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

Inside the command vehicle, eight deep purple dots flickered on the screen like will-o'-the-wisps.

Su Xiaoxiao's fingers left afterimages on the keyboard as she quickly zoomed in on the eight coordinates.

"Captain Lu, the locations are in! A Michelin three-star French restaurant, a penthouse suite at the Bulgari Hotel, a private yacht on the Huangpu River, a suburban golf club..."

Su Xiaoxiao swallowed hard as she looked at the extremely luxurious list of coordinates.

"If this guy really could be in two places at once, his spending in one night could probably buy an apartment in downtown Jinghai."

Lu Jingyan sneered, and the pages of the illusory "Absolute Codex" in his palm moved without wind.

Under the scrutiny of causality, the so-called "deity's" true nature was completely exposed.

"His name is Li Hai, the host of the 'Time Management Tycoon System' that descended from another world."

Lu Jingyan tossed an automatically generated intelligence report onto the big screen, his tone full of mockery.

"The so-called Lord of the Nine Heavens Mystic Temple is just a gimmick to fool people. His real core skill is to create eight clones with physical bodies and shared memories."

"These eight clones are currently dating eight of Jinghai City's top rich and beautiful women at the same time."

Lu Jingyan pointed to the surveillance footage of one of the coordinates.

In the scene, an extremely handsome man is kneeling on one knee, putting a pigeon blood ruby ​​necklace on a wealthy young lady.

"He plays the role of a deeply affectionate and domineering CEO, a melancholic artist, and even a terminally ill patient to gain sympathy and medical expenses."

"One person plays eight roles, simultaneously operating eight high-end pig butchering scams."

Lu Jingyan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes extremely cold.

"This time management master not only used his otherworldly divine power to swindle money and seduce women, but he also wanted to use the ill-gotten gains to build his underground divine kingdom on Earth."

"Eight clones committing fraud together, how many years would that be?" Zhao Tiezhu was dumbfounded, feeling that his pitiful imagination had been completely shattered.

"How many years he will be sentenced to, we'll let the judge decide when he's brought back."

Lu Jingyan picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice instantly turning cold and hard, exuding an undeniable chilling aura.

"Attention all squads! Target confirmed, eight coordinates, move in simultaneously!"

"Remember, these eight are all physical entities, extremely capable of counter-surveillance, and possess some mutant abilities. Enough talk, break down the door and use stun guns!"

"I want all eight of these sea kings to put on the silver bracelets at the same time!"

"Yes, Captain Lu!"

The deafening chorus of the special police officers receiving their orders came through the communication channel.

……

The most upscale "Starry Sky" revolving restaurant in Jinghai City.

A violinist was playing a soothing melody, "Dreamy Melody," nearby. Li Hai's first clone, dressed in a white tuxedo, had eyes so deep they seemed to stretch into silken threads.

He held the hand of the real estate heiress opposite him, his voice deep and magnetic: "Darling, as long as you transfer the project funds for that South City Development Zone to my overseas trust first, I guarantee..."

"Bang--!"

Before the romantic confession could be finished, the restaurant's expensive carved glass door was kicked to pieces from the outside.

"Don't move! Police!"

Zhao Tiezhu, like a raging black bear, led four or five fully armed special police officers, charging straight in through the broken glass scattered on the ground.

The real estate heiress screamed in fright, her face turning pale.

The first clone was terrified. Relying on the system's instinctive reaction, he slammed his hand on the table and tried to escape through the floor-to-ceiling window, which was more than ten stories high.

"Still want to fly?"

Zhao Tiezhu had anticipated this move and, disregarding any fighting ethics, thrust the high-voltage electric baton directly at him.

"Sizzle—!"

Five million volts of blue electric arc struck the number one clone precisely in the kidneys.

The "male god" who was just moments ago so affectionately rolled his eyes, convulsed, and collapsed onto the luxurious Persian carpet, foaming at the mouth.

"Take him away!" Zhao Tiezhu skillfully pulled out handcuffs and locked them with a click.

