[Location: City Hall, The Mayor's Private Office.] [Time: 09:00 AM.]
Mayor Zhang was a fat man with a greasy smile. He sat behind his massive mahogany desk, smoking a cigar. Behind him stood the Police Chief and a dozen armed SWAT officers.
"CEO Shen," Mayor Zhang blew smoke rings into the air. "Your bodyguard burned down a 'recreational center' last night. The damages are estimated at 50 million. This is terrorism."
Shen Ruobing sat opposite him, cold as ice. "That was an illegal casino run by the Syndicate. I did the city a favor."
"Evidence?" Mayor Zhang sneered. "I only see a violent criminal." He pointed a shaking finger at Chen Qing. "Arrest him! And seize the Shen Group's assets as compensation!"
The SWAT team raised their rifles. "Hands in the air!"
Chen Qing didn't move. He was busy peeling an orange for Sun Mengjia. "Mayor Zhang," Chen Qing said without looking up. "You have a stain on your shirt."
"What?" Mayor Zhang looked down.
"Not that kind of stain," Chen Qing smiled. "I mean the 10 million dollars transferred to your offshore account by the Black Dragon Syndicate yesterday."
The Mayor's face turned purple. "Slander! Shoot him! Kill him now!"
Click. The lights in the office suddenly went out. A holographic projection appeared in the center of the room. It played a video: Mayor Zhang accepting a briefcase full of cash from a Syndicate leader.
"Where... where did this come from?!" The Mayor panicked.
"Me!" Sun Mengjia waved her phone from the corner. She was sitting on top of a filing cabinet, swinging her legs. "I hacked your cloud server! Your password was 'password123'. So distinctive!"
"You..." Mayor Zhang trembled. "Police Chief! Arrest them! They are spies!"
The Police Chief gritted his teeth and moved forward to handcuff Chen Qing.
Bang! Chen Qing slammed a small, dark red booklet onto the desk. It had a golden national emblem on it.
"Read it," Chen Qing ordered. His voice carried an irresistible pressure. [Dragon Fear: Activated.]
The Police Chief picked up the booklet with trembling hands. He opened it. [Name: Chen Qing] [Rank: SSS-Class Special Agent] [Clearance: National Security Bureau - Level 0 (License to Kill)] [Authority: Above the Mayor.]
The Police Chief's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. He dropped the booklet and fell to his knees. Thud. "S-Sir! I didn't know! Please forgive me!"
"What are you doing?!" Mayor Zhang screamed. "He's a criminal!"
"He is a National Hero!" The Police Chief roared back, sweating buckets. "Shut up, Zhang! You are under arrest for treason!"
Chen Qing stood up and walked over to the terrified Mayor. He patted the Mayor's fat cheek. "You wanted to seize my boss's assets?"
"N-No... misunderstanding..." Mayor Zhang was crying now.
"Woof!" General Fluffles trotted over. He looked at the Mayor's expensive "City Seal" (a gold stamp) on the desk. Crunch. The dog ate the seal. Then he lifted his leg and peed on the Mayor's shoes.
"Good boy," Chen Qing laughed. "Marking our territory."
He turned to the kneeling Police Chief. "Clean up this mess. I want the Syndicate's influence gone from City Hall by noon. Or I'll come back."
"Yes, sir! Understood, sir!" The Police Chief saluted so hard he almost hit himself.
Chen Qing grabbed Shen Ruobing's hand and pulled her up. "Let's go, boss. I'm hungry. Buy me lunch."
Shen Ruobing looked at the chaos, then at the man holding her hand. Her icy heart skipped a beat. "Fine," she whispered. "Steak."
[System Notification:] [Mission Accomplished: Political Purge.] [Reward: Political Immunity (Passive).] [Reputation: Legend of the City.]
As they walked out of City Hall, the sun was shining. But for the Black Dragon Syndicate, the long night had just begun.