Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 607 - 477: The Persistent Yin Soul

The Customs Enforcement Division's office isn't large, but there's plenty of division of labor, truly a small but complete setup.

One of its tasks is to track and monitor smuggling suspects, including locating, eavesdropping, and even coercion through interrogation.

Desis, relying on his past experience, instinctively believed that the other party had installed a locator on him.

His vehicle was parked at the headquarters, but he often went out on business, so such occurrences weren't particularly rare.

In fact, not everyone inside the Customs Enforcement Division is harmonious; colleagues privately selling him out wouldn't be surprising.

That saying goes, where there's big profit, there's bound to be conflict.

After driving around for a while, realizing he couldn't shake them off, he knew he couldn't go home.

However, asking for help from the City Guard was impossible, as the Customs Enforcement Division had its own armed force, and he didn't want to lose face.

Might as well find a restaurant and eat. Desis didn't believe they'd dare act during dinner.

Eating wasn't a problem, but when he left the restaurant, he saw that car across the street again.

Along with that annoying face.

Desis wasn't patient by nature, and his job only amplified that temperament.

In the past, if tangled up like this, he'd confront them directly, and if things escalated, he'd call someone to take them away.

But thinking about the recent rumors, that the guy had the backing of a force possibly capable of killing the Supreme, he ultimately didn't dare be rash.

His temper was bad, but he wasn't dumb. He had already offended them enough, any more would mean mortal enmity.

However, this person kept following him, making it so he couldn't even go home.

People say the Customs Enforcement Division has much profit, but no one cares about the high risks.

The profits from smuggling were too high, and if they angered a smuggler, reprisals against not just the person but their family were not uncommon.

The Customs Enforcement Division's area near the headquarters had a family complex, with guards at the entrance.

But after Desis's promotion, he found the family complex a bit low-tier, inconvenient for socializing, so he moved out.

His family was large, from his parents to siblings, the next generation, and his spouse, totalling over a hundred.

So, he bought over ten thousand square meters of land in a higher-end area to build his house.

Half of this land was communal space, the other half consisted of more than twenty small courtyards.

In these courtyards, some lived together, some separately, mostly in two- or three-story small buildings, with no need for taller ones.

This district also housed many mid- to upper-level members of the Customs Enforcement Division but no departmental guards.

Instead, it was protected by hired guards of the upscale community, less strict than the gate guards but professional nonetheless.

But now, facing such a powerful opponent, those guards couldn't be relied upon.

Desis thought it over and drove directly back to headquarters, where he had an office and a place to rest.

Back in his office, he used his authority to access surveillance, closely watching the car outside.

The car waited until around 10:30. Only then did the driver roll up the window and drive away leisurely.

"You're tired too?" A cold smile crept onto Desis's lips, "If you could stake out all night, I'd respect you as a real man!"

However, thinking further, it was too late now to go home without affecting his family's rest.

The key was that it was already late at night. Recently, Star No. 4's order had improved greatly, but it was still a new Habitable Star.

Worse was that the force that had installed a locator on his car was still secretly watching him.

If even Kushnier could be killed on his way back to the battle area headquarters, what of a mere B-level like him?

Desis decided that he'd sleep at the Customs Enforcement Division tonight. Tomorrow, he'd find someone to check out and remove the car's locator.

The next morning, he found two experts to search, who took over two hours without finding anything unusual.

"It must be a very advanced locator," Desis didn't believe the experts' assessment, seeking advice on other possibilities.

Then he drove around the city with the experts tailing him, still detecting no transmission signals.

As he was puzzled, he received communication from his wife, saying someone had been outside their gate that morning.

Desis's family, over a hundred strong living in more than twenty small courtyards, had only one main entrance.

The person outside the gate rolled down their car window, watching people coming and going through the gate.

Desis's wife, when sending the kids to school, found the car starting to follow them unhurriedly.

Being a relative of the Customs Enforcement Division, she'd had some self-defense training and contacted her husband when sensing something was off.

Hearing this, Desis's face went pale. He asked a few questions about the other's appearance, clenching his teeth in anger.

"Bastard, this is outrageous... Aren't the community guards doing anything?"

"I asked around the district," the woman replied helplessly, "They said the person had an official residence-issued certificate."

"Damn it!" Desis cursed through gritted teeth once more.

Yet he had to admit that to the district guards, the other's certificate might be more authoritative than his.

