Chapter 75: Captain Teemo on Duty—Marching to His Doom

He shook his head hard, trying to shake off all the wild thoughts swirling in his mind. With no other choice, Qin Ye braced himself and stepped onto the main stage, waving mechanically toward the thunderous applause below. He felt as if the entire audience and everyone behind him were wolves with piercing green eyes, staring him down until his hackles bristled like a cornered husky.

“It seems Comrade Qin is a bit too surprised by this decision,” said Governor Gao, ever the shrewd one, immediately making a joke of it. At the same time, he shot Mayor Zhao a glance: “Wasn’t he informed ahead of time?”

Mayor Zhao was utterly perplexed: “I told him already!”

Having Qin Ye come on stage had been decided long ago. But saying it out loud always made it feel somewhat unreal. If someone could stand here and speak from personal experience, it would be perfect.

S-class aptitude, slaying nine major predatory zones in succession, and joining the Special Investigation Bureau out of a sense of duty—among all the insiders who fought that night, few had such a reputation. Who could be a better choice? You couldn’t exactly ask the Arbiter or Wuchang himself to demonstrate, could you? Soulbinding was substantial but not overwhelming—just the right size for the occasion.

Qin Ye’s smile was more of a grimace, his hand hovering at his waist, ready to draw his weapon and make a break for it if his identity was exposed.

Surprised? More like scared out of his mind!

Zhou Xianlong stepped forward and, seeing Qin Ye’s anxious eyes, handed him an honorary certificate. “Twenty thousand merit points—no small feat,” he said warmly. “Those points can be exchanged for some very good things. You can check them on the app. Even those at the Wuchang level only have forty or fifty thousand.”

“Mm…” Qin Ye answered stiffly, his smile frozen in place.

Besides a dry laugh, he found himself completely at a loss for words.

Zhou Xianlong noticed his pallor and frowned. “Are you… holding up all right?”

“I’m fine…” Qin Ye’s mind was nearly blank. The Wolf King was standing right in front of him, asking if he was comfortable living in their den… Of course he could hold out! Please, just let me get off the stage! I can’t hold out much longer!

Your overwhelming presence is practically suffocating me!

Even Arthas was silent.

“That’s good,” Zhou Xianlong said with relief. “Then… why not give us a demonstration?”

What?!

Come again?

I must have misheard!

Qin Ye, the Husky, kept his smile up, but his eyes were wide with panic as he looked at Zhou Xianlong.

He was practically bristling.

He wanted nothing more than to slap himself—What the hell was I saying just now? Director, I must have the wrong script! This wasn’t in the plan!

Zhou Xianlong, thinking he hadn’t understood, lowered his voice and chuckled. “Just show the viewers on TV and online a bit of your technique. Nothing too advanced, but make it impressive. Let everyone see what a cultivator really is.”

Before Qin Ye could reply, he’d already turned to address the crowd. “Perhaps the public watching the live broadcast doesn’t know what an Investigator is. Let me give you an intuitive impression.”

Please, no more…

Qin Ye looked to the sky, on the verge of tears. Heaven is against me… Please, just stop talking! What more can you ask? You’ve already put the husky on display!

As if hearing his inner cry, Zhou Xianlong suddenly raised his voice: “So! Let us welcome the youngest Investigator in history, S9527, to show everyone what it means to be a cultivator!”

Thunderous applause broke out, and countless envious eyes turned to Qin Ye.

“Tch.” In the third row, a handsome man snorted in discontent. “If I’d been there that day… Slaying nine zones isn’t impossible…”

“Such luck,” sighed a woman beside him. “Getting this exposure means he’s caught the eye of the future cultivation academies and the whole Investigation Bureau leadership. Why can’t I have that kind of luck?”

Qin Ye felt as if his mouth wasn’t even his own, forcing a smile as he said, “Director, may I have five minutes to prepare over there?”

Zhou Xianlong nodded. Qin Ye quickly retreated to the side of the stage and whispered urgently, “What do I do? All my techniques are underworld energy! If I use them, I’ll be exposed! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to drag you down with me before I die!”

“Damn it… Don’t panic!” Even Arthas was flustered; centuries as an Arbiter and he’d never seen a mess like this. After a moment, he said, “It’s fine! The Infernal Seal is a divine artifact of the underworld—one piece is enough to fool everyone! Unless you go all out and release a surge of underworld energy, no one will spot you!”

“But you can only use your techniques in Reaper form! If you transform, even if you use only spiritual energy, you’ll be recognized instantly! The features are too obvious! There must be records of this on the surface!”

“Then think of something! Should I tear open the Soul-Sealing Orb and release you?”

“No… definitely not! I’m quite comfortable in here, thanks. There must be another solution.”

“You’re always trying to trick me into tearing it open!”

