Villain? No, I'll catch up with the protagonist after passing the civil service exam.

The truck was filled with a pungent smell of sweat and the fishy odor of evaporated rainwater.

These escort vehicles, converted from heavy riot control vehicles, have cramped interiors and are surrounded by thickened fences welded with high-strength steel. The stark white overhead lights flicker with the vehicle's movement, creating an atmosphere resembling a mobile steel cage.

Lu Jingyan sat in the front row of the guard post, holding a cup of coffee that had gone cold, his gaze calmly fixed on the case closure report on the electronic terminal.

Directly opposite him were Lin Dong and Xiao Chen, who were tightly handcuffed to the iron bars.

These two "peerless geniuses" who were just moments ago dominating Taikoo Li Square are now staring intently at Lu Jingyan with eyes that seem to want to devour him.

The shame, an unprecedented shame, gnawed at their reason like a venomous snake.

In the minds of their ancient martial arts family, being defeated by a master of the same level is called being inferior in skill, but being drenched by a high-pressure water gun by an ordinary person who doesn't even have internal energy, and then forced to wear this silver bracelet that looks like a dog collar, is more painful than being killed!

"Lu Jingyan, don't get too cocky."

Lin Dong gritted his teeth, his wet hair plastered to his face, his eyes flashing with a crazed ferocity. "You think these two broken iron bars can restrain a successor of ancient martial arts?"

Xiao Chen, who was standing next to him, had lost his previous sinister aura. He took a deep breath, and his chest swelled up strangely.

"Lin Dong, stop wasting your breath on him. Since these worldly lackeys have no sense of martial ethics, we don't need to worry about the sect rule of 'not harming mortals'."

The two exchanged a perfectly synchronized glance.

The next second, a scorching, almost visible stream of air suddenly burst forth from their dantian and surged wildly through their meridians into their arms!

This is the secret internal energy passed down by ancient martial arts families!

"Tiezhu, watch out!"

The SWAT team member driving the car noticed the unusual activity in the back and shouted. Zhao Tiezhu's expression also changed, and he instinctively reached for the stun baton at his waist.

However, the explosive power of ancient martial arts masters far exceeds the reaction limits of ordinary people.

"Open it!"

With two identical shouts, Lin Dong and Xiao Chen's arm muscles instantly swelled up to a full circle, and the veins bulged out like coiling dragons.

"Crack! Bang—!"

The police handcuffs, made of high-strength alloy and supposedly able to withstand 500 kilograms of pulling force, actually snapped off at the buckle under the forceful infusion of true qi and terrifying explosive power!

Flying metal fragments slammed into the steel plates of the carriage, sparks flying everywhere.

"Hahahaha! I told you, in the face of absolute power, you pieces of junk are nothing but a joke!"

Lin Dong laughed wildly as he broke free of his restraints. Instead of trying to escape by breaking the car door, he pounced on Lu Jingyan, who was sitting opposite him, like a tiger descending a mountain.

Xiao Chen was equally fast. He transformed his fingers into claws, aiming straight for Lu Jingyan's throat with a sharp whooshing sound!

Their goal was clear: to kidnap this officer who seemed to be the highest-ranking but also the most powerless, then force the police to back down and leave in style!

In their eyes, Lu Jingyan's expressionless face was nothing more than an instinctive reaction of being terrified.

"Captain Lu!" Zhao Tiezhu exclaimed, trying to rush over to stop him, but the narrow carriage made it impossible for him to maneuver.

The two claws, imbued with deadly true energy, were less than half a meter away from Lu Jingyan's neck.

Lin Dong could even smell the faint scent of aftershave on Lu Jingyan's body.

However, Lu Jingyan did not back out.

He didn't even put down his coffee cup; he just slightly raised his eyelids.

[Ding! Deadly physical attack detected! The target has committed the crime of violently kidnapping state officials!]

[System defense mechanism unlocked!]

With a speed that defied the natural laws of human muscle exertion, Lu Jingyan's left hand pulled a dark Type 92 police pistol from its tactical holster under his armpit in a fraction of a second.

Load, release the safety, and push horizontally.

The movements were executed in one smooth, fluid motion, without the slightest hesitation or frills.

Lin Dong and Xiao Chen's pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints!

gun? !

This kid actually drew his gun at that distance?!

Although martial arts practitioners have reflexes far exceeding those of ordinary people, in this kind of enclosed carriage with no room to turn around, facing the dark muzzle of a gun, any movement or dodge is nonsense.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two deafening gunshots rang out in the cramped carriage, filling everyone's ears with a piercing buzz!

There was no smoke of gunpowder, only two barely visible black shadows, carrying devastating kinetic energy, slamming heavily into Lin Dong and Xiao Chen's thighs.

