Resolution

Though the people before him greeted him with smiling faces and seemed even more affectionate than Yang Wenqing's birth parents, the knives in their hands were not slow in the slightest, and their intentions were rather too obvious.

Just as Yang Wenqing was about to take the opportunity to bring up the pursuit of the culprit, Li Gui beat him to it. "Madam Sun, rest assured. Captain Yang has already arranged for two combat squads from the Operations Division to pursue the murderer. Even if he sprouted wings, he would find it hard to escape!"

An ordinary young man would have been left dizzy and confused by those few words, but Yang Wenqing remained calm. Just as he was about to say something, a deafening boom suddenly echoed from the east.

At that very moment, a communication signal came through the Communication Formation on Yang Wenqing's badge, and Xiao Liang's voice rang in his ear. "We already know what's happening on your end. We've also caught the murderer for you, but someone seems unwilling to accept it. Come over and take a look."

The unease in Yang Wenqing's heart immediately subsided. The reason he had been able to remain composed earlier was because he had been counting on Wang Ren's side to make a move. He simply had not expected Wang Ren to act so decisively. He had most likely deployed his private Flying Shuttle.

At once, the smile on his face became incomparably radiant. He said to Madam Sun, "Captain Zhou has sent word that he has already captured the murderer. Shall we go take a look?"

His final sentence was clearly directed at Li Gui.

Madam Sun nodded. "Fine. I want to see who it is. He..."

Her voice was filled with hatred. She clearly wanted to give voice to that hatred, but at the final moment, she forcefully swallowed the rest of her words with sheer rationality.

The smile on Li Gui's face instantly froze when he heard Yang Wenqing's words. A flicker of incredulous shock flashed through his eyes, but he quickly forced it down.

Yang Wenqing paid no further attention to Li Gui's reaction. He needed to take control of the scene immediately, so he quickly said to Madam Sun, "Madam, please wait here. I'll go check first!" Before his words had even faded, spiritual energy circulated through his body. With a light tap of his foot, he leaped onto the roof of a roadside house as lightly as a spirit swallow.

Standing high above, he immediately locked onto a street to the east where spiritual energy fluctuations were present. Without the slightest hesitation, he cast the Lightness Charm. His figure rose and fell several times across the continuous rooftops, moving so quickly that only a few afterimages remained.

Li Gui had already withdrawn to the side, seemingly using the Communication Formation on his badge to contact someone.

Meanwhile, Yang Wenqing arrived at the scene in only a moment. It was a relatively secluded street. The gate of a residence had already been shattered, flames flickered within the courtyard, and thick smoke billowed into the air. At the entrance, two groups faced each other in a tense standoff, the atmosphere taut as drawn swords.

One side was the South City Public Security Station guards led by Xiao Liang. They had formed a simple defensive formation. Xiao Liang firmly held down a disheveled young man whose spiritual energy had been completely sealed. He was presumably the murderer, Liu Sheng.

On the other side were Zhou Yong and the two Operations Division squads he had led to capture the murderer. They held the numerical advantage and were well-equipped. At that moment, they had formed a half-encirclement around Xiao Liang and the others.

Zhou Yong stood at the front with a gloomy expression, harshly questioning Xiao Liang.

"Captain Xiao! What is the meaning of this? This is a major criminal our Operations Division was assigned to pursue. Your East City Public Security Station crossed the line to interfere, and you even injured my men. Are you trying to openly defy orders?"

He pointed at several somewhat bedraggled Operations Division members behind him. It was obvious they had suffered a setback in the earlier clash.

Faced with Zhou Yong's questioning, Xiao Liang did not yield an inch. He raised the arrest warrant in his hand, his voice loud and clear. "Captain Zhou, this man committed a crime at our East City Public Security Station several days ago. I was also ordered to apprehend him, and I acted according to the law. How is that overstepping boundaries? On the contrary, your Operations Division repeatedly obstructed us during the arrest. What exactly are you trying to do? Could it be that you intend to shield the murderer?"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Zhou Yong was so furious that his face turned livid. Spiritual energy surged around him, and he looked ready to strike at the slightest disagreement.

