“Shut your damn mouth! You’re nothing but a scammer! Boys, smash all her stuff!”

Flustered and angry, Chen Xingwang stomped violently on the table, cracking it further. His lackeys quickly surrounded Gu Xicao.

“What are you doing? Stop it!”

Lin Jianyi couldn’t hold back any longer. He whistled sharply and ran across the street with Sun Zhaoqian, pointing at Chen Xingwang and his group. “What do you think you’re doing, causing trouble in public like this?!”

Seeing Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian approach, Gu Xicao’s eyes lit up. She quickly moved to hide behind them. “Officers, they’re here to cause trouble! Arrest them now!”

“Arrest us? What did we do? Officers, we’re law-abiding citizens! Don’t falsely accuse us!”

Despite the momentary panic flashing in his eyes, Chen Xingwang quickly regained his composure. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sneered.

His lackeys followed suit, smirking. “Yeah, so we accidentally knocked over her table. That’s not a crime, is it? Are you really going to lock us up for that? Hahaha.”

Wang Laoshi frantically gestured at Gu Xicao, signaling her to de-escalate the situation. He feared provoking these men, who looked no better than gangsters. Ordinary people couldn’t afford to cross people like them.

Leaning closer, Sun Zhaoqian whispered to Lin Jianyi, “Brother Yi, the most we can do is detain them for 48 hours on a public nuisance charge.”

Lin Jianyi frowned, hesitating for a moment.

Sensing their hesitation, Chen Xingwang and his gang grew even more brazen.

Pointing at Gu Xicao, Chen Xingwang jeered, “Little girl, you’re nothing but a con artist. Even if I get locked up, I’ll make sure to come back and have a nice chat with you!”

Gu Xicao squinted at him, then patted Lin Jianyi’s shoulder. “Brother Lin, just follow my lead.”

“Huh?” Lin Jianyi was puzzled, but before he could ask, Gu Xicao pulled out a stack of cash from her pocket and, with lightning speed, shoved it into Chen Xingwang’s hand.

While the gang stood dumbfounded, Gu Xicao stepped back and hid behind Lin Jianyi again. “Officers, they just extorted 5,000 yuan from me! I want to file a report—will you handle it?”

Wang Laoshi: ???

Is this really happening?!

“Of course, we’ll handle it. Extorting 5,000 yuan in broad daylight—what a bold crime! Hands on your heads, now, or we’ll treat it as resisting arrest!”

Lin Jianyi’s eyes lit up as he drew his gun and aimed it at the group.

Chen Xingwang and his lackeys were stunned.

Chen Xingwang took a step forward, attempting to argue, but Lin Jianyi cocked the gun’s safety with a loud click. “Hands on your heads and get down, or I’ll shoot!”

Facing the black muzzle of the gun, Chen Xingwang gulped and pointed at Gu Xicao. “You… you’re ruthless! Let’s see how far you can take this!”

Within minutes, Lin Jianyi called for reinforcements. A squad car arrived to haul away Chen Xingwang and his gang.

Afterward, Lin Jianyi returned to find Gu Xicao sitting at Wang Laoshi’s stall, scribbling furiously.

Knocking on the table, Lin Jianyi said, “Xiao Gu, you’re coming with us to give a statement.”

“No problem, Brother Lin. But this is a golden opportunity,” Gu Xicao said, setting down her pen and looking at him with shining eyes. “Those men are Master Bai’s apprentices. Now that they’ve been arrested, you have a perfect excuse to investigate Master Bai.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Sun Zhaoqian chimed in, spreading his hands. “Those guys look like they know how to keep their mouths shut. Even if we convict them of extortion, they’ll probably just find a fall guy to take the blame. The rest will be out in no time.”

“That’s why I wrote down all the crimes each of them has committed,” Gu Xicao said, handing a notebook to Lin Jianyi. “Brother Lin, you’re smart. I’m sure you know what to do.”

Lin Jianyi flipped through the notebook, his eyes widening in surprise.

He looked at Gu Xicao and carefully tucked the notebook into his pocket. “Got it. Don’t worry—we’ll make sure to take them all down this time!”

At the Taoist temple, Master Bai was meditating, the faint scent of incense wafting through the air.

Opening his eyes, he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 4 p.m.

Frowning, he called out. One of his apprentices entered the room. “Master, do you need something?”

“How long has Xingwang been gone? Why isn’t he back yet?”

A sense of unease crept into Master Bai’s heart.

The apprentice checked his watch. “It’s been three or four hours. Maybe Senior Brother finished the job and went out with some girls.”

“That’s impossible. I told them to come straight back after finishing,” Master Bai said, his frown deepening. He was about to send someone to look for them when a commotion erupted outside.

Rushing out with the apprentice, Master Bai found Lin Jianyi leading a team of officers into the temple.

“Officers, what’s the meaning of this? We’re closed to visitors in the afternoon,” the apprentice said indignantly.

Lin Jianyi held up a search warrant. “Bai Xiancheng, the police suspect you of organizing illegal activities, spreading cult ideologies, and being linked to multiple missing persons cases. Please cooperate with our investigation!”

Bai Xiancheng’s face darkened, but he attempted to maintain a calm demeanor. “Officer, this is a Taoist temple. We would never engage in such activities. Your accusations are baseless!”

“Is that so? If you’re so confident in your innocence, then step aside and let us conduct a thorough search,” Lin Jianyi replied with a grin, his pearly white teeth on display.

