"You fucking looking to die, kid?" Having just scrambled up from the ground only to be reported, the bald man didnât choose to flee. Instead, he charged toward Lin Li, the one who had alerted the female Investigator.
This wasnât because heâd lost his mind in a fit of rage over Lin Li reporting him and decided to seek revenge instead of escaping.
The truth was, now that heâd been spotted, the bald man knew that with the female Investigatorâs speed, she could catch up to him in no time.
Thus, his last and only way out was to grab this meddling bystander, take him hostage, and threaten the female Investigator into letting him go.
Having arrested plenty of criminals, the experienced female Investigator immediately guessed the manâs intentions the moment she saw him move.
She was too far away to intervene and protect the bystander from the bald man. It was clearly too late, so all she could do was shout a helpless warning.
"Watch out."
The moment the Investigatorâs warning faded, a dull thud echoed as a figure was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Lin Li hadnât expected the bald man to charge at him instead of running away.
He couldnât help but laugh to himself. He had originally thought the female Investigator could resolve the matter without him needing to intervene.
âAnd in the end, here I am, the helpful bystander, being forced to make a move anyway.â
Facing this snarling bald man with a mangled, bloody back, Lin Li didnât need to use his full strength at all.
He simply channeled a portion of the Spiritual Energy from his Dantian, causing a faint golden Spiritual Light to appear on his hands and feet. He first swatted aside the bald manâs grasping hands, then pivoted and drove his right foot straight into the manâs chest.
BAM.
The bald man, still planning to take this detestable bystander hostage and threaten the Investigator into letting him go, never imagined that the seemingly ordinary onlooker was a powerful Cultivator hiding his true strength, just like her.
After taking a hard kick to the chest, the bald man crashed to the ground. He could feel that two of his ribs had broken.
At the same time, his back, already a bloody mess from the female Investigatorâs palm strike, scraped against the ground as he fell. The combination of both pains forced a shrill scream from his mouth.
"Aaargh..."
"Tier One Peak?!" The female Investigator was shocked as her Perception picked up the intensity of the Spiritual Energy Wave Lin Li emitted when he attacked. She stared at him in astonishment.
âI canât believe this bystander is also a Cultivator. No wonder he dared to get so close to the scene. He doesnât look very old, either! To reach Tier One Peak at such a young age, his cultivation aptitude must be excellent.â
The pain was unbearable, and beads of sweat dripped constantly from the bald manâs forehead.
At this point, he had given up all thought of escape. All he wanted was for the female Investigator to arrest him immediately so someone could treat his injuries.
CLICK.
The female Investigator walked over to the surrendering bald man, crouched down, and cuffed his hands.
"Alright, stop wailing. When my colleagues get here, theyâll treat your wounds."
After cuffing the bald man, the female Investigator stood up and spoke to him in an icy tone.
After one glare from the female Investigator, the bald man clamped his mouth shut, stifling his pained cries.
The Investigator, whose tone had been icy just a moment ago, turned to Lin Li. Her attitude shifted instantly as she thanked him in a warm voice, "Sir, thank you for your help just now."
Be merciless with criminals and as warm as spring to law-abiding citizensâthis was the fundamental principle for every Investigator in the Superpower Administration Bureau.
"Donât mention it, Investigator. As a citizen of Rongcheng, itâs my duty to help deal with a criminal like him when I have the ability," Lin Li said with a smile.
The female Investigatorâs smile grew even wider upon hearing his words.
What law enforcement officer wouldnât appreciate the citizens they protect being so understanding and well-spoken?
"Hey, Captain, itâs me, Liu Jialin... Iâve been on stakeout for days and finally caught those two thugs today..."
"Mhm, just as I suspected from the start, they coordinated to attack me, and I caught them red-handed."
The Investigator, whose name was Liu Jialin, made the call to her colleague and hung up after a brief conversation.
Lin Li, who had been standing to one side, spoke up once Liu Jialin finished her call. "Um, Investigator, can I leave now?"
"Yes, you can leave at any time," Liu Jialin said to Lin Li with a smile.
She had just contacted her colleagues at the Superpower Administration Bureau, and they had already dispatched people to assist her. They should be arriving in a few more minutes.
After getting Liu Jialinâs confirmation, Lin Li continued walking toward the secluded little park.
The arrest Liu Jialin had just made was merely a brief interlude and didnât affect Lin Liâs plan to head to the small park.
Liu Jialin watched Lin Li walk away, and only after he had entered the small park did she avert her gaze.
Then, the smile on Liu Jialinâs face vanished. Her expression became blank and her gaze icy as she looked at the injured bald man and asked, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"Start talking. How many crimes did you and your accomplice commit?"
Liu Jialin thought to herself, âMy colleagues wonât be here for a little while. Iâve got nothing to do but wait, so I might as well start a simple interrogation.â
"..." The handcuffed bald man was lying on his side to keep his wounded back from touching the ground. Hearing Liu Jialinâs question, he stubbornly remained silent.
"Iâm asking you a question. Werenât you all fierce and energetic a minute ago? Why are you so quiet now, like a sick chicken?" Liu Jialin frowned at his silence and spoke in a cold voice.
"I have the right to remain silent," the bald man said.
This was a society governed by the rule of law. He knew that by choosing to remain silent, the Investigator couldnât use illegal punishments on him, so he wasnât at all worried about being physically abused.
"Thatâs right! You have the right to remain silent. But donât think for a second that I have no way to deal with you.
"First of all, we already have a witness who has identified you. Combined with the evidence weâve collected, youâre going to prison. Thatâs unavoidable.
"If you choose to remain silent and refuse to cooperate with my questioning, the judge wonât go easy on you when itâs time for your trial."
Liu Jialin said these few words lightly, but each one struck the bald man right where it hurt.
"..." Hearing Liu Jialinâs words hit all his weak points, the bald manâs psychological defenses began to crumble.
"If I confess everything, can my sentence be reduced?" the bald man asked in a low voice after more than a minute of silence.
"I canât give you a specific answer to that question.
"However, if you cooperate honestly, I will inform the judge at your trial that you were very cooperative during the interrogation. At that point, the judge will make their own determination."
Seeing the bald man starting to yield, Liu Jialinâs icy tone softened slightly.
Then, before her colleagues arrived, Liu Jialin began a simple interrogation. The bald man had yielded and was no longer as defiant as before.
...