One of Us

From the moment Wen Wen appeared, the corner of Yu Hanguang's eye began to twitch uncontrollably.

He couldn't help but want to curse.

After receiving the good news from Jiang Jin, he had originally intended to come and see what kind of impressive results Jiang Jin could produce. But the moment he arrived, his Vision Blackened. There were no results, nothing but a mess; all he could see was this piece of trash being slaughtered by two guys who had popped out of nowhere.

At this point, how could he not understand that he had been dragged into a trap by that damned Jiang Jin?

Damn it, how shameless. Trying to pull a honey trap on him?

But then again, Wen Wen was a stubborn fool who only ever knew how to charge straight ahead. Since when had she learned to restrain herself? Instead of showing up in person to tear her opponent apart and leave evidence behind, she had sent out two lab rats to lure him into making a move...

He hadn't expected, however, that these two kids had been charging in, killing and burning, purely to bait the trap—the hook had been waiting in the shadows all along!

Soon, his gaze settled on Ji Jue.

Understanding dawned on him, and with it, a flicker of killing intent.

As expected, he was a disaster...

Yet, even so, his expression remained completely calm. Facing Wen Wen's interrogation, he simply said with indifference, "I received a report that a group of terrorists had stormed a building in the North Mountain District and were slaughtering innocent civilians. In my haste, I didn't have time to follow protocol and came directly.

On the contrary, Team Leader Wen, isn't your arrival a bit too slow?

Could it be that you are in league with these two?"

"Where are the terrorists? Why don't I see any?"

Wen Wen looked around as if she were blind, her gaze sweeping over the corpses and countless shell casings on the ground without a care. "On the contrary, I see a gang suspected of illegal smuggling, kidnapping, robbery, and murder. The evidence is ironclad, and I was just preparing to wipe them all out. I didn't expect the real mastermind to be someone else entirely.

Could it be that you are the umbrella protecting them from behind?"

As she spoke, she tossed out a mobile phone. The photos and videos on it, along with all the incriminating evidence Ji Jue had gathered, were displayed clearly on the screen.

The stark, white light stung Yu Hanguang's eyes.

It blocked the words of defense he had been about to utter.

Wen Wen flexed her wrists, Eager to try, and said, "Team Leader Yu, please hand the man over. Otherwise, this won't be easy to resolve."

Jiang Jin, hearing this, went dull, his face turning the color of Dead Ashes. He instinctively looked toward his only straw to clutch at, but Yu Hanguang remained expressionless, completely unmoved.

Hand him over? Like hell he would!

He certainly couldn't hand Jiang Jin over—not out of pity for his loyalty or competence, but because he trusted this kind of scum's ability to change with the wind even less.

God knows if this embarrassing piece of work had been hoarding any ledgers over the years.

If this woman really caught him by the tail, he would surely be in for a long and miserable time!

Otherwise, why would he have saved the wretch's life just moments ago?

"I think you must have misunderstood, Team Leader Wen."

Yu Hanguang raised his hand slightly, suppressing the crystals spreading around them, and shielded Jiang Jin behind him. "I have been tracking this gang privately for a Long time. I was just worrying about the lack of evidence; it's a coincidence that you're so efficient. It's perfect—it will be convenient for us to wipe them all out at once."

"Is that so?"

Wen Wen was amused. "But you don't look like someone who wants to root out evil to the end. Isn't the leader of the gang sitting right behind your back?"

"I said, it's a misunderstanding."

A gloominess Emerged on Yu Hanguang's face. "He is an informant I developed, and he has a file in the Lihua District. According to the rules, he is under my jurisdiction; there is no reason to hand him over to anyone else.

Right, Mr. Jiang?"

He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the embarrassing wretch behind him.

"Ah? Ah! Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!"

In an instant, Jiang Jin's face lit up with joy. A hint of color even returned to his pale face, which had been on the verge of blood loss. "A misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

He was almost weeping with joy. "We're all on the same—"

Bang!

In an instant, that smiling face was Falling apart.

