Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

As the last bit of valuable information was extracted, the red light in Li Rui's eyes suddenly intensified.

In the images he saw, the three innocent people captured by Zhou Xie were struggling, convulsing, and wailing on the experimental table.

Meng Xiang stood to the side, holding a record board, and wrote expressionlessly: "Subjects two through four showed good tolerance, and the data is complete."

"Good"... "Complete"...

Li Rui's karmic fire roared wildly in his chest.

"Since you enjoy dominating other people's lives so much, then let you experience what it feels like to have your life dominated!"

boom--!

The karmic fire erupted from within.

Meng Xiang's body vanished into nothingness in an instant, along with the white coat he wore, which was stained with the aura of countless wronged souls, completely disappearing from this world.

Li Rui turned and left, leaving behind an empty bathroom with only a faint smell of burning.

……

At 6:20 p.m., Li Rui returned to the abandoned park.

He went through all the intelligence in his mind one last time.

An underground fortress, heavily guarded, containing unknown drugs.

Zhang Zhaoqing probably thought that, having lost the protection of his police uniform, he should be somewhere in fear, panic, and waiting to be harvested.

"What a pity."

Li Rui took out the ruby ​​brooch from his pocket.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the gemstone, refracting a heartbreakingly warm red.

He lowered his head and gently kissed the cold metal edge.

"Xiaoxiao, you once said that I am the fiercest fire."

"Hating evil as if it were my enemy is the reason I live."

Li Rui slowly stood up and carefully pinned the brooch back into the inner pocket of his chest, close to where his heart beats.

"If I die to burn away the darkness, it is my choice, my promise as a husband, and as... a former policeman."

He looked up at the city lights gradually illuminating the distance.

"Director Zheng, Team Leader Liao."

He said softly.

"You're protecting me because you believe I'm a good policeman."

"But in this world, true 'goodness' is not about following the rules that they manipulate."

"Instead, it burns through the darkness that the rules cannot illuminate."

"Xiaoxiao died because of this, how can I possibly stop?"

His eyes gradually became vacant, yet incredibly fervent.

The human named "Li Rui" died completely at that moment.

Instead, a flame of vengeance called "Judgment" has taken its place.

It was completely dark by then.

In the shadows of the abandoned Xingguang Chemical Industrial Park, the entrance to an underground drainage ditch that had been dry for many years was silently pried open by a pair of hands.

According to Meng Xiang's memory, although this drainage ditch was abandoned, it led directly to the maintenance access point of the equipment floor between the second and third underground floors.

That was the only blind spot that could bypass the heavy underground guards and surveillance.

Li Rui took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Don't look back.

He said to himself.

"Burning through the darkness forward."

When the sun rises tomorrow, everything here will end.

Alternatively, there would be no more glimmer of evil in the world.

Either Li Rui will never exist again.

With a flash, he leaped into the pitch-black cave entrance.

Like a demon who willingly jumps into hell.

It was like a ball of fire that finally fell into the pile of firewood it was destined to burn.

……

At 6:30 p.m., in the city center of Chenxi, in Wang Shijun's luxury apartment.

The phone rang.

Wang Shijun answered the phone, listened for a few words, and then his brows furrowed slightly.

"Is it confirmed? It's just a suspension?"

"Yes, the Inspectorate has issued a notice. Li Rui is currently suspended from his duties."

Wang Shijun put down the phone and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa.

What he wanted was to completely strip away that police uniform—as long as Li Rui was still an "on-duty police officer," taking action against him meant making an enemy of the entire police system.

That was a red line he didn't want to cross for the time being.

But for now, it's just a suspension.

The personnel relationship remains, and the police registration remains.

Only half of this skin has been peeled off.

not enough.

Wang Shijun stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the deepening night outside.

Zhou Mingyuan's side needs further support.

Joint pressure from the court system is not enough; the dismissal process must be expedited.

As long as the word "dismissed" is left in his file, Li Rui will be completely lost and adrift.

He picked up his phone and dialed Zhou Mingyuan's number directly.

It rang twice before the other end answered.

"Zhou Mingyuan," Wang Shijun said without any pleasantries, "Li Rui is only suspended, not dismissed. His true colors haven't been completely removed yet."

Zhou Mingyuan on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then said, "Just a suspension? Then..."

"So you have to keep making a scene tomorrow," Wang Shijun interrupted him. "I'll take care of the media connections. You just need to stand in front of the camera, keep crying, keep making accusations. Tell them everything about how your father died. Make a scene until the city bureau can't control it anymore, until they have no choice but to fire him."

Zhou Mingyuan was silent for two seconds: "I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Shijun immediately dialed another number.

"Have your Blackstone people set off yet?"

A deep reply came from the receiver: "We've already set off and are expected to arrive in Dawn City the day after tomorrow."

"Too slow." Wang Shijun frowned slightly. "Speed ​​up—as soon as I get any news, you must act immediately."

"clear."

Wang Shijun put down his phone, walked to the wine cabinet, and poured himself a glass of wine.

The amber-colored liquid swirls gently in the glass.

We have to wait a while longer.

But he couldn't wait any longer.

Wang Shijun stared at the glass of wine, a barely suppressed excitement gradually welling up in his eyes.

I really can't wait...

From Xu Suyuan to Han Xiao—the door to the extraordinary opened and closed before him, but he could only stand outside the door, relying on second-hand data and limited samples to glimpse the scenery inside.

But it's different now.

Li Rui is a living example of an awakened individual.

If we could catch him, if we could study him...

Even if it takes a lot of effort, it's worth it.

At worst, we can risk the entire Glowing Pharmaceuticals business—as long as we can get past that hurdle.

Outside the window, the night was deepening.

Wang Shijun tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, a confident smile appearing on his lips.

……

At the same time, in the Special Investigations Bureau conference room.

"...The screening scope must be expanded!"

Chen Jingrun's voice echoed in the conference room.

Zheng Guofeng sat in the main seat, listening, but not really taking it in.

The current debate concerns "supernatural" matters, which are indeed top priorities for him as the director of the Special Investigations Bureau.

But he was thinking about something else.

Li Rui.

For some reason, he had a feeling that something was about to happen.

That feeling was like the sweltering heat before a storm.

He picked up the phone, intending to call Liao Zhengfeng and ask him to go check on Li Rui.

But the finger twitched, and ultimately no movement was made.

During his suspension, the Inspectorate was keeping an eye on him, as was the court system.

Any "concern" could be interpreted as "interference in the investigation".

He was the bureau chief and also Li Rui's guarantor.

But all he can do now is wait.

We'll wait for Li Rui to cooperate with the investigation, and for this storm to pass.