The Morning "Surprise"
At 6:30 a. m., Lin Feng's biological clock woke him up on time. The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, and the city was not yet fully awake. Only the occasional rustling of sanitation workers sweeping the streets and the engine sounds of early morning buses could be heard in the distance. He stretched and felt pretty good. He had slept quite well last night, without any strange dreams.
This is the daily routine—the system summons. Since K successfully infiltrated the telecom fraud park, with Lü Yi on standby, the minor troubles at the online store have been temporarily put on hold, and Lawyer Zhou's investment company is progressing steadily. Lin Feng feels that his life seems to have entered a... strange period of stability. Of course, he knows this is just a facade; the undercurrents have never ceased. The daily summons are a way to continuously accumulate power for this Undercurrent.
He leaned against the headboard, not getting up immediately, his thoughts sinking into the depths of his consciousness.
"Call."
A familiar, cold, mechanical sensation swept through his mind. But this time, something seemed different. In the past, when summoning, his consciousness was mostly a chaotic darkness before the information flowed in directly. But this time, deep within that darkness, a point of extremely sharp, almost tangible golden light suddenly shone!
The light wasn't dazzling, but it carried an indescribable majesty and penetrating power, as if it could see through all the fog and suppress all demons and monsters. It was completely different from the dark or cold feeling when summoning ordinary assassins, or even Lawyer Zhou and Hacker K.
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat, and his drowsiness vanished instantly.
"A high-level talent has emerged!" He murmured almost unconsciously, his voice carrying a hint of surprise and anticipation that he himself was unaware of. He was already used to the various ranks of the assassins summoned by the system, but such an obvious anomaly was definitely a first!
He immediately focused his attention on receiving the information stream transmitted by the system.
Name: Wei Guanglin
Position: Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, member of the Municipal Government Party Group, Vice Mayor, and concurrently Secretary of the Party Committee of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
Skills: Criminal investigation expert, Master of Criminal Psychology, proficient in police command, case investigation, counter-terrorism and stability maintenance, and security planning for large-scale events; familiar with the internal operations of the public security system and coordination with various government departments; possesses extremely strong organizational and management skills and political acumen. Loyalty: 100%.
The information is concise, yet every word carries immense weight.
Lin Feng stared at the lines of cold text that appeared in his mind, involuntarily holding his breath for a moment. Then, he slowly and deeply inhaled a chilling breath.
City Public Security Bureau Chief? Deputy Mayor? Party Secretary of the Municipal Public Security Bureau?
This... this can't be described as just "high-level talent"! This is practically summoning an entire faction within the city's political and legal system! A core figure with absolute real power!
The Lawyer Zhou, whom he summoned earlier, is already a top professional in the legal field and can provide him with tremendous assistance within the rules. Hacker K is a powerful weapon in the cyber world. Lü Yi and Li Jun are the sharp blades for carrying out special missions. They each have their own strengths and can play a key role in certain areas.
But Wei Guanglin... is completely different! He doesn't represent a "sector," but a system, a power hub! What does this mean? It means that Lin Feng can no longer mobilize just the power of an individual or a small group, but to some extent, he can borrow the state's violent machinery and administrative resources of an important city!
Although such borrowing must be done with extreme caution, hidden beneath his absolute loyalty, and not allowed to be done recklessly, its potential energy and possibilities are unmatched by any previous assassin!
Investigating intelligence? Accessing files? Monitoring specific individuals? Coordinating with relevant departments? Even... when necessary, under the guise of "legality and compliance," giving certain targets "special attention" or "clearing obstacles"? Lin Feng's thoughts raced, countless ideas and possibilities exploding in his mind like fireworks. This was undoubtedly a heavyweight trump card, a trump card that could instantly change the course of many things!
A surge of ecstasy coursed through his body like an electric current, almost making him want to punch the ground. But he forced himself to restrain himself, clenching his fist tightly until his knuckles turned white. He repeatedly checked the information, afraid he might have misread it. Yes, Wei Guanglin, the city's Public Security Bureau Chief, Deputy Mayor... The system even directly noted his "political acumen," meaning this assassin was not just a skilled warrior, but a power player well-versed in the rules of officialdom.
