Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Zhou Zhengqing stood in the corridor of the courthouse, looking at the eight corpses lined up on the ground. His fingers gripped the walkie-talkie, his knuckles turning white, and he couldn't utter a single word.

A white cloth covered the faces of the Sharp Blade team members.

Blood seeped from under the white cloth, spreading large patches of dark red on the light-colored carpet.

At the end of the corridor, Zhao Dehai's office door was wide open, and inside lay Zhao Dehai's body, as if he had been pulled from a pool of blood, his judge's robe soaked in dark brown.

"team leader."

A team member came out of Zhao Dehai's office, carrying an evidence bag containing Zhao Dehai's cell phone.

"Before his death, Zhao Dehai recorded a conversation, recording everything Song Chao said. Also, the clerk in the hall handed over an account book, which was a detailed record of the bribes Zhao Dehai himself kept."

Zhou Zhengqing took the evidence bag and glanced at it.

The phone screen was still lit, and the recording interface showed a recording duration of thirty-seven minutes.

He gripped the evidence bag tightly, the plastic bag making a screeching sound in his hand.

"Team Leader Zhou."

Li Cheng, the deputy, walked up to him, his face ashen.

"The outer perimeter has been cordoned off, and the on-site investigation team is collecting blood samples. Preliminary assessment indicates that the cause of death for all eight members of the Sharp Blade team was cardiac arrest. There were no external injuries on their bodies, and their blood coagulated instantly."

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice.

"They look exactly like the thirty-seven corpses the police station found before."

Zhou Zhengqing remained silent.

He turned to look at the wall at the end of the corridor, where a plaque that read "Fairness and Integrity" hung, tilted by the wind and clanging against the wall.

This is a courthouse.

This is the state's judicial organ.

A wanted criminal barged in, killed a judge and eight guards, and then swaggered away.

The onlookers outside took videos with their phones, and now the videos have gone viral online.

He's lost all his dignity.

The official face.

The face of the law enforcement system.

His face.

They were all trampled on the ground and crushed to pieces by the Song Dynasty.

"Team Leader Zhou."

Li Cheng hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.

"The province called; it was Director Han Qiming himself."

Zhou Zhengqing took a deep breath and took the encrypted phone from Li Cheng.

On the other end of the phone, Han Qiming's voice was deep and unreadable.

"Zhao Dehai is dead?"

"He's dead."

Zhou Zhengqing gritted his teeth.

"All eight guards were killed in action. The Song Dynasty entered through the main gate, and after killing the people, they withdrew through the stairwell without encountering the outer blockade."

"What about protective measures?"

"The courthouse was equipped with vital sign monitoring devices, and the guards were armed with tranquilizer guns and bulletproof vests. There were three security gates in the corridor. He broke through them all."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

When Han Qiming spoke again, his tone changed, as if he were carrying a heavy stone.

"I handled Li Rui's case in Dawn City and dealt with six superhumans from Lieyang Province. I've never been this humiliated. A national judge was murdered in the courtroom. The killer came and went freely, and not a single guard survived."

"Do you know what people are saying online these days?"

Zhou Zhengqing did not respond.

Han Qiming said, emphasizing each word.

"They said the judge took bribes to cover up wrongdoings, while those with superhuman bloodlines acted on behalf of heaven. In two hours, the video garnered over 30 million views, and the comments section was overwhelmingly negative."

"It's overwhelmingly positive! Everyone's cheering! Everyone's applauding the Song Dynasty!"

"Thirty-seven members of the Public Security Bureau were killed, and the public applauded. A judge was publicly executed, and the public applauded. Where can we put our faces?"

Zhou Zhengqing gripped the walkie-talkie tightly, the plastic casing creaking under the weight of his palm.

He was furious.

From the moment the Song Dynasty first took action against the Public Security Bureau, he had been pursuing, blocking, and setting up a net.

But each time, the Song Dynasty was one step ahead of him.

He killed Zhang Jinshan and Tang Ming faster than he could.

