Opening his eyes, Ye Wen confirmed that there was nothing unusual about himself before slowly making his way to the door. "Who are you looking for?"

"NYPD! Open up now! I have reason to suspect this place is harboring a key suspect. If you don't open the door within five seconds, I'm coming in!" Without waiting for Ye Wen's reply, the voice began counting loudly.

Ye Wen pinched the bridge of his nose, waved off the two women who had already risen and were ready to move, and then opened the door. It wasn't that he feared the female officer; rather, he dreaded the potential damage to his door, which would necessitate calling a repairman, and more annoyingly, informing the landlord and building manager—too much hassle.

"It's you again, Officer!"

As expected, the person standing before him was the blonde female officer. She was poised to smash the door down; if Ye Wen had been a second slower, she might have crashed right into him. In that scenario, the result would likely have been worse than a broken door, as Ye Wen’s current physical resilience was hardly inferior to the concrete walls surrounding him.

Claire, momentarily stunned, paused. She seemed surprised the door had been opened, perhaps anticipating some sort of ambush setup inside, ready to spring an attack the moment she charged in.

However, the scene before her proved she had overthought things. Through the gap beside Ye Wen, she could see two young Asian women sitting on the sofa watching television, though both pairs of eyes were now fixed upon her.

After quickly scanning the area again and confirming no one else was present, Claire raised her handgun, shouting at Ye Wen, "Step back! Hands up... slowly retreat!"

Shrugging, Ye Wen took a single step backward, yet kept his hands naturally at his sides, ignoring the officer’s command. This lack of compliance made Claire tense; a slight sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The truth was, Claire hadn't been having an easy time lately: the ridicule from colleagues, the Chief’s inexplicable comments, and yesterday’s sudden, bizarre, and unfinished case. What troubled her most was the reappearance of that strange group in black suits. All of it signaled to her that something was profoundly wrong.

Perhaps sensing Claire’s internal turmoil, the Chief had specifically told her in private, "Don't investigate further, some things aren't meant for a junior officer to know..."

To be fair, although the Chief was somewhat slovenly in appearance and overweight, he was generally a decent man who cared deeply for his precinct officers. Since joining this precinct, she had benefited greatly from his guidance. In the past, she might have followed his advice and dropped the matter.

After all, this country wasn't policed by just one organization. Setting aside clandestine agencies, there were the FBI and the CIA openly operating.

But this time was different, because her brother was entangled in it. In a fit of emotion, she had stormed into the Chief’s office, nearly choking him as she demanded, "Which bastard department are they from? FBI or CIA? I need to find out!"

The result was unsatisfactory. Frustrated and adrift, she remembered the mysterious Asian man she’d been trailing recently. Coincidentally, an informant provided her with intelligence, and she finally tracked down the current location of this enigmatic Asian figure.

"You're clever, living in an apartment this utterly mundane! Not secretive, but easier to be overlooked..." Claire slowly stepped inside, cautiously surveying the room. Seeing no immediate threat, she spoke.

"I don't understand what you mean, Officer!"

Ye Wen’s reply was what Claire expected. She sensed that this man held some degree of apprehension toward her. She wasn't sure if it was just her perception, but considering her status, she felt significantly more confident.

"Don't deny it. You were the one who knocked me out last time, right? Though I still have no idea how you managed to suddenly appear behind me and render me unconscious!"

"Oh? Can I accuse you of slander and defamation?"

Claire let out a sharp cry, "I have evidence! There was surveillance footage at the time!"

Ye Wen’s eyelids flickered. Though a smile remained on his face, his mind raced: Have I been gone too long? I forgot about that sort of thing! But...

Looking at the female officer, who appeared to be just a standard patrol officer, Ye Wen suddenly smiled, "Even if there was footage, it’s not in the hands of your police department now, is it?"

He was only guessing. He wanted to use this to ascertain whether this country possessed a secret agency similar to what he suspected. If such an entity existed, he could extrapolate that other nations likely had similar organizations. Only if this organization genuinely existed could his current plan truly take effect. Otherwise, even if he opened schools all over the world, he probably wouldn't catch the fish he was after.

Claire looked genuinely surprised; the Glock in her hand even trembled slightly. Though barely noticeable, she quickly regained her composure, but such minor tells were useless against Ye Wen.

Ye Wen ignored Claire's firearm, walked over to the sofa, and sat down casually. "Without evidence, and without a search or arrest warrant, beyond slander and defamation, I could even charge you with trespassing! Or perhaps I should have the right to kill a bandit who storms into my home wielding a weapon?"

