A Soft Knife

"Captain Yang? Where are the other members of your squad?" Zhou Yong's tone carried a hint of teasing.

"They all have cases on their hands." Yang Wenqing was on guard inside, but outwardly maintained a businesslike smile.

"Does your Major Crimes Unit not even have a Flying Shuttle for handling cases?" Zhou Yong asked again, patting the vehicle beside him as he spoke.

"Our Third Squad has limited authority. We generally handle minor cases. Perhaps by the time I walk over there, the Public Security Office will have already solved the case themselves, and all we'll need to do is register it." Yang Wenqing kept a low profile, but he was also testing him.

"Let me give you a ride. I received a police alert saying the case in West City is somewhat complicated. Two squads from our Operations Division are needed to cooperate with you." Zhou Yong shifted aside, gesturing for Yang Wenqing to take a seat on his Flying Shuttle.

"Captain Zhou knows what kind of case it is?" Yang Wenqing made as though to walk over, but after taking two steps, he stopped to inquire about the case.

"Not sure. I only received orders saying the situation is urgent." Zhou Yong urged him again. "Captain Yang, you'd better hurry."

"The Police Alert Center reported a cultivator riot. Cases like this usually have clear targets, so why mobilize the Major Crimes Unit?" Yang Wenqing deliberately stalled. "Logically, the West City Public Security Station should immediately encircle and arrest the culprit. If they fail, they can issue a wanted notice. They aren't trying to shirk responsibility, are they?"

"Since the Police Alert Center has assigned the case to us, not going would be the real dereliction of duty!" Zhou Yong urged him again. "Hurry up."

Only then did Yang Wenqing board the Flying Shuttle. After sitting down, he deliberately raised his voice. "The West City Public Security Station has always remained detached from the branch bureau. If something really goes wrong this time and they want to dump the blame on us, there are other colleagues watching. I just wonder whether they'll have the nerve."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yong's brow twitched in an imperceptible frown. He then urged the elite security officer in the driver's seat to pick up speed.

The two said nothing more after that.

Twenty minutes later, the Flying Shuttle arrived at Fu'an Community in West City. The scene of the crime was outside an upscale entertainment venue called Drunken Immortal Tower. The area had already been cordoned off by officers from the West City Public Security Station, while quite a few spectators had gathered around the perimeter.

The moment Yang Wenqing, Zhou Yong, and their group stepped off the Flying Shuttle, they caught a faint lingering smell of scorching in the air, along with traces of disturbed spiritual energy.

The grand entrance of Drunken Immortal Tower had been shattered. Clear burn marks from flames and slashes from sharp blades covered the doorway, while several icicles had embedded themselves deep into a decorative stone pillar nearby. Evidently, a brief yet fiercely intense spell duel had taken place here not long ago.

After crossing the cordon, Yang Wenqing spotted Li Gui, the white-uniformed director of the West City Public Security Station, at a glance. He was speaking with several well-dressed, poised men, wearing a helpless smile.

When Li Gui saw Yang Wenqing and Zhou Yong arrive, he hurried over and quickly lowered his voice. "Captain Yang, Captain Zhou, you've finally arrived. Here's what happened..."

He spoke at an astonishing pace, explaining the matter in just a few sentences.

The case was indeed uncomplicated. A wealthy young master named Liu Sheng had gotten into a verbal dispute with someone at Drunken Immortal Tower that evening. In a drunken fit of impulse, he had used magical artifacts to duel the other party, injuring several people on the spot. He had also accidentally killed a waiter who had stepped forward to mediate, bringing the total death toll to five, including the other party's guards.

After causing such a catastrophe, Liu Sheng had vanished with his attendants.

By the time Li Gui had finished recounting the case at breakneck speed, the three had already reached the crime scene. Several officials from the Government Affairs Council quickly gathered around. Yang Wenqing swept his gaze over them and relaxed only after finding no aura of official seals on them. That meant they were merely insignificant minor clerks.

At that moment, Li Gui's gaze passed between Yang Wenqing and Zhou Yong before finally settling on Zhou Yong. In an unmistakably commanding tone, he ordered, "Captain Zhou, time is of the essence. The murderer Liu Sheng only escaped a short while ago and must still be within West City District. Immediately lead the brothers from the Operations Division in a dragnet search based on the leads provided by our Public Security Office. You must capture the villain as soon as possible!"

He issued the order with extreme naturalness, completely bypassing Yang Wenqing, who should have been the commander. Afterward, he looked at the Police Sergeant nearby. "You go with Captain Zhou and tell him the intelligence we just obtained."

To Yang Wenqing's surprise, Zhou Yong answered directly, "Understood, Director Li. We'll go at once!"

Without even glancing at Yang Wenqing, he turned and waved at the two squads he had brought. "All personnel, listen up! Follow me!"

The Operations Division personnel sprang into action, boarding their Flying Shuttles. Amid the roar of engines, they disappeared beyond the end of the street in the blink of an eye.

Just as Yang Wenqing was about to speak, Li Gui enthusiastically grabbed his arm, his tone earnest. "Captain Yang, leave the search to the brothers from the Operations Division. What we need now is to deal with the aftermath!"

Li Gui's words were perfectly reasonable and entirely from the perspective of official business, leaving no room for criticism. The Government Affairs Council officials also chimed in. After all, so many people had died at once, and there were so many onlookers around. By tomorrow, the matter would likely be known to every household.

And precisely because of that, if Yang Wenqing let the culprit escape, his position as acting captain would likely be hanging by a thread. Yet he had no one under his command now, and whenever he wanted to head to the arrest scene, Li Gui kept tangling him up.

At this moment, Yang Wenqing could only hope Wang Ren's side would not drop the chain, but this feeling of having no control over things made him deeply uncomfortable.

The group walked over to the bodies of the five victims. Li Gui lifted one of the white sheets and lowered his voice. "Captain Yang, this is the most troublesome one."

Without waiting for Yang Wenqing to ask, he continued, "His name was Sun Yi, male, twenty-two years old. His father is Sun Ming, deputy director of the General Affairs Division at the County Administrative Office!"

As Li Gui finished speaking, a minor clerk from the Government Affairs Council immediately added, "Director Sun has already received the news, but due to the principle of recusal for relatives, he did not come to the scene. However, his wife will arrive shortly."

Just then, a commotion rose beyond the cordon. A middle-aged woman dressed simply yet unable to conceal her nobility approached amid several attendants. The instant she saw the body beneath the lifted white sheet, her body swayed violently, and she nearly collapsed. Fortunately, the attendants beside her caught her.

"My son! My son!" The woman let out a heart-rending cry, struggling to throw herself onto the body.

Li Gui and the Government Affairs Council officials immediately went to meet her. While supporting and consoling her, they deftly redirected her attention toward Yang Wenqing.

"Madam Sun, please restrain your grief. This is Captain Yang Wenqing of the City Defense Bureau's Major Crimes Unit. He is now fully responsible for this case." Li Gui introduced him in a sorrowful tone. "Captain Yang is exceptionally capable. He will surely do everything in his power to bring the murderer to justice and give Director Sun and you an answer!"

The minor clerks also echoed him from the side. "That's right, Madam Sun. With Captain Yang here, rest assured—the City Defense Bureau will never let your son suffer such injustice for nothing!"

Madam Sun looked at Yang Wenqing through tear-filled eyes, her gaze brimming with grief and a trace of scrutiny. She seized his sleeve, her voice trembling yet carrying an unquestionable force. "Captain Yang, my son cannot die like this. The murderer... that Liu Family bastard must pay with his life!"

At that very moment, Yang Wenqing truly felt the ferocity of a soft knife.