With a sudden, Loud explosion that no one had anticipated, a bullet pierced through the back of his head. Before everyone's eyes, it bored through that ugly face, which still held traces of joy, leaving behind a gash that looked like a mocking smile.

The joy and happiness came to an abrupt end.

Only dead silence remained.

"Whew—"

Ji Jue raised his hand and calmly blew the smoke from the muzzle of his gun. "An informant? What a coincidence."

He smiled slightly at the stunned Yu Hanguang.

"So am I."

He sighed, Delayed and seemingly regretful, and shrugged. "Oh my, an informant killing an informant—the water has flooded the Dragon King's temple. I didn't expect we were on the same side!

If you had said so earlier, it would have been fine... right?"

In that instant, furious lightning appeared in Yu Hanguang's eyes. His killing intent was ferocious, like a Sharp blade, and across the long distance, it almost tore Ji Jue to shreds!

The only reason he didn't make a move, aside from Wen Wen's protection, was that in his Other Hand, he was clutching something he was spinning around.

A mobile phone.

Jiang Jin's mobile phone.

A phone that no one knew what was inside after Jiang Jin died!

Could this disgraceful thing not even keep a handle on something so lethal?!

His expression twitched slightly, and the malice surging within his narrowed eyes was almost impossible to suppress.

Especially when he saw Ji Jue's ghostly look of, "Don't mind it, the kid doesn't know any better, he was just killing for fun," and "Big brother, you aren't going to be angry, are you?"

Ji Jue, on the other hand, couldn't care less.

He stared straight at him, actually wanting to see if he had the guts to make a move.

Investigating Ji Jue was one thing, but when Jiang Jin's subordinates made a move on Lu Ling, the two sides had already become absolute, irreconcilable enemies—even if Team Leader Yu could act like a non-stick pan and shake the whole matter off completely clean!

At a time like this, if you didn't hurry to pick a side and cling to a powerful backer, were you really going to be pathetic enough to kowtow, serve tea, admit your faults, and play the dog?

Kneeling never solved problems; it only invited humiliation and made those people even more wanton and rampant.

If someone with nothing to lose couldn't show some backbone, they could only be slaughtered at will!

And amidst this horrifying, deathly stillness, Team Leader Yu finally withdrew his gaze.

He didn't lash out on the spot.

Whether he was wary of Wen Wen or the things inside that phone, it was hard to say.

"Good. Very good."

He squeezed the words out from between his teeth: "I'll remember Team Leader Wen's help today."

"Don't mention it. We're colleagues; helping each other is only right," Wen Wen said with a beaming smile. "Although Jiang Jin is dead, we did manage to catch another live one..."

As she spoke, a shy kid with his head bowed walked in from outside the door. He looked even younger than Ji Jue, seemingly in middle school, leaning on a crutch with a slightly unsteady gait.

Behind him followed a desperate figure drenched in sweat.

It was none other than the cornered Bai Yi.

He offered no resistance, had no courage to resist, and was even struggling just to breathe.

At this moment, he looked as if he were tied up by invisible ropes, completely unable to speak!

Wen Wen waved her hand generously: "If you're interested, why not take him back? Consider it a gift from the North Mountain Team; it's not like you came here for nothing."

Team Leader Yu's face turned leaden, his anger no longer containable.

"No need. To eliminate evil, one must finish the job. Bury him right where he came from!"

With just a flick of his finger, Bai Yi's expression changed drastically. Viscous, blood-colored fluid seeped from his nose and mouth as he wailed in agony, turned into ashes by invisible flames from the inside out!

Dead!

He cast a cold glance at Ji Jue, said nothing, and turned to leave, only to hear a voice from behind.

"Oh, right, Team Leader Yu."

Wen Wen draped an arm over Ji Jue's shoulder, her smile soft: "It's normal for colleagues to have their little frictions, but my little brother here isn't in the best of health... If he gets bumped or bruised, and I get angry, I might not be as reasonable as I was today."

Since you want to talk about rules, then we'll play by the rules.

If someone doesn't play the game according to the rules, then... the card table has no reason to exist.

Team Leader Yu's footsteps faltered.

As if gritting his teeth, he quickened his pace without looking back.

