Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

Faced with this information, Yan Liang's reaction was infuriatingly cold. He stretched and said indifferently:

“I am not actually Machima’s subordinate, nor have I sold myself to the police. If I had to define our relationship, it was just a cooperative one, where each of us got what we needed.”

"If Machima doesn't change her attitude towards me, and we all live in peace, I'll stay in Section Four without a problem; I'll just use it to pass the time. But if one day she becomes rude to me..."

“Then I’ll leave on my own. I think if I want to leave, Machima doesn’t have the right, or rather, the ability, to stop me.”

Hearing Yan Liang's arrogant remarks, the people on the shore were shocked and horrified.

He is not afraid of Machima.

Not only are they unafraid, but their attitude is extremely tough; that absolute confidence that comes from the depths of their soul cannot be faked.

There was a moment of silence on the shore, as a rough hand stroked the stubble on his chin.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, as if he had made a decision.

"Since you already know what's going on, I'll just say it directly."

Anbian stood up, looking down at Yan Liang with a heavy aura: "So, before we go to the meeting room, I must remind you of something."

"Miss Machima specifically asked for you this time, probably because she wants to reassign your position. Based on the value you demonstrated today, perhaps..."

She paused, her tone becoming incredibly complex.

"Who knows, you might become the second-in-command of the reorganized Public Security Bureau, someone second only to the emperor."

"After all, she values ​​you very much now."

Chapter 137 If they dare to invade, we will surely strike hard.

"Oh? Isn't that a good thing?" Yan Liang said with a smile.

Seeing that Yan Liang seemed not to have grasped the implied meaning, the shore leaned down and explained leisurely:

"Don't blame me for not warning you, the more you gain, the more you lose."

He stared into Yan Liang's eyes and solemnly reminded him:

"The point is not the change in position, but that you are too close to Machima."

"Personally, I don't think Machima is a good boss. Sometimes she's too willful."

"And, I don't know if you've noticed..."

"There's something about her that sets her apart from others."

The shore spoke subtly, but Yan Liang understood.

Considering that Machima might be monitoring them, he was subtly reminding himself that Machima's true identity was that of the Demon King.

However, although he understood, Yan Liang's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he chuckled softly.

"You don't need to remind me of such a small thing."

Meeting the suddenly narrowed pupils on the shore, Yan Liang slowly said:

"Don't be nervous, I already knew when I first met her."

Upon hearing this answer, the seemingly paralyzed face on the shore finally broke down, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You already knew?"

She frowned, her voice rising slightly.

"Then there's something I'm really curious about. Since you know she's so willful, why do you still stay so close to her? Or rather... why do you even step into the quagmire of the police force and become some kind of demon hunter?"

This is a question that Anbian has wanted to ask Yanliang for a long time.

In fact, from the very beginning, the day Yan Liang joined the police force, Anbian had been trying to get close to him. After all, there had never been such a precedent.

A person of unknown origin was personally recruited by Machima to join the Public Security Bureau and even appointed as the captain... At first, Anbian secretly observed for a period of time and concluded that Yan Liang might just be an outsider who was ignorant and deceived by Machima's beauty or power.

But after this conversation, his previous conjectures were overturned.

Now it seems that Yan Liang knowingly walked into danger. He probably knew just as much as I did.

But that doesn't make sense either. Based on the information he had, Yan Liang was very powerful. He could have lived a carefree life, so why would he insist on coming to the police station and willingly jumping into Machima's clutches?

Leaning back in his chair, Yan Liang squinted at the setting sun outside the window, its red light reflecting in his dark eyes. This made him appear unfathomable.

"What's so hard to guess?"

Seeing the headache on the shore, coupled with the slight annoyance left by his sudden intrusion into the ward and disruption of his plans, Yan Liang couldn't help but feel a mischievous urge once again.

He answered off the cuff:

"Probably because I'm more interested in Machima... I want Machima to be my dog."

"..."

silence.

The expression on Anbian's face froze instantly; it was an expression that said, "Are you talking in your sleep?"

Yes, the shore knows that Yan Liang is not afraid of Ma Qima.

He'd been in the police force for so long, living a life of constant danger, and his experience was even longer than Ji Ye's. He'd seen a lot of things, but none of the people he'd met were like Yan Liang, who not only wasn't afraid of Ma Qima, but also dared to rebel against the Heavenly Gang and make Ma Qima his lackey.

Seeing the wonderful expression on the shore, as if they had swallowed a fly, Yan Liang finally suppressed his smile.

After gathering his thoughts, he spoke again:

"Just kidding, Captain Kishibe, don't make that face."

Yan Liang's tone returned to its previous seriousness:

"As I just said, my relationship with her is purely professional."

“I have some special needs, and looking across all of Japan, only the resources that Machima has can satisfy me. That’s why I joined the Public Security Bureau.”

Upon hearing Yan Liang's explanation, the brain that had been idle on the shore began to function again. He stared into Yan Liang's eyes, making sure the other wasn't truly going mad, before letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Chatting with you young people is really a test of an old man's heart."

The shore remained silent for a while, seemingly digesting Yan Liang's information-rich words.

He then patted the wrinkles on his black trench coat, indicating that he had made up his mind.

