550: The identities of the two

I had been planning to give Brother Yang a surprise upon arrival, but unexpectedly, I ran into such a troublesome mess as soon as I stepped in here, completely disrupting all my plans.

"Brother Yang?"

Earth Tyrant's heart stirred, a glint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

Indeed, these two were far from ordinary as they appeared on the surface; they must have considerable backgrounds.

He pondered to himself, increasingly convinced that his earlier decision was correct—this favor was definitely worth building.

In contrast, Heaven Tyrant didn't take this so-called "Brother Yang" seriously at all.

In his view, Qi Yu and her younger brother were merely two insignificant ordinary citizens. How much influence could someone they called "Brother" possibly have?

Moreover, he was visibly injured at the moment. The intense pain in his cheek and the blue blood on his face were undeniable—real injuries were right there. No matter who came, they would have to demand an explanation for him.

Before Qi Fang's fingertip could touch the light screen to dial Li Yang's communication, a series of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the bar, accompanied by the crisp sound of metal battle armor scraping. Over a dozen Guard Division soldiers clad in battle armor had already broken through the door.

A cold beam of light swept across the room, finally settling on Heaven Tyrant, who was clutching his face with blue blood continuously dripping between his fingers.

Seeing this, the leading Guard Division Detachment Commander felt his heart tighten. He hurriedly stepped forward, his tone full of respect and concern.

"Director Tian! Are you alright? Who has the nerve to dare lay a hand on you?"

"It's him!"

Heaven Tyrant abruptly raised his hand, pointing at Qi Fang, who was about to initiate the call. His voice grew shrill with anger and pain, his eyes filled with venom.

"It's this bastard who openly assaulted an Imperial Official, beating me up like this!"

The Detachment Commander followed his pointing finger, his gaze landing on Qi Fang. Without a moment's hesitation or further inquiry into the reason,

Heaven Tyrant's status was clear. The Galaxy Speaker's son was injured; he only needed to prioritize executing orders and placating the other party.

He immediately let out a cold shout and decisively gave the order.

"Someone, arrest him first!"

Before the words fully faded, two Guards had already stepped forward. Before Qi Fang could react, they seized his arms from left and right with such heavy force that he couldn't break free.

Cold, heavy alloy handcuffs instantly locked around his wrists. The chill of the metal spread through his skin, completely interrupting the communication he was about to initiate.

"Wait a moment!"

At the critical moment, Earth Tyrant, true to his word, immediately stepped forward, blocking in front of everyone, and spoke in a deep voice to explain.

"That's not how it happened! Heaven Tyrant verbally provoked and deliberately insulted them first. The other party only retaliated in self-defense. You can't arrest someone without distinguishing right from wrong!"

His tone was firm, his gaze fixed directly on the Detachment Commander as he tried to clarify the sequence of events and defend Qi Fang.

Seeing Earth Tyrant step forward to intervene, the Detachment Commander's face immediately showed difficulty, finding himself momentarily in a dilemma.

He knew clearly in his heart that Earth Tyrant and Heaven Tyrant were both sons of the Tianzhuo Constellation Galaxy Speaker. Although their stances and attitudes differed, the power behind them ultimately came from the same source. He dared not easily offend either side; the slightest misstep could bring trouble upon himself.

However, Heaven Tyrant gave him no room for hesitation. He immediately took a step forward, stiffened his neck, and sneered coldly.

"Hmph, provocation? When did I ever provoke them? Do you have any evidence?"

His tone was overbearing, his eyes full of disdain. As he spoke, he suddenly moved his hand away from his face.

Half of his face was already swollen beyond recognition. Bluish-purple bruises spread along his cheekbone, and pale blue bloodstains were still slowly oozing, trickling down his jawline. His appearance was wretched, yet it only accentuated his ferocity.

"What? Are the injuries on my face fake? Did I inflict them on myself to gain sympathy?"

These words left Earth Tyrant momentarily speechless and stripped the Detachment Commander of any buffer.

Heaven Tyrant's injury was an established fact, and assaulting an Imperial Official was a confirmed serious crime. Even if he feared Earth Tyrant, he dared not violate regulations by leniency.

He could only brace himself and speak in a deep voice.

"Assaulting an Imperial Official is indeed a serious crime. Proceed according to regulations; first, verify his identity information."

As soon as the words fell, a Guard beside him immediately stepped forward. Holding a cold, gleaming silver-gray identity verification device, he aimed it at Qi Fang and initiated a scan.

A pale blue beam swept over Qi Fang's body. On the device's screen, a string of information instantly scrolled rapidly. Amidst the flickering light, core identity data clearly emerged.

In addition to basic human citizen registration information, it also indicated his status as an Imperial active-duty officer. His military rank was fixed at Level 5 Second Lieutenant. In the career history column, the graduation record from the Imperial Supreme Military Academy was prominently written. Every piece of information carried undeniable weight.

The information on the verification device was glaringly painful to see. Heaven Tyrant instantly froze in place, his mind blank, utterly stunned.

He had previously been certain that these two were merely ordinary citizens without power or influence, which was why he dared to provoke them recklessly and without restraint. Yet, clearly displayed before his eyes was Qi Fang's status as an Imperial active-duty officer, coupled with a graduation record from the Imperial Supreme Military Academy and a military rank reaching Level 5 Second Lieutenant.

This was a world of difference from what he had imagined. A chill suddenly shot up his spine, and his arrogant bluster instantly withered by more than half.

Although Earth Tyrant also showed surprise on his face, a flicker of astonishment passing through his eyes, he was far from losing his composure.

From their first meeting, he had sensed that Qi Yu and her younger brother possessed a calm, restrained demeanor and an extraordinary bearing, far beyond that of ordinary citizens. Now, learning Qi Fang's identity only confirmed his suspicions with greater clarity. He just hadn't expected the other party to hail from the Empire's top military academy, with a foundation far deeper than he had imagined.

Qi Yu, standing to the side, saw the situation slightly ease. No longer silent, she slowly stepped forward. Her posture was straight as a pine tree, her tone calm yet firm.

"I am Qi Yu, Deputy Director of the Organization and Personnel Department within the Galactic Administrative Center Department. Just now, this comrade Heaven Tyrant first verbally insulted and harassed me, then later blocked our path, forcibly restricting our personal freedom. My younger brother, unable to bear the harassment, was forced to retaliate in self-defense. It was by no means an unprovoked assault."

As these words landed, the scene instantly fell into dead silence.

Heaven Tyrant snapped back to reality, his face filled with disbelief and shock, even forgetting the intense pain in his cheek.

Deputy Director of the Organization and Personnel Department? Milky Way Galaxy? Just hearing the title made it clear that her authority was at least on par with that of the Tianzhuo Constellation Galaxy. In other words, she was on the same level as him. Coupled with her human identity, she was completely not someone he could casually provoke.

Earth Tyrant's eyes also widened abruptly, filled with astonishment. Although he had guessed the two had backgrounds, he hadn't expected Qi Yu's position to be so pivotal, her rank far exceeding his estimation. For a moment, he too stood frozen in place.

The leading Guard Division Detachment Commander was completely dumbfounded. Cold sweat silently trickled down from his temples.

When he arrived, he had only heard that someone had assaulted an Imperial Official. He had assumed it was an ordinary conflict, only needing to protect Heaven Tyrant. How could he have anticipated the situation developing in a completely uncontrollable direction?

On one side was the Galaxy Speaker's son, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Finance. On the other side was a high-ranking Administrative Official from another Galaxy and an active-duty officer graduated from the Imperial Supreme Military Academy. Neither side was someone he could easily handle. For a moment, he had no idea how to bring this to a close.