A man of justice

West Garden District, Old Ding's office.

"Master Hua, please give me three more days."

Drenched in sweat, Old Ding pleaded over the phone, "A Lang was my brother. We came up together, and someone cut his head off..."

"I wouldn't care if someone cut your head off, either. West Garden's new commissioner already has his eye on you. Stop your dirty work right now and keep your head down."

An old man with a booming voice roared on the other end of the line.

After A Lang died, Old Ding's lackeys had gone mad searching for people across West Garden.

They had turned all of West Garden upside down.

Such a brazen operation had naturally attracted the attention of certain "men of justice."

"I don't need to remind you how much dirt you've got on your hands, do I? The new Police Chief won't accept any of our gifts. He's already opened a file on you. Lie low."

Master Hua threatened him coldly. "You can die, but don't drag us down with you. Understand?"

"Yes."

Old Ding seethed inwardly, but he had no choice but to back down before Master Hua.

Master Hua, the legendary Flower Boss.

He was also the real big shot backing Old Ding.

The chairman of the West Garden Public Security Management Association, the true uncrowned king of West Garden District.

Old Ding hung up, but before he could call his men back, a large group of uniformed police officers stormed into his office.

Their leader looked unremarkable. He was only in his thirties or forties, yet his hair was already completely white. The police insignia on his shoulders made Old Ding frown.

"Hello, Boss Ding. I'm the newly appointed Police Commissioner of West Garden District, responsible for public security here. My surname is Zhang. You can call me Zhang Yang."

Zhang Yang's expression was as still as stagnant water, betraying neither pleasure nor anger.

Speak of the devil, Old Ding sneered inwardly.

They shook hands calmly, and Old Ding gestured toward a seat. "Director Zhang, please sit."

"I won't. You're a major businessman, and given my position, getting too close to you would invite gossip." Zhang Yang refused without expression and took a photograph from his pocket. "We're here to investigate the large-scale shootout at your KTV last night."

The photograph showed A Lang's headless corpse. The corner of Old Ding's mouth twitched.

"Director Zhang, what's the meaning of this?"

"What was your relationship with the deceased?" Zhang Yang stared into Old Ding's eyes.

"He was my brother."

"According to my investigation, the deceased was an underworld figure in West Garden District. We have dozens of cases involving him on record. I'm curious-with so many charges against him, how did you make them all go away, Boss Ding?"

Bang!

Old Ding already had a bellyful of anger and nowhere to vent it. Zhang Yang's persistent focus on A Lang's background infuriated him. "Director Zhang, my brother is the one who died. Shouldn't you be investigating his killer first?"

A Lang was clearly the victim, yet Zhang Yang kept focusing on him. He was obviously here to target Old Ding.

At the same time, Old Ding wondered why Zhang Yang had set his sights on him the moment he took office.

"How can I establish the killer's motive without understanding the victim's background? Was this a conflict over profits or an underworld vendetta?" Zhang Yang tapped the desk with his slender fingers. "If you refuse to cooperate, Boss Ding, I believe I have the authority to bring you in for questioning."

"Fuck!" Old Ding snapped. "Even if he was guilty, are you going to bring him back to life and sentence him?"

"The killers are in East Garden District, at the East Prosperity Hotel. You want to catch them? Then go arrest them! Their leader is Li Youxian. Little White Tiger, Old Ninth, and a bunch of Lei Zis from outside the city did the job," Old Ding blurted out.

Zhang Yang was clearly targeting him. At this point, all he could do was expose Mr. Li's secrets to divert the man's attention.

Sure enough, when Zhang Yang heard Li Youxian's name, he froze briefly, then knitted his brows before finally revealing a meaningful smile.

East Garden District.

The East Prosperity Hotel.

Mr. Li read Ice Prefecture's news updates on his phone, while Old Ninth and the others lounged on the beds playing mobile games.

A day had already passed. They had stayed hidden in East Garden District, leaving Old Ding to search wildly through West Garden.

In truth, both sides knew where the other was. Ice Prefecture was only so big. Where could anyone hide?

Old Ding simply didn't dare cross the district boundary. But if he did nothing at all, outsiders would think he was afraid of Mr. Li.

