Captain Qi, Qi Lingwu

How arrogant!

But he certainly had the strength to back it up. The moment he finished speaking, he vanished, and by the time Hao Jingye reacted-

A shrill alarm sounded two hundred meters away.

Beep, beep-

The underground sensors let out an ear-piercing, sustained alarm, and a red circle was immediately projected onto the ground.

At that same instant-

Bang, bang, bang!

The drones and SWAT officers fired simultaneously at the center of the red circle where the alarm had sounded.

Sheng An had not lied.

Everything within five kilometers was sealed off, with ground-level infrared detection covering the inner two kilometers.

This was a contest between technology and superpowers.

It was also a contest between the state and an ability user.

An arrest, and a drill.

Long Tianyu appeared, his body swaying.

A shot had hit his arm. He immediately looked over in alarm, then let out a long breath.

-A tranquilizer gun.

"Impressive. You only took one shot." Like a cat hunting a mouse, Sheng An walked toward him, in no hurry to order another volley.

Long Tianyu remained on constant alert for everything around him.

His voice was icy. "That shot caught me unprepared. Do you think I can't dodge your bullets?"

Sheng An raised an eyebrow slightly.

Hao Jingye's heart jolted. He exchanged a glance with Song Linwei, and both saw shock in the other's eyes.

There was no reason to doubt the marksmanship of the SWAT officers Sheng An had brought, nor the drones' speed. According to the plan, a few shots should have brought Long Tianyu down without fail.

Yet he had only been hit once.

When this guy flashed, he also moved with astonishing speed and agility.

That came not only from his extraordinary ability, but also from his experience in repeated battles.

Hao Jingye and the others had not anticipated it.

Sheng An was somewhat surprised too. The Flash Ability actually boosted his speed as well.

It seemed the Flash Ability was an upgraded speed ability, several times stronger than an ordinary one.

Infrared sensors could not detect Long Tianyu while he was flashing. Only when he landed two hundred meters away could they pick him up, no matter how fast he moved.

Sheng An walked up to Long Tianyu and said calmly, "You have six flashes left. Twelve hundred meters. You can't get out of our encirclement. Long Tianyu, can we talk?"

That was the fourth request to talk!

Long Tianyu: "!"

His breath caught, and his head buzzed.

How did they know?

How did they even know how many times he could still use his ability?!

He glanced over the drone fleet overhead, the SWAT officers surrounding them, and the red circle enclosing him, which would trigger a shrill alarm whenever he moved.

It was like a shackle holding him in place.

-He had underestimated the power of the national apparatus.

Long Tianyu finally fixed his gaze on Sheng An's face. Her beauty made him pause briefly.

Then, clutching his arm, he said hoarsely, "You could have killed me, but you didn't. Are you trying to recruit me?"

Sheng An looked at him and said flatly, "Right now, you're under arrest."

Long Tianyu met her gaze in a silent contest. They faced off, keeping roughly ten meters between them.

In the distance, Li Xin, who was not allowed any closer, bared his teeth. "What are they doing?"

Jiang Yu said, "What do I do? I suddenly feel like this guy has the vibe of a male lead in a novel for guys. Arrogant, expressionless, pretty handsome, and his ability is powerful too..."

Li Xin: "??"

What male lead? He, "Iron Man," was the Child of Destiny!

Long Tianyu looked Sheng An up and down, then suddenly smiled.

"I can talk to you, and I'm quite willing to accept an official recruitment offer. I'd be delighted to work alongside a beauty like you. But I have three conditions."

He knew when to be sensible.

There was no escaping a net like this.

Besides, he was now very curious about what the state knew, and about the woman before him.

Interest filled Long Tianyu's face. His chin tilted slightly upward, his gaze locked on Sheng An.

His eyes held appreciation and satisfaction.

Sheng An brushed the dust from her Combat Jacket, her voice languid. "First, you have to talk to us. Second, I'm your future boss. Finally, we reject your conditions."

As soon as she finished, she raised her hand and flicked her fingers. "Do it."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The drones overhead and the surrounding SWAT officers fired simultaneously, unleashing a dense barrage.

Long Tianyu's brow twitched, and he instantly vanished.