At that moment, Yang Wenqing drifted silently down between the two groups like a falling leaf. His gaze swept across the scene before finally settling on Zhou Yong. Then he looked at the captured man and asked, "Is this Liu Sheng?"

Xiao Liang smiled. "That's right. His identity has been verified!"

Yang Wenqing's hearing was exceptionally sharp. He had heard all of Xiao Liang and Zhou Yong's exchange earlier. He turned to Zhou Yong and said, "Since we were pursuing the same target, and the criminal has already been captured, we can interrogate him together. Don't let such a trivial matter harm our goodwill."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and pressed a hand onto the restrained suspect. With his other hand, he formed a spell seal and used the Tracking Technique to read the man's bloodline aura. Then he said coldly, "The Major Crimes Unit is taking custody of the suspect now. Everyone at the scene, including all Operations Division personnel, is to immediately assist in maintaining order, securing the scene, and awaiting further instructions!"

His sudden appearance and clear stance instantly shattered the deadlock.

Zhou Yong's expression was ugly, but once Yang Wenqing had clearly defined who held authority over the case, any further forced interference from them would take on an entirely different nature.

Yang Wenqing no longer looked at Zhou Yong. He turned to Xiao Liang and gave a slight nod. Xiao Liang understood and released his grip. Yang Wenqing seized Liu Sheng's pulse point, sensing the spiritual energy within him that had been thoroughly shackled. The last stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

The murderer had been captured, and the crisis on the surface had temporarily been resolved.

At that moment, the urgent roar of Flying Shuttle engines came from the other end of the street. Several private Flying Shuttles sped over, braking sharply and coming to a steady stop nearby. Their doors opened, and more than a dozen finely dressed people stepped out quickly. At their head was a middle-aged man whose features bore some resemblance to Liu Sheng's.

Yang Wenqing immediately sensed the bloodline aura linking this man to the suspect and instantly determined his identity. His heart settled even further.

Xiao Liang whispered in his ear, "That's Liu Sheng's father, Liu Hong."

The moment Liu Hong stepped out, his gaze locked tightly onto the son held by Yang Wenqing. Yet he did not have the courage to step forward and ask anything. At that very moment, a Flying Shuttle bearing the emblem of the Government Affairs Council silently descended at the street corner.

The shuttle door opened, and Madam Sun stepped down with the support of two attendants, her eyes filled with bone-deep grief.

Liu Hong clearly recognized Madam Sun and the Flying Shuttle that represented her status. When he saw the hatred-filled gaze she had fixed directly upon his son, he realized that the situation could no longer be salvaged.

In the end, he gritted his teeth, cupped his hands toward Yang Wenqing, and forced out a sentence. "Captain Yang, I leave my son to you for handling according to the law."

Having said that, he did not linger. He gave the clan members behind him a look, and the group swiftly returned to their Flying Shuttles. Amid the roar of engines, he came quickly and left just as quickly, vanishing at the end of the street in the blink of an eye.

When Liu Sheng saw his father leave just like that, his eyes immediately filled with despair and disbelief. He struggled even more violently, making hoarse sounds in his throat, but with his cultivation sealed, he could not even utter a complete sentence.

Yang Wenqing increased the force in his hand slightly, making Liu Sheng fall completely still.

Madam Sun hurried forward. Her eyes had been fixed fiercely on Liu Sheng the entire way, her gaze like blades, as though she wished to slice him into a thousand pieces. Yet when she drew near, she took a deep breath and said to Yang Wenqing, "Captain Yang, I hope the City Defense Bureau will give my son justice!"

"Of course."

Yang Wenqing nodded solemnly. Just as his words fell, Li Gui's Flying Shuttle descended at the entrance to the street.