Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Xiaoxiao's blood congealed into a dark red color inside that brooch.

Duoduo's voice, faint yet burning hot, came again from behind that window.

The lips of those innocent people, treated as mere consumables, silently opening and closing inside the experimental chamber.

Self-destruction?

Yes, he clearly saw the abyss in his own heart.

When a person loses everything they can lose, all that remains is a burning desire.

There's no need for a reason to live anymore, but there is to keep burning.

Each time he burned away his sins, he could briefly touch the lingering warmth of Xiaoxiao in the echo of the karmic fire—the only proof of her "living" that he could perceive now.

If he stops, he will die completely.

Is it justice?

Also.

Wang Shijun wasn't a beast at the level of execution like Zhang Ziqian; he was a higher level of evil—

Using money to pave the way to acquit crimes, using power to weave a net of protection, and using the word "research" to turn living people into consumables.

These kinds of people hide behind layers of protection, drinking red wine and talking about the "big picture," treating other people's lives as stepping stones to a new world.

This kind of evil is beyond the reach of the law.

But the fire could reach it.

Reason and obsession were tearing at his chest.

A voice said: Only if you're alive can you keep burning.

Another voice said: If we don't burn him this time, what's the point of living?

Li Rui slowly clenched his fist, making up his mind.

The fire had only one direction left—to burn towards that "Young Master Wang".

Even if this is the last time it burns.

------

The Special Investigations Bureau office in the early morning.

Liao Zhengfeng sat at a simple desk in the corner.

Due to his special relationship with Li Rui, he was urgently transferred to the Special Investigation Bureau.

Two documents were laid out in front of him: one was the case file of Su Xiao, the edges of which were curled up from being read so many times;

The other photo is of the ruins of the Starlight Labs, where the spiral-shaped charred marks stand out starkly in the sunlight.

"Zhengfeng, you should understand what Director Zheng means."

Zhao Jianguo walked over and patted Liao Zhengfeng on the shoulder.

Liao Zhengfeng raised his head, his eyes bloodshot: "You want me to be a 'lobbyist'? To persuade a brother we pushed into the abyss to come back, and then watch him get sent into these experts' sampling dish?"

He pointed to Chen Jingrun, Fang Weiguo, and others who were gathered together not far away, discussing "energy peak" and "cellular inorganicization" in hushed tones.

Zhao Jianguo remained silent for a moment before speaking, "This is his only way out. No matter how much fire one person can burn, can it burn down an entire city? Letting him come out now means that Director Zheng can still cover for him procedurally and give him the title of 'surrender.' If the hardliners really take over..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Liao Zhengfeng understood.

Liao Zhengfeng stood up, picked up his coat without a word, and walked towards the door.

He arrived at Li Rui's house.

This place has long been under covert surveillance.

Liao Zhengfeng didn't go in. He stood in the dark corner of the corridor—the place where he and Su Xiao used to sneak around and smoke when he visited.

He took out a box of matches from his pocket, struck one, but didn't light a cigarette, instead letting the faint flame lick the air.

Then, using the charred match head, he drew a symbol in a very hidden spot in the corner that only his group could recognize—a simple circle with two diagonal lines running through it.

Next to the design, he quickly scribbled a line of text with a charred match head:

Someone in the bureau is covering for you. We'll find a way to protect you. Don't do anything foolish, come out and talk.

After doing all this, Liao Zhengfeng returned to his car.

He was in a car not far away, staring at the monitor screen, waiting for Li Rui to appear.

One hour, two hours.

As the sun in Chenxi City grew increasingly intense, the neighborhood was filled with the lively atmosphere of children running and laughing.

Beneath this ordinary scene, countless cold eyes are staring at everyone who enters or leaves the building.

Two o'clock in the morning.

Due to extreme fatigue, Liao Zhengfeng's eyelids drooped involuntarily. Before he could finish yawning, he suddenly felt a strange heat.

He suddenly woke up with a start, his gaze sweeping forward.

The surveillance footage showed everything was normal; there were no alarms and no one entered or exited the premises.

But when he lowered his head, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Above his dial, a note had appeared out of nowhere.

The edges of the paper strip were charred and curled, as if it had been instantly cut by some kind of high-temperature flame.

There was no signature, but Liao Zhengfeng would never mistake the sharp, bold handwriting.

[Team Leader Liao, I appreciate your kind gesture. Thank you.]

But I can't go back. I believed in those rules, and I died to them.

[It won't harm the innocent. This is the last thing I can say to you with this body I'm wearing.]

I'm sorry. Take care.

Liao Zhengfeng suddenly pushed open the car door and rushed out. He didn't care about alerting the other surveillance teams. He looked around in the cold night wind, his gaze sweeping over every shadow and every rooftop.

"Li Rui! You come out here! Li Rui—!"

His roar echoed through the quiet neighborhood, but only a few startled dogs responded.

Liao Zhengfeng slumped against the car door, the note in his hand trembling.

That was Li Rui's warning, and also his farewell.

The fact that this note could appear in the center of an impenetrable surveillance network, right under the nose of this veteran detective, shows that if Li Rui really wanted to kill, the entire police force on this street would be nothing more than kindling to be lit in his eyes.

……

"The moderate plan has failed."

Inside the Special Investigation Bureau's conference room, Wu Yong slammed a copy of the scorched note onto the table, his gaze sharp as a blade as he looked at Zheng Guofeng.

"Director Zheng, this is your 'guarantee'? Li Rui not only refused to communicate, but even openly provoked us. 'No going back'? 'Final explanation'? This is a blatant declaration of war!"

Zheng Guofeng sat in the main seat, looking as if he had aged ten years.

He looked at the note, and in the familiar handwriting, he could read Li Rui's unyielding stubbornness and his desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.

"Director Zheng, the instructions from the province have been issued."

Chief Inspector Liu Changhe opened a document with a blank expression. "Given the extremely negative impact of the Li Rui case and the confirmation that he possesses devastating supernatural abilities, in order to maintain social order and judicial credibility, Li Rui's police status is to be immediately revoked and all administrative benefits are to be cancelled."

Liu Changhe looked at Gu Heng standing to the side, his tone becoming respectful: "Advisor Gu, from now on, you will be the frontline commander of the Li Rui case. The Special Investigation Bureau's Mobile Assault Team, Intelligence Analysis Group, and all external experts will fully cooperate."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Gu Heng stood up, walked to the screen, and gestured to the technician to turn on the projector.

A full-body photo of Li Rui appeared on the screen, surrounded by numerous red danger signs.

"Based on our reconnaissance, Li Rui's ability is 'fire,' which, while powerful, has clear mental limits and adheres to physical laws. We will equip him with a full set of high-temperature resistant gear and a liquid nitrogen covering system. Once discovered, we will take immediate physical suppression measures without warning."

A gleam of fervor flashed in Gu Heng's eyes: "Of course, the primary goal remains 'live capture.' These extreme samples can provide us with crucial data on the correlation between extraordinary abilities and extreme emotions. Once we thoroughly understand this, the awakening mechanism of the next 'Li Rui' will no longer be a coincidence!"