197: Chapter 197 You want to see my face?

Four police cars pulled up in front of the Jinyue Martial Arts Hall. A group of Jingan Officers swarmed out, led by Wei Baoguo, and immediately surrounded Miao Manman.

Seeing this display of force, the noisy crowd couldn't help but fall silent.

Wei Baoguo stepped forward and announced loudly, "I am Wei Baoguo, the South Song Branch Chief of the Jingan Bureau. I am handling a case according to the law! Unrelated personnel are not to cause a disturbance!"

"You, your name is Miao Manman, correct?"

Miao Manman nodded blankly, her heart sinking.

She had originally thought that being unable to borrow money was the worst thing that could happen.

But at this moment, she realized that without Ye Qingzhou's protection, she would actually end up a prisoner.

Although Grandpa Qi would certainly help her eventually, having a criminal record would have a massive impact on her future.

Theoretically, as long as she had a criminal record, she would lose all eligibility for admission to higher academies. Furthermore, she wouldn't be able to join the military or enter politics.

If so, what future was there left to talk about?

"You are now suspected of intentional injury against a fellow student, Wei Lin! The victim, Wei Lin, has filed a lawsuit against you with the Department of Legal Affairs!"

"Following investigations by the legal department and multiple witness testimonies, the facts of your crime have been confirmed!"

"According to Arrest Warrant No. 3391 issued by the Department of Legal Affairs, this bureau is now placing you under arrest in accordance with the law!"

"Come with us!"

Seeing a Jingan Officer step forward to handcuff Miao Manman, Qin Bing immediately shouted.

"Stop!"

Wei Baoguo looked back at him. Before he could even ask, Qin Bing rushed over and started yelling.

"The person you're trying to arrest is a prospective contract employee of the Jinyue Martial Arts Hall!"

"Do you know whose territory Jin Yue is? It belongs to Mr. Tang Long, a Royal Knight, an Academician of the National Academy, a Consultant for the Law School, a Special Instructor for the Military Academy, and in a few days, potentially the President of the White Clothes Society!"

"This martial arts hall does not agree to you arresting his people! I advise you to think carefully!"

This whole string of titles actually stunned Wei Baoguo for a moment.

But... Tang Long? That little hoodlum from the Hot-Blooded Arena?

Bah!

"Are you trying to obstruct law enforcement?"

"Stop labeling people! Does a minor incident like hers really need to be blown out of proportion? In a martial arts vocational school, practical sparring is unavoidable. Which day goes by without a few students getting injured? What? Is your Young Master Wei a sissy? Crying and filing complaints everywhere over a little injury?"

His words immediately drew a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Several students among them also moved behind him, clearly showing their support.

Especially the skinny, monkey-like Sun Jian, who took the lead in heckling.

"Young Master Wei was beaten like that by a woman. This shows that he's actually worse than a sissy!"

"You! Who are you? Do you dare give your name?"

"Why? You want to retaliate? Everyone, come look! The Chief of the Jingan Bureau is threatening a student!"

Miao Manman felt both amused and heartbroken.

But she realized that one cannot fight city hall. She had injured Wei Lin, and the Wei Family was seeking deliberate revenge. How could Tang Long and the people from the Jinyue Martial Arts Hall possibly stop them?

She could only whisper to Qin Bing, "Stop making a scene. Don't let things escalate and involve even more people."

Qin Bing stared. "What kind of talk is that? Old Tang previously... Wait, Old Tang is calling. Hello!"

Qin Bing answered the phone and listened for a moment. He immediately became even more arrogant and walked toward the other side holding the phone.

"Chief Wei, Sir Tang wants to speak with you personally."

Wei Baoguo took the phone with a grim face, and Tang Long's voice immediately came from the other end.

"Chief Wei? This is Tang Long."

"I'm already clear on Miao Manman's situation. I don't think there's any need to make this matter so ugly."

"As the saying goes, leave a way out for others so you can meet again in the future."

"Regarding the grievance Wei Lin suffered, I will give the Wei Family an explanation later. As for the arrest, I think we can forget about it."

Wei Baoguo replied in a low voice, "I am just following orders. I need to ask for instructions regarding your meaning."

"Of course. No need to hang up, I'll wait for the news right here."

Wei Baoguo handed the phone back to Qin Bing and immediately walked some distance away to call the Wei Family.

"Hello, Head of the Family, it's Baoguo."

"Didn't you go to arrest Miao Manman? Is it not going smoothly?"

"It's in progress, but a situation has arisen. Do you remember that guy named Tang Long from before?"

"Tang Long? Of course I know him. The kid is different now; he has a long list of titles and connections to many parties."

"Yes. He personally intervened, saying he would give the Wei Family an explanation regarding Wei Lin's matter."

"What does he think he is? The Wei Family doesn't need his explanation. I'll tell you plainly, this man will be dead soon."

"Then... should I forcibly arrest her now? I think they might offer violent resistance."

"Violent resistance is even better. Have your men tangle with them, escalate the situation, and drag him into it too. It would be best if you could frame him as the mastermind behind the violent resistance against the law. It will be much easier to clean up later."

"I understand!"

Hanging up the phone, Wei Baoguo simply waved his hand. "Handcuff her!"

