Jiang Nian was in an excellent mood. A genius had emerged from the dojo under his jurisdiction, and as soon as Zhang Junbao passed the assessment the day after tomorrow, Jiang Nian would receive his reward. The thought of showing off to his old brothers put him in an even better mood.
Even the students he usually cursed until they were drenched from head to toe noticed that Instructor Jiang's bald head was shinier than ever that day. If he went out at night, someone might mistake it for the moon.
Just then, a student ran over and said, "Instructor, there's a young girl outside looking for you. She says she's Zhang Junbao's younger sister. She looks pretty anxious."
"Zhang Junbao's sister?" Jiang Nian was puzzled, but he decided to see her. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong at a time like this.
When Zhang Lin saw Jiang Nian, she quickly explained what had happened to her family.
"What? Zhang Junbao's father was hit by a vehicle this morning, and someone deliberately ordered it from behind the scenes!"
Jiang Nian was burning with rage. That very morning, he had promised Zhang Junbao that he could come to him whenever he needed help, and now something had happened in the blink of an eye. If he handled this badly and Zhang Junbao developed a grudge against the Limits Dojo, winning him over later would be difficult.
"Don't worry about this. I'll take care of it. Did your brother take your father to the hospital?"
"Yes, but those people still haven't left. They're trying to kill my dad!" Zhang Lin said, forcing back her tears.
Although a terrible upheaval had struck her family, Zhang Lin understood that this was no time to weep. She had to be strong. Jiang Nian was a lifeline for her family, and Zhang Junbao's life was entirely in her hands. No matter what, she had to convince Jiang Nian to help.
"I'll go to the hospital right away and find out what happened. Wait here at the dojo for news. Don't worry, no one can touch a member of my Limits Dojo!"
Jiang Nian moved swiftly. He was a warrior, and although an old injury had stopped him from hunting monsters, his strength was still not to be underestimated.
It was only a matter of those two days. If Zhang Junbao had already passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, it would not have been much of a problem. Quasi-Martial Artists already enjoyed the privileges of warriors, and the police had no authority to handle their cases. But it had to happen in those two days. Jiang Nian had made up his mind: he would never allow a genius to be wiped out like this.
Meanwhile, Zhang Junbao had been taken to the police station and locked up, awaiting further questioning.
Inside the detention center, the cold, dim room felt grim and solemn. Cold air poured in without stop, breaking through the body's defenses while gradually eating away at the mind's. Cold was one of the pains humans could not force themselves to endure.
"So this is the interrogation room. The conditions are a little better than the cells in the old government offices. There aren't rats and cockroaches running around everywhere. Not bad."
Zhang Junbao looked around curiously, without any particular worry. Although he had yet to pass the warrior assessment, he had already sent Zhang Lin to notify Jiang Nian. If the Limits Dojo truly valued him, it would certainly step in and take care of everything.
He had originally planned to deal with Zhang Haobai after passing the assessment. He had not expected Zhang Haobai to be so impatient to strike at his family.
That was what Zhang Junbao could least tolerate.
Although he could easily crush Zhang Haobai with his own strength, this was now a society governed by law, and everything had to be done according to the rules.
That was also why Zhang Junbao wanted to use the Limits Dojo to deal with Zhang Haobai. The dojo's rules forbade anyone from attacking a warrior's family, or they would face an all-out pursuit by the dojo.
As long as his family was protected, Zhang Junbao had nothing to worry about himself.
This was also a test of the Limits Dojo. He still remembered that in the original story, Hong had promised that no one could touch a warrior's family.
Yet during Luo Feng's disappearance, how many crises had his family faced? If Luo Feng's younger brother, Luo Hua, had not been resourceful enough to sell a large number of treasures in exchange for protection from a state agency, his family would have been toyed to death by Vulture and his wife long before that period ended. Hong had known about all of it.
Yet simply because Luo Feng had been judged dead, Hong had done nothing at all.
Zhang Junbao did not want to speculate maliciously, but if the Limits Dojo failed to meet his expectations this time, he would not entrust his family's protection to it either.
Zhang Haobai's father, Zhang Zelong, hurried back from his office. He had not expected his son to be beaten again after only a day. His son was a senior dojo student, after all. How could he be so weak?
Still, Zhang Zelong did not lose his composure. He had survived the Great Nirvana Period, after all. What great winds and waves had he not seen? After thinking for a while, he picked up his phone and made a call.
