Fifty meters away from Sheng Tian Bath Center, Di Ye was sitting in the command vehicle, holding a flip phone in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other. He hadn’t even swallowed the last bite when he suddenly saw Mao Si walking out of the bath center.

Mao Si looked to be at least 1.8 meters tall, with his chest muscles stretching his T-shirt. As he walked, his arms, too thick to rest at his sides, flared outward. With a build like that, it would take at least three people to hold him down.

“Everyone, be alert, the target has appeared!”

Mao Si was initially heading north, but there seemed to be a traffic accident there, and the road was blocked by traffic police. He spat on the ground, cursing under his breath as he turned back.

Meanwhile, the tech team was constantly switching surveillance feeds to track Mao Si’s movements. Just as Di Ye predicted, Mao Si chose to head in the opposite direction, slipping into the alley by Baohuang Temple.

Di Ye and his team followed Mao Si, waiting for him to move away from the crowd. When the timing seemed right, the taillights of a Santana at the alley entrance suddenly lit up.

“Not good! He’s trying to escape! Move now!”

Mao Si had somehow parked a car there without anyone noticing. Di Ye immediately jumped into his Jeep. Mao Si, with keen counter-surveillance instincts, seemed to sense something was off. He suddenly drove out of Baohuang Temple, crashing through.

Di Ye floored the gas pedal, chasing after him. The area around Baohuang Temple was full of potholes, and the Santana quickly lost its advantage, soon overtaken by the Jeep behind it.

The two cars were side by side, but the narrow alley couldn’t accommodate them both. The Santana was forced against the wall, almost scraping it as it passed.

“Damn it!”

Mao Si cursed, gripping the steering wheel with one hand and quickly pulling out a homemade gun from the glove compartment with the other. In a split second, Di Ye tilted his head, and the bullet whizzed past his ear.

“Bang!”

The bullet shattered the glass on Di Ye’s left side, and a shard cut across his forehead. Di Ye didn’t feel any pain, only the sensation of blood trickling down.

“Shit!”

He cursed, then slammed the gas pedal, pulling ahead of the Santana. He used the rear of his car to shield himself from the incoming bullets. Several bullets hit the car, leaving holes in the metal.

Ahead was a bookstore, and why were the lights on in that place? Seeing that several shots had missed, Mao Si put away the gun and glanced in the rearview mirror. Several police cars were following!

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he glanced up, noticing lights in the house ahead. His jaw clenched, and he floored the gas pedal.

Di Ye immediately guessed what the other was planning. As Mao Si accelerated, Di Ye also floored the gas, using the performance advantage of his modified car to pull away from the Santana. He then drifted the car sideways, blocking the road.

Mao Si slammed on the brakes but still crashed into the Jeep with a loud bang! The Santana’s hood was crumpled, smoke billowing out, while the Jeep’s door was only slightly dented.

Mao Si tried to turn around and find another way out, but the deformed Jeep charged at him again. The second collision followed quickly, and the Santana, unable to turn, was pushed sideways against the wall by the Jeep. The alley echoed with a deafening crash.

Mao Si’s face turned pale with fear. He hadn’t expected such a reckless police officer!

“Boss, are you okay? Boss, say something!” He Le shouted into the walkie-talkie.

Di Ye shook his head, the ringing in his ears too loud to hear anything. The Santana was now trapped between the Jeep and the wall, unable to move.

Mao Si, seeing no way out, kicked open the shattered windshield, intending to flee. In his panic, he glanced back at the person in the Jeep, only to see him already out of the car.

“It’s you?!”

Mao Si’s face showed a trace of shock. As he looked at Di Ye, Di Ye was also staring intently at him. Half of Di Ye’s face was covered in blood, making him look like an unkillable ghost, advancing straight towards Mao Si.

The sight jolted Mao Si’s nerves, and the hairs on his back stood on end. His body was triggered into survival mode, with only one thought in his mind—run!

Mao Si bolted, and Di Ye immediately gave chase, his speed astonishing, like a leopard sprinting through the night.

