179: Chapter 178 The Gatekeeper

After escaping in a sorry state for quite a distance, Cao Xiao finally slowed down the car. He was still shaken, while Duan Hong and Niu Zhen were equally terrified. Their eyes were filled with resentment as they looked at Cao Xiao. Sensing a faint, lingering odor emanating from the two, Cao Xiao's face flushed with shame and annoyance. As expected, he had also been tainted by it. This was just from the scent molecules drifting from afar; he had brought this on himself. If he had been directly hit by the foul liquid, he truly wouldn't have been able to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Huanghe River.

"Ahem! Everyone has worked hard following me around lately. There happens to be a nice bathhouse nearby. I'll treat everyone to a sauna to relax properly," Cao Xiao said solemnly, trying to hide his embarrassment as he couldn't stand the way the two men were looking at him.

Cao Xiao's words held no appeal for Duan Hong, who was already married. He rolled his eyes at Cao Xiao with an 'I've seen through you' expression and didn't reply, focusing on driving instead. However, the young and vigorous Niu Zhen was clearly tempted. A blush appeared on his face, though he tried to act oblivious. Cao Xiao caught the glimmer of anticipation in the glance Niu Zhen shot him; it seemed this simple kid had gotten the wrong idea. Cao Xiao smiled and didn't correct him. He was looking forward to seeing what kind of expression this unlucky kid would make when he realized his current state made him unfit for human company.

He called Liao Kai to have the police take over, but he didn't dare state the specific situation, as it was too embarrassing. However, he did kindly remind Liao Kai to have the arriving officers prepare hazmat suits. He also asked about the progress of the operation. Liao Kai whispered that everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. The intelligence he provided was precise and without error. A group of municipal committee members was watching, but Commissioner Zhang was furious and told him to handle his business quickly and report to the Municipal Bureau. Cao Xiao hummed twice in acknowledgement and hung up... then he turned off his phone.

...

Finding a place to park nearby, the group sneakily arrived at a bathhouse named "Shuiyutang." Although there weren't many customers at this time, the wealthy Cao Xiao pulled out a hundred thousand yuan to book the entire place for an hour. Cao Xiao had never had spare money to spend at a bathhouse before; he found this "Shuiyutang" through his brain-computer interface as the best one nearby. For a place of this caliber, a hundred thousand for an hour wasn't actually expensive. The decor was magnificent, and the service was good. Upon smelling the odor on them, the staff only frowned imperceptibly without showing any disgust, keeping a warm smile on their faces. However, Cao Xiao noticed the servers spoke with nasal voices, clearly holding their breath. Still, being able to do this much was already impressive; at least they didn't show disdain, which made Cao Xiao feel even more embarrassed.

When they emerged from Shuiyutang, everyone smelled of fragrant men's perfume, which Cao Xiao had specifically sent a server to buy. Although Duan Hong and Niu Zhen held onto hope, it might have been a psychological illusion, but even after soaking for a full hour until their skin was scrubbed red, that strange smell could still be faintly detected on them. Once smelled, that scent was something one wouldn't want to encounter again for a lifetime. To counter this, Cao Xiao simply had everyone spray themselves with perfume, leaving everyone's newly bought clothes and bodies drenched in a scent so strong it was pungent. This caused passersby to stare. Combined with the bodyguards' sturdy builds, people thought they were a group of "host club boys" from Shuiyutang on an outing. Even more depressing was that some people actually asked for their contact info—more than one, in fact. Seeing the suggestive glances from several flamboyantly dressed women, the bodyguards were so ashamed they were nearly in tears. Cao Xiao was mortified because the looks he received were full of contempt; people saw him as the ugly duckling in a flock of swans. Truly, he had brought this on himself!

...

Since things had turned out like this today, they could only hide at home. He had originally planned to catch those extremists, put large signs on their backs, make them wear tall hats, and let them experience being denounced like landlords. Now, there was no need, for they had already suffered a punishment far more terrifying than a denunciation rally. Even if they weren't executed, they would be abandoned by the entire world for a long time to come.