"We've been chatting for so long that we almost forgot about the important matter."

She turned around, pulled a wrinkled note from her pocket, and quickly wrote a string of numbers on it with the fountain pen she always carried.

"Let's go, those high-ranking officials are probably getting impatient. I still need to take you to the Public Security Headquarters for the meeting."

As he spoke, Anbian handed the note to Yan Liang.

“By the way, this is my private phone number.” Anbian’s gaze met Yan Liang’s in mid-air. “Now that we are colleagues in the Public Security Bureau, we can keep in touch when we have time.”

Yan Liang looked at the note that was handed to him.

Combined with the long silence that had just passed on the shore, he had completely understood what the other person meant.

After this test, Anbian confirmed that he had not colluded with Machima; at the same time, he also realized that he still needed Machima's help and would not break ties with her until his needs were met.

Since they are not monolithic enemies, there is a possibility of them becoming allies.

This phone number is like an olive branch thrown on the shore. The old fox is preparing to continue lying in wait in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity.

Yan Liang indeed thought so; unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to provoke Machima.

It's not that I'm afraid of Machima, but there's no need to be.

Yan Liang's goal was to go home. Staying in the police force was just to make it easier to find clues. He did not have any core conflict of interest with Ma Qima.

But if Machima insists on blocking his way, continues to misunderstand him, and keeps trying to test him with her clever tricks, Yan Liang doesn't want to put up with it any longer.

In this situation, the note left for oneself on the shore becomes especially important.

Although Kishibe isn't as trustworthy as Himeno and Hayakawa Aki, he's still a capable helper.

"no problem."

Yan Liang took the note and casually slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He looked at the shore and smiled slightly.

"If you have time, I can treat you to a few glasses of good wine."

"Oh, I'll remember that."

Their eyes met briefly before they looked away, tacitly ending the conversation.

Before we knew it, the afternoon had quietly slipped away. The color of the sky gradually changed from bright azure to the deep orange-red of dusk.

A few minutes later.

Yan Liang followed behind him on the shore and walked out of the hospital's main gate.

A black police van had been waiting for a long time below the steps.

Chapter 138 Machima Reappears

Before long, the black police car came to a smooth stop in front of the police headquarters building.

Yan Liang and An Bian walked into the Public Security Headquarters one after the other. Unlike before, after this attack, the Public Security Headquarters was now filled with anxious personnel coming and going. Every now and then, you could see patients with bandages, clearly injured, still forcing themselves to work and organize intelligence.

A suffocating atmosphere permeated the entire headquarters.

Yan Liang and An Bian remained completely detached from this atmosphere, remaining silent the entire way. An Bian led Yan Liang into the elevator and pressed the button. A short while later, with a soft "ding," the metal doors slid open to both sides.

This is the top floor of the Public Security Headquarters, a place even Yan Liang has never been to. The corridors on this floor are covered with thick red carpets, so that footsteps make no sound.

At the end of the corridor was a solemn double wooden door.

"We're here. Go in by yourself."

Anbian stood at the doorway, his hands in his trench coat pockets, and reminded Yan Liang.

Yan Liang didn't move, but turned his head to look at him and asked:

"Oh, what's wrong? Aren't you planning to come in with us?"

"No."

"You're the only one who can be summoned by Machima, and the setting inside isn't really suitable for me."

The face on the shore, as expressionless as a dead fish, stated the story in a flat tone.

Yan Liang stared at the shore for two seconds, feeling that something was not right.

Because, initially, he said he was invited to the meeting because the Public Security Bureau had been attacked. But under such circumstances, it was impossible for Kishibe, as the team leader, not to be present.

Yan Liang recalled their conversation on the hospital bench, during which Anbian had repeatedly warned him that Machima was unsafe. Seeing the situation upon arrival, Yan Liang quickly understood.

He guessed that this meeting was not as simple as he had imagined; it was probably that woman, Machima, trying to use this as an excuse to test him.

Thinking of this, Yan Liang chuckled knowingly.

To be honest, if it were when he first joined the police force, without any means of defense, he might have chosen to play along with Machima and try to avoid a direct confrontation with her.

But now, the two poles have reversed.

The current Cutting Line has unlocked new abilities for him. If Machima really doesn't know what's good for her and wants to get angry and tear off the mask of civility to take action... then she can try and see who can do whatever they want now.

This confidence gave Yan Liang, who was standing in front of the gate, a sense of composure, and at the same time made his aura more vigorous and imposing.

"Alright, then you can stay outside and behave yourself."

Without saying anything more, Yan Liang turned around and pushed open the heavy mahogany door.

"Squeak-"

As the door was pushed open, Yan Liang entered the meeting room.

Looking around, it was a spacious, circular conference room, but the lighting had been deliberately dimmed. In the very center of the room stood a long, black conference table.

Behind the conference table sat five people side by side.

Yan Liang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the woman sitting in the middle from the moment he entered the room.

Machima.

Today she was wearing a well-tailored white shirt, the fitted fabric clinging to her body. Following her fair neck down, there was a neatly tied black tie hanging at her chest, and her proudly rounded breasts.

Her long pink hair was braided and hung down her back, with a few stray strands falling on her forehead. Under the dim light above her head, her signature golden ring eyes were visible.