Yang Liang was gasping for air.
Brother, I can't breathe.
In all his years of service, he had never heard such a ridiculous request.
Houses that collapse can be rebuilt.
But whatever Lin Li built? That can never be rebuilt.
Yang Liang made up his mind—
First thing tomorrow, he was going to submit a proposal to abolish the Juvenile Protection Act.
Or at the very least, amend it.
The law should protect human minors—not humanoid creatures like Lin Li.
For cases like his, swift and severe punishment was the only way.
The other detainees, squatting in their corners, were now all looking at Lin Li with admiration.
Such composure. Even in this situation, this guy was cracking jokes with the cops.
Clearly, his connections ran deep.
Maybe his dad was Li Gang or something?
No wonder he was so calm.
Damn.
Kinda jealous.
"Hey, bro, you got people up top?" one of the guys next to him asked in a hushed voice.
Lin Li looked up at the empty ceiling.
"Where? I don't see anyone."
"…?"
Bro, if I asked if you had people down below, would you start looking at the underworld?
Regardless, Lin Li got what he wanted—he finally got handcuffed.
Yang Liang personally snapped the cuffs on, though he wasn't exactly gentle about it. Definitely borderline police brutality.
"We checked everything, right? No one hiding?"
Yang Liang, who seemed to be a senior officer in the Demon Suppression Division, asked his subordinates.
After confirming that no one had been overlooked, he waved his hand.
"Take them all away!"
Downstairs, the situation was a little different.
More people.
A lot of them were just being questioned instead of getting arrested.
Many were angry—voices raised, loudly proclaiming their innocence.
With conviction.
After all, most of them were just here for a normal massage and foot bath. They were just collateral damage in this whole mess.
"F***, this place actually had those services?! Good job, officers, good job! Well done! Keep up the great work! Vice is a scourge on society—it must be eradicated! It! Must! Be! Eradicated!"
Lin Li overheard some guy loudly declaring his support as he walked by.
Which would've been great, except…
Why did he look so regretful while saying it?
And why was he gritting his teeth, spitting out each word with hatred?
Bro, were those tears in your eyes…?
Was this out of deep love for your community?
Even the officer questioning him seemed to understand his pain, waving him off with a look of disgust and pity.
"Alright, alright. Since you were just here for a regular massage, you can go now."
The moment the officer left, the guy couldn't hold it in anymore—
"You were born before me, I was born after you!
By the time I came, spring was already over!
The flowers have fallen, but when will the swallows return?!"
Damn, a poet.
Too bad the officer, sick of his sh*t, immediately kicked him out.
By now, Lin Li and the others had been escorted outside Qingjue Wellness Center.
Just then, a middle-aged man pulled up on an electric scooter, preparing to park.
Then he froze.
He saw a mass arrest in progress—a whole line of people being hauled out.
Every single Demon Suppression Division officer turned to stare at him.
Every. Single. One.
Silence.
They stared at him.
He stared back.
And in that moment, all hope was lost.
"Want to come in?" Yang Liang finally asked, his voice calm.
"I wasn't coming to this place."
Sweating bullets, the man shook his head without changing his expression.
He dismounted—
Then, in one fluid motion, walked straight into the neighboring shop.
Clean. Smooth. Effortless.
…Though, considering that shop was a women's nail salon, the choice was questionable at best.
But hey—who were they to judge?
Society was diverse.
Who said middle-aged men couldn't get manicures?
If anything, Lin Li was sure—
Even if the shop next door was a coffin shop, this dude would've walked in, bought some funeral wreaths, and played it cool.
A few officers were sent to bring the cars around.
In just a minute or two, a massive crowd had gathered outside.
Shopkeepers.
Residents.
People sticking their heads out of windows.
Vice raids always attracted an audience.
Phones were out.
People were recording.
Lin Li felt a little grateful for his mask. Otherwise, this would've been hard to explain later.
As he scanned the crowd, he spotted a familiar face—
The dude from the bathroom, the one who had asked him about the meaning of life.
He was standing there, mouth agape, holding half a roasted pigeon.
Lucky bastard.
He had escaped at the perfect moment.
Goes to show—good karma pays off.
A guy who was willing to share his mystical essential oil was destined for good fortune.
The moment their eyes met, the bathroom guy recognized Lin Li.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he let out a deep sigh—And slowly raised his hand in a salute.
"Hm?"
Yang Liang, seeing a civilian saluting him—Even if it was imperfect, even if the guy was still holding a roasted pigeon—It was a salute nonetheless.
And as an officer, he responded with a crisp, professional salute.
It actually made him feel a little better.
The damage Lin Li had done to his sanity was healing slightly.
Lin Li, however, had a feeling…
That salute was meant for him.
And its meaning was likely— "Rest in peace, brother. I'll take care of your wife and kids."
Since his hands were cuffed, Lin Li couldn't return the salute.
So he simply clasped his hands together in a fist, giving a traditional martial arts-style acknowledgment.
After all, they had been through battle together.
Several cars pulled up, but not a single police vehicle.
They were all private cars.
Which made sense—The officers were all in plain clothes, and this operation was stealth-based.
Bringing police cars would've blown their cover.
But still—Lin Li was disappointed.
"Uncle, there's no police car for me? Not even one?"
He immediately shut up.
Because Yang Liang's stare was dangerous.
There was murder in those eyes.
…Did this guy have a history of domestic violence?
Ladies, red flag. Avoid.
"If it were up to me, I'd make sure you got a f***ing police escort home. Lights flashing, sirens blaring—just so everyone in your neighborhood knows exactly what you did. Now get in the car!"
Yang Liang practically growled the words.
Lin Li innocently shrugged and climbed in.
At first, he planned to explain everything in the car.
But then he noticed—
He wasn't in a special detainee vehicle.
There was another guy sitting beside him.
No choice.
He'd have to wait a little longer.
Looking outside, he realized— This wasn't the route to the nearest station.
Peeking at Yang Liang's GPS, he saw the destination: the district headquarters.
Made sense.
Too many people had been caught tonight—
The local station probably couldn't handle all the interrogations.
They needed a bigger stage.
"Get out."
Sure enough, they arrived at the Public Security Bureau.
"Uncle—"
"Shut up. No."
…Bruh, I didn't even say anything yet.
Yang Liang sighed, realizing he might've been too harsh.
Maybe the kid really needed something important.
So he asked, "What do you want?"
"I wanna squat at the entrance and take a pic with y—"
"Shut up. No."
F***, why did I even ask?