"This is fantastic... it's simply..." Lin Feng muttered to himself, finally unable to suppress a smile that was a mixture of shock and excitement on his face. This was definitely the biggest "gain" he had ever had since binding himself to the system! Its strategic value was immeasurable!
While he was still reeling from the shock of the enormous surprise and considering various ways to "use" this trump card—
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!"
A loud, urgent, and impolite banging on the door, like the beat of a violent drum, abruptly shattered the morning's tranquility and interrupted Lin Feng's thoughts.
Lin Feng's brows furrowed instantly. The knocking was highly unusual. It wasn't a polite tap, nor the rhythmic knocking of a deliveryman; instead, it was a forceful, almost malicious pounding of fists or the heel of the hands against the heavy security door, producing a dull, piercing thud, as if someone were about to break down the door. The noise was particularly abrupt and alarming in the quiet morning hallway.
In his memory, only when he was a child in his hometown, upon hearing of the death of an elderly person, would the messenger knock on the door in such an urgent, almost banging manner—a gesture carrying a heavy, urgent message. Now, who would knock on his door like that?
His eyes turned cold, instantly snapping him out of his euphoria at acquiring a high-ranking assassin and returning him to his usual vigilance and icy demeanor. Trouble always seems to find its way in unexpected ways.
"Lü Yi." Lin Feng called out clearly, though not loudly, towards the living room.
In the living room, Lü Yi was sitting at the dining table, with the breakfast Lin Feng had prepared in front of him—a few slices of toast and a fried egg. He had just stuffed the last bite of toast, still wet with egg, into his mouth, his cheeks bulging. Hearing Lin Feng's shout and the urgent banging on the door, he looked up. In his eyes, which usually seemed somewhat scatterbrained and even a little dazed, a sharp, almost beastly glint flashed in them, creating an eerie contrast with the food still in his mouth.
"Mmm!" he mumbled in response, quickly swallowing the food in his mouth, then licking the breadcrumbs from the corner of his mouth. He stood up, stretched his neck, making a slight "crack" sound, and walked to the cabinet in the open kitchen. Without even looking, he casually pulled open a drawer containing a set of Western-style knives that Lin Feng occasionally used when cooking. He grabbed the longest and sharpest chef's knife directly, the cold metal handle touching his hand, the blade reflecting a cold glint in the dim morning light filtering through the curtains.
Unlike most people who would hold the knife behind their back with their hand behind their back, he didn't adopt any fighting stance. He simply held the knife casually with his right hand, the blade pointing diagonally downwards, like an ordinary person who had just picked up kitchen tools to prepare ingredients, yet it exuded an indescribable casualness and... a sense of danger.
He walked to the entrance hall. Through the security door, the violent banging continued, even louder, and was mixed with faint shouts and curses.
Lü Yi's face remained expressionless, but his eyes grew colder. He reached out his free left hand, grasped the doorknob, and then, without warning, yanked it sharply inward—
The heavy security door suddenly swung open!
Outside the door, as expected, three or four people had gathered. The leader was a middle-aged man (Liu Jian) who wore Glasses, looked somewhat refined, but had shifty eyes. Behind him stood two burly young men with unfriendly expressions, and a thin man who was holding up a mobile phone and filming.
The door was suddenly and violently pulled open from the inside, clearly catching everyone outside off guard. They were banging on the door enthusiastically, probably preparing to hurl insults, but their actions and sounds stopped abruptly, and several pairs of eyes turned to look inside.
When their gazes fell upon the person who opened the door, especially when they clearly saw Lü Yi's hand, which hung naturally at her side but was gleamingly holding a sharp Western-style kitchen knife, the expressions on the four people's faces instantly froze.
Shock, bewilderment, and a hint of sudden... panic?
Liu Jian, who was in charge, was clearly the one who reacted the fastest. The astonishment on his face lasted for less than half a second, and then a strange light flashed in his eyes. It wasn't fear, but rather... the excitement of seeing some "good material"?
Without almost any hesitation, he whirled around and growled urgently at the thin man behind him who was filming with his phone, his voice trembling with excitement:
"Quick! Take a picture! Capture it! Point the camera at the knife in his hand! He's attacking us with a knife!"
His roar was particularly jarring in the suddenly quiet hallway, completely breaking the eerie stalemate that had occurred the moment the door opened.