Tickets

Liu Zheng stepped out of the interrogation room, exhaling a long, heavy breath as he rubbed his sore jaw. He walked toward the monitoring room on the other side, ready to hand over the case materials.

As soon as he pushed the door open, a wave of air thick with cigarette smoke and tension hit him. The room was packed with people, and the figure at the front made his heart skip a beat.

"Uh... Chief Dong."

Instinctively, Liu Zheng straightened his posture, wincing as the movement aggravated his injuries.

Dong Lingjun looked at him with a faint smile, his eyes flickering with resignation at the sight of Liu Zheng’s bruised face. Still, he nodded calmly. "How was this case discovered?"

"Reporting, Chief. We received a tip from the public. Old Bai and I arrived at the scene and detected faint residual energy fluctuations in the victim, confirming it as a superhuman crime. We followed the leads from there."

Liu Zheng spoke quickly and clearly, doing his best to project professionalism.

"Hmm." Dong Lingjun turned to the man beside him.

"Let me introduce you. This is Liu Zheng, one of the most capable investigators in our Yangcheng task force. His ability is detecting energy fluctuations—quite the expert in investigations."

Dong Lingjun emphasized the word "investigations." Given Liu Zheng’s battered face, he couldn’t in good conscience praise his combat skills.

Liu Zheng extended his hand toward the newcomer.

"You must be Group Leader Dongfang from Tianjing."

Dongfang Shuye’s gaze lingered on Liu Zheng’s face for a moment, calm yet piercing, as if he could see right through him. He smiled and shook Liu Zheng’s hand lightly.

"Officer Liu, your efforts are appreciated." He didn’t directly ask about the injuries, but his words carried subtle insight. "Seems like this suspect wasn’t easy to handle."

A single sentence—both diplomatic and observant.

Though Yanhuang Awakening operated as an independent department, they used police titles internally and externally for convenience and discretion.

"Just a minor hiccup." Liu Zheng felt his cheeks warm. He couldn’t very well admit in front of a high-ranking official from Tianjing that his own partner, Old Bai, had beaten him up.

Clearing his throat, he explained, "The suspect had psychic manipulation abilities—unpredictable stuff. He took control of my teammate, so there were some... minor complications during the arrest."

Dongfang Shuye gave a slight nod, understanding the unspoken details. "Since the case is still active, I won’t keep you from your work."

With that, the group in the monitoring room began filing out.

As Dong Lingjun passed Liu Zheng, he paused and gave his shoulder a firm pat, lowering his voice. "Kid, next training session—show some effort. Get stronger."

"Yes, Chief." Liu Zheng replied with a bitter smile.

Only when the crowd had fully dispersed and the door clicked shut did the invisible pressure finally lift. Liu Zheng slumped into a chair, belatedly realizing what Lin Mo had meant by "This is your ticket to meet Dongfang Shuye."

But he knew better than to act recklessly.

Handing the case files to the monitoring room staff with a few instructions, he stood and headed down the corridor.

Old Bai was still in the psychological counseling room—though "counseling" was a generous term. It was more like the bureau’s "mental repair shop" for field agents, handling pre- and post-mission psychological issues.

Mainly, it was about checking and fixing mental states.

Old Bai was fine now, but protocol demanded a checkup to rule out lingering effects.

Meanwhile, back in the conference room, Dong Lingjun leaned against the door with his arms crossed.

"Seems a bit too convenient. Just as we were about to transfer interrogation-type superhumans from other regions, Chief Dong’s team happens to catch a suspect with similar abilities."

Dong Lingjun shook his head. "Hypnosis types are useful, but this one’s a menace. My recommendation? Execute him. Group Leader Dongfang heard it too—this guy’s crimes are too numerous to list. Better wait for talent from other regions before interrogating Chen Lai."

Dongfang Shuye tapped his fingers lightly on the table before speaking. "Let’s have this suspect assist in the interrogation first. Offer him a chance to live—he’ll cooperate."

Dong Lingjun nodded, unsurprised. "And Liu Zheng? He’s your real target, isn’t he?"

But Dongfang Shuye shook his head.

"No. Detecting energy fluctuations isn’t that unique. Besides, he’s too weak—wouldn’t even last in our operations. Let’s leave him out."

"Fine." Dong Lingjun didn’t push it. He was just cooperating.

Elsewhere, Lin Mo pocketed his phone.

Liu Zheng had messaged him—he’d used the "ticket" to meet Dongfang Shuye but still couldn’t get a read on him.

Lin Mo didn’t reply.

If he couldn’t figure it out, he wouldn’t force it.

He’d just find a chance to probe Dongfang Shuye directly.

Just as he put his phone away, Fang Jun rushed over.

"Whoa, big news! Zhang Yuzhong got into a fight challenge!"

Lin Mo frowned.

"Zhang Yuzhong’s a quiet guy. Why would he challenge someone?"

Zhang Yuzhong was the student who’d stolen class funds before Lin Mo talked him out of it. Since then, he’d been juggling school and part-time work, doing well academically. Chen Xiaoya had even helped him secure a tuition waiver.

But in Lin Mo’s memory, Zhang Yuzhong never picked fights—he avoided conflict.

"Do you know why?"

High school boys usually only challenged each other over irreconcilable issues, and the fights always happened off-campus.

"No clue, but I heard Zhang Yuzhong initiated it. The other guy didn’t even want to fight."

Fang Jun frowned. Though he’d heard it secondhand, he felt it was best to let Lin Mo know since Zhang Yuzhong was their classmate.

Lin Mo’s spiritual sense swept out—Zhang Yuzhong wasn’t in class but downstairs, sweeping the bike shed.

Each class took turns cleaning different parts of the school weekly.

This week was Zhang Yuzhong’s group’s turn.

"Who’s the other guy?" Lin Mo asked casually.

"Su Jiazhen from Class 13. Sort of a half-school bully."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Our school has bullies?"

It was a prestigious high school, after all.

Fang Jun shrugged. "Hence ‘half.’ Like Su Mingzhao back in the day—picking on people but smart enough not to throw punches on campus."

That made sense.

Smart bullies never acted up at school—too easy to get reported.

But off-campus? Plenty of excuses.

Assuming the police didn’t catch them, of course.