His body became a blur, appearing in one place after another.

At the same time, his voice rang out from every direction-

"I can only flash six times over long distances, true. But short-distance flashes don't use much of my power."

Sheng An did not care. She said flatly, "Your power will run out eventually."

This was a drill anyway.

They were not afraid to keep it going.

After a brief pause, Long Tianyu spoke again.

"Then how about a bet? If you catch me before my power runs out, I'll do as you say and cooperate. But if you still haven't caught me, you agree to my three conditions."

Sheng An said nothing, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly ahead, her brow shifting.

Not far away.

Song Linwei said, "What a powerful ability!"

Li Xin also sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling that he might not necessarily be a match for this guy.

That ability really was badass.

But...

He was a man of steel. As long as he maintained his hard outer shell, this guy could never hurt him.

He could even turn himself into a hedgehog, couldn't he?

Then this guy would come at him and never make it back.

Thinking of it that way, he was no worse than Long Tianyu!

Li Xin immediately felt satisfied.

His recent "advanced studies" had been useful after all.

He had begun thinking the right way, looking for ways to maximize his ability and unleash terrifying strength.

Jiang Yu, meanwhile, was already staring in a daze.

She murmured, "Fuck, the more I look, the more he feels like the male lead in a novel for guys. And Sheng An is the female lead-a superpowered guy and a beautiful policewoman? That ship could work too."

Beside her, Hao Jingye also watched the scene ahead. Mimicking Sheng An's expression and tone, he smiled slightly.

"First, Sheng An isn't a beautiful policewoman. She isn't even a delicate flower. Second, this guy isn't the protagonist. Finally, have you all decided Captain Qi is dead?"

The others froze at his words.

The gunfire continued.

Long Tianyu kept flashing back and forth, leaving at most a fleeting blur for them to catch.

Of course, an occasional muffled grunt broke through.

Clearly, tranquilizer rounds had hit him, making the blur of his flashes easier to track.

At this rate, he would fall!

Long Tianyu gritted his teeth, feigning ease. "What? Afraid to bet with me? Woman, you're such a coward. What good does just shooting at me do?"

"You're bluffing." Sheng An scoffed softly. "I won't bet, but you're going to lose."

She would not bet with him.

But she had already written his ending.

Long Tianyu's breath caught. He ground his teeth, then sneered. "Then I'll show you, woman, just how many short-distance flashes I have left!"

He was destined to be caught, but before that, he had to do something.

-They could not be allowed to think he was a pushover.

Long Tianyu lunged straight at Sheng An.

Bang!

Bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Six distinct gunshots rang out in succession, somewhat muffled yet exceptionally clear.

Because each one was accompanied by a grunt from Long Tianyu, or even a cry or groan of pain.

The six shots ended.

Long Tianyu fell flat before Sheng An.

Two shots pierced his palms, avoiding the arteries and lodging in the flesh-the most painful yet least lethal spots, perfectly symmetrical.

Two shots pierced his feet, pinning him to the ground.

One shot grazed his hair and embedded itself in the ground above his head.

One shot passed between his legs, grazing his crotch before embedding itself in the ground.

Ahead, a man's voice rang out clearly. "Zero. You have zero flashes left."

Long Tianyu passed out before he could even get a clear look at the man.

Sheng An lowered her raised arm and looked ahead with an arched brow.

It seemed she would not have to act.

Jiang Yu and the others all widened their eyes, looking toward the voice.

He was a young man a full six foot three tall, dressed in fitted black gear buttoned all the way to his neck, yet still looking lean and long-limbed. Even in the same black uniform as the other SWAT officers, he stood distinctly apart.

He captured everyone's attention in an instant. Beneath his black cap, a few streaks of camouflage paint could not conceal his sharp, flawless features.

Thin lips, a high nose, and piercing eyes beneath sharp brows inspired an instinctive fear.

His strong hand held a gun half an arm's length long, resting it lightly on his shoulder. His back was straight, and he walked at an unhurried pace, radiating an overwhelming presence.

Jiang Yu grabbed Hao Jingye for support, stammering, "He-he, he-who is he?!"

Hao Jingye took a deep breath.

"That's Captain Qi, Qi Lingwu."