That was why all the commotion outside was merely for show. If Old Ding truly wanted Old Ninth dead, he would send a small team to assassinate him.

Knock, knock, knock.

After three soft knocks, the door opened.

Zhang Yang walked into the room in an immaculate uniform, his face cold.

Mr. Li greeted Zhang Yang warmly, as though he were an old friend. "Director Zhang, long time no see."

"Thanks to you, I nearly got stripped of my rank." Zhang Yang shot Mr. Li a disgusted glance, then walked straight to the sofa and sat down.

"Heh, what do you mean?"

Feigning surprise, Mr. Li sat across from Zhang Yang. "Is there some misunderstanding between us?"

"Misunderstanding, my ass!" Zhang Yang barked. "Wasn't it you who transferred a million into my mother-in-law's bank account? I wouldn't take your money, so you dragged my family into it?"

Zhang Yang's face remained cold. He was utterly repulsed by Mr. Li.

If Zhang Yang had shown Old Ding basic courtesy, he had nothing but harsh words for Mr. Li.

"I despise sanctimonious bastards like you most of all. You're parasites on society, sucking ordinary people dry. Without you, half as many people in this world would starve to death."

"Businessmen pursue profit. We're here to make money, not provide welfare." Mr. Li offered no defense and poured Zhang Yang a cup of tea. "You didn't come here today just to give me trouble, did you?"

"That's exactly why I'm here."

Zhang Yang wasted no more words. He stared at Old Ninth and the others nearby. "You three were the ones who killed A Lang, weren't you?"

The atmosphere instantly turned icy. Zhang Yang's terrifying aura had locked onto the three of them.

Creak...

The door opened again, and Hi Dog and the others walked in with their hands in their pockets.

Their shirts bulged. They were clearly carrying weapons.

Zhang Yang drained his tea with a disdainful look. "What? You want to lay a hand on me? Ask him-if I tell him to stand, would he dare sit? You want to touch me? A bunch of brats."

Mr. Li gave an awkward smile and signaled Hi Dog and the others with his eyes, telling them not to act rashly.

The man was a commissioner. Attacking him meant going against the establishment.

Before the machinery of the state, any faction or individual would be ruthlessly crushed.

Unless they were gunmen as genuinely unhinged as Xiao Fei, no one would attack these high-ranking officials.

Someone at Zhang Yang's level could only be removed from office, not killed.

That was especially true for Mr. Li. He was a businessman with extensive holdings. Going on the run was not an option he would take.

Clack!

Zhang Yang tossed out three pairs of specially made handcuffs.

These handcuffs could suppress an Awakened's abilities and were designed specifically for Awakened criminals.

"Put them on and come back to the station with me. Don't make me use force."

Old Ninth and Little White Tiger exchanged a glance, and sharp claws sprouted from both men's fingers.

Xiao Fei whistled at Earthworm, who immediately pulled a sawed-off shotgun from beneath his clothes.

"CNM, coming onto our turf and demanding we hand people over—who the hell do you think you are?" Earthworm rushed forward in two strides and pressed the barrel against Zhang Yang's temple.

Mr. Li might be wary of him, but Xiao Fei and his crew from outside the city weren't afraid.

Outside the city was lawless territory. Even police officers got robbed once they ventured out there.

Zhang Yang sneered and glanced sideways at the barrel.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

The barrel visibly froze over.

A thick layer of white frost spread all the way to Earthworm's hand.

Clatter!

Unable to withstand the cold, Earthworm dropped the shotgun. It fell to the floor and shattered.

"If I dared come up here alone to take you in, you think I'd be afraid of you fighting back?"

Whoosh!

Zhang Yang unleashed his full aura. An invisible pressure bore down on everyone's shoulders like a massive hand.

Hi Dog and the others were forced down onto one knee. Old Ninth and Little White Tiger's faces flushed red, and neither could move.

Compared with Zhang Yang, A Lang's meager strength wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

Only Xiao Fei and Mr. Li remained composed and unaffected.

Xiao Fei raised his eyebrows provocatively, brimming with fighting spirit. "Fourth awakening. Not bad. How about we have some fun?"

"Smoke Fiend?" Zhang Yang recognized Xiao Fei, and the corners of his mouth lifted. "This trip wasn't wasted after all."