By noon, that car was parked again at the Customs Enforcement Division's entrance, the driver lowering the window to lazily exhale smoke.

Desis originally didn't plan to go out; he wanted to have a meal in the cafeteria and then take a nap.

But upon hearing this news, he couldn't hold back and stormed out the door in anger.

He came to the car, tried to suppress his fury, and glared, asking, "What on earth do you want?"

Qu Jianlei looked at him calmly, expressionless, "I plan to buy another Vortex soon, and I want you to seize it for me."

"Tch," upon hearing this, Desis's overwhelming anger dissipated more than half.

He took a deep breath and slowly said, "I just wanted to temporarily hold it, not seize it. I was strictly following procedures."

"I didn't mean to make things difficult for anyone. Later someone intervened, and it passed, so why hold a grudge?"

Qu Jianlei was not surprised to see him being stubborn; some people really don't cry until they see the coffin.

He patted the steering wheel and said calmly, "Then I like parking here, did it violate your procedures?"

"This is the gate of the Customs Enforcement Division," Desis couldn't help but speak in officialese, "What reason do you have to park here?"

"I have no reason," Qu Jianlei looked at him calmly, "but I have credentials... I'm parked on the side of the highway."

Parking at the gate of Customs Enforcement is indeed under their jurisdiction, but the other side of the highway is under Government's jurisdiction.

Normally, the Government tacitly allows Customs Enforcement to have some authority over the other side of the highway, but that is only a tacit authorization.

Customs Enforcement can't act roughly against his car, otherwise he could show his credentials and even call the City Guard to arbitrate.

With credentials... Desis had nothing to say; how arrogant he was in space then, is how oppressed he feels now.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, "How can we let this matter go?"

"The words I had someone convey, you seem to have ignored," Qu Jianlei stated expressionlessly.

"If you don't come to find me, I'll have to come find you... or maybe you should go on a mission?"

After this assassination attempt, Qu Jianlei's approach had some significant changes.

Before, he would stay as low-key as possible; when he couldn't, he would act discreetly, aiming for a decisive strike.

But now, whether asking Desis to find him at the academy or coming to the Customs Enforcement Division, he was upfront.

Has his mindset changed? Not really; the key is that his position has changed.

Before, he was just a nobody, keeping a low profile.

Now, he has credentials issued by the Hoyel Mansion, which he has shown multiple times.

Moreover, he is one of the suspects in the assassination attempt on Kushnier—not that he did it, but there's a high chance it involves him.

Those aware of this news are mostly speculating, and unrelated parties couldn't possibly know.

Nonetheless, he's become very noticeable now, and using his old ways would be inappropriate.

Being so powerful yet keeping a low profile and working in the dark would certainly arouse suspicion.

This guy... does he have some unknown past?

To avoid unnecessary speculation, Qu Jianlei thinks he should act more assertively.

Yes, his current assertiveness still stems from caution, not arrogance.

Want me to go on a mission? Desis was infuriated inside: Does your Customs Enforcement always go on missions?

He squinted his eyes, "What if I don't go on a mission?"

"Suit yourself," Qu Jianlei replied indifferently, "Even the Supreme can be assassinated, so a few B-levels dying is normal, right?"

Desis spoke coldly, "Are you threatening me?"

"Threaten... do you deserve it?" Qu Jianlei looked at him indifferently, "If I can't do it, I never say it."

Desis was startled, then said, "You're determined to kill me, aren't you?"

A smile formed on Qu Jianlei's lips, coldly, "Have you started recording? You know what to do."

The technological means the other party controls are indeed numerous! Desis spoke with a dark face, "You want me to compensate you for a Vortex?"

Extortion is a criminal offense, especially for a civil servant, it's an aggravated circumstance.

If he lost everything, he could afford a Vortex, but the other's outcome would definitely not end well.

So what if you have a powerful backing? I'm only targeting you personally!

The power capable of eliminating the Supreme is terrifying, but it doesn't mean everyone in that power is terrifying.

A mere Modified Warrior, caught in greed, would that force intervene to save him?

The most crucial point is that Desis believes he only offended this Panda, not the others in the power.

He also investigated the female A-level accompanying him, and she is a clearly identified senior member of the Pioneer Team.

Going through a series of procedures will cost a lot, but he has had enough of this mess and is willing to spend some money on it.

If he can recover half of the Vortex's cost after the ruling, it would still be worth it.

Whether the grievances between Superpower Warriors, you as a mere Modified Warrior, really have no right to get involved!