A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

The people below the stage looked at each other in bewilderment, secretly surprised.

In previous years, collecting donations was merely a routine matter; there was never any need for the Chief Inspector to personally come and offer praise.

Xing Huai'an took in everyone's expressions and continued, "Special commendation should be given to the constable Su Bai." He turned his gaze to Su Bai's queue, "This year's collection of donations exceeded the quota by 20%, which is truly remarkable."

Upon hearing this, the entire courtyard fell silent.

Many constables stole glances at Su Bai, then at Constable Chen on the stage, whose face was growing increasingly pale.

Xing Huai'an raised his voice a few decibels: "By decision of the Zhenfu Division, the title of outstanding constable this year shall be awarded to constable Su Bai as a commendation."

As soon as he finished speaking, he nodded slightly to Su Bai.

The entire venue suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Countless gazes, like thorns, silently fell upon Su Bai in the queue.

The officers' faces were filled with astonishment and disbelief—it was certainly rare to collect an extra 20% in donations, but how could they be awarded the title of "Outstanding Officer" based on that alone?

That's an honor that only one person in the entire General Garrison Command and its four branch offices can receive each year!

The generous year-end bonus is secondary to securing this position; more importantly...

That would leave a bright mark on your resume.

In the future, any promotion or transfer will be based on this valuable experience.

On what grounds?

Many veteran constables who had endured years of service and considered themselves to have performed some excellent duties felt a pang of bitterness and resentment.

They secretly clenched their fists, their nails digging into their palms, but no one dared to voice their doubts—once General Xing had spoken, it was a done deal.

For a moment, only suppressed breathing could be heard in the courtyard.

Envy, jealousy, resentment, doubt... all sorts of complex emotions surged in the silent air, eventually turning into burning gazes that were fixed on Su Bai's straight back.

"By the way," Xing Huai'an suddenly changed the subject, his tone slightly lower, "there's something else. I heard that yesterday, someone in our Southern Garrison Command... dared to disobey orders?"

These words were like ice water poured into boiling oil, causing the entire room to suddenly freeze.

The crowd's gazes shifted, first glancing at Cheng Hu and Zhao An, whose faces were ashen, then stealthily sweeping over Chen Chatou, whose face was ashen. Finally, some of the bolder ones even glanced at Chen Dongquan, who was pale as a ghost in the corner.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to freeze in the courtyard.

"Officer Chen," Xing Huai'an turned his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, "you tell me, what happened?"

His tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable severity.

When Chen, the police officer, was called out, his heart sank, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He had already received word of this, and today's praise of Su Bai was a direct order from the General Command.

Even after his shift ended yesterday, Su Bai seemed to have been summoned by the Chief Constable...

He never expected that this kid would be protected by the chief constable in such a way!

There's no turning back now.

Chen, the police officer, gritted his teeth, took half a step forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his voice dry but trying hard to remain steady:

"Reporting to you, sir, yesterday when Constable Su went to the Fierce Tiger Gang to collect the donation, the temporary constables Cheng Hu and Zhao An did indeed disobey orders in public and left without permission. I learned of this matter last night and intended to punish them at this morning's meeting..."

"Oh?" Xing Huai'an slightly raised his eyelids. "According to the regulations, what should be done?"

"In my opinion," Chen Cha Tou's Adam's apple bobbed as he uttered the words with difficulty, "that the two men have committed serious dereliction of duty and should be severely punished. Perhaps... they should be given fifty strokes of the cane and have one year's salary deducted."

This punishment is already extremely severe.

A year's salary was almost enough to cut off a temporary servant's livelihood;

The severity of the fifty strokes of the cane can vary greatly. A minor one could result in broken bones and being bedridden for months, while a severe one could not be so bad as to cause immediate death.

However, on the high platform, Xing Huai'an gave a heavy snort, and his sleeves twitched.

"Too light!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.

"How can such derelict and unruly individuals be allowed to continue wearing official robes and carrying public instruments?" Xing Huai'an's gaze swept over Cheng Hu and Zhao An's pale faces, each word as clear as iron nails striking the ground. "Cheng Hu and Zhao An are hereby dismissed from their posts as constables and are forever barred from serving in the Zhenfu Division! Chief Constable Chen, do you think this punishment is appropriate?"

Chen Chatou froze on the spot, his pupils shrinking sharply.

But having spent many years in the underworld, he quickly suppressed his turbulent emotions, bowed his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a hoarse voice:

"My lord... your rewards and punishments are fair and just, and I have no objections."

With just a few words, Cheng Hu and Zhao An were stripped of their black clothes.

The constables below the stage stared in astonishment once again. Even the most dull-witted person could see the clues at this moment—Chief Constable Xing was clearly here to support Su Bai and establish his authority!

Chen Dongquan stood there, stunned, his mind blank.

Although he knew last night that Su Bai had entered the Skin Refining Realm, he still felt that with his father's intervention, there would always be a chance to deal with him.

Who would have thought that the situation would change so drastically overnight, with Chief Constable Xing personally taking action and turning everything upside down with such swift and decisive measures!

Cheng Hu and Zhao An, who were not far away, felt as if they had been struck by lightning, and their bodies turned ice cold.

The words "fifty strokes of the cane and a year's salary deduction" that Officer Chen had just mentioned had already made their legs go weak.

At this moment, the eight words "removed from service and never to be employed again" were like a death sentence, instantly draining their last bit of strength.

Zhao An swayed, almost collapsing.

Cheng Hu's face suddenly turned ashen, and his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

He was just one step away from reaching the Skin Refining Realm.

He was about to become a regular government employee, earn a government salary, and have a promising future—but now all of that is about to vanish!

He is not willing!

"Chief Constable Xing!" Cheng Hu stepped forward abruptly, his voice hoarse yet filled with a resolute determination. "I have urgent news to report! The disobedience to Constable Su's orders was actually instigated by Constable Chen, not my own intention! I implore you, sir, to investigate thoroughly and give us justice!"

Zhao An, who was standing to the side, was taken aback at first, then snapped out of his daze like a drowning man grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, and echoed in agreement:

"Yes! It was Officer Chen who made us do it! And Chen Dongquan too! If they hadn't given us the orders, we wouldn't have dared to disobey in public even if we had ten lives! They... they even promised that after it was done, they would transfer us to lucrative jobs..."

"Shut up!" On the high platform, Chief Chen roared furiously, his face turning from pale to black, veins throbbing on his forehead. "You two scoundrels, you dare to make baseless accusations and slander your superiors after being dismissed from your posts?! Someone come here—remove their badges, uniforms, and swords! Expel them from the Garrison Command immediately!"

As his shout faded, an eerie silence fell over the courtyard.

The constables looked at each other, their eyes shifting between the ashen-faced Chief Constable Chen and the impassive Chief Constable Xing. Their feet seemed rooted to the spot, and no one moved.

At that moment, Chen Dongquan reacted extremely quickly.

His eyes twitched, and he gave a signal to a few trusted men beside him. He immediately led them out and, without saying a word, grabbed Cheng Hu and Zhao An by the arms, covered their mouths tightly, and dragged them out the door.