Replace me as the top scholar? Go talk to my Marshal Grandpa!

The lights in the interrogation room of the Extraordinary Bureau were blindingly bright.

The walls were grayish-white, there was a black stain around the corner of the table, and the chair was so hard it hurt.

Yuan Tianzhen was handcuffed to an iron chair opposite the table, her wrists marked with two red marks from the cold metal rings.

He had his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly, and his school uniform was stained with dried blood and shoe prints.

The captain sat opposite him, twirling a pen in his hand, with an impatient expression on his face.

Behind him hung a plaque that read "Fair Law Enforcement," the four characters gleaming under the lights.

"Yuan Tianzhen, I'll ask you one more time."

The captain slammed his pen on the table, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable, cold firmness: "Did you hit Wang Feixiang today?"

Yuan Tianzhen raised her head; the blood at the corner of her mouth had dried, forming a dark red line.

His voice was hoarse beyond belief: "I didn't hit him. He took my jade pendant. I just took it back. I didn't hurt him. After that, he attacked me, but I didn't fight back at all."

The captain leaned back in his chair, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, as if he were listening to a not-so-funny joke:

"Yuan Tianzhen, this is the Extraordinary Bureau. We investigate cases based on evidence."

"Wang Feixiang sprained his ankle because of you, and the surveillance cameras even captured it. You're saying he wasn't hit just because of you?"

"Didn't the surveillance footage show him hitting me?" Yuan Tianzhen's voice rose slightly, carrying a sense of despair, as if she had been cornered. "Did you even watch the surveillance footage? If you did, you'd know exactly who was hitting whom!"

The captain paused for a moment, then waved his hand: "We'll watch the surveillance footage ourselves, you don't need to teach us. Now I'm asking you, just answer honestly."

He paused, then pushed a document on the table in front of Yuan Tianzhen. "Sign this first."

Yuan Tianzhen glanced down.

The document contained a "letter of apology," which stated, "I, Yuan Tianzhen, assaulted Wang Feixiang due to a loss of emotional control. I hereby voluntarily compensate Wang Feixiang for medical expenses, mental distress damages, and other costs totaling one million yuan, and request his forgiveness."

The signature field below is empty, waiting for him to write.

Yuan Tianzhen's eyes widened.

"What is this?" His voice trembled. "He's the one who hit me, why should I admit my mistake?"

"Another million in compensation? Where am I supposed to get a million? Why don't you arrest him?"

The captain frowned, a hint of warning in his voice:

"Yuan Tianzhen, I advise you to cooperate a little."

"This matter has already been settled; you physically assaulted someone, which is a serious offense."

"Young Master Wang is very generous. As long as you sign this letter of apology and pay the compensation, he will not pursue your criminal liability."

"If you don't sign..."

He paused, gave Yuan Tianzhen a meaningful look, and said, "Then don't blame us for going through the proper channels."

"Fighting, creating disturbances, obstructing official business—you should think about it carefully."

Yuan Tianzhen's lips trembled as she looked at the letter of apology.

One million!

His family's total annual income is less than 30,000 yuan.

But now, they're demanding a million in compensation.

He looked up at the captain, his eyes bloodshot: "I didn't hit him, and I don't have a million. You're forcing a confession! You're pulling strings!"

The captain's patience finally ran out.

He suddenly stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared into Yuan Tianzhen's eyes:

"Do you think we can't do anything to you?"

"I'm telling you, in this interrogation room, I'm the one in charge."

"You have to sign it whether you want to or not."

"If you know what's good for you, sign now to avoid suffering later."

Yuan Tianzhen's fists clenched white on the armrests of the iron chair.

He gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

The captain looked at him for a moment, sneered, and turned to walk towards the door.

He walked to the door, turned back, and added:

"I'll give you ten minutes."

"I'll be back in ten minutes. If you haven't signed by then, don't blame me for being impolite."

The door closed.

Yuan Tianzhen was left alone in the interrogation room.

The clock on the wall ticked away, each tick like a blow to his heart.

He lowered his head, buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling violently, but he made no sound.

At the other end of the corridor outside the door.

Wang Feixiang was sitting on the sofa in the lounge.

He sat with his legs crossed, a cup of hot tea in front of him, and a smart bracelet in his hand, his expression relaxed as if he were on vacation.

On the coffee table next to them was a plate of cut fruit, which the team leader had specially sent over.

The captain came out of the interrogation room, straightened his collar, and walked towards the lounge.

He pushed open the door, his cold expression replaced by a fawning smile: "Young Master Wang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Wang Feixiang raised his eyelids and glanced at him: "How's it going? Did you sign it?"

"It'll be soon. That kid's really stubborn, but don't worry, once we teach him a lesson, he'll know to be scared."

The captain smiled apologetically, "Please wait a little longer, I promise I'll make him sign obediently."

Wang Feixiang nodded in satisfaction:

"That's more like it."

"If you handle this matter well, I'll go back and talk to my uncle. Maybe next month, you'll get a promotion because of your outstanding performance."

He paused, then suddenly remembered something and added, "By the way, that kid doesn't know what's good for him. Don't be polite with him. As long as no one dies, I'll take responsibility for anything that happens."

The captain nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Young Master Wang, I know what I'm doing."

He was about to turn around and go back to the interrogation room.

A young team member ran quickly from the other end of the corridor, leaned close to his ear, and whispered a few words.

The captain's expression changed slightly, but then returned to normal.

"The inspectors are here?" The captain frowned. "They want to see me?"

The young team member nodded, a hint of unease in his voice: "Five people have come. The leader said he's from the Nanzhao Provincial Inspection Department and his name is Inspector Han."

"He looks quite young, but he has a strong presence. He said it was a routine check-up, but he wants to see you."

The captain's brow furrowed even more.

Inspection Division.

That's an agency specifically tasked with monitoring civil servants; it has considerable authority.

Normally, we keep to ourselves and the Supernatural Bureau, so why are they suddenly coming to our door?

He had a feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He turned to look at Wang Feixiang, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Young Master Wang, the people from the Inspection Department have arrived and say they want to see me."

Wang Feixiang paused for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively:

"The Inspectorate? So what?"

"What kind of status does my Wang family hold in Nanzhao Province? Does the Inspectorate dare to disrespect us?"

"Don't worry about anything. Just handle things as they normally would. They won't dare to make things difficult for you."

Hearing this, the captain felt a little more at ease.

He thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

The Wang family of Xingquan has been making waves in Nanzhao Province in the past two years, backed by the Wang family of the capital.

Even if the inspectors were incredibly bold, they wouldn't dare offend the Xingquan Wang family for the sake of a poor student.

not to mention.

To put it bluntly, this is just a fight and a dispute. What kind of trouble can it cause?

He straightened his uniform, then smoothed his hair in front of the mirror on the wall to make sure he looked presentable before turning and walking down the corridor.

After walking a few steps, he stopped again and whispered an instruction to the young team member:

"Keep an eye on that kid inside, make sure he doesn't get into trouble. If he dares to cause trouble, teach him a lesson."

The young player nodded in agreement.

The captain then walked toward the reception room with a sense of relief.