Chapter 302 - 25: So What If I Don’t Cooperate?

Hm?

She paused, looking over at Lin Yuan, who had been silent the entire time.

He seemed a bit dazed, having fallen far behind the group, and was staring out the window at the street below.

Slightly confused, she followed his gaze.

Soon.

Her expression froze, and she stood rooted to the spot.

The captains from the East Port City Circle frowned, sensing that something was wrong.

A moment later, one by one, they all looked over as well.

...

「Outside the Superpower Bureau building.」

People milled about on the asphalt street while a steady stream of traffic flowed by. Occasionally, a hovercar would zip through the sky.

Most of the trees in the flowerbeds and greenbelts on either side had shed their withered leaves, which would occasionally spin in the desolate, cold wind and gusts of air.

The area was usually peaceful and quiet, as no one dared to cause trouble nearby.

The sight of Superpower Squad members in combat uniforms entering and exiting the building brought a strange sense of security.

But at this very moment, figures everywhere were stopping in their tracks.

Whether they were passing civilians or members of a Superpower Squad happening to enter or leave, everyone stared into the distance, dazed and frowning.

Vehicles belonging to the Red Maple Patrol Team were parked on the side of the street. A full squad of the Patrol Team’s elites had emerged and were now blocking a young man who had been about to walk into the Superpower Bureau.

"Captain Lu, a moment, please."

The Patrol Team’s combat uniforms were solid dark black, with a small red maple leaf emblem on the left breast.

Seven or eight armed figures quickly surrounded him, flanking him on either side. The man leading them stood in the center; he looked to be in his twenties, with a powerful build and a somewhat cold expression.

"Something I can help you with?"

Lu Chao stopped and raised an eyebrow.

The man’s Life Energy was at the peak of the Elite Level, yet Lu Chao was certain he didn’t know him.

And yet, he could faintly sense a trace of malice.

The dark muzzles of their guns were pointed, deliberately or not, in his direction. This patrol team was clearly well-trained. It also seemed they had come prepared, specifically waiting for him.

"Of course."

The leading patrol captain’s tone was flat as he looked Lu Chao up and down.

A flash of hidden mockery crossed his face as he pulled a document from a pocket of his combat uniform.

"I am Qin Xiao, captain of the Ninth Patrol Team of Satellite City No. 4."

He held up the small, dark-black booklet in his hand, which bore the words "Patrol Enforcement Certificate."

"Two days ago, the Jinggang Chamber of Commerce lost a shipment of important supplies, and several people died."

"After a thorough investigation, we now suspect you are connected to this case."

The patrol captain, Qin Xiao, gave a cold smirk and stared intently at him. He gestured toward the patrol car behind him, a playful look in his eyes. "So, Captain Lu."

"Why don’t you come with us."

As his words fell, the faces of the passersby who had overheard the commotion changed slightly.

Lu Chao stood his ground, narrowing his eyes as he fell into a brief silence.

He had no doubt who was behind this.

The only surprise was how quickly they had acted, and how brazenly they were trying to frame him.

Immediately, his gaze swept over his surroundings.

The intense malice wasn’t limited to the patrolmen. His keen senses detected a powerful, hidden presence in one of the cars parked by the roadside.

"Where’s your proof?"

His suspicions already confirmed, Lu Chao withdrew his gaze and looked back at the patrol squad, asking the question deliberately.

"Heh."

The young captain, Qin Xiao, chuckled as if he had expected the question. He beckoned, and one of his men quickly handed over a file.

It detailed a batch of potions and weapon supplies that had gone missing from the Jinggang Chamber of Commerce.

It recorded the exact time and place of the theft, and even logically and methodically linked the suspicion to one of Lu Chao’s own missions.

"It doesn’t matter if you won’t admit it, Captain Lu."

"You can take your time explaining everything once we get you back to our patrol station."

Qin Xiao said with a taunting smile, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

He’d long been annoyed with the people from the Superpower Bureau. They were just a bunch of outsiders, yet they repeatedly interfered in the city circle’s affairs, severely curtailing the authority of his Patrol Team.

Before, they were too troublesome to provoke, but now someone powerful was backing him and had promised him abundant resources. Naturally, he was willing to give it a try.

