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.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