He had planned to handle the Linghu Family's affairs in the evening, but unexpectedly, the news he had someone leak last night already triggered a reaction. To his surprise, after hearing that the family head and several direct descendants in power had committed serious crimes and might never get out, members of the Linghu Family from all over the country rushed here within a day. Now, Cao Xiao didn't even need to lift a finger; these people were gathered together carving up the family's main assets. It was said the scene was quite lively, with a full-blown brawl breaking out while they continued to argue, searching everywhere for a prestigious person to act as a notary. This was for the best, saving Cao Xiao the trouble. He didn't care for the Linghu Family's assets at all. Now that they were splitting up on their own, the subsequent matters were none of his concern. He had never heard of a family reuniting after such a split. Even if Linghu Yunyi and the others managed to escape, they couldn't undo the fact that the Linghu Family had disintegrated. Perhaps from now on, the name of the Linghu Clan would no longer be heard in China.

He didn't dare return to Biyuntian Villa and stayed at Tianxing Garden for the night alone. Using the collection function of the Super Industrial Mother Machine to clear the perfume and odors from his body, he finally had a comfortable, full night's sleep.

The next day, after practicing his boxing and eating breakfast, he flew to the East Lake District in a helicopter piloted by Zhang Qiling. As for the bodyguards, Cao Xiao gave them two days off; he really didn't have the face to take them out before the perfume scent dissipated.

Arriving at Xiaochen Village, he had to ask for directions several times before finding that two-story residential building in a remote alley. Looking at the dilapidated state of this building, which clearly dated back to the eighties, Cao Xiao was speechless. No matter how poor the Supervision Office was, they couldn't be so broke that they couldn't afford rent. Moreover, setting up the office here was a major blunder; it was surrounded by residences and the environment was complex, unsuitable for a secret department like the Supervision Department. Such a run-down office was a disgrace. He really couldn't imagine what was wrong with the previous Supervision Office Head to choose this place.

With a creak, he pushed open the rusty iron gate. Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw someone walking out. The newcomer was a scrawny old man nearly seventy years old, with silver hair and a long beard. He was unkempt, wearing somewhat old and wrinkled clothes, looking rather slovenly. His eyes appeared somewhat dull and vacant, and he seemed to struggle while walking, his steps faltering, giving the impression of someone with one foot in the grave.

"Old man, who are you?" Cao Xiao asked in surprise. He was confused; shouldn't everyone from the Supervision Office have withdrawn? Not even a gatekeeper was left, so this old man's presence was suspicious. He secretly went on guard, his right hand moving inconspicuously behind his back.

"I'm the landlord here. And who are you?"

The old man spoke weakly, but Cao Xiao couldn't tell if it was an illusion—he clearly felt a strange meaning in the gaze from those dull eyes. It was like scrutiny, and also... wariness. The old man glanced around several times casually.

"I'm a friend of the previous tenant; he sublet this place to me. Old man, my friend's lease hasn't expired yet, right? No entry without an invitation—what are you doing here?" Once certain he wasn't from the Supervision Office, Cao Xiao adopted a hostile attitude. How important was the Supervision Office base? Forget a landlord, even the Provincial Chairman couldn't enter without permission. The Supervision Office had been stationed here for years; they couldn't have failed to communicate with the landlord beforehand. Now that the landlord had suddenly appeared, Cao Xiao naturally didn't believe it. The object in his hand slowly appeared before the old man's eyes as he said mockingly, "Old man, are you going to keep acting?"

"Squat down with your hands behind your head, or I'll shoot to kill!" Zhang Qiling was waiting at the door. Seeing Cao Xiao suddenly pull a gun, he realized something was wrong. He didn't have a service weapon at the Municipal Bureau, and Cao Xiao hadn't had time to equip him yet. He immediately drew a combat knife from his waist and charged toward the old man, shouting his warning.

"This is my house, why can't I come take a look? Who are you people?" The old man showed no fear upon seeing the gun in Cao Xiao's hand, instead asking back with a confused and naive expression.

"Hmm? Insolence!" Seeing Zhang Qiling relentlessly pouncing with the knife, the old man barked. His body drifted half a meter to the side like a falling leaf, dodging Zhang Qiling's blade. He lightly pushed Zhang Qiling's side with one hand. It seemed like a weak push, but Zhang Qiling was sent crashing heavily into the wall as if hit by a speeding car.

