Looking at the three vampires kneeling before him, Ian Song asked, "Have all the vampires in the city been cleaned out?"
"Reporting to Master, they've all been cleaned out!" the three replied in unison.
Ian Song nodded thoughtfully and said, "Your next task is to stop other vampires from entering Mesa City. If any intruders are too strong, you can come and notify me!"
"Yes, Master!" the three replied again in unison.
After dismissing the three vampires, Ian Song headed toward the Special Police Base.
He'd spent the past few days cultivating in the Divine Temple, and hadn't gone to work for several days. Luckily, his immense prestige in the Special Police Division meant that even if he skipped work, no one dared gossip about it.
But as soon as he drove up to the Special Police Base, he saw over a hundred people gathered at the front gate.
"Good morning, Minister!"
After parking his car, Ian Song walked toward the office building. The guards at the entrance saw him and quickly saluted and greeted him.
Ian Song nodded, strode into the office building, and then took the elevator up to his office.
"Minister, you're here!" The secretary's office was just outside his own, and as soon as Ian Song appeared, Secretary Xiao Liao stood up happily.
"Xiao Liao, you look prettier every time I see you." Ian Song smiled. In truth, Xiao Liao's looks were pretty average, but she was quite capable at her job.
"Thank you for the compliment, Minister."
Xiao Liao responded cheerfully.
"By the way, I saw a crowd outside our base when I came in. What's going on?" Ian Song asked.
Xiao Liao gathered her thoughts before replying to Ian Song, "Minister, here's what happened: last night, our patrol squad arrested two drunk guys who got into a fight at a bar. Turns out, one of them is the brother-in-law of Deputy Mayor Tony Qin. The people outside were brought by Ma Bing's wife—Ma Bing is Tony Qin's brother-in-law. Right now, his wife is demanding an explanation from Deputy Minister Gao!"
"What exactly does she want?" Ian Song asked.
Xiao Liao said with some indignation, "That woman insists Ma Bing is the victim, and accuses our officers of arresting people without knowing the whole story. She demands a public apology to Ma Bing, and also wants the other guy who fought him to pay two million in compensation."
"Two million? Was Ma Bing seriously hurt?" Ian Song asked, puzzled.
Xiao Liao curled her lip. "Not at all—he just got a scratch on his face. Otherwise, we would've sent him to the hospital already!"
Suddenly, Ian Song's face darkened. "Gordon, let me be blunt—We're the Special Police. When it's time to be tough, we need to be tough. The front gate's blocked—what does that even look like? Send people out right now and clear that crowd. If they won't leave, haul them in and let them go hungry for a few days! And that unreasonable woman, don't give her any face. She comes here to throw her weight around at our Special Police Base? What a joke!"
Gordon Gao felt his spirits lift. Before, he'd been afraid to act decisively, mostly because he was worried about Tony Qin, the Deputy Mayor, backing the other side.
But now, the Minister had spoken—what was there to be afraid of? Ian Song even dared to go up against the mayor, and nothing ever happened to him!
Leaving Ian Song's office, Gordon Gao stood up straighter than before.
Right after, Gordon Gao appeared in the First Squad Leader's office and ordered, "Send people out right now to clear the crowd outside the base gate. If they won't leave, arrest them!"
The First Squad Leader was startled. "Deputy Minister Gao, won't this...!"
Before he could finish, Gordon Gao waved his hand to cut him off. "This is the Minister's order. Besides, don't we have plenty of auxiliary police in the base? Leave the crowd control and arrests to them. If the higher-ups complain, just fire them. Once things quiet down, we can hire them back!"
Hearing Gordon Gao's suggestion, the First Squad Leader's eyes lit up. He praised, "Deputy Minister Gao, that's a perfect plan! I'll get people on it right away!"
After assigning the First Squad to clear the crowd, Gordon Gao headed to the mediation office.
Inside the office, a stunning woman dressed provocatively was sitting there with a bold air. Behind her stood a burly female bodyguard, and a middle-aged man was pleading with her, his face full of desperation.
Mrs. Ma was shouting at the top of her lungs, demanding two million in compensation and a public apology from the Special Police. She threatened to call her in-laws if her demands weren't met.
Gordon Gao walked in, his face calm and collected. "Mrs. Ma, let's be reasonable. Your husband started a drunken brawl at the bar. According to the Federation Public Security Ordinance, that's a 5,000-credit fine and compensation for the damages. There's no way we're apologizing on behalf of the Special Police."
Mrs. Ma glared at him, refusing to back down. "If you don't apologize, I'll make sure Tony Qin's family hears about this!"
Gordon Gao didn't flinch. "Go ahead and call whoever you want. But let me remind you, causing trouble at the Special Police Base is a violation of public order. If you keep this up, we'll have to take you in too."
Mrs. Ma was so angry her face turned red. She shouted, "Just wait! I'll have Tony Qin's wife come over and deal with you!"
The middle-aged man beside her tried to calm her down, but she ignored him completely.
Gordon Gao waved to the auxiliary police outside. "If anyone refuses to leave, detain them all. Let them cool off in a cell for a couple of days."
The auxiliary police immediately sprang into action, clearing out the crowd at the gate. Anyone who resisted was swiftly detained.
Mrs. Ma watched as her supporters were dragged away, her confidence wavering for the first time.
Gordon Gao glanced at her coldly. "If you want to keep causing trouble, you'll be next."