RPAGF Chapter 3 "The Crimson Dancer" by Xiao Qianyu
Chapter 3 "The Crimson Dancer" by Xiao Qianyu
Suddenly there was a noise downstairs.
The sound of footsteps indicated that many people were entering the area at the same time.
Neat and fast, the leather boots pounding on the concrete, the rhythm bearing the marks of training.
Captain Chen stood up, walked to the door, opened it a crack, peeked out, and his expression changed.
The corridor was full of people.
They all wore black combat uniforms, with an embroidered pattern of a coiled dragon biting a sword on the left sleeve patch.
They had standard short knives at their waists, and several large ones had miniature versions of secret realm weapons hanging on their backs—special equipment that could be obtained in secret realms and used in the real world.
The lobby on the first floor of the police station was even more lively.
Old Li, who was on duty, stood behind the front desk with an enamel teacup in his hand, but forgot to drink from it.
Two college students who had just started their internships huddled together, one of them trying to take a picture with his phone, but an older police officer next to him slapped him down.
"Put it away! Are you out of your mind?"
"What unit is this? The municipal bureau? The provincial department?"
"Have you ever seen anyone from the provincial government bring a knife?"
Whispers rose and fell in the corner. An older policeman recognized the dragon pattern on the armband, his legs went weak, and he tugged at the sleeve of the person next to him, pulling back: "Don't look, don't look, that's the Dragon Guard's insignia."
The third floor. The conference room door was pushed open from the outside.
A woman was walking at the very front.
He was in his early thirties, with a high ponytail, sharp features, and a brow bone line that was more defined than most men's.
He wasn't wearing combat gear, but a neatly tailored black short jacket, zipped up to below his Adam's apple.
They were unarmed.
But the four people following behind her didn't seem like easy targets.
There were two more people standing near the door, not coming in. They were facing away from the corridor and towards the stairwell, a standard guard position.
Xiao Qianyu.
Lu Yan sized her up for no more than two seconds. At the same time, she was also sizing him up.
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
Xiao Qianyu pulled out the chair opposite Lu Yan and sat down, placing her hands folded on the table. The four people behind her stood along the wall, not sitting down.
"I am Xiao Qianyu, the current captain of the Awakened Ones of the National Guard."
After introducing herself, she didn't exchange any pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"I have full authority to make decisions regarding matters at the Awakened level. Therefore, I can respond to everything you say on the spot without waiting for approval from higher-ups."
She paused, then glanced at Captain Chen standing at the door.
"In order to get us here, Lao Chen didn't hesitate to use the one-time contact voucher I gave him six years ago."
That thing was originally meant to save your life. He did you this favor, and I respect his judgment.
Xiao Qianyu's gaze returned to Lu Yan. She spoke slowly, but every word was precise.
"So, I hope what you've said is worthy of this weight."
Captain Chen stood by the door without saying a word. But Lu Yan caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye: Old Chen's hands were in his pockets, and his right index finger was constantly rubbing his thumb together.
tension.
A man who has worked in criminal investigation for twenty-three years is on edge.
He staked his reputation on a stranger he had only met for less than two hours.
Lu Yan withdrew his gaze and made a move that Xiao Qianyu hadn't expected—he turned his head and nodded to Captain Chen.
It wasn't a casual nod. He looked into Old Chen's eyes and nodded earnestly.
Old Chen paused for a second.
Lu Yan turned back to face Xiao Qianyu.
"Captain Xiao, I changed my class at the Secret Realm Base yesterday. The system record shows me as an Aura Master, Support Class, Rank E."
A crew-cut man standing against the wall behind them scoffed. The sound wasn't loud, but the conference room was small, and everyone heard it.
Xiao Qianyu did not turn around.
Lu Yan didn't stop either.
"The Aura Master class, within the existing dungeon system—"
"At the bottom," the crew-cut man couldn't help but add.
A female Awakened with braids next to her added in a low voice, "The aura amplification is only a fraction of a percent. Even when fully stacked, it can't even break through the armor of a slime. In a group dungeon, this kind of class is less effective than a summoned wolf."
