Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Inside the third safe house, Song Chao's distant cousin sat on the sofa, holding a teacup in both hands. The tea had gone cold, but he hadn't drunk a drop.

Three staff members stood in front of him: a psychology expert and two negotiation experts, who took turns trying to persuade him.

"Master Zhou, you are one of the few remaining relatives of Song Chao. He has gone to extremes and broken the law, but the higher-ups said that as long as he turns himself in, he can be treated leniently according to the law. There is a miscarriage of justice behind his case, and the court will retry it. None of those who harmed him will escape."

The psychologist pushed up his glasses, his tone as gentle as if he were coaxing a child.

"We know he has been wronged, and we sympathize with his plight. But no matter how great the injustice, it cannot be resolved by murder. If he continues to kill like this, even if the law forgives him, his own body and mind will not be able to withstand it."

"You are an elder who watched him grow up, so he might listen to you. We hope you can cooperate with us and persuade him to turn himself in."

My cousin looked up at the one-way glass on the opposite wall.

He knew someone was watching from behind the glass.

I also know that someone is recording.

He gripped the teacup tightly, his fingers rough like sandpaper, with cement dust from the construction site embedded in his fingernails.

"I...I don't know where he is."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"I haven't been in contact with him for many years. His mother passed away early, and his father is gone too. He works alone in the city and only calls me during holidays. Every time he calls, he says he's doing great and never tells me what kind of grievances he's suffered."

"He called me a few days ago and said that Niu Niu has grown taller and will be going to kindergarten soon. He also said that he has saved up money to set up an art studio for her."

My cousin's voice suddenly choked up.

He said his daughter is a very good artist.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

My cousin raised his hand and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Now you want me to persuade him to turn himself in? What should I say to him? Should I say, 'Don't be afraid, child, the court will stand up for you'? Should I say, 'You've suffered for so many years, the law will eventually clear your name'?"

His voice suddenly grew louder, filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Where was the law when his leg was broken? Where was the law when he was locked in the interrogation room and beaten for three days and three nights? Where was the law when he knelt and kowtowed at the courthouse entrance?"

"Now that he's killed someone, the law has come. They've come to arrest him. They've come to ask me to persuade him to surrender."

My cousin slammed the teacup down on the coffee table, splashing tea that soaked the surface.

The negotiation expert and the psychology expert exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat embarrassed.

In the observation room next door, Zhou Zhengqing sat in front of the monitor, listening to his cousin's words, his face ashen.

Li Cheng stood behind him, also silent.

They all knew that their cousin was telling the truth.

But the truth was more embarrassing for them than any lie.

My cousin was eventually persuaded.

Psychologists have repeatedly emphasized that if the Song Dynasty had continued to resist, the final outcome would have been that they would have been killed on the spot, without even the opportunity to retry the case.

"Let him come back. We can help him investigate the case from back then and get justice for him. If he dies, he will never get justice."

My cousin remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.

"I'm willing to cooperate with you."

In the next room, Song Chao's junior high school teacher also nodded.

The retired teacher, with gray hair, sat in a wheelchair. A herniated disc in his lumbar spine made it almost impossible for him to stand up, but his back was ramrod straight.

"Among the students I've taught, Song Chao wasn't the smartest, but he was the most honest. He was never late for class, never missed a day of homework, and even when others bullied him, he wouldn't fight back; he would just squat in a corner and rub his wounds."

"You want me to persuade him to turn himself in? I can do it. But I have one condition."

The old man raised his head, his cloudy eyes flashing with a stubborn light.

"I want to ask you a question. How do you plan to deal with those who broke his legs, locked him in the interrogation room, and took bribes to convict him of a wrongful conviction?"

"If you're just using these people as a show, locking them up for two years and then releasing them, then I'm too ashamed to even try to persuade him."

The staff members exchanged glances, and one of them took out an official document and handed it to the elderly man with both hands.

The document bears a large red seal and contains the decision of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection to file a case against Zhao Dehai and 23 others for violations of discipline and law.

The old man looked down for a long time, and finally nodded.

"it is good."

"I'll go."

After the elderly man left, a young negotiation expert whispered a question to his colleague beside him.

"Does he look down on us now?"

My colleague was silent for a moment.

"If it were you, wouldn't you look down on me?"

------

That evening, three thousand elite guards assembled at the Jeolla Provincial Military Command headquarters.

The playground was packed with people, their camouflage uniforms gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

The square formation was perfectly aligned and completely silent.

Each member is an elite selected from the best special forces in the entire army, and has undergone at least five years of real combat training.

But standing in the queue at this moment, many people had a hint of tension in their eyes.

Their next opponent is not a weapon-wielding foe, but a superhuman who can manipulate blood remotely.

An awakened individual capable of instantly killing eight fully armed Blademasters.

Avenger who remains at large after killing forty-six people.

Conventional combat experience is almost useless against this kind of opponent.

On the makeshift platform in front of the playground, Yue Sheng, dressed in a crisp combat uniform, stood with old scars on his face gleaming menacingly in the setting sun.

He stood in front of the microphone and remained silent for a full thirty seconds before speaking.

"I know what you're thinking."

His voice was deep, and he didn't use a script or speak in a bureaucratic tone.

"You're thinking, a migrant worker, he stormed the police station, he stormed the courthouse, he rubbed our faces in the dirt, and now we're asked to arrest him. You feel aggrieved."

No one spoke.

But many people's eyes betrayed their agreement.

"I also feel frustrated."

Yue Sheng's voice grew even deeper.

"But there's one thing you all need to remember."

"This man named Song Chao, he is not a terrorist. Everyone he killed was the one who pushed him into hell. He has never killed a single innocent person. Including the daughter he raised for three years, he didn't even lay a finger on her."

"But that's not a reason for him to kill."

Yue Sheng's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"No matter how wronged he is, vigilante justice is vigilante justice. Today he can use supernatural powers to avenge himself, and tomorrow someone else can use supernatural powers to avenge himself. If the law becomes a system where whoever has the power decides, then this country is doomed."

"So we have to go and catch him."

"It's not to protect those corrupt officials, it's to protect the law."

"Although this law can sometimes be disappointing."

The playground was completely silent.

In the formation of three thousand people, even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.

Yue Sheng looked at the line in front of him and suddenly softened his tone.

"There's one more thing."

"The higher-ups have ordered a thorough investigation of all those involved in the Song Dynasty case, including the three thugs who beat him back then, the security guard who helped his wife fabricate testimony, and the staff of the petition office who suppressed his appeal materials. Those who should be arrested will be arrested, and those who should be sentenced will be sentenced, without exception."

"This is a remedy after the fact."

"It's late, but at least I did it."

"Once we capture Song Chao, those who harmed him will be sitting in the dock."

"So, from now on, training begins."

Yue Sheng's voice turned cold and hard again.

"Tactical training for bloodline superhumans, a ten-day closed-door program. It's grueling because your opponents are people who can cause your hearts to stop with a single finger. There's no room for negotiation."

"We'll go meet him in ten days."

"Disband!"

Three thousand men stood at attention in unison, their military boots slamming onto the ground with a resounding, synchronized thud that sent the leaves of the sycamore trees along the parade ground rustling down.