In Bureau Chief Kong's office, Kong Sheng said to his father, "Dad, you absolutely must help me win over Xiaoya this time. Otherwise, I'll never marry, and you only have me as a son—do you want the Kong family line to end?"

Bureau Chief Kong calmly exhaled a plume of smoke. "Just one woman? You have no ambition, boy."

Kong Sheng argued back, "That woman is anything but ordinary! And that Zhao Qian infuriates me even more; he keeps several girls clinging to him..."

"Who!" Bureau Chief Kong shot up from his seat.

"Zhao Qian. We were in the same high school back in the day. He's that bald idiot who snatched Zhang Xiaoya away at the alumni gathering I told you about!"

Bureau Chief Kong's eyes gleamed like a wildcat spotting prey.

"Is he still being held in the interrogation room?"

"Yes," Kong Sheng said, unsure why his father suddenly took interest.

"There are three of them in total; the other two are big, fat guys who don't look like they have any status."

Zhu Da's reputation was well-known in the underworld, but due to excellent operational security, he had no file in the police records. Cai Bao'er rarely involved herself with the triads, so Kong Sheng certainly didn't recognize him.

Director Kong cut his son off. "Immediately arrange for the Criminal Police to guard them closely, all with live ammunition. I need to report this matter to General Tan. Go now! If a single person escapes, I'll hold you responsible!"

Although Kong Sheng found his father's behavior suddenly irrational, this development was good for him, so he bolted out to arrange the personnel.

Bureau Chief Kong took out a private line from his locked drawer.

"Hello, this is Kong Fei. Please connect me to General Tan; I have an urgent matter to report."

Tan Zhong hadn't slept soundly for the past six months. Although he didn't appear to be at a disadvantage currently, he knew the Central Committee had begun to guard against him. In court circles, his power was supreme—usually, if he approved something, no one dared disagree, and if he opposed something, no one dared agree.

But this unilateral dominance had drastically shifted six months ago, all because of an inexplicably emerging herb procurement agent. No one knew how he had suddenly become so powerful, with an almost absurd level of strength, much like the Rat Snake Army—even Tan Zhong’s scientists hadn't deciphered it yet. This shattered Tan Zhong's dream of controlling this mysterious force.

The second factor was the inscrutable mechanical soldiers. As far as Tan Zhong knew, even Star Country's technology couldn't match these machines utilizing laser weaponry. Where did those massive numbers of mechanical soldiers and colossal spaceships come from? Whoever controlled this power held the key to the direction of the future world.

These points were the main reasons Tan Zhong had long hesitated to strike him fatally. Having experienced numerous battles, Tan Zhong knew that if the first strike failed, he would inevitably be the one defeated. Thus, although his strength had accumulated for a long time, his troops remained unmobilized.

Receiving the report from Director Kong suddenly left Tan Zhong unable to make a decision; he could only instruct Director Kong to hold his position. He needed time to consider the matter.

The Tan Family Council was quickly convened, attended by several of the Tan family's secret confidants. Tan Lei and Tan Tian harbored intense hatred for this individual; upon hearing he had fallen into the hands of the East District Branch, they immediately demanded decisive action to seize his throat.

Tan Zhong, however, remained remarkably calm. He addressed the gathering, "That person isn't the most frightening element. The most frightening is the force supporting him. Think about it: without the backing of that old fox Li Zhenyu, how could he possibly hold the positions of Deputy Director of the State Security Bureau and Deputy Director of the Capital City Public Security Bureau? Therefore, we must not only consider dealing with him but also factor in the potential resistance from Li Zhenyu's side while taking action."

Tan Lei, no longer a hot-headed youth, pondered deeply and conceded, "Father is absolutely right. If this is a probing stone thrown by Li Zhenyu, I fear we might fall into his trap."

Tan Tian exclaimed, "Then what do we do? Let the duck that's already in hand fly away? It will be much harder to capture him again, especially since we currently have sufficient justification. Even if something unexpected happens, we still have ample opportunity to escape."

