The Arrest

The surprise interrogation Li Bai had conducted at the first opportunity had provided an important lead. The NanHu District Public Security Sub-bureau had already formed a task force, and whether for public duty or personal reasons, they weren't going to sit back and do nothing. The manhunt began at once.

The two Annan men, shackled and held at gunpoint, remained stubbornly silent even after they were brought to the NanHu District Public Security Sub-bureau. They shouted that Li Bai had hired someone to kill.

The police at the NanHu District Sub-bureau didn't give them the time of day. When had the NanHu District Sub-bureau—or the Huxi City Public Security System, for that matter, or even the Huaxia Public Security Department—ever been able to interfere in another country's domestic public-security affairs?

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were right there for all to see. If they didn't understand them, they could go look them up.

Even if Annan descended into a bloodbath, with corpses strewn everywhere, Huaxia would only keep a basic eye on things. Aside from making a perfunctory reminder about human rights, it wouldn't lift a finger.

The tax money wasn't going into their pockets, and the dead weren't Huaxians. Why get involved?

So the two Annan men's attempt to drag Li Bai into the mess was completely futile. It wouldn't have any effect.

Not long after daybreak, Li Bai received a news link on his phone. It wasn't from Huaxia, but from Annan: a general surnamed Hu had led his troops in a pledge to launch a sweeping crackdown, capturing nearly three thousand criminals and earning widespread praise from all sectors of society.

With the military taking action, who needed mercenaries?

The men had people, money, and guns. The military commanders were emperors in their own domains. They