Lied to You. I'll One-Shot You Even If You Hide

If the Mechanical Construct could have chosen, it would have desperately wished it had never developed this spark of intelligence.

At least then it would have charged straight in.

Instead, it was cowed into hesitation, stuck in midair, unable to advance or retreat.

After a brief standoff, the Mechanical Construct chose to curl itself into a ball.

It stayed firmly suspended in the air.

There was no way it could fight this battle.

Tide Sis watched the scene at her leisure.

Since Ling An had said he would handle it, she naturally saw no reason to exert herself.

Her eyes shone as she watched Ling An's true form within the purple flames, her gaze full of admiration. Who knew what she was plotting?

Beside her, the Puppet Master roared at the Mechanical Construct in frustration:

"Get in there, you idiot!"

But the Mechanical Construct remained unmoved.

Everyone could practically feel what it was thinking:

Why don't you go, then?

Just as the Puppet Master was about to stamp his feet, a slender thread of lightning flew toward him.

In the blink of an eye, it bound him tight.

Holding one end of the thread, Yinlin said coldly, "Puppet Master, you underestimated us."

Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Ling An, and she murmured, "Of course, I underestimated this little rascal too."

At the far end of Yinlin's gaze, Ling An had already stepped halfway out of the purple flames.

With every extra inch of his body that emerged, the Mechanical Construct curled its ball a little tighter.

About time to finish this.

That was what Ling An thought.

He leaned forward and flicked his hand with effortless flair.

Flame Dragon Hero hand flick.jpg.

The Purple Flame Spear formed again and shot toward the Mechanical Construct.

Meeting almost no resistance, its tip drove straight through.

Amid sparks and lightning, the Mechanical Construct crashed heavily to the ground.

This time, it had no choice but to come down.

Its scarlet eyes slowly dimmed.

Ling An sensed the final trace of disbelief it sent out.

It seemed to be demanding an explanation from him. Hadn't he said he would only one-shot it if it poked its head out?

It had clearly tucked its head inside its body, so why had he still attacked?

Sensing that emotion, Ling An's lips curved into a faint smile, and he said softly:

"Lied to you. I'll one-shot you even if you hide."

The scarlet light slowly faded from the Mechanical Construct's eyes. Ling An's spear had pierced its core clean through.

The Puppet Master's eyes lost their light as well.

After witnessing that final scene, he knew there was nothing he could do to turn things around.

So he bent forward without a word.

Ling An flicked his hand, and the purple flames receded. He became an elegant gray cat again and dropped out of the air.

Tide Sis stepped forward and caught him securely in her arms.

In her embrace, Ling An said confidently, "Well? I said I wouldn't let you tire yourself out, and sure enough, you didn't have to lift a finger."

Tide Sis gave him a subtle smile. "Catching you just now took quite a bit of effort."

Ling An froze, his eyes widening.

That counts too?

Hey, that's just cheating!

Tide Sis tapped a fingertip against her cheek, looking perfectly innocent. "Let me think. How should I punish you for breaking your promise?"

Ling An was speechless.

Tide Sis is such a sore loser!

Someone, come save me.

Speak of the devil. Just then, a clear voice rang out from beyond the wall:

"Take my mighty flying kick!"

There was a loud bang.

A door beside them flew off amid a cloud of dust.

As the dust cleared, Chixia stared in surprise at Tide Sis and Ling An:

"Ling An, Rover! I'm here! Are you two all right?"

Ling An felt as though he had found a lifeline.

Chixia, you really...

Couldn't have picked a better time!

A second later, and Tide Sis would have eaten him alive.

"We're fine. The enemy has already been captured," Tide Sis replied.

"Great! Move in and take them back to Jinzhou!"

Chixia waved her hand, and several Patrollers rushed forward, taking custody of the Puppet Master from Yinlin.

One Patroller looked utterly exasperated. "Ma Xiaofang, could you please be less violent next time? What if you damage some evidence...?"

Chixia jolted. "Who's Ma Xiaofang?!"

"Oh, right." The Patroller tapped his head. "Patroller Chixia!"

Hahahaha.

There was no denying that Chixia's arrival had instantly made the oppressive atmosphere much livelier and more relaxed.

She was like a seasoning that made everything more cheerful wherever she was added.

She looked at Yinlin in confusion. "And you are?"

Yinlin calmly held out her credentials. "I'm a Patroller too. Here are my credentials."

While Yinlin explained, Ling An silently watched the Puppet Master.

The Puppet Master merely remained slumped over, showing no intention of contradicting her.

In truth, Ling An's interception of the data the Puppet Master had sent was not a flawless solution.

Now that he had been arrested, an interrogation would inevitably await him.

Besides, the Puppet Master had not been gagged. If he wanted to, he could easily speak up right now and dispute Yinlin's claims.

His testimony would be enough for the Public Security Bureau to launch an investigation into Yinlin.

The Jinzhou Public Security Bureau was no collection of incompetents. Given even the slightest clue, they would certainly uncover Yinlin's former identity as a core member of the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society.

He could have chosen this way to take revenge for Yinlin's betrayal.

Yet the Puppet Master kept his mouth shut.

He did not expose Yinlin's past identity.

Perhaps he felt that nothing he said after his defeat could change the outcome. Or perhaps, after so many years as Yinlin's adoptive father,

a trace of fatherly love for her still lingered in his heart.

Ling An was more inclined to believe the latter.

He sighed silently.

People could never escape the shackles of emotion.

The Puppet Master was facing Yinlin, his own adopted daughter, who was also the daughter of the master and his wife whom he had once respected and admired.

Perhaps, at this moment, he felt a trace of relief as well as reluctance.

The little girl who had once toddled after him, babbling her first words, had now grown into such a beautiful young woman.

She had her own thoughts, her own judgment, and her own sense of justice.

"Move, you criminal!" a Patroller barked, driving the Puppet Master out of the base.

The Puppet Master gave Yinlin one last, long look, his gaze beneath the mask betraying a tangle of emotions.

He let out an almost imperceptible sigh and followed the Patrollers toward the outside.

Master, Mistress...

In the end, she has taken the same path as you.

"Hey, Rover, once we're back in Jinzhou, we have to go feast at Pan Hua Restaurant!"

"And Ling An, you have no idea how often Auntie Panhua tells me she misses you! She even came up with a new and improved secret-recipe cat meal just for you!"

"Oh, and cracking the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society case this time? That's a huge achievement!"

Chixia chattered on and on, her face animated as she spoke. Her mouth never stopped moving.

Yet for some reason, listening to her chatter did not annoy Ling An in the slightest.

If she ever truly stopped chattering one day, he would probably find it strange instead.

But before that, Ling An secretly poked Tide Sis and quietly conveyed what he wanted.

Tide Sis caught his meaning and said to Chixia, "You should get most of the credit this time."

Startled, Chixia waved her hands repeatedly. "How could I? You were the ones who defeated the enemy. I just came to wrap things up. If you ask me, the credit should go to Ling An!"

Ling An pressed down on the gourd. "No, Chixia, you're the best!"

Tide Sis added, "...I still think it would be better for Chixia to take most of the credit. You've worked so diligently and done so much for peace in Jinzhou. If Ling An, a cat, gets all the credit in the end, some people won't be able to stomach it."

Then she leaned close to Chixia's ear and whispered:

"Ling An is right at the center of public controversy in Jinzhou at the moment. We only need to prove he contributed to this case. That will silence the spectators without stirring up too much trouble. It's the best outcome."

Ling An nodded in satisfaction as well and affirmed, "Meow-"