With everything settled, I turned to Lin Chen and said, "Lin Chen, you really are a rascal. You even kidnapped an innocent pet for your own gain." Everyone present looked at him like he was some kind of criminal, while Lin Chen wore a wronged expression and claimed he didn't do it. Most people didn't believe him.
Even with the police here, public opinion was against him. As the crowd grew louder, a man in a brown coat pulled out a loudspeaker and announced, "Everyone, please maintain peace and let the police do their job. If you cause a disturbance, we will have to arrest you."
The villagers hesitated at first, but then one of them called out, "No one needs to do anything. This is my problem, and I will solve it myself."
I looked back at Lin Chen and warned, "You will have to pay a heavy price for your actions today." Lin Chen shouted, "I didn't do anything," but nobody believed him. As I glanced at the man in the brown coat, I accessed information about him from the system. He was Silas, the vice mayor of the city, a well-known figure. Despite his position, he belonged to the opposition and aimed to become the next mayor. He had connections that stretched from the underworld to the city administration. I suspected he and Lin Chen had a past, perhaps a situation where Lin Chen saved his life.
I confronted him, saying, "You aren't doing your job properly. My cat was kidnapped by this criminal, Lin Chen, and you arrested my disciple while siding with him. Sometimes, backing the wrong person can lead to unfortunate events."
Silas shot me a contemptuous look, "And what are you going to do about it? I can arrest you for threatening me."
I replied, "You can always try that." I released my aura, just enough to appear as a peak Soul-forming realm cultivator. In response, he unleashed his aura as well—also at the Peak Soul-forming realm—but I noticed signs of a possible breakthrough. He would likely reach the Nascent Soul realm in a few weeks or months.
As we faced off, a sleek black hover car pulled up to the side of the road. The police officers became alert. Winston, Louriel's loyal skeleton now in human form, stepped out, accompanied by two seasoned lawyers.
Approaching us, he looked at Silas and said, "Mr. Silas, you cannot arrest my client, Mr. Vik, or his disciple, Lu Xiaoran, without any evidence. If you attempt that, we can always discuss it in court."
Silas seemed taken aback and replied, "Mr. Winston, do you really want to side with him against me? Are you here on behalf of the Horizon Guild?"
Winston answered, "What I represent is not your concern. I'm here as a lawyer and I want you to release my client."
Silas responded, "As you said, I can't arrest them without evidence. However, Lin Chen is beaten, and his group was destroyed by Lu Xiaoran. Don't you think that's enough for me to make an arrest?"
Winston replied, "Mr. Silas, that is enough. But I also have a copy of the complaint where my client, Vik, reported the kidnapping of his cat, Pushpa. We found her in Lin Chen's custody, so by law, you need to arrest Lin Chen too."
Winston smiled, leaving Silas speechless. This part of my plan relied on Louriel's help, as I didn't have strong connections in this city.
Seeing how the situation was unfolding, Silas sighed and said, "Okay, let's deal with this privately. I will release Lu Xiaoran and drop all charges against him if you withdraw your complaint." Lin Chen tried to protest, but Silas silenced him. As everything aligned with my plan, I added, "I'll accept that. But if anything happens to anyone close to me, Lin Chen, I will find you, and no one will be able to save you."
After saying this, I looked at Lu Xiaoran, who had just been released by the police. He joined me as we moved away without looking back. I paused to speak with Old Man Zhou, saying, "Mr. Zhou, I advise you to come with us. It's not safe for you to go alone. Lin Chen is not trustworthy."
Hearing this, he walked over with Jessica and a few other villagers following. Once we were a bit away, he said, "Tomorrow, I'll take my people back to the village in the Azure Mountains. We've resolved our issue and want to avoid further danger."
I replied, "That's good. I'll see you off personally, but remember that Lin Chen can change his mind at any time, so stay alert."
Zhou said, "Thank you for the advice. I also suggest you stay vigilant. On behalf of everyone in the village, I thank you. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have reclaimed our land."
I responded, "No, old man, you're celebrating too soon. The land issue isn't resolved. Lin Chen wants that land, and I'm sure he will try something else. You need to be cautious."
Zhou asked, "Then how do we solve this problem?"
Before I could answer, Lu Xiaoran said, "Grandpa Zhou, you don't have to worry about it. I have my own issues with Lin Chen. He won't have the time to deal with you." He said this with a smile, while Jessica, walking beside him, looked at him and blushed a bit. This guy now talks like a typical protagonist every time he opens his mouth. I thought I should step up the training for both of them. Just then, I realized I hadn't heard from Roman since he took that woman named Sherry. My system watch buzzed with a call from Roman.