Hearing Chief Inspector Bai's words, Zhang Beixing was completely dumbfounded.

He rubbed his ears, doubting whether he had misheard.

Dead?

That can't be right!

"Chief Inspector Bai, you must be joking with me!" Zhang Beixing's mouth twitched as he forced a strained smile.

Chief Inspector Bai has a dark sense of humor, Zhang Beixing thought. How could he make a joke like this? If he, Zhang Beixing, didn't know he was just a weak, pitiful, and helpless university student, he might have actually believed him and thought he'd killed someone.

"How could I possibly kill someone? I only punched them and knocked them unconscious, that's all! Stop kidding around, this is absolutely not…" Zhang Beixing began to defend himself, trying to clear his name.

But gradually, the words died in his throat.

He realized Chief Inspector Bai's expression hadn't changed in the slightest. The officer just watched him, his gaze intensely serious. His expression clearly said, 'Go on, say what you will. If I actually believe you, then I lose.'

Suddenly, Zhang Beixing fell silent.

He and Chief Inspector Bai stared at each other, a long moment passing in silence.

The standoff was broken by a dull knock on the door—THUMP THUMP. Zhang Beixing sighed in relief, quickly turning to the door. "Please, come in!"

As his words fell, the hospital room door CREAKED open.

A middle-aged man, nearly fifty and slightly overweight, entered.

The moment he entered, he started railing, "Zhang Beixing, you've really outdone yourself, haven't you? You've only been training for such a short time, and you already dared to chase human traffickers alone?"

"What, do you think you've mastered your skills, grown wings, and now no one in this world can challenge you? Do you even understand the saying, 'There's always someone better out there'?"

The visitor was Zhang Beixing's mentor, Liu Yi.

From the moment he arrived, he unleashed a torrent of reprimands at Zhang Beixing, his heart a whirlwind of anger and fear.

Not long before, he had received a message from Chen Rourou. It informed him that Zhang Beixing and Lin Siqi had encountered human traffickers in the suburbs. Zhang Beixing had gone up the mountain alone to track them and was now transferred to Shishi's First People's Hospital for treatment.

Liu Yi's heart had lurched. He immediately dropped everything and rushed over without a moment's delay.

After a hasty journey, taking every shortcut imaginable, he had finally arrived in the shortest possible time.

Listening to Liu Yi's furious scolding, Zhang Beixing offered a sheepish smile and didn't dare utter a word.

He'd hoped the knock signified rescue from his predicament. Instead, it was someone else arriving to scold him.

Great, Zhang Beixing thought, so I try to be a good Samaritan, and this is what I get? A lecture? He knew, however, that Teacher Liu was worried about him.

At this moment, Chief Inspector Bai, who had been observing Teacher Liu scolding Zhang Beixing since his arrival, sensed their relationship was unusual. He spoke up, "And you are...?"

Chief Inspector Bai's question finally drew Liu Yi's attention away from his tirade against Zhang Beixing.

Liu Yi turned his head. Upon clearly seeing the police uniform on the other man, it was unclear what past trauma prompted it, but Liu Yi instinctively started to raise his hands as if to shield his head. He quickly caught himself, regaining his composure.

Liu Yi coughed lightly and looked at Chief Inspector Bai. "My apologies for making a scene. I'm Liu Yi, Zhang Beixing's… master!"

"Master?"

Hearing Liu Yi's words, Chief Inspector Bai was startled, letting out a soft "Ah."

Then, a look of pleasant surprise lit up his face. "Ah, so you're student Zhang's master! A pleasure to meet you, a real pleasure. I'm a Chief Inspector with the Shishi City Police Department, surname Bai."

"Nice to meet you, Chief Inspector Bai. I've heard much about you," Liu Yi said with a smile, shaking Chief Inspector Bai's outstretched hand.

All the while, his eyes darted around, taking in the situation.

As he observed, Liu Yi noticed something was off.

He observed that Zhang Beixing—usually so incorrigibly mischievous, never yielding an inch whether he was in the right or wrong—was now sitting on the hospital bed as docile as a lamb, utterly still. And Lin Siqi, Chen Rourou, and the others present looked as though they had just heard something utterly unbelievable, their faces still etched with undiminished shock.

Combined with the oppressive silence that had filled the hospital room before he entered, something was definitely amiss. Liu Yi's brows furrowed slightly.

He mulled it over for a moment, then looked at Chief Inspector Bai and asked, "Chief Inspector Bai, regarding this human trafficking case, has something gone unexpectedly wrong?"

Liu Yi wasn't entirely sure what was happening here.

But Liu Yi was certain that this situation was undoubtedly connected to the human trafficking incident that afternoon. Otherwise, Zhang Beixing wouldn't be so unnaturally subdued, nor would Lin Siqi and the other two young women wear such expressions. But the problem was, in this afternoon's human trafficking incident, Zhang Beixing was arguably the biggest hero. For the main hero of the incident to be treated this way...

Liu Yi subtly shifted two steps closer to Zhang Beixing, positioning himself between his student and Chief Inspector Bai.

Noticing Liu Yi's subtle protective gesture, Chief Inspector Bai said nothing.

He simply stated the facts:

"Mr. Liu, your guess is correct. There has indeed been a complication with the human trafficking case."

"Because student Zhang, while pursuing the traffickers, accidentally killed one of them!"

These words exploded in Liu Yi's mind like a thunderclap on a clear day.

Liu Yi was completely stunned.

He stared at Chief Inspector Bai incredulously. "What did you say? Zhang Beixing killed a human trafficker? Are you sure?"

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