"ah--!!!"

Two extremely shrill screams instantly drowned out the sound of the police car engine.

Just moments ago, the two ancient martial arts geniuses were so arrogant, as if they were about to destroy the world. But now, like birds with broken wings, they crashed heavily onto the non-slip floor of the carriage at an even greater speed than when they had pounced.

They clutched their blood-soaked thighs tightly, writhing in pain like shrimp, rolling frantically on the ground, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads like a waterfall.

Those were two 18.4 mm caliber riot control rubber bullets.

Although it is not a live metal bullet, the kinetic energy it carries when fired at such close range is enough to instantly shatter the femur of an adult and disrupt the flow of true qi in any meridian.

The carriage fell into a deathly silence once again.

Only Lin Dong and Xiao Chen's distorted wails echoed in the air.

Lu Jingyan slowly withdrew his hand and pointed the gun upwards.

He gently blew away the non-existent gunpowder smoke from the barrel, then picked up the cup of coffee that hadn't spilled a drop and took a slow, deliberate sip.

"External release of internal energy? Breaking the handcuffs?"

Looking down at the two young people on the ground, writhing in pain, Lu Jingyan curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"His moves are pretty cool, it's just a pity he's not very bright."

He put the pistol back into its holster, his eyes filled with a cold pity.

"What era are we living in? Why do people still believe in the individualism of the era of cold weapons?"

"Didn't your master teach you a single word?"

Lu Jingyan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his voice sounding exceptionally clear and cruel in the blood-soaked carriage.

"No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, you're still afraid of a kitchen knife."

"Besides, what I'm holding is a gun."

……

Two o'clock in the morning.

In the southern suburbs of the provincial capital, there is a vast, antique-style Chinese manor.

This is the old residence of the Lin family, the foremost of the eight ancient martial arts families in the provincial capital. The usually quiet and elegant courtyard is now brightly lit, and the atmosphere is so oppressive that it seems as if a storm is brewing.

"Snapped!"

A priceless Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain teacup was smashed to pieces on the bluestone floor by a withered yet powerful hand.

"What did you say?! Dong'er was arrested by the police? And his leg was shot and broken in the car?!"

The current head of the Lin family is Lin Zhentian.

This ancient martial arts grandmaster, whose stomp could cause an earthquake in the provincial capital's underworld, was now ashen-faced, his Tang suit billowing without wind, and his violent true energy causing the surrounding expensive furniture to creak.

Kneeling before him was an outer sect steward, trembling all over.

"It's...it's true, Master! It's a message from our informant within the Municipal Bureau."

The steward swallowed hard, his voice filled with undisguised fear. "Not only Young Master Lin Dong, but also Xiao Chen, the genius from the Xiao family, was captured by the same person and had his leg broken as well. They're both currently being held in the provincial health center's special care ward under strict surveillance!"

"Who did this? Which blind cop dared to touch my son, Lin Zhentian's son!"

Lin Zhentian roared and slammed his palm on the rosewood octagonal table beside him. The hard, solid wood surface was sculpted by his blow, leaving a deep handprint!

"It's a policeman named Lu Jingyan."

The steward quickly reported, "I heard... I heard it's the head of some newly established supervisory group from the provincial department. This kid is really strange; he completely disregards martial arts rules and directly used heavy weapons!"

"Lu Jingyan?"

Lin Zhentian narrowed his eyes, a murderous glint in them. "A mere lackey of the system, barely out of his teens, dares to run wild on the head of my ancient martial arts family? Does he really think that wearing that uniform gives him a get-out-of-jail-free card?"

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall door.

An elderly man dressed in a gray training uniform strode in, exuding a chilling aura. This man was none other than Xiao Wanli, the head of the Xiao family.

"Old ghost Lin, you've heard about what happened, haven't you?" Xiao Wanli's face was equally grim.

"I've heard about it."

Lin Zhentian suppressed his anger and sneered, "What, even your Xiao family can't swallow this insult?"

"Swallow it? My Xiao family heir had his leg shot and broken in the street. If we don't get revenge, how can our ancient martial arts family maintain its standing in this provincial capital?"

Xiao Wanli said through gritted teeth, "Times have changed, but our skills haven't! We've been keeping a low profile for decades; do you really think the authorities think we've become toothless tigers?"

The two family heads exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes they saw the long-suppressed arrogance and violence of the old-era strongmen.

"Since these ordinary people have forgotten reverence..."

Lin Zhentian suddenly turned around, flicked his wide sleeves, and his deep voice instantly echoed throughout the entire manor.

"Notify all inner disciples! Tomorrow morning, I'm going to turn this provincial public security bureau into a stepping stone for our ancient martial arts world!"