"Brother Li, hehehe, did you have a good time the other day?
"I have a favor to ask you. A fellow named Zhang Junbao just had a conflict with my son. My son was trying to stop a crime and protect the safety of the Base City. I hope you can help take good 'care' of this Zhang Junbao..."
In the monitoring room outside the interrogation room, several police officers were watching the camera feed. One young policewoman asked in puzzlement, "Chief, why isn't this young man reacting at all?
"Ordinary people spend half an hour in that interrogation room, and with their imaginations running wild, they soon become so frightened they don't know what to do with their hands and feet.
"How come he's like an old monk in meditation? He's actually sitting in there meditating quietly."
"Don't underestimate him. His citizen identification record shows that he's a senior dojo student! And he injured five senior dojo students single-handedly, then scared the last one into losing control of his bladder with his aura alone."
"He injured five by himself? Don't tell me the last one really pissed and shit himself. That's incredible. Why does it feel like I'm listening to a storyteller?
"Could he already be a Quasi-Martial Artist? If he is, we're in serious trouble," one of the young male officers said.
"He's not a Quasi-Martial Artist. His citizen identification record makes it perfectly clear: he only became a senior student two days ago. Even riding a rocket, he couldn't become a Quasi-Martial Artist that fast."
The bald middle-aged officer said, "Come on, Xiao Yang. Let's go in and question him."
"Yes, chief."
Zhang Junbao had been in the interrogation room for over an hour, but he had not wasted the time. Instead, he had been meditating and cultivating all along.
"You're here?" Sensing someone open the door, Zhang Junbao smiled and looked at the two officers entering.
The bald middle-aged officer was taken aback. The young man was calmer than he had expected. He and the younger officer sat down at the interrogation table, and the bald officer said with a smile, "Sorry, we were questioning the others earlier, and it took some time. That's why we're only coming in now."
"It's fine. I'll accept that excuse," Zhang Junbao said mildly. "No one's bothering my dad at the hospital, right?"
"No. He's one of the witnesses in this case, so we've already sent colleagues to protect him. His surgery just ended. He's doing all right, but his leg couldn't be saved."
The bald middle-aged officer explained what he knew of the situation.
"I'll make them pay for that leg!"
Zhang Junbao's words left the two officers stunned. Was he planning revenge?
"The hospital's surveillance footage, several shopkeepers, Zhang Haobai, and his four bodyguards have all given accounts of what happened. The facts are very much against you. The footage shows that you attacked first. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The bald middle-aged officer watched Zhang Junbao closely. When ordinary people heard that the facts were against them, they would defend themselves. With just a little prompting from him, someone unfamiliar with interrogation could easily give themselves away.
Zhang Junbao smiled and said, "Nothing. I did beat those people. They're just a few pieces of trash. Since they took Zhang Haobai's money to do his bidding, they should've been prepared to be found out.
"As for Zhang Haobai, I suppose he didn't mention that he hired someone to run my dad over and break his leg!"
"Are you trying to slander him?
"We'll investigate what happened ourselves. Right now we're talking about you assaulting people. Behave yourself! This is a police station!" The young male officer suddenly slammed the table and shouted angrily.
"Oh? How do you know I'm slandering him? Could it be that you knew about this beforehand?" A strange light flickered in Zhang Junbao's eyes as he stared at the young officer.
"I... so what if I know? I'm the one handling that case. The surveillance footage shows that the large truck lost control and hit the small truck. The facts are clear. Are you questioning how we handle our cases?" the young officer said angrily.
But when the bald middle-aged officer heard this, he turned to glance at his colleague, an unusual look in his eyes.
The bald middle-aged officer frowned and said, "Zhang Junbao, watch your attitude. You need evidence for what you say. You can't just spout whatever comes to mind. We'll naturally investigate the traffic accident, but right now, the case against you is very unfavorable.
"Based on this statement, as well as the brutality and deliberate nature of your actions, there'd be no problem sentencing you to several years in prison. You'd better think carefully."
"A man should live without shame before heaven above or the earth below. That is how a true man conducts himself! I've said everything I should. Whether you believe me is your business!"
Zhang Junbao said this while looking the two officers straight in the eye.
The bald middle-aged officer had a clear conscience, but the young officer beside him began to avert his eyes under Zhang Junbao's gaze. The bald officer studied Zhang Junbao, then looked at his colleague. In the end, he waved a hand and said, "All right, just don't regret it later. Take him away."