A sudden voice caused many present to pause, turning their heads.
Xu Dengkui strode forward, his uniform gleaming under the sun. Behind him followed a group of Dragon Cops, each with a solemn expression, exuding a palpable aura of deterrence.
"Mr. Ye is qualified to represent the Dragon Cops Bureau. His words represent the will of the Dragon Cops Bureau."
"Ye Lin, you assisted a fugitive's escape. We have the right to detain and imprison you until we clarify your relationship with the fugitive."
Xu Dengkui spoke coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
All matters related to this fugitive were to be handled with the utmost severity!
The malevolent spirit's unbridled intrusion into the Dragon Cops Bureau and the injury to Xiao Qi was a blatant disregard for their beliefs, something he could not tolerate.
Now, Ye Lin had aided the malevolent spirit in its escape, trampling on their bottom line and the law itself!
As enforcers and guardians of the law, such an act was absolutely unacceptable!
"Hahaha! Ridiculous, truly ridiculous. Even the National Dragon Cops Bureau dared not convict me, yet a mere small bureau chief from a remote city dares to? Who gave you the nerve!"
"I am the daughter of the eldest elder of the Ye family, the foremost among the Ten Elder families of the capital. Who among you dares to convict me? Who dares to detain me?"
Ye Lin scoffed, looking at those present with disdain, her voice arrogant.
Her innate pride deeply displeased Xu Dengkui and the other Dragon Cops, but they were helpless. After all, she was from the Ye family, the foremost among the Ten Elder families of the capital. Even in the capital, no Dragon Cops Bureau would dare to convict her lightly without concrete evidence, lest they face pressure from the Ye family.
No one wished to offend a behemoth like the Ye family.
Xu Dengkui looked at Ye Longlin with a troubled expression. Although he was from the Xu family, the Xu family lacked the power to confront the Ye family head-on.
Ye Longlin stared at him coldly, his tone indifferent, "Arrest her! If the malevolent spirit escapes today, sentence her directly. Don't mention the Ye family; even the highest ministry's intervention won't stop me. I said it!"
With this assurance, Xu Dengkui regained his resolve and waved his hand, "Arrest!"
*Click—*
The Dragon Cops behind him acted without hesitation, cuffing her, presenting her with a pair of silver bracelets.
Just then, Xuan Niao and Yuan Gang arrived, escorting the malevolent spirit, which had failed to escape. Its legs were broken, and its martial cultivation had been crippled.
"Mission accomplished."
Yuan Gang grinned, tossing the malevolent spirit to the Dragon Cops and standing behind Ye Longlin.
Ye Longlin looked at Ye Lin, his tone icy, "No matter your background, if you break the Great Xia law, you will be dealt with according to the law. Even with celestial connections, it will be useless."
"Take her away!"
...
Qi Mingdao stared at the message in his hand, his face extremely grim. He had made contingency plans upon receiving the information, but he hadn't anticipated it would turn out this way.
He could only attribute it to fate.
"Their reaction was much faster than I expected. Even arranging for him to go abroad didn't prevent this. When did Xu Dengkui become so ambitious? No, Ye Longlin was fully involved. This anomaly might not be unrelated to him."
Qi Mingdao fell into deep thought. This matter was too troublesome, with no forewarning. The current worry was whether they would reveal his involvement.
If they did, it would be extremely problematic.
Individuals like them had no clean slate. If an investigation were conducted, something would surely be uncovered.
"Expose some people. We absolutely cannot let them betray us!"
Qi Mingdao instructed Steward Sun, his expression grave. At this juncture, it was a case of cutting off a limb to save the body. While it might not lead to discovery, he was unwilling to gamble on that one percent chance. Losing that gamble would be catastrophic.
"Understood. I'll handle it immediately."
An unsettling feeling grew within Qi Mingdao, as if there was something he had overlooked, something that could plunge him into an abyss.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingxin was aware of the events in Star City. As she pieced everything together, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
"There is someone behind this, orchestrating the entire situation. Both the malevolent spirit and the Ghost Blade are merely his pawns."
"This Ye Lin is such a nuisance. She has no connection to this, yet she deliberately got involved to provoke Ye Longlin. What an idiot."
She immediately understood Ye Lin's motive for participating and her intentions. From her perspective, Ye Lin was undoubtedly innocent and merely sought to antagonize Ye Longlin.
"Go to the Dragon Cops Bureau. Speak with Ye Longlin," Ye Qingxin said softly to a woman behind her.
"Yes."
The incident had indeed caused a significant stir. At the very least, the capital was now aware of it.
In all the years since the Dragon Cops Bureau's establishment, no one had ever dared to breach it. Now, not only had it happened, but Dragon Cops had also been injured, causing a great loss of face for the bureau.
The Dragon Cops high command was furious, ordering a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to justice.
The Dragon Cops were not to be provoked, for they represented the people's faith, the enforcers and guardians of the law, not to be challenged by criminals!
After apprehending everyone, Ye Longlin proceeded directly to the hospital.
Lin Tian'ai had already undergone surgery. It wasn't severe; the shrapnel hadn't damaged muscle tissue, but she would be unable to walk for a week.
"I'm fine. Go and see Mu Mu. Mu Mu's life is uncertain right now," Lin Tian'ai shook her head, her voice trembling with emotion. She had witnessed Mu Hanqi taking a bullet for Ye Longlin, and at that moment, her heart felt as if it were being squeezed.
"Then you rest well. I'll go and see Mu Hanqi."
Ye Longlin nodded and went to the ICU. He looked at Mu Hanqi lying pale on the hospital bed. Even standing there, he couldn't discern any particular expression on his face.
This foolish girl was as simple-minded as Little Grass, bravely taking a bullet for him, knowing the risk.
Little Grass had died before his eyes; the scene was still vivid, as if it were yesterday.
In that moment, Mu Hanqi's image seemed to overlap, as if she were an extension of Little Grass's spirit.
"I see guilt in your eyes," Mu Hanqi said weakly, her voice barely audible as she slightly opened her eyes.
Ye Longlin looked at her, his gaze complex. "I am a soldier. Dying at the hands of the enemy is the best end. You didn't have to."
Mu Hanqi weakly opened her eyes, her gaze earnest. "Perhaps. Everyone has their own mission. Although I apologize to Tian'ai, I also didn't want to go against my heart. If I saw you die before me, I couldn't accept it. I'd rather I die and you live."