Claire felt caught in a bind. She had initially believed that finding this mysterious Asian man would solve all her questions, but now that she had, everything seemed to be slipping out of her control. The man before her utterly disregarded the weapon in her hand—it was as ridiculous as a child gravely announcing a bank robbery while brandishing a toy gun.

If reason hadn't dictated caution, she might have tried to test him. She desperately wanted to know why this man wasn't afraid of the gun in her hand.

"I heard Chinese people know Kung Fu. But does knowing Kung Fu make you immune to handguns?"

The situation settled into a stalemate. Ye Wen sat on the sofa, propping his face with his hand, watching the female officer whose forehead glistened with sweat. Simultaneously, he endured Ning Ruxue’s gaze—curious and slightly suspicious, a look that seemed to ask, Is this an old flame of yours?

"Whoa! What's going on here?"

A voice echoed from the doorway. Hearing the sudden sound behind her, Claire jumped like a startled kitten, spinning 180 degrees and pointing her Glock at the newcomer: "Don't move!"

Tommy Johnson, who immediately raised his hands, froze mid-action and asked, "Who are you?"

"NYPD FO!"

It wasn't a single voice but a chorus. Ye Wen, seated on the sofa, rested his cheek on his hand, "Perhaps you could use a different way to introduce your identity... Is this part of your standard procedure?"

"It is!" Claire shouted back, turning her head, then pointing at Tommy's gun and brandishing her own, "Who are you? And what is that you're holding?" Finally, she saw someone behaving normally. The weapon in her hand suddenly asserted the deterrence it was meant to possess; Ye Wen’s previous indifference had nearly made her want to drop it.

"I... I own the pawn shop two blocks over. What I have here is..." Tommy glanced at Ye Wen, then looked troubled.

Ye Wen understood instantly what he had been waiting for. He rose, completely ignoring the wide-eyed Officer Claire, and walked straight to Tommy. "Give it to me."

"Uh? That..." Tommy gestured toward the female officer, actually indicating the black handgun.

"Her?" Ye Wen glanced over. "She can't hurt you."

Hearing this, Tommy visibly relaxed, his tightly held shoulders dropping. He handed the bag in his hand toward Ye Wen. "Everything you wanted is in here. Three sets in total. Due to certain considerations, I used English names... Mr. Ye, you don't mind, do you?"

Ye Wen pulled the contents out and flipped through them one by one, reading the English names aloud: "Ryan Ye, Stephanie Hua, Isabella Ning! I must say, Tommy, your naming skills are quite mediocre..."

He didn't care about the English names; this was just a little card that would allow him to roam freely across America without being arrested. What was written on it was irrelevant.

"What about the rest?" Ye Wen sifted through the remaining stack of documents. They appeared to be materials, all pertaining to the three of them. He understood immediately: these were the fake documents required to smoothly obtain real driver's licenses. In America, given the special status of the driver’s license, many people resorted to this, provided they found the right channels.

"Because you have those three cards, this other stuff is useless now!" Tommy smiled, explaining to the distinguished Mr. Ye. "After a few years, you can reapply for a real ID... In the meantime, the license you have will solve most of your problems!"

"Hey! Don't ignore my existence!" Claire understood what they were discussing after only a few sentences. These two were talking about forged documents right in front of a police officer? This was completely dismissive! Did they think she was just window dressing?

Ye Wen looked her up and down, scrutinizing her from head to toe several times. His invasive gaze made Claire retreat slightly. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Wha—What? Why should I leave? You haven't answered my question!" Claire suddenly flipped the safety off her handgun. "I now suspect you are involved in a major case. Please come down to the station with me."

"Go to the station?" Ye Wen chuckled. "Little girl, haven't you understood yet? Even if I genuinely went back to the station with you, the person you’d end up talking to wouldn’t be you... it probably wouldn't even be anyone in your precinct!"

From Claire’s recent reactions, he was certain that a far more mysterious agency existed in this country. They erased all truths that might cause public panic and dealt with unsavory matters behind the scenes. The fact that the dozen or so werewolves he eliminated the other day hadn't leaked any information was likely their doing.

He thought this would deter the young officer, but unexpectedly, Claire shouted, "You really do know the truth! Tell me, what were those things? And who are those strange people? Why did they take all the evidence and refuse to tell me even a shred of information?"

The tenacity of this female officer was starting to give Ye Wen a headache. He turned to look at the two women. While they could understand the words being exchanged, grasping the implied meaning of the conversation would likely take them a while longer. During this time, they couldn't offer him any practical help.

He then looked at Tommy. While the Black man seemed confident about the situation, he was clearly wary of the shock and the black maw of the Glock. However, Tommy was handling it well enough; he hadn't hidden behind Ye Wen, a fact that pleased him.

