughter but I do not agree to have them meet up. Even so, my daughter insists… you should be able to figure it out.”

“Very well, I will put this as ‘private affairs’.” Walker smiled.

“… … … thank you.” Qiao Qiao frowned. “Are we done?”

“Soon.” Walker looked at Qiao Qiao. “The last question… Miss Qiao, before this, did you ever got to know of any member of the Angel Corps? Did you have any relationship with any member of our Angel Corps?”

Qiao Qiao was silent.

A member of the Angel Corps?

Of course she did.

Nicole!

However, Nicole died in the Tokyo instance dungeon.

This… … was this something she could talk about?

Qiao Qiao shook her head and said slowly, “No.”

Walker had an expressionless look on his face as he stood up. Nodding his head, he said, “It’s done. I have finished asking the questions. I’m very sorry to have disturbed you. As a representative of Angel Corps’ Zero City Special Affairs Department, I hereby give you, Miss Qiao a formal notice. In view of the issues related to the questions I had asked of you, there are some issues that has to be investigated and verified. Thus, your personal entry and exit clearance for Zero City has been temporarily suspended. In other words, you will need to stay in Zero City for now. You cannot leave.”

“No way!” Qiao Yifeng quickly shouted. “She needs to leave Zero City today!”

“I am sorry, but the rules are the rules. Depending on the state of security, the Special Affairs Department has the authority to suspend the access clearance of any resident guild member other than the Guild Leader. This is the administrative authority privy to the Angel Corps. If this causes a personal problem for you, I can only apologize. You may make a complaint through the official channel. However, that is not under my jurisdiction.”

“I will definitely be making a complaint!” Qiao Yifeng stated angrily.

“As I said, that is your right.”

Walker smiled and made a polite gesture and straightened himself. “Goodbye then.”

The moment he left, Qiao Yifeng slammed on the table furiously. He turned to face the man in black and spat out angrily, “Return immediately! Lodge a complaint! I want Qiao Qiao to leave Zero City today! Lodge the complaint immediately! If it doesn’t go through, I will go find Angel Wu!”

The man in black had a troubled look on his face. He whispered, “Boss, according to the rules, even if we want to lodge a complaint, we need to go through the procedures. It will take at least 24 hours before the complaint is approved, so…”

Qiao Qiao sat beside with a pokerface.

…

Chen Xiaolian vigorously shook his head.

His hand was still holding onto the hilt of the sword while the blade had been stabbed into the jade wall.

Chen Xiaolian felt his ears ringing and his mind buzzing.

Just then, it was as though a lightning bolt had struck him right on his head.

In that instant, Chen Xiaolian felt himself entering a trance-like state as something chaotic entered his mind.

Strings of golden symbols flew around chaotically within his mind.

“This, what the *** is this… … …”

…