Several Dragon Guard members exchanged glances.
His expression wasn't exactly sarcastic, but the subtle disappointment was unmistakable.
They rushed from their base with dozens of people to a local police station, only to find an E-level Aura Master sitting opposite them.
Lu Yan's expression remained unchanged.
He picked up the conversation, "So I need a team to prove my worth. My suggestion is—you send a team to team up with me and go into a secret realm."
Xiao Qianyu did not rush to respond.
"Which level of dungeon?"
"Lowest level. Level E."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people leaning against the wall finally became unreadable.
The crew-cut man didn't lower his voice any further and spoke directly: "An E-rank dungeon? All you get from there is scrap metal. Even the lowest-ranking members of our Dragon Guard are wearing silver-grade gear or higher. You want us to go with you to grind an E-rank dungeon?"
The female Awakened One with the braided hair twitched at the corner of her mouth: "Isn't this just paying someone to carry him through a newbie dungeon?"
The atmosphere in the meeting room took a sharp turn for the worse.
Captain Chen's face fell.
He stood at the door, these words echoing in his ears, a chill running down his spine. That dragon-patterned badge—he'd carried it for six years, never using it when his wife was in the ICU, never using it when his son was hit by a truck and rushed to the emergency room—and now it was being used on a high school student who wanted to freeload off the Dragon Guards for a beginner's dungeon?
It’s over.
He was well aware of the consequences of that phone call.
The one-way communication credential was used up, and the reason was that an E-level support wanted the Dragon Guard to help him fight in an E-level dungeon.
If word gets out, the entire branch office will laugh at him.
No, it's more serious than a joke—wasting military resources and falsely reporting crucial leads. Either one of these offenses will mean you can forget about performance reviews and promotions for the rest of your life.
Twenty-three years' worth of savings, now stuck in my hands.
Xiao Qianyu hadn't spoken yet. She was observing Lu Yan.
From the moment he entered until now, this young man has endured two rounds of sarcastic remarks, yet he hasn't lost his composure at all. He neither rushed to defend himself nor became enraged.
This in itself is abnormal.
Someone genuinely trying to freeload in a dungeon, when exposed, would either feel guilty or angry. But Lu Yan's reaction was neither. He was waiting. Waiting for the noise to die down.
"Are you done talking?" Lu Yan glanced at the Dragon Guard members, asking them, but then looked at Xiao Qianyu.
"Captain Xiao, I choose the E-level secret realm. It's the best way to prove the effectiveness of my aura."
Xiao Qianyu stared at Lu Yan.
"So, you went through all this trouble, using up Old Chen's life-saving charm that he hadn't used in six years, just so we could take you through an E-rank beginner dungeon?"
The crew-cut man leaning against the wall burst out laughing. The female Awakened one with braids next to him also turned her head away.
Lu Yan nodded: "Yes. Let's go now."
He even added, "Twenty minutes won't take you long. If you're short on funds, I'll cover the ticket price."
There was a two-second silence in the conference room.
"Old Chen," Xiao Qianyu said.
Old Chen straightened his back reflexively.
"You, me, and he'll take him with us." Xiao Qianyu pointed at Lu Yan. "The three of us will go."
"Captain Xiao..." Old Chen opened his mouth, his throat dry, "This..."
"Let's just go through the motions," Xiao Qianyu interrupted him. "If nothing happens after we finish this E-rank dungeon, we'll pretend we were never here. I've repaid the favor you did six years ago. From now on, we're all set for ourselves."
Old Chen swallowed the rest of his words.
The debt is settled. Six years of friendship were exchanged for a game of pretend play with kids.
He glanced at Lu Yan, who was still looking down at his phone calculator, muttering about whether there were enough compartments in his backpack.
Old Chen's vision went black, and his blood pressure shot straight to the top of his head.
"Let's go." Xiao Qianyu turned and walked out, pushing open the conference room door as she went.
Just as the crew-cut man and the female Awakened with braids were about to follow, Xiao Qianyu raised her hand to stop them.
"You all stay here. Killing a few Black Iron-level goblins doesn't require the entire Dragon Guard. Aren't you ashamed enough?"