"Director Luo, I trust you'll remember that the public security system does not tolerate any rotten apples. What happened tonight was a severe dereliction of your duty. I won't say any more; you know what you've done."

"And you, Deputy Director Xuu. It's the middle of the night, yet you're not at home sleeping. Instead, you've hurried over to the Public Security Bureau of the High Tech Startup Zone. Tell me, should I commend you for that? Or... Hmph!"

At the entrance to the Public Security Bureau of the High Tech Startup Zone, Huang Tao left them with those cold words and a snort before getting into the Audi A6 driven by Huang Feng and leaving.

As for Luo Chao, Zheng Buxing, and the other offenders, Zhu Qianye took them all away to the municipal bureau.

In the dead of night, Luo Qiang's heart ached as he watched the police car from the municipal public security bureau take his handcuffed son away, his face clouded with gloom. Thinking of this, he turned to look at Xuu Bo, whose expression was just as grim. He said coldly, "Deputy Director Xuu, about today's incident..."

He knew that although the other man was his direct superior with a higher rank, it was indeed his son who had taken the fall for him today. Anyone in his position would find it hard to swallow, and their attitude would be anything but pleasant.

"Old Luo, rest assured, Xiao Chao will be fine. We've known each other for some years now, haven't we? You should know what kind of person I, Xuu Bo, am," Xuu Bo said, his face overcast and expressionless.

He then couldn't help but curse, "Old Luo, it's not just you. Even I never expected this to blow up so big today. Like you, I was played by that bastard Zhou Zhuo."

Although he usually appeared close to Zhou Zhuo, and outsiders assumed he was allied with Secretary Mo's faction, the truth was that he and Zhou Zhuo were merely using each other. But today, things had escalated so senselessly that even Deputy Mayor Huang had personally intervened, now holding a grudge against him. Had he known this would happen, he definitely wouldn't have waded into these muddy waters.

What frightened him most was that the executive vice mayor had rushed over in the middle of the night to rescue someone, still in his pajamas without even time to change. It was obvious to anyone that the young man was far from ordinary. This realization made him sigh deeply.

"Old Luo, today was my fault, but you should see things clearly now. That young man likely has an extraordinary background. What do you think we should do?" he asked.

Hearing such a serious question, Luo Qiang fell silent. After a long moment, he finally said slowly, "Deputy Director Xuu, give me a straight answer. Was it Vice Mayor Zhou who wanted to go after that person, or... was it *him*?"

At his words, a sharp glint flashed in Xuu Bo's turbid eyes. He said slowly, "I've asked around. It seems no one from above gave him any orders. It was just Zhou Zhuo acting on his own!"

"If that's the case, then we either bow our heads, admit our mistake, and apologize, or we eradicate the problem completely!" Luo Qiang declared viciously.

"Eradicate it completely, eh?" Xuu Bo narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Go contact the people from Tiger Leopard Hall. It seems that as long as the price is right, there's nothing they won't do."

In the cold wind, a murderous chill suddenly arose, bone-deep in its cold.

「...」

"Doctor Chen, I'm truly sorry that you had to experience something like this at a government law enforcement agency. It was my negligence," Huang Tao couldn't help but say on the way back. He knew Chen Fei had to be in a terrible mood.

"Uncle Huang, please don't say that. It's obvious someone was targeting me, plotting to frame me from the shadows. They had better hope I don't find out who they are. Otherwise, this matter won't be settled so easily," Chen Fei began consolingly, but as he spoke, he couldn't suppress the agitated malevolence bubbling within him.

Obviously, no one could be in a good mood after being targeted in such a grand and orchestrated scheme. If I were just an ordinary person, wouldn't I have ended up rotting in prison for the rest of my life, with no hope of ever clearing my name?

"Doctor Chen, Dad, Deputy Director Xuu from the municipal public security bureau is usually very close with Vice Mayor Zhou. Do you think it's possible that because of the foreign investment deal, Doctor Chen earned Vice Mayor Zhou's resentment, so he secretly arranged for someone to get revenge?" Huang Feng, who was driving, suddenly suggested.

"The foreign investment... Doctor Chen, you know, that actually seems quite plausible." Huang Tao pondered for a moment before analyzing the situation seriously. "Before this foreign investment deal, Zhou Zhuo, with Secretary Mo's covert support, could have barely competed with me for the soon-to-be-vacant mayor's position—but only barely. His foundation is too weak and his resume is too shallow. He isn't even a member of the Municipal Party Standing Committee."

He paused, then continued, "But now, the credit for the foreign investment has fallen to me, which has served as the final, decisive blow. Zhou Zhuo no longer has the political capital to compete with me. It's certainly plausible that he would resent you for it, Doctor Chen, and seek revenge!"