"Stop!" Seeing Cao Xiao about to turn his gun and fire, the old man moved like a piercing arrow. In a single bound, he appeared before Cao Xiao. With a swipe of his hand, the gun was now in the old man's possession. In the next instant, the muzzle was pointed at Cao Xiao's head. The old man didn't fire, instead looking at Cao Xiao with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Little fellow, you're Cao Xiao, right?"

Cao Xiao hadn't even seen the old man's movements before the roles of attacker and defender were swapped in a flash. He was horrified, realizing he had encountered a master. He couldn't be sure if the man was a martial artist, but he was definitely a high-level master far beyond the Dark Jin realm. He deeply regretted his carelessness. Since he suspected the man was an enemy, he should have maintained a safe distance before acting. The speed was so fast his eyes couldn't even react; he had stood frozen in place before the man approached, his mind going blank. If the man wanted to kill him, he would be dead by now! He instinctively wanted to use the space-cutting power of the industrial mother machine to slice the old man into eight pieces, but hearing the man's words, he paused. Seeing the man made no further move and showed no killing intent, he held back the command.

"Who exactly are you, and why are you at the Supervision Office base?" Cao Xiao backed away two meters, another pistol appearing in his hand while his other hand held a grenade. His thumb was hooked in the ring; a slight movement would pull the pin and detonate it. He put on a posture of mutual destruction if the man dared to move, asking coldly.

"Is this really necessary? The grand Head of the Huanghe City Supervision Office is actually a gutless coward who hasn't even entered the threshold. Your first reaction upon encountering danger as a Supervision Department member is to pull a gun—how embarrassing! You do have some backbone, though, but you're a bit too green to think you can take this old man down with you!" The old man looked at Cao Xiao with disdain. As he spoke, his figure suddenly vanished from Cao Xiao's sight.

"Ah~~! Let go! Or I'm playing for keeps!"

The moment the old man vanished, Cao Xiao only saw a fleeting shadow. Then, he felt the grenade leave his hand. His wrist felt like it was clamped by iron pliers, and he cried out in pain. Once he reacted, he glared and warned the smiling, slovenly old man beside him.

Seeing Cao Xiao's reaction, the old man suddenly felt a sense of impending doom. Curiously, the danger he sensed didn't come from the gun or the grenade, but from Cao Xiao himself! This puzzled him greatly; even with his years of experience, he couldn't see what was special about Cao Xiao. However, he decided it wasn't wise to keep holding him. In his view, Cao Xiao's reaction was a bit intense; if he truly provoked this person into unleashing a trump card, it would be hard to settle. Thus, the old man released a daunting aura, tossed aside Cao Xiao's hand, and said dismissively, "Heh! It's been years since anyone dared point a gun at me! You kid did it twice today and even dared to threaten me with a grenade. Do you know that the people who did that in the past have all become fertilizer? You're not qualified to take me down with you! I don't have any special identity—I don't even have an ID card—but I did watch the front gate at the Supervision Department for several decades."

Hearing this, Cao Xiao's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't because of the old man's aura—aura was an ethereal thing that acted on the mind, and Cao Xiao really wasn't afraid of it. No matter how powerful the old man was, as long as he was flesh and blood, he couldn't withstand a king-tier ability like space. What truly shocked him was the old man's identity. He didn't believe for a second that this old man was just a simple gatekeeper. What kind of place was the Supervision Department? Would it need an ordinary old man to watch the gate?

The meaning behind the old man's words was that he had been protecting the Supervision Department for decades. A person who watches the gate is a 'gatekeeper.' The Supervision Department was originally China's guardian organization; a gatekeeper of the Supervision Department was equivalent to its stabilizing pillar, deterring foreign enemies and protecting the department, which in turn protected China. Without world-shaking strength that could suppress an era, one wouldn't have the qualifications to be a gatekeeper. Cao Xiao didn't know the specifics of the gatekeepers or how many there were, but he knew the slovenly old man before him was definitely a peerless master. By that logic, this man was a senior predecessor. He just didn't know why he would appear at the Huanghe City Supervision Office and even be the landlord here. Truly, like person, like house. With this connection, it made sense why the office was set up here. Having a heavyweight free bodyguard in residence was something other branches would beg for, even if the environment was worse.

Shock aside, Cao Xiao felt quite disgruntled. This old man's posturing was too much. A peerless master with zero masterly grace, dressing in such a shabby way to deceive people and speaking in riddles—he almost turned a misunderstanding into an accidental killing.