"Hmm... The evidence is quite thorough, I’ll give you that."

Lu Chao nodded, patiently reading through the file in just over ten seconds.

Then, his expression nonchalant, he looked up at the young captain before him.

"The Tan family must be paying you well, right?"

The sudden question made Qin Xiao flinch, and the other patrol members exchanged strange looks.

When he recovered, he frowned slightly before breaking into a wild grin.

"Captain Lu, why ask what you already know?"

No longer hiding his malice, Qin Xiao gave him a provocative look and glanced toward the Superpower Bureau building.

"Your Superpower Bureau is powerful, true, but don’t forget, this is the Red Maple City Circle."

He pointed a finger at the asphalt road beneath their feet, speaking with an air of entitlement and a hint of pride. "This land, this order—it’s all decided by the City Lord’s Mansion and the four great elder families."

"So, don’t even bother struggling."

With a disdainful sneer, he shot Lu Chao a sidelong glance and deliberately leaned in closer. "The people who could protect you can’t intervene now," he said pointedly.

"Just come with me quietly. I’m giving you a chance to save face."

Silence followed for several seconds.

But Lu Chao remained standing where he was, unmoved.

"You don’t want to come?"

After waiting for several long seconds, Qin Xiao’s expression grew impatient.

In his peripheral vision, he saw some movement at the entrance of the Superpower Bureau. Someone had clearly noticed the situation and gone to report it, while a few others were frowning, looking like they intended to come over and help.

"If you continue to refuse to cooperate, then according to Article Five of the Patrol Regulations, we have the right to arrest you by force."

"And at that point..."

KLAK-KLAK-KLAK!

With the synchronized sound of firearms being readied, his squad members took his cue, their dark muzzles and cold stares all locking onto Lu Chao.

Qin Xiao let out a cold laugh, staring at Lu Chao as if he were already a dead man. His eyes filled with contempt as he said, "If you get hurt, don’t you dare blame me for being ruthless."

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for messing with people you shouldn’t have—"

BANG!!!

A muffled explosion erupted, and a figure was sent flying backward.

Qin Xiao vanished from his spot, replaced by an expanding ring of white vapor.

The patrol team members, as well as the few from the Superpower Squads who had seen the disturbance and were rushing over, all stared wide-eyed, frozen in place.

THUD!!

The dull thud of the impact came half a second later.

Everyone instinctively turned to look. They saw that the figure had slammed into the patrol car on the side of the road. The car’s window shattered, and its sturdy door was twisted and caved inward.

Qin Xiao, who had been barking orders just a moment ago, was now wedged into the twisted car body, his limbs splayed out as he lay face-up.

The whites of his eyes were showing. His sternum was crushed, caved in grotesquely.

Mouthful after mouthful of fresh blood gushed from his lips, staining the corners of his mouth and his neck, soaking his clothes.

A renowned genius of the Red Maple City Circle, a peak Elite Level patrol captain, had been critically wounded in an instant, passing out in less than a breath’s time.

"People I shouldn’t have messed with?"

Suddenly, a calm voice spoke.

The faces of the patrol team members went rigid. Only then did they turn back to look at the young man in casual clothes they had surrounded.

The white paper file had, at some point, disintegrated into powder and was now drifting from his hand.

"Does that mean... you think I’m an easy target?"

His flat words swept down the street on the desolate, cold wind. Seeing the cold look in his eyes, one of the patrol members’ faces changed, and he subconsciously opened fire.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Muzzle flashes flared, and bullets rained down densely.

And yet, amid a series of sharp, muffled clangs, the bullets seemed to be striking solid steel.

Before anyone could react, a rapid succession of whooshes cut through the air.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

One by one, the patrol members were sent flying. Some crashed into other cars parked along the road, while others snapped utility poles, causing severed cables to spit sparks.

With a series of dull thuds, two withered trees in the greenbelt were also struck by bodies. They shuddered and shook, one even cracking with a loud SNAP and exploding in a shower of splinters.

Lu Chao still stood firmly in his original spot, but all the patrol members around him had vanished.

The desolate, cold wind howled down the street.

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the black sedan parked further down the road—the one from which he had earlier sensed intense malice.

"Tan Yue."

"Are you going to keep hiding?"