When Mao Si looked back again, Di Ye was already upon him. In desperation, Mao Si pulled out the black homemade gun. Di Ye focused on the gun in Mao Si’s hand, dodging as Mao Si pulled the trigger. Two bullets hit the wall, and the third chamber was empty—the bullets were gone.

In a panic, Mao Si drew a military knife from his waist. The knife brought a momentary standoff between them. Mao Si kept retreating, while Di Ye closed in, eyes narrowed.

“Zhou Mao?”

Hearing the name, Mao Si was startled. He leaped over a low wall. Di Ye didn’t hesitate, charging after him like the wind, using the wall to leap into the air and deliver a flying kick.

Mao Si had no chance to react, getting kicked into the wall. The wall, already aged, partially collapsed from the impact.

Mao Si struggled to stand, clutching his waist and gripping the knife tightly, ready for a fight. Di Ye launched himself again, changing tactics as the knife came at him. He sidestepped the attack with a feint, then delivered a sweeping kick, sending Mao Si flying into the wall again. The wall crumbled further, and Mao Si’s knife was knocked away.

Mao Si grimaced in pain, spitting blood, and crawled to grab a brick. Di Ye kicked the brick out of his hand.

“Why, cough, why are you chasing me?”

Seeing Mao Si’s reaction, Di Ye raised an eyebrow, “You don’t know?”

“That was all in the past. I haven’t done anything in years!”

Di Ye crouched down, grabbing the nose-bleeding Mao Si, “Did you kill Chu Jian?”

“Chu Jian? He’s really dead?!” Mao Si laughed, “What goes around comes around, huh?”

After laughing, he held out his hands, indicating for Di Ye to cuff him, “If my arm hadn’t been broken, your head would’ve been cracked open!”

Di Ye kicked him to the ground again. He Le rushed up, pinning Mao Si down and pulling out a pair of handcuffs to cuff him behind his back.

“Boss, are you okay?”

“What’s there to be wrong with me?”

Di Ye searched Mao Si thoroughly, finding only some cash and the homemade gun. He handed Mao Si over to He Le, then stood on the rubble and lit a cigarette.

The blood on his forehead had stopped, and the evening breeze dried it on his face, making half of it feel tight. Smoking, he thought over the events of the past two days.

Was Mao Si not the one who fired the gun? What did Mao Si’s laugh mean?

Suddenly sensing someone behind him, Di Ye turned to see Leng Ning standing still on the rubble, staring at him. The surroundings were dark, making it hard to see Leng Ning’s face from his angle, but the cold aura emanating from him told Di Ye it was indeed Leng Ning.

This person’s aura was very similar to an old friend of his, so much so that seeing Leng Ning would bring the friend’s image to his mind.

Di Ye swallowed the taste of blood, “Why are you standing there?”

Leng Ning had been standing there for a while, thinking it might be better to keep his distance. If he hadn’t seen the fight with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have known how bloody and violent Di Ye could be.

This person’s explosive power and combat ability were astonishing. Even ten of him wouldn’t be a match, no wonder the other guy looked like he’d seen a ghost when he saw Di Ye.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Di Ye asked again when Leng Ning didn’t respond.

Leng Ning still showed no particular expression, “Just got back.”

“Just got back?” Di Ye gave him a scrutinizing look, “Why is your room light on?”

Leng Ning glanced at the bedroom window, indeed the light was on, but dim. “I’m cultivating aquatic plants, they need light,” Leng Ning explained.

Di Ye exhaled a puff of smoke, feeling a bit speechless. He had been worried that Mao Si would climb to the second floor to trouble Leng Ning, and he had gone all out, only to find out it was for some aquatic plants?

“You don’t reply to texts, don’t answer calls, what are you trying to do?” Di Ye finally lost his temper.

Leng Ning’s expression remained calm, “You had someone follow me, you should know I was at Jinmai. When a forensic doctor is performing an autopsy, they can’t look at their phone.”

Di Ye seemed to get stuck, smoking the last bit of his cigarette, “But you can’t… waste electricity, conserving energy is a traditional virtue…”

Leng Ning looked at Di Ye’s blood-smeared face and finally sighed, “Come upstairs, I’ll take a look at your wound.”