The voice fell, and a tall figure strode in through the door. Judging by the uniform of this person, his rank was clearly much higher than that of everyone present. He had thick, caterpillar-like eyebrows, and between his eyes, there was an air of inherent, righteous authority that commanded respect without anger.
"Battalion Commander Tian?"
Several Dragon Tooth Guards saw the newcomer, and their expressions changed slightly. They immediately dropped their earlier swagger, lowered their heads submissively, lined up, and saluted the arriving man.
"Tsk, tsk! You lot, getting more capable by the day, aren't you? Extortion and blackmail, truly worthy of being soldiers under my, Tian's, command, worthy of being the exalted Dragon Tooth Guard!"
"Battalion Commander, we..." The Platoon Commander's forehead broke into sweat, nearly scared out of his wits.
"What? Still want to quibble? Do you think I'm deaf? Didn't hear a thing?" Battalion Commander Tian's gaze turned cold.
"No, no! Commander Tian, it's our fault, we deserve to die!" The Platoon Commander's knees buckled, and he dropped straight to the ground in a kowtow.
"Commander Tian, we were wrong! Please, for the sake of having followed you for seven or eight years, spare us this time!" The other Dragon Tooth Guards also knelt, kowtowing repeatedly.
As the saying goes, a county magistrate is less useful than one's immediate superior.
Commander Lü's status was high, a rank above Battalion Commander. But Commander Lü, for all his high position, wasn't their direct supervisor.
This Battalion Commander Tian, however, was their immediate superior. He was their real boss. Every one of them, whether Platoon Commander or regular guard, answered directly to Battalion Commander Tian.
Now that this ugly affair had been witnessed by the Battalion Commander, how could they not be terrified? Moreover, they knew full well that Battalion Commander Tian hated evil and was famously impartial and unyielding.
If Battalion Commander Tian decided to punish them, forget Commander Lü—even someone of higher status pleading on their behalf might not work.
Battalion Commander Tian had a fiery temper. If provoked, he dared to talk back to Commanders, let alone the fact that Commander Lü was merely a Deputy Commander.
"All of you, stand up! These are the soldiers I lead—such spineless cowards?" Battalion Commander Tian barked.
Hearing the Battalion Commander scold them, the guards actually felt a secret relief. They knew that as long as the Commander was still scolding them, he hadn't lost his temper completely.
Once he truly got angry, you wouldn't even get the chance for him to scold you.
The group stood up obediently, standing carefully to the side, not daring to make a peep.
"This man, place him in a single cell for now," Battalion Commander Tian ordered calmly.
"That..." The Platoon Commander hesitated.
"What? Is there a problem?" Battalion Commander Tian rolled his eyes and countered.
"This case, Commander Lü is personally overseeing it, and..."
"What's that? Are you perhaps thinking that by cozying up to Commander Lü, my orders as Battalion Commander no longer apply to you?"
The so-called "single cell" was actually a solitary confinement cell within the Black Prison Area.
It was prepared for special individuals, a VIP treatment within the Black Prison. Being put in a single cell meant the person was under protection within the Black Prison.
Otherwise, being thrown into the main Black Prison area, locked up with a bunch of desperados, a decent person would be lucky to get out alive without losing a layer of skin.
The single cell, though small, was a private room, sparing the occupant from the harassment of other condemned prisoners. It was genuinely the VIP package of the Black Prison Area.
"I'll say it one last time. Take him to the single cell," Battalion Commander Tian said flatly. "You can choose to listen to Commander Lü. As for the consequences... consider them yourselves."
The Dragon Tooth Guards exchanged glances, their minds in turmoil. Commander Lü had higher status, a bigger backer—this was undeniable.
But Battalion Commander Tian was their true superior, and usually, he treated them quite well. Among the hundred Major Corps of the Dragon Tooth Guard, Battalion Commander Tian was famously protective of his own, often daring to talk back to Commanders for the sake of his subordinates' interests.
Such a superior, they truly respected from the bottom of their hearts.
If they obeyed Commander Lü's implied order and threw Jiang Chen into the general Black Prison area, it would be a complete betrayal of Battalion Commander Tian.
Afterwards, if the Battalion Commander reported their extortion and blackmail to the Dragon Tooth Guard's Inspectorate, what awaited them would be severe military punishment.
At the least, they would lose their positions in the Dragon Tooth Guard; at the worst, they could be executed by military law!
Extortion was a charge that could be treated lightly or heavily. If no one pursued it, nothing would happen. But if someone grabbed onto it and wouldn't let go, it would become a major issue.
And if their own immediate superior was determined to pursue it, the matter would be even bigger.
Everyone knew Battalion Commander Tian was famously protective and famously looked after his subordinates. If even he had to personally impeach a subordinate, how unspeakably terrible must that person's actions have been, how utterly intolerable?
None of them had gotten into the Dragon Tooth Guard by being stupid.
After a moment's hesitation, the Platoon Commander hurriedly said, "Commander Tian, we are all soldiers you trained, of course we listen to you."