Tan Tian was determined to see that man dead. If he died, not only would that b*tch return to his side, but that beautiful flight attendant would also willingly submit to him.

One confidant added, "Releasing a tiger back into the mountains is a cardinal sin in warfare."

Tan Zhong considered this for a moment. "Notify the troops under our direct command to stay put and not participate in any action. Have Kong Fei cooperate with the experts we've hired externally to deal with that individual."

Tan Lei gave his father a thumbs-up. "Father's idea is indeed brilliant. We had already planned to abandon the Public Security system. Even losing Director Kong as a piece now won't affect the bigger picture. Afterward, even if Li Zhenyu suspects us, he will lack concrete evidence. This is a win-win operation."

Tan Tian asked, "But won't this ruin the Kong family?" Having had some contact with Kong Sheng, Tan Tian raised this question.

Tan Zhong scoffed, "What do you know? A general's fame is built on ten thousand bleached bones—it is the inevitable necessity of historical development."

Shortly after Kong Sheng left, we were taken from the interrogation room to the detention block. Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er were placed in one room, and I was placed in another with two other convicts.

The detention cell wasn't very large. In one corner was a squat toilet, and there were only two bunks. Unfortunately, both were already occupied, so I had to stand by the side of the lower bunk.

The convict on the lower bunk glanced up at me, then slapped his mattress. "Have a seat wherever. They must have arrested too many people again these past few days. Three men in a small room in this heat is trying to kill us."

Indeed, the room was crowded and damp, with a strong smell of urine. Most people would be overcome after just a short while. The man on the upper bunk lay facing the wall, seemingly asleep. I sat by the edge of the lower bunk and started chatting with that convict.

The man asked, "Why are you in?"

I replied, "Group fight. Probably detained for a while."

The man asked, "You guys are triad members, right? Why hasn't your boss bailed you out? If I had money, I’d already be out, not suffering here."

I smiled. "I don't have a boss. How did you get in?"

The man spat. "I went to a hairdressing salon for a massage and got busted during a police raid. They insisted I was soliciting prostitution. I wanted to, sure, but I didn't have money, and the woman wouldn't even let me touch her chest. What a loss! They fined me five thousand yuan. I don't even have fifty yuan on me, so I had no choice but to serve a few days in detention to settle it."

I commented, "I hear many government positions now require bidding for appointment. The Public Security Bureau also relies heavily on fines now. Everyone is busy building a socialist economy; everyone is focused on increasing revenue."

"Pah," the man scoffed again. "The East District is the strictest with fines. Rumor has it they never hand over these fines; they all go into their private slush funds. I have a friend more familiar with this area who said their director spends millions on bribes to higher-ups annually. How much do you think he pockets himself?"

I said, "This place is indeed out of line. Someone will eventually manage it."

The bastard spat again. "Wait and see. Haven't you heard of officials protecting one another? Don't you even understand that principle? I'm done chatting with you; I need to sleep."

Both bunks were occupied; I had nowhere to sleep. It seemed this Kong Sheng was truly vicious. But I would absolutely not give up Zhang Xiaoya; she was destined to belong only to me in this life. Speaking of which, she should be returning to the country in a few days; I could hold her tonight again.

As I was dwelling on how to make Zhang Xiaoya completely open up to me, a wave of killing intent suddenly surged around me—intense and fast, arriving before I could even react!

Thwack! A sharp samurai sword pierced my body. It was a R-person!

How could a R-person's essential weapon appear in a detention center of the Great Dragon Country Public Security Bureau!

"Hmph! Nothing special! They overpraised you too much. In the end, you still fell to my single strike." It was the man who had been lying asleep on the upper bunk!

The R-person naturally possessed an air of arrogance. After landing the blow, the man on the upper bunk revealed his face. A quick inspection would confirm he was indeed a R-person.

I clutched my chest. "Why do this? I have no grudge against you. I won't accept death!"

The R-person surprisingly spoke fluent Mandarin. "The consequence of offending Imperial Oil Taro is only death. Letting you live until today was actually too kind to you."