"Who dares!" Qin Bing immediately blocked the way in front of Miao Manman and spoke urgently to Tang Long on the other end of the line.

"Old Tang, the bastard isn't giving us face and is going to forcibly arrest her! What do we do!"

"I don't care what you do, you must not let them take her away. Stall them for at least half an hour for me!"

"I'll do my best!"

"Not 'do your best'! You must do it! Fight if you have to. Have Scorpion, Brother Dog, and the others all join in. If anything happens, I'll take the blame!"

Somewhere in a dense forest outside the city, within the thick canopy of a large tree, Tang Long was roaring into the phone while waving at Yun Zhuoyue beneath the tree.

Hearing the chaos on the other end to the point where he could no longer hear anything clearly, he hung up and jumped down from the tree.

Seeing that he had lost an arm and his charred body was covered in scars, and that he didn't even have a single piece of clothing on—having hastily fashioned a grass skirt from branches—Yun Zhuoyue couldn't help but feel a shock of alarm.

"I haven't seen you for only half a day, how did you end up like this? Are your injuries serious?"

Tang Long had already scrambled into her chariot. "Don't mention it. I'll tell you slowly on the way! Something's happened in the city, I have to get back immediately!"

"The city? Is something in the city more important than what happened to your body?"

"It's neither big nor small, the Wei Family is trying to arrest Miao Manman again! My people probably won't be able to hold them off!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhuoyue's temper also flared up. No longer caring about how dirty Tang Long was, she immediately got in and started the vehicle.

In fact, Tang Long had already been waiting here for over an hour.

Because he had failed to completely wipe out the Sun Worshipers and had lost an arm, his combat power would definitely be greatly reduced.

To prevent Wei Mingzhu and her people from taking desperate risks, he had directly contacted The Sect and Red Hand, but for some reason, Red Hand had not responded.

He could only settle for the next best thing and call Yun Zhuoyue to act as his bodyguard.

And after hearing about his encounters today, Yun Zhuoyue's mouth was also hanging open in shock.

"Nine in the Blood Refining Upper Realm and one in the Open Origin Realm, and you still managed to survive?"

"Nonsense, of course I survived."

"Wei Mingzhu is really a Sun Worshiper?"

"No doubt about it!"

"The High Priest... is really crazy?"

"Big sister, drive properly! Look at the road, not at me! Drive steadily, damn it!"

The beast-like Hu Xiao Chariot directly leveled half of a several-meter-high earthen mound, and carrying half a vehicle's worth of mud, it continued forward stumbling.

Ten-odd minutes later, the chariot arrived at the West City Gate.

The Hu Xiao Chariot was a privileged military vehicle; usually, it would bypass inspection and enter the city directly.

But today, for some reason, the city gate checkpoint actually stopped Yun Zhuoyue.

Yun Zhuoyue quickly jumped out of the vehicle and shouted at the guard squad, "I am Yun Zhuoyue of Hu Xiao Team One. Who is in charge here!"

Under the gaze of her red eyes, every soldier in that squad felt goosebumps all over their bodies.

Even if they hadn't experienced it personally, they had heard the stories.

They were all well aware of the fearsome reputation of the Hu Xiao Special Task Force. But an order to intercept vehicles had come from above, and they had no choice.

The captain could only bite the bullet and step forward to explain to Yun Zhuoyue.

"Officer, how much courage do we small fries have? It was the superiors who told us to intercept your vehicle."

"Superiors? You city guards are getting more and more audacious. Whose order?"

"This... I'm not sure either."

"Then what are you even good for? If you can't explain it, then open the gate!"

"Officer, disobeying military orders in the army results in losing one's head. Please don't make things difficult for us!"

"I have urgent military business right now. I'll give you one minute. Either find someone to explain it to me or let me through. In one minute, I am definitely entering the city."

Yun Zhuoyue threw down those words and returned to the vehicle. Tang Long couldn't help but cast a strange look at her.

"What are you looking at!"

Tang Long curled his lip. "Before, I thought Hu Xiao had quite a bit of influence. After all that fuss, you can't even get through a city gate."

"You don't know shit, this matter isn't that simple. In Song City, there aren't more than ten people who would dare stop my car. Someone is definitely trying to prevent me from interfering in Miao Manman's business, and it's definitely one of those ten people."

Tang Long chuckled. "Big Team Leader Yun, aren't you overthinking it?"

Yun Zhuoyue frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They definitely aren't after you; they're most likely after me."

"After you? Just because of you? They'd dare stop my car?"

Yun Zhuoyue sneered. "I've seen plenty of self-important people, but someone as arrogant as you is truly rare."

"How about a bet?"

"Bet on what?"

"This car is pretty good, get me one too."

"This chariot weighs forty-four tons and is purely psionic-powered. You wouldn't even be able to drive it."

"Fine. That armor on you is also pretty good. If I win, give me a set."

"This is a general-exclusive model; trainee officers aren't qualified to be equipped with it. Once you enter the Military Academy, you'll be issued a set of armor corresponding to your rank."

"Damn! Then... taking off your mask and letting me see what you look like should be fine, right!"

"You want to see my face?"

The temperature inside the vehicle suddenly plummeted, as if it were dropping to the freezing point.