Just like when he arrived, he vanished in a flash of electric light...

It was a pity; he had arrived with such prestige, but left in such a sorry state.

"Wow, he looks just like a dog."

Ji Jue clicked his tongue in wonder, only to feel his head get smacked hard.

"You brat, you really have some nerve."

Wen Wen shook her head helplessly. "That shady bastard Team Leader Yu is vindictive. You've thoroughly offended him this time."

"Isn't that what Big Sister Wen is for?" Ji Jue seized the opportunity to lean in, pressing against Wen Wen's shoulder, acting frail and on the verge of collapse: "I've sacrificed so much for you, you wouldn't just leave me to my fate, would you? Hmm~"

The moment that last syllable came out, Wen Wen looked as if she'd seen a ghost; she had goosebumps all over.

She nearly smashed Ji Jue's head in with a single punch!

Damn it, there's a 'two-dimensional' weirdo here, everyone retreat...

Where did this little brat come from!

Amidst the overwhelming 'tea-flavored' act, she couldn't help but apply a bit of force to the fingers pinching Ji Jue's face, only letting go once he let out a pathetic, miserable cry for mercy.

"If you ever pull that kind of joke on me again, I'm confiscating your 'tools of the crime,' you hear me?"

She warned him with a fake smile. Ji Jue nodded obediently, his head moving so fast it left a blur.

Ever since she received Ji Jue's call and heard that utterly absurd rumor, she had been on the verge of exploding on the spot!

I nearly couldn't hold back from punching Tong Hua's head to stop her from stifling her laughter.

If Ji Jue hadn't held me back, saying there was a better plan, I might have already scattered Jiang Jin, his gang, and his entire family to the winds dozens of times over by now!

It would have been one thing if it were just a rumor, but the fact that others were half-believing it, unsure if it was true or false, made me almost Break Down.

Even if I had suddenly gone brain-dead and wanted to find a partner, and even if this kid had a decent look, the age gap was just too wide. Am I the kind of woman who would be so desperate as to eat tender grass?!

"Alright, get lost and go home to sleep, you brat. Don't worry about a damn thing. If they dare to be a Rule-breaker and you lose even a single hair, I'll have Yu Hanguang's entire family killed."

Suppressing the urge to punch Ji Jue's head as well, I snatched the phone from Jiang Jin and finally waved my hand: "Forget about tonight. Come report to the North Mountain District yourself in a couple of days!"

"Huh?" Ji Jue looked bewildered.

"Aren't you my informant?"

Wen Wen snorted, "You have to meet my colleagues at some point, don't you? Don't make me look bad by not even being able to recognize them when the time comes."

With that, she waved her hand and vanished into the distance.

The child beside her paused for a moment, hurriedly nodded at Ji Jue and the others, and then chased after her.

Although I was furious about being caught up in such an outrageous scandal, seeing that bastard Yu Hanguang get so thoroughly humiliated put me in a fantastic mood.

Especially since the pent-up frustration from being ostracized by these idiots, both openly and behind my back, for so long had instantly dissipated by more than half. Well, maybe not more than half, maybe a small part... actually, maybe not even that, but I'm not one to hold a grudge, so, at least a little bit!

"Let's go, Little An."

I whistled and beckoned, saying: "Call Huahua and Lao Zhang over there; let's go have a drink for a team-building session~"

The child following closely behind me looked up, studied my expression, and suddenly sighed: "Wen Jie, you haven't smiled this happily in a long time."

"..."

In the sudden silence, I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning. I turned my head stiffly, my expression twitching: "...Who taught you to say such nonsense?"

"Huh? Sister Huahua told me." An Ran looked at me innocently, flipping through his notebook, "She said if Wen Jie smiled after finishing her business, I could say that..."

"Tong Hua—"

The sound squeezed out from between my teeth. Just wait until tonight, I'll twist your head off and turn it into a Wine glass!

"Come here, let me Teach you the part that comes after that line..."

I forced a smile and mercilessly grabbed An Ran by the ear:

"--For being so talkative, you're losing your bonus this month!"

(End of chapter)