Chapter Twenty-Two: Suspended!

Chen Zi'ang was the first to step forward. At the scene, apart from Masaba Eiken, Majima Yamei, and Tsukimi Suzuna, the other agents showed no surprise on their faces.

Strictly speaking, the rest of the agents had indeed violated the rules, but Chen Zi'ang had not.

Throughout, the only sealed item he relied on—the Mandala Sword—was indeed not the property of the Public Security Office.

"My weapon, the Mandala Sword," Chen Zi'ang explained, "wasn't acquired during my service as an agent of the Public Security Office. It's an inheritance from my parents—I entered Section Six with it."

"So this sword is my personal property. I hope the leadership understands."

Masaba Eiken frowned slightly, but Majima Yamei only laughed and said, "Chen Zi'ang, if everyone claims their sealed item was left by their parents, grandparents, or ancestors, and insists it's private and can't be handed over, then our rule becomes meaningless, may as well scrap it."

"I have proof," Chen Zi'ang said cautiously. "Ten years ago, before I joined the Public Security Office, the sword was registered as a privately preserved historical relic of Polar City at the Municipal Relics Administration. The registration was under my father's name."

Majima Yamei: ...

"Chen Zi'ang," Masaba Eiken spoke, "don't forget, you are a public security agent."

"As an agent, you must obey the decisions of the system. It's not just your personal property—if your life were required, if you were sent to the front lines to fight against anomalies, would you refuse?"

"I wouldn't," Chen Zi'ang replied seriously. "As a public security agent, I should obey the Office's command. But the Mandala Sword belonged to my father. I have no right to transfer it to the Public Security Office on his behalf."

Without the Mandala Sword, his strength would drop by an unknown degree; how would he slay monsters then? How would he obtain fire seeds? How would he save his sister?

If he couldn't save his sister, what was the point of being a public security agent?

"I see." Masaba Eiken nodded. "Then you are suspended."

"Return when you’ve made up your mind."

"Director!" Takahashi Kensuke finally changed expression, rising abruptly.

But a stern glance from Masaba Eiken forced him back into his seat.

Takahashi Kensuke had already realized that Masaba Eiken was deeply mistaken: this stubborn old superior believed Chen Zi'ang had been sent on purpose—to oppose leadership decisions at the meeting, to undermine authority—which is why he struck hard, suspending him!

He thought he was being sabotaged, warned not to meddle in Section Six's affairs!

But... but that wasn't the case!

Masaba Eiken, with his typical bureaucratic mindset, would never consider the issue from a practical perspective. He didn’t know that Chen Zi'ang was Section Six's ace agent, exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship and combat, mastering the Mandala Sword, able to handle anomalies at triple or quadruple the speed of others.

Moreover, he was diligent, never shied from overtime; about thirty percent of past cases—especially the toughest ones—were handled by Chen Zi'ang alone.

Now that Chen Zi'ang was suspended, who would take over his cases?

In other departments, unfinished cases could accumulate; in Section Six, unhandled anomalies meant disaster for Polar City, for the entire Takamagahara Star District!

Chen Zi'ang was stunned on the spot, unable to believe he had actually been suspended.

According to Polar City's civil service rules, dismissing a permanent agent was almost impossible; suspension was the most drastic measure, tantamount to a gentle nudge from a superior: "Time to transfer."

But he quickly realized that, given Masaba’s obsession with authority, anything said publicly would never be taken back.

He was truly suspended.

He paused, bowed to everyone to apologize for interrupting the meeting, then silently left the conference room.

"Enough," Masaba Eiken said expressionlessly. "Anyone else have objections—"

Before he finished, Tsukimi Suzuna also rose without a word, following Chen Zi'ang out. Having been so thoroughly rebuffed twice, Masaba Eiken could hardly contain himself; his eyes nearly blazed with fury.

Leaving the conference room, Chen Zi'ang returned to his desk, sat in a daze for a while, then forced a bitter smile and began packing his things.

If he didn't resist, the Mandala Sword would be confiscated, and his efficiency in slaying monsters would surely suffer.

Now that he had resisted, he was suspended, and lost the chance to deal with anomalies altogether.

Comparing the two, the latter was slightly better. After all, aside from the Public Security Office, some private exorcism agencies still provided opportunities to encounter anomalies.

But if the Mandala Sword were confiscated, it would be lost forever, almost impossible to recover... Anyone would know which choice to make.

"Senior!" Tsukimi Suzuna hurried to his desk. "Senior, you—"

"It's fine, just a suspension." Chen Zi'ang didn't want her to worry. He smiled nonchalantly and comforted her: "Once the section gets busy and staff is short, they'll probably call me back."

"Ah, that's true," Tsukimi Suzuna laughed awkwardly.

Without Chen Zi'ang, Section Six was bound for trouble. She just needed to wait for Masaba Eiken to swallow his pride and invite her senior back.

But what did that mean for poor Suzuna? For the next few days, she wouldn't be able to work with him!

After a moment, watching Chen Zi'ang pack, she asked softly, "Senior, do you have any plans during this time?"

"Not sure. Might as well treat it as a vacation," Chen Zi'ang mused, then suddenly looked up at her. "Tsukimi."

"Yes, Senior?" Tsukimi Suzuna’s eyes widened.

"If you need anything, call me right away," Chen Zi'ang said with a smile.

"Okay..."

Chen Zi'ang left with his bag. Tsukimi Suzuna stared at his empty desk, feeling murderous rage.

Maybe I should just blow up the Public Security Office.

A Public Security Office without Senior... might as well destroy it.

Chen Zi'ang left the office, took the local light rail home, and began making lunch for Xiaozhu, not bothering to explain why he was home at midday.

The siblings' way of interacting was peculiar; since Xiaozhu had closed herself off mentally, she rarely communicated with her brother, so they could only rely on gradual adjustment to find a way to coexist.

For example, if Chen Zi'ang was home, he would always feed his sister—she wouldn’t pick up her chopsticks. But if he was at work, she’d naturally take the lunch from the fridge and eat on her own.

After preparing the meal, Chen Zi'ang absentmindedly fed his sister, then ate a few bites himself, as if chewing wax.

Though he felt the suspension was only temporary, he still couldn’t get used to the idle days.

"I’ll be out for a while this afternoon," Chen Zi'ang said.

Chen Xiaozhu gave no response, remaining still, staring into the distance.

Leaving home, Chen Zi'ang went to the office his father left behind, and started rifling through the cabinets upstairs.

I remember—it should be behind a pile of old books... Ah, found it.

As an exorcism agency, it couldn’t rely on waiting for anomaly cases to come in like the Public Security Office did.

Aside from keeping up with old clients, sharing within the circle was also an important source of commissions—everyone’s abilities and methods differed; some tasks couldn’t be handled alone, but peers could, so there was no need to turn away clients needlessly.

He flipped through the yellowed pages of the contact book, finally found a number, and dialed.

"H