"Captain!" The Security Bureau agents hurriedly looked down, only to see their captain, A Jie, being precariously held back, nearly falling into the water.
"I'm fine." Feeling the pull from behind him, A Jie let out a long breath and called back loudly.
Yun Ming released his grip, and A Jie collapsed at the edge of the dam slope.
Watching A Jie gasp for air, Yun Ming could not help saying speechlessly, "For a moment, I honestly couldn't tell whether you were putting on an act."
Considering A Jie's identity, he was a professionally trained Security Bureau agent.
Yet he had nearly fallen into the water, and after being pulled back, he still looked utterly shaken. Did he not even know how to swim?
That was rather hard to believe.
But thinking about A Jie's usual persona, it somehow seemed perfectly reasonable.
In any case, Yun Ming truly could not tell whether he was acting or really was like this.
To be honest, Yun Ming was a serious person and naturally had little fondness for weirdos.
He hated stupidity and hated idiots.
Hearing Yun Ming's words, A Jie looked as though he had only just realized what had happened. He feigned composure and said, "I just slipped by accident. Even if I had fallen into the water, I could have handled it calmly. After all, I'm a professional."
"Mm." Yun Ming nodded and did not pay much attention to his goofy behavior.
He picked up the fishing rod and examined it carefully. Finding that it was still usable, he cast it straight into the water.
"No bait. Hm? Are you fishing like Jiang Taigong, waiting for willing fish to take the hook?" A Jie wore a thoughtful expression.
"Quit being so dramatic." Yun Ming cut off A Jie's musings and asked directly, "You followed and monitored me. Are you planning to make a move against me?"
A Jie's expression changed slightly. Yun Ming's blunt question had caught him off guard.
"The nearly twenty deaths were indeed caused by me unintentionally. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I did not mean to do it," Yun Ming said flatly. "I can accept the punishment I deserve, but if you want me to pay with my life or make excessive demands, that's impossible."
The main reason he chose to accept punishment was his fear of the angels.
Although he could easily crush a building beneath his feet, in this world, he was still an ant—far too insignificant.
Thus, he chose a strategy of retreating to advance, yielding for now and waiting for the right opportunity.
After all, he had the system and hope in his heart. He could endure for the time being.
He believed that as long as he waited patiently, one day he would soar.
However, he would not simply wait to die either. If he were truly driven into a corner, he would fight back with everything he had.
Yun Ming's blunt words left A Jie stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond.
After remaining silent for a while, he finally said, "I'll report your situation to my superiors."
"Then go." Yun Ming unhesitatingly ordered him to leave. "Let me see what your answer is."
Seeing this, A Jie could only helplessly climb up the dam slope and begin calling his superiors to report the situation.
"Sir, he admitted that he accidentally collapsed that building. He said it was unintentional. He also said the light screen looked very much like him, but he doesn't know why it happened either," A Jie reported truthfully over the phone. "As for the four medical personnel in the vehicle, he did not mention them."
"Alright, hand the phone to him," a woman's voice said from the other end.
Yun Ming's hearing was now exceptionally sharp, and he could easily hear A Jie's conversation.
Hearing that it was a woman on the other end, he could not help feeling curious.
Before long, A Jie walked down the dam slope and handed the phone to Yun Ming.
Yun Ming took it and said in a low voice, "Hello."
"How do you explain the matter of those four medical personnel?" A calm male voice came through the phone, carrying an air of authority and pressure. It was not the woman from before.
After thinking for a moment, Yun Ming said, "If I said I originally meant to knock them unconscious but used too much force, would you believe me?"
The other side fell silent. After a long while, the man said, "But the wounds in their chests looked as though they had been shot through by bullets. That position, that kind of damage—and you call it knocking them unconscious? Martial arts?"
Yun Ming was somewhat surprised that the man on the other end had guessed so accurately. He had intended to strike their sleep acupoints.
Did he guess it was martial arts because of the light screen?
Yun Ming pondered inwardly, considering how he should answer.
"What difference does it make whether it is or not?"
"Then it is." The other party's words carried an unquestionable certainty.
Yun Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, realizing that what he had said earlier might have been inappropriate.
Frowning, he said, "Then what do you intend to do? Uphold justice, or defend righteousness? Could you be the legendary Du Kao?"
The other party's voice suddenly rose several degrees, sounding somewhat surprised. "You actually know my identity?"
Guess how I know. Yun Ming thought. So it really is him.
"You're being very dangerous like this."
Aboard the Giant Gorge, Du Kao's face darkened and his eyes turned gloomy as he spoke with a double meaning.
Yun Ming's expression turned cold. "If that's the case, there's no need to talk."
As soon as he spoke, the phone was instantly shattered into powder.
A Jie stared in astonishment. Looking up at Yun Ming, he saw killing intent filling Yun Ming's eyes as he stared coldly at him.
A Jie's heart skipped a beat as a chill ran through him.
Instinctively, he reached to pull something from his sleeve, but at that moment, Yun Ming suddenly turned toward the water and said faintly, "Since ancient times, good people have never lived long, while disasters endure for a thousand years. The ancients also said that those who build bridges and repair roads die without even a burial, while those who murder and commit arson wear belts of gold. Why do kind people in this world always suffer persecution so easily, while the wicked so often receive kindness from others?"
A Jie raised his brows and looked at Yun Ming in confusion.
Yun Ming gave him no chance to answer. He waved a hand to cut him off and said coldly, "I offered my heart to the bright moon, yet the bright moon shone upon a ditch. Before I change my mind, all of you, get lost."
A Jie stood there blankly, hesitating for a long time before ultimately choosing to climb back up. He knew that Yun Ming had already developed killing intent. If they remained here any longer, there would only be more trouble.
"In the end, I still need to have value worth uniting with." As A Jie quietly led his agents away, Yun Ming stared deeply at the fishhook on the water and murmured, "Then how can I possess such value? The Buddhists say that if one lays down the butcher's knife, one can become a Buddha on the spot. As long as one holds a knife in one's hand, one can become a Buddha."
With a light flick of the fishing rod in his hand, a vast expanse of pale fish bellies suddenly surfaced.
"Whoosh—"
A long, air-rending sound echoed through the night sky. Immediately afterward, a blinding cold gleam flashed through the darkness like a meteor streaking across the heavens.
Yun Ming swiftly sidestepped, and the dagger brushed past him, bringing a gust of cold wind.
Lightning instantly gathered in his hand like an enraged dragon. He threw a heavy punch, violently striking the abdomen of the woman who had suddenly appeared.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Terrifying shockwaves ravaged the space behind the woman. The water's surface instantly exploded, countless cracks split across the dam slope, and even the ground beneath their feet trembled.
Before you continue