Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

The legendary author, Invincible Demon King F, has joined the platform with his new work, "Joy of Life: I, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!"

The next day, at dawn.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and shone upon the ancient and bustling city of Kyoto, a faint smell of blood seemed to linger in the air.

The Forensic Service headquarters, meeting hall.

The atmosphere here was extremely oppressive, as if even the air had frozen, making it hard to breathe.

Chen Pingping sat quietly in his wheelchair, in front of him a large, black table. At this moment, the table was piled high with battle reports and loss lists, like snowflakes falling from the sky.

Every sheet of paper was stained with glaring bright red—the blood of the Forensic Bureau's secret agents.

The organizers at the first office, the second office, the third office, Leng Ruoshuang, the fourth office, Yan Ruohai… all the organizers in Beijing stood on either side of the long table, heads bowed like wilted eggplants. Their eyes were bloodshot, filled with anger, fear, and above all, a deep sense of powerlessness.

The hall was deathly silent, save for the rustling sound of Chen Pingping flipping through the battle reports; each sound was like a dull knife cutting into everyone's hearts.

"At one location, the Spring Breeze and Dew intelligence station in Nancheng was destroyed, and all seventeen personnel perished in the line of duty..."

"Secondly, the underground bank in the eastern part of the city was robbed, with all thirty-five people killed and the financial loss reaching one million taels..."

"Three locations: the transport convoy in Sunset Valley was ambushed, the escort officer and fifty elite soldiers were wiped out, and all supplies were destroyed; the weapons workshop in West City was massacred, and twenty-two core craftsmen were killed..."

"Four locations, including six secret liaison points in and around Beijing, have lost contact. Preliminary estimates suggest that 70% of the external intelligence network is paralyzed..."

Chen Pingping did not read aloud. His gaze swept over the shocking lines of text, and his aged and gloomy face showed no emotion.

But the shadow standing behind him could clearly feel that Chen Pingping's fingers, which were holding the battle report, were trembling slightly.

No one knew what Chen Pingping was thinking at that moment.

Is it anger? Is it grief? Or is it fear?

Chen Pingping slowly closed her eyes and placed the heavy summary report on the table.

"Overnight..." Chen Pingping's hoarse voice rang out in the hall, breaking the suffocating silence, "In just one night, half of my Investigation Bureau's spies around the capital were forcibly removed. More than four hundred people were killed or injured, including more than thirty experts of the sixth rank or above."

"I've let them down!"

Everyone exchanged glances but remained silent.

Finally, Yan Ruohai took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said in a dry voice, "Dean, it's not your fault. The enemy's intelligence capabilities are far superior to ours. They know everything about the distribution of our agents, the deployment of our personnel, and even the patterns of our troop rotations. Moreover, the forces they mobilized were extremely strong and their speed was so fast that we couldn't react. Based on the scene, we deduced that at least five ninth-rank Heavenly-level assassins were involved."

"Five ninth-rank officials..." Leng Ruoshuang gasped. "Does the Luo Wang organization really intend to fight the Jiancha Yuan to the death?"

Chen Pingping's mind was once again filled with the image of Emperor Qing's calm, almost cold gaze in the Imperial Study last night, and his nonchalant words, "If you want me to uphold justice for you," and he sighed inwardly.

He knew that the Censorate had wielded too much power over the years, to the point that the high and mighty emperor felt uncomfortable. The emergence of the Net of Justice was precisely the tool His Majesty used to discipline and weaken the Censorate.

He just hadn't expected the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) to be such a sharp weapon, causing him considerable pain.

"Dean, what should we do now? Are we just going to let them slaughter us like this?" one of the organizers asked through gritted teeth. "Please, Dean, order the Black Riders to enter the city! Once the Black Riders are out, no matter what kind of net they are, they'll all be trampled into mincemeat!"

"Foolish!" Chen Pingping shouted angrily. "The Black Riders are meant to deal with massive armies, not to catch rats in the streets of Kyoto! The enemy is scattered and hiding in the shadows. Where are you expecting the Black Riders to kill? To slaughter the entire population of Kyoto?!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and coldly issued the order: "Pass on my order: from this moment forward, all field personnel of the Forensic Bureau are to enter the highest level of silence. No one is to act without my written order. All doors and windows are to be tightly closed, and headquarters defenses strengthened. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor and executed on the spot!"

"Dean!" Everyone was shocked. This was tantamount to completely giving up resistance and handing over control of Kyoto's intelligence to others.

"Execute the order!" Chen Pingping slammed his hand on the armrest, his voice becoming louder.

Left with no other choice, the crowd could only lower their heads in humiliation: "Yes!"

Watching the departing figures of the crowd, Chen Pingping seemed to age ten years in an instant.

……

In contrast to the gloomy atmosphere at the Imperial Censorate, the Second Prince's residence was filled with a relaxed and pleasant scene.

The morning sunlight streamed into the courtyard outside the study, where several thrushes chirped merrily on the branches.

Li Chengze, dressed in a loose white silk robe, sat barefoot and cross-legged on a soft couch in the study. In front of him was an exquisite mahogany low table with several dishes of delicate breakfast and a bowl of thick bird's nest porridge.

He held a white steamed bun in his hand, slowly tore off a small piece and put it in his mouth, chewing as he listened to Zhao Gao's report from the shadows.

"Your Highness, the operation last night went smoothly." Zhao Gao's voice was high-pitched and flat, as if he were reporting a trivial matter. "We eliminated seventeen of the Bureau of Investigation's spies in the capital, intercepted a transport convoy, and killed a total of 462 people belonging to the Bureau of Investigation, including 34 targets of the sixth rank or above."

"In addition, we left our network markings at the scene. At this moment, Chen Pingping issued a complete silence order, causing all personnel outside to retreat back to the headquarters of the Forensic Institute, like turtles hiding in their shells."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze stopped eating his breakfast, picked up a silk handkerchief to wipe his hands, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

"Your Highness, should we then strike while the iron is hot and launch a direct attack on the headquarters of the Censorate? I am confident that by gathering all of Luo Wang's top-tier assassins, even if we cannot annihilate the entire Censorate, we can at least slaughter its high-ranking officials."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze gently shook his head, a profound light flashing in his eyes.

"No, that's enough."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You can go now."

Zhao Gao's figure slowly retreated, disappearing as if melting into the shadows.

The study returned to its usual quiet.

Li Chengze put down the porridge, stretched, and walked barefoot out of the study. Looking at the sun in the sky, he raised his hand, reaching towards it, then slowly clenched his fist, muttering to himself, "How this game is played is up to me!"