The police had arrived.
Aside from a select few with guilty consciences, most people were curious about their presence.
They all turned to look and saw the officers walking briskly toward the stage, carrying a white cylindrical tube in hand.
The man who had tried to escape earlier looked puzzled, unsure of what the police were really here for.
But to everyone’s surprise, instead of making an arrest, the officers simply grinned at Jiang Nian once they reached the stage.
Then, right before the crowd’s eyes, they pulled out the contents of the tube and gave it a firm shake.
Swish.
With a soft rustle, a bright red silk banner unfurled.
Three bold lines of text immediately came into view:
“A Courageous Citizen Who Stays Calm in Crisis.”
“Outwitting Criminals to Protect the People.”
“January 27, 2012 — Presented by Chuncheng Police Station.”
“???”
At the sight of this, the man who had been shouting for the police to take Jiang Nian away froze.
He stared at the banner in stunned disbelief, reading it over and over again, completely baffled by what was happening.
Just then, the police officer turned to Jiang Nian and spoke:
“Mr. Jiang, on behalf of the Chuncheng Police Station, I’d like to thank you for your contribution to our city.”
“We’re here to present you with this banner of commendation, as well as a cash reward for your assistance in our case. Please accept them.”
With that, the officer handed Jiang Nian the banner and a bank card.
Jiang Nian reached out, took both items, and smiled at the officer: “Much obliged.”
The officer returned the smile: “You’re too kind, Mr. Jiang. You made such a tremendous contribution to this case—this is the least we could do. We hope you won’t hold it against us for taking so long to deliver these.”
“You flatter me. It was just a small matter—a few minutes of fuss, really. Hardly a ‘contribution’ at all. Consider it simply serving the people.”
Jiang Nian replied, his demeanor perfectly proper.
But for some reason, his words somehow carried the uncanny weight of a conversation with a senior official.
“Does this feel off to anyone else?”
The officer couldn’t help but wonder silently.
Down in the audience, a look of realization dawned on everyone’s faces.
They could now confirm one thing for certain: Jiang Nian was not a murderer, contrary to what the internet had been saying.
After all, what kind of killer would show up so openly at a film promotion event and have police present him with a commendation banner and a reward card?
Clearly, Jiang Nian was a hero—there had been a major twist in the story!
Realizing this, they all silently congratulated themselves for coming today, then promptly pulled out their phones to snap photos.
The officer presenting the banner didn’t object.
After all, the whole point of this public commendation—under instructions from the National Defense Security Department—was to quell the ongoing online uproar and restore Jiang Nian’s “clean” reputation.
The man who had been shouting earlier felt his face go pale.
He was just a hired hand, clueless about the deeper games being played.
But judging by what was unfolding before him, he knew he was in serious trouble.
Because from the very beginning, nobody else had made a fuss about Jiang Nian.
Only he had been making a scene.
That was practically painting a target on his own back.
And Jiang Nian didn’t disappoint. After finishing his photo-op with the police, his gaze landed on the man, a sly smirk playing on his lips:
“If I recall correctly, you were just telling the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take this eunuch away, weren’t you?”
“I honestly can’t tell if you’re being naive or just plain ignorant.”
“What made you think that I, as the Director of the Western Depot, would show up here today without any backup?”
He delivered those words with a chilling half-smile.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy.
“Hell yeah! Well said, Your Excellency! Absolute power!”
“That’s it! That’s the vibe! You’re fully in character!”
“I’m filing a report! I’m telling the Emperor that the Western Depot eunuch is colluding with the Embroidered Uniform Guard!”
“…”
The audience cheered and bantered back and forth.
The atmosphere in the venue instantly turned joyful and lively.
The man who had been shouting earlier felt the blood drain from his face.
He could tell that things had spiraled far beyond what he’d expected, so he turned to bolt.
But just then—
A large hand clamped down on his shoulder.
The man froze and whipped his head around.
Standing behind him was the very police officer who had presented Jiang Nian with the banner, smiling warmly: “Sir, we have strong reason to believe you’re connected to the recent online defamation campaign. Please come with us for questioning.”
The man’s mouth twitched. In that moment, it was as if all the strength had drained from his body. His head drooped in defeat as the officers led him away.
Jiang Nian pressed his advantage: “You see that? That’s what happens when you cross this eunuch! Anyone else have objections?”
The audience, thoroughly enjoying themselves, shouted back: “Long live the eunuch! Ten thousand years! A thousand thousand years!”
But Jiang Nian frowned: “Who the hell said this eunuch has no balls and a short dick? Drag them out and chop off their head!”
Just as the promotional event for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate was winding down—
Over at the National Defense Security Department.
“We’ve let those photos circulate for days now. The effect should be about right. Time to close the net!”
Jiang Nian had single-handedly taken down the terrorists in this case, and the masterminds behind them would certainly be keeping an eye on him.
Over the past few days, they’d managed to track down most of the online water army accounts—including several hidden overseas IPs, which were exactly what they’d been after.
Bai Yongxu gave the order, and a team of cyber police officers went into action, swiftly locking onto the IP addresses of those internet trolls and dispatching the information to their respective local police stations.
The Defense Department then launched a thorough crackdown and investigation, hoping to dig up more intel connected to the earlier terrorist incident.
With this final sweep, the case involving Jiang Nian and the terrorists came to a definitive close.
What remained was a large-scale cleanup operation led by the Defense Department in coordination with various other agencies.
As for any official public statements—naturally, none would be released.
Such matters would inevitably be suppressed and kept from the public, as disclosing any details would be socially disruptive.
Meanwhile, the news articles smearing Jiang Nian were gradually taken down, and the buzz around them faded.
In their place, photos taken by ordinary attendees at the film promotion—showing Jiang Nian and the police holding the commendation banner together—began circulating online.
The tide of public opinion had completely turned.
In no time, Jiang Nian’s popularity skyrocketed to new heights.
At the same time, a bombshell piece of news broke out, rocketing to the top of the trending charts and drawing in hordes of netizens eager for the gossip.
[BREAKING! Rising star Liu Kai arrested on suspicion of hiring a hitman to harm Jiang Nian! First trial to commence shortly!]