I lay on the floor. "So you were sent by Ikenobe Ichiki! You are too ruthless. To kill me, you didn't even hesitate to get yourself imprisoned first. Too bad for you, killing someone here means you can't escape the law's punishment either."

The R-person kicked me into the corner and sneered, "Don't be naive. Your country's Bureau Chief invited me. Once you breathe your last, I'll kill this other guy too, and we'll claim it was a fight to the death between detained prisoners. Your Bureau Chief will even send us money as thanks."

I asked, "You were hired by Director Kong here?"

The R-person snapped, "You ask too many questions. Why aren't you dead yet!"

I retorted, "Even if you die, I won't. Didn't anyone tell you how formidable I am before you came?"

The R-person stepped forward, attempting to pull the samurai sword from my body to deliver a finishing blow, but he would never realize that desire. The sword was now in his body; his flesh wasn't impervious to blades. Blood seeped drop by drop along the blade's edge.

When he attacked me, I deliberately used my hand to block his line of sight. The R-person thought I had been successfully stabbed, but the blade had actually slid harmlessly along my skin. Only because of the obstruction from my clothing and hand did he fail to notice. Now it was his turn to test the blade.

"Good! Zhao Qian is indeed Zhao Qian; you are ruthless enough!" A middle-aged police officer entered our detention cell, clapping his hands.

"No wonder General Tan is so wary of you; you really do have some ability."

I kicked the corpse of the R-person into the corner, settling the score for when he kicked me, then struggled up from the floor.

"Could Your Excellency be the legendary Director Kong of the East District Branch?"

The newcomer looked slightly puzzled. "How can you tell? This should be our first meeting."

I replied, "Given your distinguished appearance, extraordinary features, and the ability to freely enter and direct a R-person to assassinate a prisoner here—if you weren't the top authority here, who would dare act so brazenly?"

Kong Fei said, "Zhao Qian, you are a figure in your own right. General Tan is a leader who cherishes talent. If you followed him, you would soar to success in no time. Don't remain stubbornly misguided."

I asked Kong Fei, "Are you here to kill me or to act as a persuader?"

Kong Fei countered, "If you agree to abandon your stubbornness and join General Tan, we will be friends and colleagues from now on. If you continue to be obstinate, I will have no choice but to send you to heaven."

I challenged Kong Fei, "If you have the guts, come in here. How can you attack me through these iron bars? I don't hate heaven or earth; I only hate those R-people. You, the dignified Director of the Public Security Bureau, actually colluding with R-people? I declare you finished right now."

"Hmph!" Kong Fei sneered coldly. "Since that's the case, we’ll play this out slowly. If you manage to walk out of the East District Branch alive today, there will be no place left for me, Kong Fei, in the Great Dragon Country!"

With that, Kong Fei quickly retreated. Immediately, a squad of armed police officers rushed in. Judging by how they held their guns, it was obvious they rarely trained. Furthermore, those weapons were clearly old stock retired from the military years ago.

One policeman shouted dramatically, "Zhao Qian, you murdered a fellow inmate! Warning ignored! We are authorized to open fire!"

Bang bang bang bang... These guys had finally found a chance to practice shooting. None of them would stop until every bullet in their guns was spent. In an instant, debris flew everywhere in the interrogation room. The convict sleeping on the lower bunk, who had fainted earlier, was awakened by the gunfire; a bullet whizzed past his forehead and embedded itself in the wall, startling him back into unconsciousness.

Xiao Chuchu, whose investigative work had been unimpeded until now, saw the intense battle unfolding from the signal van not far from the Public Security Bureau. She couldn't help but cry out in worry for me.

"Zhao Qian! Let's stop the investigation; you must escape! This evidence is enough to warrant a death sentence for Kong Fei!"

If I escaped, who would truly be the criminal? Could these obsolete weapons do anything to me? Although the impact of the bullets caused some pain to my body, it only stoked my anger further.

CRACK! I reached out and snapped the thumb-thick iron bars. My movements were swift; in a short while, those police officers would only be left groaning in pain on the floor.