"Tommy, close the main door for now. Don't let the neighbors see this; it will only invite more trouble."

With a casual instruction, Ye Wen walked to the table, sat down, and pointed to an empty seat opposite him. "Sit down, Officer! Since you're unwilling to leave, we can talk things over."

Sitting cautiously opposite Ye Wen, she kept a tight grip on her Glock. Ye Wen smiled. "To prove the truth of everything I am about to say, I feel it necessary for you to see something."

Saying that, Ye Wen raised his palm and made a grasping motion. The Glock flew from Claire's hand as if yanked by a powerful magnet, spinning about two or three inches above Ye Wen's palm. "This sort of thing poses no threat to me."

In reality, taking the Glock only required a single thought; he didn't need any gestures. He had merely adopted a few dramatic poses to enhance the persuasiveness.

Claire’s mouth dropped open wide enough to fit an egg. She stared disbelievingly at the floating gun in Ye Wen’s hand, then at her own empty right hand, pinching her thigh and cheek to confirm she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. "My God! Are you a meta-human?"

"Meta-human?" Ye Wen frowned. He realized that explaining concepts like Qi field or internal energy to a foreigner would take until next year, so he gave up. "Understand it however you like, just grasp that I possess abilities ordinary people do not."

Claire nodded dumbly, her eyes glued to the handgun hovering over Ye Wen’s palm. Then, as each component spun, a part would detach, until the entire firearm dissolved into a pile of floating metal pieces suspended in mid-air. The sight looked more like a 3D animation on a computer screen than a real event unfolding in reality.

Placing the scattered parts onto the table, Ye Wen retracted his right hand. Disassembling a gun using pure energy was nothing; with his deepening cultivation, he could easily accomplish things he couldn't before. Not only was his Qi field growing more formidable, but his control was incomparable to his past self. As for the gun's structure? He hadn't discarded the handgun he picked up earlier; he kept it as a personal toy.

"Fine, what do you want to ask?" Ye Wen spread his hands. "A prerequisite: I know very little. I will tell you everything I know, but you must promise never to bother me again."

Claire nodded, still slightly dazed. Fortunately, her reaction time was fast, and concern for her brother spurred her back to composure. "I want to know about those werewolf-like corpses I saw the other day..."

"Those were werewolves... werewolves from Europe."

"But werewolves are creatures from mythology? How could..."

Ye Wen didn't answer, merely watching her with his arms crossed—a posture clearly indicating he wouldn't offer any further explanation. He was simply relaying what he knew to Claire.

Understanding this, the female officer did not press that point but moved to her next question: "If they are European werewolves, why are they in America?"

"European werewolves don't necessarily have to stay in Europe. Just like I am an Asian person, but there's no rule saying I must only stay in Asia!"

Claire acknowledged this. It meant these werewolves wandered around freely, but then, "...How do werewolves wander around? Their appearance..."

"You must have seen movies or read novels, right? Werewolves can transform into human appearances! You can’t tell their true nature just by looking at them. Maybe there’s a monster hiding its true identity among your colleagues!"

Claire knitted her brows. Although she knew Ye Wen’s last remark was a joke, she couldn't bring herself to laugh. She began contemplating the true identity of those men in black suits. Could those people also be werewolves or something similar?

These thoughts troubled her more and more, but the most immediate concern was the case from a few days ago. "There was a bizarre murder a few days ago. Do you know about it? About four blocks from here!"

Ye Wen frowned. What did that have to do with him? Claire understood immediately from his expression that Ye Wen was unaware.

Tommy, however, suddenly piped up, "Oh! You mean that case where a lunatic bit a pedestrian to death? I heard the victim was a very pretty female student. A real shame. I heard her appearance at death was terrifying, like a dried-out mummy! Thank goodness the police shot that lunatic dead, or I wouldn't dare go outside..."

"He wasn't shot dead."

"What did you say?"

Claire didn't turn around, staring intently at Ye Wen. "That lunatic wasn't killed. In fact, this incident wasn't even handled by us police. The perpetrator was taken away by a group of strange individuals to an unknown location. More importantly, several people disappeared from the scene, and my brother... he was one of them!"

The female officer adopted her most sincere expression and looked at Ye Wen. "My name is Claire Redfield. I hope you can help me find my brother..."

Hearing the name, Ye Wen's first reaction wasn't whether to agree or not, but an abrupt counter-question: "Claire? Looking for your brother? Your brother isn't named Chris, is he...?"

Seeing Claire nod, Ye Wen was aghast. "Damn, did the Biohazard outbreak happen here?"