Meanwhile, on a private yacht on the Huangpu River.

The second clone is holding a glass of champagne, ready to discuss "the future of humanity and the sublimation of the soul" with a female CEO of a multinational corporation.

Police speedboats suddenly shot out like swords on the river, and several powerful searchlights instantly illuminated the yacht deck as if it were daytime.

Fully armed marine police descended directly from the sky.

"Don't move! Lie down!"

The champagne glass in the second clone's hand shattered. Before he could even activate his powers, he was pinned to the deck by three riot control forks, unable to move.

Golf clubs, top-tier auction venues, presidential suites...

Under Lu Jingyan's precise command, which was like having a god's-eye view, the actions at the eight arrest sites were synchronized with accuracy down to the second.

There was no room for resistance, and no possibility of escape.

Within this legally bounded realm, completely locked by the "Absolute Code," the so-called "avatar cheat" is nothing more than a laughable toy in the face of the violent state apparatus.

An hour later.

In the case-handling hall of the Jinghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, the most bizarre and spectacular scene since the bureau's establishment unfolded.

Eight men, who looked exactly alike but dressed differently, were neatly handcuffed to the railings of the hall like a row of Russian nesting dolls.

Some were wearing tuxedos, some were wearing beach shorts, and one was even wearing a hospital gown.

Dozens of officers on duty stood in a circle, staring at the eight clones as if they were aliens, whispering amongst themselves.

"How many babies are there? Octuplets?! This is a medical miracle!"

"What octuplets? They even look exactly alike, down to the single tuft of hair on their heads! Even clones aren't this ridiculous!"

Lu Jingyan, carrying a thermos, walked in from outside the main gate with unhurried steps.

He had just personally led a team to pull out his No. 8 clone, who was trying to smother himself under the covers, from under a bed in a five-star hotel.

Now, the prey has finally been gathered.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen someone arresting a fraudster before?"

Lu Jingyan coldly glanced at the police officers watching, and the hall instantly fell silent.

He walked up to the eight identical men, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Li Hai, or rather, the master of time management."

"Surprised? Unexpected? Your eight ships have successfully reunited at the police station in Jinghai City tonight."

The number one clone, handcuffed in the middle and dressed in a tuxedo, stared intently at Lu Jingyan, his eyes filled with a hatred that seemed to want to devour him alive.

His proud max-level system and his unparalleled divine power that allowed him to roam freely in other worlds were completely shattered in just one hour by this mortal policeman who didn't even have any spiritual energy!

The immense sense of loss drove him to complete madness.

"Lu Jingyan! Don't be so smug!"

The first clone, like a mad beast, desperately pulled at the handcuffs, the chains clanging loudly.

"You ignorant ants! You have no idea how terrifying higher-dimensional power is!"

He raised his chin, a morbid, unbridled, arrogant smile spreading across his face, and roared:

"You can't arrest me! You can't convict me!"

"I have only one true self! The rest are merely quantum illusions formed from my spiritual power!"

He smugly surveyed the bewildered police officers around him, as if he had already found the biggest loophole in the law.

Li Hai's eight clones burst into laughter simultaneously. The laughter overlapped and echoed in the hall, sounding extremely eerie and jarring.

"As long as my main body doesn't confess, and as long as I sever the mental connection at any time, these clones will instantly vanish!"

"Fraud? Pig butchering scam? What grounds do you have to convict me when there's no physical entity involved?!"

He was gambling on the lag and powerlessness of the modern legal system in the face of supernatural phenomena.

The surrounding police officers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even Zhao Tiezhu couldn't help but frown.

If what this kid says is true, that he can make his clone disappear at any time, then all the physical evidence and witness testimony will be rendered meaningless.

Lu Jingyan stood still, looking at the eight "phantoms" who were still putting up a stubborn resistance.

He showed no panic whatsoever; instead, it was as if he had heard the funniest joke of the century.

"phantom?"

Lu Jingyan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and a chilling glint flashed behind the lenses.

He slowly pulled out the Absolute Codex, which radiated a solemn light, from his lower back.