Kong Fei had seen everything on the surveillance screen. He couldn't believe that someone would be unafraid of bullets. When he realized his second plan had failed, he could only seek instructions from Tan Zhong.

All of this seemed to be within Tan Zhong's expectations. He knew this individual could not be dealt with easily. The top master from the R-nation hadn't even made a move yet; this was merely a probing attempt. Even if the R-nation's top master failed, the Tan family wouldn't suffer much loss. However, they could gauge exactly how much hidden strength this thorn in their side possessed.

Tan Zhong instructed Kong Fei, "Request support from other branches and the Armed Police. Everyone must coordinate with the expert I am sending. As long as he can be killed, I will arrange for you to become the Minister of Public Security afterward. Temporarily keep this hidden from the Municipal Headquarters; that stubborn fellow surnamed Gao—once you are promoted, you must step on him."

Kong Fei was agitated. The Minister of Public Security was far superior to a branch director in a directly administered municipality. With Tan Zhong’s status, such a promise was not given lightly. As long as he completed the tasks arranged, his political future would truly be meteoric.

Hanging up the phone, Kong Fei immediately sent out urgent assistance requests to all branches and the Armed Police. Suddenly, the police and Armed Police of the entire Capital City rushed towards the East District Branch. Sirens wailed continuously on the roads, making pedestrians speculate about what major event was unfolding.

I was pondering whether the words Kong Fei spoke earlier were enough to convict him when the prisoner who had fainted from fright woke up. Seeing the police officers scattered on the ground, he grabbed my clothes. "Brother, are you trying to break out? It's not worth it. You’re only detained for a few days, and now you’ve already violated criminal law."

"You aren't timid, but you know quite a bit. Let's go. After you get out, find a few more girlfriends, and stop going to hairdressing salons for massages. Otherwise, if you get arrested again, I can’t guarantee you’ll be as lucky."

The man nodded repeatedly. "That's right, that's right. If I have many girlfriends, why would I look for prostitutes? But I don't have money. Dating one girlfriend almost bankrupted me. Dating several would mean selling my old bones? You look distinguished, Big Brother; why don't I follow you?"

I replied, "I don't run a gang. If you keep mentioning that..."

"Alas, I can't leave now either. My records are all kept there. A monk can run, but the temple cannot. Let's just chat here."

Chat my ass. I wanted to kick him out. Kong Fei wouldn't give up easily. Should I arrest him now, or continue to observe his tricks?

The police who came in to shoot me had already fled; they must have gone to report back to Kong Fei. I didn't want to listen to the lower bunk guy's nonsense anymore. I needed to quickly find a way out before Kong Fei sent someone more competent, perhaps even someone from the upper echelon.

Upon hearing the gunshots, Zhu Da had already broken through the iron door of his detention room and rushed out with Cai Bao'er, shouting at me from the doorway, "Commander Zhao, aren't you moving yet? They've already opened fire."

I started walking towards the exit while saying, "Coming right away."

The guy on the lower bunk became anxious and blocked my way. "Don't go! If you leave, I'll be scared all alone here."

I had no choice but to say to him, "Then come with us."

The man hesitated for a moment. "Coming with you means you agree to let me follow you, right?" With a thud, he knelt down. "Boss, take me as your subordinate! You are so formidable, even bullets can't kill you. Being your subordinate will surely be glorious. If you don't take me, I won't get up from here!" He started kowtowing.

I am most uncomfortable with people bowing and scraping like this, so I quickly bent down to pull him up. "Alright, I'll introduce you to a real Boss. You can be his subordinate..."

Bang! A cloud of pink smoke exploded in my face! My first reaction was that I had fallen into a trap. My eyes stung fiercely, making it impossible to see clearly for a moment.

A strange voice moved around me continuously. It seemed the attacker was also afraid I would pinpoint his location.

"Although you are very powerful, your skin is hard as steel, but this poison dissolves bones and rots flesh. Just a tiny bit will be incurable. You will be finished in a few seconds."