“Is this just any other time?” Arthas fumed, then after a few seconds his eyes lit up. “Wait, I remember! The Reaper’s garb can transform into any form—but only once per cultivation stage! Just change it into something completely different, and with the Infernal Seal masking your aura, you’ll be fine!”

“What form?”

“Up to you! Isn’t this the information age? Just pick any cool transformation from anime or movies—you’ve seen plenty! Iron Man! The Calabash Brothers! Hatsune Miku—choose any!”

“Hatsune what…?” Qin Ye gritted his teeth, growing more anxious as his mind blanked. At that moment, a male voice sounded beside him, “Mr. Qin, the Director sent me to ask: are you ready?”

Qin Ye ground his teeth. “Ready… I’m ready.”

“Please.”

With a stiff smile, Qin Ye took center stage once more—facing over three million pairs of curious eyes.

Zhang Linhua’s eyes were wide in the student council; he still couldn’t believe that his “godfather” was actually with the Investigation Bureau!

Suddenly, he understood things his own father could never say.

“What did I give up…?” he wondered.

Everyone else watched their screens with keen interest. What was a cultivator? Did they fly through the clouds like in novels? This boy, who looked even younger than themselves, what kind of terrifying power would he display?

“Go ahead,” Zhou Xianlong smiled, nodding. Like any brand needing a celebrity endorsement, this was the clearest impression they could give.

Qin Ye took a deep breath, his temples taut. Under the probing gazes below, only one thought repeated in his mind: transform, transform, transform…

Damn it… The more I think about it, the less suitable anything seems!

Illidan?

Too revealing!

Iron Man?

Suddenly switching to sci-fi?

“Mr. Qin?” Zhou Xianlong’s brow rose. “You may begin.”

No more stalling. Qin Ye kept his strained smile, cursing inwardly, and tried to buy more time. “Then… I’ll begin now?”

Zhou Xianlong smiled and nodded, but his eyes were clear: Hurry up!

Nowhere to hide, Qin Ye inhaled deeply. As the audience held its breath, he coughed lightly, “I… I’m really starting now.”

A smile.

The officials on stage kept smiling and nodding, though it was getting a little forced.

Boom!! As Qin Ye gritted his teeth, a surge of spiritual energy burst forth, shrouding the main stage in mist, swirling around him like a cyclone, making everything within three meters hazy.

A bureau chief watched intently and nodded. “Quality spiritual energy, and a tremendous area of effect—no wonder he could clear nine predatory zones.”

“Indeed… In our day, just getting through two was impressive.” Another director was excited. “His energy has changed—looks like the ‘inviting the gods’ school, though that’s almost lost now. I’m curious—which Buddha or City God can he summon?”

Meanwhile, all eyes glued to screens across the country, the public collectively gasped, then instantly erupted!

“No way!” “Can a human really do this? Not special effects?” “Damn… So this is a cultivator? Is it real?”

Watching a video was never the same—movies were always fake, but this… this was real! Right before their eyes.

What was in the mist?

What would he become?

In a villa, a chubby boy gripped his mouse. At school, several kids held their breath. Under an LED screen, a woman paused mid-snack.

For a moment, all eyes were on him.

At the center of it all, as the mist swirled like a cocoon, one second… two seconds… three—and then the vortex exploded!

A figure emerged.

“There!” A director’s eyes sharpened. “Let me see clearly…”

But the words froze in his throat.

The next instant, silence fell—not just over the venue, but all of Bao’an City.

“Heh…” Qin Ye wiped the sweat from his brow, his first move to press his hand to his waist, then he slowly relaxed.

Good—no one attacked him.

That meant he hadn’t been discovered by the wolves…

He wiped his forehead again—then realized he was wearing a glove.

Military green.

What…? A sense of dread welled up. He felt his face, then looked down—and nearly screamed.

In front of millions of eyes, he was wearing an old-style jungle combat helmet, complete with red goggles. He had a red scarf, green army boots, two backpacks stuffed with rolled-up maps.

On the screen, 70% of the young viewers were stunned for a second—then laughter erupted like thunder.

“Awesome! Awesome!” A high schooler laughed so hard he fell over. “Teemo! It’s Teemo! Hahahaha! This has to be scripted, right? Absolutely! I’m dying!”

“Cosplaying Teemo—brilliant! I’m a fan!” “Damn… This is wild! I was expecting something else and got this!” “Perfect Teemo cosplay! I salute you!” “Awesome +1… I respect the Investigation Bureau, but this is hilarious! I can’t hold it in… hahahaha!”

In the third row, the handsome man doubled over with laughter. “Oh man! I can’t take it! I’m going to die laughing!”

Su Feng stared at the stage, blinking in disbelief.

On the main stage, Qin Ye looked pleadingly at Zhou Xianlong, whose face was black as the bottom of a pot. “Director… If I said this was a misunderstanding… would you believe me?”