He killed Lao Zhou and Wang Tao before he could.

Kill Yuan Qiao, one step faster than him.

Kill Zhao Dehai, but you're still one step ahead of him.

His men could only ever arrive at the scene after the Song Dynasty had killed someone, collect the body, take photos, write a report, and then wait for the next body collection.

suffocated.

Incompetent.

I've been made a fool of!

"Chief, I request reinforcements."

Zhou Zhengqing's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

"I don't have enough men. Song Chao's abilities are too restrictive to conventional warfare. His close-range blood manipulation ignores all physical defenses, and the bulletproof vests of the Blade Team members are like paper in front of him. He can also attack multiple points at the same time, and we still haven't figured out where his limits are."

"Your reinforcements are on their way."

Han Qiming's voice regained its composure.

"Two squadrons of Sharp Blade Battalions are equipped with the latest suppressive weapons against superhumans. The provincial military command has approved the deployment of three helicopters for aerial reconnaissance, and satellite positioning permissions have also been granted."

"This is no longer just your business, Zhou Zhengqing. The Song Dynasty case has already alarmed the highest levels of government."

Zhou Zhengqing's fingers paused slightly.

"The top floor?"

"right."

Han Qiming lowered his voice even further.

"The Political Affairs Committee of the Grand Council held a meeting overnight. A superhuman, in less than three days, killed forty-six people, massacred the police station, stormed the courthouse and killed a judge, and was even cheered on by so many people online. This is a blatant trampling on the rule of law and a direct provocation against the authority of the state. The higher-ups have already classified this as 'superhuman terrorism'."

"There will be major adjustments this afternoon. Wait for further instructions."

The phone hangs up.

Zhou Zhengqing held the walkie-talkie, looking at the corpse covered by a white sheet in the corridor, feeling as if a stone was stuck in his chest.

Forty-six people.

Among them were judges he bribed, developers who cheated him, and his wife who betrayed him.

Zhou Zhengqing listed these people as protected individuals, arranged rooms for them in the safe house, and assigned fully armed guards to stand watch at the door.

The Song Dynasty still killed the man.

One by one.

It was like chopping melons and vegetables.

Whoever you protect will die.

In front of this bloodline superhuman, his name, Zhou Zhengqing, is not even a fig leaf.

"Li Cheng".

"exist."

"Make three copies of Zhao Dehai's account books: one to the Provincial High Court, one to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and one for your records."

Zhou Zhengqing turned around, his face expressionless.

"Zhao Dehai accepted bribes of three million yuan, forged judgments, and shielded criminals. The evidence is conclusive. Although he is dead, no one who should be held accountable will escape. Furthermore, the Zhaoming Intermediate People's Court is hereby notified to conduct a comprehensive review of all cases handled by Zhao Dehai, and any cases with problems will be retried."

"clear."

Li Cheng responded, paused for a moment, and then asked.

"The case of Tang Ming and Zhang Jinshan..."

"Tang Ming and Zhang Jinshan are dead, but their company and illegal gains are still there. Notify the tax, industry and commerce, and public security departments to jointly investigate the case, seal up all the accounts of Longteng Real Estate and all related companies, and leave no one involved alive."

Zhou Zhengqing's voice was cold.

"The Song Dynasty wanted revenge, and we couldn't stop them. But the crimes these people committed cannot be wiped clean just because they are dead. Those who should be investigated should be investigated, those who should be arrested should be arrested, and those who should be sentenced should be sentenced."

Li Cheng nodded as he watched Zhou Zhengqing's retreating figure.

He understood what Zhou Zhengqing meant.

Revenge in the Song Dynasty was considered vigilante justice and was illegal.

But the crimes committed by Tang Ming, Zhang Jinshan, Zhao Dehai, and others are real.

The authorities cannot condone vigilante justice.

But the authorities can, and should, thoroughly clean up all these bad apples.

If the authorities had done this earlier, the Song Dynasty might not have gone down this path.

It's too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost, but it's better than doing nothing at all.