“???”
Staring at the credentials in the hands of the stern-faced man before them, every police officer on the scene was dumbfounded.
What the hell?
National Defense Security Bureau?
“Holy shit!”
They all gasped inwardly, utterly shocked.
Even though they had already deduced from the weapons carried by this group of criminals that these guys were no ordinary bunch, and had anticipated that higher-ups would get involved, they never expected the higher-ups to arrive this quickly.
And not just any higher-ups—these were people straight from the very top, bypassing their department and the city level entirely.
That caught them completely off guard.
“You have a problem with that?”
Noticing that everyone present had fallen silent, the stern-faced man furrowed his brow and asked.
“No, no, no. We have no problem at all.”
The First-Class Police Supervisor snapped out of it and quickly replied.
Are you kidding me? How could he possibly have any objections?
For one thing, these people wielded extremely high enforcement authority within the country. The moment they opened their mouths, it wasn’t just him—even their district’s Number 001 would have to obey and cooperate.
And then there was their very identity.
They were specifically tasked with handling matters that could threaten national security. Normally, they didn’t act unless absolutely necessary. But when they did, it meant they had already gotten their hands on some crucial evidence.
Under those circumstances, who would dare to stand in their way?
If anyone did, the next second, they’d be slapped with the label of “So, are you in cahoots with these criminals too?”—and then not even the heavens themselves could save you!
Seeing how cooperative they were, the team leader, Bai Yongxu, gave a satisfied nod. Then he turned sideways and gestured for them to leave.
But just as that First-Class Police Supervisor was about to head out—
Suddenly.
“Officer Ni, please hold on.”
Bai Yongxu called out.
Hearing that, First-Class Police Supervisor Ni Jingliang’s heart instantly skipped a beat.
What was going on?
The Ministry of State Security had stopped him?
In that instant, countless thoughts raced through his mind, his heart in turmoil.
It wasn’t that he had a guilty conscience—it was simply that being called out by the Ministry carried immense weight, like being summoned by the King of Hell himself.
And what made it worse was that they didn’t call anyone else—just him, Ni Jingliang.
That made it hard not to overthink.
Fortunately, Ni Jingliang had always maintained high professional integrity and lived an honest life, which helped him hold back the panic rising inside.
He steadied his nerves and looked at Bai Yongxu, who seemed to be around his age, and asked, “Mr. Bai, is there something else?”
Bai Yongxu, naturally sensing the shift in Ni Jingliang’s emotions, sat down in a chair and said, “Officer Ni, relax. The only reason I asked you to stay is because you were the one in charge of this case before we arrived. We don’t have a clear picture of the specifics yet, so we need you to help us get up to speed.”
“Sure, no problem at all.”
Ni Jingliang nodded.
He then sat down beside Bai Yongxu and began explaining the case in detail—the background, the sequence of events, everything from start to finish.
At first, everything was perfectly normal.
That was until Ni Jingliang mentioned how Jiang Nian had single-handedly taken down all the terrorists, with only one surviving—barely—and that guy was severely injured and unconscious.
That was when Bai Yongxu and his team’s expressions shifted from calm to utterly bewildered.
Seeing that Ni Jingliang hadn’t noticed their reactions and was about to continue his detailed account, Bai Yongxu quickly raised a hand to stop him.
“Wait, hold on. You’re saying almost all of those criminals are dead?”
“That’s right.”
“And they were killed by a single person?”
“Yes!”
“Do you even hear what you’re saying?”
At that moment, even Bai Yongxu—a man who had weathered countless storms—couldn’t help but let out a curse.
And it wasn’t just him. Everyone he’d brought along shared the exact same sentiment.
Because it sounded completely absurd.
One person, barehanded, took out that many armed criminals?
Ni Jingliang just stared back at them in confusion.
He looked at them blankly. “Wait… you guys didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
Bai Yongxu lit a cigarette and shot back.
Their investigation had only revealed that this group of foreign criminals had been flagged by Ni Jingliang’s team. But they figured Ni Jingliang and his people wouldn’t be able to handle it—after all, even they themselves found dealing with these spies somewhat troublesome, let alone someone with as little experience as Ni Jingliang.
That was why they’d come—to take over the operation.
Who would’ve guessed things would turn out like this?
Seeing how lost they looked, Ni Jingliang sensed something was off and started comparing notes with them. When he learned that Bai Yongxu and his team had only come to assist—not to steal credit or reap the rewards—he couldn’t help but find the whole situation both amusing and exasperating.
As for Bai Yongxu, after a brief moment of shock, his gaze shifted toward the interrogation room where Jiang Nian was being held.
Initially, he’d assumed the guy was just a witness. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d turn out to be the very core of the whole incident.
“Only one left, and he’s severely injured?”
Bai Yongxu’s eyes flickered.
Then he turned to Ni Jingliang. “I’m going to have a word with him. That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”
“Of course. Be my guest.”
Ni Jingliang made an inviting gesture and stepped aside.
Bai Yongxu didn’t stand on ceremony. He walked past Ni Jingliang and strode straight into the adjacent interrogation room.
The atmosphere inside the interrogation room was heavy.
After Jiang Nian had fired off that relentless barrage of pointed questions, the interrogator and the recorder had been left staring at each other, at a complete loss for what to do.
Luckily, just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
The muffled sound of knocking came from the door, and without waiting for either of them to respond, Bai Yongxu walked right in.
The interrogator and recorder were both baffled, having no clue what was going on.
But after Bai Yongxu flashed his credentials at them, they instantly understood and, without a single word, promptly left the room.
Seeing this, Jiang Nian looked at the newcomer, a glint of curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Bai Yongxu, after dismissing the irrelevant personnel, pulled up a chair and, in complete disregard for procedure, sat down directly across from Jiang Nian.
He pulled out a cigarette, stuck it between his lips, and sized Jiang Nian up from head to toe.
“I heard you took out all those criminals by yourself?”
Jiang Nian didn’t respond. Instead, he studied the man in front of him.
Not tall. Average-looking.
Ever since he’d walked in, his eyes had been subconsciously scanning the room.
Cunning. Very calculating.
That was Jiang Nian’s first impression.
His second impression?
This man has killed before.
Jiang Nian could smell the same metallic tang of blood on him that clung to himself—the scent of death. Even though Bai Yongxu had tried to cover it up, that odor couldn’t be hidden.
By conservative estimate, the number of lives lost at this man’s hands was well into the double digits.
Coupled with the way he’d entered—flashing his ID and making the interrogator and recorder leave without a peep—and considering the situation with the sunglass-wearing men earlier…
Tch. Looks like I’ve caught the attention of some pretty serious people.
But hey, I’m a celebrity. This isn’t going to mess with my showbiz career, is it…
Jiang Nian mused to himself, then rubbed his index and middle fingers together.
Seeing Jiang Nian so unfazed and completely at ease, Bai Yongxu didn’t find it surprising. In fact, he thought it was only natural. Without that kind of mental fortitude, how could anyone have survived an incident like this?
And let’s be real—in this whole affair, Jiang Nian was the hero who’d turned the tide and fought against crime. He wasn’t the villain. It was just that the methods and the outcome were a bit… troublesome to deal with.
But hey, heroes get special treatment. That’s nothing out of the ordinary.
So he handed Jiang Nian a cigarette and lit it for him.
After Jiang Nian exhaled a plume of smoke, he finally looked at Bai Yongxu and said, “Sir, what would you like to know?”