It was 6:30 p.m., the height of rush hour.

Traffic on the main streets of Mong Kok was at a standstill.

A frustrated driver honked his horn incessantly, but his attention was caught by a fleet of ten or so vans speeding past. Sticking his head out the window, he exclaimed, “Wow! TCB and wireless TV station vans! What’s going on for them to drive that fast?”

At that moment, word spread like wildfire across Hong Kong’s paparazzi circles: a major case had broken at Mong Kok police station. A Taoist temple on Temple Street had been raided, with everyone from the top down detained. Inside the temple, police had uncovered the bodies of several women and numerous fetal remains.

The explosive news sent reporters scrambling.

In Hong Kong’s ruthless media landscape, newspapers thrived on shocking stories, whether they were romantic scandals or grotesque crimes. Even dismemberment cases would have grisly photos splashed across the front pages if it meant higher sales.

Within moments, the paparazzi were en route to the Mong Kok police station.

“How about it, Bai Xiancheng? Still not ready to confess?”

Sergeant Chen pulled out a chair and sat down heavily next to Lin Jianyi, exuding an air of authority.

Since his arrest, Bai Xiancheng had remained silent. Upon seeing Sergeant Chen, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

Coughing lightly, he stroked his graying beard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that I run an honest temple, and you’ve suddenly dragged me in here.”

Though his words were composed, Bai Xiancheng’s mind was far from calm.

From the moment the police uncovered the bodies buried at the temple, he knew things had gone terribly wrong. Only the people within the temple knew about those corpses. If the police were aware, it meant one of two things: someone from the inside had betrayed him, or the authorities had been watching them for a long time.

Frustration and fear churned in his gut. He couldn’t decide whether to blame his followers or suspect that higher-ups in the police force had decided to target him.

“You don’t have to confess, Bai Xiancheng,” Sergeant Chen said, glancing at Lin Jianyi.

Catching the signal, Lin Jianyi tapped the table with his fingers. “However, your apprentices have already confessed quite a bit—about the women’s bodies, the ‘fortune beads,’ and more. According to Hong Kong law, your actions are enough to earn you a spot in the electric chair. But the penalties for a ringleader and an accomplice are very different.”

Hearing the words “fortune beads,” Bai Xiancheng’s expression stiffened.

Feigning composure, he retorted, “You’re trying to scare me! I know nothing about those women or the fortune beads!”

“Is that so?” Lin Jianyi leaned forward and rolled up Bai Xiancheng’s sleeve, exposing clear scars on his left arm.

“One of your apprentices said you killed one of the women yourself when she tried to escape. You were afraid she’d expose your operation. The scars on your arm match the injuries she inflicted during the struggle,” Lin said with a cold smile. “This isn’t about us needing your confession. It’s about giving you a chance. Your apprentices have already painted you as the ringleader. Are you still claiming innocence?”

“What?!”

At the mention of the women’s bodies, Bai Xiancheng had already been shaken. Now, hearing that his apprentices had pinned everything on him, his fury and panic boiled over. “I didn’t kill anyone! They did it! They’re all big, strong men—I was forced into it! Officers, I’ll confess! I’ll confess everything!”

In less than an hour, Bai Xiancheng spilled everything: the fortune beads, abducting young girls, organized prostitution, and even bribing several officers at the station.

Sergeant Chen was elated. After wrapping up the confession, he patted Lin Jianyi on the shoulder. “Great work, Jianyi. Don’t worry about the rest—I’ll handle it.”

“Yes, sir!” Lin Jianyi replied smartly, fully aware of the dynamics at play. Bai Xiancheng’s confessions implicated several officers who were rivals of Sergeant Chen. Chen, a recent transfer who had struggled to establish authority, now had the leverage he needed to consolidate power.

Sun Zhaoqian brought over a cup of coffee for Lin Jianyi. “Brother Yi, this is huge! With this achievement, we’ll finally be promoted from PCs!”

Lin flicked Sun’s forehead. “Being a PC bothers you that much? The case isn’t over yet. Don’t get cocky.”

Just then, a group of reporters burst into the station, microphones and cameras aimed squarely at the officers.

“Officer! Officer! Rumor has it you uncovered more than a dozen women’s bodies at the temple. Is that true?”

The station descended into chaos as staff scrambled to usher the journalists out. With the case still under investigation, no one dared to make a statement.

Heart pounding, Sun Zhaoqian followed Lin Jianyi into the men’s restroom. “How do these reporters always find out so fast? We barely brought them in!”

Lin Jianyi, unfazed, washed his hands. “There are always leaks at the station. Many cases get leaked to reporters by insiders—it’s nothing new. Forget it. Let’s move on to the next interrogation.”

“Got it. But honestly, that fortune-teller is incredible. The suspects turned pale as ghosts when they heard the details she revealed. They thought someone had betrayed them. I’ve never had such an easy time taking statements!”

“Xiao Gu really does have a gift,” Lin Jianyi agreed, drying his hands. “Didn’t your girlfriend say she wanted to recommend her to others for fortune-telling?”

“Yeah, my girlfriend trusts her more than she trusts me now. She’s even asking me to hand over my paycheck!” Sun Zhaoqian groaned, looking dejected as they left the restroom.

Inside one of the stalls, paparazzi Wang Mingqiang peeked out furtively.

“Fortune-telling? Temple Street?” he muttered to himself.