A sharp light glinted in Chen Fei's eyes as he said quietly, "My master once taught me that a person must have principles, and that actions must follow rules. But now that someone has broken the rules, I, Chen Fei, will certainly not suffer this in silence."

"Uncle Huang, can you do me a favor?" he then asked.

"What favor?" Hearing Chen Fei's icy tone, Huang Tao felt his heart skip a beat.

"I'd like you to help me find out who is behind this. I don't want to let a single enemy off the hook, nor do I want to wrongly accuse anyone innocent," Chen Fei said coldly.

"Doctor Chen... I understand. I will find out who is behind this for you." Hearing his final words, Huang Tao's heart couldn't help but tremble again.

In the front seat, Huang Feng glanced at Chen Fei in the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with deep awe.

As for Huang Tao, his heart felt incredibly heavy. It wasn't just because the matter might be connected to Vice Mayor Zhou Zhuo, or potentially even Secretary Mo. It was because Chen Fei was involved, which made him realize the issue couldn't be easily resolved. He considered Chen Fei to be extremely formidable. If Chen Fei truly decided to make a fuss and not let the matter go, he feared the entire official hierarchy of Northern Mountain City would experience a massive earthquake with immense repercussions.

"Xiao Feng, you can just drop me off up ahead," Chen Fei suddenly said.

"Get off here? We haven't arrived yet, have we?" Huang Feng knew that Chen Fei was staying at the California Garden Grand Hotel.

"It's fine. There's a bus stop ahead, and the night bus goes directly there. I'm feeling a bit stifled and want to be alone for a while," Chen Fei said, declining the kind offer. He then cupped his hands toward Huang Tao. "Uncle Huang, thank you for everything today. I will remember it."

He understood perfectly that relationships couldn't be a one-way street of giving. For an Executive Vice Mayor to rush to his aid in the middle of the night, still in his pajamas—that was a debt of gratitude he had to remember.

As he spoke, the Audi pulled to a steady stop by the side of the road. There was indeed a bus stop just ahead.

"Doctor Chen, it's windy out. Get back and rest early," Huang Tao said, knowing he couldn't persuade him otherwise.

"I will. Uncle Huang, Xiao Feng, you two should head back. Thank you so much for today," Chen Fei said with a smile, waving to the two inside the car.

A moment later, the Audi started up and slowly drove away.

CRACK!

Shortly after the car left, the smile on Chen Fei's face vanished, replaced by an icy expression. He whipped a leg around, kicking a large rock on the grassy roadside. The stone emitted a muffled crack as it shattered into pieces.

As a hot-blooded and unyielding young man, he truly found this indignity hard to swallow.

Just imagine, if he didn't possess some strength of his own, if he hadn't fortuitously received the legacy of that great expert from the Cultivation World... if he were an ordinary person, he would have been utterly destroyed. These people treated human life as if it were worthless! One had to remember, these were officials. If they lacked any concern for the nation and its people, instead trampling the law to rule as they pleased, they were infinitely more terrifying than common criminals.

As a torrent of chaotic thoughts flooded his mind, Chen Fei rubbed his throbbing temples. His eyes caught the scattered pieces of rock on the ground. He squatted down, casually picked up a fragment, and toyed with it in his palm, muttering to himself, "It seems my strength has advanced too quickly. I still can't control my power properly."

Before he received the legacy from that expert of the Cultivation World and began practicing the peerless immortal classic, the "Scripture of Meditation," his true strength had barely reached the level of a Second Rate Expert. However, after his successful Initiation into that divine scripture, the Bright Energy within his body underwent a qualitative transformation, evolving into the legendary Spiritual Energy. The progression of power is from Bright Energy to Dark Energy, from Dark Energy to True Qi, and finally, from True Qi to Spiritual Energy.

That was why his strength had soared so dramatically, reaching a level near the peak of a Second Rate Expert. But his power had grown too fast, advancing in leaps and bounds, leaving his control over it very unrefined. It would likely take him some time to catch up in that regard.

"Who's there!"

Suddenly, Chen Fei, still squatting, snapped his head up, a sharp gleam shooting from his deep eyes. While he had been contemplating his control over his strength, he had distinctly sensed someone watching him from the darkness.

But when he rose to his feet with a blank expression and scanned every direction and corner, he was startled to find no one there.

Am I just being paranoid? he wondered, touching his nose.

Just then, the night bus to the California Garden Grand Hotel arrived. Putting the matter out of his mind, he boarded it.

However, shortly after the bus carrying Chen Fei had departed, a man in his forties or fifties materialized from a dark street corner nearby. He was dressed in a Tang suit with graying temples, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp, like an eagle's. The veins on the backs of both his hands bulged, giving them a frightening appearance.

He actually detected me? A look of surprise flickered in the Tang-suited man's sharp eyes.

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