He had just married a policewoman when he was diagnosed with criminal genius.

I disagree.

Jiang Xue's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet office.

Ding Jianguo and Zhou Weidong both looked at her at the same time.

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Lu Chen also turned his head to look at his wife, his brows twitching slightly.

Jiang Xue continued, "Lu Chen has no experience in this area; it's extremely dangerous."

Upon hearing Jiang Xue's words, Ding Jianguo and Zhou Weidong both fell silent.

It's understandable, since Lu Chen is Jiang Xue's husband.

Lu Chen wasn't part of their police system, so he had no obligation to help them with their undercover mission.

It's perfectly reasonable for someone's wife to not want Lu Chen to be in danger, and they can't say anything about it.

However, this gave Ding Jianguo and his team a bit of a headache.

Lu Chen didn't expect Jiang Xue to react so strongly, but he understood that Jiang Xue didn't want to put herself in danger.

Lu Chen did not immediately answer Ding Jianguo's request, but instead asked, "What will you do if I don't go?"

Zhou Weidong glanced at Ding Jianguo, and seeing the latter nod slightly, he carefully spoke: "We've found an old comrade who just came down from the provincial department. He worked in a printing factory for many years when he was young, so he has some understanding of the process."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "But frankly, his skills are quite different from your husband's. If the other party presses him too hard and asks too many questions, he'll most likely be exposed."

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Then there's no need to choose."

"Lu Chen!" Jiang Xue cried out anxiously, her voice rising sharply.

Lu Chen turned to look at her, his tone calm to the point of being indifferent: "You sent an old comrade who only half-understands things, and there's only one outcome. They can see right through it."

He paused, his gaze darkening: "By then, all the efforts you've made these past few days will have been for nothing."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone's hearts.

Jiang Xue opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself unable to utter a single word.

She knew in her heart that these days, not only the Yuhua branch, but also other branches and even the Jiangbei City Bureau, everyone was working around the clock on this case.

She saw it all every day; everyone's efforts and hard work were all gambled on this one move.

Now, it's just one step away from victory.

If this kick misses, then all the previous efforts will be in vain.

This is not the outcome she wanted.

Jiang Xue bit her lip, her eyes reddened, and her fingers were tightly clenched together, caught in a deep dilemma.

Looking at her, Lu Chen softened his tone, but remained resolute: "Only I can handle this."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Jiang Xue took a deep breath, raised her head, looked at Ding Jianguo, and said in a calm voice that came after a period of suppressed emotion: "Director Ding, it's fine to let my husband go."

Ding Jianguo and Zhou Weidong both looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"But you have to agree to one condition."

Ding Jianguo was taken aback: "What conditions?"

Jiang Xue said, word by word, "Let me go with my husband."

She looked directly into Ding Jianguo's eyes, her tone leaving no room for negotiation: "If you don't agree to my request, I won't agree."

Ding Jianguo and Zhou Weidong were both stunned.

They never expected Jiang Xue to make such a request, a condition that was completely unexpected.

But upon further reflection, they quickly understood.

Jiang Xue wasn't making demands; she was clearly still worried about Lu Chen. It wasn't that she didn't trust the police; she knew all too well how dangerous those people were. Rather than sitting at home anxiously waiting for news, she preferred to stand by Lu Chen's side—even if it was just watching from afar, even if it was just a glance of support.

She wanted to protect him closely.

In your own way.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, then his brows furrowed sharply.

His first instinct was to refuse—no, absolutely not.

We haven't fully figured out what the other party's background is yet.

He wasn't even sure he was going alone, so how could he let Jiang Xue go in and risk her life with him?

But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped.

Because he thought of something else.

Jiang Xue was not only a wife, but also a police officer.

Being a police officer is Jiang Xue's dream.

From the day she graduated from police academy, she was determined to stand on the front line, at the forefront of danger.

She is not the kind of person who needs to be protected, never has been.

Lu Chen had thought about these things repeatedly before they even got married.

He had considered that she might work night shifts, might not be home for several days in a row, might receive an emergency mission and leave without notice, and he had even thought that one day she might face real danger.

Only after he had figured it out and understood it did he take her hand and walk into the Civil Affairs Bureau.

How could he possibly stop her today, when she truly needs to face danger?

He couldn't stop Jiang Xue from carrying out the tasks she deemed worthwhile.

Lu Chen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but the worry in his eyes did not completely disappear.

He was silent for a few seconds, and finally only said one sentence:

"Then promise me one thing."

Jiang Xue looked at him and said, "Go on."

"Once inside, listen to me," Lu Chen said softly. "Not your husband, but the technical lead for this operation."

Jiang Xue paused slightly, then a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she nodded: "Okay."

Another point is that if Lu Chen didn't have the killing machine skill, he wouldn't be a burden to Jiang Xue, even though he had some self-defense capabilities.

Only then did he feel at ease letting Jiang Xue go with him.

Ding Jianguo and Zhou Weidong exchanged a glance, both reading the same conclusion from each other's eyes.

That's settled then.

"Well..." Ding Jianguo carefully considered his words, looked at the two people standing side by side in front of him, and finally nodded, "Since you two have reached an agreement, then I also agree that you can go and carry out this mission together."

He paused, then added, "However, there's a prerequisite: you need to change your appearance."

Ding Jianguo's expression turned serious: "The two of you still have considerable popularity online. If you go directly to meet those people without any disguise, you might be recognized."

Lu Chen wasn't worried about that.

The skill "King of a Thousand Faces" came to mind.

Let alone simple facial enhancements, he was absolutely confident that he could completely change their faces without leaving a trace. Giving the two of them a high-level disguise would be no difficult task for him.

Seeing Lu Chen's calm demeanor, Ding Jianguo assumed he simply had a good mental fortitude and didn't think much of it.

He continued, "You two don't need to pretend to have any other identities. Once you get there, just continue to act as husband and wife, and do whatever you want. This fits perfectly with our character setting for your 'small workshop'."

Zhou Weidong nodded in agreement: "That's right. It's reasonable and low-key for a technician from out of town to bring his wife along to make a living."

"The fact that they are husband and wife actually lowers the other party's guard. No matter how shrewd those people are, they would hardly think that a real couple would be sent by the police."