After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

In the afternoon, Lin Ye had just finished class and was walking along the artificial lake, where the water was rippling.

His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, and a red urgent task pop-up window appeared from west Wangmu.

"The Command and Dispatch Section of the Ningchuan Branch of Tianshu issued an emergency dispatch."

"Target: A fugitive Firefly-level criminal with the ability of basic muscle hardening. He has taken a six-year-old girl hostage and fled into the Deep Blue Theme Park in Qingtai District."

"The park closed yesterday for internal upgrades, and all surveillance equipment is offline. The park covers 40,000 square meters and has a very complex structure. Police have completed the outer perimeter cordon, but because the perpetrator is a player and is extremely emotionally unstable, ordinary police forces are unable to force a breakthrough."

"Lin Ye, the official player closest to the scene, please proceed immediately to assist in the capture. Your primary task is to ensure the safety of the hostages."

Lin glanced at his phone, then put it back in his pocket.

Inside the park, because it was under renovation, the park, which was originally full of fairytale charm, now looked somewhat sloppy.

Unfinished scaffolding, mountains of building materials, and dust-proof plastic sheeting everywhere.

Inside the unfinished underwater tunnel, the criminal huddled in a recess, his chest heaving violently, his right arm tightly wrapped around the neck of a little girl. Due to excessive tension, he had instinctively activated his abilities.

The muscles in her arm bulged high and were as hard as iron. The six-year-old girl was being strangled and could hardly breathe. Her tender face was covered with tears. Fear prevented her from even crying out, and she could only sob intermittently.

The criminal's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the tunnel entrance, his ears pricked up, trying to catch any sound outside.

The police had surrounded the amusement park. He knew that as long as he had hostages, the ordinary police officers would not dare to make any rash moves, but he was also aware that the official players of Tian Shu might intervene at any time.

In the silence, a voice suddenly rang out in front of him without warning.

"Hi."

The criminal's blood seemed to freeze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

A young man in a casual jacket was standing less than two meters in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

The man was casual, with his hands even in his coat pockets, and spoke as if he had bumped into a neighbor he didn't know very well on a street corner.

Alarm bells rang in the criminal's mind. He opened his mouth, but the threatening roar hadn't even escaped his throat before his arms were about to tighten.

A terrifying gravitational force descended from nowhere, and the air instantly became like solidified cement.

The criminal's proudly hardened muscles couldn't even withstand half a breath in the face of this absolute power.

Before he could even muster the thought of resistance, several faint thuds came from inside his body, and he finally collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

Lin also looked at the little girl sitting on the ground in a daze: "The police will be coming in soon, don't be afraid."

Lin didn't linger and strode deeper into the cave, where he was soon blocked by a huge pile of abandoned decorations.

Tian Shu Ningchuan Branch, Command and Dispatch Section.

Qin Wei sat at her workstation, in front of her a semi-transparent screen. Just a second ago, a red tracking message was displayed, which was about the hostage incident at the Deep Blue Theme Park in the North District.

The red alert has now been lifted, and a brief notification from the Queen Mother of the West pops up: Mission accomplished, the criminal is incapacitated, and the hostage is safe.

Qin Wei was slightly taken aback, and her gaze subconsciously fell on the time in the lower right corner of the screen. It had only taken five minutes from the time the task was issued to its completion.

Although Ningchuan University is not too far from the amusement park, it is almost unbelievable how quickly they could get to the scene within this time frame, navigate the complex terrain, find the hiding criminals, and successfully rescue the hostages.

She couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration; young people are indeed efficient and decisive in their work.

However, what Qin Wei didn't know was that after receiving the mission, Lin Ye stayed in the same spot for a few minutes to enjoy the breeze before heading to the amusement park.

"How is the Firefly-level player who took the hostage at the Qingtai District amusement park doing now?" Deputy Director Zhou Ping stood not far away, turning his head in this direction.

"The matter has been resolved. Lin has just been brought under control, and the police should be inside to finish things up now."

Zhou Ping was about to get a drink of water when he glanced at the time and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes: "Finished?"

"Lin Ye doesn't go on missions very often. Only in these kinds of sudden and urgent events will the Queen Mother of the West assign him missions. But the completion rate of each mission is extremely high, and the time taken is very short. He has never even requested any form of tactical or fire support from the branch."

Zhou Ping nodded thoughtfully: "Ning Chuan has been extremely busy lately, and the operations department is stretched thin. It's a waste of resources to keep Lin at school. I'm considering going through the process in the next few days to transfer him to a formal operations position so he can take on more tasks."

After hearing this, Qin Wei thought for a moment and still tried to dissuade him: "Deputy Director, it's best to postpone this matter. Given Lin Ye's personality, he doesn't want to be overly constrained by rules and regulations."

"A large part of the reason he was willing to sign up for Tian Shu was because we promised him enough freedom to live like a normal college student. If we make him work full-time now just because he is capable and put a lot of pressure on him, it will probably backfire."

Zhou Ping remained silent for a moment, pondering Qin Wei's analysis.

"The current pace suits him quite well," Qin Wei added.

Rental housing.

Shen Yi managed this one-bedroom apartment, which was less than 40 square meters, very well.

In the bedroom, on the light wood-colored bunk bed, Lin Ye was leaning against the headboard of the lower bunk, holding a mobile phone and flipping through a comic book.

After a while, with a slight sound, Shen Yi stepped down the wooden ladder with light movements.

Lin Ye thought she was going to the living room to get water or something, but Shen Yi didn't go out. Instead, she walked to the lower bunk, grabbed Lin Ye's arm, and pulled hard.

"Get up."

Lin was pulled to his feet by her and looked at her with some confusion.

Shen Yi went around behind him, pushed his back with both hands, and pushed him toward the living room.

"Go out, go out, I need to change my clothes. You can wait in the living room for a while." Her voice was soft, with a hint of feigned composure, but also a hint of nervousness and guilt.

Lin followed her lead and walked forward. Before he could even stand still in the living room, the bedroom door was tightly closed.

He walked over to the sofa, sat down, and continued reading the comics on his phone.

About ten minutes have passed.

The sound of the latch turning came from the direction of the bedroom. The wooden door was slowly pulled open a crack, and then gradually opened wide.

Lin put down his phone and turned to look over.

Shen Yi stood at the intersection of light and shadow on the door frame, not wearing the ordinary clothes she usually wore for her part-time job.